Can 2005 be over, already??!!

Well, you know those days when you're scared to ask, 'What next?'? I think I'm headed down that path. First of all, Jeff's brother, JoeDon, fell out of his wheelchair last Thursday and has been at home in bed ever since. For those of you who don't know, JoeDon is physically and mentally handicapped as the result of trauma from surgery to remove a brain tumor when he was a child. He is partially paralyzed on one side of his body and doesn't have much strength to begin with, so he cannot pull himself up into his chair because he's too sore. We're worried that it's going to take him a long time to work out any soreness laying in bed, and it pus him at an increased risk for blood clots from the inactivity. Plus, he's staying at his parents house, requiring their care at a time when they're already dealing with the illness of Jeff's aunt Norma. This just adds to their stress and I want to help them, but I can't from here with the kids home.
Norma died peacefully on Tuesday afternoon. She was sedated and basically went to sleep. I know her immediate family is sad, but at the same time they're relieved it's over. Her funeral is tomorrow; honestly not really looking forward to it (as if anybody ever does) but will go because I really liked her and her husband, Elmer, and for Jeff's family. Jeff needs to go to soothe his dad's hurt feelings, a result of his worries about his sister, a rushed phone conversation and misunderstanding about the pressures Jeff faces trying to schedule contractors for his grandmother's house inbetween surgeries. Plus they're both too stubborn for their own good. Jane & I sometimes just want to give them a good kick in the rear. Not that it would do any good.......
Wednesday morning I'm in my accountant's office scraping together info he's been asking for all year but really needs before 12-31 when I notice Kendall's ear is all crusty. Great. Not only has she ruptured her eardrum, but its the right one (the other two times it was the left) and it probably happened sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning and I didn't even notice until Wednesday morning. So I guess I'll slip down a few notches on the candidate list for Mother of the Year. So back to Dr. Vest's office to see Kevin, his PA, for more antibiotic drops and decongestants and wait-and-seeing. And just Sunday when my mom asked me about her ears I was like "Oh she's doing great!!! No visits to Dr. Vest until her hearing test next summer!!". Yeah right. My foot looks like Swiss cheese from me shooting myself there so many times........
Today they moved Jeff's grandmother and uncle out of their house on 10th street by the college to their new one on Kirby. The move is NOT by choice; ECU wants the land to build something on and basically pressured them to move. They thought Jeff's uncle was just holding out for more $$$, but the truth is that his grandmother barely leaves the house and he was worried about the stress the move would cause her. He was hoping to be able to wait until after she'd passed away, but the college kept pressuring them and they found this house so today was the day. To spare Genevive the stress of watching them disassemble her home of 40+ years Jeff's mom brought her over here until they at least had her new room all set up for her. She did pretty well but it took a lot longer than she thought it would and she was tearful and shaky by the time they took her to her new house. Poor girl. Moving is stressful enough, but she also knows that they're going to tear down her old house. Hopefully she'll adjust.
Anyhoo, I guess I'm stressing about all this on some level, because I'm having trouble sleeping and my mouth is breaking out in all these little ulcers. Sigh. At least I get to have a night at the movies tonight, thanks to a wonderful friend of mine, and tomorrow I have a New Years Eve-Eve party. The things that would really cheer me up right now?? 1. Some alone time with the hubby. I think his name starts with a J.... 2. For the Sooners to make a good showing tonight at the Holiday Bowl. Notice no watch-party at the Hoods this year; we were thinking maybe we were jinxing them. 3. For Texas to whip up on USC. Not that I'm rooting for Texas, mind you, I'm just really against USC. Now THAT would really make my day........
So out with the old and in with the new and all that jazz. I hope everybody's holidays have been wonderful and 2006 is full of promise for you and your family. Cheers!!

Only Rambling.....but at least it's a post!!!!

I don't know if it's the time of year or if it was reading Roz's blog about her father's birthday, but I've been thinking a lot about my dad lately. He died 10 years ago this past June and there are still times where I miss him so much it hurts. I was (and still am) one of those little girls who adored their Daddy and was lucky enough to know that he adored me, too. We always had a good relationship and I have lots of wonderful memories of him. I remember him calling me at OU on my 19th birthday when he was in Australia on a business trip; we talked as two adults for almost an hour. I shudder to think how much that call cost, but he didn't care. Having grown up with only an older brother, he sometimes had trouble understanding us females in general, but he tried. My depression my senior year in college, the spring before he died, was something totally foreign to him, but he was always supportive of me, which made me love him even more. Kendall is named for him (Kenneth) and I think she is a constant channel for all his stubborn genes and impish behavior. I think that some of the times I miss him the most are when I see the girls with Jeff's dad and the wonderful relationship they have. It's very hard sometimes to know that I won't be able to see that kind of relationship between my girls and my dad. I want them to know about him, that I actually did have a dad myself, even if they've never seen him in person, but I don't want to shove it down their throats or take anything away from their relationship to Don.

I think another reason this is all on my mind is that Jeff's aunt Norma, the woman who, with her husband Elmer, was our free and trusted babysitter for Maggie her whole first year of life. You couldn't ask anything better than a couple of grandparents missing their own grandchildren to come spend time with yours just becuase they want to. Anyway, she has been at Mercy heart hospital for almost two weeks for what they originally thought was congestive heart failure. She was later diagnosed with pneumonia, but for whatever reason the docs were eventually moved to do a lung biopsy this past Monday. The biopsy showed she has pulmonary fibrosis; basically the tissue in her lungs is hardening into scar-like tissue, which doesn't function very well for breathing. They don't know the exact cause in her case, but there is no cure for it. She has had trouble breathing and has been on a vent since the biopsy and is not doing well at all. They were going to try one more last ditch breathing treatment this morning, but the docs really don't hold out much hope and if it fails she will probably be taken off the vent tomorrow, per her wishes. Most likely she'll only live for a short time after that, but she's pretty sedated and would basically go to sleep. My heart just aches for her immediate family; her husband Elmer is a former Marine who looks tough but is just a big 'ole teddy bear who adores my kids. I know he is heartbroken at the thought of letting her go but will do it because she would hate to be kept alive without hope. Please keep them in your prayers.

To me, Christmas should be about family, so I guess it makes sense to think about all of them, living or not, this time of year. I just am trying to be greatful for the joy they brought to my life and the countless blessings they gave to me. I know my dad is up there somewhere, watching over us, laughing at the antics of his granddaughters. I hope we make him proud.

Don't be getting all worried about me. I'm OK, just keeping my memories close and alive in my heart. I firmly believe that talking about those you love whenever are really missing them keeps them close when you need them.

Merry Christmas, everybody. May it be wonderful for you all.