Looking Back and Ahead

May 22, 1965  I had just been to my Senior Prom with Reed,  the brother of my best friend on Earth, Linda Cruzen.  It was a night to remember.  My long dark brown hair was up in what they called a French Twist.  I had on a one of a kind dress that was handmade just for me.  It was made of white lace over teal taffeta.  I had on long white gloves and a large corsage given to me by my date.  We danced and had fun then went to dinner at a real restaurant in Sherman Oaks on the Boulevard  (Ventura Blvd. to the masses)  I got in late at about 1AM which was past my usual 11PM curfew but it was Prom Night.  Mom was roused by my coming in so I went into her room and we talked.  She wanted to know how my dance was and did I have fun.  She had me tell her what we ate and all about the evening.  She was happy I had a good time.  Then she said good night and asked me to send Grandma in.  That would be her mother Grandma Hazel.  I bedded down in the living room where I had been sleeping since Grandma came to help take care of my mom.  I was on the fold out couch dozing off when Grandma came back in and got my dad and they both went in with mom.  I knew something was going on but I didn’t think about what.  Grandma said Mom told her she wanted to go home.  I was tired and happy and I dozed back off in that haze.  The ambulance showed up a few minutes later.  They got Mom and Dad left to go to the hospital with her in his own car.  He got back at 6AM and got they boys and they all left to go to the ranch at Lake Hughes because he had something he needed to do there. 

The phone call from the hospital came in at about 830.  They didn’t say what they wanted other than to ask that Dad c all them as soon as he got to a phone but Grandma Hazel knew.  I guess I did too.  Mom had slipped into a coma at about 5 when my Dad had left there and she died shortly after that.  She was gone.  It was hard to believe even though I had known for weeks there was nothing they could do for her.  Liver Cancer in 1965 was a death sentence.  Liver transplant was all but unheard of.  It was something that happened in movies of the Sci-Fi variety but not in real life.

I barely remember the funeral except that there were lots of people there.  And after that nothing.  Not for a few weeks anyway.  Then I graduated from High School in June.   

This year will be the 49^th anniversary of her death.  She is still missed by me and I am sure my brothers think of her also.  With the birth and growing up of my children I remember things she did as a mom.  I’m grateful that I have been able to impart some of those lessons to my own girls. 

Tyler is doing well in his recovery.  We found out this week that he is 100% engrafted with donor cells.  That's awesome!!  He was also approved to go back to school.  He will not be doing that until the new semester begins in September but That's only because there is only a couple of weeks left in this school year.  He will continue with his tutor til he gets back to regular school.

And finally me.  I am doing pretty good.  Had my eyes checked yesterday and I have no problems there.  I get a new pair of glasses but not too much has changed in my prescription.  

Hope you are all well and happy!  Love and Hugzz.....R

Happy Easter All!!

Hi there Family and Friends!!

Easter is just a few days away.  I always like to share little things that make me happy about a holiday and this one is no exception.  I love to watch the little ones go looking for all the eggs that pesky old Rabbit hid out in our yard.  Again this year I am thinking he will have to hide them on the stairs.......there is still too much snow out there.  But whatever happens it's fun to color eggs with them on Saturday and I love the smells of the ham in the oven and Wendy making Deviled Eggs. Yum.  Wonder if I can get her to make yams for me this year.  She hates those nasty things (As she calls them) But she always takes good care of her Momma.  I am guessing that as usual she and I will be getting baskets together Saturday Night when she is finally able to get the little ones off to sleep.  They will be up at 6 no doubt and it just doesn't do to tell then the EB was running late.  LOL

Tyler is home and has been doing better.  He still has a lot of problems with eating.  Nothing tastes good and when he does find something he is only able to eat a small amount.  They put him on an appetite increasing med and it seems to be helping slowly.  He lost something in the area of 30 pounds thru this ordeal so he has a lot of catching up to do.  He now weighs less than Mikey by a couple of pounds.  His hair is slowly growing back in.  He is going to PT twice a week to try and regain some strength and to get the muscles working but it's slow going and he is very tired.  He is so awesome tho.  And he does try.

Did I say it snowed again last night and so we woke up to 3 inches of fresh nasty wet snow??  Oh Well it did.  Oh and did I say it snowed and iced up all day??  Ok well it did.  Oh and BTW did I mention it was supposed to snow again tonight.....well yes it is.  4 to 6 but you know what liars those weathermen are. We shall see.  But yikes!!  Can you tell I am sick of snow?????  Well I am!  LOL

A week ago Saturday our little community came together In an effort to help the kids with all the medical bills that are mounting up due to Tyler's Bone Marrow Transplant.  It was a huge success and we are all just over whelmed by the response from our Town.  Another thing that is going on Monday is a restaurant in town is donating proceeds from sales of specific menu items to Tyler's Benefit also.  I can't believe how much love and caring there is here.  Say prayers of thanks with me to all the wonderful people who made this effort come to fruition.  Here is the quarter page ad they placed in the local paper.  Thanks!!

As for me.....well I have been being a good girl of late.  I have not been sick and I am trying really hard top get thru the rest of this winter stuff without pneumonia.  If I do it will be the first time in 5 years I have not gotten sick.  I guess I am doing something right and the man upstairs is looking out for me.  I am still continuing to crochet my little fingers off.  My next project is gifts for my niece's daughters who are graduating from High School in May.  Congrats girls!!

Home from the Hospital

March Is Here and it has already been eventful.  Tyler was home from the hospital after getting past his 100 day milestone and he ended up back in there due to a fever.  He is here in the local hosp so it isn't as bad as being in St Paul but still he is not home which means Mike and Wendy have to be with him.  

I also ended up in the hospital myself.  I had a spell of delusions or something.  I was not able to answer simple questions and I don't know but I was lost.  People were talking to me but I didn't know what they were saying.  I wasn't able to do the simplest things like dial the phone.  And I didn't know the answer to things like how tall am I.  It was weird.  They did a bunch of tests to see if I had a stroke and I did NOT.  So they don't really know what happened other than the possibility that my missing dialysis made my system toxic.  Anyway I got home on Sunday from the hospital in time to kiss Tyler goodbye as he left for the hospital.  

Mallory came in my room on Sunday and she looks at me and says Oh Hi Your home!  Yes. Then she says so are you staying???  LOL  I am for now.  Love my baby girl.  She is such a trip.  She is with me this afternoon because Daddy is at work and Mommy is at the hosp.  We are playing Barbies and have Madagascar in the dvd.  What a fun afternoon for the girls!!

We are all waiting with much excitement to get the kitchen done.  They have new flooring and all new bottom cabinets put in.  They work is almost done and our man Sherman says Thursday he will be finished.  The kitchen is going to be gorgeous. The counter tops are beautiful!!  The flooring is great and Wendy has moved the fridge to a new locations so we are adding a huge amount of space that we have never had before.  I will get pics posted when they get done.  I can't wait to be able to cook in the new kitchen!!

With Tyler's Benefit coming up in 3 weeks we are all busy getting ready for that.  We have lots of cool stuff for the auction and we have a yummy spaghetti dinner planned.  Be sure to check back here for all the pics and a review of all the fun we had.  THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.  

Same Old Thangs

Wow Mid February and we are still having weather.  We are sitting here waiting for another estimated 12" of snow to fall.  The temp is 32°  But the temp will drop and the snow has started and so then we will have snow pack, ice and rain that freezes then more snow on the highway. Today's a good day here to stay indoors and fine something to do.  I made a big pot of split pea soup that's in simmering as we speak.  It smells wonderful and I can't wait to dig in and get my tummy full of warm yummy goodness.

I am crocheting these days.  I have made a ton of stuff and have much more to do.  I am making a few afghans for the Benefit in April for Tyler.  So far they are in several forms of not finished but they will be by the date.  We plan on doing the Afghans on a silent auction basis to see if anyone is interested in getting a nice home made throw for their laps during these long winter months.  And around here it stays cool at night thru summer so a nice cozy lap throw is just what the doctor ordered.  I am also making slippers and hats and all kinds of other neat stuff.  I have been using the wash clothes I made and they work great to get that dead skin off and leave a nice shiny glow to the skin.  I sound like an ad for one of those acne medications but really......this will work better and is a lot cheaper.  LOL

So on to the news with Tyler.  He is doing so much better now.  His marrow is starting to grow.  His blood numbers are on the rise and he has been fortunate in that so far he hasn't gotten any of the nasty virus' that these FA kids can get after the transplant.  So we are looking forward to getting him and the rest of the family back home in the middle of March.  Not much longer but it has been a long hard time for all of them.  You can follow along with him on his Facebook Page or his CaringBridge Blog.  The url's are over there--->  LOL   You can find it on the right panel.

And a quick update with me.  I'm doing great.  I have not been sick at all this season and the way I am feeling these days I don't think I will have the problems this year.  As much as I don't like going to dialysis I really believe it is what has made me healthier and feeling better and stronger.  I will keep it up for sure.  

Welcome 2014

Man it's hard Io believe 2014 is here already.  Didn't we just do this??  And for this year's resolution I am continuing with what I have been resolving for many years now and that I have actually managed every time I resolve to do this.  I resolve for the year 2014 not to make new year's resolutions.  Ok done for another year.

This year is starting out rough weather wise.  We have been at or near zero for the last few weeks now.  And we have had some of the lowest highs I have seen since I moved here.  It's 6 right now but it was down to -23 last night.  Yes that's 23 below zero.  Our freezer isn't that cold for crying out loud.  LOL  I am hoping it will warm up soon.  But the outlook for the rest of the week isn't promising with Monday being the coldest at an estimated high of 13  or wait  that would be MINUS 13.  Jeez Canada take your cold snap back.  We are done with it now.

Christmas was wonderful.  Jeff and I went to the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis to be with Wendy Mike and all the kids.  They have a little one bedroom apartment there at the RMH and it isn't bad really.  One bedroom with two big beds and a nice set of bunk beds and then a kitchenette with a microwave and sink and an area for the dinner table and a chair and couch.  The bathroom is good sized and there are a ton of closets for storage.  Not bad at all for a little place to hang their hats.

Tyler is having a tuff time right now with an infection in his chest and his Hickman line.  The doctor put him on Z Pack and he seems to be feeling a little better.  But he still has a temp so he has to stay in the hospital for 48 hours after the temp is gone.  With the way he has been going it looks like he will get out on Sunday.  Keep your fingers crossed.  He still isn't eating but from all reports his taste buds are out on strike from the chemo and it will take a while before he can taste properly.  So now everything tastes like sucking on a penny or something metallic tasting like that and it's horrid for him.  He is wanting to try now though so that's a good sign.  They are still feeding him with the NG tube for now.

Mikey and Mallory are both ok but they are having a hard time emotionally.  They are tired and they miss their friends and their routine and being home.  So they are either crabby and snotty or they are crying.  Sweet little Mikey has been acting out and so he and Tyler either fight or cry when playing together.  It will Be better for all of them to finally have Tyler out of the hospital so they can all be together.  Then they can get into some sort of routine of eating and getting to bed and up and so on.  Until then I don't expect things to calm down.  But once Tyler is on his way to recovery the other little ones will calm down too.

As for me......well I am feeling pretty good.  This is usually my month in the hospital with pneumonia and I don't even have a cold.  Knock on Wood!!!!!  I am trying really hard to stay healthy.  Since the kids have been gone I have been up moving more.  I can get my own drinks and sometimes I even get my own food too.  LOL  Jeffrey and I have been cooking together.  I cook the stuff and he gets it all out for me then he cleans up.  We have it down to a science now.  It's way better than running to McD's for a sandwich all the times.  We have made stuff like couscous with mushrooms and we cooked meatloaf and I made broccoli cheese soup.  It was all yummy.  Oh and we made Lima beans from scratch.  Man that was so tasty we are going to make it again.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year's.  Stay Safe and Happy and May God Bless you with all you need and want.  I love you all!!!

Hugzz......R

It's Very Cold Here

Where to start.....Tyler had his Bone Marrow Transplant and he is doing great.  I am so impressed with the little guy.  He is trying really hard to get better fast.  His body is responding well and he may get out of the hospital next week or so.  We all have our fingers crossed.  They will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House that is right by the hospital.  He has to stay there until at least 100 days after transplantation.  So we still have a long way to go.  Mike and Wendy are tried and of course they are worried but things are going well.  Mikey and Mallory are also there in the hospital every day while Mike is at work.  Someone has to be with Tyler at all times.  They switch off nights where one is a RMH and the other one is at the hospital with Tyler.  It gets tiring but they are holding up pretty well.

There was a benefit Bake Sale yesterday for Tyler.  Everyone in the community came together to either donate stuff or buy stuff or both.,  It was wonderful.  I am so touched by the outpouring of concern and caring we have in this little town we live in.  It's awesome!!!  Thank you to everyone who helped us.

The weather here has been reallllllytyyy cold.  We have snow too and I hear we expect more in the next few days.  It's 930PM here right now and the temp is -8.  It's supposed to go down to -15 tonight.  You people who live in California have no idea how cold it is.  LOL  I laugh at you and remember back to when I first moved here and thought that 20 was COLD.  I guess you get use to hanging if you hang long enough ya know.  

I am doing great actually.  I have been healthy (for me) and haven't gotten sick since last winter. As much as Dialysis is a pain in the ass to go to it sure is making my quality of life much better. Jeffrey moved back in to help take care of me and to take care of the house and the animals.  He and I are doing great.  I have been able to do a little cooking and so has he so we are eating.  He does the dishes and takes out the trash,  He feeds the animals and his big job is taking care of the wood and the stove so we keep warm.  It's a big job for him but he is taking it on and not complaining too much.  LOL  Jeffery is Jeffrey but we are getting along just fine.

I have been crocheting up a storm.  I have made lapghans for the family and myself and I made some things like hats and so on for friends.  It has been so much fun to sit and create instead of just taking up space.  I am still on the computer a lot too but not like I was.  I am going to make as much as I can to offer at the Benefit they are having for Tyler  We will be having all kinds of things to offer and the proceeds will go toward helping the kids pay the major medical expenses they are getting for this Million Dollar Kid we have.  LOL  And seriously the medical expenses will be around a million if you can even believe that.  How outrageous is that?  Anyway there are people in our community who are putting this thing together .  I will keep you all posted on what we will be doing.

As always you can follow Tyler's progress on Caring Bridge and on his Face Book page. 
Tyler would love to hear from you too so if you get a minute send him and Mikey and Mallory a card or a note to PO 245 Amery WI 54001

Love to you all.  

Sunday

Sunday finds me ready to watch some football and the final NASCAR race of the season.

Thursday Wendy, Mike and Tyler headed off to the hospital and got him all settled in.  Machelle had the kids but they wanted to come home so Jeff and I had the little ones that night.  Friday off to school for them and then they were back at Machelle's but again they wanted to be home so she brought them and we had another sleep over (as we call it when they sleep in my room).

The stove decided to blow a gasket (literally) Saturday so Mike had to come all the way back (he had already been here earlier to get the kids) and he had the little ones with so they ended up spending the night here and in their own beds.  I think it worked out well because the kids were tired.  I was talking with Wendy last night when she got the call and they will be moving into Ronald McDonald House today so all is well. They will be able to stay there for the whole time Tyler has to be in or near the hospital.  Thank God.  We were rather worried about living arrangements for the last few days.

Friday Tyler had his full body irradiation.  Wendy said he was sick to his stomach the rest of the day but by evening he was feeling better and the anti nausea meds were working  He was able to eat a pulled pork sandwich for dinner.  Yesterday he started Chemo.  You can read all about what's going on with Tyler on his FaceBook Page or his Caring Bridge Page.  Wendy posts almost daily updates.

Finally we have some very cool bracelets that we are offering for a $3.00 donation for each.  If you are interested in getting yours please let me know and I will give the info to those who are handling the processing.  There is a photo of what they look like.  I wear mine all the time.  They are stretchy so can fit all sizes.  Thanks for your help.