Tulip's Tantrums

BRING BACK THE BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's begin this rant with something that parents typically teach: DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING THAT ISN'T YOURS and DO UNTO OTHERS and DON'T STEAL! I would really like the scumbag bastards to return my bears AND my footstool, but I don't think it's going to happen. Let's just say that there is a really fine line as to which side of the fence one should be on. As well, SOME PARENTS DIDN'T DO A VERY GOOD JOB!!! Did you hear about Darcy Bannert ? He's the f-head who horrifically abused his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter. The Crown Prosecutor filed an appeal because f-head's sentence was too lenient. [He got the MINIMUM sentence of 8 years, and after DOUBLE TIME CREDIT, is currently serving just a little over 5 years.] Three days later, f-head's lawyer ( how do defense lawyers sleep at night?? ) filed an appeal to have a new trial or for him to be acquitted, because the judge made a mistake (bullshit - her

Stick figure drawing earns school suspension? Completely absurd story . Have you heard about the secret? I thought I only had my own secrets, but I have recently learned there is another secret that is a secret but that isn't because Rhonda Byrne discovered the secret and (for a nominal fee of $29.99 + tax) is passing it onto you!! A quote from the website: One spring day towards the end of 2004, Rhonda Byrne discovered a secret - the secret laws and principles of the universe. Let's have a look at this secret that Ms. Byrne would like us buy into. The secret itself is the "Law of Attraction" that people's feelings and thoughts attract real events in the world into their lives . This sounds like the Celestine Prophecy to me. Isn't that new age? Google "The Secret" and ( your belief system here) and see what you get. Creating One's Reality provides a christian response to the movie. Somehow Esther Hicks and Abraham are involved in this, t

In keeping with my usual fashion, I am finishing this on October 18th. Mom, Re-reading my thoughts from long ago has been so interesting. I remember things being much harder in some ways and easier in others. I would love to go back to that time now, knowing that I would make it through and the my heart would heal. I think Dad and I were right about your stomach being the start of the end. You improved after the shunt was put in, however when your gastro problems started, your behaviour and energy level changed as well. The docs didn't listen to us when we said that your belly was swollen, and we thought it was causing a pressure disturbance in the shunt - simply physics really. That pressure caused the shunt to malfunction, which didn't allow the shunt to drain into your stomach, which eventually lead to your coma, stroke and demise. Is that what really happened? I don't know. I was going to contact Dr. Petryk's office a few months after for a copy of the autopsy res

Mom, Well, this is my last letter to you. You passed away on February 13th at about 5:30 AM. We made the decision to let you go the day before. The doctors said that you had another aneurysm and it had burst and caused a couple of strokes. They said the brain damage was irreversible. (I should say that this letter will take a while to write, so I'll keep putting the time and date when I re-start.) (Mar.7 7:03 AM) Continuing on ... the doctors weren't very optimistic about the condition you would be in if you came out of the coma, so they thought it would be in your best interest to let you go. We knew you wouldn't want to be like that, so the decision was made. So, they took the respirator (ventilator) away and made you as comfortable as possible. We stayed at the hospital that night. I went in to sit with you about every hour. One time I went in, I made your hand to comfortings. You had been opening your eyes off and on, and as I did that you opened your eyes. When I put y

Mom, I'm starting this now, but it will probably take me a while to finish it. Last Saturday night, you went into a coma. We weren't sure if you were going to make it, but you did. I don't know where to start. There is a scale that they measure the deepness of a coma with. I am considered to be a 15. You've been everywhere from a 10 down to a 4. Today you've mostly been a 6, but you dropped to a 4. You had a grand-mal seizure this morning at 7:05 AM. It lasted 3 minutes. That isn't very good. Since then, your cerebral fluid has been red with blood. I don't know what that means, but I talk to Di on Friday morning so I'll find out more then. Your blood pressure dropped very low yesterday morning and again tonight at 8:30 PM. Nana flew down on Sunday night. Uncle Rick and Rita were down Sunday and left Monday. I'm so scared for you. This going up and down stuff is really stressful. Your blood pressure went really low tonight and yesterda

Mom, Well, you're not doing very well right now. You're very incoherent, you're having trouble with your speech and your body isn't really under your control. They operated on your shunt yesterday; it was plugged near your stomach. You also have a blocked intestine, but I'm not sure what they're going to do about it. The doctors don't know why you're like this, but they're telling us that it's because of some drugs they had you on. I hope you get better soon. Dad said that you were a little better last night, so that's good. I went to see you last Saturday and went to see Darrin's Oma on Sunday. She's really sick now, and will be passing away soon. I wish she'd go quickly as she's suffering quite a bit. I went and saw Wendy Gray on Monday night. Her cancer has moved into her lungs now and she too doesn't have much time left. She's down to 108 lbs and looks horrible. She usually weighs around 135 to 140 lbs. Well, gotta

Mom, Well, when I wrote earlier today, I guess I wasn't fully informed. I talked to Dad at 1:30 today and he told me everything that's happening so far. When they took you back to the hospital this past Sunday, they put you onto some pretty heavy medication. You started going downhill right after that. You're not vomiting anymore or eating or drinking. You've begun rambling, you don't really have control of your hands or anything, your head lays to the side all of the time, and you can't sit up or stand at all. Dad seems pretty upset by all of it, mainly because he doesn't know what it is or if it will be permanent. What's really upsetting is that the doctors don't know what's wrong either. Dad says that you look like a zombie. They took you off of the drugs last night and took your IV out last night. The doctors were going to see how you were last night for the first couple of hours after they stopped the drugs, but Dad said that there

Mom, I'm going to try to write you a quick note, but Kiershyn should be getting up right away, so I might have to cut this short. I have quite a bit of stuff to bring you up to date on, so if I don't finish, I'll finish it later. First of all, you are back in the Royal and they've put in an IV. You've started eating and it's affecting your stomach, so they've put Depends on you. I think that's a good idea as it means you don't have to get up, which seems to be the only time you throw up. Other than being in the hospital, you're doing pretty good. Your short term memory is sketchy some times, but that's to be expected. Darrin's Oma is going into the hospital today. She's gotten really bad and can't be at home anymore. It won't be very long now. I hope it goes quickly so that she doesn't have to suffer. Wendy Gray's cancer has moved into her lungs. She called me yesterday and we talked for a couple of hours. Sh

Mom, Hi there. This will just be a quick note to bring you up to date. Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote. Not much happened for the first few days after I last wrote, and then Auntie Debbie, Uncle Rocky and the kids came down Thursday afternoon. They left yesterday morning. They moved you to the Glenrose for a couple of days, but you weren't ready yet. They took you back to the Royal on Sunday. They still don't know what's making you vomit, so they've put in another IV. You were honestly trying to eat, but you kept throwing it up. It sometimes seems like a very long road, but I know that you'll make it through. I just wish that road wasn't so damn bumpy for you. I took Kiershyn and Drey to the doctor today. Auntie Deb and I thought that Kiershyn must weight about 10 pounds or more, but she doesn't. She now weighs 8 lbs 15 1/2 oz and is 21 1/8" long. Drey weights in at 21 lbs 15 oz and is 31" long. I then had an appointmen

Mom, Hi there. Not much new to write since I wrote this afternoon. Kiershyn has finally gone to sleep and Drey just got a little more milk so he'll be going to sleep soon, so Dary and I will be able to veg out for a bit without the brats being up. Darrin found out that he tore his kneecap and pulled the ligaments and tendons too. Dr. Goede is sending him to a specialist and they'll be using an orthoscope to check out the damage. He's quite nervous about it, but I'm sure he won't mind if it will take the pain away. He's going to have to have an operation soon, but the specialist will tell us everything later on. I guess I should bring you up to date on Dary's Oma. Her cancer is happening quite quickly. The tumour is affecting her bowels now, and she passes quite a bit of blood whenever she goes to the bathroom. A nurse comes to the house every day to check on her. The doctors want to take her bowels out and put in a bag, but I think that's silly.

Mom, Well, it's one of those days. I've started weening Drey off of his bottle today. It's turning out to be very interesting. I had started it last week, but he could take the lid off the cup I had, so it didn't work out. We picked up a new cup yesterday and we've started again. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better than today. Drey's starting to show that he's ready for potty teaching. I think I'm going to start that once he's weened from his daytime bottle. I haven't even attempted to break him of his nap and night time bottle, but that will come later. Anyways, he's starting to show signs that he's getting ready for the potty. He usually goes away when he's having a bm. He knows what it means when I say let's go change his pants. He gets quite upset when I change his poo pants. And various other little signs. So, we'll be starting that in a little while. Darrin is at the doctor's office right now. He fel

Mom, Hi there. I don't know what I'm going to write about, but I feel like talking to you. Darrin went up to see you today. He really noticed the difference in you too. He said that you had wanted to go home this weekend, but the doctors said that you weren't drinking or eating enough, and that you were going to try harder to get something down. I'm really happy about that. I guess you took your IV out last night, but they were going to put another one in today. Michelle ( Madro ) came over today. She stayed for a couple of hours. It was really nice to see her. She said that Drey is definitely cute. I told her that I thought so, but that I'm prejudiced. She agreed with me, but assured me that he's very cute. We had a really nice visit. She didn't hold Kiershyn much, but Kiershyn was hungry and ate most of the time she was awake. A lot of things came up for me when I saw you yesterday. I found it really hard when you said you missed me and I s

Twyla's note: My poor father, dealing with so much by himself. And such a silly girl I was, thinking I was so important. Mom, Hi there! I went up to the hospital to see you last night. It's been 2 weeks since I last saw you. Although you're still vomiting, you have changed so much. The improvement is just phenomenal! Your state of mind and disposition have improved so much that I was really shocked. Last time I saw you, you were only concerned with yourself. Last night you were only concerned with everyone else. We had such a nice visit. You were back to being "Mom". It was so nice. We talked about a lot of things, and rest assured that I'm taping the kids for you. You said you missed me, and I really miss you and can't wait until you're feeling even better. I have to admit that before this visit, I was feeling really despondent about going to see you, because there didn't seem to be any change. I was wondering if that was the way you

Mom, Hi there. I don't really have much to write about today, so I figured I'd bring you up to date on some of the news. I don't know if you'll remember this, but Iraq invaded Kuwait. The US and Canada have both sent troops over there. Iraq has been presented with a January 15 th deadline for leaving Kuwait, but I don't think that they will. If they don't the US has stated that they will take military action. War looks imminent. Just like everyone else, I wish it didn't have to come to this, but I'm pretty sure that it will. I'll keep you updated on what's happening. I called the hospital this morning to see how you're doing. I guess you had a rough night as you were very nauseous and were vomiting quite a bit. You slept from about 3:30 AM to 7:30 AM. They are giving you morphine and gravol . I hope that you start feeling better soon. It's finally warming up a bit, so I hope to come and visit you one night soon. I don'

Twyla's note: I can't imagine what my Nana must have been going through with her eldest daughter so sick. Mom, It's going to take me a while to write this letter because both of my children are screaming, but I'll eventually get it done. Dreytan seems to think that this is his computer, and I'm having a hard time convincing him that it isn't. Life is the same as usual. We're starting to get into some sort of normalcy, finally. My house is looking cleaner since I've been at home, but I still have a problem with keeping it tidy. I tend to leave things out that could be put away, and there is absolutely no keeping up with Dreytan's toys. I'm going to put them away in the closet because they make the house look really messy. I hope you're feeling better today. I hope that the shunt takes your nausea away. I was feeling a lot of resentment towards you, but I think that it's going away. I was angry because you are sick. I'm sure t

Mom, Hi there! Darrin took Karen home around 7:00 PM. It was pretty nice to see her, but it was also nice to see her leave. She can't seem to stay still. She was constantly playing with something, usually Drey's noisiest toy. Anyway, Dad got here around 6:45 PM. I guess you slept most of today. You're probably still pretty tired from the operation. You were still vomiting, but not as much, and you couldn't eat anything. I hope you'll be feeling better soon. I was going to go and see you tonight, but Dad said it would be kind of pointless. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow night. I'll wait to see how you're feeling first. I called Auntie Deb's tonight to tell her how you were doing. They were having a shower for Shooshie and I talked to her too. She's doing quite well and she's still nursing, so that's good. I guess Mike's quite thrilled with the little bundle. I hope everything works out for them. Well, Kiershyn is stirrin

Mom, I was at work yesterday and Ross gave me the baby computer to bring home. I've decided to continue your letters using this. You had the operation to put the shunt in yesterday. You were scheduled to have it at 10:00 AM, but the doctors had complications with another patient and they didn't take you in until 10:30 PM. It only took a little over an hour for them to do it, and you aren't feeling nauseous today. Dad said that they shaved half of your head, and they shaved it like when he shaves his face, not like with the other operations when they left a little bit of stubble. I'm sure that you won't be very impressed by that, but at least you'll be able to get better. I guess they'll be shipping you back to the Glenrose soon. I think I have some unrealistic expectations about what you're going to be like now. I'm expecting you to be ready to get better now, but I'm not sure if you're going to be like that. I guess I'll just have to wai

Mom, Hi there. This will be short, but I'll bring you up-to-date. Shooshie had a baby girl last night, around 6:37 PM. Her labour was only about 3 1/2 hours. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 1/2 oz. and 19" long. We're not sure of her name, but they're thinking of Samantha. Auntie Deb will be down around the end of the month. She's starting her new job soon and will have time off at the end of the month. They put your IV back in and also put a catheter in. Hopefully this will help you get some strength back. Well, gotta go. Will write more later. Love you. Twyla

Twyla's note: Looking back, Mom's behaviour is consistent with a brain injury. Mom, Hi there. I'll just continue from last night. Kiershyn is a very good baby. She gets up once or twice a night, but goes right back to sleep after eating. She isn't collicky and gets rid of her gas quite well. I'm really enjoying her a lot. It seems to be taking me forever to write this letter. It's already 1:30 and I've only accomplished a few lines. Kiershyn is still awake and crying in her crib. She's lost her soother again. I'm going to get her and bring her downstairs. Drey sure has adjusted well to her. He says her name as best as he can and pays a lot of attention to her. He hasn't been jealous at all and has had no tantrums or anything. I guess there are some advantages to having them close together. Christmas was interesting this year. It was much different than any other I remember. You were home but you didn't want to open any presents

Mom, Well, it's been about 3 weeks since I last wrote to you. Lots has happened since then. I may not be able to write everything tonight, but I'll eventually write everything. Firstly, on December 11 th at 2:50 AM my water broke. My contractions started coming every 2 minutes. Darrin did 120 km/h to the hospital. My labour was quite intense, but I obviously lived. Dad got to the hospital around 7:15 AM. Kiershyn arrived at 8:59 AM, weighing in at 7 lbs. 7 1/2 oz. and 19 1/2" long. She's everything we could have asked for. We were in the hospital two days. She never got jaundice or anything. We're going to go to bed now. I'll finish this in the morning. I love you. Twyla

Mom, Well, had a shitty day today. Waited all day for labour to start and it never happened. Kind of pissed me off, but I guess it'll happen eventually. Nana and Dad went up to the hospital around 1:00 this afternoon. He had to pick up Dale and Lea at the airport and dropped Nana off around 9:00 tonight. I guess they're planning on moving you over to the Glenrose in about 3 or 4 days. They're just waiting for a bed for you. I guess they will let you out for Christmas Day, but then you have to go back in. I'll have to talk to Dad to see whether or not he wants to have Christmas at Redwater or at our house . It would be easier for me at our house, but I'm sure he'll want to take you home. I think Nana will be going home for Christmas. although she doesn't really like it there and she'd like to be with you, I'm pretty sure she'll go home. I'm chatting with Nana and having a heck of a time finishing this, so I'll have to write at a

Mom, Got to sleep in this morning. I was really tired and thought it would be goof for them to have a morning together without me. They made out all right. Nana doesn't watch Drey very well and fell down 3 times, once of which was off of the couch. I realize you can't be here, but I can still wish you were. I haven't started having any contractions yet, but I wish they'd start soon. I was telling Nana that I hope the baby comes during the day. Everything looks scarier at night and better during the day. I guess they're not sure about your left eye. The pupil responded quite well, but you can't open it. I supposed we'll have to wait to see what happens with it. I hope it will be fine. Nana's really stuck as to whether or not she's going to stay for Christmas. She knows you need her, but she doesn't want to neglect Les either. Guess we'll wait for her decision. She sure isn't happy out there. She feels maybe it's a twist of

Twyla's note: This day one year later is when Braunt - our gift from my mom - was born. Mom, Forgot to write something in my last letter. I guess the aneurysm at the back of your neck had burst at some time. They're not sure when, but Dr. Petryk said there was scarring around it. They don't know, so I guess we'll never know. You get scared when your head hurts now. We try to explain to you that you have nothing to worry about, but you're still scared. Guess that's normal. Will write more later. I love you. Twyla

Mom, My doctor's appointment went fine yesterday. I'm still at 239. The baby wasn't moving much Tuesday night, so I had to go for a non-stress test today. Everything is fine. I lost my mucous plug this morning and have all the signs of going in soon. The girl who did the test said she figured it would be tomorrow. Guess we'll have to wait and see. Just talked to Nana. I guess you're talking more today. Flo and I are going out and I'm going to ask her if we can take some socks up to you. I sure do miss you. I'm glad you're feeling better today. I went to see you yesterday and you were quite despondent. You didn't really want to talk or anything, so I only stayed a little while. I should have a little bundle for you the next time I come to see you. I'll probably be in the hospital for 3 days, as long as the baby's fine. If this is a little girl, I've changed her name again: Kiershyn Vivienne Shyan If it's a boy, I think hi

Mom, Hi there. All's fine here. No baby yet. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and then I'm going to visit you. Talked to Dad just now. He said you were awfully depressed today. I can understand that. It's hard being in the hospital for so long and to have three operations on top of it. I'm sure you'll be home for Christmas. Dad's been buying Christmas presents and stuff like it's going out of style. He doesn't want you to have to worry about anything. I guess Nana's going to be leaving before you get home from the hospital. She asked if Dad was going to get someone to stay with you when you come home. Guess he probably will. Well, I've gotta get going to bed. Will write more later. I love you. Twyla

Mom, Well, Nana arrived here around 12:30 PM. I figured Dad needed a break and invited her to come stay here. Dad and I had a good talk last night. I guess Nana was getting on his nerves too. We had a funny talk and both felt better afterwards. You looked pretty good last night. I was up for a couple of hours. You're opening your eyes more and responding more. It seems like it's still hard for you to talk (because of the respirator) but that will happen more once your throat heals. Judy's doing well, but she's been having more accidents. I guess she misses you too. Well, gotta brush the dog. Will write more later. I love you. Twyla

Mom, Hi there. You're doing fine today. Your blood pressure's still up and you're not as restless as yesterday. They're keeping you in ICU because they don't need the bed space. I think it's better that you stay there as long as they'll you, as you get one-to-one care there. Papa-Les is leaving tomorrow at 12:45 PM. We invited Nana to come up and stay here since Les is leaving. I think Dad could use some time alone and I'll be going in soon, so it will be for the best. Not much else to report at this point. Baba , Doris, Dale and the kids stayed at your place last night. Doris and Dale tried to trade in their Stellar on a Crown Victoria, but they couldn't get enough money for their Stellar, so they're going to try and sell it privately. I guess Eugene and Charlene were leaving for Las Vegas today. I didn't know they were going anywhere, but Nana informed me of it. Well, will write more later. I love you. Twyla

As an aside, did you hear the news last week that the Brits have decided that it's okay to drink ALCOHOL after the first trimester of PREGNANCY!! Yes, you heard correctly. F*ing ridonculous is what it is. I guess nothing else develops or grows on a baby after 12 weeks in utero. Interesting. What's next? A little crack or meth after 24 weeks? WTF??????? Thankfully in the same article, the Canadian doctors firmly establish that ZERO alcohol is the only thing to do during pregnancy. Off to the city to look for UnderArmour! Toodles!

Mom, I went up to the hospital for a bit tonight. You look just great, although you're really puffy from the fluids they've been giving you. They were giving you extra fluids to keep you blood pressure up. Tonight it was around 220/90. I find that phenomenal! At my doctor's appointment last week, mine was 110/60 or something. I can never remember the bottom number. I guess you'll be getting out of ICU tonight or tomorrow. The girls on Unit 22 are looking forward to seeing you again. It's nice that all you have to do now is recover. I didn't start these letters when all of this started, and I don't know how much you'll remember, so I'll try to piece some of it together. You 1st aneurysm burst on November 7 th . They kept you on painkillers (morphine) that night and then took you in for your operation. It took them about 4 hours. You became alert quite quickly after that operation, although you were fairly tired. They then did another CAT

Mom, We had my Christmas Supper for work last night. We went to Hy's Steak Loft. It was very good. We left at 7:30 and got home around 11:30 PM. Flo came over and babysat Drey . We had a very nice time. Drey's teething again. His little cheeks have been getting quite red with these ones. He got 2 on the bottom (I can't remember if I wrote that already) and I think the top ones are coming down now. I think I'm going to hop up to the hospital now. I haven't been up since Wednesday night. I'll write more later. I love you. Twyla

Mom, Drey just woke up so the 1st part of this letter will be real short. Your operation went fabulously and the only thing you have to do now is recover. Will write more once I get Drey up and put my clothes away. (2:00 PM) Well, Drey's finished his lunch and my clothes have been put away. I'm glad the operation went so well. I knew you'd make it through no problem. While they were doing the operation, they bumped the nerve for your left eye and it was fixed, not moving. That since changed and the doctor says they must have irritated it. I guess you opened your eyes today and you're responding to their commands. That's fabulous news. You'll be in ICU for a couple of days and then you'll be back in the observation room. I guess your hospital recover time will be about 3 weeks. I'm hopeful that you'll be home for x-mas. I feel so much better now that your operations are all done with. I thought our little package would be arriving today,

Twyla's note: Please remember that this was a horrible time for me and I wrote this journal thinking no one would ever read it. Please do not take offense to my feelings at the time. Mom, I just called the hospital to see how your night was and how you were before surgery. I spoke with Kara (she's such a nice girl) and she informed me that your blood pressure was great last night and this morning. (11:45 AM) Gido and Nana came and took us out for breakfast and a bit of shopping. Drey was getting grouchy so we were home around 10:30. They just left to go to the hospital. I'll be calling there around 2:30 to see how you made out. I went up to the hospital last night. I got there around 5:30 PM. Tony, Shirley and the girls were just leaving. I guess they had been there for about an hour You slept for about the first hour that I was there. When you woke up, the nurse told you again that you were going to have another operation. You were really upset. You told me

Twyla's note: " Comfortings " was when I would lay my head in my Mom's lap and she would stroke my hair and face. It was something I will never forget. Mom, I took Drey to the hospital to see you this morning. He wanted to get down and be with you so bad. It's hard for him to understand why he can't jump on you. You told me you wanted to come home. It was really hard for me to have to tell you that you have to stay for a while longer, 'cause I want you to come home too! You looked really good today. Your eyes lit up when you saw Drey . I'm so scared. I found out this afternoon that they're going to operate again first thing tomorrow morning. They're very scared about the aneurysm at the back of your neck. They aren't even giving us a choice in this one. You won't be out of the hospital for Christmas. That's going to be really hard. I wish you didn't have to suffer any more pain. I wish you didn't need this las

Talked to Auntie Deb last night. She made me feel better. It must be hard for her to just be hearing things through the grapevine. I know she'd like to be down here with you. I told Dad last night that I think he should come to the labour room. I don't know what he thought of it, but I'm sure if I call him he'll come. I think it would be neat if he can hold the baby when it's first born. On Sunday night (Nov.25), I changed the baby's name. Here are both sexes' names: Kiershyn Vianna Talyn or Talen Lemery Graham I like the little girl's name a lot. Well, I'm going to wrap this up for now, but will write more later.

Well, I was up at the hospital tonight. You were pretty much out of it, but it's good that you're resting. Dad jokes with you, but you'll never see it. He makes like he's shaking you, or tickling your feet, and gets quite a kick out of it. Guess this is his way of dealing with the stress. (3rd operation) I found out tonight that they want to operate again on Thursday. I knew they would. Dad and Nana were quite upset by it; I guess I just expected it. I have a lot of questions I'd like answered before this happens, but I'm not sure they'll get answered. I'm angry because I think you've been through enough, but I also think it's probably better if they do it now. I'm scared to think that it (the aneurysm) might burst. I'm sure you'll be fine, but I'm still scared.

Twyla's note: I was 22 years when this happened. My mom was 41 years old. Please cherish your parents; when they're gone the loss is amazing. Mom, I've heard that writing letters, when you can't talk to the person, sometimes makes you feel better, and I thought I'd give it a try. I really miss you. I'm so used to picking up the phone and hearing your voice. Although it's been almost 3 weeks since this started, I still miss it. It was so nice when you called me from the hospital last week; but it was weird to hear your voice on the phone 'cause I knew (and had accepted) that we couldn't talk that way. This operation was a lot harder on you than the first one. You recovered really quickly from the first. I guess I thought this operation would be the same as the 1st, but is sure wasn't. I realize now that it's because you never really got a chance to recuperate from the 1st. I miss your guidance very much. When everything first happene

Well, today is turkey day and I don't have to cook!!!! My sister-in-law and her husband are hosting the spread, with everyone bringing things - so for a couple of veggie trays and whipping up some dishes, we're going to eat well! They put on an amazing meal. This blog was started at 8:11 AM but likely won't be finished until tomorrow. Just the way the fingers go sometimes. In keeping with my usual fashion, I didn't finish this blog and Thanksgiving is past. Thanksgiving was incredible, Karen and Randy made an awesome supper, and a good time was had by all. We are in the process of madly cleaning our house, in an attempt to minimize rather than hoard crap. I have come across so many things that I put away - and I`m now so glad I did! When my mom got sick with her brain aneurysms, I was young, pregnant, had a toddler and needed an outlet for all the things I was experiencing. I captured those in a journal, which I`ve decided to put onto my blog. I`m not sure if everyt