Processing a tragedy

I have started this sentence over and over again, not sure where to start. I know that I feel like writing and getting this out. I don't know what I want others to read or know. More importantly, I don't want anyone else to be traumatized by what I have lived through.I think that's why I haven't talked about it much, at least until I met with professionals who have helped. Still, I feel I need to write even if no one reads it.


It's still very hard but the raw, open wound feeling is decreasing and I find I am able to breathe better with each passing day. Of course, therapy is multiple forms is helping, too. Two days ago the old adage, "Time heals all wounds" would have resulted in a pissed-off balk from me. I would have never believed I could move forward as much as I have, especially in this short a period of time. And while my heart and mind is healing, my spirit is also taking her turn. I need to write this so please, if you read this, be careful with your heart.


I flew home to Virginia last week to be with my family after my 29-year-old cousin, Phillip, lost his 9-month battle with leukemia. I had not cried as it was, and is, still very much surreal. I only really cried for my cousin, Michelle, his big sister, with whom I have always had a stronger bond. She and I are one week apart in age and were inseparable anytime we were together. My heart was breaking for her, my aunt and my uncle and those who were with him and love him. The painful parts: he was doing well then relapsed viciously and was gone far too quickly (as is anyone who hasn't lived their full life); Michelle had to read a passage at the memorial service and all I wanted to do was stand beside her to support her; his girlfriend, surrounded by supporters (and who is amazing), staying with him and being so supportive. I was able to make it through relatively well. I spent quality time with my great-Aunt Ginna (who is fabulous and for whom I am named). She told me things about my family I didn't know and I cannot wait to see her again. I left, got to the airport, got on the plane and that's when the single worst moment of my life occurred.

Mid-flight I turned to see a flight attendant in red, talking to a mom who stood up and then noticed she was holding a child, turned her upside-down and began hitting her on the back (the Heimlich maneuver for small children). It was then she began to exclaim "Oh my God!" From there it is a play-by-play of images and screams in my head. From the two calls over the intercom for a doctor, a nurse, "anyone with EMT training" to help, to the father (still in his Army uniform) screaming and crying for his baby, to the mother's screams, pleads and cries, to the quiet and back to the screaming. The worst was the image of the baby (just about 5 or 6 rows behind me) being carried off of the flight by first-responders then, later, a happenstance glance out the window and watching the mother run from the back of an ambulance and collapsing on the tarmac.


That baby, just 10 months old had grabbed a handful of peanuts off her mother's tray and choked to death.

I spent the night in a hotel, waiting for my next flight home. I slept, if you can call it that, with the television on, dreaming/reliving the events. I cried on the bus to the airport when I saw a plane taking off. I had 3 panic attacks on my own flight home: take off, landing, and (of course) when they gave out peanuts and other snacks. I collapsed on the floor of an airplane bathroom and sobbed--shoulder wrenching, heart-broken sobs--on that nasty floor. The parallels, albeit it small, were too hard for me. The baby's name, I believe, was Nylee (I don't know how she spelled it). My baby's name, Neala. She was 10 months old, that means she would be 1 in August. My baby was born in August.

I recognize now my passing through the beginning stages of grief, but I got stuck. I was scared/terrified/heart-broken. I bargained. I got angry (said "You took Phillip. You cannot have her.") and I felt guilty because I didn't help. I have CPR certification through my job but knew others were far more qualified than I and there were: a med student and 3 nurses. Still the screams and images have haunted me nearly every moment since. Granted it's only been a week. I haven't been able to fully recover. In some ways I don't want to; in others I must so that I can continue to function. I will admit I am proud of myself for recognizing how severely I have been affected and for asking for help so quickly. I am proud of myself for recognizing there are things outside of my control, for making myself work and not perseverate more than the flashbacks. I am proud of myself for talking to people I trust. I am proud of myself for writing this.


There are parts of my response that I also know are knee-jerk reactions. I wasn't able to be alone. I wasn't able to be in quiet situations. And the combination of the two? Terrifying. I know that I will not fly again without EMT/First responder training because I can never let myself feel that helpless again. Ever. I know that the more I talk about what happened, the more I gain power on my own mind and the more I allow myself to heal. I do not expect to get better immediately (which I normally would have, in the past). But I recognize my strength, as well, and that has helped. I will do more. I must. It is who I am. For now, I continue to process...



Hug your babies. Love them. Make sure they know how special they are.

Blessings and healing

All kinds of catching up to do

This post will have to be an introduction to the many I still have coming out of my head. So let's see...In February I was crabby (gee, there's s shocker!). That comes and goes the like rising and falling of the tides. Sometimes I can handle the frustrating circumstances in which I find myself; other times, I think I put myself into those situations subconsciously because I either want to pout or need a good swift kick in the butt. Some parts of my world had become stagnant (and still are in some places). I think that's just par for the course. I've learned to deal, learned to manage and am learning to let go. Don't know why that last one is the hardest one to get, but surprise! It's now been a year since the GGs left us. I just found two unpublished posts about them. I'll still need to finish writing them and then proceed to the point of closure. Still not there in some ways. I do find it a bit ironic, that I return to those posts the week of my grandmother's estate sale. Tuesday I was a ball of tears in my office as I looked at the website that held her items, instantly linking memories to each picture (except for my mom's dollhouse we never knew was there), and being willing to give every last piece of her furniture away in exchange for another hug or word or smile. Heck, I'd even take another back-handed compliment or insult. Luckily, I saved a voicemail she left me on New Year's (in 2009, I think) that says, "Hi, it's Grandmother. I just wanted you to know I love you." I wonder if there's a way I can download it and save it forever. I'll have to ask Verizon. And, while I know it's set up to ask every 28 days or so, it always seems to pop up on a day where I really needed to hear her voice. Hmmm, cosmic perhaps? (okay, taking a break...crying again)
GG posts aside (or forthcoming), things at work were a bit tumultuous. Most of it was grant-related so I covered that on my "professional" blog. In short, we should have known in February what the outcome of our submission was. Instead, we were told we would find out in April...for a grant that ends in May. Many people chose the "glass-half-full" viewpoint while I just tried to keep my lunch down, or fight back a panic attack, anytime anyone discussed the delayed review. Then, in April, we were told our score was pretty bad and that we would have to rewrite. (Damn, that stinks.) But wait, it got worse...we had to have it done by June 1.That basically left a month to go through the reviewers responses, see what we can change and (for nearly every team) rewrite our proposals. The good news was that our bridging funds were/are being viewed positively in that there's a chance we'll be okay. (I'm still not completely certain since these were also the "glass-half-full" people)
In the midst of all of that, I attended a symposium in Greece (yet another post to write--just the fun stuff, not the work-stuff, which is already on the prof blog) and got to present not one, not two, but three different presentations. Each of which was invited to be published in a proceedings. I will probably submit one, but that may or may not happen due to potential drama associated with it...still waiting to find out.
But our grant is in, I may write a paper, and I have to prepare another talk and poster. In the mean time, the hubs is writing his dissertation....still...and hoping to finish this summer. The munchkin, well, she's just amazing. Smart. Funny. Caring. Polite. Golly, I love her!

I'm still paying it forward: I worked with my neighbor, Allison, to make bunnies to help fund her trip to Europe and also donated half of every sale. I think we raised about $200 (and if not I'm giving her at least that much). The hair is still long, but will be cut and donated. Oh, yes, it will.
My nephew arrived and brought with him a whole host of uncertainties, but he is now doing well. My cousin, Phil, is not. I was told yesterday he has been given 30 days. Days. I don't know what I would do if someone said I had a month to live. I'd probably make a bucket list like I've been told he is doing. I'll probably do something in his honor, as well. I'm still pondering that.
So prepare for a new flourish in writing (I hope). Lots going on and lots to say. Until then, blessings to you!

Getting ready to head out

Thursday, the munchkin and I are heading to Baltimore, by way of the Atlanta airport. I'm looking forward to getting away. I haven't seen Gma-hoof in 16 months and know that she is so excited to see "her baby" (not me, the munchkin). Mom and Laura are also coming, too, so the house will be loaded with women who are all strong-minded and range in age from 92 1/2 to 20 months. Good times.
Of course, now Grandma is convinced she is dying, which she is. Technically, we all are. But she believes hers must be imminent because I'm coming to visit and Laura's coming to visit; even Step-daddy is stopping by this week (unannounced). That may cause her to pull out her will. I just hope the visit is enjoyable for her. I don't think she remembers how much energy a munchkin requires but with the three of us to chase her around, she should be fine to just laugh and point.
Most of all, I'm looking forward to getting another photo of the 4 generations of women. Granted, I'll look like the odd (wo)man out because I'll be the only brunette, but I'll take it. I know they're mine.

Bring on the fam!

I am so, so, so, so, so excited for our Christmas travels!! I have been counting down the days until we get to leave. I am excited for the drive, the food and the hugs. Yeah, the presents will be nice, I guess, but I just want my family.
I get a little "girl time" tomorrow with Molly before we have Matt's concert and then the travels begin. I hope the roads stay clear and our travel goes quickly (and that my patience holds out until we do get there).

1 month to go...

Granted, as of today, it's the month of February (not on a leap year). I can't believe it's gone this quickly and, somewhat surprisingly, I'm in no hurry for it to end any time soon. Yes, I am excited to meet BabyD and learn about him/her but right now Matt is in California for a Brass Workshop--or I have been calling it: band camp. He has been gone since Monday night and will not return until next Sunday (for a total of 12 days), which has been a cause for a little anxiety for both of us. Of course, I do get tickled when he asks me how the baby's doing every time he calls. In my head I'm thinking, "wiggling around, right where you left him/her." I still enjoy knowing that my baby is tucked safely away and I really don't feel that greedy about keeping all that kicking, turning and wiggling to myself...at least not yet.

Sydne is doing better. Her knee is healing really well and the fur is starting to grow back, but the shaved leg is still quite obvious. We are still having to limit her activities, so she's been trapped in the "den" of our house, especially since she believes herself to be back to full capacity. As a result, Matt and I have been sleeping downstairs. In the past week, I have been alternating between the floor and the couch (depending on thunderstorms) so that she won't try to venture up the stairs and so she doesn't have to sleep in her crate.

Today I am having a surprise wedding shower for two of our friends who are getting married in Hawaii. Casey, Matt's buddy, and I are collaborating on it. He's in charge of the grill and I'm doing everything else, which is perfectly fine with me. Of course, I'm not currently on schedule because I only did the grocery shopping yesterday and didn't clean anything in the house that I wanted to. Instead, I spent several hours trying to convince myself that I wanted to cook, clean, shop, etc. And, of course, now I'm writing rather than doing any of those things. Still, I have about 4-5 hours, so I should be fine. The house isn't a complete mess and the things I have to do won't take that long.

IC is slowly coming back following the flood. The clean-up is obvious everywhere but no one is sure which businesses will be coming back and which have been close indefinitely. The School of Music is closed for the year, the Art Museum is going to move to a new location, and the entire arts campus will be spread across the whole of the city: arts studios at the old Menards, music classes in every church in the city, and lessons in professors' homes. It will definitely be an interesting year.

oh my, to catch up...

So many things have happened and I have so much to share...
I am now up to week 33, which is pretty darn good and, yes, I'm getting big. As the floating baby (which totally freaks Megs out--teehee) shows, I have less than 50 days to go until the kiddo gets here and I keep getting bigger. This is probably one of the few times in my life in which I won't complain about an expanding waistline.

Two weeks ago, IC was hit with horrible, horrible rain and flooding. As a result, I spent that Monday moving musical instruments from the MT "closet" to the offices of Drs. A & G. The ironic part of it is that we were told it would most likely not be necessary to do only to be notified 3 days later that everything in the music building needed to be moved due to fear of 4.5 feet of water on the first floor, 4.5 FEET! So it was another time in my life that I'm glad I didn't listen to someone who was in charge because they would have been very wrong and it would have been a very expensive "learning experience" (as Dr A calls them). So we moved almost every single musical instrument out of that closet (except a few plastic things that would not be affected by water and could be cleaned with clorox) on a giant percussion cart, in about 5 loads via the freight elevator. We did sacrifice one guitar to the River Gods, but only because it was really broken and needed lots of work.

Thursday of that week I trekked down to Charleston, SC for a girls' weekend we had planned for months. The timing was just amazing. I left Thursday (they closed the interstate on Friday) and got to spend some great quality time with Bev and Amy. Friday we slept late, ate at IHOP, got massages and facials (oh, the happy memory), went on a Ghost Tour of the Charleston jail on Friday, the 13th mind you and ate yummy, yummy food. Saturday we went to see Sex and the City: The Movie. Though I never watched the show, I did enjoy the movie. Of course, it could have partly been the hormones, but I kinda wept through the second half of the movie. This is where the plans changed...

Instead of coming back to IC on Sunday and spending Saturday afternoon at the beach, I was stuck in the South for a bit longer. (Now, that's not such a bad thing and AirTran was super-fantastic about helping me get my tickets rearranged.) Because of the flooding, the interstate from the airport to IC was closed, which meant that I could either fly home on Sunday at my designated time and spend who knows how many days in a hotel until the road was opened or change my ticket. So after explaining the situation to the airline associate and stating I'd have to charter a boat to get home from the airport the same day as my arrival, my flight was changed to the following Saturday and I had to figure out what to do for the next 6 or so days. Luckily, Amy still lives in our hometown so after the movie, and a bit of shopping, we hopped in the car and headed to her in-laws home in Holden Beach to meet up with her cutie-patootie husband and little boy. We headed out of Holden at 3 a.m. for the drive home and 5 hours later rolled into town with a very unhappy 13-month old (he was ready to be out of the car). From there on, it was a week of quality time with Mom, Dad & Jo, Marc, Challen and Maddox, and other friends from home I have missed dearly.

Meanwhile, on the homefront, the flooding continuously got worse. My beloved IC and C'ville strip became a river, destroying many businesses that may not come back and university buildings that will needs months to be repaired. The pictures I was able to find online paled in comparison to the reality my friends back here were experiencing. I know that I will never truly understand how completely horrific it was because I was in NC and only had the "virtual" experience. In addition, my sweet, sweet Sydne tore her doggie ACL and had to have surgery to repair the damage, which sent pangs of guilt through my heart because I was so far away and unable, once again, to do anything.

This past Saturday, I finally got home. It has been surreal to see all the various businesses closed and muddied, to try to traverse the roads to work, to get everything else caught up, and take care of my husband and puppy. Syd-dog is slowly getting better. She has more energy, which means we have to encourage her to lay down and stay calm. Ice cream has been a good incentive. Dad and Jo are coming in for a baby shower this weekend so they'll get to see some of the remnants first-hand. It should be a good time especially when they haven't been here since 2006.

We also started our MT sessions with the kiddos at the Speech and Hearing Center today, which was fantastic! I love working with them and seeing all the progress they make over the course of 6 weeks working with us and the SLP students. It's a busy, busy time and I'm loving every minute.

Oh, baby

Last week we reached our half-way point for BabyD to make his/her arrival. We had our ultrasound and aside from my child being less than cooperative, things were once again "perfect" (not my term, but that's what the pros said). All appears to be going well in the baby-cooking department. And, no, we didn't find out boy or girl, just that there is a shy baby with a beautiful spine a-growin'. We weren't able to get a profile shot of the kiddo, per the previously mentioned lack of cooperation. Instead, we have a full-on face shot, which I think looks a little like Skeletor (only cuter, 'cause it's my kid).

In the past week I've had much more fun getting kicked, which brightens my day. And I'm preparing for 2 weeks of conferences. Tomorrow, I head to Chicago for the MT conference and Wednesday of next week I'm off to sunny San Diego for a CI conference. I'm actually looking forward to both, but for different reasons. I want to go to Chicago to see friends I haven't seen in quite a while; not that thrilled about the actual MT sessions and such. For San Diego, well, it's San Diego--filled with fun parties and an ocean view. Then there's the professional stuff, which seems more intellectually appealing than Chicago (not good considering my profession is MT--oh well, I always enjoy Nationals more anyway).

On a happy note, Spring has finally arrived and by "Spring" I mean consecutive days above 40 degrees and thunderstorms. Oh, how I love thunderstorms. Something about the rumbles of thunder, flashes of lightening, and torrential downpours soothes me. All I need is a tin roof next to a window and I could sleep/relax for hours. I do love the sunshine of spring, though, so maybe we could have the thunderstorms in the evening and the sun during the day... just not every day. Now to see if any of my tulips have survived the move...

-peace and love!

Life is good

Catching up on the remainder of the Christmas gatherings...

It is safe to say a good time was had by all. While we didn't have the family "Guesstures" tournament of years past, we still managed to have a very good time. Because this was the first Christmas for Laura and Chris as married folk, we had to rearrange how things were done. Matt and I kept up the same routine we've done, but had to adapt to the new family schedules. I thought we handled it pretty well, for the most part. Marc and Challen came down to the KM family gathering and brought Mad-dog (my dad's nickname for Maddox). We had a delicious lunch and our family Gift Game where more presents were worth fighting over than in years gone by. My dad actually brought a belly-dancing book/CD as his contribution and almost ended up taking it home. After 3 hours of KM fun (2 hours longer than normal), we went to Marc and Challen's house to share their presents since they weren't up for trips all around NC. After the giftage, we to Dad and Jo's for further indulgences. Once there we got to meet up with Laura and Chris for more family fun. Each couple got their Yellowstone picture and, of course, Dad really wants a copy of Marc and Challen's so I'll have to look and see what size looks best (he, of course, wants a HUGE copy).

Catching up

I am so woefully behind in blogging, but most likely because so much has been going on. (the excitement of the holidays).
Matt and I added yet another nephew to our mix on December 11. Of course, both families are completely ga-ga over their respective new members. Who could really blame them, right?
Our Christmas "vacation" began on the 21st with a 10 1/2 hour drive to Tennessee to see Matt's Grandma. The best part was the drive occurred sans music/radio.
Back story: I have a Theftlock system on my car, which means if anyone should choose to steal my radio and put it into another vehicle, it wouldn't work without the unlock code. This tool also goes into action in the event the battery is disconnected and/or dies. Well, my car had to have a new multi-sensor put in, which resulted in the battery being disconnected from the radio and, being that I programmed the code into the car 4+ years ago, I didn't remember the code. Thus, the radio, CD player or anything hooked up to the speakers in my car would not work.
The drive to TN wasn't so bad for me, mostly because I slept most of it and because we got pretty punchy at times and made up songs about the towns we were in. My favorite was for Paducah, but I couldn't tell you what it is now. Saturday we headed to TN to see the Fam-in-laws; 5 hours later, we arrived (still no music)--again I slept. (I love the relief of vacation, even in a car.) We spent two great days with Matt's family and sang Jingle Bells about 400 times for Callie and got pee-ed on by Bryce (a true sign of love).













Next, we headed out to Hickory. We got to Mom's on Christmas Eve around 4, but still needed to run a few errands so Matt and I headed out to Target. Once there, we wrapped up our last-minute needs, hopped in the car, turned the key--nothing happened. From there I realized that I both love the South more than I dislike it. Afterall, we had almost a dozen people offer to jump my car (didn't work), one lady even gave us a card for a tow truck, and only one person gave me an ugly look for my car taking up two spaces. You see, we had to push my car out of the space to try to jump it because my cables were too short to stretch from my battery to the car next to me (opposite sides). Once we pushed it back in, I ended up straddling two parking spaces, prime spots for the Target entrance at 5 pm on Christmas Eve. Excellent. So step-daddy came to the rescue. We emptied everything from the Grand Prix into the truck after he affirmed that my battery was infact completely dead. (Good thing I didn't unlock the radio, huh?) Off we ran to get a new battery at 5:45 on Christmas Eve. We ran into our second auto parts store at 5:53 (they closed at 6) and bought the battery. Then off to Mom's for dinner because it was too dark to put the battery in now. After dinner, we had presents. The highlight of every year is Abby's Christmas present. Every year it's a ball and every year my mom gives great play-by-play. Followed by dessert...mmmm...chocolate.



Darnell, McRee, Brake Christmas update still to go...

Souping it up

Grandma's big Nine-Oh went off without a hitch. We had a great time and she enjoyed the surprises, despite her initial protest. I got to Baltimore and met up with 2bit and Chris. Boomer was also with them and very excited to meet me (and smell Sydne). We made it to Gma-Hoof's by 3 the next day and called her from the driveway. She didn't realize we were there until we were standing right in front of her window and had to tell her she could hang up the phone. :)

Friday night we went out to dinner at my uncle's favorite restaurant where I remembered the joys of fresh crab meat and scallops. Saturday was Gma-Hoof's surprise party, which worked out well because we managed to get her out of the house and set up the table so that when she got home, it was ready to go. She came in and saw me with the camera before she saw the table with the cake, punch, and other treats and immediately started fussing at mom because she "didn't want a big reception." Needless to say, once friends and family arrived she was the perfect social butterfly and loved every minute of it. Now, I figured dinner out and a party would take care of the birthday surprise, but no, there was more. Mom remembered that Gma-Hoof loved lobster and, once the party crowd cleared out, dinner preparations began with lobster tails for all. Once again, she was pleasantly surprised and asked whether she should expect any more surprises. We assured her that was the end and, when I talked to her on Wednesday, she was still "recuperating" from her parties and talking about how we managed to surprise her so many times. This past week was, well, cold. The weather has turned much colder; snow and ice have fallen with more expected today and tomorrow. As a result, I turned to soup and am trying my hand at winging it on vegetable soup. I figure if you put water, and vegetables in a pot for long enough, it has to be good. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

9-Oh!

Saturday is Grandma Hoof-n-Mouth's 90th birthday. So tomorrow I'm flying to Baltimore where 2bit will pick me up and take me to her new home. Hopefully, I get a little quality time with the SecretBro and Boomer (the new doggie in the family). Friday we head for Wakefield to surprise Gma-Hoof with a fun family visit and birthday party. I know she's not expecting me; I'm not so sure about 2bit's arrival being as much of a surprise. Despite the festivities planned, I am still bracing myself for a repeat of the verbal attacks from 2bit's wedding time. With or without the verbal banter, there should be good stories to report upon my return.

Catchin' up

In the last few weeks, I've been up to a million things and loving them all.


After Momma D was discharged we got to spend a few more days together before they flew home and I headed to the AMTA national conference in Louisville.
Time there was fun, but I worked harder than I have in a long time. Each day was 6 a.m.-ish until well after midnight. The University was well-represented with alums and current students. Still, despite the work, Meganne and I found ways to have fun and coffee, with our last night spent in an embroiled
battle of scrabble.


Plus, while I was in Lu-ih-vul my prediction came true. My beautiful nephew arrived...dimples and all (though I haven't seen the dimples yet). Welcome, Maddox Joseph!

The drive home was uneventful, that is until I got to town and encountered not one, but three, accidents within a mile of each other at my exit to get home.


Thursday brought fun in the form of friends and lots of food, but with the price of a damn early start (and a white Thanksgiving). Matt wanted to smoke the turkey using his fancy-shmancy grill. That required a 5:30 a.m. start; a start on which I was not planning as the thought of sleeping until 9 was firmly cemented in my head. Instead, I woke up and helped him make the brine, wash the bird and get the grill going.
At 6:30, the bird was on the grill and, being filled with coffee, I could no longer return to bed. Instead, I made the rest of the food I hadn't prepped the day before. The result of all the cooking and food from friends equalled one hell of a spread.

This was followed by a good nap, playing with a beautiful baby, and a heated game of Cranium, which we won. Then we sent home left-overs for all to enjoy. We did, however, end up with all of the desserts. Wonder how that happened...

She's down, but not out

Mom and I have a had a really good time the last 3 days, though time has flown by. She is definitely a tough woman and hasn't let a single thing get in her way. Mom was especially excited about the possibility of the scooter when we went grocery shopping.
I could not stop from laughing most of the trip, especially when she almost took out a display of wine bottles. Nothing like quality time with Mom...
Drive safely!

Ah, Airports

Yes, they are as much fun as you remember from your childhood... Apparently, no one has had their coffee by 5 a.m. Our flight crew got in late last night so my 6 a.m. flight is now scheduled to depart at 7:20. The poor guys that are in charge of check-in looked so lost, I wondered if it wouldn't be more efficient to figure out how to check myself in (the kiosks didn't work :-)). It looks like I will spend a total of 2 hours only 20 minutes away from my warm, comfy bed, wishing I had stayed so curled up in the covers just a little longer. In the mean time, I'll enjoy people-watching although most are trying to sleep. It could still prove interesting as they try to navigate the oh-so-comfy chairs available.

Yeah, Friday

I am so glad today is Friday, I could sing it from the rooftops. This week has been good and challenging and busy. I had a moment of pouting yesterday (internally, of course) when my ego was bruised, but I've moved on and gotten over myself. Today, I rebounded with lots of productivity; I finished writing a new computer program for our research team, tested a few people for one of our newer studies (yeah for "normals"), and got everything together for me to be gone. I've decided that I am tired of waiting for feedback that will never come and am going to submit my first article and begin my second one.
Tomorrow I head out to Hky to "take care" of Mom. Turns out she has some plans for me that include keeping her cigar business in order (Matt has already given me orders of what to bring home for him), having a pizza party with her buddy, Joan, and taking her to the doctor. I plan on having a little talk with her doc about prescribing ototoxic meds for her, which, even in small doses, caused some tinnitus. Wanna be how long it takes me to ask him to request an audiogram?
I also started an online course on PHP and SQL on Wednesday, which I am excited to use to turn my Master's project into a more functional, user-friendly version for our patients. I'm in a class full of programmers, tech support people, and web designers. Yeah, I'm the outsider, but I'm excited to have such a large resource from which to draw. It's a wonderful day and I can't complain; I won't complain.
I hope your day is just as good!
Happy Weekend!

Poor Momma

Well, I know which segment of my DNA contained my graceful tendencies (or lack thereof). My sweet, sweet mother came home Friday from another "hard" day at the golf course and took the puppies outside. Good ole' NC finally started getting some much-needed rain and when Momma came back inside with the dogs, she slipped in her flip-flops. Turns out she is an all-or-nothing girl, just like me. She broke and dislocated her ankle, as well as tearing tendons. All this I found out at 10 p.m. Friday night when my sister called to fill me in. Yesterday morning, I got to call and talk to her (in the hospital), only to find out that she was scheduled for surgery at 12:30 and, oh yeah, my step-father is scheduled to fly to Munich in a week for his j-o-b, which will leave my partially-incapacitated mother at home. 2Bit is one week into her new job in DC, Gma-hoof can't get there and while, yes, mom has a lot of friends in the area, I would rather be there to take care of her.
But I did enjoy my mom's story on how *she* told the EMS workers what to do after she pulled herself to the kitchen, called 911, Stepdaddy, and her golf-buddy Andrea to tell her she wouldn't be able to go to Myrtle Beach for the tournament. (She has her priorities in order, for sure) Once EMS arrived, they brought the stretcher to her family room where she told them to stop there and she would come to them (she didn't want her floor or walls scratched). With her injured leg in the air--elementary school crabwalk-style, she pulled herself across the floor to the stretcher. One of the EMS guys told her he was going to pick her up and put her on the stretcher, "Oh, no," she said, "Let me do it." So she lifted herself up and onto the stretcher. Then they brought out an air-cast.
Mom: Don't put that thing on me! --so they didn't.
EMS: But ma'am, we have to stabilize you before we go
Mom: Got a sheet?
EMS: Yeah
Mom: Take the sheet and tie it to the top of the bus and use it as a sling
EMS: But ma'am, we should really...
Mom: No. Just use it as a sling. I'm not bringing my leg any lower.
EMS: Would you like something to take the edge off?
Mom: That would be great--so they gave her some Delaudid
Mom: Okay, guys. You're going to have to hurry up with that sheet, 'cause it's getting harder to hold my leg up.--thus ended the conversation in which my mom, once again, ran the show. The rest of the ride to the hospital consisted of them commending Momma for not crying or screaming or any of that. She simply told them that if she cried, she wouldn't be able to breathe as well, which would make it hurt more. She is one tough lady; that's for sure.

So, for the last several hours, I've been working on figuring out exactly when Stepdaddy leaves for Germany, checking my vacation/sick time at work to make sure I have enough and evaluating the the patient schedule to see if I can get everyone covered. The next step is to buy a plane ticket or just get the car ready for the 11-hour drive home. Honestly, I'd rather drive. I'm just very grateful I have so many great people in my department. Now to get it past Dr G and, if it works out, put all the plans I've made into action.

Be safe walking in flip-flops in the rain! :-)

We're not in Kansas anymore

Dateline Wednesday: And so we began on our family vacation. I was not exactly what one would call excited, having vivid memories of our last Family Vacay on 2bit's 21st birthday. That trip caught almost every possible element of Murphy's law one could encounter. I'll post that story later.
This trip included Matt, Dad, Step-mom, 2bit, SS hubby, Marshall bro, Preggers wifey (27 weeks along) and myself. Matt and I flew into Denver which went well, no problems, then on to Cody. The flight was interesting. We had a Cody "native" behind us on the plane talking with his neighbor about hunting. Turns out he had a great mullet to match his stories, no surprise. Our favorite was one about buffalo within Yellowstone national park that went like this:

You know, this time of year you have to be careful because the bison are "rutting" right now. (they're in heat). Two men were that driving through Yellowstone, they came up on a traffic jam created by Buffalo in the road. They were real close to the road, so close that the guy in the passenger seat stuck his arm out the window and patted one on the neck. It reared back and rammed the truck, knocked it off the road, broke the axle and knocked off the tire. I tell you, man, you gotta be careful around them.

Then once the plane landed and we were allowed to use our cell phones, he called his girlfriend and proceeded to ask "What are you wearing?" Seriously, he asked this loudly while the plane is still taxiing down to the gate. Once we got off the plane, into one of the smallest airports I've ever seen, I saw some of the most "interesting" people grouped together in one place. There was a whole herd of mullets and femullets, a woman with a purse made out of a skunk, men with mustaches and beards that emulated Buffalo Bill (or beards circa late 1970s or 1870s), and one guy whose mustache was so long it reached his clavicle--Braided!! Thus was my introduction to Cody, WY. Wowza!!!

Happy Trails to you...