The same, but different

Getting the phone call, "we're at the hospital." Flying (or so it felt) there, as fast as I possibly could. Stopping at the ER's information desk. Running down the hall. Standing outside the room to pull myself together. Quietly, hesitantly pulling open the curtain. Seeing Dad there, looking tired and spent, sitting in a chair next to Mom's bed.

After all the years of receiving calls from Mom saying Dad was in the hospital, I just couldn't believe it was Dad calling to say Mom was in trouble. She seemed fine on Thanksgiving. She did cancel an overnight with the kids on Saturday because she thought she had the flu. Flu? That's scary enough when your parents are elderly. Turns out it's worse than that. She has pneumonia. But it's even worse than that. The pneumonia put a strain on her 72-year-old heart, and she's been in atrial fibrillation for days. Can't get her heart rate lower than 100, yes a huge improvement over her 180 upon admission, but not turning around fast enough. And there's not a thing I can do to help her.

Mom has always been the strong one. She's the one who holds everything together, all the time. She's the one who survived breast cancer twenty years ago, never complaining about how sick the chemo made her feel or that most of her hair fell out. She's the one who helps Dad with his medications, his appointments, keeping him healthier than most men in his circumstances would ever be. She's the one who went back to work after retiring "just because I love it." She's the one who fears nothing. Until now. I can see that she's scared. And there's not a thing I can do to help her.

So I've been praying. And praying some more. I'm not really even sure how to pray. I've had my own issues with God for a long time. I try hard to believe. I'm not really sure that I do. Does God only help those who are sure? I don't know. But I will continue to pray for her and the team of doctors helping her and for my Dad. And I will continue to hope. That's all there is right now.

Life throws things at us when we least expect it. The same, but different.

Who knew

that going to a football game could be so much fun?!!! Then again, it's often not what you do, but with whom you do it. Pats win 17-13!

"Are you ready.....

for some football?"

He must have been missing me. My friend John has invited me to go to today's Patriot's game. Now John is the biggest football fan I know. I am not. His family room is decorated football style. Mine is not. He has season's tickets. I do not. He's invited me to games many times over the years. I have never gone. See how this works?

He invited me to today's game. I'm going. Go Pats!

I must have been missing him, too.

It's a Girl!

I'm please to announce the birth this morning of my newest cousin. Mom, baby and Dad are all feeling great! What a blessing, and one more thing for which we are thankful.

Life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the way it will be. This is the way it should be. Sorry, Mary. My family is a circus!

Accent?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Northeast Judging by how you talk you are probably from north Jersey, New York City, Connecticut or Rhode Island. Chances are, if you are from New York City (and not those other places) people would probably be able to tell if they actually heard you speak.
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Imagine my surprise! Got this from Winston. Thanks, Winston

Another busy one!

Lots of fun over the weekend. My favorite part was our annual "Christmas Tree Hunt." We've been going to the same tree farm for the past seven years. It's always hard to decide which tree should come to live with us for a month or so, but we always find the one that's just perfect for us! Once we do, we tag it. In a couple of weeks, it'll join us at home.



Here's the tree we chose, and it's a beauty! The only criteria are that the tree have pinecones on it, and that it's the right height. Other than that, we wait until one speaks to us. Part of the fun is decorating the one we picked (makes it easier to spot when it's time to bring it home). It's a tradition at the tree farm. It gives me the warm fuzzies walking through them all.



Took Grandma out shopping today. I try to spend as much time with her as possible. She still has a great sense of humor and traces of her British accent. And she's still beautiful at 95!!!



And now it's time for me to get out to the grocery store. Food, food, and more food. Only three more days until my favorite holiday.

This feeling good is going to kill me!

Did you ever have one of those days...

when you're pissing yourself off? I'm in the middle of one of them right now! It's bad enough when other people do stupid things that make you mad, but when you make yourself mad, you're really an idiot!!!! So, here I sit, trying to calm down, thinking that I couldn't be any more upset with myself than I am, but since it is me we're talking about here, I should give myself a break. Oh brother.

It is getting to be that time of year.....

This week, both kids presented me with their Christmas wish lists. Fortunately, neither of their lists were long. Son has asked for two things: a Lego train (he's King of the Lego lovers) and an epee with power cord. Here he is, in his gear (he's usually wearing a mask). He absolutely loves fencing. I watch, usually cringing as another kid pokes my boy about his whole body with a weapon (that's what they call it, and I hate that). I apologize for the picture quality, but I'm still getting used to the new camera. Also, the photo was taken through a window.

Daughter's list is also short. She's hoping for Josephina, an American Girl doll of Mexican heritage. It's refreshing that she didn't ask for another blonde, blue-eyed doll. I suppose it's natural that she'd want a "baby" she can relate to, but it's nice to see her broadening her horizons. She's also asked for a Hannah Montana CD. Considering I spent the better part of a year listening to Lindsay Lohan over and over and over, Hannah Montana doesn't sound too bad.

The Holiday Bazaar was a smashing success. Once again, it was a record breaker. It's not so much fun breaking your own record as it is breaking someone else's. Maybe that's just me. I was approached to co-chair again for next year, but finally said "no" loudly and clearly. Next year I will be a visitor only.

Bob's beloved uncle died over the weekend, so he and his brother took their mom to Florida yesterday. He was 88, so it wasn't exactly unexpected, but it's horribly sad for everyone anyway. He was an interesting man.

My mom offered to host Thanksgiving at her house since all plans have now changed with Bob's mom being away. I, of course, said yes. I love entertaining, but sometimes it's nice to be a guest. There's only going to be the six now, us plus mom and dad. Brother and family will stop in for dessert. That's when things get lively!

Hershey just ate my lunch!! I had prepared a grilled fontanella sandwich. Stupidly, I went to the fridge to get a glass of milk. It only took a minute, but when I turned around, sandwich and dog were gone. I called and called, but he completely ignored me. I went looking for him and found him on my bed, chowing down the last of it. Don't you know, those were the last two pieces of bread! That's what I get for cheating on my low-carb diet. Hershey was doing me a favor!

Now it's off to the phone to order kids' gifts. There are no stores nearby that stock what either of them want. I hate shopping, so it actually works out well for me. And home delivery, you can't beat that.

Only one more week. Then the Christmas season begins in earnest. I'm a pretty good Santa, and since we're still perpetuating that myth in our house (perhaps for the last time), I'm excited for it all.

Huh?

Old news, but the thought's still the same. Huh?

Busy, Busy, Busy

The last couple of weeks have been wildly busy, which is great for me. I've thrown myself back into my life and have been able to accomplish things long forgotten throughout months of pain. It's been catch-up time for me and for the entire family. Doctors' appointments. School functions. Fund raisers. Activities galore! It's nothing exciting, but even the routine and mundane feel enjoyable now. I don't think I'm ever going to see things like I used to. No more taking things for granted. Trying not to worry so much. Life goes on, no matter what. And I just want to join in.

So here's what's new. Dad turned 75. We had a small family celebration at one of his favorite restaurants. Quiet and dignified. Just like Dad. Isn't he a handsome fellow?

Son has continued to amaze me with his observations on life. He's been doing a lot of girl watching, evidently. Found a doodle of an unclad woman in one of his notebooks. He was embarrassed, but in my coolest mom way I told him it was okay to draw to his heart's content, but not in school notebooks. That would only get him into trouble. He seemed happy that I wasn't mad (boys will be boys, how could I be?). Then, and this might be interesting to a couple of you, I found some lingerie websites on my computer's history. Husband was away, so who to ask? Son. "Have you been looking at women in lingerie on the computer?" "Yeah." "I'm just wondering why." "I don't know. I thought guys were supposed to. I heard about it at camp." "Okay. But absolutely no porn. No going onto sites that say you must be 18. NO BUYING anything over the internet. And, I think you are too young to be looking at girls' boobs in real life." "Mom, I'd never do that, I only looked at girls in their underwear!" And that was the end of that. I think it must be today's version of when my brother used to hide Playboy magazines under his bed. It doesn't seem particularly serious, so I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Son came home sick from school earlier in the week. We ended up having a very quiet lunch together. He dumped out his lunch bag onto the table and started in. I noticed that right after finishing his soup, he started on dessert. I chuckled and said, "So this is how you eat when I'm not around? You have dessert before finishing your lunch?" "No, Mom. It depends on how interesting the conversation is and how quickly I want to get back into it." He then went on to describe how long certain items take to eat and that he decides in which order he should have them based upon the conversation. Unusual logic, but I like it. I always decide by which craving is strongest or what looks best. I've never decided on the order in which I eat by the conversation. That's my boy.

Daughter has been busy as well. We had Mother/Daughter Pajama Night recently. Hair. Make-up. Nails. Dancing. Food. And it was loud. Picture seventy-five little girls with their shrill little voices, dressed in their finest PJs. Then add in seventy-five moms, most wearing robes, whose voices become equally as loud and shrill as their daughters'. It was an estrogen festival unlike any other. Now we're a quiet kind of family, so when the decibel level became extreme, daughter asked to go home. That's my girl!

Husband has been extraordinarily busy. He's still been working on that NY project but, for the time being, everything has been being fedexed back and forth so he can continue working out of the Boston office. It's been working out nicely. He also became Project Manager on a large project right in Boston. That's always good. And now he's just gotten a contract in LA, which will probably require several trips west after the New Year. Between work and all the community service stuff he does, he's a busy guy.

As for me, I've gotten back into things almost full swing. I usually stay busy with volunteer work, mostly dealing with children. This weekend is the big Holiday Bazaar fund raiser, of which I am co-chair. I was co-chair last year as well, and we made 26 percent more than any bazaar had until that point (marketing is everything -- did I just say that?). That's how I got roped into doing it again this year -- flattery will get you everywhere. The past few weeks have been crazy, finishing up odds and ends and pulling it all together. I've made it clear already that I will not be chairing this event again. I'm all for pitching in, but I've done my share. Now it's time for someone else to step up and take over. I'm still hoping to be a huge success this year, however.

The doctor gave me the AOK to return completely to my normal activities, including bending and twisting. Woooohoooo!!! Since I've already established that I'm a slut (now in the married, monogamous way), you can imagine how thrilling it was to hear. Husband was equally thrilled. And we've been making up for lost time, getting reaquainted. That's all I should say about that.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. There's sure to be lots of activity at my house. Seems we host every holiday, which is fine with me. I love entertaining, and it always puts me in a great mood.

Busy, busy, busy. Have to run to finish up for tomorrow's bazaar. Hope you're all busy, too.

A little privacy, please?

Daughter (who always says exactly what she thinks) came bursting through the bedroom door just as I was changing. "You have the longest butt crack in the whole world!!!!" "Could I have some privacy, please?" "But Mom, I'm not kidding, you have the longest butt crack I've ever seen!!" "A little privacy, please. Go out of this room. I'll call you when I'm done."

Longest butt crack in the world? Now there's an image you wish you could erase! First, in my defense, I DO NOT have the longest butt crack in the world. It only seems that way. In actuality, it's simply a four-inch scar on my lower back that happens to end...well, you can imagine where. So it's merely an optical illusion. I can't see it myself, just a glimpse here and there in the mirror, so I hadn't given it much thought until daughter's declaration. When hubby came home, I asked him about it. He smiled and said I shouldn't worry about it, that noone will see it. "But you see it." "And I love it." He has to say that, doesn't he? "Oh yeah. It makes me more attractive, that's right." He senses that I'm getting a bit upset about it. "Well, you could always get a tattoo over it." "Yup, let's call Zig." "Or, you could call the Guinness people and make it your claim to fame." Yeah. That's the ticket. My claim to fame.

Thinking about it, that "butt crack" changed my life, so I intend to embrace it. Things could be so much worse. You heard it here first. Longest butt crack in the world! Now if only I could have some privacy.

Trees

What an exciting morning! All sorts of trucks and chainsaws and men running around the yard. Who knew what a big project removing that fallen tree would be! It was very exciting for the kids who were both still home at 7am when the tree service showed up. The neighbors must really love me now! But...I got mine. The tree guys wiped out the power line to the house, no electricity for two hours, but then the power people came out and all is well.

Now you see it, now you don't.

And I've yet to figure out why I have such a hard time placing these photos where I want on this silly blog!

On to fix the fence!

It's Too Early,

I know, but I can no longer resist. I am one of those people who loves everything Christmas -- the decorations, the celebrations, the smells, friends, but most especially, the music.

I have a rather large collection of Christmas CDs. I'm sort of known for it. Friends often call to borrow from it when preparing for parties of their own (I'm not sure what it says about my musical taste that people rarely ask to borrow from my "regular" collection!). I buy at least one Christmas CD each year, and I usually receive one from my brother as a Hanukkah present. So, when I went shopping today, it was no surprise to feel drawn to the Christmas music section of a local department store. I can't believe how much there is available these days compared to when I first started collecting Christmas tunes! It feels like the selection is endless. After a bit of browsing, I had chosen one CD. When I went around the corner there was another display on the end cap. And there it was, calling to me, "Take me. I'm just the right one for you. Take me." Of course, I had to listen, and chose this one instead. And am I glad I did!

I popped it into the CD player as soon as I hit the car. I couldn't help myself. I knew I might get teary eyed by listening, as Mr. Rawls died earlier this year. But then I thought how great it would be to hear him again. There's something about that voice that's always touched me. And this CD is no different. And, as it turns out, this is the last album he ever recorded. So.... if there's a new Christmas album in your future, you might seriously want to consider Lou. He's definitely worth a listen.

I'll be back out in the next couple of days to get a few more to give as pre-Christmas gifts. Lou Rawls was blessed with talent. No doubt, my friends and family will enjoy his CD for years to come.

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas. Ho Ho Ho.