The Magic of an Ordinary Day

Just  a few tidbits from our life:

• Hannah went to her bff's birthday party on Saturday, at a local bowling alley.  She had no interest in bowling, but had a great time with her little friend.
• The garden is doing well.  The spinach, chard and squash have all sprouted and the transplants are great. 
• Dwayne and I went back to the gym yesterday.  It was pretty fun, and I was feeling all peppy when I left and thought "I'll just run home."  Just. about. died.   I guess I'll have to work up to that running stuff.
• Of course, I'm sore today.  Dwayne helped me with an upper body routine for yesterday and today my arms are fine but my chest and shoulders are pretty sore.  It's okay, though -- if I wasn't sore I didn't work hard enough.
• I've got a prescheduled flight tomorrow.  Las Vegas to Boston.  It's going to be a long day.  In fact we are flying to Vegas, back to Albuquerque to switch out pilots then on to Boston (since they can only have a 14 hour duty day) and we have to go bedside on both ends (rather than have them transported to our plane by ambulance).  The danger of having your pilots time out is being grounded for the mandatory 10 hour rest time, wherever you may be.  And heaven help me, wheels up is 5:30 a.m.
• We were saddened by yet another Medical helicopter crash.  Although I fly in a fixed wing aircraft, the losses have been grim this year for medical transport teams. 

ah, to be 20 again...

I'm scheduled to fly to Kalispell, MT on Wednesday. 

Going back to Kalispell brings back tons of memories for me.  I worked at St. Mary's Lodge right outside of Glacier National Park the summer I was 20 years old.  My brother Al and I went on a grand adventure when we packed our bag and  got on a train to Montana. 

Imagine it:  you are 20 years old, and working and living with about 200 other college kids.  It was a blast.

Here I am doing what I did at Glacier:  backpack, party and drink cheap wine.  Oh, and I must have worked, too, to pay for my booze.  Who packed that big jug of Chablis into the woods, anyway?

I also cut everyone's hair.  Hey, it was a 2 1/2 hour drive to Kalispell.  If the pass was open.

In Kalispell we went to movies, ate pizza and drank beer at Moose's Saloon, and stocked up on shampoo and birth control (hey--we were young but we weren't stupid).  I also flew in and out of Kalispell when Dick had his first heart attack and I went home to Wisconsin to see him. 

The best thing about my Montana experience really had to be the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

How can you forget something like that? 

a child's life

...is all about playing.  and trying to get out of taking naps.

The swing/slide is from our neighbors, whose teenage children no longer use it.  Dwayne moved it over yesterday and Hannah is loving it!!

the best made plans...

I'm not an early riser.  Anyone who knows me knows that. 

So when I decide I have to start getting up at 6 am to hit the treadmill before going in to check my bags at Medflight you know I'm serious.  So I get up, let the dog out and head downstairs.

As I  head to the back of the family room I hear it: a frantic sound of small claws scrambling on the carpet, dragging a wood and metal contraption behind it. I froze.  Then ran back upstairs as fast as I could. And that trip up the stairs ended up being my exercise for the morning.

I know that when you live in the country that critters exist, and Dwayne has traps set downstairs but we haven't caught anything in months.  And I know that as a woman who lives in the country I have to deal with them.  But I really hate it. 

So that mouse/pack rat/thing will just have to wait until Dwayne comes home and takes care of it. 

So I made some coffee, let the dog back in for protection, threw in a load of laundry and decided to check my email from the safety of my living room.  So I don't feel like I totally wasted getting up early.

photos from the weekend

We had motorcycles here this weekend.  Malcolm, Dwayne, Don and Bob all went up to the Red River Motorcycle Rally.

Here's Bob...

and Don...

and Malcolm...

This photo is from today, not the day of the ride.  He had this scary mask on the day of the ride. 

I forgot to get a picture of my hubby.  Can you believe it?

So here they all are, ready to go.  They are all thinking "would she just take the photo already so we can get going?"

Grandpa Awesome

That is what Hannah calls Dwayne's dad, Grandpa Awesome.  It's so cute.

Here's Grandpa and Hannah...

Another week at Casa Frijole

Hmm, let's see what we did this week.  The days and weeks fly by so fast!

I flew a patient to Lubbock TX.  He needed a neurosurgeon and either there were no neurosurgeons in Albuquerque who could accept him as a patient or there were no critical care beds in Albuquerque for him. New Mexico is horribly short of neurosurgeons, so I will suspect it was the former.  For a change, it was a non-eventful, normal flight.  Except that I was called at 1 a.m. and had to roll out of bed and be on the road in 10 minutes.  Thank goodness for the company issued baseball cap.

I certified in NRP at Medflight this week.  With our increase in transport of high-risk obstetric patients, I guess we need to know what to do if we birth a high-risk baby at 35,000 feet. 

I was sooooo stressed about this class.  Having not seen a newborn  -- fresh from the oven as it were -- since nursing school, much less a limp non-breathing baby I was just freaking out about it.  Thankfully, I had a work colleague and my brother Al to help peel me off the ceiling and I did just fine and am now certified to resuscitate a newborn. 

But if it's your newborn, I'd look around for someone else to do it.  Just a little tip from me to you. 

I am trying to get on a critical pediatric flight as a third crew member as well.  When we get a pediatric patient, it's kind of a judgment call by the coordinator as to who to send.  There is an "adult" team and a "neonatal" team and somewhere in between is pediatrics.  Some of the nurses have peds experience, and of course, the medics are all very well rounded as far as their experience.  I'd like to be doing peds but I'd also like to observe a peds flight before I have one of my own.

We found out that Jake has a a hypothyroid.  He had been panting so much and he looked a little chunky so we took him in for blood work.  So a couple of pills a day and he's good to go.  The panting has decreased and hopefully he'll lose that 5 pounds he packed on over the winter.

Hannah's done with school and we're going to just hang out and play until the "summer program" starts in June.  She would miss her friends too much if she wasn't getting to see them.  Summer program is three hours a day, twice a week.  Structured play mostly, but since it is run by one of her preschool teachers they will work on things from last year.

Now that we have the summer-like dirty feet/legs/arms every night Hannah has decided she'd like to take a mini-bath in the kitchen sink at night.  It is a wonderfully deep sink so I thought "why not?" 

Note the dirty knees.

I was having a little fun at Despair, Inc. The photo is mine.  Enjoy.

mother's day

Since the hubby was working all weekend, Mother's Day was kind of a drag.  I got to spend all day with Hannah, but we were both missing Dwayne spending the day with us.

I got a Roomba dirt dog (or as I like to pronounce it --"dawg").  I know, I have been known to go into quite a snit over appliances for presents, but I really wanted a Roomba. 

Here's the deal: I hate housework.  And for some reason, sweeping tops the list --granted, it's quite long -- of things I hate to do.  And here we are, wanting to install more wood floors when I leave the kitchen unswept on most days.  In an eat-in kitchen with a four year old.  It's shameful, I know.

I'll clean my house.  But I resent every. single. second.

Then I got this bad boy and I am loving it!

And because Dwayne is not an idiot (and is well aware of aforementioned snit regarding appliances as gifts) he also got me these:

He's a keeper, all right. 

going native

I'll have lived in New Mexico for 10 years come July.   This is an entirely different culture than Wisconsin, and in many aspects I think I have gone native.  Here are some examples:

Wrangler butts.  I've always been a Levi's girl, honestly.  The Wranglers were too tight, and then there was that big W on the back.  But as I was admiring a Wrangler butt the other day, I realized I had defected to the other team. 

(And yes, I know I didn't really have to put that photo up there.  But it's a little gift, a little eye-candy for my female readers.  Even the Levi's girls have got to appreciate it.)

The same thing with cowboy hats.  At first I noticed them and thought "how odd."  Like we were at Disneyland or something.  That it was cute or quaint. 

Now I don't even notice them on men who are working.  And I can appreciate that when I invite my (native New Mexican) friends over for a dinner, holiday or party that they will be wearing their "dress" cowboy hat.  And usually a nice belt buckle, too.

And then there's the chile.  Everyone is addicted to the chile.  The only question is "red or green?"   The use of chile has become a part of my life.  Posole on Christmas Eve.  A fresh ristra in the fall.  There are few things that don't benefit from liberal application of chile: eggs, soup, macaroni and cheese, muffins, cornbread, dressing (both salad and the kind some people stuff into poultry).  I actually crave it when I go to visit my family in Wisconsin.

The wind.  When I first came here, I would always hear the natives complain about the wind.  But in 1998, I loved the wind.  I find wind chimes to be one of the most soothing sounds in the world and was happy to have them almost constantly making a gentle tinkling sound.

But now in 2008, my love affair with the wind is over.  The hot, dry winds that are present in spring are now a thing to be avoided.  It kicks up dust and pollen, spreads forest fires and makes take offs and landings harder (okay, that one is kind of specific to my job).  I close my house and car windows to the wind.  It's no longer new and exciting, and the magic is gone. 

I'd like to say that, as a neo-native of New Mexico that my Midwestern accent is gone and that I'm fluent in Spanish.  Sadly, no.  People still ask me "where are you from?"  and I am just getting by with the tiny bit of Spanish that I know.   

I do love this place, though.  The mix of cultures, the beautiful climate, the land that makes me feel grounded and whole.  As a very restless person, this is the only  place I've been where I'm not thinking about where I want to go next.

I'm home.

one year

Dick died one year ago today.  I really miss him. 

oh, my aching head

My migraines have gotten out of control again.  I went on Neurontin a year and a half ago as a prophylactic, and it worked initially, reducing the frequency and severity of my headaches just like it's supposed to do.  The big thing I noticed with Neurontin is that my Relpax (the med I take when I get a headache) seemed to work better.

But the honeymoon has been over for about three months, with the headaches again increasing in frequency.  I went back and counted and I had been taking two scripts of the Relpax a month for the last three months.  That's 12 migraines a month.  Way too many.

So Brad decided that, since I had a good response to the Neurontin initially, and that I was kind of on a baby dose -- we'll double it and see what that does.  Trial that for 4-6 weeks, and if that doesn't work we'll try something else.  It's also time for my yearly labs (no CT this time, thankfully) so maybe something's up there that needs tweaking.

I'm all for staying on the Neurontin, but it was a bitch for me getting on it -- spaced out, dizzy, forgetful.  Honestly, I didn't drive for 5 days, I was too dizzy.  Brad said to expect the same neuro effects as before and to increase my doses over 5-7 days.  I don't fly again until Wednesday so this seems like a good time to do it.   

I hope this works.  I try not to throw myself a pity party...you know "why me?  why have I had these stupid headaches since I was 15 years old?"  I didn't really think of how much they affected my life until my Mom came to live with us over the winter and noticed my diet.  So many things I can't eat because they are a trigger.  The fact that any time I went to a class, took someone to the doctor or for whatever reason spent time under fluorescent lights I came home with a pounding migraine that Relpax never fixed.  I have just lived like this for so long I don't think of it.  Or I try not to think of it.

So rather than the tense, crabby person I've been for the last three months my family will be treated to the dizzy space cadet for a few days.  I'm sure it will be a welcomed change. 

If anyone out there gets migraines (and there are a lot of us out there) here are some great resources:

The National Headache Foundation
The Daily Headache
MAGNUM

Photos

I realized that my last few posts have not had any photos so I'll share some now.

Here are some photos from our friend Cassy's wedding.  She got married in Tucson at the end of April, and Dwayne was able to go.  He took some with our point-and-shoot so they aren't fabulous, but I think it shows how absolutely adorable Cassy is.

I mean, honestly, how cute is she?

And my personal favorite...

Random post

Just some randomness from the last week...

• Anything can happen when you live in the country.  Like spending part of your morning trying to catch two horses, find out where they live, and return them to their owners.  When you don't know anything about horses.
• My neighbor Randy, fortunately, knows a little bit about everything.
• One hour in the Dallas climate reminded me as to why I moved from the Midwest: 30 years of having one continuous bad hair day.
• In our continual effort to "go greener" we have decided to get weekly organic produce from Los Poblanos.  They deliver it to a place less than a mile from our house, so we can both reduce our gas consumption and food miles.
• I took a fetal heart monitoring class at Med Flight.  I have spent my nursing career avoiding obstetrics (and doing a damn fine job, I might add) but now transporting high-risk obstetric patients is in my immediate future.  Has someone written an "Obstetrics for Dummies" book?  I need a better plan, which right now is to tell them to cross their legs, we'll be at Women's Hospital in 45 minutes.  Not a great plan, I know.
• My Grandmother suffered from a stroke last week and is now residing in a nursing home.  She's 98, and has lived safely by herself up to this point.  I hope I will be as healthy and independent as she has been. 
• My grandmother was a nurse, and her favorite practice was obstetrics.  I definitely didn't take after her there.
• Mom is safely back in Wisconsin and is happy to be back in her own home.
• Nearly a year after Dick's death, I'm finally able to be back in CCU and work with the physicians who cared for him without that lump in my throat.  Time healing wounds and all that. 
• I asked our pilot to fly over the Trigo Fire on Tuesday so I could look at it.  It's about 30-40 miles south of us and we have been choking on the smoke for a week.  It's just been so windy here it's been hard to contain, but they are slowly gaining ground on it. 
• Flying through the thermals around the mountains surrounding Albuquerque in a light plane is something I definately need to get used to.  I was absolutely green by the time we landed on Tuesday while the medic I was riding with was completely calm (and perhaps a bit amused by my anxiety).  But to paraphrase Tom Hanks, there's no crying in flight nursing.  It's a very macho, git 'er done kind of environment, and the last thing I want to do is look like a "girl."  I guess I'll just have to take some dramamine and suck it up.
• The lilacs are just days away from blooming, and I can't wait.  We have huge lilac trees on our property and when they bloom the whole yard smells delicious. 

So that's my week in a nutshell.  We got some adoption news yesterday which I'll share in a separate post soon. Have a great weekend, everyone!!

short and sweet

Here's some photos of Hannah and her grandparents taken the weekend they spent in Tucson.

That was the weekend I went on the ride-along with the Fire Department and this is what I saw:

I kid!!  I kid!!  Unfortunately, I didn't see anyone in their boots.  He's pretty, though, huh?

Today is Hannah's birthday and I have a lot of things to do yet.  I'll post more (real) photos later.  Happy Saturday, everyone!!!

Update

I thought I'd update on what's up at Casa Frijole. 

We are getting ready for Hannah's 4th birthday on Saturday.  We are having a small family party with our friends Don, Candi and Phillip and the neighbors next door, Randy and Patrice.  Hannah has a crush on Randy, I think. 

Anyway, we got Hannah this big house for her to play in outside.  It's made of nice stained hardwood, and it has a little sink and windows and "Hannah sized benches" (she's been asking for it since we first saw it at Costco and describes it as the "Hannah sized house with Hannah sized benches").  Dwayne and Randy are going to put it together on Friday afternoon.  We just have to have a no drinking until after 5 pm rule after last time Dwayne went over to help Randy with his roof and we all ended up abandoning the project about 3 pm, drinking beers and having dinner together.  Randy called it quits about midnight but Patrice and I stayed up late chatting. 

But I ramble.

The birthday...yes.  I'm making ribs and home made macaroni and cheese (per Hannah's request) and Mom is in charge of the cake.  The weather is supposed to be nice, so we can just spend some time together outside, drink some margaritas and talk smart. 

I know--we're not having a kid's party.  I just couldn't bring myself to do it this year. I'll do one next year.  Hannah can have some of her little girlfriends over this summer to play in her house.  I just can't bring myself to do it this year.  I am a children's party Grinch, I guess.

In other news, I have been on a horrible dry spell with Medflight, and haven't flown in two weeks.  It's making me crazy.  The company has had plenty of flights, but as luck would have it --  nothing when I've been on call.  Dwayne is on the verge of telling me to get a real job.  I'd like a nice trip someplace warm today (since it snowed yesterday and I'm looking out the window at my snowy yard as I type this)...California, maybe.  But let's face it, I'd go to Calgary if it means I can fly.  Is there a patron saint of people who fly?  I need to figure that out.  Every little bit helps.

Well, I'm off to shower and get Hannah ready for preschool. Then I'm going flying.  You see how that positive thought thing is working for me? 

determining my reality

I am a huge fan of the site Zen Habits.  I have it on my daily "must visit" sites.  I don't always have a calm, Zen life but I'm trying. 

Awhile ago I read this post about focus and reality.  And as I thought about it, I discovered that I have spent the winter focusing on negative things in my life.  The uncertainty of the adoption process. Financing the adoption.  My Mom's continual struggle with staying healthy and positive, and the stress it causes.  Having to be so much to so many people, and not having any time to be me.  All those thoughts had been crowding my daily thoughts.  I even started listening almost exclusively to mopey music.  I realized that all those things -- these negative things -- had become my reality.

So I am trying to create a new reality for myself.   To focus on the things that I want to consume my daily thoughts.  To cognitively identify negativity in my thoughts, stop them and push them back.  I even changed up the play list on my iPod to something happier. 

It really takes conscious effort to do so, but I am noticing a change in my attitude and my outlook.  I am more hopeful, happier with my career and hopefully less crabby. 

It feels good.

Grand Canyon: the photos

Click on the photo album on the left to see some of my favorites. 

Grand Canyon: the adventure

Continuing with my Grand Canyon saga...

Mom and I decided to got on a mule ride the first night we were there.  Since we were off-season we were able to get tickets on the spot rather than reserve in advance (which is usually required).  We went for our little orientation, got weighed and were issued our canteens and yellow rain slickers. 

The morning of the ride we got up early and were at the corral about 45 minutes  early.  For two dyed in the wool night people, that's saying a lot.  After orientation by the lead wrangler, Casey, we were assigned our mules.  Mom got a small, docile and responsive mule named Bitty.  As in Itty Bitty.  I got this monster named Tank because that's what he looked (and drove) like. 

Let's put it this way: I had heard the phrase beaten like a rented mule before, but I never truly understood what it meant.  That dumb mule wouldn't do anything without a firm--and I mean firm--touch with "the motivator."   By the end of the trip I had to switch which arm I was beating him with because my right arm was so tired.  The wranglers said it was because they have such thick skin they don't feel a subtle application of the crop.  I think it's because that mule's Daddy was a Jackass.

After the first 10 minutes, when I thought I would puke from the heights and the very tight switchbacks in a steep, steep canyon, I had a great time.  I became one with my mule.  I mean, the mule knew the way down and there was really nothing he needed me for, so I just gave up control to him.  And it worked for us.  It was mostly going up that I had to beat him up. 

Mom had a fabulous time.  She's really a healthy and adventurous woman, and were it not for her severe arthritis (and the need for bilateral knee replacements and another back surgery) she's perfectly fit.  I was so proud of her.  I think she smiled the whole way down, and when we were chatting with one of the riders who was a physician and he asked about her decision to do the ride she said "well, I can stay at home and be in pain, or I can be out here and be in pain.  I'd much rather be here."  You go, girl!!

We arrived at the top tired, a little stiff but very happy.  Dwayne and Hannah were there to greet us, and as we pulled into sight we could hear Hannah's voice echoing through the canyon "Grandma, how's your dupa?" (Polish for "ass")  Obviously she was put up to that by her father.  Then our wrangler asked Mom to meet him at the El Tovar for a cocktail after the ride, which she accepted nervously.  Several people from our group ended up in the lounge, and they had fun chatting.  Mom and the cowboy parted with a hug and an email address exchange and Mom met us for dinner at El Tovar. 

The whole thing helped Mom's confidence in general, I think.  To take on something physically challenging and overcome it is an empowering thing.  And by accepting that cocktail invitation -- it was another step towards healing after Dick's death, and realizing that life continues on without him. 

Grand Canyon: the food

I know it's not the main attraction of the Grand Canyon, but I love dining at the El Tovar when we go.  It's got this fabulous turn of the century log architecture, but it's fine dining.  Except you can wear jeans and fleece.

The night after we got back from the mule rides we had reservations at the El Tovar.  We started with buffalo carpaccio and a great bottle of red wine.  For dinner I had duck, Dwayne had peppercorn encrusted venison chops and Mom had veal scallopini.  It was all perfectly done, the service was impeccable, and Hannah was wonderfully well-behaved.  We even had desert, something I rarely eat, a Napoleon with fresh fruit and an orange creme brulee, which Dwayne said was the best creme brulee he'd ever had. 

The morning we left, we went back because El Tovar has the best coffee at the canyon, a great dark roast I remember from last time we were there.  I had eggs Benedict over smoked salmon and it was perfect: the eggs perfectly poached so they spilled yolk over a light lemony hollandaise sauce.  I don't even remember what everyone else ate, since I was so enthralled with my breakfast.  Oh, and our table overlooked the canyon on one side and was next to the fireplace, which was crackling away, on the other side.   

What a way to start the day!

I mention the food there because I am a big believer in truly experiencing a place through the food.  When we were in China I ate dim sum for breakfast every morning I was there, and ate traditional Chinese food for two weeks and never got tired of it.  I even tried congee for breakfast -- mostly for Hannah since she hadn't had many solids at that point.  Well, the congee was a bust since Hannah preferred watermelon and noodles to congee but I'm glad I tried it. 

Anyway, I always look forward to eating there, and now I am totally inspired to get cooking and try new things.  I need to make a perfect hollandaise sauce.  I want to make a fabulous early spring menu and have some friends over.   I want to make some carpaccio. 

But right now I have to get Hannah ready for preschool, so I'll just be pouring cereal into a bowl for now. 

back from the Grand Canyon

I will write more later about our trip to the Canyon, but I'll post some quick photos for now.

 

Yes, we rode mules down into the canyon.  It was a blast!  Here we are coming back up...

Great

Because I'm not already in a bad mood.  Brett Favre announced his retirement.

Sad week

It's been kind of a sad week here at Casa Frijole.

My Uncle Paul died early Sunday morning after a long battle with lung disease.  He was my Grandfather's brother and I think of him as my last link with my Grandpa.  I hadn't seen Paul in several years but he looked just like my Grandpa, with his warm smile and twinkling eyes.  You just can't beat an Irishman for twinkling eyes, now can you?

Then on Tuesday Dwayne's Grandmother died.  Right after Thanksgiving they discovered a large inoperable tumor in her abdomen.  Thankfully she went fairly quickly and without a lot of pain.  She's just been hanging around these last years waiting to meet up with her husband who passed on years ago.  I didn't know Rosalee too well, but she was a sweet lady.  Dwayne headed to Tucson yesterday to be with his folks.

It snowed again last night. I am so ready for spring!  We also missed the eclipse because of cloud cover.  I guess we'll have to wait until 2010. 

Movie night

We have been trying to have movie night on Friday night at our house.  Between Dwayne working nights, me working nights sometimes and being gone on a flight whenever it's hard to plan anything. 

So last night I made a huge bowl of popcorn and we watched Ocean's Eleven.  I had never seen it before (and neither had Mom) and I have to say I really enjoyed it. And I loved the scene at the (private) airport because I had been there to pick up a patient last week!  That was cool.

We are supposed to be snowed in today, but so far there is just an inch or two on the ground so we'll see. 

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

I was able to get a flight in yesterday.

We picked up a patient in Phoenix, flew them to Kitchener, Ontario, flew to Detroit to clear customs then flew back to Albuquerque.  It was 14 hours all told (which is right where the pilots "time out" for their day--meaning they are not allowed to fly per FAA rules) but we only had the patient with us for about 5 hours.  So although it sounds like a long day--and it is--there are hours spent chatting, snoozing and listening to music. 

I really like this job.  There are some things to get used to -- long flights without bathrooms is one -- but flying in a lear jet is quite comfortable.  The seats are well spaced and comfortable, the pilots aren't walled off from you so you can learn a little bit about aviation.  When you arrive in a new city, a private aviation company has a hospitality area with coffee and snacks, nice bathrooms, a computer for the pilots to check the weather and log a flight plan and comfy furniture to lounge on.  We fuel up, de-ice (if needed) and can get a crew car to go out for dinner if there's time. 

Mostly I like getting out of the hospital, doing something different, meeting new people and challenging myself to learn something new.  I really hope I can get enough flights in to make this my full time, part time job.

Greetings from the Cedar Crest Rehab Center

I haven't updated in awhile, because I've been busy running a convalescent home.  Last Monday my Mom was to the point of not being able to walk on her right knee.  She has bone on bone arthritis in both her knees and gets injections in them and all, but had put off any arthroscopic work that needed to be done when she was in Milwaukee.  Then she fell chasing after her cat on the way here.  So her knee is sore in a completely different way than her usual arthritis pain. 

We we go to the urgent care.  She leaves with a knee brace, a script for pain medicine and the advice to stay off her feet and find a primary physician here in town. 

Then on Wednesday night at work Dwayne's foot starts hurting.  On Thursday afternoon he wakes up and can not even put weight on it.  Excruciating pain.  Makes an appointment for Friday for HIS doctor, and goes to the couch/bed to stay off of it, with a jumbo bottle of Motrin at his side. 

Well,  it turns out he has some sort of overuse injury, or metatarsalgia.  They took an Xray just to be sure, but are pretty sure of the diagnosis considering he's been hitting the gym pretty hard, and has lost 11 pounds since the new year.  He needs to stay off of it, keep it elevated, take Motrin around the clock and get better shoes for when he works out.  (I wish he had gotten crutches because he has to be absolutely non-weight bearing it hurts so much.) 

Well, that leaves me and Hannah as the only people who can use their legs around here.  Running for things, cooking, dishes, errands...it's all me.  Which doesn't seem like a big deal until you do it.  I even split wood on Saturday because I wanted a fire (and there wasn't anyone else who could do it).

Mom is back on her feet for an hour at a time, and I'm driving her to see her brand new Albuquerque version of her primary care physician this afternoon.  She is actually up for getting a little work done on her knee while she's here since we're right here to take care of her.  I just want her to feel better.

Dwayne's a bit better with his foot and was able to stand for about 30 minutes and load the dishwasher for me yesterday, but of course his foot was throbbing when he was done.  Silly man, he wanted to go to work tonight at which point I pointed out that he couldn't tolerate 30 minutes of standing much less the walk from the parking lot to the CCU. I'm just hoping he's strong enough to fold some laundry today...that would be sweet.

happy birthday

We celebrated Mom's birthday on Saturday. 

We started with a champagne brunch cooked by my hubby...

We had gotten Mom some roses...

We finished the night with steamed crab claws, roasted red potatoes and Patron margaritas.  It was a good day all around.

Happy birthday, Mom!!!

Go Pack!!

I have to say, it was an exciting football weekend for us!  First of all, the Packers beat Seattle 42-20!!  Then as an extra bonus, the Cowboys lost, so the Packers are hosting the NFC Championship game in Lambeau field.  Wooot!!  We had a great Saturday watching the game and having snacks.  Mom got here just before kick-off so we had our small contingency of Packer fans cheering them on.  It was a great day.

Mom made the trip well, except that her cat Cricket got the call of the wild and ran away from the van.  She's hunting mice somewhere in Oklahoma right now.

Hannah is loving having Mom around.  They hang out and play all day long. 

the January blahs

We are just trudging along, and I am personally waiting for January to pass quickly.  Besides my mother's birthday, January doesn't have much to offer me.  Christmas is over, it's still cold and dark out and the seasonal produce is a little, well, bland.  I tend to not get enough exercise and generally want to ball up on the couch and stay there until March.

So what are we doing this week?  I'm studying my flight nurse stuff, Hannah is back in school and loving it, and Dwayne is working.  Pretty exciting, huh?

I'm orienting at Med Flight two days next week, and dispatch called me last night to do a "third man" ride, which unfortunately I couldn't do because Dwayne was at work and I had Hannah.  (A "third man" ride is when I go on orientation flights.  The usual team is one RN and one Medic.)  I am so excited to start flying!

My Mom left Wisconsin yesterday for her drive here.  She's near the Quad Cities in Iowa when she called last night.  I can't wait for her to get here!   I just hope the weather holds out for her.  And that one of her cats doesn't get out of the van on the way here, since she lets those things run around the van while she's driving. 

I haven't even taken any fun pictures lately to share.  Today is library day for Hannah and myself, so we'll find new books and movies for her and I have a few things on hold.  Yes, reading something other than a textbook sounds nice.  Maybe I'll make a fire and make it all cozy-like. 

2007

That's it, the good, the bad and everything in between.  I'm actually glad to see it go.  Although I've had the pleasure of seeing my daughter bloom and grow more delightful every day, we've also experienced some heartbreaking, tremendous losses. 

Here's to a new year!!

A quick breather

...in between holidays.  Whew!!  Even when you say things are going to be "low key" it's still a lot of constant stuff to do.  I love it, but I'm always glad to sneak in a little quiet time to wind down.

I think things were more active this year because I decided, the week before Christmas, that I just need to get out of the hospital!  So I applied to three different places (two air ambulance companies and an internal transfer to Presbyterian Home Health Care), went on two interviews, accepted one job (with Med Flight Air Ambulance) and was called last night by the other air ambulance company and have an interview with them on January 2nd.  They are all PRN jobs so maybe I will work two of them and maybe do two shifts at the hospital each month to stay "in the system"...who knows.  I'll have to see how much flying I am doing, because you don't get paid (much) if you're not in the air...

Besides all that stuff--it was Christmas!!  It was Hannah's first year of really "getting" the Santa thing.  We had a lot of fun with it.

She baked cookies for santa with her Grandma Sandy...

Then her and Papa tracked Santa on the Norad site.

...and Santa came to our house!!!  Her brought the Pet Shop she's been wanting...

 

Then we opened stockings and trashed the house!! 

A wonderful morning turned into a great day when we were joined by our friends Don, Candi, Phillip and Mary for Christmas dinner.  It was just a great time to be thankful for friends and family and to be grateful for all the blessings we have had this year.

The Sunday update

Hmmm, what did I do this week?

Jean was here until Wednesday, and she spoiled Jake rotten.

My Christmas cactus is blooming (hi Grandma!)

It's been snowy and cold here.

So we made lattes and decorated the tree (sorry about the yellow tint on that one).

My cousin graduated from nursing school yesterday.  Congratulations, Aaron!!

Our paperwork was sent to Vietnam this week.  Woooot!!

That's about it for now.  I'm sure there will be another exciting week to come.

More randomness

More randomness floating around...

• It's great to be home.  I missed my home and my dogs.
• The thought of Christmas shopping gives me hives.  I like to be an online shopper as much as I can.
• My friend Krista's breast cancer surgery went well.  Her lymph nodes were negative and her margins were clean.  Cancer 0, Good guys 1.
• Dwayne's Grandmother went in the hospital last week.  Surgery discovered a large invasive cancerous mass in her abdomen.  They were unable to remove it surgically, and it's just a matter of time for Grandmother.  Cancer 1, Good guys 0.
• Winter has definitely arrived here.  Like the rest of the country we have been having wind storms but the snow has stayed away.  It's been raining instead.
• The rain has made the small leak in our sun porch roof declare itself.  It's now a fairly large leak. 
• I hate my migraines.  Sometimes I have good spells and forget how much I really hate them.  The disruption they cause.  The loss of productivity.  The bad moods. 
• I'm going to spend today and tomorrow cooking some meals for my friend Krista.  I'm just going to make double batches of a bunch of stuff.  It will be nice to have some stuff socked away in our freezer, too.
• Our friend Jean is coming to visit on Thursday, to stay for a week.  Dwayne is taking advantage of her being here (to stay with Hannah on Saturday while I work) to visit his Grandmother in Tucson.  Oh, and Jean if you're reading this?  You're babysitting on Saturday.

We're back

I'll give you the abbreviated version.

We went to Tucson on Friday.  It snowed like hell on the way out of town but about an hour and a half later it stopped.  Then it turned into pouring rain for awhile.  Then it was all fine.

Saturday we had our belated Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws. 

Sunday we drove to Las Vegas.  We had a brief drive-by at the Ikea in Tempe which was great.  Gotta come back with the truck.  One rest stop later I discovered that I left my camera in Tucson.  I cursed a lot when Hannah wasn't around.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday we spent in Vegas. I found my little point and shoot camera in my purse.  We stayed at the Luxor.

We visited Dwayne's Aunt and Uncle and I learned how to play roulette.

Wednesday we headed back towards home.  There was hours and hours of this...

An hour out of Kingman we realized we had left Woobie at the rest stop/travel plaza.  We called when we got to Flagstaff but no Woobie despite efforts of the very nice employee at the travel plaza. 

We did see a very night sunset on our way  to Flagstaff, though...

We stayed in Flagstaff on Wednesday night.  I think we all cried a little bit about Woobie.  Here they are in happier times (as in, that morning).

We got home on Thursday and did a frantic internet/ebay search for another Woobie.  I think I found one that looks the same, just has different clothes.  Hannah had a hard time going to sleep without him last night and cried a lot. 

Today I got our dossier ready to go to the Vietnamese Consulate in San Francisco and Fedexed it to our courier.  Despite the fact that my I 171 H form (yes, the one I've been waiting two months for) has a typo on it and spelled my name "Doona" instead of "Donna."  Effin INS.  I'm waiting to see if it will fly or if I will have to send a corrected copy later.  I seriously hate those people.  So cross your fingers that it will be okay.

our Thanksgiving day

We are officially celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday in Tucson with Dwayne's parents.  Then it's on to Vegas, baby.  Man, we need it, too.

We did celebrate the Packers beating the Lions to make them 10-1!!!!!

I did a little cooking today...some of my oft-requested Macaroni and Cheese for the Thanksgiving potluck for Dwayne at work tonight.  Some apple bread.  And I had the cutest little helper you ever saw.

Here she is watching/stirring the milk for the white sauce.

She then became the official taster of the Mac n Cheese before I put it in the oven.

She works that apple peeler all by herself!  Yeah, that's why the photo is so blurry, it's the lightning speed at which she operates that thing.

Oh, yeah...she's the apple taster, too.

We are headed out of town tomorrow after Dwayne takes a nap and we get some documents notarized and sent to Santa Fe.  Of course, we haven't had a speck of precipitation in what seems like months and it's snowing outside right now.   That's okay, nothing is going to ruin my mood -- I am so looking forward to getting out of town!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Random Monday

Just some randomness for this Monday:

• I'm trying to coordinate couriers for the Vietnam Embassy to Authenticate my documents.  I have one document, however, that needs to be state certified in Pennsylvania then sent to the Embassy, so I'll have to use separate couriers. 
• We're leaving Friday for Tucson, then Las Vegas.  So I'll be packing, cleaning the house and all the assorted planning that goes with being gone for a week.
• I think Hannah is having another growth spurt.  We were up at 3 a.m. last night while she had a midnight snack that was as big as a regular meal.  She kept saying she was hungry.  The night before she was up at 3 a.m. too.  Sure enough, I checked her height this morning and she has grown one inch since I last checked her in September. 
• I uploaded my November projects on my scrapping blog.  I ended up with some really pretty photos of Hannah last month. 
• I am feeling so much more energetic now that I have shook that pneumonia crap.  I am cleaning the house and even spot-cleaned the living room carpet this morning.  Which leads to...
• We are definitely re instituting the "no shoes in the house" rule.  Living in the country where there is plenty of red clay combined with a child and an indoor dog + new light-colored carpet = panic when I pulled back the couch to clean in front of it.
• We are having waffles for dinner tonight.  Dwayne loves them with bacon in the waffle, then topped with an egg, shredded cheese and red chile.  Hannah prefers chocolate chip.  I'm usually a corn, cheese, green chile and bacon girl.  Mmmmm.
• Did I mention I've given up soda?  And wonder of wonders, am having a lot less migraines. 
• I made a grilled pork loin with mango salsa for dinner on Saturday night.  We are trying to put Hannah to bed a little early on Saturday nights, and then have an "adult" dinner.  I snickered every time I thought "mango salsa" thinking of my brother Al and his daughter Elizabeth.  For just silliness reasons.
• I am just hoping that all the issues in Vietnam get straightened out and we get to adopt another child.  Because if this falls through, we are really going to have to rethink whether or not we are meant to have another child.  I'm not getting any younger, ya know?
• I need to get Hannah a flu shot,  and make pumpkin-pecan cheesecake to bring to Tucson with us before we leave. 

Doctors and Doggy Doctors

Jake and I both had check-ups this week.

On Monday, Jake went for his sedation exam and ex ray appointment.  The good news is that he doesn't have a tear in his ACL, which means no surgery.  The bad news is that he has severe arthritis in both hips.  The vet used the words "horrible" and "I don't know which hip is worse."  So after talking with Don we decided to add some pain killers (as needed) to his Deremaxx he is taking. 

As Don explains it, two things will make a chronic condition like arthritis deteriorate more: extra weight and immobility.  So we could not add the pain meds and keep him quiet, in which case he would probably get chunkier and his muscles would atrophy.  Or we could give him the pain meds, get him at a higher level of functioning so he can go around the block 2 or 3 times a day, keep the mobility of his joints, not lose muscle and perhaps drop a few pounds.  Jake isn't that chubby, but he could stand to lose 3-5 pounds (he's currently 78 pounds).

So we're going to try the pain meds and see how he does.  They're narcotics and might make him a little goofy at first but I hope it improves his overall quality of life.

I went to the Doctor (well, actually our Physician's assistant Brad) on Tuesday after three weeks of the cold that wouldn't go away, which (I thought) was making my asthma worse and making it hard to breathe. Nope, turns out I have atypical (also known as "walking") pneumonia, which is actually a mild version of pneumonia.  So he gave me some antibiotics and adjusted my inhaler to a higher dose, and will give me some oral prednisone if it's not better in 5 days. 

So much for diagnosing myself.  I thought it was just an exacerbation of my asthma that was causing all the coughing. I am kind of stubborn about actually going to Brad, and I hate to be the person who is always talking about their health problems.  But, of course, he can see things more clearly than me and I totally trust his judgment. 

I just want to feel better so we can take our trip over Thanksgiving and have fun.  I need to have fun for awhile.

"Jakey's got an owie"

...as Hannah would say.

He started limping about 5 days ago, but we had just changed his arthritis meds, so I thought maybe he was adjusting to them.  I called Don and he thought perhaps he had been injured, or maybe it's *not* arthritis.  So we got him checked out this morning and he probably has a partial tear of his right anterior cruciate ligament.  We're going to have him taken in on Monday for a complete exam, which will require sedation since they need to really get in there and manipulate the joint and take xrays. 

He'll probably have to have it surgically repaired because if left untreated it will get arthritic and he may blow out the other ACL in a year.  We'll see what Don thinks and what the xrays show. 

The good news for Jake is that he is going to be practically on bedrest until this is sorted out.  You see, Jake is a very lazy dog who would spend all day lounging around the house if we let him.  So no going outside unsupervised lest the terror Kirby start mixing it up with him. 

So he started his serious resting as soon as we got home from the Vet and went to take a nap.  Hannah being the good doggie nurse that she is put a band aid on his knee.  I thought that was so cute!

Sunday update

Time for an update.  Like all weeks, they go fast. 

Hannah is doing well, and we had her stay at school for the afternoon program, and she did really well.  It was kind of unplanned--I got another cold and was scheduled to work that night, so we had her stay so I could get some rest.  She had fun and came home totally exhausted but happy.  We might take advantage of that more often.

We have been totally happy to be able to see the Green Bay Packers play on Monday night and again today.  We don't get a lot of coverage for them here in New Mexico, but now that they are 6-1 (edited: make that 7-1 woohoo!!!!!) I suppose they are more marketable.  I am just amazed at Brett Favre (I always have been) but it is so exciting to see him do so well at age 38.  It gives me hope for us old farts who are doing things later in age.

I am getting pretty frustrated with our adoption agency.  Lost papers, papers out dating, needing more and more documentation (our old homestudy, a third letter from our physician).  It's not like I haven't put together a dossier before, and have been very organized throughout the entire process.  It's hard for me not to be snippy when I call them, and I am doing my best to hold back.  The Chinese process, although more in-depth in some ways, was so much easier.  I don't know if it is the agency or the country, but CCAI never lost a piece of documentation.  And the USCIS (formerly the INS) is running later than it had been in the past, and we are in a holding pattern until we get our Preauthorization for Adoption from them.  I am stalking the mailbox every day and am disappointed every day. 

We got a shocker this week when a friend of ours told us she has breast cancer.  She's 37, no history of it in her family.  She's a strong woman, and has made her decisions quickly and is ready to face this thing.  The whole thing just stinks, though. 

We spent yesterday moving things around and bringing the queen bed upstairs to get our guest room upstairs for the holiday season.  Mom is going to be spending the winter here and that twin bunk bed just wasn't cutting it.  Dwayne knocked down the walls that divided up the basement so it really opened up the space.  I also rearranged my crafting area a bit, and kind of have a place for jewelry making and for paper crafting. 

I've been having a lot of success selling jewelry at work, to the point that I haven't updated my Etsy site because I'll make some stuff, bring it to work and then it sells before I can put it in the store.  It's actually easier to do it at work since I'm not photographing it and paying all the various fees. 

That's it for now.  We've got a pile of laundry to take care of while we watch the game.  Have a great week!

I've really got more to say, but for today I'll just leave it at this: my family, and the love we have for one another makes everything worthwhile.

fall

It was beautiful yesterday, and we finally got out of the house to enjoy it.  Between Hannah's cold and the icky, windy and cold weather we've been kind of housebound.

Here she is, enjoying the yard...

I am working tomorrow night then it is dinner at Don and Candi's on Friday night, then the pumpkin patch on Saturday!  Good times!

happy family photo, part 2

Ah, the effort that goes into taking a decent family photo.  Hannah was not into it at first but finally warmed up.  We need one more photo for our dossier to Vietnam.  I'm frantically hoping for our INS paperwork this week so we can get going before we have to have anything redone. 

Hannah's been feeling sick...she brought home some crud from the preschool and I got it, too.  We're on the mend now, but nothing is scarier than a sick kid with a bad cough.  On Wednesday night we did the hang out in the bathroom with the shower on hot (for the steam) and it helped that barking, croupy cough she had.  She missed her "show and tell" day at school on Thursday, but the teachers said they would schedule her later.  She wanted to bring her most prized possession, Woobie.  He even got a bath for the occasion.  Oh, well.

There are snow flurries as I am writing this now.  It's been cold and windy for days.  We went to Don and Candi's house for dinner last night, and it was soooo nice to be in a warm place.  It's a completely different climate zone down there. 

Things are all going well at Casa Frijole this week.  I had Sunday night off from work so we had a whole weekend off together.

Hannah is doing great.  Loves school now, and actually asked to "eat lunch with her friends" after school and have me pick her up later (some of the kids stay for an extra half hour with a bag lunch). 

Dwayne is doing well.  He was finally able to tackle that water heater issue (after discovering he had to replace the whole heating unit) and built shelves in the laundry room for me. 

We were able to have movie and popcorn night on Friday night, and Saturday night we had our neighbors over for steaks.  We had such a good time!  Dinner was late so we could actually have an adult night, which I really need from time to time.

I'm kind of having a rough week emotionally.  Today would have been Mom and Dick's 25th wedding anniversary, and I'm really sad that he didn't make it to be here in person.  Mom went to Chippewa Falls last weekend and planted some flowers on his grave, then stopped at my brother's house on the way home.  I can only imagine how hard today will be on her.  They really had a great relationship and loved each other so much. 

Here we all are during better days, when we took them camping at Bandelier National Monument during the Perseid meteor showers...

300

Wow, this is my 300th post.  I started this blog two years ago as a way to stay in touch with my family, and I have to say that I enjoy it.  I'm not as diligent as I would like to be, but life gets in the way sometimes.

So what has been making me happy these days??  Well, this little muchkin, of course...

There always is time for a little tickle monster!

Besides Hannah asking to go to school on Saturday night -- a big deal -- I've been working on a few things.  My birthday was last week, and Dwayne, Hannah and I went out for sushi.  Man, I love sushi!  It was Hannah's first sushi experience, and although she didn't want to eat the fish, she ate rice, yakatori chicken and loved the fact that she had a small dish just for her "dippy."   I had two small bottles of hot sake so everyone was happy.

Besides that, I have been working really hard on getting my Etsy shop up and running.  I've been just adding bits at a time, working on my store policies and hope to put merchandise in there either tonight or tomorrow.  And lots of the hard work is in photographing and describing my stuff not necessarily making it.  I've started a separate blog for my business, Watermelon Mountain Creations. 

It's all in bits and pieces now, but check back in a week and everything should be in place.  I'm very excited about my new venture!