I had my third doctor visit in three months on Friday. I was able to get back in with MY doctor. According to her, my problem is not my ears but rather my sinuses. They are impacted with infection. I have been on 3 antibiotics since January, with the last 2 being rather strong and still no drainage. I'm now on another 21-day round of stronger antibiotics, another round of prednisone, and some nasal spray. I thought yesterday ( Sunday) that my hearing had already improved but when I woke up this morning, it seems as bad as its been through this whole ordeal. My dr. has sceduled a CT scan for me on Wednesday to see why things are not draining as they should. I've had a CT scan before but I'm getting a little nervous.
The other big news around here was the sleet/ice/snow storm we had on Saturday. For a while on Saturday afternoon, we were pummeled with snow so heavy the visibility was very low. But by early evening, it all stopped. Today, it is about all melted.
My mom and dad have been visiting my brother and sister...in Georgia and Florida. They have basked in the warm tropical temperatures for almost two weeks. Just as they will be heading into the KC area, we have a forecast of SNOW!!!!!!
Some friends of ours put in a home theater in their basement. He bought actual theater seats and installed them on two levels. The movie shows from a projector onto a large screen and its all surrounded with sound.
Friday, Cliff and I were invited over for a movie night with this couple and another. We had such a good time...eating stuff off the grill and then heading downstairs to watch movies. It didn't matter that the first movie was one of the worst, cheesiest movies ever made. We had a great time!!
As I was sitting in church yesterday, I was reminded once again of how blessed I am to have such great friends in my life! It seems I am surrounded by great people who make me a better person just by knowing them!! I don't know about you but these kinds of things make me feel so rich.
I was in a "fender-bender" yesterday. Thankfully no one was hurt and the damage to my car is such that it is still driveable. I was stopped to make a left-hand turn into my parent's subdivision and I guess the guy behind me took his eyes off the road for a second. All of a sudden, there was a big "boom" from the rear of my car. Scared me more than anything!!
The funny thing is that when we left home yesterday, I did several things out of the ordinary. First, I was driving. I don't usually drive when Cliff is in the car. Cliff drives for a living and it is better for both of us if he drives :-) Second, I have been "dog-sitting" for my mom while they are out of town. I keep the dog at my house but yesterday I decided to take her to my mom's while we were out running errands. Third, Cliff says that when I came to my mom's street, there was a white car in the other lane. I waited for it to pass while he thought I had plenty of time to make it.
Later, Cliff wondered about the accident. I told him I don't know why but when you consider everything that led up to us being there at that moment in time, it was supposed to happen that way. I don't know why. We will probably never know.
I will say, however, that I am thankful we only have to deal with some broken lights and body damage. A friend of mine lost a husband in a car accident this past December. You just never know.
This is by-far my favorite way to drink a Diet Coke. I don't know if it is the Styrofoam cup or the ice pellets but I am seriously on the verge of addiction here!! To top it off, everyday features "Happy Hour" at Sonic and ALL the drinks are half price from 2-4 PM which means I can get this delicious beverage for less than a dollar!!!!! Can I help it that Jacob gets out of school right in the middle of Happy Hour?? Or that Sonic is just a hop and a skip down the road from the school? Let me tell you, I can make this drink last all evening too!!
When I got home Wednesday afternoon, my house had a strange smell. It smelled sort of like steamy, moist burnt toast (gross, I know!!) Oh well, I thought maybe I was just smelling the heat...then I got a little paranoid thinking perhaps it was some sort of emissions from the heater and of course, Cliff wasn't home yet. I opened our cellar door and found to my dismay it was full of water. We had a flood down there just a few months ago and had to replace our water heater and sump pump. We definately couldn't afford to replace them again right now. After a couple hours with a portable pump, it was discovered that our sump pump had somehow got something caught in it and its working fine again. Our water heater suffered no damage as far as we can tell and the moist smell is gone!!
My sinus and ear situation continues on. I've been on antibiotics since January 10. I decided to take a week and just take a good decongestant which didn't help at all. I'm going to have to go see the ear, nose & throat specialist, hopefully this week. My hearing has really been affected. I use my little sound amplifier at church and to watch TV or movies so I don't blast my family out. My poor kids...my son has taken to texting me!!!!!!
As my Grandma Adrian used to say, "This too shall pass."
Our oldest son, Josh, had the lead in his college musical, "The Light In The Piazza." We decided to attend Friday night's performance (although I would have like to have gone to all three!)
We left early so we could stop in and see my cousin, Corrie, who lives about 30 minutes away from Josh. Corrie and her husband, Matt, just became first-time parents of a beautiful baby girl. I could have sat and held their baby for hours. She's so cute and so sweet!!
We were able to grab a quick dinner with Josh before he had to be back at the school to get ready for the show. Due to my continuing ear situation, I had to use a sound amplifier which the school provided to hear. I was so glad I did!! Everything Bethel puts on is well done. They are well rehearsed and polished. The cast seemed to throw themselves into their roles as they all did an excellent job. I was so proud of my son. He did outstanding. I think it is perhaps the best I've ever seen him perform.
The local paper carried an article about the musical. The article as well as some pictures are here.
It was a great day, seeing Corrie and the baby and ending with a great musical!!
I've been thinking about this post...for about two weeks...ever since I heard my Aunt Sue had a pretty severe stroke. It seems that in the few days since I learned she was not going to survive this that the memories of her have flooded my mind. Death is never easy to but this one was tough. It came so suddenly.
Aunt Sue & Uncle Bill are perhaps the most kid-friendly people I have ever know. When I was a kid, they would travel to see us in NY and I can't even express the excitement we would feel when they'd get there. The time spent with them was so special. We (kids) got to be included in the special dinner at their favorite steak house in Queen's Center. They made us kids feel so valued!
Aunt Sue was unique. She was so crafty and a had a dramatic flair about her. I think those are the things I like the most about her. When I was in 6th grade and got my ears pierced, she was so excited for me that she gave me some of her earrings. Through the years they got lost but I had kept one up until not long ago.
Bill & Sue adopted their first child, Nathan and I had to be about 10 or 11. I don't know why I was there by myself but they let me carry that baby (who couldn't have been more than 3 months) all over the place. I remember Uncle Bill had bought a big station wagon and on the Wednesday night I was there with them, we three and Nathan went to church. Now, this was in the day before baby seats were mandatory so we all sat in the front seat. I sat between Bill & Sue I held the baby all the way to church!!
When I was 14, I spent an entire summer in Ohio with my grandparents. I spent several weeks of that summer over at Bill & Sue's house. By now, they had two kids. A baby girl, Gretchen who was about 1. Sue let me dress that little girl up in all her little dresses and carry her all around. Sue made foods I'd never heard of like quiche! I was so impressed that I asked her for the recipe (which I still have!) She also taught me to cross-stitch and bought me a sampler to work on which I also still have. She also felt I need a wrap skirt and made me one. I had such a blast!
We went back to Ohio another year or so later and their 2nd daughter, Anna was just recently born. I, once again, spent a day with Sue, running errands. She let me carry that tiny baby all over the place that entire day!
Fast-forward 10 or 11 years and I am now married and have my own children. Josh, who Bill & Sue's girls now played with the way I played with them. Amy was just a newborn and Sue was so taken with her that she decided to have another baby. Shortly thereafter, Emily was born and not too long after that, Abby joined their family. Several years ago at a family function, we discovered that Bill & Sue had another daughter, Nancy, whom they adopted into their family.
There are people who come in and out of our lives through the years who impact our lives in one way or another. As an adult, I wasn't able to spend the time I spent with Bill & Sue like I did when I was a kid. But the memories remain and the impact stays. I love them every bit today as I did back then.
It is with deep sadness that I write these words today. Sadness over the loss of Sue's presence on the earth. I feel it even though I am 500 miles away right now. I miss her and my heart aches that she's gone. My heart also aches for Bill, Nathan, Gretchen, Anna, Abby, Nancy, and Janet, Cede, Josh, and Bob.
Our heartache is tempered with hope. Hope that we will see Sue again someday. And frankly, I have a feeling it won't be too long. While we live without her now on this earth, we rejoice that she is in the presence of her Savior.
Lately this song, "I will Rise", has been on the radio. It was playing today as I headed to my computer.
The Attic
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The attic was the last place left with our things. Because of the fire
and the ceilings falling, they were unable to get to it safely until
everything ...
Good Friday lunch
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A sunny day to look for flowers, rocks and sticks!
I'm sorry I didn't get to this more quickly! We have had a very busy
week. It's been good, but BUSY...
