Living In Grace

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes .....

If you look ....

<<<< over yonder way ....

and a wee bit to the south ...

You'll notice that, after three years, I have finally figured out how to setup my pages!

I built them all a looooong time ago, and could never get them to work.

Voila!

So, feel free to get to know me and abit more here, and find someone perhaps you haven't met before.

And if you know of someone not on my blogroll that I need to meet? Leave their info in comments.

Have fun.

Make new friends.

That's my new motto.

Prayer Request Please

** Update 11:40 Dog home, menfolk happier than pigs in slop. Thank . You. Lord.

It's 11:30pm Thursday, and our dog seems to have run off. Everyone is out in the car looking for her in the dark, and very despondent.

Would you be praying she finds her way home please?

Thank you.

A First. Evah.

I present to you pictures of our snow-boundness ...

John and Kati tried to run out for some last minute important items (like ice cream for the utterly delicious Ghirardhelli brownies I just made) and couldn't get half way up the driveway.

Or back to the house.

And John walked outside, took pictures and for the first time in almost 2 and a half bloggy years uttered the words:

"These pictures are for your blog."

I fainted dead away, people. I tell ya!

So, presenting scened from our Christmas Eve ....

We are officially snowbound

But, what a perfect time, don't you think?

The Final Days of Fall

Home Sweet Home

I. Hate. Moving.

... I'm just sayin'.

Hope y'all are having a much better day of it today :)

In fact, why don't you share one funny, happy or special moment from today with me in comments! That would brighten me up tremendously.

One for the Record Books.

Arthur Schopenhauer:        

Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.

And with that, I announce:

WE ARE MOVING. AGAIN.

(I'll wait for you to either get up off the floor, or stop laughing).

(Are you done yet?)

ok.

So, you know we made the decision to move back to Oregon for medical care.

And in June, I flew up to find a house.

And I did.

And the deck, it was beautiful.

We arrived, barely alive, and began to setup house.

Now, we had some trepidation about the owner before we signed, but pushed it aside  becasue we really needed a place to land, and no wiggle room to look. We had a deadline to get  up here, and so things had to move.

Do you get where this is going?

Hurricane Owner hit soon after we arrived. Made landfall.

Who knew there were hurricanes in Oregon.

At this point, we were  relieved that this had been just a month to month contract!

So, we switched gears, and got looking for something else. It took some doing but God directed us to the perfect house abit south of here.

It's an on acre of g.r.a.s.s., in the woods, on a cul de sac of vacation homes. There are only two other fulltimers on the street. one of whom has kids that will be going to the same school as ours.

The owners are super people, and even held up under their own attack from Hurricane Owner.  Somehow, she felt it was their fault we were  moving and had no issue in letting them know that. Amazing :)

Thank goodness we hadn't really gotten too much unpacked.

Bottom line? In another 3 weeks we will be loading up the moving truck, again, and heading out. This time, though, it's only 13 miles and not 1300.

Whew!

If you're in the area, feel free to come by and grab a box!

Pizza's on us.

Two Words ....

Hello Lover.

Must Try.

You're Welcome.

Welcome to the world, Banana Split Creme Oreos.

Best laid plans, and all that rot ...

So.

The plan was to start posting about our trip up here Friday.

Last Friday.

As in, you know, 48 hours ago.

But, I have to be honest with all of you.

This move? kicked. my. patootie.

Yes ma'am, it did.

See, the weeks before we moved, I started bruising everywhere- really bad. So bad, in bad ,that I was waiting for someone to pull me aside and ask me if I felt safe at home. yes, it was THAT bad.

Besides that, I was pooped. All the time. I racked it all up to the stress of moving in less than a month.

However, when other more disgusting symptoms (I won't gross you all out with them) starting happening, I asked for a blood test.

Lo and behold, miracle of miracles, I was anemic. My crit was under 7. My soon-to-be ex dialysis nurse didn't get any answer back from the DR. until 5 days later, after we had left for OR - and he wanted me to get a transfusion.

A bit lat, don't you think?

We arrived here on Sunday, I was in the ER by 8 and at the dialysis unit on Monday. After talking to the Dr. here (who I LOVE, LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE), we came up with a plan and started new protocols immediately.

So, the new plan- I'm on 20,000 units of ProCrit 1x week, with infusions of venofir (to build up my iron sats) 3x week for two weeks.

Then, we'll recheck everything and adjust.

He has also changed my pain meds to one that doesn't affect me negatively as much - so in a month or so, I should have some balance back! He also put in physical therapy 2x week to build strength in my legs. Maybe I won't fall down so much. Woot! Woot!

The bruising is starting to go away. I'm sleeping like crazy, but it's a good thing.

However, it leaves little time or energy for blogging.

Or, anything else to be honest.

Please bear with me. I'm healing. And it's a good thing.

I P.r.o.m.i.s.e to tell you all about everything that happened. And catch you up on current events. Like driver's permits, and insurance rates ... ugh.

I've missed you all. More than you know.

Roger That, Over and Out!

(click on the monkey ... go ahead, dare ya!)

Well peeps! Time to disconnect and pack up the 'puter ... We leave Wednesday, and good Lord willing will have internet again come Saturday night! Be good, love on your families and please don't do anything too earth-shattering 'til I get back! Talk to you next time from here:

Things NOT to do on a date with your teenage daughter.

After afternoon naps today, Kati came in and asked "Hey, can I brush you hair?"

sure thing, pumpkin.

When they're 15, and want to BE with you? Jump. do not walk. Run at the chance!

That began the full session "Dress Up Barbie" with mommy. She did my hair, then makeup, all while we're watching Jonathan try to learn and conquer his new video game demo.

Frankly, she did a much better job than I.

We compared hair length (mine is surprisingly below the middle of my back) and all kinds of girl stuff. Stuff she was never much interested in post-Barbie and pre-teen years. And I just bathed in the conversations.

Since we are still doing the single car thing, I had to run to the store before picking up John from work. I invited her along, and off we went!

We had a great time at the store, and called her dad when we realized we had, well, too much fun and were running late. Turns out he was too, and needed an extra hour or so. We seized the opportunity and ran to Denny's for drinks and more conversation.

Let me digress to say it was about, oh, 857 degrees today.

And Denny's air conditioning had given up the ghost and died.

Dead.

Toast.

I felt it's pain.

But, we persevered and sat there for about an hour, sweating, fanning and talking.

Since we're barbecuing tomorrow, we decided to order a pizza on the way home s called from the restaurant to order They have this policy that if your phone umber is not in their system, they must call you back to verify it's not a prank.

When we didn't hear back right away, we paid the check (and I might add, the air conditioning chose to come back on at that exact moment) and head out the door.

As we headed off the sidewalk and hit the asphalt, I felt my right leg give way followed immediately by my left leg. The inevitable thought of both hands are full, the phone is now ringing which must be answered, I'm going down no doubt about it, I'm going to land on my face full on or break my ribs, man it's hot out here, I can't speak, help me help me help me is all going on while in slow motion ,my body is g.o.i.n.g. d.o.w.n. boss.

Yeah- it's a beautiful picture, ain't it.

Somehow, I twisted my right side and landed on my behind. Hard.

But, better than on my face.

I tossed the phone to Kati who answered and confirmed our order while I lay there determined mot to cry. Or throw up.

Asphalt? It is hard.

Then- the picture gets all the better.

Kati is now holding- two drinks, my purse, the cell phone (still talking to Pizza Hut).

I'm finally rolled over to my knees (and a big thank you to all those Denny's employees who stayed inside and watched without a single offer of assistance- I swear I wasn't sitting their planning my lawsuit).

I'm totally afraid to get up without something to hold on to, since I don't know if my legs will collapse again.

So, Kati sticks her leg out, hopping on one foot, holding everything, talking on the phone and letting me use her leg to balance and get up.

I'm now convinced she will never go out in public with me again.

I know I wouldn't.

I'm glad to say that the swelling has gone down in several places, I'm nursing a glass of water and some Tylenol and at dinner, Kati reenacted the whole hopping around, doing everything, leg stuck out to help her poor mom routine- all the while laughing her head off.

I think that maybe, just maybe, I stand a chance of getting her out again.

And if asking nicely doesn't work?

There always the keys to the car to throw in the pot.

A mom's gotta do, what a mom's gotta do.