Pink Flamingo on Toast

Thinking about going to Word Press. Played with it a little this afternoon. Here's the link. http://gknee.org/wordpress Still deciding though...

Seems like I don't post much anymore. I guess Twitter and Facebook are getting my time lately. Plus I really don't have anything new to report. Seriously, our life is work, home and visiting the nursing home. We are both a little depressed about things. We try to make each other laugh each day but some days are harder than others. We visited MIL on Saturday and she got really mad at us because we didn't take her out for dinner. I think she has it in her head that she can do anything. I feel bad. *sigh* Ugh...depressing... Work is going good. I thought I might be moved to the work program but it looks like I'm going to stay in my current position. This makes me happy. I didn't want to abandon my kids. I can't believe that the holidays are nearly here. I'm really dreading this year as I know it's going to be tough on Jerry and his mom. We need to get her out shopping but that is really a chore. Maybe we'll need to break down and rent a ...

Today was a good day! Those have been few and far between. Jerry and I did all our errands in the morning. We took his car so we could enjoy the sunroof on this cool day. Temps were mild and the sun was shining. Jerry even stuck his head through the roof at one point. Fun... A couple of weeks ago, maybe it was last week, Jerry and I got roped into watching a Nuwave Pro Oven infomercial. We decided that we could be eating a lot more turkey if only we could cook it in a couple of hours and not all day. So we ordered one, it came sometime during the week. Today was the day we broke it in. We cooked a 6.5 lb-ish turkey breast in two and half hours. We thought it would take longer as per the cooking guide but thankfully I kept on eye on it. It turned out great! The skin was golden brown and the meat was nice and juicy. I'm looking forward to the roast to be "Nuwaved" later in the week. Tomorrow is another Jaguar game. The weather should be perfect and I'm ...

hehe...so yeah, I tripped last week going down the hall at the hospital. I didn't fall but Jerry and I did get a good giggle at how I looked. I think I pulled some crazy muscle in my lower back though. It started hurting on Friday. After the weekend I couldn't take it much longer and headed to the doctor. Yay for pain meds and muscle relaxers. I do have to say that while they allow me to sleep it is killing my brain processing for interpreting. Other things in life are going okay. MIL - is out of the hospital and back in the nursing home. She is still very swollen but Jerry says she is in a good mood. (I didn't visit her last night as I was knocked out on drugs) Work - Good...finding my groove in all my classes and remembering what my role is and keeping to it. Marriage - Wow..coming up on 13 years. Can you believe it. I can't imagine life without him. He keeps me laughing :) Family - I miss my family. I'm really thankful for Facebook as I feel it keeps ...

I thought with the summer that I might forget how to do my job. Nope! I am feeling more and more comfortable with my interpreting each day. I don't feel like the newbie anymore. Just last week I had a self assuring moment. Love those! Nice to know I am on the right track and progressing. I can see how one might become stagnant in this profession. I have to remind myself everyday that only I can improve my skills. As selfish as it sounds, I really need to focus on that. Come December I'm up for another Quality Assurance test. I'm really hoping to do well and have my work cut out. I also need to remember to take care of myself. One of the classes I'm interpreting for is touch. Lots of movies/tv without captioning. (Yes, I've expressed concerns about accessibility issues.) Those rapid fire conversations can wear out weary wrists. Feeling good about my journey right now!

The school year has started here in Jax. Kids start on Monday. I'm pretty excited. I am now interpreting at a High School instead of Middle school. I'm hoping the kids aren't as crazy but I'm sure they are just as nuts. I was excited to hear that the principal at the school is someone I've already worked for. He's wonderful! This week has been hectic with meetings and misunderstandings about things. Today it seemed to iron itself out and hopefully we'll all get into our grooves quickly. I loved having my summer off but really am looking forward to having something to do. With all the free time I tended to worry too much about things that I have no control over. (Family... medical drama...the cost of tea in china...you know..) So interpreting will be a nice change. (not that I can always control what comes off my hands...haha)

Wow...it flew by and dragged at the same time. It was supposed to be the summer of fun but it didn't turn out that way. Sure, Vegas was fun, although it wasn't really a vacation as Jerry had to work 14 hour days there. We barely left Caesars. I did get to see one of my dearest friends, Lloyd. I wish we had more time together. Our July trip to Northern Michigan was cancelled as my dad had some medical problems. Instead I spent two weeks in Lansing. Most of the time was spent shuttling back and forth between the Mom and Dad's place and the hospital. I did get to see all my siblings though. That was a HUGE bonus. Just wish we had more time together also. It seems to be the same theme as last year...hospitals, and medical drama. I'm really kind of tired of all that. It's wearing me down. Jerry too... So as summer wraps up, I'm looking forward to getting back to work. At least that will keep me from sitting around and thinking about the worst possible scenarios. Yes,...

So what is normal? Jerry and I are beginning to think that dealing with doctors and nursing homes is becoming part of our normal. Hopefully we can move forward with getting his mom into an Assisted Living place. Still sad that I've never seen her with her leg actually on. It's always tucked in a corner Dad is getting back to normal. Mom said he has been going downstairs with no problem. That's great. The good TV is down there that has captioning so he can actually enjoy the shows. Also the computer is down there so he can start tinkering with that too. Tabitha, our cat, is finally falling back into her routine too. Around 9:30 every night she is clamoring for her treats. Oh yea...My car's "check engine soon" light is on..that's normal for my little lemon of a car.

I'm back home again. We got back on Friday. It was great seeing my family, however the circumstances weren't ideal. Maybe next time we can actually plan a reunion picnic or something that doesn't involve hospitals. Mom and Dad called today, as they do every Sunday. I the Sunday call. If it's even seconds late, Jerry teases me about "what I did to get off the call list". Anyway, Dad is slowly healing. Sometimes I think they forget that it was just two weeks ago that things were so dire. I know it's hard for him to just sit around the house when you are used to being active. Slow and steady wins the race. I was excited to see Jerry's mom. Wanted to see her walk and maybe take her out, yeah...no. I asked Jerry if he was sure our last name wasn't Schleprock. She is battling a bout of congestive heart failure. Her nurse said she was doing lots better today. ....one leap forward a dozen steps backwards.... Today she was so sleepy th...

Last week my dad was admitted into the hospital with a major bowel obstruction. I know..TMI...anyway...He was admitted and they were trying all different kinds of things. On the 3rd day in the hospital (Saturday) he went into septic shock. The hospital called mom and told her to come right away and to bring someone with her. When she arrived, Dad was unconscious and they explained to her that if he survived the surgery (20% chance of survival) that his organs would be destroyed, He would be on a tracheotomy and would have at least a year of being in a nursing home/rehab center. The doctors even asked if Mom really wanted them to even do the surgery or to "Just let him go". She said "yeah...do it". Into surgery he went, three hours later he was out and they said he would be in a medicine induced deep sleep (coma lite). I arrived on Sunday expecting the worst. Much to everyone's surprise Dad was awake. HA! Take that you silly doctors!! He's had a ...

Finding an Assisted Living Facility that will take care of MIL is becoming quite a chore. Most of it is waiting by the phone for case workers to call or looking in the mailbox for applications. What a daunting process. Surely there is an easier way. And how do seniors afford it? Who has four thousand dollars a month to spend on that? Dad is back in the hospital with a major bowel obstruction. Probably due to adhesions from his bladder removal, although I'm guessing it's his hernia acting up again. Hopefully he will only be in for a day or so. Honestly, I have no clue how I'm not a quivering mass of geletin right now. This has been a LONG year.

Wow...Time flies when you are going on trips every two weeks. (Tee hee hee) Two down, one to go. I'm excited about going to Michigan. I think we will enjoy the break from the heat and humidity here. Plus I get to see my folks. It's been too long since I've seen them. No big plans for the 4th. Maybe someone will invite us out or something fun..who knows. *shrug* In other news, Jerry's mom is ready to move to a place that she can "live" a little. Hopefully we can find a place soon so she can get settled. This is going to be a pain in the neck but hopefully it will be worth it. Keep your fingers crossed!

It's that time of year where I travel to Orlando to attend Silent Weekend. It's a great opportunity for me to hone my skills and see my buddies. From around 9pm on Thursday until 5pm on Saturday there is no voices allowed. You can sign, gesture, notes..whatever it takes to communicate with fellow attendees and the staff at the hotel. I love it! It wonderful practice and I learn bunches. I'm taking a break (for breakfast, that I dropped so I had to have yogurt...gah) because I just got back from a juggling class. Yes, I said Juggling. It is supposed to help with visual processing and hey....that's just what I do I'm off to learn more!

...back to reality! Jerry and I are back from Vegas! Had a great time doing a lot of nothing. Jerry had to work a lot. I think he had three 14 hour days in a row. What did I do during that? Hmm...well...shopped, drank, gambled, drank, watched TV, sat by the pool, read, let towels on the floor, shopped. It was great to get away from Jacksonville and all the stress that is here. So reality is settling back in. Jerry's mom had an appointment to get her prosethetic but because the nursing home hasn't been following directions her leg was too swollen and they had to postpone it until this Thursday. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for that!

I knew I was going to be on my own most of the day so I decided to just grab my Kindle, and iPod and head down to a shady spot at the pool. I was tucked away in my little corner, ordered a bloody mary and started to read. Apparently I wasn't the only on avoiding the sun. Two woman moved toward my table and we nodded politely like a good citizen should and giggled about how it was nice to be in the shade. Well...that turned into two hours of me gabbing with these 3 woman who could be my mother. It was incredible. Dorthea, Vicki and Sue touched me. They were all wonderful souls and it was a pleasure spending the afternoon with them at the pool. Dorthea was a supreme court, court reporter. WOW...that's cool! Vicki had been a Vice President of a bank but felt she was doing immoral things years ago and retired, Now she volunteers. Sue works for a Horse Vet so she and Dorthea who loves horses talked about that. Usually spending the afternoon with a bunch of woman who could be my moth...

Woke up at the crack of dawn. Jerry had a golf outing and had to be out the door at 6am. I got up, leisurely got dressed and headed down for breakfast. Hit the slots for a few and then headed back to the room for a nap. So far..vacation rocks! Woke up and hit the Forum Shops . My taste in shopping does NOT fit my budget. I love shiny sparkly things. I didn't buy anything but a $2.95 20oz Diet Mt. Dew. I know...I can live it up...heh. Decided to gamble a little more....yeah..I'm not very good at that too. Thankfully my friend from college called and we decided to meet. So around 2pm we headed out to the pool bar and chat. 4 hours later....Our stomachs hurt so much from laughing that we decided we needed some food. Jerry had a reception that he had to go to so we headed to the Mesa Grill for some apps and more drinks. Queso Funditos and Coffee Patrone ..nuf said! Jerry finished and the three of us headed to the Peppermill for some dinner. Very pink...very neon and pr...

We landed about 3:40 local time. Feeling a little jet laggy. We got into our room around 5:30pm, then a quick dinner and penny slots. It's 8pm local time (11pm home time) and I'm pooped. Jerry has to be up and downstairs at 6am. Oof...glad I'm on Vay-cay! I think tomorrow I'll hit the Forum Shops. (Already went into the Coach shop...love their little wristlets.) Ok...being lame and getting some rest.

It's been a busy month... Work has been hectic with all the end of the year tests. The kids are antsy and now I know why teachers and staff enjoy the summers off. I'm ready too! Jerry's mom had a bout with congestive heart failure and was in the hospital last week. She's back in the nursing home and we are hoping that she'll get her prosthetic leg soon. She is down to wearing the liner sock that she'll use with her prosthetic. I'm gearing up for fun (tragedy pending). We head to Vegas on June 8th! Jerry's company has a conference that will last the week and I'm going to ...well... get away from it all. I look forward to swilling down some dirty martinis, playing with the one armed bandits and doing a lot of people watching. After that I have a couple weeks to get ready for Silent Weekend . Not only will I hone my signing skills but I get to do it with some wonderful people. I miss my FCCJ classmates Two weeks after that we head to Michigan to hang o...

Wii Fit - I love this thing. I still suck at the Hula Hoop but at least I try to improve. The little voice that talks to you can be annoying especially when you step on and it says "Eww". heh... It's helping though, and that's what counts. Work - Last quarter, Yay!! Spring has sprung in the middle school and the drama is high. I'm just thankful I can go home and be kid free. The district is still trying to find ways to cut the budget. Maybe if we didn't cut the property taxes we could actually pay for things the state needs. Gah! Family - Everyone on my side is doing fairly well. My little niece had a Cystic Fibrosis related issued the past couple weeks. She is due to head home. Her family is going through a transition, they moved from Michigan to Texas and are still trying to find their groove. My oldest brother just retired from GM. Apparently he is loving it, according to Mom. It was crazy, they could keep him and move him back to the "line" for ...

What a beautiful Saturday! Jerry and I decided to head under the bridge and attend the Riverside Arts Market . A sea of people, the smell of wonderful food and the sounds of many different performers strewn throughout the underpass. It was great to see all the people there. Parking was *fun*. We ended up about 4 blocks away which was good excercize for us Check it out..it's pretty cool!

Today is the start of my Spring Break Jerry and I are taking a little trip to the beach for a few days. This will be our first vacation since June of last year. I can't tell you how excited I am to get out of town. Sure, we're only going to St. Augustine, but for a few days I can pretend to be a tourist. I found us a place right on the beach so we can stare at the ocean for hours. The weather this weekend is supposed to be icky but by Sunday, when we leave, it's expected to be sunny and warm. I just hope I can get my kite up at least one time while we're at the beach. I don't know what it is about flying a kite that makes me so happy, but it does

This is the time of year where I tend to take stock of my life. Check to see if I need a kick in the pants, or if I can float along the lazy river, or maybe a little bit of both. Life if pretty good and 42 doesn't scare me. It's the answer to the ultimate question of Life, the Universe, and Everything...right? How will I spend this event? Working...and it's going to be a stressful day tomorrow. More FCAT testing. Science. After work, Jerry and I will head up to the home to visit his mom and then come home and collapse. It's okay though, because most of my life is fun and carefree. I'm feeling pretty lucky

March 4th I've been bed ridden the past few days. I went to work on Monday but I probably should have stayed home. It started on Friday night. I went to the doctor hoping to get something but alas it's a cold and I just have to wait it out. I don't like colds. This one is unusually bothersome. Constant sinus headache, burning nose and a hacking cough. Yay me... Enough about that...I don't think I've talked about Dad lately. He's doing great, according to Mom. His last appointment went well and was told to come back in 3 months. I'm thankful he bounced back so well. It amazes me actually, compared to what we've been dealing with here in Florida with Jerry's Mom. Mom-in-law is healing, and they have a shrink wrap sock on her leg to help the swelling and make it easier to fit the prosthetic. Hopefully the will start soon. I think I've said that before...*sigh* Jerry said that when he talked to her today she was a little ...umm...gr...

Until spring break! Still trying to figure out what we are doing. I know we'll be doing something even if I have to drag Jerry out by his ears Who knows where we'll go or what we'll do. Cruise...Savannah...Disney...it's all up in the air.

I'm a lucky girl. Cupid is always flying over our house. Valentine's Day is just another day here. I get thoughtful gifts through out the year so ones with big "BE MINE" aren't necessary. We spent yesterday with Jerry's mom. We rented a wheelchair van again and picked her up to go to lunch and shopping. Over all it was a good day. She ate a plate full of bite size shrimp and a huge baked potato and later bought herself some snacks and cute tops. I guess the only downer was that she is no longer as strong as she was. She can't even get into the wheelchair by herself. I have tomorrow off due to President's day. I'll be spending it with the laundry. Wheeee!

Life is full of them! The poor students at school have been tested a lot. Today they took their write test. I wasn't fortunate to be in the testing room but I heard that they all did pretty well. I hope so, they have been writing for weeks now. Plan, focus, write...over and over and over. Now they have a month before they take the math, reading and science test. Wheee!? I forget that I have tests in my life as well. Tonights Weight Watchers meeting was one. I wasn't looking forward to weigh in as I hadn't really made the best food choices this week. Sure, I was in my points but I should have had more fruits and veggies. Also I needed to drink a lot more fluids that I have. I sometimes forget to drink things..weird I know. Turns out that I still had a loss which makes my fretting seem silly. Wasn't much but I'll take it! Another test I'm (we're) facing is patience. Jerry's mom is still in the nursing home and lately it seems like she isn...

So it's 39° here in Jax. Brrr! I know...it's much colder in other parts of the country...sure sure...I have definitely developed a thin skin as far as surviving the cold. I now wear slippers...slippers...Sure I wore them in Michigan but in FL? I actually wore my leather coat today with gloves. My hands are my life so I have to protect them. In other news, Dad is doing great! Mom said he gets tired but that's to be expected. Jerry's mom apparently fell, although the nursing home didn't contact us but she is fine. (So she says.) Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) test are coming up at school. The kids are antsy and so are the teachers. Next week we start the fun, have a month of more intense teaching before the next set. OOF! I don't remember having so many standardized tests. WW is going well. My taste buds are changing I think *shrug* I've forgotten how good a cook I am

Rules: Write 25 things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. 1. I collect flamingos. 2. I enjoy "Historical" vacations. Show me a Fort or some Indian mounds and I'm happy. 3. Favorite color is green and then purple and then pink. 4. I always wanted to be in a band and name it "Tofu Iguana". 5. I often say names of places wrong. For example: Flagstaff becomes Stagflap *shrug* 6. In school I used my nick name Jeannie and in college decided I needed to grow up and use my given Jeanne (FR) but can't being called "Jean". In a drunken stupor Lloyd Ziel wrote my name Gknee and it stuck. Now most of my friends just spell it that way. 7. I met my husband on IRC in 1995. 8. I once had a $2400 phone bill. 9. I once managed a condo-hotel in Charlevoix, Michigan. 10. I've had a gun pointed at me by ...

A few years ago it was established that Mom and Dad would call here on Sunday morning at around 11am. They call from their cell phone and use the speaker phone so they can both hear and talk. The past few weeks it's just been me and mom talking on the phone, as Dad was in the hospital. Today, Dad's voice was the first I heard. It was great!! I am always surprised at how the little things are the things that move me the most. His appetite is back and although he gets winded right now he is out and about. The night Dad got home from the hospital my mom fell and bruised her tail bone and twisted her knee. If it's not one thing it's another. She said that she was doing better too. Ugh...I need to bubble wrap my parents! While, planning for a phone call every Sunday can sometimes put a crimp on planning the day, today I anxiously waited for the phone to ring. Did I mention it was great?

I've forgotten just how much food you actually have to eat on Weight Watchers. Wait..let me say that differently... I can't believe how much healthy food you can eat for the same amount of points of fast food. I actually have to have a little snack before bed to make sure my machine of a body gets enough fuel. Wheeee...snacks before bed makes this pudge happy

I *am* in shape! Round is a shape! - Garfield the cat. That's me....round. Tomorrow, I start yet another journey in life. I'm rejoining Weight Watchers for the umpteen time. Tuesdays nights will be my meeting nights which mean weigh in (WI) nights. Oof...I hate this, but I hate being obese more. I don't think I've ever blogged about this before so this is new too. I decided to go public for accountability. I need that... I've already signed up online and paid my first month. I have set up the mobile Weight Watcher site on my phone. Tomorrow after meeting, Jerry and I are going to go grocery shopping. I'll have all the information fresh in my brain so that should be good. Never eat more than you can lift. - Miss Piggy

Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. Today Jerry took the day of to be with me We went to Target and got a new toilet seat. Wheeee! Then we stopped by one of our favorite eateries, Tijuana Flats. Being throughly stuffed we headed home to play Animal Crossing and nap (I didn't nap...) We headed to the nursing home to visit Jerry's mom. She was pretty upbeat which put my helped ease my worrying. We were both in the mood for some seafood after that so we headed over to Crystal River . They have good grilled shrimp. Jerry knows that sometimes I like to be waited on instead of getting something to bring home so we ate at the restaurant. It's true...I want people pampering me for a change! So nothing drastic today...but a bunch of little things that made me realize just how lucky I am!

Work - 4 day weekend! Yay! This little mini break is great timing. I know I just had 2 weeks off, but with all that is going on I needed this break. I'm finding myself frustrated with the littlest things. Dad - He's back in a regular room. Still isn't eating but I called him tonight and if the belly x-ray is good tomorrow he'll start with water. Slowly making progress. Mom - Freaked me out as she didn't answer the home phone or her cell for 3 hours. How dare she have a life Mom-in-law - hmmm...she isn't doing her rehab and I'm not sure she really wants to get better. I don't know if depression is settling in or what...I worry about her.

Dad is still in ICU. I talked to the nurses today and they said that he is getting better in some aspects. They lowered his oxygen so that it's not forcing it's way and is just a regular flow, and his blood oxygen numbers are good. So that's good. Still can only have ice chips though The nurse said something about clamping something to see if he gets nausea. I know he is getting tired of being sick. The nurse said the same. She did say that he does get flustered but always apologizes. That's good to hear acutally. Self aware is a good thing. I talk to my mom at least once a day. I can hear it in her voice that she is tired. I know from experience that going up to the hospital can take a toll on you quickly. Hopefully she won't have to for much longer. The is rumors that Dad maybe moving to a normal room soon. [insert air quotes here]  I wish I had more news...but I don't. Jerry's mom is doing pretty well. Still in the nursing home and s l ...

My dad had his bladder removed Saturday due to cancer. He was/is doing okay. The nurses didn't really like that his blood oxygen was so low so they put him on some oxygen. It got a little better so he was relieved from the mask and given the little nose thingies. Well..today he developed a slight fever..in fact Mom said the doctor told him it wasn't really a fever but he was feverish. Whatever that means.... Apparently Dad isn't filling his lungs fully and so that is why his oxygen levels are down. They moved him to ICU and told him he needs to breathe deeper or cough to get those lungs full. I know he doesn't want to cough because his poor abdomen is probably sore from the bladder removal. I hate being so far away... I told my mom I could be there in hours and she told me "no"....hmm....I don't want to upset her...but...it's my dad...gah...worst feeling in the world...helplessness...

Tomorrow means that Jerry and I are back to work and life starts it's daily grind again. The Christmas break seemed short and a tad stressful. Only 12 days until my next long weekend! In other news, my dad just had surgery to have his bladder removed and is recovering in the hospital. Keep your fingers crossed that they got all the cancer, please!

I can't say I'm going to miss 2008. It has been both wonderful and tragic year. Last night Jerry and I were talking about how we were both glad to have 2008 behind us. Then I mentioned that I had gotten my degree and found a job. It was nice to remember something nice from this past year instead of all the bad things. My hope for 2009 is that I can take whatever comes our way with dignity and grace and that I have the courage to see things through. I have the same hope for my friends and family. _\,,/