Rainy Day Blues

It's a perfect time to whine. It's likely to be a 'downer', so you may want to stop reading right here. If not, don't say I didn't warn you...LOL...

It's ugly outside. Gray, rainy, dreary. Matches my mood today, and I'm in the mood to whine.

Seems like bad news comes in droves. In my last blog, I wrote about my grandson Justen, and what he's facing with the revelation of the DiGeorge syndrome.

Last Friday my entire family was blown away by the news of our niece Tracey's husband Tim's sudden and TOTALLY unexpected death. Not yet 40. Went into the hospital for minor surgery. Complications set in, but they were able to get over that 'hump'. Friday Tracey shows up at the hospital to pick Tim up, only to be ushered into a private room and told that her husband has died. We are stunned. Tracey is coping as best she can, and especially hard is the fact that their 3 tiny boys are left without a daddy. And the heart breaker is that Zachary, their 6 week old newborn, will never know his daddy. Funeral is tomorrow, and of course our thoughts are with them, back there in Kentucky. Tracey would like to come out here and spend awhile with her parents, once everything settles down. I think it'd do her a world of good to be surrounded by her family. 29 is WAAAY to young to be a widow! RIP Tim, you will be missed.

Adding insult to injury, is Jessica's plight. She was playing with one of the dogs last night. She slipped and fell on her knee. POP! NOT good. Jimmy took her to the ER, then to the Orthopedist today. The diagnosis: A torn ACL-we're 99% sure she'll have to have surgery. Poor thing, I feel SO bad for her.

This is where the 'mom' in me tends to kick into high gear. I have to keep reminding myself that my kids are grown, and fully capable of handling their own situations, but that certainly doesn't stop me from wanting to step in and 'fix' everything. I know I can't, but when one of my kids (in-laws/grandkids included) are hurt or need something, I just want to run to them and make everything all better. I want to gather them all under my wings, like a mother hen with her chicks, and protect them from the evils of the world. I guess one never quits being a mom-thank God for that! I can't imagine what would happen if I were forced to give up that role!

Work....ahhhh....well, it halfway didn't happen today. I went and took care of my first gal this morning, came home & had lunch, then left to take care of my afternoon gal. Turns out they didn't need me because her daughter was home, and they forgot to call me. So here I am. It is what it is. Maybe tomorrow will be better. One can hope.

Stay home today if you can, it's just nasty out there~

Justen

By now most of you know the heartbreaking news about my 8 year old grandson Justen. He has a genetic chromosomal defect called DiGeorge Syndrome. It tricks one of the thyroid glands into thinking that the body doesn't need Calcium, therefore, robbing the body of this very important vitamin/mineral, whatever you call it. The repercussions can be very severe, from kidney damage, to bone damage, to heart problems, to name just a very few. Here is an excerpt from the email Jessica sent me, explaining more about the syndrome:

The specialist diagnosed Justen with Digeorge Syndrome. His developmental problems all these years don't appear to be from the anti-seizure medicine after all. Digeorge is genetic and something that affects you from birth. If you google it, you'll see it explains everything: the mild retardation, the hand cramps, the hearing and speech problems, the calcium deficiency and even some of his facial features. There is no cure, only treatments but they haven't actually figured out what to do with him yet. There is a treatment the doctor told Jimmy about but it's only meant for adults. Some kids have tried it but there have been no studies on the long term effects and so I don't know what we'll do. First step is to do more tests to see if there is any bone or kidney damage caused by the calcium deficiency going on so long without anyone knowing it. From here on, it's a matter of taking it day-by-day.

So, there you have it. But right now, I want to talk about Justen the little boy, not Justen the patient.

Justen's been a blessing right from birth. A healthy 8-pounder, he was, for the most part, a happy baby, aside from the wretched colic he suffered. His tiny little smile always lit up a room, and oh, that belly laugh of his would get us going EVERY time.

As he grew, so did his loving nature. He's always been such a lovebug, and still is! He's your typical 8 year old:very active, but never too busy to run up to Grandma and say 'I love you Grandma!', or 'Grandma, you're beautiful!'...ahhh...what a kid. Justen doesn't just have friends...he has BEST friends...LOL...most everyone is his 'best friend' and he never fails to tell them that.

As I mentioned earlier, Justen is active. Very active...LOL...if we could bottle his energy and sell it, we'd be rich! He loves to play with his dogs Kingston & Bailey. He likes to kick the ball around outside, although sometimes he gets a little carried away and needs to be reminded to 'settle down a little, buddy', and one of his 2 favorite pastimes is playing at the park across the street. His 2nd fave pastime is enjoying the title of 'Wii Bowling Champ'...yep, they have a Wii, and so far this little guy is an undefeated champ. It's an absolute riot to watch him 'bowl' on the Wii. He has his own style, and it earns him a strike 9 out of 10 times. We recently had a family night, and played Wii bowling, and everyone was just in stitches watching Justen do his thing. And yet Justen is in no way conceited or in-your-face. He simply bowls his strike, hands the controller to the next person, and walks away. It's amazing...LOL

He's got the biggest heart of anyone I know. He is so unassuming, and so undemanding, and simply wants to be loved. It's not unusual for him to drop what he's doing, and come give you a hug. Those are SOOO sweet. Daddy is his hero, and Jessica is his Velcro twin. He gravitates towards her, and a normal 'picture' is to see Jess sitting somewhere, and Justen curled up right next to her, if not in her lap. She's just the most wonderful stepmom to both kids, and someday they will realize how blessed they are to have her as their other mom.

So, as we deal with this recent development, we pray for wisdom and guidance on how to cope. Our prayer is that if there is any damage at all, it's minimal.

If you'd like to know more about DiGeorge Syndrome, you can google it. It's pretty comprehensive for MY thought process right now, so I keep refering back to it.

Please pray for our boy-he's so special to us.

We love you buddy.

T.G.I. OVER!!

Thank GOD it's OVER! This past week felt like the week from hell. Both of my ladies had a bad week, and to top it off, Justen had to be rushed to the ER late Wed night for some health problems-he's ok now, thank God.

With this warm Santa Ana weather we've been having, there's always a price to pay. For me it's been allergies 24/7, and not much relief. Ah, but I SO love the temperatures, VERY welcome to me.

Uh-oh, weather change. This does NOT make my sinuses happy campers, so now on top of allergies, I have aching, miserable sinuses. Happens every time the barometric pressure changes.

Now, all of this combined with the drama that plagued me all stinkin' week long, it's no wonder that I woke up about 4am yesterday morning with the mother of all migraines. Yeesh, just great. I have SO much to do this weekend, and I do NOT have time for this. Fortunately, My migraines have dwindled over the years, and now only last a day or two, but boy oh boy...MAJOR pain. Anyone who has migraines on a regular basis knows exactly what I'm talking about.

But I need to get down the hill THIS weekend, or it'll be at least 2 more weeks before my schedule is free.....so off we go. First stop, Walmart, get what I need there, then off to Costco, and by the time we'd loaded 2 carts (spent a FORTUNE, but won't have to go back for 6 months! LOL), I told Jim, 'I've gotta get outta here, NOW'. By then I was going into 'inability to function' mode. Couldn't get outta there fast enough to suit me!

Got home and unloaded the van, made a quick trip to Kmart, then back home to fix dinner and get ready for our 'date night' to the movies with Alissa & Justen. By now my stomach has SERIOUS issues, and dinner was the LAST thing I wanted to smell...but I made it for them, and forced myself to eat a small helping, thinking that it'd maybe help settle the tummy some. WRONG. We left about 5:45 to head down to Escondido to the theatre. About halfway down the hill I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm gonna lose my dinner.'...I grabbed a Dramamine that I'd wisely put in my purse, and took it with a sip of water, then focused on breathing in through my nose, and out through my mouth for the next 20 minutes or so, and by the time we got there, I was a tad better....BUT....now I had to 'GO'....oh cripes....I HATE 'going BIG' in a public restroom! Ok don't panic. Smart & Final is almost right next door, and they have a private little bathroom, so no worries. I ship Jim & the kids off to the box office and I head for Smart & Final...

About halfway through the movie 'Hotel For Dogs', which was a really cute movie, by the way, I started feeling better, and by the time we got back up the hill just after 9, I felt able to semi function, so I took the kids home & sat with them until Jimmy & Jess got home. Fortunately they came home soon, and i was home by 10.

Today, although still recovering, I am SO much better. Headache is 99% gone and I've gotten alot accomplished today.

We'll get results of Justen's blood work tomorrow too-and hopefully all that's wrong is a calcium deficiency that can be controlled with diet and calcium supplements, and he won't have any long-term effects from it...I'm praying for our little guy, as are alot of others.

Here's hoping that YOUR week is a good one!

Random Thoughts For A Sunday Afternoon

It's been a couple of hard weeks since my last post. A season of testing, and I must have passed the 'test', because God has blessed me with another client. And the schedule is perfect, because I can still keep Mary Kay in addition to this new lady. I still have all day Tuesday as a 'me' day, something that I love, love, love, because it's a day for PENNY, and what PENNY wants/needs to do. And I have Thur. mornings and Fri. afternoons free as well, but ahhh, that Tuesday. We're not supposed to 'covet' things, so I try to keep an open mind about Tuesdays. I also like to do whatever shopping I have to do during the week, because, as we all know, weekends are NOT good for shopping....ANYWHERE.

Am I getting older, or what? Don't answer that! I already know the answer! LOL...yes, I AM getting older, but far from decrepit, so don't start looking for my nursing home just yet you guys! Seems like it takes me longer to get my 'motor' running in the mornings than it used to. I generally get up about 30 minutes before Jim does on workday mornings, because it seems I need 1 cuppa, plus a 'warm-up' to clear the cobwebs and start functioning in a somewhat 'normal' fashion. On the weekends, you will typically find me still burrowed down in my jammies and the absolutely wonderful robe & slippers that Jessica got me for Christmas. It's SO hard to pull myself together and get dressed and active...but, I need to get back into church, so I need to start some self-discipline here..

Did our taxes online the other night, and now eagerly awaiting our nice return. That return means a desperately needed new roof. Once the roof is replaced, I can focus on scrubbing/ painting the water spots off the ceiling in our bedroom. Oh that leak....RIGHT over our bed-UGH. Our bedroom is very small, and we have a king size bed, so only 2 ways to arrange this room, and BOTH ways puts the middle of the bed right smack in the center of the room, which is exactly where the leaking is! NOT good, and in fact, last winter we actually had to sleep in the guest room for a few nights until it stopped raining enough for Jim to go out & put some plastic sheeting over said leak. The cats, which are NOT allowed in the guest room at all, were NOT happy that mom & dad were in that 'other' room. No more worries, kitties, mama's gettin' a new roof!

Watched Pey last night for a few hours while Katie went shopping with the gift cards she got for Christmas. Boy, that lil squirt can MOVE! Grandpa and I spent 4 hours RUNNING after her, literally! LOL...see, we have an accordion door that closes off the living room from the rest of the house. Typically we put our ice chest in the doorway when Peyton's there. That we we can get in & out of the kitchen, but said baby girl can only go as far as the ice chest. The ice chest is still at Brian & Katie's from our Fantasy Football party Friday night, so we though, 'well gee, she doesn't usually offer to go into any of the other rooms, so we're sure it'll be fine'.....NOT! LOL...she went exploring....the family room, the laundry room, the guest bathroom, the kitchen, and anywhere else she managed to make it to before her grandparents managed to catch up to her. It was such a game for her. She had a blast, and so did we.

This next Sat., if I'm lucky, I'll get to have Alissa & Justen. Dad & Jess have plans, so they'll get to hang with Grandma. I haven't seen them in almost 3 weeks, and I need a grandkid fix. I miss them so much. I'm trying to think of interesting and fun things to so while they're here, so if you have any ideas, by all means let me know! Given their choice, Justen would plant his face in Nickelodeon, and Alissa would be right here on the computer, playing games...then they'd switch...Alissa to Animal Planet, and Justen to the computer for more games....I'd like to do something different.

Well, that about wraps it up for now. Nothing exciting, just what the title implies: Random Thoughts. Have a good week...God Bless~