Memorial Day 2009

This Memorial Day has a very special meaning to me. It is the first Memorial Day without my father and it has painfully pressed on a very tender place in my heart. It is very difficult to explain how I truly feel to you, especially when I am having such a difficult time trying to compose myself long enough to write this. I just know that I feel very lucky and extremely proud that he was my father. I feel so fortunate that I was part of a military life and the pride it instilled in me for my country. Yes, the Star Spangled Banner makes me cry. My family was blessed because he was able to spend 32 years serving his country and he retired and lived to be 86 years old. So many of our soldiers do not. This day is about them.

My Uncle Warren sent me a CD with a powerpoint slide show of my dad's graveside ceremony. I wanted to post it here but have not been able to condense the file. Here are a few pictures from it.

Handing my mother the flag.

Mom and I went to the cemetery this morning. There were flags everywhere. It was quite a sight to see. This was the first time I had seen the marker since it was put down.

I have many military pictures of him. I like this one. I wish it was a little clearer. It's how I like to remember him. You can tell he is teasing the person taking the picture. He teased everyone! His smile, his stance, the white hair and tan. A soldier.

That's my dad!

Graduation Day

Yesterday was a very special day!

Despite the rain "all day" the sun was shinning in Pioneer Hall for Molly's graduation. The smiles were even brighter!The ceremony was very nice. They had 4 different graduation ceremonies this weekend with a little over 300 students at each one, so it only lasted about an hour and a half. Molly's friend Katelyn drove up from Austin to be with her.

We celebrated at "Outback" with mom, Chris and Carrie. I was using Chris's camera and not mine when I took pictures of mom and the kids, thus mom is not in the picture.

The many years of classes, studying, and homework are finally behind you. We've watched your determined spirit bring you to this day. We are so very proud of you Molly!

There is a good reason they call these ceremonies "commencement exercises." Graduation is not the end; it's the beginning.

Orrin Hatch

Blankees or Whatever Works

My favorite time to blog is early mornings when everyone else is still asleep. Unfortunately I have become more of a reader instead of a writer. It's hard to be creative when you have a zillion other things on your mind. One of the things that has kept me so occupied is going through drawers, closets, shelves, etc., in my house. I tackled a big linen closet the other day and after pulling out a dozen old comforters and blankets, I came across Jackson's 2 blankets (I'll explain that in a minute) that I had put away years ago. My discovery along with Kelly's quest for Harper to find a special soothy, inspired me to write about blankets also known as softies, blankees, or bankies in my house. Both my children used theirs forever!

Molly's was more like a sheet. You have to look closely to see it because it resembles her PJ's. It is tucked underneath her chin in this picture.

Because it was cloth it became thin and tore easily after many washings. I painstakingly sewed each rip back together trying to keep it in one piece. Yes I still have it.

Jackson's was a soft white one. He was much more attached to his than Molly was to hers. It went everywhere he went. You can see in this picture that it's already about worn out.

Heading to Arkansas for a family visit I realized about an hour down the road that we had left Jackson's blanket at home. When we stopped for breakfast we broke the news to him. I will never forget the look on his face or his response. He looked at us like we were aliens from outer space and his nervous laugh was all we needed to know he was thinking "you had better be kidding me". I told him not to worry. There is a Walmart across the street and we are going to go buy you "Travel Blankee". It actually worked, but the minute we got home he grabbed his old one and travel blankee was never used again. Thus the 2 blankets in the closet.

Molly gave hers up when she was about 6 and Jackson's eventually disintegrated into a couple of balls of fuzzy yarn.

They were a comfort to us all while they lasted.

Decisions Decisions

Last Wednesday we went to the "Design Center" to pick out all the floors, fixtures, counters, paint, etc. for our new home. They set up a 4 hours appointment which I thought was ridiculously long but I'm here to tell you we used every minute of it and more. I woke up the next morning in a panic thinking I have to change those kitchen counter tops! Even when you have a picture in your mind of what you want it to look like when you get down to the nitty gritty of choosing, it can be mind boggling. After a trip to the paint store (I didn't like their paint samples) and another visit to the design center we finally got it all picked out.

We had to meet with the builder Saturday morning to finalize our selections so we made a quick drive by the lot. We were so excited to see that they have finally broken ground! The frame was up for the slab.

Here is Tom standing on what will be the back porch. The only thing missing is a chair and his radio set to country western hits!

Finally some progress. We are on are way!

Good Times and No More Blister Pictures

When I went to the doctor a week ago getting on the scale I was mortified to see how much I weighed. After all I had been really sick for 4 days had nothing to eat but soup and I weighed more than I remember ever. This morning I bit the bullet and got on the bathroom scale afraid to see how the steroids are affecting me and I was thrilled to see I was 6 lbs lighter! All fluid from the reaction I suppose, but it put a little skip in my step.

Before I went to work I made a stop at the convenience store. There was a car next to me and in it two little white yapping dogs. There was a man in the store (white haired) and as I walked in he looked at me and said "You're Cute". At 57 I'll take it anywhere I can get it. I love days like this. Now I could be describing my brother with the two white dogs but he would never call me cute unless it was 40 plus years ago and he wanted me to make him some popcorn balls or something he liked.

We went to a party last Saturday at our friends house. They roasted half a pig in a pit they made in their backyard. This is Joan and Danny.

It was a fun evening with lots of good food. This is a picture of Molly, Jackson and their daughter Lindsey. Molly used to babysit Lindsey. Time flies way to fast!

Danny is a football coach at one of the high schools and another coach from the school came and entertained us for hours playing the guitar and singing. It was a fun evening and great to get out and be with friends.

Hope your having a wonderful day!

My Leggy Journey

NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!

The rash started 5 days ago. I think it all peaked Thursday evening because my legs were swollen like tree stumps. Fortunately I was put on steroids that day and they work very fast. The swelling was down Friday but oh my the blisters, they just keep growing and growing. I've grown a little weary of it all and wonder if I will ever have normal legs again!

Speaking of legs, did you see ER on Thursday? If your a fan you know that Doctors Neela and Ray split up years ago after he tragically lost his legs in an accident. In October 08 they went running together.

He out ran her.

Well on Thursday Neela left the ER to go to work at the rehabilitation center. Few words were said. His "Finally, are you really here?" and Hers "I really am." Awwwwww! I keep replaying the end and wiping away the tears.

Okay my pity party is over. I'm off for a haircut and real party this afternoon. And thankfully I still have my legs!

The Flu Or An Allergic Reaction

I've always been pretty good at diagnosing myself. This time I missed it by a mile, at least to begin with. I was given an antibiotic last week for a mild urinary infection. I woke up Thursday night because my rings were hurting my finger. My fingers were swollen and fortunately I was able to get them off. The next day I went to work despite the fact that my body ached all over. By Saturday I was running a low grade fever, had chills, aches and began a marathon of sleeping all the time. I have had the flu before and this felt exactly like it. Sunday morning I did not take the antibiotic because I just felt too bad to put anything in my stomach. Sunday evening I actually thought I was getting better and took the medicine before going to bed.

Monday morning I woke up feeling worse. I started wondering if the pharmacy had messed up on the prescription. I looked at the pills, googled the brand name and number and saw that it was the right medicine. Then I saw the symptoms for allergic reaction to this medicine. They matched me to a tee. Tom took me to the Doctor who confirmed the reaction. A quick flu test was negative and a chest Xray showed some fluid on my lungs which is also part of the reaction. Yesterday I started breaking out in a lumpy rash (hives). It's now pretty much all over me except my face.

Be cautious when taking medicine for the first time and make sure you know what the side affects and reaction symptoms are or your legs may look like these.

Sometimes it's a good idea to get a second opinion!