Goodbye Old Friends!

Growing up in my household meant the men ruled the television. My brother was big into Star Trek and my Dad was big into westerns. Thus I watched way too much of both of those types of programs.

Andy Griffith was one of those shows that everybody got to enjoy! Barney has been making me laugh for close to 40 years. My 8 yr old likes to watch the DVD with the old shows on it. Poor ole Barney (Don Knotts) passed away this week. I never cared for his character on Three's Company but always enjoyed Barney. Andy Griffith put it best: "Don was a small man ... but everything else about him was large: his mind, his expressions," Griffith told The Associated Press on Saturday. "Don was special. There's nobody like him.

"I loved him very much," Griffith added. "We had a long and wonderful life together." I sure hope when I die that my friends can say that about me!

Another actor Dennis Weaver died this week also and he entertained us with Gunsmoke and later MCCloud but I think what impresses me the most is he was married to the same woman for 61 years. It is really hard to find that in Hollywood anymore! Of course, he did not live in Hollywood, preferring to live in Colorado in a solar powered home that was made from mostly recycled material. A family man who cared about the enviroment sounds like a good guy to me!

I don't know anything about either of these men's spiritual life. I hope they knew Christ and I hope they are with the Father now. I can appreciate both of these men for the joy they brought my family and countless others. Think I will go watch a Andy Griffith DVD and laugh with Barney for awhile!

Nice Anniversary Dinner!

Hubby and I went out for a nice dinner down on the riverwalk Friday night. It was a dress up place and darling daughter was at a sleepover. It was nice to get away for a little while just the two of us and try some things (food wise) we had not experienced before. It wasn't Hawaii but it was still quite nice. We have decided that it will be "our place" and when we need to get away, we will get a babysitter, get dressed up and escape to "our place"!

Then back to reality! Darling daughter called at 12:30 am and said she wanted to come home! Poor Hubby had to get dressed and go pick her up. She was so tired, she was asleep by the time her head hit the pillow. This was only her second sleepover (other than grandparents) and so we were not too surprised. I think I came home from a sleepover or two but then again, my friends were next door not across town!

Hope you are all having a blessed weekend! We got a little sunshine on Thursday (which was our anniversary) but then back to the rainy weather. We need the rain but have been getting mostly drizzle. Today we got a pretty good downpour so maybe it will help the aquifer fill back up and we won't have water restrictions and brown yards this summer. Look forward to going to church in the morning and singing (and signing) praises to God. Week just goes better if you start it off right! Blessings!

Rainy Days and Tuesdays and Wednesdays.....

WARNING THIS WILL BE A PITY PARTY POST! I KNOW THAT LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE IT WORSE THAN ME BUT RIGHT NOW I JUST NEED TO VENT! FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS POST IF YOU DON'T LIKE PITY PARTIES!

Will the sun ever shine again in SA? At least it is not as cold as earlier in the week. It is just so dreary, it is hard not to be depressed. K is home with a fever, they called me from school to come get her around 1:00. I am not sure what the problem is, she really seems to be fine, not really complaining about anything. She is just complaining because I won't let her go out in the drizzle and jump rope and also I told her we would not be going to church tonight. That girl takes her church going seriously!

I had my balance test this morning and the crystals in my inner ear are messed up. They have migrated into the balance area of my ears and I have to go thru a series of manipulations by a physical therapist to put them back. Sounds like quackery I know but it is legitimate stuff. I was embarrassed because during the balance test I started to cry, I am just so frustrated with all of this stuff. I am dizzy all the time, it seems and I have all these side effects from the surgery and yet I still am not making progress with the cochlear implant. Dr. wants me to have an x ray to make sure the electrodes are in the right place. He also wants the representative from the company that makes my implant to do a complete diagnositic on the unit and make sure it is working correctly. He wants me to walk every day to improve my balance and then see the physical therapist on the 6th for the manipulation to put my crystals back in the right spot.

It just seems like I am worse off than when I started. I felt like I had to try the implant because there was nothing else that could be done from a hearing aid standpoint but I really did not know that the side effects would be so severe and so emotionally draining. I am trying to be patient and do all the things that they tell me to but it is so frustrating. I really wish I could go back 6 months and just be hearing impaired again. True, I could not hear a lot of things but I could still talk to my mom on the phone and call my husband when I needed him or just to hear him say "I Love You, Babe!"

Sorry for the pity party post. Maybe I have SAD and need to get one of those sun light lamps! Now I will count my blessings: I have a God who loves me and gave his Son for me! I will be with Him in Heaven one day! I have a fantastic husband who has been my friend for about 19 years and my hubby for 15 years (tomorrow!) He is my biggest supporter and encourager. He is always there for me. I have a beautiful healthy little girl who can make me laugh and smile just by being herself. I have a roof over my head (a pretty nice one too!) and plenty to wear and too much to eat. I have friends who love me and will put up with my pity parties! :0) So I am a blessed woman!

Rainy Days and Mondays!

Like the old song says "rainy days and mondays always get me down" add to that "cold " and a pile of laundry! Enough said! Here's to a brighter day tomorrow!

Almost New Furniture!

We got the couch and the two recliners back from the upholsters today. Had to write them a big check but I am pleased with the results. Everything is starting to come together in the formal living room. It is never really going to be formal but it definitely looks better now. I bought two throw pillows in the same stripe as my dinning room chairs are covered in (that was a job recovering those things) and they look great on the new gold fabric of the couch. The formal living and formal dining room are really one big room ( no wall between them) so this ties them together really well.

The furniture guys also moved another couch which had been in the living room into a small bedroom at the front of the house. We call this room the baby's room because when we moved here we put the crib and nursery furniture in that room. If we had another baby that would have been the nursery. I don't think there are going to be any more babies in this house, so we have decided to make it into the office/guest room. Some of our guest are having a hard time with the stairs so we thought we would put the blue sleeper sofa in that room and they can use it if they don't want to climb the stairs to the real guestroom. I have several blue bonnet pictures and accessories so I am thinking of decorating that room with them and calling it our "blue room". But first we need to get rid of some of the junk in there. We have gotten into the bad habit of putting stuff in there until we can decide what to do with it. Maybe I need to go read the fly lay.com for some ideas on decluttering that room.

Anyway, after 16 years of hating that SW couch, it is gone! I am so thrilled! The old dirty pink recliners that survived about 11 moves , are now beautiful and clean! And after 5 1/2 years in this house I am finally fixing up the living room and making an office! Hey, I am slow but eventually I get it done. Probably what this all means is my hubby will come home and tell me he has been transferred. Usually that is what happens about the time I get my house the way I like it! (TMK and Jenny-- no we are not moving, does not look like they will transfer big K for at least 10 years, I am just being pessimistic!)

Tomorrow I go back to CI for remapping. I am a little more hopeful this week that my brain is starting to get this stuff. I actually understood that someone was reading scripture on a CD that I was listening to (could not really understand what he was saying but could tell he was reading scripture) and then today, I kept hearing a funny sound and I finally figured out it was the telephone ringing. So I am making little baby steps.

I think I am about to get over this flu and cough I have had forever, got some good news regarding a problem my family was experiencing (relief in sight maybe!) and just generally seem to be feeling more positive about the CI. Thanks for all your prayers, I know they worked and helped me get through a rough time!

Honey Is Coming HOME!

What I have been avoiding writing is that my hubby has been out of town on business all week! ( I wasn't comfortable blogging that we were home alone!) So not only were K and I sick all week, we did not even have anyone to take care of us! All together now AWWW...YOU POOR THINGS!!! I heard "I miss my Daddy" hundreds of times this week!

However as of 11:30 this morning he is on the final leg of his flight coming home. K and I will go pick him up later this afternoon. I am looking forward to talking to an adult in the house again. I am looking forward to sharing the parenting load, although he may get to share a little extra this weekend, because I need some sleep.

I just don't function as well without him in the house. I am afraid something will happen and I will not hear it. I often wake up several times during the night and wander around thinking I am hearing something. Even simple things like not hearing the alarm clock (yes I know we can buy an alarm that will shake the bed but we haven't yet!) Let's just face it I don't llike to be alone! I miss having him in the bed with me, I even missed his snoring! (now that is true love!) Mostly I missed laughing with him. Alot of our time spent together involves laughing, we find humor in almost every situation (I am convinced that is one of the things that has gotten us through some rough stuff! ie..miscarriage, moving 1300 miles away from all out family, infertility issues) No matter what, we can always find something to laugh about!

If the tone of his emails and text messages is any indication, he missed us just as much. He is a homebody who likes to be with his girls! I don't think he sleeps so well in those hotel rooms all alone either. By the end of the week, I think he is more than ready to get back to this boring old routine. So Baby hurry home, I miss you like crazy!

Thursday

I had an appt with the ENT today, he said I probably have the flu but gave me antibiotics just incase it was something else. He said he did not want to take any chances with the implant. He is having me come back in two weeks to do a balance test again, since I am still dizzy when I turn over on my left side. He is also concerned that I am not understanding more with my CI, so he wants a representative from the company that makes my CI to be there for my next mapping with the Audiologist.


I feel like I have the flu, all I want to do is go to bed but K will be off the bus soon so I need to stay up and take care of her. Maybe she can go to friends house to play this afternoon. She does not have school tomorrow (in service day) but has a brownie activity in the morning. We can sleep in a little (about an hour) but that is it. Hope all of you are well and don't have the flu, cause it is NO FUN!

Weary Wednesday!

I kept K home today. She threw up once yesterday but that was it! However, every time she got up from the bed, she would complain of nausea. I am thinking she did not get sick because she did not have much in her, just a little soup and crackers. Today she has not had much of an appetite and is just kinda moppy but has moments when she is her old self (and her goal is to drive her mom batty!)

I woke up at 3 am feeling like I had swallowed crushed glass. Major earache on the implant side and yucky cough. I took a chloreseptic throat lougenzer and swallowed the silly thing when I laid back down, almost choked to death! All I could think of was great, K is going to wake up in the morning and find her dead mother! Obviously, that did not happen. This morning my throat was not as sore but my head was full of congestion and I am back to walking into walls again. Played phone tag with the ENT all day and finally got word that he wants to see me tomorrow morning. (Sure hope K can go to school tomorrrow!) I guess they don't want to take chances with this $70,000 device in my head! (Yeap, that is really how much it cost, I saw the hospital bill.......Thank Goodness for Insurance!)

I think everyone must be sick, even one of K's doctors called and cancelled her appt for tomorrow. The Dr. is out with the flu! The kids here are out of school on Friday as it is an inservice day for the teachers. So that makes me even more determined that she goes to school tomorrow. I can't really see any reason now to keep her out another day, no fever, no vomiting in over 24 hours. When you factor in the cranky Mama, everything points to the fact that K would be much better off in school tomorrow. There is more to this saga but I will save that for another day!

Several people have asked me about the CI, how it is going? It is incredibly slow and frustrating. I am not recognizing anything as speech or music. It remains beeps, and robotic type noises. I can tell that they sometimes follow the same pattern as the person speaking and so that is a little improvement. Basically, if I am having a good day, it is easier to deal with the frustrations of the CI and tell myself it will get better. If I am having a bad day then I am likely to feel like it is not worth the frustration. Fortunately, I have a lot of support from other people so when I am having a really bad day, they encourage me to stick with it. So I take it one day at a time! Hope all of you are staying healthy!

Tuesday!

Today has been a long day and it is only 3:30! K woke up at 6:30 saying she did not feel good (tells me that a lot) I sent her to school anyway thinking she would feel better once she got going. I got dressed and was headed out the door to go to the school when the school nurse called. They said that she was complaining of feeling nausous but had not thrown up, did I want them to send her back to class or pick her up. I explained I was on my way to the school to work in the copy room this morning, to see if she could go on to class and I would check on her when I got to the school. She went on to class and when I checked on her she was doing fine.

The copy room was crazy this morning. We were totally out of white paper for the first few hours I was there, but could still make copies if the teachers wanted colored paper. Then the copier maintance guys showed up so I had to stop everything while they did their things. Finally about the time that the copier guys finished the load of paper was delivered so we were tripping over paper boxes everywhere. From famine to feast in the paper department! I should have worn my pedometer today because I know I walked several miles.

About noon, I went and checked on K, she was at lunch with her class. I walked in and she had her head on the lunch table, not eating just looking sad! She felt warm to me and she has a mark on her forehead that turns red when she gets a fever or mad or just really hot from playing and it was very visible. So I went ahead and brought her home. She has not thrown up but just is really dragging and obviously does not feel good. If she isn't better tomorrow we may need to call up the good ole doctor!

Here's hoping for a better day tomorrow and a well child. I think I have a date with a couple of my girlfriends for breakfast tomorrow, sure hope I can make it but we will see how the night goes. It is yucky when you or your kids are sick!

Remapping Sessions!

First of all thanks to all who said a little prayer for me. I've had a really rough week and may have some more really rough ones in the future too! I am trying to take little baby steps and deal with the stuff I have control over and not get too stressed out by the things I have no control over. I would appreciate it if you all would keep praying for me over the next few week (months?) as I know prayer helps!

I finally got in to see the Audiologist and she did a remapping session. Basically, she reprogrammed the processor on the CI. I don't know if it will be better but it certainly could not be any worst than it has been. I have 4 new programs to learn. She gave me some names of people with CI's to talk to (friend jenny also gave me a name--Thanks Jenny!) so maybe I can find out first hand if my experiences are normal.

It is going to be another busy weekend here, with lots of girl scout cookies to deliver. SuperBowl party with the Life Group on Sunday! Hope you all have a great weekend and your team wins! I don't care who wins, I just like the commercials and of course it will be interesting to see who gets naked at the half time show! However the only celebrity names I have heard are Mick Jagger, Aretha Franklin and Steve Wonder and I really don't care to see any of them naked! Maybe we will have a kinder, gentler, child friendly half time show! Hope so!

BIG REMINDER! Don't go to the restroom during halftime! If you have to go, don't flush! You might blow up your toilet! Enough said!

Prayer Request!

I don't like to whine and complain (except maybe to my family) and certainly don't like to do so on my blog ( no one wants to hear about it!) So I am going to try to make this short and sweet! I am having a really hard time right now, things are not going so well with the Cochlear Implant and there are some other stuggles going on with my family. I really need some prayers to get me through all of this! So if you are reading this, please say a little (or a big, long) prayer for me and my family! Thanks!