Dad's Surgery

Dad had double knee replacement surgery last week in Ft. Worth. Mom & Beth took him up and stayed with him for the week, and brought him back to Hillcrest for rehab. They are the main caregivers, thats for sure. Dad got a little huffy on a few occasions and upset Beth, but they were glad to be there, despite the hotel and small bed!! Ryan & I went to see Dad yesterday and he was in pain - following a 3-hour PT session on Saturday - who wouldn't be sore??? Dad was eating lunch and got Ryan to laughing about the yellow jello. Normally the schedule is 4 45-minute sessions a day, with a short break in between, but since the PTs are not there but half a day on Saturdays and none on Sundays, they double up and put them thru the ringer!! Mark was in town to give a few pointers and has arranged furniture and stuff at the house to help Dad navigate better, including raising the level of his recliner. Dad was not impressed with the PT at the hospital and tried to have Mark work with him as much as possible. Mom went back to work today.

Weekend Wedding

The wedding was nice. We got there just before the grandmothers went down the aisle. Heather looked very pretty, and Johnnie recorded songs for the ceremony. He sings well! Flowers on the altar were dedicated to Heather's best friend Brooke and another friend that passed away following car accidents during the school year, and her Aunt Kathy. Really sweet. Pastor A conducted the ceremony so it always makes me tear up. The reception was at Elk with homemade bride's cake by Heather's mom Karen. The whole bridal party had a great time. Lindsey & Joe didn't dance - even the wedding march - so that was a little disappointing. I got to hear about Beth & Mike & Matt's trip to Boston, including watching the fireworks display at the famous footbridge above where the "Pops" played. Sounded awesome and lots of fun. Mike was there for a police academy of sorts, and Beth & Matt came up afterwards to tour the town.

I wonder...

...who might be reading this blog?? ...do they find it the least bit interesting?? ....do they appreciate question marks and elipses??...

...when I'll stop wondering about things and just be happy in the here and now??

Fun things from this week:

Birthday for Nate...dinner at Ninfa's, drive-in move in Gatesville (yes, there really is one still open!), lots of laughs as we sung his 'song' to the tune of 'On Top of Old Smokey', still more with the trivia game by Kyle...Nana was a hoot!! Alison's picture puzzle was adorable and KeKe's Kake was wonderfully delicious...but, out til 1AM is a little late for a 'work' night!! I was so concerned that the drive in would be HOT, but actually, there was a nice little breeze and I had my bug spray, so I was just fine. The movie - "Transformers" - OK, but wanted to see "Ratatouillie". Oh well, it was fun.

Wednesday after work - shopping with KeKe for a few minutes, then off to choir. Fun (?) learning a new song (really an old one) to sing on Sunday. Out to dinner...first stop...Cheddars where there would be an hour 1/2 wait...no thanks!! On to Friday's....lots of fun and laughs...and we say buh-bye to Heather as she leaves for college. The choir will miss her beautiful voice, but maybe we can hear her from there!!

Thursday game night with Lindsey & Joe, Joe's Mom and niece & nephew. Lots of fun playing "mad gab"....and winning a few times!! Nice to talk and enjoy each other's company, and let Lindsey be the 'hostess'.

Heather's wedding is Saturday at 4, followed by dinner & dance. Lindsey & Joe are going, so maybe I'll tag along. I wouldn't mind getting out of town for a short visit...just restless I guess. The sleep mask is a little better...and have had some fairly nice dreams. If I could only keep from taking it off during the night, thinking its time to get up.

Among other things...

The nightmare returned last week, but was more subtle than usual. I actually woke up as I was opening my bedroom door, looking for "baby" Lindsey. I have taken off my sleep mask a couple of times, thinking it was time to get up, only to find out that it was 2 or 3am - not near time for the alarm to ring. I was up at 5am on Saturday - again - much to Ryan's disappointment as I wandered into the living room where he was asleep on the couch. I ducked out between raindrops to retrieve the paper - nightgown & tennis shoes - and sat down at the table, encouraging Ryan to retreat to his room before I turned on the lights. He did and slept until about 10am. I managed to get bills paid and start laundry, then cook breakfast for him. We then watched the second of two movies we rented Friday night, "Little Miss Sunshine". Though it had funny parts, I would not recommend it as one to share with a 17-year old!! We both liked "Man of the Year" with Robin Williams much better. We enjoyed Amy's cooking that night at Mom & Dad's house, with Laura, too. Heading home Ryan could not do without ice cream, so I stopped at HEB, and he ran in for a tub of 'cookie dough' and picked up a gallon of milk. In the meantime I called Rick to chat for a minute, and asked if his ears were burning, as sisters do tend to talk!!

The Mask of Sleep

I started using my c-pap mask on June 29th. I look like a snorkeler, but sleep much better. The first couple of nights were a little fretful, but I am sleeping better. The first day after the start, I was up at 5AM - on a Saturday - ready to go. Now, I had to ask myself, is this psychological, because I was told I would have more energy - or is is the real deal? I was reading two days of newspapers and working the crossword puzzles, went into the garage and started picking up/straightening up, doing laundry, etc., then I called my daughter at 7:15 with a cheerful "good morning" and she asked "whats wrong with you?".



I told her I felt great - but might crash later. We did some errands and I did get overheated, but did NOT take a nap!! This is exciting because sometimes I would take a 2 1/2 to 3 hour nap, then still go to bed on time.



One of the benefits of the mask is that the machine has a humidifier built in, but I only use it on the 'cool' setting...cause Texas is way to hot. The cooler months - I might use a warmer setting.

I have adjusted the mask to allow for sleeping on my side. I do not generally sleep on my back (unless a nap on the couch creeps in!!) :-)



I modeled the mask for the kids - and they had a good laugh, as did K and A. When I answer the phone - or try to - with the mask on - I can't really talk, so I'll have to pull it off. Its getting easier, but the maintenance on the machine can be a little tedious. Its all worth it, though, to get good sleep. My son does not hear me snoring and the instances of waking up have become quite limited.



Just the other day I said that my dreams were fewer...but really I think I am not remembering them as well because I sleep more deeply. There are SOME dreams I can recall in total, but again, perhaps not in much detail. I can still remember the people mostly...and those people generally know who they are!! :-)