Blogthings: How Do You Live Your Life?

Just one of those silly questionnaire thingys....

How You Life Your Life

You have a good sense of self control and hate to show weakness. You're laid back and chill, but sometimes you care too much about what others think. You tend to have one best friend you hang with, as opposed to many aquaintences. You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Chantelle is home tomorrow! w00t!

Chantelle will get home tomorrow morning, and will be here until Tuesday. She flies back to Calgary Tuesday night, and then just a couple of weeks later she leaves for Australia. Yikes, it has come so quickly! She is super excited. :-) I work tomorrow, but took Tuesday off so that I could have a bit more time with her.

School started for Sheldon yesterday -- his last year. Speaking of it coming so quickly!! He'll be 18 in 5 months... wow...

He and I were going to borrow Robbie's car to go to the city on Monday to do some shopping, but -- wouldn't you know it -- the alternator in Robbie's car died on Sunday. ::rolleyes:: Seems to be some kind of curse on vehicles around our house.... lol. At least it died beforehand -- and not while we were gone.

Okay, back to work.... (slow day).

I got my nose pierced... :-)

I've been thinking about this for about a year, I finally decided to go for it. Cute little stone in the right nostril. :)
(Kathy, I chuckled when I read your 360° post about not liking nose piercings... lol.)

There's another ear piercing (a rook) that I also considered. Maybe another time. ;)

Vacation report

Yeah, I'm a little slow at getting to this, I know.... lol.

I had such a great time in Arizona. Josh and I had SO much fun! I even survived the heat! :P Well, the day we went to the zoo was kind of tough -- and after three hours in temps around 110-112°F, I finally had to call it quits... I was suffering. But the rest of the time I did okay.

It was great to have the two weeks, because it gave us a little more time to do things. We took a road trip to the Grand Canyon and had a blast. It poured rain on the way up (with some pretty intense lightning), but was okay while we were there. Unfortunately it was cloudy so the pictures aren't as good as they could have been, but it was still great. The Grand Canyon is amazing... just amazing.

We had a fun adventure in the little town of Williams, searching for a long-sleeved t-shirt. (It was chilly, and Josh had a hoodie with him, but really only needed something light.) Josh asked at a gas station if there was a WalMart, and they laughed... lil town of 3,000... no WalMart. They directed us to the Family Dollar store. Umm... some very "interesting" clothing, but no long-sleeved t-shirt. From there to the Sportsway -- guns, fishing equipment and large amounts of alcohol, but no shirt. Next was the Western store, but cowboy shirts weren't quite what Josh was looking for. Finally I spotted Gracie's, and she was able to hook Josh up with a John Deere shirt..... haha. We were dying laughing through this whole little adventure (and I was immensely enjoying Josh's experience of a small town!), and took pictures so that I could scrapbook it.

Arizona Vacation Pictures

We didn't ride the Grand Canyon Railway, but we spent some time at the train depot on Saturday morning, waiting for the trains and taking pictures, etc. I think it would be cool to ride the train up to the Grand Canyon. Maybe another time. ;)

Much of our two weeks was just hangin' out.... we went to a couple of movies (saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest), visited Josh's parents, went to a birthday celebration, went out with friends to a great Japanese restaurant where they cook the food at your table, went swimming, had Mexican food and Josh's delicious homemade soup.... Had a wonderful and relaxing time. It was really, really hard to leave...... :( *sigh*

~~~~~

Sheldon had an accident after I left (that night) -- he hit a deer and wrecked his car. Thankfully no one was hurt. But he's now without a vehicle, and insurance didn't give him enough to cover what he still owed on the loan. So he still has to pay that off, then look for another vehicle. Poor kid... that car was nothing but problems from the day he got it.

Chantelle's coming home Labour Day weekend -- YES! I'm excited. She'll be home about 5 days, so that will be wonderful. Then she goes back to Calgary for a bit, and leaves for Australia on Sept. 17. She was originally talking about going for 9 months to a year... but now she thinks it will probably be just the 9 months. We'll see what happens. :-)

My mom and I finally had a chat... I have mixed feelings about it. That's about all I'll say... lol.

That's about it for now. I hope everyone has had a great summer.... it's gone by much too fast!

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Currently playing: Iris ~ Goo Goo Dolls :)

Back from vacation

I had the BEST time in Arizona! So much fun... :) Sad to leave.... :(
I'll maybe post more later (spent the morning editing pics, etc.... I need to shower, upack and all that...). For now, here's a link to some pictures -- I'll be adding to it, but this is a start.

Arizona Vacation Photos

Vacation time!

I'm leaving on Thursday (July 20) for two weeks in Arizona. Yes, I am probably insane to be going to Arizona at this time of year, but what can I say? ;)

Oops, computer acting up, will be back....

EDIT: I got waylaid and never made it back here to finish this post... lol.

Anyway, packing Wednesday morning, working till 8:00 p.m., leaving 9:00 a.m. Thursday for Regina, flying out at 2:15 p.m. Will be back late on August 2. See you sometime after that!

I hope everyone is having a good summer. Things have been pretty quiet....

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Currently playing: Little Boat ~ Daniel Rogers (Hoodwinked soundtrack)

Grammie passed away

She died last night, with family present. She went very quietly.

Prayer requests

My grandma isn't doing well at all. Sleeping all the time, mostly non-responsive when anyone talks to her, some other physical stuff I won't get into. The doctor said her body is slowly shutting down.... :( I am (selfishly) hoping that she won't pass away while I'm in Arizona, but what will be will be. I also hope, though, that things won't drag out for her.

On another note, there are some issues that my mom and I have had between us for some time now. On the surface, things seem "okay", but they really aren't. There is alot of junk that gets ignored, and she has this frustrating tendency to talk about me to others rather than talking TO me and dealing with things. I recently learned about stuff she'd said about me to relatives that I had NO idea about, and which were really out there -- odd assumptions she'd made that had no basis in fact, that she had made without ever talking to me. Weird, I tell you.....

Anyway, we seem to be having a real problem with communicating on this, so I sat down and wrote her a letter which I mailed today. I am nervous (actually very apprehensive) about her reaction to it. I hate that I feel that way, I really do. Blah.....

Praying that things go smoothly.... and that I won't get defensive, as I often do because of the way my mom sometimes approaches things.

Thirdly, a coworker (she is a sub who just comes in once in awhile when one of us is on vacation, etc.) had a hysterectomy about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I saw her today, and she looked really awful -- it actually scared me a bit that she looked so bad. Apparently she had been doing okay, but then ended up back in the hospital with a blood clot in her lung. Serious stuff. When I saw her today, it looked like it was taking a great effort just to talk, she looked so exhausted. I hope she is back on the road to a speedy and complete recovery.

Summer finally?!

After many days of rain and generally cloudy, depressing weather, we finally have some really nice days! It's so good to see the sun shining. :-)

I don't think I have much to update... lol. Sheldon wrote his last final exam on Monday, so school is done. Report cards come out tomorrow. Wow... only one year left for him....

He's off to Calgary in a week to spend some time with Chantelle. Then he's back to work for most of the summer. I leave for Arizona in 3 weeks! :-) And Chantelle leaves for Australia in about 2 1/2 months. She's still not sure when she's getting home to see everyone. The original plan was in August, but now one of the other staff has to have surgery and they need her to work then, so it might not be until the very beginning of September (she leaves for Australia on Sept. 17). She's got a very busy summer, and I think that Robbie and some friends are still trying to find a time to get out to Calgary, too.

Nothing really new on my grandma. She's in the nursing home, and physically she is doing okay (even put on a bit of weight), but mentally she isn't doing so well -- forgetful, confused, disoriented, etc. Not too bad in the morning, but worse as the day goes on. They've been able to reduce her pain meds, and she's been eating better, so that is good.

I dunno, not much else going on.... Work is busy, especially now that school is out (phone rings all the time with kids booking computer time!).

I've been trying to stay committed to either walking or biking for 30-45 minutes at least once a day. Sticking to it fairly well -- sometimes I manage twice a day. I really wish it would take a few pounds off.... I guess I lost a few, but a few more would be nice! Now that we actually have some sunshine, I'm trying to get a bit of sun, too, before I go to AZ. I used to lay out and tan when I was a teenager, and as a kid/teen/young adult I used to tan so easily and get so dark. Not anymore! I burn very quickly now, so I'm trying to get some sun exposure without frying.... lol.

Anyway, yeah.... that's about it for now.... lol.

New song by downhere

I'm not current on Christian music anymore (not like I used to be!) -- but I got an email from downhere recently about their new album, so I went to their site to check it out. I really, really like the song "A Better Way". It's as much the music (love the piano) as it is the lyrics, really. My favorite downhere songs have always been that way. (Nothing tops "Calmer of the Storm", though. ;) )

If you're interested in checking it out, go to Music and then the jukebox at www.downhere.com

Here's the lyrics:

A Better Way
Wide-Eyed and Mystified
by downhere

I'm not alone, I really believe
You never go, You never leave
Here and now, You always stay
“I love you” could not be said a better way

It's everything You've promised
There's no greater love than this
From prophets until today
A man laying down His life for His friends
Your sacrifice has spoken, You gave everything
And “I love you” could not be said
A better way

I am forgiven, I clearly see
It's why You came to do all you did for me
Trading earth with heaven, You took my place
“I love you” could not be said
A better way

Because You redeem, I know what's to come
Everything I could lose here, You've already won
So You have my surrender, with passion obey
“I love you” could not be said
A better way

I went shopping in "the city" yesterday, mostly for birthday presents (Robbie and my nephew), although I got a few things for me, too.... lol. The boys and I bought an early birthday/Christmas gift for Chantelle -- because she won't be here for either, and this way she can take it to Australia with her. We got her a digital camera and a 2 GB memory card. It's a nice little camera, I think she will love it. I love forward to the pics that she'll send. :)

She's booked her flight -- leaving Calgary on Sept. 17. She flies into L.A., then to Singapore, and she arrives in Sydney the morning of Sept. 20. Exciting! She's coming home sometime in August to see everyone before she leaves.

My mom called me on Sunday -- apparently Grammie fell and broke her wrist. :( She was hallucinating and thought my uncle had been hurt and was at the hospital. She got out of bed to go to him and she fell. Fortunately her bad hip did not give out on her, because that would really finish her off. But this is not good, either.

Oh for pete's sake..... it's raining again!!! It's been cold and rainy for days, it's really quite depressing.

I'm getting myself a new bike, finally. I have to put my old one to rest.... lol. A local store has some on sale this week. They didn't have the one I wanted in stock, but will order it and it should be here within a week.

Sheldon continues to feel really good. He's back at work (5 days in a row), and even with work and school he's feeling fine. :)

Much better

Sheldon is feeling much, much better. In fact, I am quite amazed at how well he's doing.

For three days last week, he slept pretty much 24/7... could barely stay awake for even 5 minutes, couldn't eat because of the swollen, sore throat. The glands in his neck were hugely swollen, and his spleen was enlarged. On John's recommendation, I got some olive leaf extract. He started taking it on Thursday, and by the evening the swelling in his glands had gone down noticeably, and he was starting to feel better -- much more alert, wanting to eat, etc. By Friday, you wouldn't know he was the same kid who could hardly move just 2 days before. He has continued to improve drastically, and the doctor was quite amazed yesterday.... lol.

The doctor wanted him to stay home from school for the rest of this week, too, but I let him go back today and will see how he does. He has been feeling good, not even fatigued. I don't want him to push it, though, so will keep a check on things.

In other news..... lol. My brother flew out from Vancouver the weekend of May 12-14, to see my grandma. I went down to MJ on the Saturday to see him, and to visit Grammie again. She wasn't doing as well as the last time I went. She is still in pretty good spirits, but health-wise she is slowly getting worse. The pain seems to be managed, but she still gets nauseous and I don't think she's eating much. She does seem to be more relaxed, though, being in the hospital. I'm sure it was frightening for her to be alone before. She's still waiting for a palliative care bed in the nursing home..... not sure if she's make it there or not......

Anyway, my brother and I had a good visit with Grammie, and I had a really good visit with him and my aunt & uncle. It was a good day. :-)

Mononucleosis

Sheldon hasn't been feeling well lately -- sore muscles, headache, bit of a sore throat and cough. We thought he had the same flu that I had, but over the weekend he started feeling really rough. He was terribly fatigued despite getting lots of sleep, headache got really bad, his throat got worse, and then the glands in his neck started swelling. Ugh.

Went to the doctor today, and he has mono. He is very unhappy. In addition to feeling rotten, he will have to stay home from school and work, and will miss Grad this weekend. Many of his friends are graduating, so he's really bummed about that.

Unfortunately there is nothing they can give him for mono -- it's a virus, and antibiotics won't do a thing. In fact, they could cause a severe rash. Basically he has to get alot of rest and drink lots of fluids, and wait it out. His throat is so swollen now that it's almost closed. Swallowing hurts. He's got a fever. Poor kid. :-(

I went to see Lana on Sunday evening. They are doing okay... as well as can be expected. The funeral will be on Saturday, back "home" for them (they aren't originally from here).

My brother will be flying out to see my grandma this weekend. He'll only be in MJ for a couple of days, so won't be coming here. I might go down on Saturday to see him, but it will depend if this stupid cough goes away. I was sick with the flu last week, and am still coughing alot. I don't want to to see Grammie if I'm not well, so we'll see how I'm feeling later in the week.

Grad is in on May 20th -- two of my nephews are graduating, one from each side of the family. Grade 11 parents have to help with many aspects of grad (organizing the banquet, setting up and taking down, etc.). Sheldon's class is very small, and I ended up on the Social Committee by myself!!! Yikes. I have to round up some help from somewhere for that day. Blech, I hate doing that.

Tired today, and the dull, dreary weather is not helping any (are we ever going to get nice weather?!?!). I'd love to curl up under my blanket and have a nice long nap. Too bad I still have 2 1/2 hours of work left.... lol.

I was surprised today when Kris G. walked into the library to use the public computers! Kris is a young man that I attended my first TEC weekend with, and we worked together on TEC 1 here in SK. Turns out that he's working in town for the summer (he's a university student), so that is pretty cool.

*Yawn*

Suppose I should get back to work...... ;)

Lana's dad died tonight.... It's been a long struggle, and he was definitely a fighter. He finally gave up the fight tonight. My heart hurts for them.... :'(

Grammie is back in the hospital. She was very sick to her stomach and in a great deal of pain again. She's not been keeping her meds straight at all, and because of the pain and nausea she wasn't eating, either. Once they got her into the hospital and got her meds straight again, she's feeling better and is eating again. She's still a bit confused -- and my aunt says she keeps asking where I am, she thinks I'm there somewhere in the building... lol.

The upside to this is that the doctor can see how sick she is and that she isn't managing at home alone, so they are keeping her in the hospital until a palliative care bed comes open at the nursing home across the street from where she lives. That is a relief.

My brother is coming from Vancouver next weekend. I hope he'll have the chance to have a good visit with her.

Feeling blechy today.... I have a sore throat and my voice is mostly gone. It hurts to talk. I'm really tired, and tonight I have a headache and kind of hurt all over. It's not real bad, I'm just being whiney.... :P I haven't been sick in over a year, so I shouldn't complain.

Mom let me know that Grammie was in the hospital again -- she's been in alot of pain. If she's taking her meds properly, she shouldn't be, so I don't know what's up, if she's gotten confused with them again or what. *sigh*

My kids are all heartbroken tonight.... the Calgary Flames lost game 7 in the playoff series tonight. I don't even watch hockey, but they are all big Flames fans. Mucho disappointment tonight.

Okay, this was a depressing post... lol.

Some of you will have read this elsewhere, but I'll post it here anyway...

Grammie is doing okay, but it varies from day to day. She was having a really good day when I was there last Monday. She seems to be getting mixed up on her meds -- either not taking some, or thinking she's taken them when she hasn't, etc. She has several meds, to be taken at different times, and she thinks she has it straight, but then gets confused. A home-care nurse was coming to see her to help get all that straightened around for her. When she has the meds straight, then she feels quite a bit better. Otherwise she's in pain, nauseous and can't eat. She's lost a ton of weight, is down to maybe 100 lbs.

She lives on her own, in a small suite in a senior's "complex" I guess you'd call it. A number of suites, with a common lounge area. The other residents keep an eye on her and are wonderful to her, but she knows that she is at a point now where she needs more care. After being violently sick to her stomach at 4:00 in the morning, alone...... she doesn't want to be alone anymore. So she's waiting to get into palliative care in a nursing home across the street from where she lives.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the doctor says that the cancer may have spread to her lungs.

One funny point -- or at least my family with our warped sense of humor thinks it's funny -- is that the doctor told her that she is eligible to qualify for medicinal marijuana (which is legal here) for the pain and nausea. So we've had numerous and ongoing laughs about Grammie smokin' up.... lol. (I have no idea if she'll actually apply for it, but it's made for some laughs, anyway. )

I'm glad that we had a good visit, I feel more at peace now. Thanks everyone for your prayers and hugs. They are very much appreciated. :)

Oh, and my brother is flying out in a couple of weeks to see Grammie. I may go down that weekend as well.

On another note, I've been trying to do more walking lately. At this time it's more for my physical health than my mental/emotional/spiritual... although it helps with all of those, too! :D In the past, I'd say it was more for those reasons. Anyway, I bought myself some new shoes the other day, and I'm going to try keeping a bit of a fitness log, just to (hopefully) keep me motivated. I really would like to lose a few pounds as well. Darn, but that middle-age thing has a way of sneaking up on a person.... :P

I'm working on some summer vacation plans... a couple of weeks in Arizona. I've never taken two full weeks off from work.... lol. I used to just take a week in the summer, and use the rest of my vacation time up here and there throughout the year.

The youth held 30-Hour Famine at our church this weekend. We only have a couple of youth at our church. My niece (she's 22) leads a youth group at the Baptist church (which kids from all denominations attend) -- and she has organized and lead the 30-Hour Famine for the past 4 years at our church, with kids from the youth group participating. There were 17 kids and 3 leaders taking part this year. They did the readings in church this morning and had a short presentation. It was really good. They got fed tacos when they were done fasting, later this afternoon. ;)

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Currently playing: The River ~ Live
Tonight's walk: 40 minutes

Good day

I'll probably write more later, but for now I wanted to say that I had a really good day with both my grandma and my aunt. Grammie was having a better day -- I think they got her straightened out on her meds -- so that was good. It was just a good day all around. :-)

Grammie update

I posted this on the Ship, but for those who don't go there...

Grammie was in emergency for 6 hours yesterday -- she'd been very sick to her stomach during the night, hadn't eaten for a day and a half, was dehydrated, potassium levels were low... She's down to about 100 lbs.

The doctor thinks the cancer may have spread to her lungs. :'(

I'm going down to see her tomorrow.