Got home from my Illinois trip on Wednesday.....landed in Phoenix on Monday...went to girlfriend's house in Scottsdale by cab...went the next day to Arizona Heart Institute for a 64 slice CT with contrast at *AM (Tuesday) only to be told I couldn't have the test because my heart was beating too fast. At my 11:45AM appt with the doc, I was told that he didn't like unanswered questions and that I had to have another Angiogram ASAP (I had two of those already in January of this year.)
He told me to have a seat in the waiting room and the nurse would schedule it for me. After an hour, I checked to see if they forgot about me and was advised that, NO, the doctor had ordered an Echo Cardiogram of my Carotid Arteries in my neck and that I would be next. Well, the results were not positive, of course. While taking the test, I noticed that up by my jaw(on the screen) it looked like fireworks going off. I asked the technician what that was about and was told that the red, white, and blue fireworks display I was seeing on the screen was my blood trying to get through my clogged artery! Then he checked the other side and I saw the same thing. Maybe that explains all the jaw pain I have been having for years.
So, the doc had left for surgery and hadn't seen the results by the time the nurse came to me to discuss my pending angiogram. She said she would call me on Wednesday after he sees them to discuss the prognosis. Well, it is 3 days later and I am still waiting with jaw pain.
Anyway, my angiogram is set for 11/12 at 12PM and the blocked Carotids resolve is still pending.
Now, not to mention almost having pneumonia, which I apparently brought home from Illinois with me....haven't slept over a couple hours each night because of coughing....like the title says, "What Next?"
Tomorrow, Larry and I will celebrate his upcoming 60Th birthday with friends at dinner and then we have season tickets for the theater. Hope I feel strong enough not to be a drag on the party!
Larry will be leaving the end of November for Kentucky where he will counsel our troops who are reading themselves to be shipped to Iraq. He will be gone for six weeks! I wonder how that will feel? I hope to get much done in his absence. However, spending Christmas and New Years alone doesn't sound like the best way to celebrate the holidays.
Enough for now...must try to get some rest for this weary body...:(
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Back in Rainey Illinois
This has to be a record, blogging again so soon, I mean!
Where to start? Firstly, I am in Illinois now where the sun has decided to shine for only the second day since I came here six days ago! If there is anything I would miss the most, if I ever left Arizona, it would be the 355 days of sunshine and beautiful blue skies, which are so prevalent where I live in the 5200 ft elevation in the mountains of the high desert in northern Arizona and the oh so fresh, clean air.
Went to my sister's memorial service in Pekin, Il last Saturday. I was telling her daughter that Ruth and I used to chat about the big party I would give her for her 70Th birthday, which she would have celebrated last May if she hadn't passed away. Well, we did have a BIG gathering for her, not to celebrate her 70Th birthday, which would have occurred on May 29Th, but to celebrate her almost 70 years of physical life on this Earth. Even though she was not there physically, she certainly was there in spirit and I am certain she was so very proud of how almost her entire family came from many corners of the U.S., including Hawaii, to add to the celebration in their own special ways. Yes, that is how I feel about that day. I feel, we truly celebrated her life and what she meant to our family through the different family member's talks of what she meant to them. It seemed unbelievable, what is so impressionable in little children's minds and thoughts and how those thoughts never seem to go away as we grow older. Mostly happy memories of Ruth were mentioned and then there were some comical memories, too! Kudos to her daughters who labored long hours, I am certain, preparing for the event, especially her daughter, Deb, who lives in Pekin and carried most the responsibility.
I know Ruth is very proud of all their efforts.
It was great to reunite with family members I hadn't seen in years and to meet for the first time some of my great-nieces and nephews that I had never met before. Wow, do I ever feel old when I see my grown-up nieces and nephews. My granddaughter's husband said to me at one point, "Let me see, you are Tim's mom and he is Shana's dad and Shana is Aubry's (his daughter) mom. Wow, that makes 4 generations, doesn't it?" "Yes, I said. All I have to do is stick around for about 20 more years, 'til Aubrey has a baby and then we will have five generations!' "That's doable," he said!
The bad part of the day is that it had to end and we were not able to spend more time together. It is sad that, in my family's case anyway, it seems that we only get together for funerals. What is wrong with that picture?
During this next week of my visit here, I am looking forward to happier times, celebrating my daughter, Jacque's, birthday and my granddaughter, Stephanie's, 16Th birthday, before I head for home on Monday.
Last night I babysat my 2 year-old great-granddaughter for about two hours. What a little whip she is. So bright and intelligent...as I walked by the Jonas Bros pictures on the wall while holding her, she started telling me their names and pointing at them! Unbelievable! She is such a happy and beautiful little girl...YEA to her parents for the gentle and loving ways they have exposed Aubrey to these first two years of her life.
Larry is at home planning his life for the next six months away from me.:( He has accepted a contract with the military and his first assignment will be in Kentucky for six weeks and then on to Florida for who knows how long. It will certainly be an adjustment for us, but I am happy that he will have these new experiences and, also, that he will be there to help our military families, as they go through these traumatic times. God bless our soldiers for keeping us safe and their families for the daily sacrifices they make living without their loved ones!
O'Bama is holding his own! God be with him and protect him and his family. We are praying for him daily.
"Til next time"..Yo mama, yo Grammie and Great Grammie Nana, yo sister and
yo friend..Kathleen
Where to start? Firstly, I am in Illinois now where the sun has decided to shine for only the second day since I came here six days ago! If there is anything I would miss the most, if I ever left Arizona, it would be the 355 days of sunshine and beautiful blue skies, which are so prevalent where I live in the 5200 ft elevation in the mountains of the high desert in northern Arizona and the oh so fresh, clean air.
Went to my sister's memorial service in Pekin, Il last Saturday. I was telling her daughter that Ruth and I used to chat about the big party I would give her for her 70Th birthday, which she would have celebrated last May if she hadn't passed away. Well, we did have a BIG gathering for her, not to celebrate her 70Th birthday, which would have occurred on May 29Th, but to celebrate her almost 70 years of physical life on this Earth. Even though she was not there physically, she certainly was there in spirit and I am certain she was so very proud of how almost her entire family came from many corners of the U.S., including Hawaii, to add to the celebration in their own special ways. Yes, that is how I feel about that day. I feel, we truly celebrated her life and what she meant to our family through the different family member's talks of what she meant to them. It seemed unbelievable, what is so impressionable in little children's minds and thoughts and how those thoughts never seem to go away as we grow older. Mostly happy memories of Ruth were mentioned and then there were some comical memories, too! Kudos to her daughters who labored long hours, I am certain, preparing for the event, especially her daughter, Deb, who lives in Pekin and carried most the responsibility.
I know Ruth is very proud of all their efforts.
It was great to reunite with family members I hadn't seen in years and to meet for the first time some of my great-nieces and nephews that I had never met before. Wow, do I ever feel old when I see my grown-up nieces and nephews. My granddaughter's husband said to me at one point, "Let me see, you are Tim's mom and he is Shana's dad and Shana is Aubry's (his daughter) mom. Wow, that makes 4 generations, doesn't it?" "Yes, I said. All I have to do is stick around for about 20 more years, 'til Aubrey has a baby and then we will have five generations!' "That's doable," he said!
The bad part of the day is that it had to end and we were not able to spend more time together. It is sad that, in my family's case anyway, it seems that we only get together for funerals. What is wrong with that picture?
During this next week of my visit here, I am looking forward to happier times, celebrating my daughter, Jacque's, birthday and my granddaughter, Stephanie's, 16Th birthday, before I head for home on Monday.
Last night I babysat my 2 year-old great-granddaughter for about two hours. What a little whip she is. So bright and intelligent...as I walked by the Jonas Bros pictures on the wall while holding her, she started telling me their names and pointing at them! Unbelievable! She is such a happy and beautiful little girl...YEA to her parents for the gentle and loving ways they have exposed Aubrey to these first two years of her life.
Larry is at home planning his life for the next six months away from me.:( He has accepted a contract with the military and his first assignment will be in Kentucky for six weeks and then on to Florida for who knows how long. It will certainly be an adjustment for us, but I am happy that he will have these new experiences and, also, that he will be there to help our military families, as they go through these traumatic times. God bless our soldiers for keeping us safe and their families for the daily sacrifices they make living without their loved ones!
O'Bama is holding his own! God be with him and protect him and his family. We are praying for him daily.
"Til next time"..Yo mama, yo Grammie and Great Grammie Nana, yo sister and
yo friend..Kathleen
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Four or Five Month Update?
What can I say...the world goes on, I guess, even when we fail to update our blogs. The excuse I use for being so remiss is that I am so overwhelmed with life that when a few down minutes exist, I choose to crawl in the recliner, turn on CNN and worry about what is happening in this world and/or take a nap! What is wrong with that picture, I ask?... :( Now, having just gotten caught up on reading my family's blogs, including my granddaughter's from September!!!!, I feel it is very selfish of me not to share What's Up In AZ on a more consistent basis. Therefore, I am really going to try to do better in the future. ;)
Why am I overwhelmed, one might ask! Let's see....
I am a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for three foster children who each have a separate case. so that means three times the paper work and three times the monthly gatherings with my foster kids and their families.
I am on the Removal Review Board for Foster Children (two /24 hour on call commitments per month.
I am on the Foster Care Review Board for 8 hours each month, which doesn't include reading about 10 cases prior to the review each month ( about 10/15 hours to prepare)
I am a home bound Eucharistic Minister for my church and give communion to two shut-ins weekly.
I serve communion at church two to three times per month.
I have just been appointed to our church council by my priest, which meets monthly and we are just beginning a financial drive to build our new church! (I wonder how much more time that will require?)
I am responsible for doing the administrative duties and billing for my husband's mental health counseling private practice.
I dance 3 times a week at practice from 7AM to 9:45AM, plus we perform 2 or 3 times a month at various places.
I am, again, preparing my dance routine to "Big, Blond, and Beautiful" from Hair Spray for the MS. Senior AZ Pageant next April 2009.
I am revamping our landscaping in the front of our house...
I am finishing the interior painting of our entire household that I began in 2004..since last week my husband's therapy area now has the same colored woodwork throughout.
I try to maintain a 1700 sq ft home in an orderly fashion, which at this time is good in some areas, but quite lacking in other areas.
Oh, don't let me forget, I have purchased the needed materials to scrape, patch, sand and paint the outside trim on our home and, also, to install rain gutters where they have never been before to keep the wood from rotting again!
Lastly, I have an appointment upon my return from Illinois on 10/ 28 at the Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix for a 64 slice CT scan to figure out why I still have Stable Angina, even after having two stents put in the main inlet to my heart last January.
I am certain that I have failed to mention other things, eg; trying to keep my husband happy and helping him through his trials of obtaining new contracts, which ,by the way, we just did with the militart branch of the government. Last week, after three months of pursuing this, he was accepted as a mental health counselor for our military. This means his assignments can range from 3 days to 30, 60, 90 days...counseling at various worldwide locations! They have promised that they will not send him to Iran or Iraq...how comforting is that? One positive is that during his absence, I will not have to cook and clean the kitchen every day, which takes up about 3 to 4 hours of my days!!!
During his absence today, I will do about 12 hours fo monthly reports and reports to the Judge for my foster kids, make a pot of chili, a pan of corn bread and a carrot/spice cake with cream cheese filling. I have two days left to prepare him, his business, my volunteer activities,the house and me for my trip to Illionois, where, hopefully, I will have a chance to catch my breath and give and receive lots of kisse and hugs to fill my bucket enough to last me 'til next May when I visit Illinois again to attend my daughter, Jacque's, graduation from grad/school.
Thank you Lord for my many, many blessings and Your grace because I certainly don't know what I have done to deserve them all. I guess that is why we speak of Your grace, because You give Your love and miracles without our having earned or being deserving of them. We love you Lord.
Lots of hugs and kisses 'til we meet again to all my babies big and small from yo mama, yo grammie, yo great-grammie, yo auntie, yo great-auntie, yo sister and yo friend.
Why am I overwhelmed, one might ask! Let's see....
I am a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for three foster children who each have a separate case. so that means three times the paper work and three times the monthly gatherings with my foster kids and their families.
I am on the Removal Review Board for Foster Children (two /24 hour on call commitments per month.
I am on the Foster Care Review Board for 8 hours each month, which doesn't include reading about 10 cases prior to the review each month ( about 10/15 hours to prepare)
I am a home bound Eucharistic Minister for my church and give communion to two shut-ins weekly.
I serve communion at church two to three times per month.
I have just been appointed to our church council by my priest, which meets monthly and we are just beginning a financial drive to build our new church! (I wonder how much more time that will require?)
I am responsible for doing the administrative duties and billing for my husband's mental health counseling private practice.
I dance 3 times a week at practice from 7AM to 9:45AM, plus we perform 2 or 3 times a month at various places.
I am, again, preparing my dance routine to "Big, Blond, and Beautiful" from Hair Spray for the MS. Senior AZ Pageant next April 2009.
I am revamping our landscaping in the front of our house...
I am finishing the interior painting of our entire household that I began in 2004..since last week my husband's therapy area now has the same colored woodwork throughout.
I try to maintain a 1700 sq ft home in an orderly fashion, which at this time is good in some areas, but quite lacking in other areas.
Oh, don't let me forget, I have purchased the needed materials to scrape, patch, sand and paint the outside trim on our home and, also, to install rain gutters where they have never been before to keep the wood from rotting again!
Lastly, I have an appointment upon my return from Illinois on 10/ 28 at the Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix for a 64 slice CT scan to figure out why I still have Stable Angina, even after having two stents put in the main inlet to my heart last January.
I am certain that I have failed to mention other things, eg; trying to keep my husband happy and helping him through his trials of obtaining new contracts, which ,by the way, we just did with the militart branch of the government. Last week, after three months of pursuing this, he was accepted as a mental health counselor for our military. This means his assignments can range from 3 days to 30, 60, 90 days...counseling at various worldwide locations! They have promised that they will not send him to Iran or Iraq...how comforting is that? One positive is that during his absence, I will not have to cook and clean the kitchen every day, which takes up about 3 to 4 hours of my days!!!
During his absence today, I will do about 12 hours fo monthly reports and reports to the Judge for my foster kids, make a pot of chili, a pan of corn bread and a carrot/spice cake with cream cheese filling. I have two days left to prepare him, his business, my volunteer activities,the house and me for my trip to Illionois, where, hopefully, I will have a chance to catch my breath and give and receive lots of kisse and hugs to fill my bucket enough to last me 'til next May when I visit Illinois again to attend my daughter, Jacque's, graduation from grad/school.
Thank you Lord for my many, many blessings and Your grace because I certainly don't know what I have done to deserve them all. I guess that is why we speak of Your grace, because You give Your love and miracles without our having earned or being deserving of them. We love you Lord.
Lots of hugs and kisses 'til we meet again to all my babies big and small from yo mama, yo grammie, yo great-grammie, yo auntie, yo great-auntie, yo sister and yo friend.
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