Wow, it finally hit home this afternoon. Michael Joseph Jackson really is gone from this world at just 50 years of age.
My day started as it usually does. I got up around 8 a.m., collected the trash and recycling and set it outdoors for pick up. Then, I proceeded to the backyard to work on the pool. Since Mike is off today I thought I'd vacuum the pool so he and Aaron could break down the filter and clean it really well. We should be set for the rest of the summer with just routine chemicals and backwashing. As it turns out, the pressure was so high I had to backwash first then vacuum the pool and backwash again. Aaron stayed out to help me for a few minutes and then he locked me out when he went in! Funny how when we want the kids to lock the doors they're left unlocked; then when we need them to leave them unlocked, they lock them out of habit. Go figure. I stayed outdoors pulling weeds until Aaron responded to my pounding on the sliding glass door. I refused to march around to the front of the house in my nightgown. The privacy of my own backyard is one thing. I'd hate to scare the neighbors to death and make a spectacle of myself in the process.
I came in, ate a bowl of cereal and showered so I could take Aaron to the doctor to see about his earache. It turns out it was otitis externa otherwise known as "swimmer's ear." My alcohol/vinegar solution would help dry up the fluid but not help with the actual infection itself. So, antibiotic ear drops were prescribed. I dropped Aaron by home then headed to Wal Mart to drop off the prescription. I ventured as far as Tom Thumb to return the mealy watermelon I had purchased last week (they gave me my money back as well as a replacement watermelon! how's that for "satisfaction guaranteed"?), the library to return a couple of items, and the bread store. Aaron's prescription wouldn't be ready until 3 p.m. so I returned home where I caught the remainder of Michael Jackson's memorial.
What an emotional remembrance! Lionel Richie singing "Jesus is Love" took me way back. Rev. Al Sharpton choked me up some when he started thanking Michael for all he was to so many. When Brooke Shields took the stage, I knew she wouldn't be able to keep her composure and mine crumbled a bit, too. The phone kept ringing, and I just let it ring.
At 3 p.m. I returned to Wal Mart to pick up Aaron's ear drops: almost $20 for a tiny bottle containing 10 mL. That's 2 teaspoons and the generic drug! I can only imagine what the name brand without insurance must cost. I also picked up a few groceries while I was in Wal Mart. I headed back to the library to pick up the same book I had returned earlier today. I had already renewed it once and could not renew it again, so I had put in a request for the same book so I could finish reading it. I had no idea they would give me the same copy right back! Talk about an extra trip (notice I did no say a waste of a trip)! I won't say it was for nothing, though, because Alisa came with me and checked out a couple of movies for tomorrow's "movie night." I came home and took a nap until I answered a call from Barrett who was in need of some words of encouragement.
In keeping with our "Tex-Mex Tuesday" theme, we had "taco nachos" for dinner and watermelon liquados for dessert. The kids hopped in the pool for a spell while I prepared the taco meat and doctored up the cheese sauce. Aaron was doing "football drills" in the shallow end and, hopefully, being mindful not to get that ear wet.
I passed by Barrett's place and left a couple of items figuring he could use some cheering up when he got in from work. I taught Alisa how to play backgammon and we started a game. Mike finished my round because Barrett had been by his apartment and then came by to inquire as to who could have possibly left the card, balloon and smiley face "cookie" (frosted cake top) in his apartment. Alisa, Aaron & I played UNO after Alisa won at backgammon. (Tonight was game night on Alisa's calendar of events for the month.)
Even having had a nap earlier, my eyes are drooping right about now. I'm certain I did or will leave out some boring little details, but I am fading fast. Tomorrow I need to get in gear and really accomplish something meaningful around this house! I need to organize my stuff for the scrapbook retreat and help Alisa get some things together for Lani's garage sale this Saturday so we can deliver it before I leave on Friday. I've determined that my first step to getting this house organized is: I must clear out the "workout room" which is about to be transformed into my scrap/craft room. That will free up some space in my office, so I can make better (functional) use of that space for studying and household stuff like paying bills and clipping coupons. It is all so overwhelming. I sometimes joke that after my career in nursing gets off the ground, my next job will be as a personal organizer. People will pay me big bucks when they see my own "before and after" pictures! If only I could ever get to the "after" part. I definitely have my work cut out for me! (By the way, guess who never did break down the pool filter, so the pump isn't running and the algae is growing?) Good night. Until next time...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Summertime and the living is easy
Well, I hope you like my sense of patriotism. This new background is a bit much, but rest assured that I will tone it back down by the end of the week. I had fun editing all of the features. I got a "late" start this morning (i.e., I slept in until 8 a.m.), but it was still damp and not too hot when I went outside to scoop & brush the pool. Aaron called me in around 8:40 to make sure I got him to Gunn Junior High in time for the weight training program which began at 9:00. I ate a bowl of cereal and milk, dropped him around the corner at school (tried to convince him to walk and spare Mother Earth the extra exhaust from yet another car on the road without success), and returned home to update my blog. By the time I finished, it was time to leave and pick up Aaron. Meanwhile, Mike had arisen from his slumber and was in the kitchen washing up the few dishes left in the sink (I add this so that you all can remind me that Mike does help around the house sometimes when I'm tempted to say Mike never does anything except work, sleep and eat).
So, what did I do for the rest of the day? That's a good question! Let's see, I spoke to my mom, Lani and Barrett while sitting down. Usually, I'm up multi-tasking while on the phone. And, I tinkered on the computer. Oh yeah, let's not forget the 50 NCLEX practice questions on uncomplicated pregnancy.
Alisa and I set the timer for fifteen minutes and challenged ourselves to clear off the kitchen island. I was distracted with a phone call and didn't quite get around to finishing that project, but I plan to do it before I retire for the night.
I also braided Aaron's hair for him. It looks as if it is going to come down if I look at it the wrong way...still a little too short for my inexperienced fingers. Maybe I'll call Mrs. Monica tomorrow and ask if she can hook him up for me. Surely, her braids will last longer than mine! Aaron is also complaining of an earache--probably too much river water in that right ear. I've been alternating vinegar/alcohol solution and Similasan ear relief drops, but the relief is only temporary. I'll probably have to make him an appointment tomorrow to have the ear looked at.
Alisa and Mike planned our "picnic" menu for dinner: hamburgers, hot dogs, beans, chips, pink lemonade and mint tea. They had to make a run to the store for lettuce and ice. That reminds me of what else I did today...sorted, rinsed, presoaked and cooked a pot of red beans. I added a little fresh chopped jalapeno at the end along with some Tony Chachere creole seasoning. Mmmm, were they tasty. We enjoyed a tasty "picnic" dinner outdoors by the pool. The temperature was in the 80's and actually felt quite pleasant. Because it wasn't quite dusk, the insects weren't bad, either. Way to go, Alisa-good call on eating outdoors! The kids jumped in for a while after we ate. I brushed and scooped some after they swam.
Tomorrow is game night according to the calendar Alisa & I put together last month for what we'd do once I was done with summer school, so I printed out the rules for backgammon from the internet (it's been forever since I've played). Even though it's really a two-player game, it's the only one Mike agreed to play with us. He says there's some way to play "teams." We'll see.
While I didn't accomplish everything on my list of things to do (mainly laundry from the trip), I did get quite a bit done. I'm sure my day is not over yet. I know Mike is awaiting a haircut, and there are a few dishes in the sink from dinner-I couldn't possibly expect Mike to do dishes twice in the same day. The kids wanted ice cream for dessert, too.
I will sort the laundry and put on a load, serve up ice cream, wash the dishes, clear the kitchen island, cut Mike's hair, transfer the clothes from the washer to dryer, start another load then retire for the night. Sounds like a plan to me. Good night. Until next time...
So, what did I do for the rest of the day? That's a good question! Let's see, I spoke to my mom, Lani and Barrett while sitting down. Usually, I'm up multi-tasking while on the phone. And, I tinkered on the computer. Oh yeah, let's not forget the 50 NCLEX practice questions on uncomplicated pregnancy.
Alisa and I set the timer for fifteen minutes and challenged ourselves to clear off the kitchen island. I was distracted with a phone call and didn't quite get around to finishing that project, but I plan to do it before I retire for the night.
I also braided Aaron's hair for him. It looks as if it is going to come down if I look at it the wrong way...still a little too short for my inexperienced fingers. Maybe I'll call Mrs. Monica tomorrow and ask if she can hook him up for me. Surely, her braids will last longer than mine! Aaron is also complaining of an earache--probably too much river water in that right ear. I've been alternating vinegar/alcohol solution and Similasan ear relief drops, but the relief is only temporary. I'll probably have to make him an appointment tomorrow to have the ear looked at.
Alisa and Mike planned our "picnic" menu for dinner: hamburgers, hot dogs, beans, chips, pink lemonade and mint tea. They had to make a run to the store for lettuce and ice. That reminds me of what else I did today...sorted, rinsed, presoaked and cooked a pot of red beans. I added a little fresh chopped jalapeno at the end along with some Tony Chachere creole seasoning. Mmmm, were they tasty. We enjoyed a tasty "picnic" dinner outdoors by the pool. The temperature was in the 80's and actually felt quite pleasant. Because it wasn't quite dusk, the insects weren't bad, either. Way to go, Alisa-good call on eating outdoors! The kids jumped in for a while after we ate. I brushed and scooped some after they swam.
Tomorrow is game night according to the calendar Alisa & I put together last month for what we'd do once I was done with summer school, so I printed out the rules for backgammon from the internet (it's been forever since I've played). Even though it's really a two-player game, it's the only one Mike agreed to play with us. He says there's some way to play "teams." We'll see.
While I didn't accomplish everything on my list of things to do (mainly laundry from the trip), I did get quite a bit done. I'm sure my day is not over yet. I know Mike is awaiting a haircut, and there are a few dishes in the sink from dinner-I couldn't possibly expect Mike to do dishes twice in the same day. The kids wanted ice cream for dessert, too.
I will sort the laundry and put on a load, serve up ice cream, wash the dishes, clear the kitchen island, cut Mike's hair, transfer the clothes from the washer to dryer, start another load then retire for the night. Sounds like a plan to me. Good night. Until next time...
Home again, home again, jiggedy jig
Sunday, July 5, 2009
It felt good to sleep in until after 9 a.m. again. I told the kids we would head down to the river one more time before loading up and heading for home. So, I packed up most of my things and headed to the main house to see if there was any activity going on in there. Pee Paw and a newcomer named "Mike" were sitting in the rockers on the front porch. Olie called Mike "Grandpa" so I'm guessing maybe he is Doreen's father. Doreen and Olie (I believe that's short for Olita) were up and fixing a bite to eat for breakfast-fruit, a fruit & grain bar, goldfish crackers. Alisa & Aaron came down from the loft. They were ready to eat but not so sure about going back to the water. None of the adults were heading to the water, either. They looked like they were really hurting. Probably had something to do with the 5 empty liters of Vodka lined up by the trash. They had been drinking vodka with gatorade & a squeeze of lime, vodka with iced tea, vodka with vodka, etc. all weekend long. I think it finally caught up with them...they looked a little green around the gills.
The kids decided to go on down to the river for one last hurrah before loading up, so I slipped into my swim suit, slathered myself with sunscreen and accompanied them. Sasha came along, too. We spent the next 40 minutes playing "the Little Mermaid" swimming from the castle to see Prince Eric, etc. At one point I agreed to be Prince Eric so Sasha (aka Ariel) could kiss me. I puckered up my lips and saw her open mouth coming toward me. When her tongue licked my puckered lips, Sasha opened her eyes and was trying to demonstrate the “proper” way to kiss. “You have to do it like this,” she explained drifting toward me with eyes closed and mouth slightly opened. I didn’t remember Ariel and Prince Eric kissing like that! Their cartoon heads tilted opposite one another, and their lips locked…no tongue action whatsoever! Where does this girl get this stuff?! We had a good laugh, although Sasha was a little frustrated with “E” for not cooperating. Then, I was saved by Shawn who had ventured down to the river complete with river shoes, trunks and his bandana. We stayed for a little while longer then crawled back up the bank to the clean up and begin the loading up process.
I warmed some previously cooked hamburger patties, stuck them on buns with ketchup and mustard (mayo & ketchup for PaPa) and wrapped them in foil for the road. We loaded up (down) the car, said our goodbyes and hit the road sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 with just one stop for ice & gas on the way out of town. We listened to the remainder of Superfudge and snacked the whole way home. Papa & I were eating to stay awake which at times wasn’t easy. PaPa had not come to bed until around 5 a.m. after the vodka & ice cream (and probably a beer or two) plus the great debate, so I figured I was in better shape to drive. After about 150 miles, though, I pulled over to a rest stop and PaPa took the wheel with barbecue potato chips, strawberry Twizzlers and Fiddle Faddle all within reach. Tia called somewhere around 4 something to check on our progress and let us know she was fixing us dinner. Food was the farthest thing from my mind for obvious reasons. That and the fact that Superfudge was done and we were listening to “How to Eat Fried Worms” at the time.
We missed the 221 exchange somewhere along the way and ended up coming through Granbury and Bedford (i.e., the scenic route). We must have made it in sometime after 6:00, and Tia fixed our plates as she had promised: baked pork chops with some type of taco seasoned rice and mixed veggies. We ate and ran. Mike was working late, and Missy had been in her “home” (i.e., kennel) since 4 a.m. Poor thing.
I let Missy out and loved on her, unloaded the car and made a long overdue trek to my very own bathroom. Then, I fixed a dip of Blue Bell Barrett had dropped off before we left and called Jamie to catch up.
Mike came in sometime around 11 p.m., ate the plate Tia had fixed for him, drank a beer that happened to make its way from Blanco in my cooler and retired for the night. I managed to stay up piddling on the computer until around 1 a.m. then turned in for the night myself. What a weekend! Good night. Until next time…
It felt good to sleep in until after 9 a.m. again. I told the kids we would head down to the river one more time before loading up and heading for home. So, I packed up most of my things and headed to the main house to see if there was any activity going on in there. Pee Paw and a newcomer named "Mike" were sitting in the rockers on the front porch. Olie called Mike "Grandpa" so I'm guessing maybe he is Doreen's father. Doreen and Olie (I believe that's short for Olita) were up and fixing a bite to eat for breakfast-fruit, a fruit & grain bar, goldfish crackers. Alisa & Aaron came down from the loft. They were ready to eat but not so sure about going back to the water. None of the adults were heading to the water, either. They looked like they were really hurting. Probably had something to do with the 5 empty liters of Vodka lined up by the trash. They had been drinking vodka with gatorade & a squeeze of lime, vodka with iced tea, vodka with vodka, etc. all weekend long. I think it finally caught up with them...they looked a little green around the gills.
The kids decided to go on down to the river for one last hurrah before loading up, so I slipped into my swim suit, slathered myself with sunscreen and accompanied them. Sasha came along, too. We spent the next 40 minutes playing "the Little Mermaid" swimming from the castle to see Prince Eric, etc. At one point I agreed to be Prince Eric so Sasha (aka Ariel) could kiss me. I puckered up my lips and saw her open mouth coming toward me. When her tongue licked my puckered lips, Sasha opened her eyes and was trying to demonstrate the “proper” way to kiss. “You have to do it like this,” she explained drifting toward me with eyes closed and mouth slightly opened. I didn’t remember Ariel and Prince Eric kissing like that! Their cartoon heads tilted opposite one another, and their lips locked…no tongue action whatsoever! Where does this girl get this stuff?! We had a good laugh, although Sasha was a little frustrated with “E” for not cooperating. Then, I was saved by Shawn who had ventured down to the river complete with river shoes, trunks and his bandana. We stayed for a little while longer then crawled back up the bank to the clean up and begin the loading up process.
I warmed some previously cooked hamburger patties, stuck them on buns with ketchup and mustard (mayo & ketchup for PaPa) and wrapped them in foil for the road. We loaded up (down) the car, said our goodbyes and hit the road sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 with just one stop for ice & gas on the way out of town. We listened to the remainder of Superfudge and snacked the whole way home. Papa & I were eating to stay awake which at times wasn’t easy. PaPa had not come to bed until around 5 a.m. after the vodka & ice cream (and probably a beer or two) plus the great debate, so I figured I was in better shape to drive. After about 150 miles, though, I pulled over to a rest stop and PaPa took the wheel with barbecue potato chips, strawberry Twizzlers and Fiddle Faddle all within reach. Tia called somewhere around 4 something to check on our progress and let us know she was fixing us dinner. Food was the farthest thing from my mind for obvious reasons. That and the fact that Superfudge was done and we were listening to “How to Eat Fried Worms” at the time.
We missed the 221 exchange somewhere along the way and ended up coming through Granbury and Bedford (i.e., the scenic route). We must have made it in sometime after 6:00, and Tia fixed our plates as she had promised: baked pork chops with some type of taco seasoned rice and mixed veggies. We ate and ran. Mike was working late, and Missy had been in her “home” (i.e., kennel) since 4 a.m. Poor thing.
I let Missy out and loved on her, unloaded the car and made a long overdue trek to my very own bathroom. Then, I fixed a dip of Blue Bell Barrett had dropped off before we left and called Jamie to catch up.
Mike came in sometime around 11 p.m., ate the plate Tia had fixed for him, drank a beer that happened to make its way from Blanco in my cooler and retired for the night. I managed to stay up piddling on the computer until around 1 a.m. then turned in for the night myself. What a weekend! Good night. Until next time…
Happy Birthday, America!
Today is July 4, 2009. Happy Birthday, America! I awoke around 7:30, but hearing nothing stirring around me, I rolled over and went back to sleep. Around 9 a.m. Aaron knocked on the cabin door and entered smelling of bacon. I figured it was as good a time as any to get on up and get dressed. Alisa & I actually had leftover fajitas for breakfast with some fruit then the kids were ready to head right back down to the river. Renee and Doreen went down with the kids, and I went to change into my swimsuit so I could join them. The water was a little cooler than the day before which was quite nice. I tried my hand at kayaking, and found it to be pretty fun just A & A told me it would be. We played for quite a while in the water then headed back up the bank. The men-folk had put some meat on the smoker to cook and then headed to the store for an ice and water run which I’m certain included a detour to the liquor store as well. Everyone was taking bets on how long it would take them, but they returned well ahead of the projected 3-4 hours. They were only gone about 1 ½ hours. We snacked on hot dog and brats for lunch. I think everyone was anxiously awaiting the pulled pork and ribs off of the smoker. I read some of my book and played UNO with Alisa for a while, then I left to take a nap. Boy, did that feel good! I had no concept of time and wasn’t really worried about it. That's about how the rest of the day went as well. PaPa enjoyed holding court and showed the "young whipper snappers a thing or two...like how to "smoke" a dried grapevine. It looked an awful lot like he was smoking something else, and eyes (including my own) were bugging out all around the camp. Of course, that just egged PaPa on. Then, he spotted a deer in the field adjacent to Pee Paw's house. "Look, y'all, there's a deer over there! See him?!" he yelled out loud. The poor deer was probably thinking, "Oh snap! I've been spotted! I'd better make a run for it." PaPa forgot all about using a voice that wouldn't scare the tar out of the poor woodland creature.
After a fine dinner of grilled meat (including quail stuffed with onion and jalapeno pepper strips and wrapped in bacon) and salsa & guacamole with chips, everyone migrated in from the heat to enjoy Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream with peaches. PaPa was once again the center of attention when he splashed a little vodka over his ice cream "to soften it up a little." BK followed suit and said he'd never have to soften his ice cream in the microwave again. In his words, "Old school teaches you something new every time!" There were no fireworks--all along the highway there were "burn ban" signs posted. It was simply too dry to risk burning down half of the countryside shooting off fireworks. But PaPa & Pee Paw (Mr. Pairsh) got into a heated debate about politics and they were noisier than any fireworks I've witnessed to date! The conversation began with Pee Paw talking about alternative energy sources and "tree huggers" who were against nuclear energy and flowed toward Three Mile Island. Having retired from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (in conjunction with the vodka over the ice cream) this topic perked up PaPa's ears, and the discussion was on. How they transitioned to politics I'll never know.
I had gone upstairs to the loft to read to Alisa & Sasha for a bit, and I tried desperately to tune them out as I read.
In Alisa's book, the main character was having a spelling bee at school. One of the class' best spellers missed the word "geriatric." Sasha asked what "geriatric" meant. I explained that it meant "having to do with old people, like a geriatric doctor, (Alisa threw in "geriatric nurse") or geriatric equipment to help old people. Sasha then looked at me with a grin and said, "E, you're geriatric." I didn't know whether to laugh or take offense. Naturally, I laughed. I was hoping beyond all hope that Sasha, being the concrete 4-year-old thinker that she is wasn't referring to my gray hairs, but to the "geriatric nurse" Alisa mentioned. Either way it was too funny. What are we going to do with that little girl? Four years old going on 15!
After I finished reading the chapter, I went back downstairs and out of the door as Pee Paw and PaPa were discussing how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the poor middle class just gets hit coming and going. That much they agreed upon at any rate.
I retired to the paper roll cabin, which was cool and empty, to crack open my book once again. I managed to read about 100 pages, but still have 500 to go. Oh well. I fired up my laptop to "blog" a bit then turned in for good around 1 a.m. Outdoors the party continued. Things got pretty quiet after Brian and PaPa finished howling at the moon. Good night. Until next time...
After a fine dinner of grilled meat (including quail stuffed with onion and jalapeno pepper strips and wrapped in bacon) and salsa & guacamole with chips, everyone migrated in from the heat to enjoy Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream with peaches. PaPa was once again the center of attention when he splashed a little vodka over his ice cream "to soften it up a little." BK followed suit and said he'd never have to soften his ice cream in the microwave again. In his words, "Old school teaches you something new every time!" There were no fireworks--all along the highway there were "burn ban" signs posted. It was simply too dry to risk burning down half of the countryside shooting off fireworks. But PaPa & Pee Paw (Mr. Pairsh) got into a heated debate about politics and they were noisier than any fireworks I've witnessed to date! The conversation began with Pee Paw talking about alternative energy sources and "tree huggers" who were against nuclear energy and flowed toward Three Mile Island. Having retired from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (in conjunction with the vodka over the ice cream) this topic perked up PaPa's ears, and the discussion was on. How they transitioned to politics I'll never know.
I had gone upstairs to the loft to read to Alisa & Sasha for a bit, and I tried desperately to tune them out as I read.
In Alisa's book, the main character was having a spelling bee at school. One of the class' best spellers missed the word "geriatric." Sasha asked what "geriatric" meant. I explained that it meant "having to do with old people, like a geriatric doctor, (Alisa threw in "geriatric nurse") or geriatric equipment to help old people. Sasha then looked at me with a grin and said, "E, you're geriatric." I didn't know whether to laugh or take offense. Naturally, I laughed. I was hoping beyond all hope that Sasha, being the concrete 4-year-old thinker that she is wasn't referring to my gray hairs, but to the "geriatric nurse" Alisa mentioned. Either way it was too funny. What are we going to do with that little girl? Four years old going on 15!
After I finished reading the chapter, I went back downstairs and out of the door as Pee Paw and PaPa were discussing how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the poor middle class just gets hit coming and going. That much they agreed upon at any rate.
I retired to the paper roll cabin, which was cool and empty, to crack open my book once again. I managed to read about 100 pages, but still have 500 to go. Oh well. I fired up my laptop to "blog" a bit then turned in for good around 1 a.m. Outdoors the party continued. Things got pretty quiet after Brian and PaPa finished howling at the moon. Good night. Until next time...
Blanco, TX
Friday, July 3, 2009
My internal alarm clock went off at 6:30 a.m. I got on up and went to work. My mental checklist was already activated: set out the trash, finish laundry, wash dishes, frost and decorate cakes, pack for the trip, grocery store for ice, clean out the car, notes for Mike, and so on and so on. I was pretty impressed with myself for having finished everything by 10 a.m. I was determined not to leave a bunch of clean laundry lying around in baskets and dirty dishes stacked in the sink. Not only was that not fair to Mike, but also I knew I would come home to things just as I had left them. By 10 a.m. we were loading up the car with our stuff. By 10:15 we were loading up PaPa’s stuff. By 10:30 we were heading to Costco to top off my half-full tank ($2.32/gallon-what a bargain!). By about 10:45 we were on the road headed southbound down I-35W. Lots of driving, snacking, talking and listening to Alisa’s Superfudge book on tape later we arrived in Blanco, TX. Even with light traffic and only one stop, it took a lot longer than the 3 ½ to 4 hours I was told it would take. We stopped at a Sonic in Lampassas for a quick bite to eat and forgot to make a turn to stay on 281. We were cruising along when PaPa said, “183? How’d we get on 183?” Then, he remembered the answer to his own question: “Oh yeah, we were supposed to turn off in Lampassas.” We made a U-turn. Luckily, we were only minutes away from the Sonic where we had stopped for the sandwiches. We got back on track and winded our way to the Pairsh lake house just in time to change into swimsuits and head down to the river with everyone else.
Brian showed us the “paper roll” cabin and told us we could set up camp there, pitch the tent or the kids could stay in the loft of the nice new house his father had just built. There was no contest there. The kids opted for the big house, and PaPa & I put our stuff in the paper roll house we would share with Shawn, Renee & Brandon. It literally is a cabin-like house made with wood supports/beams and a roof and walls made from paper rolls about 2-3 feet long and 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Pretty incredible “carpentry” if I do say so myself! The well water in the cabin was atrocious. It stunk to high heaven when I showered after playing in the river. I learned that the well water for the main house and shower at the pavilion goes through a thorough filtering/salt softening system. Guess where I showered from then on?
I was able to get a “head count” after everyone crawled back up the bank of the river to eat: Don Pairsh (property owner/host), Brian, Doreen & Olie Pairsh (son of Don & my brother’s friend who invited all of us), BK & Kristi, Brandon, Shawn, Renee, Sasha, PaPa, Aaron, Alisa & myself. We had some awesome fajitas the guys had thrown on the grill-beef and pork, with all of the trimmings-fresh pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, avocado-mmmm! It must have been around 10 p.m. when I tucked in some tuckered out children. I felt kind of bad for not offering to bring Xavier, but his cousins were in town from Ohio for the weekend, and his Gran was having a cook-out...maybe next time. Around 10:30 I headed for the cabin to “read” for a while. I finally gave up after reading a paragraph or two then nodding off a few times and turned in for the night myself. Good night. Until next time….
My internal alarm clock went off at 6:30 a.m. I got on up and went to work. My mental checklist was already activated: set out the trash, finish laundry, wash dishes, frost and decorate cakes, pack for the trip, grocery store for ice, clean out the car, notes for Mike, and so on and so on. I was pretty impressed with myself for having finished everything by 10 a.m. I was determined not to leave a bunch of clean laundry lying around in baskets and dirty dishes stacked in the sink. Not only was that not fair to Mike, but also I knew I would come home to things just as I had left them. By 10 a.m. we were loading up the car with our stuff. By 10:15 we were loading up PaPa’s stuff. By 10:30 we were heading to Costco to top off my half-full tank ($2.32/gallon-what a bargain!). By about 10:45 we were on the road headed southbound down I-35W. Lots of driving, snacking, talking and listening to Alisa’s Superfudge book on tape later we arrived in Blanco, TX. Even with light traffic and only one stop, it took a lot longer than the 3 ½ to 4 hours I was told it would take. We stopped at a Sonic in Lampassas for a quick bite to eat and forgot to make a turn to stay on 281. We were cruising along when PaPa said, “183? How’d we get on 183?” Then, he remembered the answer to his own question: “Oh yeah, we were supposed to turn off in Lampassas.” We made a U-turn. Luckily, we were only minutes away from the Sonic where we had stopped for the sandwiches. We got back on track and winded our way to the Pairsh lake house just in time to change into swimsuits and head down to the river with everyone else.
Brian showed us the “paper roll” cabin and told us we could set up camp there, pitch the tent or the kids could stay in the loft of the nice new house his father had just built. There was no contest there. The kids opted for the big house, and PaPa & I put our stuff in the paper roll house we would share with Shawn, Renee & Brandon. It literally is a cabin-like house made with wood supports/beams and a roof and walls made from paper rolls about 2-3 feet long and 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Pretty incredible “carpentry” if I do say so myself! The well water in the cabin was atrocious. It stunk to high heaven when I showered after playing in the river. I learned that the well water for the main house and shower at the pavilion goes through a thorough filtering/salt softening system. Guess where I showered from then on?
I was able to get a “head count” after everyone crawled back up the bank of the river to eat: Don Pairsh (property owner/host), Brian, Doreen & Olie Pairsh (son of Don & my brother’s friend who invited all of us), BK & Kristi, Brandon, Shawn, Renee, Sasha, PaPa, Aaron, Alisa & myself. We had some awesome fajitas the guys had thrown on the grill-beef and pork, with all of the trimmings-fresh pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, avocado-mmmm! It must have been around 10 p.m. when I tucked in some tuckered out children. I felt kind of bad for not offering to bring Xavier, but his cousins were in town from Ohio for the weekend, and his Gran was having a cook-out...maybe next time. Around 10:30 I headed for the cabin to “read” for a while. I finally gave up after reading a paragraph or two then nodding off a few times and turned in for the night myself. Good night. Until next time….
Let the summer fun begin!
This blog is from Thursday, July 2, 2009, but as I was busy and away from the computer for a while I'm just now posting it. It's a long one, so you may want to grab some popcorn or ice cream or something...
Today was my final exam for Summer I Mental Health. I had been studying quite a bit and felt pretty comfortable with the material. Actually, I was praying that I could recall what all we had covered in lecture because I hadn’t kept up with all of the reading assignments. I reviewed the objectives, reviewed the notes and completed dozens of NCLEX questions as well as watched the video that came with the ATI test materials. I pulled into a parking spot on campus around 7:45 with a book on CD in the player. I didn’t have a single note card or book with me. I figured last minute cramming would not be beneficial. I ventured on into the nursing building and encountered several students milling around nervously. Then, it was test time. I logged on, entered the test code and got busy. I probably spent more than the allotted 1.3 minutes on the first question, bookmarked it and continued on with the test. One thing is for sure: I do miss the math problems this semester. I tried to really focus on the questions and answer them and not bookmark a ton of them like I normally do. In the end, I think I only had 6 questions marked for review. I broke test taking rule #1 and changed a correct answer to the wrong answer on one of the questions-DOH!. I missed 6 altogether. I thought that was pretty ironic—that I had marked 6 questions to review and I missed six questions (not the same ones I had marked, mind you). After completing the exam, I stayed to review the rationale at 9:30 a.m. Once I reviewed the rationale, I thought there were a couple I could have challenged, but the bottom line is I would have had to score 100% in order to make an A in theory, so why argue over a couple of points. I gladly accepted my 88% on the test, which left me with an 84 average overall. A “B” is a “B” whether it’s 80 or 89, right?
I then hit the ground running and headed to Tia’s to pick up A & A, then home to bake cakes & cupcakes and flat iron Alisa’s hair before heading to Southeast Campus to see Xavier’s modeling debut at College for Kids. Barrett called as I was leaving campus and said he had something for me. I agreed to call him when I left Tia’s house, and he could meet me at my house. He came bearing 2 tubs of Blue Bell ice cream: Moolinneum Crunch (my personal favorite) and French Vanilla (‘cause who can go wrong with vanilla ice cream?). I thanked him and continued on with the making of the cakes and cupcakes. I planned to leave home at 12:15 to pick up Tia & Sasha and head to Xavier’s program, but I was only on the second half of Alisa’s head. Barrett walked out with us around 12:30 p.m., and we made it to campus with time to spare.
Xavier’s program was short and sweet. Some of the kids had designed their own 4th of July t-shirts; others wore other patriotic garb. Each of them had their chance on the 6-8 foot runway to walk (strut?), stop, pose, return, strike a pose again and then exit the stage. You could tell some of them were counting as they struck their poses J. It only took a few minutes for all of the students to do their thing, so they instructor had them do it again. Then, another student showed up and was in tears because she had missed it, so they did it again. Finally, the teacher asked the students some questions to show off what they’d learned over the previous 3 weeks. Shannon showed up in time to see the 4th go-round, and we all stayed for an additional 20 minutes or so to take pictures of Xavier and his entourage and allow Sasha her big chance on the cat walk (a natural born model-to-be!). Gran, Jeromy, Dayton, Tyson, Crew, Tia, Aaron, Alisa, Uncle LoLo, Derrick, Shannon & Leyla were all in attendance. Way to go, Xavier!
We dropped Tia off at her house, and Sasha came home with the kids and me so we could decorate our t-shirts. Aaron got a call from his friend down the street and went to swim. Alisa, Sasha and I dug out the fabric paints and card board and went to work. We left the t-shirts outside to dry, and piled into the car once again to hit the library and grocery store. We needed some books on tape for the drive to Blanco, and a few sale items from Tom Thumb. Just as I was going into Tom Thumb, I checked my cell phone and noticed a message from Aaron saying it was time for him to come home. I told him I was in the grocery story, but if he needed to be picked up right away his Daddy was at home. As if…! Naturally, they had already called the house and received no answer. Mike was probably in on of his comas. I tried the house a couple of times as I tried hurriedly to get my grocery items as quickly as possible. I sent Alisa with the cheese coupon to get the Kraft singles, and Sasha & I went across the store to get buns. The only problem was we didn’t decide on a meeting place. Sasha & I walked all of the way back to the dairy department (which in Tom Thumb is literally on the opposite side of the store) looking up and down every aisle. No Alisa. I wasn’t panicking, but I was afraid Alisa would be. I headed to the checkout and there she was eyes red and worried looking with the coupon and the package of cheese. I wanted to fuss at her for making me go back and forth across the store looking for her, wasting precious time I didn’t have to spare. I knew if Aaron was calling saying it was time to go home that meant that Austin & his family had something else to do. Besides, I never wanted to be the kind of parent who just dumped her kids off on other people and never called to check on them or never picked them up on time. Furthermore, it wasn’t Alisa I was angry with; it was Mike for not being the responsible parent I thought he should be and getting up to answer the phone or door for his own child. After all, he is the one who dropped Aaron off, so it’s not like he didn’t know Aaron would eventually need to come home! I realized that the miscommunication was my fault and Alisa was already suffering enough, so instead I used my therapeutic communication and commented on how frightened she must have felt to be separated from us in the big grocery store. We checked out and headed by Austin’s house to pick up Aaron. The Hollands had attempted to take him home where he still couldn’t get in the house because Mike didn’t respond to the door bell any better than he had the multiple phonecalls.
Some days just never seem to end. Once we were all home and I was unloading my few items, Tia calls and says Renee is on her way to pick up Sasha from her house. So, the girls & I load back into the van and head back to Tia’s to deliver Sasha to her mama. After that, we headed to Wal-Mart grocery store. I was still vexed with Mike because Wal-Mart was on my way home from Tom Thumb & the library but I couldn’t stop because I knew Aaron was waiting, so this was in essence backtracking on a day I still had a ton of things to do before driving to Blanco the next day. The time was 7:40 p.m.
The good thing was Wal-Mart reduces the price of their rotisserie chickens to $2.00 each after 8:00 p.m., so I already had an idea for dinner that didn’t involve a lot of cooking on my part. I grabbed the few remaining items on my list and at long last we headed home to stay! I fixed corn and green beans to accompany our “backyard grill” flavored chicken, then got busy washing dishes, folding laundry and gathering the supplies I needed to make my buttercream frosting so I could decorate the cakes for RoseMary’s 4th of July/birthday celebrations.
Around 10:00 p.m. Barrett calls saying he needed to talk and could he come over. I told him I was washing dishes, but sure he could come on. He brought me a note printed in purple (my favorite color) telling me “congratulations” on completing 3 semesters of nursing school. He also came bearing awful news: his friend Ed who just moved to Texas from Chicago about a week ago had died of a massive heart attack earlier this evening. Poor Barrett! I knew how much he had been looking forward to having his friend nearby once again to do stuff with and just hang out. Barrett and I talked about a lot of things over the next three hours as I continued to wash dishes, measure ingredients, make the frosting, backwash the pool, etc…Finally, just before 1 a.m. I said I was going to bed and would do the cakes in the morning. I expressed my condolences once again, and Barrett headed for home while I dragged my tired carcass to bed. What a day. I did not set my alarm clock, and figured we would not be hitting the road any earlier than my original 10:00 a.m. plan. Good night. Until next time...
Today was my final exam for Summer I Mental Health. I had been studying quite a bit and felt pretty comfortable with the material. Actually, I was praying that I could recall what all we had covered in lecture because I hadn’t kept up with all of the reading assignments. I reviewed the objectives, reviewed the notes and completed dozens of NCLEX questions as well as watched the video that came with the ATI test materials. I pulled into a parking spot on campus around 7:45 with a book on CD in the player. I didn’t have a single note card or book with me. I figured last minute cramming would not be beneficial. I ventured on into the nursing building and encountered several students milling around nervously. Then, it was test time. I logged on, entered the test code and got busy. I probably spent more than the allotted 1.3 minutes on the first question, bookmarked it and continued on with the test. One thing is for sure: I do miss the math problems this semester. I tried to really focus on the questions and answer them and not bookmark a ton of them like I normally do. In the end, I think I only had 6 questions marked for review. I broke test taking rule #1 and changed a correct answer to the wrong answer on one of the questions-DOH!. I missed 6 altogether. I thought that was pretty ironic—that I had marked 6 questions to review and I missed six questions (not the same ones I had marked, mind you). After completing the exam, I stayed to review the rationale at 9:30 a.m. Once I reviewed the rationale, I thought there were a couple I could have challenged, but the bottom line is I would have had to score 100% in order to make an A in theory, so why argue over a couple of points. I gladly accepted my 88% on the test, which left me with an 84 average overall. A “B” is a “B” whether it’s 80 or 89, right?
I then hit the ground running and headed to Tia’s to pick up A & A, then home to bake cakes & cupcakes and flat iron Alisa’s hair before heading to Southeast Campus to see Xavier’s modeling debut at College for Kids. Barrett called as I was leaving campus and said he had something for me. I agreed to call him when I left Tia’s house, and he could meet me at my house. He came bearing 2 tubs of Blue Bell ice cream: Moolinneum Crunch (my personal favorite) and French Vanilla (‘cause who can go wrong with vanilla ice cream?). I thanked him and continued on with the making of the cakes and cupcakes. I planned to leave home at 12:15 to pick up Tia & Sasha and head to Xavier’s program, but I was only on the second half of Alisa’s head. Barrett walked out with us around 12:30 p.m., and we made it to campus with time to spare.
Xavier’s program was short and sweet. Some of the kids had designed their own 4th of July t-shirts; others wore other patriotic garb. Each of them had their chance on the 6-8 foot runway to walk (strut?), stop, pose, return, strike a pose again and then exit the stage. You could tell some of them were counting as they struck their poses J. It only took a few minutes for all of the students to do their thing, so they instructor had them do it again. Then, another student showed up and was in tears because she had missed it, so they did it again. Finally, the teacher asked the students some questions to show off what they’d learned over the previous 3 weeks. Shannon showed up in time to see the 4th go-round, and we all stayed for an additional 20 minutes or so to take pictures of Xavier and his entourage and allow Sasha her big chance on the cat walk (a natural born model-to-be!). Gran, Jeromy, Dayton, Tyson, Crew, Tia, Aaron, Alisa, Uncle LoLo, Derrick, Shannon & Leyla were all in attendance. Way to go, Xavier!
We dropped Tia off at her house, and Sasha came home with the kids and me so we could decorate our t-shirts. Aaron got a call from his friend down the street and went to swim. Alisa, Sasha and I dug out the fabric paints and card board and went to work. We left the t-shirts outside to dry, and piled into the car once again to hit the library and grocery store. We needed some books on tape for the drive to Blanco, and a few sale items from Tom Thumb. Just as I was going into Tom Thumb, I checked my cell phone and noticed a message from Aaron saying it was time for him to come home. I told him I was in the grocery story, but if he needed to be picked up right away his Daddy was at home. As if…! Naturally, they had already called the house and received no answer. Mike was probably in on of his comas. I tried the house a couple of times as I tried hurriedly to get my grocery items as quickly as possible. I sent Alisa with the cheese coupon to get the Kraft singles, and Sasha & I went across the store to get buns. The only problem was we didn’t decide on a meeting place. Sasha & I walked all of the way back to the dairy department (which in Tom Thumb is literally on the opposite side of the store) looking up and down every aisle. No Alisa. I wasn’t panicking, but I was afraid Alisa would be. I headed to the checkout and there she was eyes red and worried looking with the coupon and the package of cheese. I wanted to fuss at her for making me go back and forth across the store looking for her, wasting precious time I didn’t have to spare. I knew if Aaron was calling saying it was time to go home that meant that Austin & his family had something else to do. Besides, I never wanted to be the kind of parent who just dumped her kids off on other people and never called to check on them or never picked them up on time. Furthermore, it wasn’t Alisa I was angry with; it was Mike for not being the responsible parent I thought he should be and getting up to answer the phone or door for his own child. After all, he is the one who dropped Aaron off, so it’s not like he didn’t know Aaron would eventually need to come home! I realized that the miscommunication was my fault and Alisa was already suffering enough, so instead I used my therapeutic communication and commented on how frightened she must have felt to be separated from us in the big grocery store. We checked out and headed by Austin’s house to pick up Aaron. The Hollands had attempted to take him home where he still couldn’t get in the house because Mike didn’t respond to the door bell any better than he had the multiple phonecalls.
Some days just never seem to end. Once we were all home and I was unloading my few items, Tia calls and says Renee is on her way to pick up Sasha from her house. So, the girls & I load back into the van and head back to Tia’s to deliver Sasha to her mama. After that, we headed to Wal-Mart grocery store. I was still vexed with Mike because Wal-Mart was on my way home from Tom Thumb & the library but I couldn’t stop because I knew Aaron was waiting, so this was in essence backtracking on a day I still had a ton of things to do before driving to Blanco the next day. The time was 7:40 p.m.
The good thing was Wal-Mart reduces the price of their rotisserie chickens to $2.00 each after 8:00 p.m., so I already had an idea for dinner that didn’t involve a lot of cooking on my part. I grabbed the few remaining items on my list and at long last we headed home to stay! I fixed corn and green beans to accompany our “backyard grill” flavored chicken, then got busy washing dishes, folding laundry and gathering the supplies I needed to make my buttercream frosting so I could decorate the cakes for RoseMary’s 4th of July/birthday celebrations.
Around 10:00 p.m. Barrett calls saying he needed to talk and could he come over. I told him I was washing dishes, but sure he could come on. He brought me a note printed in purple (my favorite color) telling me “congratulations” on completing 3 semesters of nursing school. He also came bearing awful news: his friend Ed who just moved to Texas from Chicago about a week ago had died of a massive heart attack earlier this evening. Poor Barrett! I knew how much he had been looking forward to having his friend nearby once again to do stuff with and just hang out. Barrett and I talked about a lot of things over the next three hours as I continued to wash dishes, measure ingredients, make the frosting, backwash the pool, etc…Finally, just before 1 a.m. I said I was going to bed and would do the cakes in the morning. I expressed my condolences once again, and Barrett headed for home while I dragged my tired carcass to bed. What a day. I did not set my alarm clock, and figured we would not be hitting the road any earlier than my original 10:00 a.m. plan. Good night. Until next time...
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A good nurse
"I think you'll be a good nurse because you just care about people. I mean like taking care of babies and old people..." The words, spoken by Aaron, were music to my ears. He's such a sweet kid. We were on the way to my mom's (the kids call her "Tia") house, and I was explaining to them that I didn't have class this morning, but my summative evaluation. The evaluation is where my instructor tells me what all I did well in clinicals as well as areas that need improvement. That's when Aaron decided to give me an evaluation of his own.
The meeting with my instructor went well. She had extremely positive feedback for me on both my nursing care study as well as my evaluation. Of course, that is one of the things all of us students love about our instructor: she always took the time to offer feedback and constructive criticism on all of our assignments. Her philosophy was the assignments would just be "busy work" if she didn't offer feedback. I think I speak for our clinical group as a whole when I say we appreciate that.
I stayed on campus for a couple hours to study with two classmates, then headed to pick up A & A from their Tia's house. Mom had already fed them and fed me, too. Muchas gracias for any meals I do not have to prepare myself!
We ran home and grabbed a water sample from the pool then headed to Leslie's to have the water tested. Fortunately, the only thing off was the phosphates, and I already had the chemical to treat that, so I wasn't out of pocket for anymore pool expenses (for the time being, anyway). The kids wanted desperately to swim, but it was 3:00 and felt like the heat of the day, so I told them to wait a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, I folded some laundry and laid down for a nap. I know, I just blogged about how naps aren't good for you, but I knew I'd never make it through the rest of this evening without one. After that I had the kids vacuum and empty the dishwasher before they could swim--what a mean mom I am! The nerve!
I dragged my laptop outside to work on NCLEX questions while they swam, then ventured back in to throw together a pasta salad with grilled chicken for dinner. It turned out pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I don't generally use a recipe for pasta salad, so I never know just how it will turn out.
I agreed to bake three 6-inch cakes for RoseMary's 4th of July celebration, even though we won't be able to attend. She wanted the individual cakes for her 2 sons and my grandmother who all recently did or will celebrate birthdays. I ran by Michael's craft store to buy the cardboard circles, then by Costco to gas up the van ($2.34/gallon is the cheapest I've seen in several weeks!), and finally by my sister, Shannon's, to borrow her 6-inch cake pan. I have two pans, but can bake all three at the same time if I use her pan, too.
Wow, the time now is 11:30 p.m. I still need to tackle Alisa's hair and I wanted to review a few more practice questions, (not to mention the fact that my nap is wearing off), so I'd better close for now. Tomorrow is a busy day...beginning with my final exam at 8:00 a.m.! Good night. Until next time.
The meeting with my instructor went well. She had extremely positive feedback for me on both my nursing care study as well as my evaluation. Of course, that is one of the things all of us students love about our instructor: she always took the time to offer feedback and constructive criticism on all of our assignments. Her philosophy was the assignments would just be "busy work" if she didn't offer feedback. I think I speak for our clinical group as a whole when I say we appreciate that.
I stayed on campus for a couple hours to study with two classmates, then headed to pick up A & A from their Tia's house. Mom had already fed them and fed me, too. Muchas gracias for any meals I do not have to prepare myself!
We ran home and grabbed a water sample from the pool then headed to Leslie's to have the water tested. Fortunately, the only thing off was the phosphates, and I already had the chemical to treat that, so I wasn't out of pocket for anymore pool expenses (for the time being, anyway). The kids wanted desperately to swim, but it was 3:00 and felt like the heat of the day, so I told them to wait a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, I folded some laundry and laid down for a nap. I know, I just blogged about how naps aren't good for you, but I knew I'd never make it through the rest of this evening without one. After that I had the kids vacuum and empty the dishwasher before they could swim--what a mean mom I am! The nerve!
I dragged my laptop outside to work on NCLEX questions while they swam, then ventured back in to throw together a pasta salad with grilled chicken for dinner. It turned out pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I don't generally use a recipe for pasta salad, so I never know just how it will turn out.
I agreed to bake three 6-inch cakes for RoseMary's 4th of July celebration, even though we won't be able to attend. She wanted the individual cakes for her 2 sons and my grandmother who all recently did or will celebrate birthdays. I ran by Michael's craft store to buy the cardboard circles, then by Costco to gas up the van ($2.34/gallon is the cheapest I've seen in several weeks!), and finally by my sister, Shannon's, to borrow her 6-inch cake pan. I have two pans, but can bake all three at the same time if I use her pan, too.
Wow, the time now is 11:30 p.m. I still need to tackle Alisa's hair and I wanted to review a few more practice questions, (not to mention the fact that my nap is wearing off), so I'd better close for now. Tomorrow is a busy day...beginning with my final exam at 8:00 a.m.! Good night. Until next time.
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