Reflections of a summer almost past

I know I have posted more recently, but don't know where they have gone! So, I'll start over. A friend just started blogging and I thought maybe that would inspire me to do so again myself. Now, of course, I can't think of anything to say!

Summer! What a wonderful time of year! Kids are out of school, the weather is usually perfect and it is a time of getting together and renewing old acquaintances and making new friends. Seeing grandchildren is a highlight of my summer. Two come from another state and are able to be here for 6 weeks or so. We have had so much fun with them this year. Swimming, bowling, putt putt golf, etc., etc.  Fourth of July was a real highlight, being at a lovely place with a view of the water.

Hubby and I took a week long vacation, staying with friends and exploring parts of the U.S. we hadn't seen before.

There is a lot to be thankful for this year. We have been blessed beyond measure. Seeing God's creation and the variety of landscapes just makes your jaw drop!

Well, this hasn't been particularly edifying, but it is a start!

Catching Up....again!

So, I'm not exactly a frequent blogger, am I?! My, how time flies! Thankfully there is not a whole lot of news of any huge consequence! Well, aside from John's accident in June. Yeah, that was pretty major.

On June 1st I got a call from a paramedic saying that John had been in a work related accident - he was OK - but had a seriously injured arm. Off I flew to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue which was the closest to where he was injured. Long story short, he fell from the back of the box truck he drives for work. About 5 feet. Onto concrete. On his arm. Elbow exploded. June 6 he had surgery to repair what could be repaired. The surgeon was great and I'm really glad I didn't see the "before" pictures until after surgery! He put him back together with baling wire and chewing gum, I swear! Plastic, metal, etc.! He has undergone a lot of physical therapy and after a skin graft about a month ago, is finally out of bandages and braces! He will never be able to lift anything heavy again, and may not even return to light duty til after the first of the year. You may be wondering how he fell off? He is not entirely sure himself, except that it was raining and he was manuevering the electric pallet jack with an empty pallet on it when it slipped, knocking him and the pallet jack off the back. The jack evidently hit him, but thank God it didn't land on top of him! He thinks he probably jerked himself away. Also, someone saw it from a restaurant window and went out to check on him and called 911.

Actually, it was a blessing in disguise as he had his two children with him for 7 weeks this summer and was able to be with them! Not the way he had planned it of course, but.....

We enjoyed having the grandkids around and every Friday night we had a sleep-over here! What fun! Hannah was 6 in June and Johnny turned 4 about a month ago.

The most fun we had all summer was going on an Alaska cruise! Our 40th anniversary is September 11 and we have never done anything really big to celebrate. It was time! We took a 7 day cruise out of Seattle and were wowed by the glacier we saw. Unfortunately, it was socked in the day we would have gone to the Mendenhall glacier and we didn't see it, but the Tracy Arm one was fabulous!

Brian bought a house in Algona, and after nearly 10 months of the bank dragging their feet, he finally closed!  He and Bill still have their "hot rod" night once a week, although his work schedule didn't work out so well for awhile. That has changed and once Brian fixes up his garage, their time will be spent there for the most part.

Well, that's about enough catch up for now!  I won't promise another post before six months, and even thought about deleting this, but for now, I'll post when I think of it!

MS Walk

I haven't posted since November? Really?!  Well, last year was not exactly the best year in my life, but so far, 2011 is shaping up to be pretty good! It is early on, but....

I am very excited about the MS Walk this year because I am participating in it! Yes, not only did I sign up, but I am the team captain of Team Olympic View!! The walk is Saturday, April 2 at 9:30 a.m.  I have reached my own personal fundraising goal as well as the team goal. It is such a worthy cause and one I am all too familiar with.

I am compelled to walk this year because on April 1 of last year, I couldn't walk without assistance, being in the throes of a very serious MS exacerbation - the first in almost 30 years. Thank God I am back to being "me" and having now experienced first hand the terrible consequences of the disease, I really NEED to walk this year!

Here is a link that will take you to the MS Walk site. Check it out!http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/TeamOlympicView

Is 2010 over yet?

This has been quite a year. I am quite ready to see it go. Now. My Christmas letter may be something along these lines: "You know how some years are just better than others? Well, 2010 was not on our top 10 list! See you next year!"

If I listed everything that has happened this year, especially with our health, you would probably think I made it all up!

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Job. In fact, I lead a study in Job last fall with the ladies at church. Everyone always says "patience of Job". Well, I didn't find Job to be particularly patient! He was persistent and stayed faithful. God was the patient one! It helps to remember that my God has not forsaken me, is not torturing me or causing grief and pain. It helps to remember that God is God and I am not! Staying faithful through the trials this past year hasn't always been easy to be absolutely truthful! Yet, what are my options? Where can I go and be away from Him? Psalm 139 points that out nicely! Oh, to see His purpose. On the other hand, maybe not so much!! I think that is counter intuitive to faith!

Anyway, it has been our turn in the bottom of the barrel. Guess what? God is there in the bottom of the barrel with us! There are no guarantees that 2011 will be better; it might be worse! But to know that my God cares and won't ever forsake me makes it OK!

My own personal theological pet peeve: How many times do you hear people ask what God is trying to teach them through a trial and have they learned it yet so they can just get on with life?! Ummm, I don't think God allows trials just to teach us a lesson. That seems a little punitive to me. Do we learn things from trials and tribulations? Absolutely! We can learn patience, compassion and empathy for others, find inner strength we didn't know we had, learn we can't do it all after all, learn that lots of people prayed for you, etc., etc., etc.  Yes, God allows trials, but, but, but...for me to try to figure out God's mind and His reasons just seems presumptuous to me. Again, this is just my rant! I can't quote a bazillion verses to support it, but there you go.

OK, just a brief update on my latest trial. I have had a frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) for months and months. I've been going to PT for many months and had pretty much hit a wall. So, I went in last Monday and they put me under anesthesia and manually moved my arm in the socket to break up adhesions and hopefully gain some mobility. Painful? Oh, yeah! Back to heavy duty PT to keep it moving. Still hurts and will hurt for awhile! *sigh* The end result will be worth it.

I'll try to post some pictures one of these days. It has been so long since I even posted! Again. Take care of yourselves!

Back to work!

I returned to work today and it felt great! I only work 20 hours a week, so will only get about 10 hours in total, but that is fine for a start. I think I actually accomplished something! We'll see if my stamina lasts now! I did take a two hour nap today after I got home. I may need to do that for awhile, I am guessing. But I am finally feeling more "me" and not so much a deer in the headlights! Thank you for your prayers! God is good all the time; all the time God is good!

THE BEAST

The Beast has been stalking me for years,
     waiting, waiting, poking and testing from time to time.

The Beast never sleeps; is always waiting
     to pounce, stealthily following me everywhere.

The Beast became impatient, toying with me
   yet not revealing itself....yet.

The Beast, tired of teasing, pounced!
     just when I thought myself safe.

The Beast unleashed its fury,
     doing as much damage as possible.

The Beast watched as I struggled
     to see, to walk, to understand.

The Beast had to be tamed, made to go away
     and only the strongest weapon would do.

The Beast retreated, slowly at first
     but retreated none the less.

The Beast doesn't know that I cannot be defeated
     by its attacks. I am not afraid of this Beast.

This Beast whose name is...
     Multiple Sclerosis.



copyright 2010
all rights reserved

Fun, fun week-end

Four other couples and Bill and I went to Richland, WA (eastern side of the state) for a car show over the week-end. I was a little concerned about my own stamina in the heat. I was careful to stay in the shade, took naps when I needed and even went to bed early, and did not play board games! Shocking! We had a great time of fellowship, stayed in a nice motel by the Columbia and just plain relaxed! It was a much needed get away! We do this annually and will hit Wenatchee next year!

Still no real changes in my health. Some days are better than others. My right eye is still a little twitchy - moves left better than right. I am still a little wobbly and use my cane when out and about just in case. I have a disabled placard now and that really helps as I have started to drive a short ways. That has done wonders psychologically! Fatigue is still a bug a boo, and my short term memory and the ability to multi-task are directly affected by the fatigue. So, that's the update as we come up on the third month on July 1. I never would have guessed it would take this long. I don't see the neurologist until August 2 so we will see what happens next. It is certainly not in my hands!

Random Pictures

Ferrelli's Pizza Discussion

Princess Hannah with Dough Tiera

Silly Johnny

                                                      

Do you like your new flip flops?

Happy Grandpa!

King of the Caterpillar!                                                                                                  Build a Bear

Happy 5th Birthday, Hannah!

Time for Another Update!

All of a sudden it is past Father's Day, almost the end of June. We have had a miserable June so far. Mostly rain with a few nice days "sprinkled" in here and there! When I get pictures from yesterday I will try to remember to post.

Health Update: I am not getting worse, but have sort of hit a plateau. My right eye is almost normal and I am driving some. Just around the neighborhood so to speak. I still need the cane when out and about. Most days are pretty good as far as gait goes, and others not so much!

Fatigue is my biggest enemy. I still need a nap every day. If I do a lot in one day, or do something a few days in a row, I pay for it with worse fatigue. I hit the wall around 2 or 3:00 p.m. and have to sit down and rest. Sometimes  I
wake up 2 hours later! (OK - most days I wake up 2 hours later. I think the longest nap was 4 hours in the very beginning.)

I think I am doing better cognitively as well. I had a really hard time multi-tasking at first and I still have problems if I get really tired. Short term memory is still an issue at times.

I know it sounds awful, but I really am doing pretty well. I got a disabled placard good for six months and that has really been a help. I will be re-evaluated on August 2 and we will go from there. I am still off work. I drop in for staff meetings once in awhile just to stay updated, but I know I can't handle a full (five hours!) day yet. I can get short term disability for 6 or 8 months I think.

Bill has surgery on his right foot on July 2 to remove bone spurs from the ankle joint. He is really looking forward to it! He has limped around for far too long!

We have a couple trips planned this summer. We leave for the tri-cities this week-end for a car show and in August we will go for a few days to Hot August Nights. It is really weird to think that I can actually have most of the summer off with Bill. Very nice that we get some together time. Check back with me the end of August and we shall see how it went!

I'll try to be more diligent about keeping updated! Try being the key word!

One month later....

Believe it or not, it has been one month since the MS attack. I am doing quite well. After three days on the Solu-medrol I could take the eye patch off and by the end of the fourth day I could read again! My walking was still pretty dicey but with a cane I could get around. I've had a check-up with my neurologist and he is quite impressed with how quickly I have progressed. However, my right eye still has some nystagmus and doesn't track 100%. I am still needing the cane, although I manage pretty well without it in the house. So, I will be off work for another month. I have an MRI in three weeks and then another follow-up. I seem to have hit a plateau but am trying really hard to be patient! If this is as good as it gets, then we will deal with that when the time comes. So, my days consist of resting, walking (I am going further without as much wobbling!), reading, playing games on the computer, doing a little housework, resting, napping! I have been surprisingly content with my circumstances. I get a little cabin fever now and again, but going out anywhere leaves me pretty wiped out still. My body obviously needs the rest, so I am being good to it! So that is my wildly exciting update! Keep on praying! I appreciate all your kind words of healing and love.

The Elephant in the Room

After nearly 30 years in remission, I am experiencing a severe MS attack. It started a week ago with some vertigo feelings and unsteadiness progressing to very severe double vision. Pretty much a nightmare! I saw my neurologist the next day and he confirmed the diagnosis. I have an eye patch to help with the double vision and a cane to keep me from careening into walls, people, etc. The treatment is five days of methlprednisalone (Solu-medrol) at 1,000 mg per IV infusion. Heavy duty stuff. I have Valium to help control the shakiness and Ambien to counteract the insomnia. With treatment I can hope to feel better in 3 to 4 weeks. Without treatment it could be 6 to 8 weeks. Already, after 4 days I don't need to eye patch. My vision isn't perfect yet but no double vision. My right eye had developed a mind of its own - wandered all over the place. Pretty gross. I am pretty tired, but encouraged. We have many prayer warriors around the country and world and so many caring people, not to mention fine doctors and support staff. You know, when you have MS you always know it could show up at any time and this time, the old elephant put the hurt on me! God is control and I trust Him with my life. Thank you for your love and support as well! MJ

Happy Birthday to Me or Maybe 60 Won't Be So Bad After All!

I had a really nice birthday on Tuesday. Very low key - work, Bible Study and then off to the kid's for dinner and a pineapple upside down cake - yummy!!

The week-end before, we went to Leavenworth - a little Bavarian looking village on the slopes of the Cascades. It is very touristy, but we were after a week-end away and being touristy was alright with us! We had a great time until Bill needed to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night! The little town had a small 24 hour "emergency" room, but they didn't have an ultrasound machine, so off we went to Wenatchee. Gall bladder!

All in all, I think 60 is going to be OK!

Holiday Photos

I think the pics are pretty self explanatory! Unfortunately I always forget to post them in reverse order so Thanksgiving is at the end and Christmas at the beginning! Oh, well!

Good memories!

Catching Up

Wow, have I ever gotten behind! I'll try to catch up in readable chunks:

• Memorial Service for 4 Fallen Officers: We were able to get into the Tacoma Dome for the service which really surprised us! We were happy to get within a few blocks and stand outside along the curb watching the processional! It was the most moving event I think I have ever been privileged to observe. I have never felt so safe, yet so vulnerable. I watched the service for Officer Tim Brenton in Seattle and it was pretty powerful, but actually being there was something far different. There were not as many civilians as we expected - I think the media scared everyone away - but to see the whole Dome filled with officers was absolutely overwhelming. The Canadian Royal Mounted Police in their red dress uniforms really stood out. There must have been a thousand of them! Police from every part of the state and country were there. The silence was unbelievable! The most touching part was when the children of one of the officers spoke and afterwards there was a spontaneous standing ovation! Then when they did the last radio call - gone but not forgotten, taps, Amazing Grace on the bagpipes, the 21 bell salute and you could hear the officers around you sniffling, we both lost it! Glad I packed a lot of tissues in my purse! And now we will have another service this coming Tuesday for another officer who gave his life in the line of duty. That makes 8 officers shot, with 6 dying and 2 wounded just here in Western Washington. We are all a little shell shocked and grieving the loss. I placed four electric candles with blue bulbs in the windows and expected to take them down today, but will leave them up until after next Tuesday's service. Thank you seems inadequate to express how we feel about our law enforcement officers and those in any rescue profession, including our military. Very humbled. May God guide, guard and protect each and every one!
• Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: fast forward a few weeks and we have a very special privilege - having my almost 95 year old mother-in-law here for Christmas! She was able to spend the night and spend Christmas Day with us as well. It was nice to be able to take her with us to our Christmas Eve Service and then over to relatives she hadn't seen for a long time! She had a ball! We had a very low key Christmas this year. Bill and I only exchanged stockings. I ordered a calendar online for Mom with pictures and birthdates and the kids got her a high powered flashlight. We decided to give the money we would have spent on the adults to a charity. I think we will purchase some goats through World Vision for families in need in Africa. We keyed down our giving to the grandkids as well, but I think everyone had a really good time!
• New Year's Eve: Can you believe it is now 2010!? We went to church for a few hours and played games and snacked on everyone's left over holiday goodies! Good way to get rid of the candy that everyone gifts you! It was fun and we didn't plan to stay up, but the neighborhood was so noisy there was no point in trying to sleep, so we saw the old year out and new one in! Last year was a sad one and we said good-bye to too many friends.
• Pre-holiday illnesses: We got a call the week before Christmas from Bill's brother saying that his mom had been in the ER that morning! She had the stomach flu and had gotten very dehydrated. Turns out about 50% of the people in her retirement home had it! I took her to the doctor the next day and she was pretty weak. Scary at that age! She recovered fully and we were thankful she was able to come for Christmas! Then the rest of the kids and grandkids got it! The three adults had it all in one night! So they were a little subdued on Christmas still! So far Bill and I escaped it! Although I thought I was coming down with it but it was really just....
• A Bad Trip: I have officially entered the Little Old Lady Who Mixes Up Her Pills category and I am not happy about it! Sunday night I thought I was coming down with the flu - lightheaded and queasy rather suddenly. Then my toes went numb. Then my fingers. Then I started to shake uncontrollably! OK, not the flu - call 911! I ended up with numbness and partial paralysis and unable to speak for a short while. Convulsive movements, confusion, all manner of very bad reactions. A CT scan, X-ray, UA, bloodwork were all performed and no one knew what was wrong. Not a stroke, not my heart although my blood pressure was sky high and pulse was racing. After 5 or 6 hours in the ER, I slowly began to improve - gaining speech and losing some of the numbness. Then the shaking began to ease and I felt much better, although extremely tired. It wasn't until I was getting dressed to go home that it hit me like a lightning bolt! I was pretty sure I had mixed up medications - an antidepressant for over the counter Advil. I probably took about 1,000 mg too much of the antidepressant. BINGO! I asked the doc when he came back in for the discharge and he talked to the pharmacist. They thought yeah, it could have been, but weren't convinced. When we got home, I checked and sure enough, that is what happened. I looked it up online and yes, the symptoms concurred. Boy, did I feel foolish! I was scared, Bill was scared and John and Brian came to the hospital and they were scared! Lesson learned and I now have Advil in its original container in my purse - brand name, no generic brand, as that is what got me confused. The generic Advil tablet llooked very much like my antidepressant and when not together....... I saw my doc for follow up the next day, and while pretty loopy, there was no permanent damage. It just had to work itself out of my system. Good grief!

So, that should get us up to date for now! I will post some pics next time. This should be enough for now! I'm just happy to be here! Happy New Year!!

Senseless Killings

In Memory...

We are reeling here in the Pacific Northwest with the death of four police officers this past Sunday. Thankfully the perpetrator is off the streets and is not a threat. There will be a huge memorial service on Tuesday and we will try to attend if possible. This has shaken our area to the core. Just last month another officer in Seattle was executed also and his partner grazed by a bullet. One of the things we are doing to show our support is have 4 blue (electric) candles in the window. I also have a blue lightbulb for the porch outside. They will stay up through the holidays. Nine children will not have their dad or mom there for Christmas. It boggles the mind how someone could be so deranged. And his family and friends hid him and purposefully interfered with the investigation. Even the prospect of $125,000 in reward money did not sway them.

All we can do is pray for the families, friends and law enforcement community. May God grant them peace and comfort. Life will never be the same for them. Give your loved ones an extra hug today! Life is precious!

Friday Farewell

Well, we knew it was coming. We didn't want to have to go there, but our dear old Maggie dog had some sort of mini stroke or something last Thursday night. We knew there was something very wrong with her when she stood out in the rain and just stood there, sort of looking blank. She didn't want to lay down or come in. When I finally got her in, she paced and paced and wanted back out. We knew the time had come. So, Friday afternoon we took her to the vet for the last time. She was treated with tenderness and great care and died in our arms. Boy, do we miss her! It is so quiet without her. Lots of tears. Even the cat knew something was wrong Thursday night and wanted to be with her - inside or out, and Pippi is an inside cat! Very strange! We figure we have had her 10 or 11 years and she must have been 12 or 13 or so. She was a loyal, faithful companion who brought a lot of joy to our lives! Mags,we will miss you!

How we acquired her is a funny story in itself. We had been out "antique-ing" and went into a shop in Port Orchard. Behind the counter was this beautiful dog with the most gorgeous eyes! She "smiled" at us and we kept on looking around. Bill came up to the counter to ask a question and she went nuts! Whining and wagging her tail and very focused on him! We asked about her and the proprietor told us she was a stray that she called in out of the pouring down rain! She had had her about two weeks and she would go home with her to other dogs and cats. She wanted to find a good home for her. Well, we thought she was very nice and very pretty and wasn't it funny how she responded to Bill? We went to get a bite to eat and very carefully ignored the subject. Finally, I said "I could see her running around our yard." We weren't sure we were ready for a dog again, having had to put down our 11 year old lab mix just a few years previous. We could go back and talk to her though, couldn't we? That couldn't hurt! Now she wanted to know all kinds of things about us - did we have a fenced yard? had we ever had a dog before, etc. And don't you know, she thought maybe the dog would be a good shop dog. (Not!) She would put us on a list. List? Hmmm. Meanwhile, the dog is going crazy and jumped up in the window and was barking at us as we left! We got to the car and Bill said he just had to go back and see if he could talk her into us taking her. The dog was pretty adamant after all! I couldn't go back in! A few minutes later he came out with this beautiful dog on a leash! Evidently there was someone else who had seen this reaction and Bill asked the proprietor if she also saw it? Well, how could you miss it?! She came home with us that very afternoon! Then came the problem of knowing what to call her. Goldie? Sadie? She didn't respond. Hmm. We had friends over who were going to be getting a purebred German shepard and were looking at names in a few dog naming books. (who knew?) We went through a long list of names and nada. No response. Our friends left and the dog was asleep at Bill's feet. He got to "Maggie" and she sat up and looked at him like it took him long enough to figure it out! The vet figured she was 2 or 3 and part shephard and part Rhodesian Ridgeback. Sweetest dog! Beautiful amber eyes and a great personality. Very social, and in fact she learned to jump the fence pretty early on. She just wanted to go visiting! Evidently she had never seen snow, but beach and sand were familiar and the first time we brought home a pizza, she was all over it! She loved to go for walks with Bill down to a neighborhood coffee shop where she was loved by all! Monday nights are shop night where Bill and Brian work on cars in the garage. All you had to do was ask if she wanted to go to the garage and she was at the door! So many memories! It is actually healing to write about her. Thanks for bearing with me if you have made it this far! If you have ever had to do this, you know the pain and loss. You tell yourself it is only a dog after all, but oh, they are such a part of the family! Will we ever have another dog? I won't say never, but it sure isn't on our radar for any time soon! That's what we said about Mocha, too though, and look what happened!!

Yummy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 small can pumpkin
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups flour
1 lg. bag chocolate chips

Cream the shortening, butter and sugar. Add pumpkin and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients together and add to the pumpkin mixture. Add the chocolate chips and mix well.
Bake in 350 oven for 10-12 minutes or until barely golden. Do NOT overbake!

This makes about 5 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make them. They do not spread so you can crowd quite a few on a cookie sheet. Also, you read it right! There are no eggs! I also shake a little nutmeg and ginger in with the cinnamon and have used mini chips - its all good!! The texture is more cake like and they are not overly sweet, but are right up there on the yummy list!

Mid Month

How did it get to be the middle of November already?! I think I have been on another planet or something! Anyway, here are a few Halloween pics. Instead of helping at our church "Harvest Party" we went to help our kids hand out treats in their swanky neighborhood. That put us on the "bad" list, but oh, well! They had almost 800 kids come through the neighborhood so I am glad we went! They actually close off the streets and the local cops patrol the streets on bikes! It was a hoot, but not one of my best photo taking experiences! The grandkids are just a little too fast moving at times! Anyway, here you go......

Pumpkins and spider webs!

Johnny was a firefighter, Hannah a fairy princess (that is her next door neighbor friend on her left) and Brian was a mobster! Their neighbors had a fire pit going with refreshments in the garage; other neighbors had hot cider, coffee, etc. Many were set up in their garage or driveway. It was crazy, but very fun!

Harvest Fun!

I SO needed some fun, relaxing down time after our friend's memorial service (see last post). I was pretty emotionally drained. The perfect solution? Go to a farm with the grandkids! We had a ball! Not only were there pumpkins to be had, but you could ride ponies (that will be $5 please!), slide down a hill, shoot pumpkins out of launchers, ride little tractors, get muddy and just plain have fun! Here are a few pics of our afternoon together!