Late But Great in ‘08

It was just last Weekend.  The big 40th!!  But it was not just a reunion of MY class at MY school.  This reunion included 4 schools and 5 years of graduates from 1965 thru 1969.  Two of the schools were catholic ALL GIRL schools, one of which I graduated from in 1968.   Two of the schools were ALL BOY  catholic schools, one of which Jerry graduated from in 1966.  It was the very best kind of reunion to have!!  My friends (and old bo’s)  were there and J’s friends (and old gal’s) were there, along with mutual friends!   Neither one of us ever had to feel left out!   

But this was not the first mega reunion.  Twenty years ago was the first “Late But Great”.  It included the same schools, same classes but it was held at the Mayfair Mall.  Each school had it’s own wing and the party was in the center of the mall, where we rocked with the “Booze Brothers”.  Twenty years later—–NOT SO BIG!  The bash was held at the NEW gym and reception hall, at my OLD high school–Divine Savior.  Instead of a WING for each school, there were a few TABLES for each. (I think the total count was about 500.) 

Jerry and I pull into the parking lot.   We were both looking around at what everyone was wearing.   The reunion was discribed as casual, but everyone has a different idea of what that means!  So I wore my awesome new outfit, and J wore black slacks and a red shirt (his school colors!)(OK, so I think that I successfully added pics to my blog for the very first time!!   Woooohoooo!)

Back to the story

Jerry also brought along a pair of black shorts, since he really wanted to wear them but wasn’t exactly sure!  OK, we looked around the parking lot and saw a little bit of everything.  Dresses, slacks,capri’s, shorts, whatever—-so J decided to change into his shorts!  So, we left our most awesome parking spot, and pulled around the back of the building so he could “drop draws”, and shift gears!  (if you know what I mean!)  When J had finished changing his clothes, we found another parking spot (not as good) and finally went into the reunion!

Right away we had a problem.  Tickets had to be purchased to buy drinks.  Ordinarily that would not be a prob , except that we were a bit low of cash, and they didn’t take charge card!!  Hmmmmmm  But actually, it was OK, since we were not planning on getting out of control, we definitely had enough cash to have a few drinks and a good time.  We purchased enough tickets for each of us to get 2 drinks.

On the way to the bar, we ran into many old friends.  As I was talking to the very first “BOY” I ever LOVED,  J went to the bar and came back to inform me that they HAD NO TEQUILA!!!   Now what do I drink! 

Being the WONDERFUL husband that he is—-my man immediately went to the (near by) liquor store, and purchased a bottle of Patron!!  He emptied the water from the bottle that I had brought with me (and left in the car) and filled it with the tequila, and brought it into the reunion.  Now, we were set for the night!   J could use the tickets for his beer, and I could have my drink of choice!   All was good! (I must say—I did feel a little bit like I was trying to get away with smuggling alcohol into a high school dance!!  LOL)

But really, the reunion was not all about the drink!  There was plenty of great food, great music, and best of all—reuniting with “the ones”!   Back in our high school days—-these people were our world!  They made us happy and sad.  We laughed with them, and we also cried!  They were our whole world!     

As wonderful as it was to spend that time in the “Past”, we have all moved on, and grown up.  I enjoyed the reunion—but—I LOVE MY LIFE!  And what better way to celebrate our accomplishments!  Here’s to the “Late But Great In ‘08″ ——CHEERS!!!!

IT’S COMING!!

OMG–I can’t believe–IT’S COMING!!  In just ONE week!!!   And I am not talking about the reunion!  I am sooooo over that already! (and it’s not happening until tomorrow!! LOL)   Before I tell you the good news about what is coming, (since I mentioned it)—–first let’s just talk about the reunion.    If you recall, I had 3 things to accomplish before the big 40th High School Reunion.  

# 3 FIND THE PERFECT OUTFIT.   OK, I am wearing my old jeans (which are actually very styling cus they belonged to my daughter Angela), and a NEW shirt (it is pretty cute and sexy)!!    I bought new shoes and a new purse.  After thinking about the shoes—I decided to take them back, cus I thought that they would hurt, so now I am wearing my old shoes, so I can dance the night away!!  But my new purse is awesome!  It is my fav. color–purple!  (it matches my new shirt!)    I am OK with my outfit.  +

# 2 NEW HAIR.   I think I did good!   Highlights reflect just the right amount of blonde, and I no longer have a mustache!   The waxed eyebrows was a total bonus!!  I will give myself  ++

# 1 LOSE 10 LBS!!   :(      I am not going to mix words!!  Total FAILURE!!!!    Y-E-S  I excercised!  Y-E-S I ate less!!  Y-E-S I drank less.   But for some reason, after all is said and done—-I gained 1/2 lb.  Grrrrrrr   I just can’t believe it!   No matter what I did, the weight thing just wasn’t going to happen.  In fact, I am glad that I only gained 1/2 lbs, since 3 days ago I was actually up 3 lbs!!!  - - - So, I finally resigned myself to the fact that I-yam who I-yam!!  and that is all that I-yam!!!   We will go to the reunion and have the best time ever, cus that is what we do!  Life is too short to stress over a few pounds, right?

Enough about the reunion.   Let’s talk about what is happening 1 WEEK FROM TONIGHT!!!   OMG it is my favorite TV show!   If there is anyone out there reading this blog that has not seen “Monk”  it is time that you give it a try!   This is my current favorite show on TV.  The new season begins next Friday night on USA.  It is so funny and so entertaining!!  I just love this show—-I can’t get enough of it!  I even record all of the reruns!   I will be tuning in, recording, watching, and re-watching, every episode to come!   Just give it a try!!  So—Pour yourself something tall and strong–sit back and enjoy the ride—You won’t be sorry!   Woohoo!  I just can’t wait!!

Summer is over!

One of our BFF’s (Wayne) would always say on the 4th of July: “summer is over!”. Then I would turn to Cheryl (my main BFF) and ask if she has finished her Christmas shopping yet? It was always said, and we always laughed about it! It was part of our tradition.

As our kids were growing up, our 2 families would gather at our house early in the morn. on the 4th. Our friends would always stop and pick up fresh bagels, for a quick breakfast while we packed the red, white and blue wagons with kids, coolers, and red vine licorice!

It all started one year when our kids were very young. Jerry had this GREAT IDEA that we should walk in the parade that traveled down Oklahoma Ave., and ended at Jackson Park, where everyone got vanilla (half melted) ice cream cups that we ate with a wooden spoon. The ice cream was followed by games and prizes.

As the years zipped by and the kids got older, we continued the tradition. And as much as some of us would complain (and pray for rain), the parade would go on and our families were usually part of it.

As the young ones got too old to participate in the games, and the older ones found other things to do, I thought it might be time to create a new “July 4th” tradition. The kids were just getting too old. But there was one member of our group that just wouldn’t quit! This was Jerry’s favorite holiday. He did not want the tradition to end. Just when I thought I didn’t have to walk the long walk or carry any child (or dog) that was getting tired—Jerry had another GREAT IDEA! “Let’s see if our grandkids want to walk in the parade!” And so—the tradition continued.

We entered into the second generation of the parade walkers. As the gkids grew, we would cheer each of them through the “shoe kick” and the various types of races. And—the tradition grew stronger. All of a sudden the older kids started walking again, to see their niece and nephews repeat the same games they had once tried so hard to win! Soon, Kevin and Maggie started to walk along too. They decided that their kids, and the rest of us, were just having too much fun without them. And—the tradition continued for years to come. There was always special preparation for the parade, which I actually enjoyed more than the parade itself! Through the years, we decorated wagons, bikes, roller skates, dogs, and ourselves! The gkids got creative and brought over washable hair paint. They were so adorable with there red white and blue spikes!

We continued this celebration until we moved from that neighborhood 3 years ago. It was a good tradition—It was our tradition. And as much as some of us would complain, I must say: looking back, THESE WERE SOME OF OUR BEST MEMORIES! But as of today, summer is over! I think I will go Christmas shopping! Kids—you better get me your lists!

Happy Parade Day!!

How’s it goin’??

13 days and counting.  I have been working hard to “work it” hard!  I have been on the tread mill every day since my last post!!  OK, so it is only 3 days, but I’m just sayin’—that is 3 days in a row!  And even though it hasn’t been quite an hour a day on the “mill”, I have been finishing up with the “ab doer”, which has put it way over 1 hour—–at least 65 or 70 minutes!!   As far as the eating/drinking thing, I have actually been a very good girl.  In fact, I don’t want to shock anyone, but I did not have any tequila yesterday!!  Not only did I not have tequila, but I didn’t have any alcoholic beverage at all!  When I got up this morning, I thought it would be a good day to step on the scale.  I figured I must havelost a pound or 2, since I have been doing sooooo good!  Hmmmm, at least I didn’t gain any weight—So much for being a good girl!

Now for the hair.   I think that I am liking it!!  I did the whole “high light” thing.  Not too much, but just enough to make it look sassy.  You can definitely see the blond!  Speaking of hair—-remember, I was thinking of having the upper lip hair removed?  Well, after Heather got my hair done, she said “let’s go in the back and do your eyebrows”  Eyebrows??  I don’t believe that I said anything to anyone about my eyebrows!  So, as she sat me down into the “torture chair” I explained to her that I was thinking of having my stash waxed, not my brows.  I also told her that I was a bit nervous, since I had never had this done before, but I knew that not only would it be painful, but that I was afraid I would get red and blotchy!  She re-assured me that if I did get a rash, it would only be temporary.   I gave in.  I let her do it both area’s!  After all, what good is a smooth upper lip, if the brows are bushy!  And guess what—-it was every bit as painful as I thought it would be!   Not only that—YES, I definitely got all red with big white “hive” bumps all over my face!  (The things women do to be beautiful!!) 

This all happened on Friday afternoon.  It is now Sunday morning, and although the redness is getting better, and the bumps are less obvious, it still itches like crazy.  And every time I scratch it, the redness comes back!!  But I am dealing!!  The good news is (and I will use his exact words), my main man said:  “Now you look 25 instead of 29″!!   woohoo!!   If I keep this up, I will have to take my I.D. with me! LOL

Mission Impossible??

Where has the time gone?  I can’t even believe that I graduated 40 years ago!  Wow, I feel like I should be celebrating my 40th birthday, instead of making it out of High School!!  

Note to self:  3 things to do before the big “LATE BUT GREAT IN 08″.    # 1 on the list is to loose 10 lbs.  #2  New hair — make the grey darker, and the rest lighter!!    #3 Find the perfect outfit — one that makes me look 10 lbs lighter and 10 years younger!

Do you think I can do it all in 16 days?  I have been looking forward to this party since we got the original “save the date” note card, months ago!   I immediately put it on the calendar, sent in the money, and planned on having pleanty of time to accomplish my  “3 things”.  Hmmmmm, now it is just a little over 2 weeks away!!  But seriously, in my defense, this has been a very busy Spring.  Between vacations, parties, weddings, funerals and any other occasion (where friends and family EAT AND DRINK!),  how did I have time to even think about starting a diet?!   In the back of my mind I would keep telling myself that I still had plenty of time to buckle down and become the most perfect, sexy, confident, successful and beautiful woman in my  High School Class of ‘68.   And now—–it is 16 short days away!!  So, here is the plan. 

GET ON THE TREAD MILL every day, for 1 hour, until the re-union.  Ok, let’s be real.  It may only end up to be every other day, and maybe only for 45 minutes—but that is better than nothing, right?   DON’T EAT any deserts, chips and dips, or anything else that is just totally good, but ever so bad!!  This one MAY be do-able.  I just have to stay away from parties or family functions until after the re-union!  #3  NO TEQUILA for the next 16 days.   A big LOL “out loud” on that one!!  That’ll never happen!!  But maybe I can limit myself to just 1 drink during cocktail hour, and give up my extra schnooks!  Ya, that’s the ticket!  I know that I can do that—(once again) as long as there are no parties or family functions!   That should help me with the loose weight thing.  Maybe not 10 lbs, but I do believe that they make undergarments that help?  Does anyone know where to buy ”Spanks” ?? 

Now to the next thing on my list.    The  Hair!   I just called for an appointment.  I am thinking BLOND!!   YaYa, I know, that might be a bit drastic!   But maybe —- a few more highlights than usual?    I also asked about “upper lip hair removal”!!  This is something that I haven’t done for a long time.  I know that they are there, but as you get older, and your eyes get weaker, you don’t see those fine hairs as much as you used to!   I am a little nervous about it!  I never had the stash professionally removed before.  In my day, I would just use my eyebrow tweezer and pluck–one hair at a time!!  Ouch!!  

I have no easy answer for # 3.   I HATE SHOPPING!   Any kind of shopping, but especially clothes shopping!!  Everything I like looks better on the hanger than it looks on me!  It is really hard to find that perfect, flattering outfit, especially when shopping  the “90% off” rack at Kohl’s Department Store!  But guess what?  I think they are having a sale this week!  Woohoo    

So that is my strategy.  Mission Impossible?   We’ll see!!  I will try to keep you posted on my progress as the deadline gets closer!   Wish me luck!

 

 

 

3 rocks!

I have been hearing on the news all about the problems with flooding in Rock county, and also Rock River!  Now, one would assume that if you wanted to get to Rock county, you would take the “Rock” Freeway, which is actually part of Hwy 94 (or is it hwy 43?  I am still not exactly sure where it is!!)   

OH NO!!  Apparently the Rock Freeway is no where even close to the other Rocks!  That would just be too logical, I guess.  Let’s just hope that The Rock River is in Rock County!!  LOL

And of course, if you live on the ROCK, in the ROCK, or going to the ROCK—-my prayers are with you and anyone else who is experiencing the devastating effects of the floods.

The last 2

Chapter 11:  The Feast

 

 

In order to complete our TG table, I lit the candles, and it was a feast!  We started out as usual, saying what we were thankful for, and of course Michael made everyone’s list. In fact, Michael let it be known that he was a part of our dinner too!  We tried comforting him, by putting him in his bouncy chair, between Sara and I.  We thought that between the vibrating chair, and a foot keeping the bouncing going, we would be able to eat in peace.  It started out OK.  But then, something unexpected happened!!!!

 

I had carefully place our feast on the table, putting a cloth under each hot dish, as any good hostess would do!  However——just as Deac was passing me the green beans, (which actually had a folded paper towel under it)——–Yup! You are right!  The paper passed over the holiday candle, and flames appeared!  Of course, Sara and James noticed it before I did (even though it was now in my hand).  I quickly discovered why there eyes had gotten so big, and also why my hand was getting a bit warm!!!

 

Being the calm, cool and collective person that I am (and did I mention it was now 8, and cocktail hour started at 6?)   I simply got off my chair, and carried the flaming napkin over to the sink as I turned on the water, and saved the day!!!  I am a super hero—thank you very much!   The burn on my finger was not even mentioned, since I didn’t want to ruin the feast!

 

Now all the excitement was over, and time to eat??  OR NOT!!  Michael decided, that he was going to act like a normal baby, instead of the genius that he is.  He started to cry, just enough to be picked up.  Of course I wanted Sara and James to enjoy there TG dinner so GT volenteered to cuddle him (what a sacrifice!)   But the good news is that by the time I got to finish my meal, it was still warm.  All in all it was definitely a day to be thankful.  

 

Thank you God for all the wonderful gifts you have given to me!!  How blessed am I to have spent 10 days in Florida, immediately followed by 8 days in VA!  I may not be rich & famous, but I do have so much more!!  I have the best husband in the world, 3 wonderful children, and the greatest 4 grandkids ever.  And to add a little icing on the cake, I have 2 TG days to celebrate all these blessings!   I am a lucky woman!! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  And drive safely!!

 

 

Chapter 12: Coming Back Home

 

I will be arriving in Milwaukee in less than an hour—woohoo!  Everything was on schedule this morning.  I got up at 3:15 a.m.   I just wanted to make sure that I was at the airport in plenty of time! Since I was a bit tired, after take off, I fell asleep for just a little while.  When I woke up, I had a feeling that I may have been snoring!!  That is definitely a drawback to traveling alone—there is no one here to give me a nudge when the noise begins!!  I opened my eyes, and looked around.   I did not see anyone starring at me, which was definitely a good sign.  Also, my (airplane) roommate fell asleep even quicker than I did, so she probably didn’t hear anything!  Oh well, it is not like any of these people will ever see me again, right? But I can’t believe that I missed the drink cart!!  I collected my granola bar, but before the drink cart passed me, I passed out!  I did get my coffee (not tequila) on the second trip around, so now I really have to pee!

 

Going back to the beginning—I arrived at the airport at 4:38.   Since the Midwest “check-in” didn’t open until 5, a little chit-chat with my neighbors (in line), made the time pass quickly.  I only had to apologize to one very nice young lady, when my bag fell forward, and hit her in the shin.  But like I said, she was very nice, and said it was OK!  Check in was no problem.  As I approached the security check, I anticipated what had to be done.  I reached down and took 2 grey containers.  When my stuff came out the other side, things were starting to back up on the conveyer belt.  I didn’t want to hold everyone up while I fumbled to put on my shoes, grab my purse, sling it around my neck, put my phone back into my pocket, put my plastic bag of liquids back in my purse, and finally the computer.  Since I felt like I was just taking too much time, I grabbed the computer and everything else and moved away.  But now, I had to bend down to the floor, to arrange everything properly.  I do believe you all know what happens when I bend down, right??  Yes, I could feel my thong revealing its poke-a-dot band to everyone behind me!!  But of course, when I got dressed in the morning, I made sure that my panties matched my bra, which matched my shirt, so all is good. 

 

So, ever since I knew I was going to VA, I thought about the really awesome breakfast Panini and carrot muffin (with really good cream cheese filling) that J and I had, the last time we flew home from VA in the morn.  I got to the stand, and they didn’t have the exact same Panini, and not even close on the muffin, so I just bought a sausage and egg  panini.  Bad choice.  The sausage was not so good (I actually took it off, and threw it away!), and the egg was totally cold.  Total disappointment!    But, since I was at the airport in plenty of time, I actually had a chance to visit the ladies room before getting on the plane, without any assistance with my bags!

 

The plane arrived on time, and I no sooner got my luggage, and over to the exit, when J pulled up in front of the door!  My adventure was complete.  I had a wonderful time with Sara, Deac, and Michael in VA, but really, “there is no place like home!!”

 

The End

 

 

P.S. I love you too!

 

This is not a new chapter, but a brief (very important) extension of the last!!

 

As I was sitting in the back seat of the car (since Angela always grabs shot gun when she comes home), after a wonderful TG meal at Kevin and Maggie’s home, it dawned on me that my “Thank You God” list was incomplete!  Did anyone else notice what was soooo obviously omitted from my last paragraph of chapter 11?

 

How could I leave out such an important part of our lives!!  Thank you God for sending our family Maggie, Deac, and Nick!  The 3 of you complete our family, and we would not be who we are, with out you.

 

Coming soon!

First I just need to apologize for not sending a chapter a day, for the last 4 days.  I did just finish posting chapters 7,8,9 and 10.  I hope it isn’t too much all at one time, but I had a really good reason!  All of my fam. was in town for my man’s birthday bash!  Woohoo, fun was had by all!  I have been so busy that  I hardly even opened my computer!!  It has been a wonderful weekend with all my children!  But it is not over yet!  I have a little time to myself this morning, but this afternoon I am going to the zoo with my newest grandson, along with Sara, Deac, and his parents!!  How fun is that?!  

I will wind up the re-runs tomorrow, but then we will return to new posts.  I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts and adventures, so don’t give up on me.  There will definitely be more fun to come!!

 

Chapters 7,8,9 and 10

Chapter 7:  The big DC adventure.

 

I do believe this would be the adventure that everyone has been waiting to read!!  So, I will try and make it exciting.  I think it was right around chapter 2 or 3 that I mentioned that Sara offered to take me on a DC adventure on Friday!  Possibly at that point is when my blood pressure started rising— I’m just saying. 

 

I tried to bow out gracefully, by explaining that I am not so adventurous when it comes to driving (or should I say navigating) in a big city, on the freeway, with lots of traffic, and crazy DC drivers, with the potential of a crying baby in the back seat, (cus it is taking too long), and he may just need his mom, and there is no way he can have her, cus we are stuck in a traffic jam!!!  (Wow, what a mouthful!)  Yes, those are the thoughts that fill my head, which raise my BP, and cause me to hyperventilate!  Back to bowing out gracefully?—–S explained that we had to go this week, since the “Washington Post” only holds back papers for x amount of days, and the time was running out.  Sara wanted to get a paper from the day that Michael was born, so she could give it to him on his 18^th or 21^st birthday. 

 

It was all for Michael, so how could I say no!!   She promised me that she could get us there most of the way without my help (in other words-I could do my Sudoku while we were on the freeway) and that she would only need my prompting after the exit!  So I reluctantly packed up my #’s book, filled my water, found my glasses, and was ready to go, as soon as she got Michael all packed up!  We made it as far as the car, before I realized that I forgot my water on the table!  Lol (typical!!)  OK, got the water, and away we went.

 

The navigating was going very well.  There were not too many turns that needed to be made before arriving at the WP.  But it was around lunch time, in DC, and the traffic was more than crazy!  We only had a couple of more blocks to go, before we had to turn, and all of a sudden there was a cop directing all the traffic to make a U-turn, cus the street was closed ahead!   You would all be soooo proud of me at this time, cus I turned my head to look at the guy driving the SUV in the next lane, and he gave me the sign to go in front of him!!  What a nice DC driver—although, I may have given him that desperate look, but whatever it was, it got us a spot in the very congested u-turn traffic!  The rest of the drive, went slow, but we actually found an alternate route on our own—woohoo!  We just had to re-route once, after a bad move.  But I do believe God was with us, because all of a sudden we found ourselves right in front of the Post, facing the right direction to head home, and the bonus was that there was a spot for Sara to wait for me, while I quickly ran in to get the paper!  It may have been an illegal spot, but I was only gone a matter of minutes, and like I said—God was with us!

 

Of course, how could we go to DC without sight seeing!  So when I get home, I will show you all my pics of tall pointy buildings and things, and president monuments, and the octagon (oops-Pentagon)!  Of course I did take these pics from the car, as we were heading back HOME!  What about the babe in the back??  He slept for the entire time!  All, in all, it was a great adventure!   Thank you Michael / Thank you God.

 

 

Chapter 8:   The Reward

 

We were so thrilled that the adventure had gone so well, that we decided to treat ourselves.  Guess what we picked up for lunch?  Yes, you are right.  We headed to the Taco Bell closest to home!  I ordered my usual, and Sara ordered 2 of something she likes.  Home we went to enjoy our victory lunch.  It was, once again, perfect timing, cus just as we got a few blocks from home Michael decided that it was time for his lunch too! 

 

As if T B was not enough of a reward, I decided that Tequila would go very well with my 2 Mexican pizza’s!!  As you recall, no “T” yesterday—so, I was way overdue!!  Besides, even though the adventure had gone better than I ever imagined it would, I did still get my usual “stress pain” in my left leg, which always happens when I get tense.  So, what better cure, than a “T”!   Really, it was strictly for medicinal purposes, honest!!  But it sure did taste good—yum!!

 

Well, that is it for the reward.  It was short but sweet.  I thought I would give you all a break, since the next chapter is of a more serious matter and may be a long and scary one!  Don’t worry though, it has a happy (?) ending.  Chapter 9:  Out of control!

 

 

Chapter 9:  Out of control

 

As if my migraine night wasn’t bad enough!   I am going to back up a bit, to before I left for Florida.  I had a doc appointment, and while I was there, the nurse took my blood pressure.  The reading was 145/90.  After I was there for a bit, she took it again and found that it had gone down to 136, but still over 90.  It was probably high enough to go back on meds, but I was seeing the nurse practitioner, who told me to try to check it a few times while I was gone, and that was all she had to say about that.

 

I just want to say, I definitely enjoyed both my Florida trip and my VA trip.  But unfortunately, my health has not been wonderful during either.  I really hate to dwell on aches and pains, but in order to fully share my trip with you all, I have to tell you about my blood pressure. 

 

Because of my migraines, and the fact that I was out of headache pills, my doc ordered a script, to be picked up at the local CVS pharmacy.  While I was waiting for it, I sat down at the auto BP machine.  It was 164/113!!   That is probably the highest BP reading I ever had, at least when I was consciously aware.  I was so upset about it that I called my Doc office.  Since it was a Saturday afternoon, I received a return call within about 10 minutes, from the “on call” doc.  He listened to the brief history I told him.  His first response was to give me some meds to bring it down, but after a minute, he decided that it would be better to recheck it, and if it goes up at all, I should probably go to an urgent care, where they could get an accurate reading from a live person, and go form there. 

 

Now, anyone reading my book  knows that I am the kind of person that goes with the flow, and moves with the grove.  So, ordinarily, a high reading doesn’t really faze me that much, but I don’t believe that I ever had a reading with the low number over 100.  So perhaps an ever so slight amount of panic set in!  Now, if there were no other problems/symptoms, I would have just been pretty cool about the whole thing.  But because I have not been exactly right, since I left Milwaukee—–with headaches, inner body jitters, a high fever in Florida, and then that monster migraine a few days ago, I was feeling a bit anxious about the BP.

 

So, Sara and I (and M) went to do our shopping, and we decided to stop back at the CVS after we were done, for another check.  It was the whole good news, bad news thing.  The lower # went down to 100—woohoo, but the upper # went up to 170—grrrrrrr.  However, since the “on call doc” told me that the panic numbers were 220/120—I was indeed glad that the # that was closest to panic-ville was the one that went down, so I was actually feeling much better after that.  Well, MUCH better is a bit strong.  I just wasn’t my bubbly self that evening, and in fact, I fell asleep in a curled up ball, much earlier than usual. L

 

This story does have a happy ending.  The next day we went back to the CVS, and my BP was 164/90.  That is still high, but getting better.  So I was in a much better mood!  Then the next day was even better, since the number were 165/84.  Woohoo, lets go dancing!  (Thank you K for all your concerns-I’ll take care of it when I get home!) J

 

 

Chapter 10:  Thanks Giving in VA

 

Tuesday was TG in VA.  James had off of work, and I was there, and wouldn’t be on Thursday, so we decided to celebrate this holiday, 2 days early.  So maybe it wasn’t a traditional TG dinner, but we did get darn close.  (As my sweetie says: “I am always close!”)

 

Since I have been in VA, I have been getting up at about 6, putting on the coffee, making Deac’s lunch, and then having some nice bonding time with my son-in-law, while mom and babe stayed in bed just a bit longer.  Today was different.  It was the first day since I have been here, that James had the day off.  So, I still woke early, and put on the coffee, but I did have a bit more time alone.  It was nice for the kids to be able to sleep in, but M didn’t know that there was anything different about this morning, so of course, he did have his needs!

 

We had a lazy morning.  When we finally decided that we were all hungry and needed to have breakfast, I think it was already after 11!  We decided that since it was a holiday, we would have a special breakfast—bacon and pancakes.  This is the first time I have ever made pancakes on an electric stove.  We were out of oil, so I used butter to cook them.  That was a bad idea!  The butter sort of burned, and so did the cakes, at least the first batch.  Each additional batch got better, as I continued to adjust the temperature.  The last 2 pancakes were cooked to perfection!  Oh yeah!—–I forgot to tell you the best part of the breakfast!

 

By that time Deac had put on a second pot of coffee.   I remembered that there was a bottle of Amaretto on top of the fridge. (thank you J).  Well of course, it isn’t a holiday, unless you have some sort of “gourmet” beverage in the morning.  It didn’t really bother me that I was the only one that added the A to my coffee–does that mean I am an A??–or just in the holiday spirit!! (yeah, that’s it).  It definitely brought holiday cheer to our (my) breakfast.  Yummmy!!!

 

Our TG continued to be a lazy day, as all TG days should be.  Since we didn’t eat breakfast until almost noon, lunch time was actually at about 4!!  By that time I had already made my TG bread (nut bread without the nuts, since Deac is allergic!)  But the craisin substitute was actually pretty tasty!  For lunch, we had a piece of holiday bread with our left over chicken dumpling soup.   But what did that late lunch do to cocktail hour and our TG dinner?

 

Well, we definitely still had it, but just a bit later.  Cocktails weren’t poured until 6ish, and then I started to prepare our feast.  We had parmesan chicken, rice-a-roni, green bean casserole, holiday bread, and topped off with a glass of red wine.  Most items on the menu turned out good, except maybe the rice (I am still blaming the electric stove!!) since a dark crust appeared at the bottom!

 

Let the Feast begin!

 

Chapter 6

Chapter 6:  Babysitting Part 2/3

 

I do believe that both Sara and Deac feel very comfortable leaving M with me.  So it was very easy for Sara to take James to work on Friday morning.  On the other hand, I was a bit nervous, since M tends to spend much time with “mom” in the morning (if you know what I mean), and I wasn’t so sure he had enough time before she left.  I figured he would be good for about an hour and I was right!!  Unfortunately, S was gone for about 11/2 hours, due to rush hour traffic and all. 

 

Needless to say, the last ½ hour was a tad stressful.  Even the fist was not working for long!  I paced, rocked, danced, and sang.  I am not sure if he liked the dancing or the singing better.  He actually seemed to like both!!   That’s my babe!  I do believe he will take after his GT!!   Unfortunately, I have a hard time remembering words to the songs, so I sort of had to make them up as I went along.   Fortunately, I don’t think he ever heard these songs before (in fact I never heard them either lol), so he was pretty OK with whatever words I used!   When Sara came through the door, M and I were looking out the patio window, as I was singing my version of “it’s not easy being green”.  We even gave mom a chance to relieve herself before feeding resumed.

 

No sooner did M start to eat, when the phone rang.  It was Deac.  He needed Sara to bring him a pair of pants, ASAP, since he split the ones he wore to work!!  So, right after M was through with eating, away went mom, once again.  Since we had a busy day ahead of us, I told her that I would see if I felt comfortable enough to give M a bath, by myself, since we were going to do it together after M finished eating. 

 

I decided to be brave and give it a try.  However, they usually give him a bath in his tub, in their bathroom tub.  Since that seemed pretty awkward to me, I decided to try it my way.  I put his tub on one side of the kitchen sink, and a fluffy blanket and towel on the other side of the sink, and proceeded to fill the tub.  Now I bet you are all expecting that something went wrong.  But, in fact, it was probably the best bath I ever gave any baby!  Those new fangled bathtubs are awesome!  I always had to bath my kids in the kitchen sink!!  Michael really even seemed to enjoy the bath.  The fact that he didn’t even cry was a relief alone.  But he actually seemed to be cooing and even smiling!!  Of course the crying did begin, the minute I took him out of the tub—before he was wrapped in his alligator towel!

 

The diapering and dressing didn’t go as smooth as the bath, but I worked as quickly as I could, while he screamed the entire time!  After he was clean, dry, and all cozy fresh, he was still a bit fussy.  I walked, bounced, gave him his fist, but nothing seemed to work.  All of a sudden, I got a genius idea!!

 

I found the remote control, and started flipping through the guide, until I found it—-Sesame Street!!   The minute Michael saw Grover, he became hypnotized, and the crying immediately stopped!    All I am saying is—–SS owns!!