Wednesday, December 29, 2010

42 years ago

42 years ago I was ready...more than ready.  At 3.43 a.m. my baby girl was born.  Jennifer Joy.  She came  to join my older baby girl Melanie.  I, all of a sudden, (okay, 9 months of sudden) was the mother of two beautiful girls.  How lucky can one person be?

Jennifer, Melanie and I have been through a lot these 42 years.  But this is about Jennifer.  In February will be Melanie's turn down memory lane. 

Jennifer was a puny little thing.  She never wanted to sleep at night, making for some l-o-n-g, sleepless nights for me.  When she was just 5 months old she got very sick with a virus and spent a week in the hospital...with me right beside her the entire time.  We finally discovered she had an allergy to milk...all kinds.  Oh I hate the soy milk formula we had to feed her, but she flourished.  As a toddler she was into everything....loved to see how much mischief she could get into.  At the same time she was an even tempered, happy-go-lucky baby.
Jennifer, 2 years old
 5th Birthday, Minot AFB, ND
Lancaster CA10th Birthday

 Fast forward to teen age years. She really never did rebel like most teenagers...and if she did, she didn't do it very well. She was so busy with church and school activities while we were in Lancaster she really didn't get into much trouble. And if she did get into trouble you can bet that Billie, Christy, Tammy, Vickie, Laura or another of her good friends would be right there beside her. However, Jenn (as she is now called) always has had a huge circle of friends. Jenn was Rifle Captain inQuartz Hill High School Marching Band. I can still see and hear her practing, and her pain when she missed. She loved to twirl that Rifle and was very good at it. And her first car....a 1974 Ford Station Wagon...huge monster. A friend of ours told her Dad if he could get it started Jennifer could HAVE it. What a beast! Her first love came at about the same time; as did the first broken heart. I think I cried as much as she did!


17th birthday, Stoneridge, WA

    
 Rifle Captain, Quartz Hill HS, Lancaster CA

Dancing with Dad, 1985, Lancaster CA


19th Birthday, Irby WA


Then life threw us a curve and Jennifer wound up in a boarding school in Switzerland while here Dad and I were in Saudi Arabia.  It just about broke my heart to let her go at age 17 to a boarding school and oh, how I missed her.  She spent school breaks with us in Saudi or what ever country we were visiting.  However, boarding school gave her a great advantage I think in life...she learned to be independent, make her own choices and pay the consequences for the bad choices and reap the benefits of the good choices.  And gave her a great head start on college years.  She was so much more mature than most college freshmen, and yes, she probably taught them a few tricks from boarding school days.  She definitely was no saint!!!  :-)

New Ski gear, getting ready to leave for Boarding School, The American School in Switzerland, (TASIS) Dec, 1985

TASIS, we surprised Jenn at her graduation by bringing her cousins Sherrie and Denise along with us.  Check out the hair!!!


Over the years our relationship has grown from mother and daughter into mother, daughter and best friends.  She has turned out to be a wonderful person, caring, giving, loving and her circle of friends knows no boundaries.  She is still friends with kids from her grade school days!! 

As a daughter, Jenn has always been thoughtful...well most of the time.  There were times...but we won't go into that.  I am very fortunate to have her in my life, and so, here is to you Jennifer Joy....Happy 42nd Birthday.  Love you my baby girl.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Chowchilla, California

Chowchilla....someone mentioned this little town last night  and it got me to thinking.  This town is never far from my thoughts.  No, I am not from Chowchilla, (Azusa will always have that spot in my heart) nor have I ever really lived there, but I did spend a lot of time there.  However, it is a big part of my life and my girls lives as well.

Chowchilla is a small, sleepy town (or at least it was) in Central California.  I had never heard of it until the mid 70's when my sister and her husband moved there from Oregon.  I had to get the map out to see where it was!  There wasn't a lot there when she moved there...surrounded mostly by agriculture and right on Highway 99.  Back then the only reason you would have heard about this town was the Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping in 1976.  There was no prison in this town then, which has boosted the size and economy of this town tremendously.  It was, a sleepy, little town.  One I loved.  After my sister moved there my aunt and uncle also moved to Chowchilla...this town was really starting to become a part of my life. 

Then in 1980 my parents moved there...a perfect place to retire.  So, this small town became an intrigal part of my life as well.  All things centered on this town.  Al, Jenn and I would leave Lancaster, CA (where we were currently living) on a Friday after work to make the 250 mile trek to Chowchilla for the weekend with my parents and my family.  Melanie would migrate there from where ever she was living to see Grandma and Grandpa.  It had a hold on all of us! 

In 1984 my Dad died and was buried in Chowchilla.  I knew right then this town would always be in my thoughts and heart and that it would always be a big part of me. Mom lived there for a few years after Dad died, then she moved to Alta Loma, CA in January of 1988 and died in April of that year.  And yes, she went right back to Chowchilla to be buried next to my dad.  So, as you can see, Chowchilla has become a very big part of my life.  I will always be drawn to this not-so sleepy anymore little town.  It is part of the fabric of my life. 

Melanie lived there for a while as well and met and married her husband in Merced, which is 15 miles north of Chowchilla.  And two of my grandchildren were born in Merced, so I made a lot of trips to see them as well.  Unfortunately, this was after my parents died, but again, it was almost like I HAD to be a part of this town.

My niece still lives in Chowchilla, and we make a big effort to go through Chowchilla on our travels, even it it does take us a little longer to get where we are going.  I have so many fond memories of this town and what it represents to me.  The little white house on 13th street that mom and dad lived in; the little grocery store on the corner; the little bakery on main street; the little taco stand, etc.  So many memories........

The town has grown so much from what it was in the 80's.  There is a huge Women's Prison there now, which bought in more people and boosted the town's economy.  It has a lot of fast food places now, where there were NONE when my parents lived there...it even has a Starbucks now!!!  And it has one thing still near and dear to my heart...my parents.

So here is to you Chowchilla....a great little town with a big string attached to my heart.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Update on Al and other stuff

Well, here it is 18 days after "the fall" and Al is still in rehab.  Instead of going to a Skilled Nursing Facility as originally planned, it was decided that he could handle going straight to a rehab facility.  I was doubtful at first, and when he originally arrived at rehab I think they were doubtful as well.  He HAS to do at least 3 hours of rehab a day for Medicare to pay for it and to remain in rehab.  That is why we were doubtful.  He was very weak and not very cooperative.  Here we are almost 2 weeks later and he is doing wonderful in rehab.  It took him about a week to get with the program, but he was weak and tired from the surgery and he doesn't bounce back quickly.  Yesterday when I went in to see him he was sitting in his wheel chair (the only chair tall enough for him to get out of) and was in good spirits.  He can walk to the bathroom and back and can get in and out of bed and chair by himself.  He has also lost some weight, which is good.  His blood sugar and blood pressure is running right where it should be as well.  And his color is good; there for a while he looked pretty "gray" or "yellow".   His projected discharge date is Dec. 24, which I am so thankful for. 

In other news, well, there isn't any!  My life has pretty much revolved around going to the rehab facility or coming home from.  I can take the dogs into rehab and they love to go and the people there love to see them.  I have signed the dogs and I up for Therapy Dog classes and we start next month.  I think they will do very well.  Me?  Well I hope I can keep up with them!!!

Monday, December 06, 2010

Al's shoulder

On Dec. 1 Al fell and broke his left humerus at the shoulder.  He was walking down the handicap ramp we had built and his walker got away from him and down he went.  He had surgery on it on Dec. 4, they put in a plate, rod and pin. He really smashed it.  He is being discharged from the hospital today and will be moved to a Skilled Nursing Facility.  I have no idea how long he will be there, it could be up to 3 months, but I am hoping is will be shorter.  I hate to see all of this happening to him.  I try to take care of him, I really do, but I am learning there are just some things I can not prevent. 

I am trying to take care of myself.  Everyone tells me to "Take care of you" but I really don't know what that is or how to do it some days.  I have a friend whose husband recently went through a long illness and died and she said she really didn't know how to "take care of you" either.  What does that look like?  My daily life is wrapped up around Al and his needs.  Right now that is why I am here.  That is my main job.  I try to do things for myself as time permits, but sometimes it just isn't possible.  However, after saying that, I literally collapsed yesterday.  I took the poodles in for grooming yesterday morning; then went to the hospital.  I was at the hospital about 2 hours and then I started shaking, I was so cold, and weak.  I came home and was running a 101 temp and was cold, but hot.  I took a nap, knowing I would have to go pick up the dogs later in the day.  I finally realized that I was going no where, I was afraid to drive I was so weak and shaky.  Bruce and Holly to the rescue.  I called them and they went and picked up the very handsome, groomed, cleaned, fluffy poodles.  Whew!  And all I wanted to eat was Chicken Noodle soup and hot tea.  My sick food.  I didn't have any soup tho.  Denise to the rescue this time.  I am so very thankful for all the good friends we have around us.  Saturday while Al was in surgery Jude and Holly sat with me in a freezing, cold  waiting room. Apparently on Saturday they don't turn on the heat in the surgery waiting room because there is usually no one there!  Well, Jude found the thermostat...just as we were getting warm the doc came out and said surgery went fine.  Other friends, Jack and Sue have driven from Rio Rico, 80 miles south, to come see Al.  Gordon goes to see him every day, some times twice a day.  Gary and Jeannette have been so supportive to me, even tho Gary won't hang my outdoor Christmas lights!!!  Of course, he won't hang his own either!!!  :-)  Barb, our neighbor has been wonderful as well.  She is a hospice nurse, and she really helped when he fell.  And I can't forget to thank the Golder Ranch Fire Dept.  They sent 9 big, burly, fit, firemen up here to help get Al up when he fell.  I seem to be calling them way to often...but at least I get my firemen fix that way instead of stalking them in the grocery store!!!

So I am off to the hospital now.  Al will be moved right after lunch today.  But first, before the hospital, I am going to the chirocracker to get my back worked on.  YEA!!! 

Until the next up date, I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful day.

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