Some Sweethearts

Heat is On

My stomach is doing major flip-flops already! I finally called the hospital yesterday and left a message requesting a meeting with Administration.They called me back today and confirmed a meeting for next week with the CEO. Yikes.

She Turns on a Dime

What an ugly scene it has been once again with her screaming and yelling and the foul language - horrible names that she calls me with not a hint of regret. And it happens so quickly. Things may seem to be going along so well and with no warning whatsoever she turns. She becomes enraged, hate-filled, and extremely aggressive. Vile words spew from her without hesitation...and always at the top of her lungs.

Mike and I were getting ready to go to Show Low, just for a bit of quiet time, time alone together. From downstairs she called her dad on the phone and asked him to pick up a phone card for her. He sent one of the girls down to get the money she had for the card. She sent the money up to him. Over the next few minutes while we readied to go and were instructing the girls to go downstairs where their mom could watch them, we could hear her screaming into the phone at David. We told them they still needed to go downstairs because we were leaving.

Within moments of leaving the house, had just turned the corner from our street, the phone rang. Jodie was calling and wanting the name and number of someone she could get to watch the kids because she had to go to probation and a class. I asked her why she couldn't have just asked us to watch the girls. You would have thought I'd dropped a bomb on her. She began screaming like a mad-woman...the words totally indescernable as she screamed into the phone. I told her I couldn't understand anything she was saying and hung up the phone. She called Mike's phone. He too told her he couldn't understand her screaming and hung up the phone. She sent me a text message...

??? What on earth? What had I twisted by asking her why she couldn't just ask us to keep the girls? Once again, there was little hope of carrying on a conversation with her. Mike and I returned to the house. The total time lapse from the time we left to the time we returned was maybe five to six minutes. We had driven to the Dollar Store parking lot and turned to return to the house. When we came in, the screaming and name-calling was in full force. She called me everything she could come up with...her parting shot being on our front porch screaming that I was a f---ing c----.

Apparently she has taken the girls up to ride horses with a friend, neighbor and returned to the house because I heard the door downstairs.Why she thinks any of her behavior is acceptable, I don't know but I am certainly tired of being a doormat for her.

UPDATE: Then she walks into the house within the hour, goes into the bathroom and comes out and sits on the couch...as if nothing at all has happened. Once again, she's turned on a dime.
7/24/12

Foodie? Guess Not

I like nice restaurants, I enjoy good food. I am a fiend for beef and will usually choose beef over any other food, unless at a seafood, or Chinese, or Mexican food restaurant. Although beef may still be part of my meal at any of those restaurants it isn't usually a primary part of my meal. I've been somewhat spoiled having been in the Valley so long. There are some nice restaurants, even nice chain restaurants in the metro area.

I like consistency in restaurants, too. Somehow it was refreshing to visit a Subway sandwich shop in Sydney, Australia and feel familiar with their menu and options even though there actually were several differences. I love having a Subway in SJ now! Wow, that is nice and again, the menu and options are familiar...consistent from location to location with "fresh" being a key component of their marketing. I probably wouldn't want to know whether or not things actually are fresh, I believe they're fresh because they look fresh.

On a recent visit to the Valley, I stopped for breakfast at the new Denny's in San Tan Valley before heading back to SJ. While the menu and options were familiar, the service was not. The wheat toast orded with my breakfast did not arrive for a full 30 minutes after my food had been set on the table. Seriously! Okay, yes, I waited around to find out how long it would actually take. When the waitress set the toast on the table, I let her know the wait was no acceptable. I also let the manager know how long it had taken to get my full order.

Maybe it is age. I am far less willing to just walk away without saying anything. I am far less willing to "tip" poor service, regardless of responsibility (cook, waitress, etc.). I mean, unless they are evacuating the place due to a kitchen fire, there really aren't many excuses for poor service or poor quality.

Today, I am perplexed. What to do, what to do? Of course, no one reads my blog 'cept me and maybe two others, so oftentimes it is odd things like this that make it to my blog. Yesterday, I skipped lunch in anticipation of dinner. I had texted Mike early in the morning and let him know a local restaurant would be serving prime rib for dinner. Please can we go?  Of course he said yes. He's sweet like that.

We went to the restaurant and ordered dinner. Prime rib for me, carne asada burro for him. What? No baked potato with the prime rib? Okay, let's see...mashed potatoes or fries. Hmmm. It'll be mashed please. No cheese on my salad. Thank you!

Imagine my surprise!

Yep, that is what they served me! SOUPY potatoes, with cheese, and a crispened sliver of prime rib on a grease streaked plate! Oh my heck!

And if you doubt how thin this meat was, take a look at it with the knife for comparison. This was supposed to be "medium", a bit of pink...do you see any hint of pink on that meat? There was a bit of grease on the plate but not a hint of meat juices, this meat was so dry it was unreal.

I was ticked.

I said something to the server. He told me he had challenged the cook over it too and didn't want to bring it out. Well, that did me a lot of good!

Now, mulling it over. Do I print this out and hand it to the owner next time I see him? Hmmm. Okay, I like the guy and his family. That's evident in the fact I didn't put this on Facebook, too. What to do, what to do?

Oh, and the Foodie aspect...guess I'm not afterall. I have no shame apparently.It was beef, I ate it.

Progress & Set-Backs

Mike has been doing well and he is slowly gaining back his appetite. I think there was a real change in appetite once his sense of smell started to improve. He is eating, and enjoying, small meals now and even making occasional requests for certain foods. Mike currently weighs 192 pounds which would probably be terrific if a bit more of his weight was comprised of usable, toned, muscle mass. Alas, it does not. He has some work to go on building back muscle mass.

We walked around the block this morning. That's a start. :)

The surgeon called yesterday. A sample of the fluids still draining from Mike was sent for a culture when we visited his office last week. Results are in...Mike is on another round of antibiotics. There is a resistant staph bacteria brewing deep inside him which probably accounts for the acrid odor permeating from the open wounds in his abdomen.

100 MON

Jacob took on the challenge, and achieved his goal of riding 100 Miles of Nowhere! I am so proud of his efforts to support cancer research along with his own drive to become healthier and improve his own physical fitness. He has certainly taken on this challenge with a passion. He started cycling only a few short weeks ago and has already tackled such a huge milestone.

He started out his ride at 4am with 63 degrees ambient air temp. When he finished his ride nearly 7 hours later, the temperature had climbed to a sweltering 93 degrees with the heat of the asphalt reflecting back up from below his feet while the sun beat down from above. The last two hours were greuling but he continued on to finish the ride. Hooray Jacob!

Buzzed

What a surprise to see John with his hair buzzed. He hasn't done that since he was a kid playing baseball. Now I'm wondering if Jacob will do the same.

Busy Morning

It is now 9:00 AM and already Mike has been to the hospital and had the PICC line removed. No problem whatsoever. The line came out without incident, although I did gasp again at just how much line was in there. Wow.  When we finished at the hospital we went through the drive-thru at McDonalds, Scottsdale Road and Thomas. Mike ordered a breakfast burro and an orange juice. We used the excuse that he would have missed breakfast here at the care center but both of us knew he really wanted something that tasted fresh(er). Not that the food here is bad, it just isn't quite what we'd normally eat. Their menu is far more suited for the elderly patients here, rather soft and bland.

After returning to the care center, Mike noted his PEG tube had come out about two inches. I rounded up a nurse to take a look at it. She said it didn't look to be a problem but went to get someone else to check on it, too. I held the tubes steady at Mike's abdomen while he turned to lay back in the bed. As his tummy tensed to make the move, the remainer of the tube pushed out. The nurses came in at that moment and said, "Good." They checked the end of the tube, looking to make sure it hadn't broken and wasn't discolored with blood or anything. It all checked out fine and they trashed it.

So now, the PEG tube also is removed. Hooray! The drain tubes will be removed over the next little bit, too.

Two different nurses, at different times, have said something about being discharged on Friday so we asked his nurse about it. She confirmed, Mike is scheduled to be released on Friday, tomorrow. We knew it was coming but what a surprise. We are so ready for this. :)

Final Dose

Mike is now receiving his final dose of Cipro. It has taken so long to get to this day but we are here!

Speaking of Commercials

I love the new Weber grill commercials. They just make me smile. :)

Appointments

Mike has an appointment at Scottsdale Osborn Hospital tomorrow morning to have his PICC line removed.  That means tonight's IV's of antibiotics are the last scheduled. After 73 days of the most potent antibiotics known, and up to five different antibiotics being administered at the same time, Mike is finally going to be free of his IV tubes. Hooray!

He has an appointment with his surgeon, too. We just don't know specifics on that just yet, whether it will be at his office, at a hospital or whatever. They'll get started removing the tubes for the JP drains, gradually each day. The PEG tube (food) will need to be removed, too.

We are anxious to get this transition moving along.

Breakfast

Guess who had breakfast with me? Such a sweetie!

Sour Candies

Candace, the nurse from Gilspar (insurance), suggested we try some lemon or other sour hard candies for Mike to nibble on for stimulating his taste buds...and hopefully able to taste and enjoy foods again. Everything tastes bland, and just generally tasteless, to him right now. Hats off to Lemonhead!

On another sour note, today is the 17th. We had been hopeful Mike would be released on the 18th. That isn't happening. His release date isn't too far off, just it isn't tomorrow. He'll be on both antibiotics through tomorrow and then the surgeon wants him to be watched for another couple days to make sure nothing odd happens, and to make sure no temperature increases are noted, before releasing him from the care center. So, a few more days. We're still on pins and needles with excitement. :)

Laying Blame

Over the past half century or so, I have been able to state with clarity, "I don't like chocolate" and handle the looks of shock and awe that have been directed at me over such a statement. All that has changed. Lindor White Chocolate truffles have laid full claim to me. There's no side-stepping the clear fact that I do (now) like chocolate, a very special (and yummy) chocolate. New Zealand is to blame here. That is where this delightful confection first found its way to my lips and it will live forever on my hips.

Little Reminders

 

We are Verizon customers but this T-Mobile commercial caught Mike's attention this morninng, "My mom used to sing that song all the time," he said as the commercial ended. I  knew it was important to locate the video and record the memory...especially since today is also his mom's birthday.  What a special way for his heart to be touched with memories of his mom.

CT Scan

I can hear Mike shaving in the bathroom. It is such a basic thing but my heart dances knowing he is strong enough to stand that long and motivated enough to care about his appearance. Love this guy!

The blood clot in his arm has remained stable and has been slowly reducing in size and impact.  His arm is still swollen but nothing like it had been.

Mike will be getting a new CT scan today. This is the first step in trying to identify how and where pancreatic fluid is leaking into his abdomen. The next step will be consulting a gastroenterologist and Mike will be put under to have a scope inserted down to his pancreas for injecting dye to determine the source and severity of the leakage. Oh what fun. Not.

Happy Birthday

Wishing you the best on your special day, Maria. I love and appreciate you so very much. It was great spending time with you today and I'm so glad you and your little family were able to be there with Aunt Zena on such a special day.

Hiding the Hurt

Life really isn’t at all what we dreamed it would be at this stage of our lives. And, on so many levels, we anguish over the reality of our lives. Especially me. I carry the burden of failure so much more intensely. It cripples me emotionally and weighs so heavily on my heart. Hiding the hurt is harder and harder as my eyes swell from tears looming so close to the surface and my throat chokes off precious air from entering my lungs. Sometimes, it just hurts so very much.
5/11/2012

Melancholy

mel·an·chol·y
   noun, plural -chol·ies, adjective

–noun

1. a gloomy state of mind, especially when habitual or prolonged; depression.
2. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.
3. Archaic .
     a. the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression.
     b. black bile.

–adjective
4. affected with, characterized by, or showing melancholy; mournful; depressed: a melancholy mood.
5. causing melancholy or sadness; saddening: a melancholy occasion.
6. soberly thoughtful; pensive.

It is one of those days.

Quick Trip

Well, that didn't take long. We left the care center and went to the hospital - across the street - and was told upon arrival the procedure had been canceled. Nice.

So, Mike and I decided to come back to the care center and get his 4:00 meds so we could go out to John's and have dinner with the family.

They said no, that isn't doable.

He isn't able to leave for a short time. Nice.

Not.

Here A PICC, There A PICC

There's so much catching up to do but it will have to wait just a bit. Mike and I are getting ready to go over to the hospital where he'll be getting a new PICC line set-up in his right arm then having the PICC in his left arm removed. They had planned on doing it here, with a team coming in to take care of the procedures. I am sooo glad the team coming in decided they couldn't do it afterall. With a DVT (deep vein thrombosis, clot) in his arm they felt he needed to be in a hospital. Mike and I have thought that all along.

Off we go.

Far Too Soon

Someone sent me a note on Facebook. They were asking if I knew details of Darcy Ryan’s death. It was the first I knew of her death. It stung to read those words. It stings now to write those words. Darcy wasn’t just someone I knew, she was a friend. Mike and I were married in Darcy’s backyard. She was that kind of friend. Darcy’s funeral is Saturday in Prescott. Zena’s track meet is Saturday in Mesa. Zena says, “I’ll be doing this again. That is a farewell, a final farewell.: I don’t know what I’ll do. Farewells should be far into the future. This one is far too soon.

I Couldn't Be Happier

...it is so amazingly good to be able to call my sister and wish her a happy birthday!  Millie, I am so glad you were born, so glad you are my sister. I adore you and I hope you know always how very much I love you. You are the most patient person I know. I strive to have the kind of love you have for so many...a love that is patient, and kind, and trusting at all times. I hope you are able to celebrate your special day in the way that makes you happiest, surrounded by family. I love you!

Finish Each Day

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. - Emerson

Visitors

It has been a beautiful day. We can see it out the window. :)

Mike has had several visitors today. We are grateful for that.

Dave and Joanie came by and visited this afternoon. Mike really enjoyed that visit, we both did. It has been a while, maybe last summer since we've seen Dave and Joanie. (Mike has seen Dave, forgot about that.) It is always good to visit with them. They brought a couple bean burros (much needed protein) for Mike, too! :)  Joanie is back to work at UPS after having carpal tunnel surgery. It took a long time for doctors to get her diagnosis right. She almost had more invasive neck surgery because that is what doctors thought was needed. We're so gad she's doing well.

Jacob came up and visited, Pepsi in hand :),  a few minutes while picking up their hair clippers. They brought the clippers last week and Mike has had a shave and haircut. Nice. I cut his hair and used the clippers to trim down the beard, he shaved the remaining beard. Jacob came up to the room, Maria was down in the car with the kids. I walked Jacob out so I could visit Daphne and Davis and say hi to Maria. Those little ones are so cute!

A short while after they left, Kelly arrived with the two girls! That was fun! Ashlee is walking!!! I didn't have my camera so no pics. :(  It is so cute to see her tiny little body bobbing along as she takes one step after another, now with purpose instead of just movement. Her hair has gotten so much lighter blonde, too! Kelly says she had dark hair, John did have dark hair when he was born. His turned blonde quickly but not as light as hers. Ashlee's is more like her Uncle Quentin's hair as a youngster. Maybe even lighter that his, too. Baylee just did a bunch of cuddling with Grandma. :) Made my day. She was hesitant about Grandpa for a while, he looked so different with the shave. It took her a bit to warm up to him but she did and was her usual loving self giving Grandpa hugs. :) It was a surprise to hear Kelly has had some health issues herself. Hopefully she'll get things balanced out in her system before long.

It was so good to visit with everyone today. I am so grateful to have little bits of time with sweet little grandchildren. I know Mike appreciates those moments, too. And he always enjoys time with special people. Our kids and their families and Dave and Joanie are all pretty special.

Saying Goodbye

A friend of mine passed away last Friday. Her funeral was today. It is always hard to say farewell. It is especially hard when saying farewell to a friend. I should have been a better friend for Donna. I should have visited more often. I should have offered to take her for appointments a bit more often. I loved visiting with her, I loved spending time with her as we traveled for appointments. She loved vistiting with my little grandchildren if they were with me as we made those travels. They have been blessed to have that time with her. I have been blessed to have that time with her. I will miss my friend.

Bacterias

We got back the results of the cultures done on Mike's drain connections. There's a bit of good news and some bad news. The good news...no more MRSA! Hooray!!! That is seriously such good news. MRSA was not found in any of the four drain tubes. Mike has fought such a tremendous battle against this infection. He has even faced a couple life and death occassions during this illness.

I am so grateful for the prayers that have been offered in his behalf. I know that prayers are heard, I know prayers are answered. I know Mike has gained strength from the love and support offered through prayers. I am consumed with joy and gratitude that Heavenly Father has seen him safely through these struggles. There are still challenges for the future but one of the more severe challenges facing him at this time has been overcome.

One of the new struggles Mike will have is battling new bacterial infections. :( As the doctor said to Mike, "You've had some really unusual things growing in you."

Last week, drainage from Mike's tubes took on a nasty, foul odor and the look and consistency of the discharge changed. Everyone seemed to shrug it off, except me, of course. I really did want to know why things changed, what was going on in there. When one of the drains got a bloody discharge, I pushed a bit harder for answers. Cultures were taken of all four drains and the results have been a surprise. Mike has several new bacteria growing in him. ::(

Enterocacter cloacae - heavy growth
Pseudomonas aeruginosa - heavy growth
Gram negative bacilli - heavy growth
Staphylococcus species - scant growth
Klebsiella pneumoniae - heavy growth

Seriously! I looked up each of these and they're all so unusual...and exposure comes in a hospital setting! :( He's in the hospital.care center because of infections and getting more and more infections as he goes along. Each of the bacteria is opportunistic, moves in when someone is already in a weakened condition. And Mike has certainly been weakened over these weeks and months.

Fortunately, the doctor had already started Mike on an antibiotic, Cefapine, in anticipation of the final results (based on prelim results) so Mike has already started treatment effective against each of these bacteria.

Since one of the drains had blood in it...that means these bacteria have access to Mike's circulatory system. It is my prayer that the treatment will stop these bacteria and prevent them from gaining access to his blood system. It is my prayer that Mike will continue gaining strength and energy and will effectively fight off these new bacterias that have invaded his body.

Tests and Such

Mike is going to the hospital today for a CT scan. I will be pushing him over there in a wheelchair. It'll be a workout for me, that's for sure!

Thoughts of Norman

It is still so hard to acknowledge that two of my siblings have already crossed the veil. Norman is one of the two, Anthony is the other. Today would have been Norm's 52nd birthday. I am missing him bunches on his special day. Love you, Norman. Always will.

A Feast

Yum! Maria provided a feast for Mike and I to share for dinner this evening. And it was all so tasty! We thought she and Jacob were joining us for dinner but Jacob called a bit after six and said Maria would be dropping off the food to us. She made small green chile burros and included a side of sour cream, green salad, banana nut bread, and angel food cake with strawberries and whipped topping. What a treat! It was all so good and we appreciate so much the time and love that went in to preparing a home-cooked meal for us.

It Is Today

Today is here and we'll have fun in spite of the rain! Instead of a park we'll gather together indoors for lunch before going to the afternoon show. I am so looking forward to this outing with my precious grandchildren and I'll be missing even more the one who is not here to participate. Fun, fun, fun!

Daily Progress

Each day brings new challenges and new accomplishments for Mike. He is getting stronger and stronger but still has so far to go. He is participating in physical and occupational therapy during the day but it wears him out to complete those sessions. Yesterday, he walked to an outdoor patio and sat in the open air for about 30 minutes. It is the first he's been outdoors other than the ride here from Show Low on 3/30. He misses being outdoors. Hopefully soon he will be able to spend more time outside.

Mike has enjoyed visits with each of the boys since being here. Quentin was here last Sunday and John and Jacob have each been here a couple times. John stayed the night with Mike a couple days ago when I made a trip up to St. Johns.

The days are long and slow. I know the pace bothers him but he still has such a long road to travel to get back in good health. The slow pace lets his body heal at its own rate. Mike is nearly off meds now, well off many of the meds. He still has the feed tube in his abdomen but isn't getting nourishment via the tube. He is able to eat anything his appetite allows and still is working on high protein foods. The feed tube is used for giving him especially distasteful meds and supplements, like syrupy proteins. Mike receives potassium each day. Those are huge old tablets but they dissolve very quickly. He tried swallowing one down at the start and it caused so much grief as it disintegrated in his upper throat. Too far down to cough up and not far enough down to avoid choking. Now, he puts the tablet in a bit of water and sucks it down using a straw once it's fully dissolved, usually just a minute or so.

Mike gets a shot in the abdomen each evening to prevent blood clots. He gets a medication to prevent stomach disorders from the meds and he gets the regimen of meds needed to keep his heart and circulation working as they should. He still receives Vancomycin by IV each morning.

It sounds like a lot, it really is just a bit when compared to all he had going on just a couple weeks ago. His coloring and contenance is so much better than it had been. He really is looking himself these days...especially if you forget the fact he's wearing a hospital gown! :)  He rests a lot but he's also holding up his head while sitting and walking more uprightly, and he's walking! That in itself is a huge step (no pun intended) forward.

Love my guy, love that he's getting better each day.

Planning For Fun

It is going to be so nice to spend time with the grandchildren this weekend. All but one of them will be getting together for a picnic lunch followed by an afternoon of Disney on Ice. Jayden won't be participating with her cousins, she is in Maryland with her mommy.

Tickets for the outing were gotten way back on March 4th, after I returned from New Zealand and before we knew how very sick Mike still was. There was a brief block of time that morning when the tickets were available at 50% cost reduction. Gotta love a good deal, especially when it means lots of fun with the little ones!

I made a card for each of the grandchildren; just a tiny message of love.

It will be so nice to spend time with the grandchildren and let go of the stress and worry for a few hours. As the day gets closer, I find myself being more and more excited. I can't wait to see their faces and hear them as they watch the Princesses and performances on the ice. Oh what fun!

GO = Grandchildren Outing :)

Slow Going

Parallel Parking

Posers

POAR

Today

Thinking of my dad and missing him bunches. Seventy-five years ago today he was born. He left far too soon. Love you Dad.

Cousins & Such

A Boy and his Flashlight

This picture shows my living arrangement while Mike is in the care center. In ICU I had kidded about having a two foot by two foot area. Here it is more like two foot by six foot. The chair makes out to a narrow twin size bed. That's my space. :)

And what do you do for a two year old when he's visiting Grandpa in a small room? Give him a reading light, of course! Check out that smile.

He's now able to explore dark areas.

Although there's still a bit of hesitancy on entering into the darkness.

But there's not a hint of concern on climbing into a ighter, brighter cabinet. He loved having this door closed so he could play with the light in a dark area.

It was so much fun to watch Davis play. Mike was enjoying it, too. He's always been a proponent of giving toddlers a flashlight. One of the best toys ever.

State of Confusion

Is it any wonder I'm confused at times? ;)  Check out these menus posted outside the dining room here at the care center.

Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?

Huh? March? Okay.

She Got Me

TJei called me late this afternoon. She was in tears and so distraught. "Grandma, they won't let me go to second grade" she exclaimed through her tears. What, baby? Who won't let you go? What are you talking about?"

"The school" she said. "I missed too many days and they won't let me go to second grade!"

My heart just broke for her. At the same time, my mind raced...what the heck? She hasn't missed that much school. What on earth was going on?

Then TJei squeeled...with laughter. "April Fool's!"

Oh my gosh. The girl got me good. She totally had me believing she was being held back.

More Catching Up

There is still a lot of catching up to do in pictures and in journaling. The flowers were still looking pretty even on the last day of Mike's hospital stay. I love daisies so especially enjoyed their bright and sunny show of color during Mike's hospital stay. Many people commented on how pretty they were. :)

This is the disposable blood pressure cuff they used for Mike. With MRSA, much of the equipment and supplies used in Mike's room were disposable. This cuff caught my eye too because of the size. Would you ever in your life expected that an adult small anything would have fit Mike's upper arm? I sure wouldn't have.

This is all that pureed food. :) That's fish on the left and cole slaw in the bowl. Yuck! Mike didn't eat any of it. I don't blame him. Shudder, I had a hard time even looking at it. There was nothing at all appetizing about the meal.

It's nearly empty but this nourishment goes into Mike's small intestine each night, from 6pm to 6am.

Mike has been adjustng to the new surroundings. I have been, too. There is a chair in the corner of the room that unfolds to make a twin-size bed. I have spread a sheet on it (we brought some bedding) and use it to sleep on at night. Except last night. I went to Quentin's in STV and stayed the night. I did laundry and had a "Hollywood shower".I worried myself sick about Mike being alone, and he worried too about being alone, but we both got along well. Mike called me when I was just a short distance from the care center. He wanted me to bring him a breakfast burrito from McDonalds. Alright! He "wanted" something to eat. That's been a long time coming. He just wasn't up to whatever was being served here.

John stopped by on his way home from work. He was bearing gifts, too. A Pepsi for me and a protein bar for his dad. A-w-e-s-o-m-e!  It was good to visit with him. He stayed quite a while and "talked shop" with Mike. He may have even stayed longer except poor little Ashlee was sick and Kelly was taking her to see a doctor. She had actually been seen while John was here but he needed to get on home to help with his little family. Hope Ashlee gets better quickly.