Tag Archives: patience

The Journey to Normal

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Chef Mickeys crop.jpgIn November of 2014, I had a tumor removed from my brain.  Hearing loss was my only symptom and the only reason it was detected when it was.  I have no idea how long I had been struggling with this hearing loss or when it even started.  I just know I put my finger in my good ear to scratch it in the summer of 2014 and noticed that the volume on the TV went way down.  It was a light bulb moment for sure.

I made the appointment with an ENT and had a hearing test, from there an MRI which showed that I had a 1.48 cm tumor sitting on my hearing and balance nerve.  I weighed my options and had my surgery in November of 2014 at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas.  Surgery went great, only took 5 ½ hours and 5 days later I got to go home!  All of the tumor was removed, there has been no facial paralysis, I still have “some” hearing in my left ear and I am not having any bouts with vertigo.  YEA!

Every day since November 20, 2014 I have been working to return my life to “normal.” Well I am fast approaching the 2 year anniversary of my surgery and returning to normal has turned into creating a new normal.  You expect things to be difficult during the first few months after surgery.  I mean, they did cut open my head and remove something.  Not a minor surgery by any means.

In my new normal, I understand and accept that roller coasters or rough rides of any kind are OFF LIMITS.  Oh and none of those that twirl and spin rides either.  I did ride on Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom and I even did the Star Wars simulator ride at Hollywood studios.  A time or two when I thought the simulation was a little extreme, I just closed my eyes.  Worked like a charm.

In my new normal, I have to be very careful with sneezing or coughing.  If either sneak up on me and I’m not prepared for a “controlled” sneeze or cough, I suffer the consequences afterwards.  The entire back of my head feels like it is going to explode.  It takes me 20 to 30 minutes to get things calmed down.  I have learned a lot of massage techniques for my head when the headaches come.

In my new normal, I also understand that my balance is different and I have to be very careful when going up and down stairs and I really don’t want to trip.  I have lost my balance a few times by tripping over something, usually my own feet.  Once I am knocked off balance, unless someone is there to catch me, I will fall.  A couple of weeks ago we went to Disney World with the family.  We were all standing on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom watching the fabulous fireworks at 10:15 p.m. when I decided to move over a little.  I tripped over the train track in the road and was headed down.  It felt like I was moving in slow motion and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.  However, my husband who never moves very far away from me, caught me and I did not fall.  My hero.

Dancing was another area I was worried about.  Keith and I love to ballroom dance and I love for him to spin me.  That did not come easy, let me tell you.  We have worked on it and I’m very proud to say that I can do the double spin again.  Of course Keith is right there to keep me moving in the right direction.

I have not gotten back into running yet.  In fact, my entire desire to walk, run or do any form of exercise has been non-existent.  Yoga is completely off the table because it still bothers me when I have to bend over.  Downward dog would be so bad right now.   I have to be careful just bending over to pick up the dog food bowls twice a day.

I have been working for almost a year now to get in control or eliminate the headaches I have been getting since the surgery.  I am pleased to say that it appears I am on a good path with the headaches right now and I am trying to add back walking every day.  My headache regime is meds from neurologist, head and neck message every other week, chiropractic treatment and best of all, acupuncture.  I truly feel that the acupuncture has been the catalyst to make everything work together.  The headaches are mostly manageable now, fewer and farther in between.  I am looking forward to the day when someone asks me about my headaches and I can say, what headaches.

There are still a couple of things I have not tried yet because I just don’t know what will happen.  Tennis is one of them.  Since jarring things or sudden movements make my head hurt, not sure what will happen if I hit a tennis ball with the racquet.  The other sport that I dearly love and have not tried yet is bowling.  I had just gotten a new ball and shoes right before my diagnosis.  Fear has kept me from trying that as well.  I will continue my journey to create my new normal, taking each day one step at a time.  Who knows what will happen next.

One Year Post-Op

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Thursday marked my one year anniversary of my acoustic neuroma brain tumor removal.  I have found myself thinking a lot about that experience this past week and what I was going through this time a year ago.  I would love to be able to say that I am good as new or that I’m back to doing everything I could do before the surgery, but I’m not.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am very blessed that the tumor was discovered and that I had it removed.  Nothing good was going to come of it, obviously.  But short of having some ringing in my years and some hearing loss in my left ear, I felt fine and had no idea anything was wrong.  It was actually a fluke that it was discovered as quickly as it was. So here I am a year later still working on recovering.  I remember telling myself last Thanksgiving that this time next year, it would be like it never happened.  Well that was wishful thinking. Maybe Thanksgiving 2016 it will be like it never happened.  A girl has got to have hope, right?

So what has this past year looked like for me?  Those first couple of months it was just trying to focus on walking.  It took a while for me to look left and right without getting a bit dizzy.  It was like I was drunk without drinking. Things were kind of woozy.    My surgery was on my left side, so I have only been able to sleep on my right side.  That is still the case 99.9% of the time.  If I lay on my left side for very long, the anger sharks start swimming.  In February I got the green light to do some light running.  I wanted to get back to running like I was before surgery, and I’m still working on it.  I think walking with minimal slow running is a better option for me at the moment.  Since my balance is questionable at times, I am very careful not to trip or stumble.  I have learned the hard way that with only one balance nerve left, it doesn’t take much to tip me over.  I have fallen twice in the last year and let me tell you, it was not good.

I cannot sneeze or cough without the back of my head becoming very angry.  Would love to know when that is going to stop.  I live in Oklahoma where there are things in the air and sometimes I need to sneeze.  I went to great lengths last allergy season NOT to sneeze.  And if I swallow wrong and need to cough, yikes.

Bending over is still an issue and as long as it is, yoga is a no go.  Downward facing dog might send me over the edge.  My head gets angry when I bend over to pick up the dog food bowls.  I have decided that I probably won’t ever ride a roller coaster again.  I think my head would literally blow off or I might just pass out.  But hey, I can still go dancing with my husband and I can still twirl as long as he is standing there to make sure I stop twirling when I’m supposed to.  Any sport which might cause me to fall, which would include water skiing or snow skiing is off limits.  Heck I didn’t do that before my surgery, so I certainly don’t want to do it now.  I was worried that this head issue would cause me problems if I traveled on a plane.  Good news, we went to London and Paris in September and I not only did fine on the Boeing 777, but also on the Eurostar high speed train.

So as I reflect, my main issue is headaches.  I am to the point that I plan my activities around them.   Where am I going to be when the next one pops up and how will I get rid of it?  I always carry Extra Strength Tylenol or Advil with me.  I am fortunate that over the counter pain meds will take care of it; but, I’m taking them every day.  So in August I bit the bullet and went to a neurologist for help.  So far I’ve tried two different types of migraine meds (and I don’t think I have migraines).  Neither did anything and one of them made my night time headaches worse.  I have also gone to physical therapy, which was nice while the therapist manipulated my neck, but with no lasting benefits.  I’ve had one occipital nerve block injection, lasted a few hours.  I have had two trigger point injections in the muscles of my neck, lasted a couple of hours.  I am getting an upper body massages every week and I do think that it is making my neck more flexible.  Next up, I’m contemplating acupuncture.

In August when I first went to the neurologist, they took my blood pressure and they commented that it was a bit high.  Like 160/110 high.  I have never had high blood pressure, it’s usually below 120/80.  Each subsequent time I went in they would take my blood pressure and again, it was high.  Hmmmm.  Well a week before I went to my latest appointment, I started taking my own blood pressure at home and keeping track. OMG, it is off the charts.  One morning it was 177/117 when I woke up!

Now I have headaches AND high blood pressure.  I don’t know if the blood pressure is causing my headaches or if my head pain is causing my high blood pressure.  And the doctor doesn’t know either.  So now we are trying to get my blood pressure under control and we’ll just see how the headaches respond.  Ever see that commercial where the woman has to go the bathroom every few minutes and she has that little cartoon bladder tugging on her?  Well I have one of those and it’s a little cartoon headache with high blood pressure that is following me everywhere. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

I’m officially kicking off my second year of surgery recovery.  My goal, to rid myself of headaches and high blood pressure. To be able to sleep all night, awake refreshed and ready for my day with the energy and stamina to get with an exercise program and to stick with it.  Those are tall orders, but I am so ready.

 

It’s Wal-Mart’s Fault

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BrowniesThe hubs has gone south this weekend to the Texas Hill Country to see his parents.  The dogs and I stayed at home.  This means I will have three very quiet days.  So this weekend will be some much needed down time for me.  Of course I still need to pick up the house and do laundry, but I am ready for a long, relaxing, no stress weekend.   Guess I should not have gone to Wal-Mart then…..

If you are lucky enough to live in a town with lots of grocery options, good for you.  That is not my experience.  In fact, the hubs does most of our grocery shopping and after today, I am remembering why.  We have a couple of grocery options, Homeland, which is pricier and I can never find anything there.  But when I’m desperate I do go there.  The other two options, you have to bring your own sacks and they don’t take debit cards.  That’s right, they don’t take debit cards.  Well that means, I don’t go there.  So 9 times out of 10, I make the trek into my local Wal-Mart, when I have to.

With the hubs gone, I wanted to make myself something yummy that I can eat on all weekend.  I chose my pasta primavera.  So I spent a nice quiet morning at home.  I did a couple of loads of laundry, watched several episodes of Say Yes to the Dress and then I decided it was time to do it.  It’s time to tackle Wal-Mart.

With my comfiest flip flops on I head out.  The first thing I notice is that the parking lot is pretty full.  Not a good sign.  I mean it’s not payday weekend so why is everyone here.  Instead of trolling up and down the isles in the parking lot looking for a space up close, I decide to park way out by the street and walk.  You know, get a little exercise in, make my Fitbit stand up and notice me.  Well crap, I forgot to put the Fitbit on.  Oh well, I know I’m getting in extra steps.

Two steps out of my car and I see them.  Over the past month or so, every time I go to our mall or grocery store, there are men walking around in the parking lots “giving away” loaves of homemade banana bread, for a donation.  The hubs and I stumbled upon some of them a few weeks ago and before we could escape, we heard the sales pitch.  They are recovering drug addicts trying to make their way in the world and don’t we want to help them out by taking one of their loaves of banana bread?  Um, no I do not.

So I see two of them up ahead of me and they are approaching people with their sales pitch.  Now, these guys frighten me.  I’m sorry, but they do.  And you know, they should never approach a woman in a parking lot.  Right?  One of my pet peeves is going to a store, only to find people set up right outside of the store selling something and asking me to buy it when I go into the store and then again when I come out.  So you can imagine how I feel about being approached by a man who tells me he is a recovering drug addict out in the parking lot without my husband….  I’m not very sympathetic and I am not about to accept a loaf of their banana bread.

Well that pretty much set the tone for the rest of my time in Wal-Mart.  This was one of those days when people went down the isles two buggies side by side blocking everybody’s way.  Or people would be stopped with their buggies talking and getting caught up with each other, again blocking the isle.  Hey, if you really want to talk, go out to the parking lot.  There are some guys out there who can give you some banana bread.

I have made so many detours in the store and waited behind so many buggies, that my stress level is pretty high.  I’m supposed to be having a quiet, low key weekend right?  I have everything I need, now I just need to get to the checkout counter and get out.  But wait, there it was.  Calling my name.  Really it was kind of screaming my name.  I’m shocked that everyone in the store didn’t turn and look.  What was it you asked?  It was an opportunity.  No it wasn’t, it was an indulgence and I needed an indulgence.  It was …… a big beautiful box of brownie mix!!!!  What goes good in brownie mix?  PECAN PIECES!!!!! Yep, got them too.  At this point I am just going to say it.  It’s Wal-Mart’s fault that I am buying brownie mix.  What’s a girl to do when she is all stressed out?  Isn’t chocolate our friend during these times? And who doesn’t love nuts with their brownies.

Now the task of finding the right checkout line.  I’m notorious for getting in the shortest, but slowest line.  But I hate to get in the longest line and hope it is the fastest.  What to do, what to do.  Hey there’s one and I can actually see the conveyor belt.  I’m wondering if it is a trick.  I’m kind of looking around, no one is running towards it.  Do I dare get in this line?  Oh I am just going to go for it.  I put my items on the belt and waited for my turn.  Hell did not freeze over and I zipped right through.  A young man by the name of Chris checked me out and when he handed me my receipt, told me to have a nice day.  Well ok Chris, I think I will.    Brownies anyone?

Eight Weeks Post-Op

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Shoes 2Well it’s been eight weeks since my little surgery and I’m plodding along. I have been back at work for two full weeks and that has been great. All that sitting at home recovering was beginning to turn my brain into mush. Sitting too long made my neck and head hurt. Oh heck, everything makes my neck and head hurt to a degree. I think it may be the new normal for a while. The first day back in the office was weird, but after that I felt like I had never been gone. I’m sure being away from a person’s job for seven weeks makes it difficult for anyone to just jump right back in, but add the additional issue of brain surgery and it kind of takes on a whole new meaning.

One of the things that is recommended for people who have had this surgery is to walk, a lot. It helps with the balance and dizziness. I did a really good job of this initially when I got home. I was outside walking through the neighborhood the very week I got home. The weather was great and I was VERY woozy. In fact it was scary because things were not in great focus and I could not move my head very far or very quickly. But I made myself do it. Then icky weather arrived and the cold air makes my head hurt so I went outside less and less to walk. I do have a treadmill upstairs, but didn’t go up there and use it. And now that I’m back at work, I have even less time to walk. Don’t you love excuses? I know I do.

So yesterday the weather in southern Oklahoma was finally better. The temperature in the low 60’s by the afternoon. A brisk southwesterly wind initially and the sun was shining. Haven’t seen much of the sun around here for a while and it was a welcome sight. So yesterday morning I made yet another commitment to myself to get my butt up and out the door for a nice walk. Take in a little fresh air and get some vitamin D. I had not ventured out of my neighborhood to walk since the surgery, so today was the day.

I got to digging around in my closet and found my workout clothes. Yes they were right where I left them months ago. So I bundled up, got my ear buds, my cell phone, my sunglasses and something to cover my ears and out the door I went. Today’s challenge: Regional Park! With my Fitbit all charged up I went to my Fitbit App and told it to log my walk and off I went. I rounded the corner of my house and the southwest wind hit me. Whew, it’s a little chilly, but I shall persevere. I headed south out of my neighborhood, crossed behind the AHS girls’ softball field and there I was on the city’s walking trail headed for Regional Park. Continued south at Veterans Boulevard, crossed Commerce, worked my way passed Skateland and Daylight Donuts and there it was just around the bend, Regional Park. It has been months since I had been in the park and I have missed it. Now it’s time to put on some tunes, which of course have the perfect walking beat and help me put a little spring in my step.

I am officially in the park and my Fitbit App tells me I have already gone a mile. Whooohooo. So how far should I go? I could just walk up to the skate park and then go back home. I could walk up to the softball fields and then go home. I could go through the woods over by the pavilion OR I could go all the way to the top of the walking trail. Since we moved to our new house last summer, I have never gone from our house to the top of the walking trail and back and I wasn’t completely sure how far that was. But you know, today was the day to find out.

The first part of the adventure is downhill, piece of cake. Then you get to the bottom of the hill at the skate park and it’s uphill for a bit. A good bit actually. I could feel every muscle in my body engaging. I kept telling myself to breath, that always helps. So just about the time I got to the pavilion, my Fitbit tells me I have walked two miles. Well ok. My favorite part of the park is walking through the heavily wooded trail behind the pavilion. It’s beautiful and peaceful. I love listening to the wind blow through the trees, when I don’t have my earbuds in that is. Today I’m stepping to Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Flo Rida, Cee Lo Green, Psy, Usher, LMFAO, Foo Fighters and Rihanna. An eclectic group of songs I think all motivating me to keep moving.

Since balance is an issue, this particular walking trail is perfect, because it’s hilly and uneven. There are times when the path gently slopes. Makes me really work hard on the uneven surface with my uneven balance. I am fast approaching the top of the walking trail when my Fitbit tells me I have gone three miles. Wow. Do you know what that means? It means that I am three miles away from home and I still have to turn around and get home. Yep, by the time I had gotten home, I had traversed 6.07 miles eight weeks after brain surgery. That is the farthest I have ever walked at one time. By the time I went to bed, my Fitbit said I had taken 17,000 steps. Well it was 16,984 when I crawled into bed so I got up and walked to the kitchen and back so it would officially be 17,000.

So this morning, as you can imagine, my feet hurt and most every muscle from my waist down hurts. But it’s a good hurt. My pinky toenail lacerated its neighboring toe so I also have that to contend with today. Nothing a Band-Aid can’t solve. So enough whining already. I laced up my shoes again this afternoon, headed out but only for a 3 mile adventure this time. For all my Acoustic Neuroma warriors out there, hang in there. You can do it and it does get easier every day.

Peace be with you.

It’s a Process

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Water Trees

I am ready to admit that I underestimated the magnitude of this surgery. Twelve days ago I had my acoustic neuroma brain tumor removed and I am now home recuperating, thanks be to God. I had a couple of months to mentally prepare for this event, connected with others who had acoustic neuromas removed and I simply felt like super woman when I got ready to go. I was jolly in the office, joked about having a brain tumor and tried to make it as simple in my mind as I could. But again, sometimes I can be wrong.

The day before my surgery was spent on pre-op appointment after appointment. Not a lot of time to think about the event itself. My final test for that day came after 5 p.m. with my surgical MRI and by 6:45, my mind began to spill over into what the next day might hold. I began to feel the small pangs of fear within me. Not wanting to show that, I tried to keep the stiff upper lip. My daughter finally arrived which was a wonderful thing, but seeing her made me more vulnerable. I don’t get to see her a lot so when I do I get emotional. This was no exception.   So here the four of us were, my husband, my son and my daughter, trying to make small talk Wednesday evening and trying to mentally prepare ourselves for the next day, which would start at 4:15 a.m.

We were told to check in for surgery at 5:15 so at 5 a.m. we all started the journey from our hotel rooms across the street to surgery. We were walking together but my insides were screaming. Keep it together Marcy. When we arrived there were lots of people there waiting to check in as well. Guess it was a big surgery day in the hospital. It finally got to be my turn. I checked in and thank God they let my family come back and be with me until they took me to surgery. I was on the verge of tears every second and I did not want to cry in front of my family. I needed to show them I was ok and strong, right? Initially they only allowed two people in the family to be with you at a time. But my daughter has never been one to take NO very well, so next thing I know, there she is. Good job Loni.

We continue to make small talk while all the people come in and out of the room explaining to us what is going to happen and asking me 9,000 questions and most of them are the same questions. At this point all I can think of is I am ready for you guys to knock me out because I am scared to death. It is finally time and they start to wheel me out of the room and then it happened. A few tears leaked from the corner of my eyes and then there was nothing.

I am thrilled to tell you that all of my tumor was removed and I have no facial nerve damage and at the moment still have some hearing in my bad ear. My balance nerve is a bit woozy, but that is normal and one of the things I will be adjusting to few for quite a while. My 1.48 cm tumor was removed with the Retrosigmoid/sub-occipital surgical approach, which involves exposing the back of the tumor by opening the skull near the back of the head. This approach can be used for removing large tumors and offers the possibility of preserving hearing. The surgery was scheduled for 10 hours but was concluded in 5 ½! Now the process begins.

My memories of those five days in the hospital are blurred and acute depending on the day and event. I remember telling my husband on more than one occasion that this was harder than I had anticipated. In fact, I may have said it to him daily. At first they kept me pretty drugged to keep me comfortable. I have never had morphine before but when the nurse would come in and put it in my IV, I knew it. Didn’t know much after that, but I could feel it move through my body. That was weird. After a couple of days I tried to back off of some of the drugs because it just made me feel groggy and icky. I had no appetite and of course my nurses were constantly concerned about the amount of fluids going in and out of me and almost every conversation included the questions, “have you pooped today?” Leave me alone people.

Now for those of you who have been in the hospital or have had loved ones in the hospital, you know that getting a good night’s sleep is rare. I mean you can start off sleeping great, but someone has to come in every few hours and check your blood pressure, temperature and put that little clip on your finger to check your oxygen levels. I had gotten pretty good at just having my arm ready and literally sleeping through it. The last morning I was there, my 4:50 a.m. blood pressure nurse comes in and does her thing and I did mine. She leaves and as I am just dropping back to sleep she steps back in my room and she is asking me something. Well first off she is talking to me from my bad ear so I have no idea what she is saying. I turned over a little and said “what?” She repeats herself; “Since 11 p.m., how much liquid have you had to drink and have you pooped.” Now I know I just had brain surgery and I am on pain pills at night, but I’m not sure I heard her correctly. I make eye contact this time and said, “WHAT?” She repeated the question. Is she kidding me? I have been asleep since 9 p.m., and under the influence of pain meds. When would I have been up drinking and pooping? Didn’t she wake me just five minutes ago to take my blood pressure? I am sure the “tone” of my response was not very friendly, but at that moment I really didn’t care. I looked sternly at her and told her I had been asleep since 9. That was the morning I knew I needed to go home.

So this morning I begin my seventh day at home. I can tell that I still have inflammation because hearing out of either of my ears is difficult. Too many sounds at one time are difficult and become unbearable. My eyes are very sensitive to light. I exist in a constant state of wooziness with the feeling of cotton in my head. It’s a process.   I started out really well getting out a walking those first few days at home and I was beginning to think I was super woman again, then my dosage of the steroid I was being given got cut in half and my reality changed. Didn’t realize how much the steroid was boosting me. I know now. Had a bit of a setback day Saturday because of it, but it is what it is. Keith went back to work yesterday morning so it’s just me and the dogs. I am sick of TV and sick of sitting around and this is only my first week home to recuperate. Typing and reading is difficult as my ability to focus on words for very long is difficult. So much for catching up on my reading right away. I guess it’s good to remember that I’m not on vacation here. I am undertaking a very difficult job, recuperating from surgery.

The stiches come out Thursday and the following day I CAN WASH MY HAIR. Keith has been washing out my hair in the kitchen sink for me every other day or so which has helped, but I need to be able to do it myself and actually try and style it. Then my surgeon tells me that I have to wait three months to touch up my hair color. Get ready friends, we are all getting ready to see the actual color of my hair and I’m scared. Maybe you should be too.

So the process will continue and each day will be better. Taking things slow and being patient will have to become my new normal. All in all I feel pretty good and am grateful to be on the other side of it. So this holiday season will be at a slow pace in the King household and that is ok. I may get some Christmas decorations out and maybe I won’t. Maybe a tree goes up and maybe it won’t. Maybe I’ll wrap packages, maybe I won’t. But whatever I do, it will be with peace and love in my heart and a grateful attitude that I’m Ok [thanks be to God].

Peace be with you.

 

Observations

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Bluebonnet 2Keith and I had to make a quick trip to Austin and back this weekend. His dad, a World War II veteran, has been selected to go on the Honor Flight, which takes WWII vets to Washington DC to show them their memorial, along with other military memorials. It is quite an honor and is a wonderful thing for these men who have given so much to this country. Keith is getting to go with his 93 year old dad as his guardian so off to Austin we go for a Saturday morning orientation.

Austin, Texas is about five hours away and any trip in the car for that long gives my mind the opportunity to wonder, think, ponder and observe. So here are some of my observations.

Observation #1: The traffic from Fort Worth to Austin is TERRIBLE. In addition to the traffic, there always seems to be road construction. So you are whipping along at 75 mph, then you are slowed to 60, then to 70 then to 65 then to 75. Kind of like a roller coaster. Then there are the concrete barriers on both sides of the road you must maneuver through.   When traveling through those areas on the highway with concrete barriers, it always seems that right next to you is an 18 wheeler. As you work your way through, praying to get through, you are wondering, is there really enough room between these two concrete barriers for me and this 18 wheeler? Apparently there is, but I’m holding my breath each time.

Observation #2: Bluebonnets are beautiful! From about Ft Worth all the way to Austin and all around are the most beautiful bluebonnets. It is that time of year when they are blooming and they were standing tall and were spectacular. They always make me smile when I see them. Some of them were so thick and covered so much area that it looked like a beautiful blue blanket. The site of them made me want to go and lay down in the middle of them. Still smiling thinking about them.

Observation #3: Need for Speed. Keith and I usually trade off driving when we go longer distances. So it’s my turn and we are just south of Ft Worth heading down the 75 mph stretch of I-35 which is awesome. I can drive 75 and not feel guilty. As I’m driving along, a Texas highway patrolman passes me doing about 80. I noted to the Keith that Mr. Patrolman was not doing the speed limit. Ha Ha Ha, are they ever? We moved on for another few minutes when I noticed something in my rearview mirror. It was a car coming very fast up my right side doing WAY MORE than 75. I said to Keith, get ready for what’s about to come up on your right. At just that moment a little Mercedes doing about 90-95 zoomed pasted us and before we could say anything there was a Jaguar chasing it. It literally looked like they were seeing who could get to Austin first. They were zipping in and out of cars like a NASCAR race. About that time it dawned on me, if they aren’t careful, they are going to whip right around Mr. Highway Patrol Man, who I could still see ahead of me. Pretty soon around the bend we saw flashing lights and I thought, could it be???? The answer is nope, it was some Ford F150. I don’t know what happened to Mr. Mercedes and Mr. Jaguar, but I’m sure they got to Austin before we did and apparently with no speeding ticket.

Observation #4: What is taking so long? We finally arrived at our hotel in Austin and we were pooped. It’s late, we were tired and we really need to find a restroom. But we need to get checked in. I have never seen two people working the check in counter at a hotel move any slower. Really it’s true. I thought for a moment we might have been on Candid Camera or 20/20. They would start to work on getting us checked in and then they would stop and chat, or someone would come by with a question. All the time, I could see the lines forming between Keith’s brow, which I know means, “I am about to lose my patience.” I offered to stand there while the two hotel staff members chit chatted so he could find the restroom, but he insisted it shouldn’t take much longer. Well it did take longer and again, I offered. This time my normally very patient husband, furrowed his brow even further and said, with a slightly elevated and stern voice, “I’m sure it won’t take much longer, will it?” The clerk popped to attention and said, “No sir, not much longer”.

Observation #5: Getting out of your routine. I have heard it said that it is good to shake up your routine sometimes. Get out of your comfort zone. Live a little. Well all this may be good and I agree to a point. But, if you are a caffeine junky like I am and CANNOT function in the morning unless you have sat quietly for 30 minutes and sipped your hot cup of coffee, then I wouldn’t suggest changing your routine. Changed mine yesterday, paid for it all day…..Waiting a couple of hours to get that first cup of coffee, not good.

Observation #6: Sure are a bunch of old people here. Let me tell you, my 90 year old mother-in-law is a hoot and sharp as a tack. While we were sitting through the orientation ceremony Saturday morning for the Honor Flight for 120 World War II veterans, she leaned over and said, “There sure are a bunch of old people here.” You think?   She is a doll.

Observation #7: Siri knows Austin. Keith decided he needed new running shoes and he selected several stores in Austin that specialized in running shoes for us to visit. Neither of us knew how to get around in Austin so we put the address in our IPhone and Siri mapped us out the route we needed to take to visit store #1, which was the store Keith really wanted to shop in. Siri took us right into the trendy section of Austin along the river with apartments, condos, restaurants, running trails, and dog parks. Everywhere we looked people had on workout clothes and were walking or running. There were lots of people walking dogs and I loved it when we passed a dog park full of people and dogs. It was so much fun to see this in a community. We finally made it to Keith’s running shoe store and guess what, it was closed for inventory. Siri, to the rescue. On to store #2.

Observation #8: Furniture shopping, the good and the bad. Keith and I will need a few new furniture items when our new home is finished. We have looked at furniture in Ardmore, have made two trips to Mathis Bros in OKC and several other places in OKC. I find something I like, he’s not crazy about it. He finds something he likes, I’m not crazy about it. It has been oddly stressful. So we are driving back to Oklahoma and on the north end of Austin on I-35 there is an Ashley Furniture Home Store. We decided to walk through, what could it hurt. OMG. They had everything we needed AND Keith and I were in agreement. Had Hell just frozen over, what was happening?   Well I’ll tell you what was happening, we were 5 hours away from home and this store doesn’t deliver that far. Our hearts sunk, until we found out that there are at least three of these stores in the Dallas area, which probably will deliver. Our quest for furniture continues….

Observation #9: I need a little down time. Got up this fabulous Sunday morning to rain and an enormous amount of laundry to be done, along with my deceased father’s tax return looming over my head and reading assignments for my EFM class. But I knew that before I could tackle anything, COFFEE WAS NEEDED. In fact, I had 2 big cups of coffee while I sat motionless in the recliner with both dogs in my lap watching a couple of items recorded on the DVR. Still not much energy, so Keith went off to church without me. But I have slowly been moving forward and have accomplished several things, it has been very quiet and my two adorable dogs have provided me with many opportunities to scratch their bellies and rub their necks. Truly therapeutic and just what I have needed.

Observation #10. I need another day off, but work will be calling tomorrow. Back to the craziness.

We are Camping, Kind of

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DSC_0875After my father passed away last August, we decided it was time to sell our house and build our dream home.  We had been living in a small, but comfortable little ranch-style house right next door to my parents since 2007.  My husband bought the house and moved in a year before we got married.  His reason:  to be near my parents so we can help them.  Awe, made me love him all the more.  We told ourselves that we would stay in our little ranch house as long as my parents needed us.  Both of my parents are now gone and it was time for us to step out and move on.  Start that new chapter in our life.

I had been lusting after a lot about ¾ of a mile from where we currently live, but it belonged to someone else (my former boss).  She and her husband had purchased it years before with the intent to build a home.  Things happened in her life and her plans had to change.  Five years later she contacts me and offers us the lot at a great price.  We are in business now!!!  We had a house plan we loved and after a little research, determined it would fit on the lot.  A match made in heaven.  We started the process in October and each day that passes is a day closer we are to moving in.  But if you have ever built a home, you know that patience is more than a virtue, it is mandatory.

We were very fortunate that our house sold in about two months.  Yea we won’t have to have two mortgages.  But that does mean that we will be moving twice (bummer).  We still own my parent’s home next door so we moved in about 6 weeks ago and we tell each other that we are “camping”.  Well I don’t mind camping, but I really don’t want to do it more than about a week and a week would be pushing it.  We are surrounded by boxes and walking paths through the boxes.  One of the bedrooms is nothing but boxes and just a little path to the closet that houses my clothes.  I know where nothing is and can find nothing when I need it.  Even the stuff I kept out so I would know where it is eludes me.

We kept out a few cooking utensils too, but I’m telling you, my mother’s kitchen is a disaster.  I don’t know how she cooked all those delicious meals in it.  First off, I can’t seem to turn the correct burner on.  Yesterday I’m waiting for a burner to heat up when I realized I had the wrong burner on and was smoking up the kitchen.  It was a miracle that the smoke alarms did not go off.  Now I’m wondering why they didn’t go off.  Hmmm, may be something that needs to be checked.  Then there is the issue of its size, too small.  No storage and no counter space.   And the absolute worst part, NO DISHWASHER.  Yes you heard me, NO DISHWASHER.    I don’t like to do dishes and the hubs doesn’t like to do dishes.  I think we wait each other out to see who gives in first.  The sinks in this 1955 house are smaller than sinks today.  They can hold about 4 cereal bowls at a time and if you actually cook a meal, you are washing dishes and drying dishes and putting up dishes for about 45 minutes.  Did I mention that I hate washing dishes?

Then there’s the bathroom.  Yes, ONE bathroom.  One sink, one toilette, one tub/shower combination.  The hubs and I do quite the dance in the morning trying to get ready.  Invariably I want to brush my teeth and that same time he wants to brush his teeth, or I need to dry my hair when he needs to dry his hair, or I need to put hairspray in my hair and he can’t handle my hair spray.  Of course, there’s the whole issue of one toilette, need I say more. If I take a little longer in the shower, and I usually do, sometimes he runs out of hot water when he showers.  Oops, my bad.  Sometimes he decides to come in and shave while I’m in the shower.  Then I have no hot water.  Oops, his bad.

It is funny how you get used to the simple luxuries, so when you are without them, it is very hard.  Our patience runs thin some days and we just have to keep reminding ourselves and each other, this too shall pass.  When we can go over to the new house and see progress, it makes it easier.  Even though I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel yet and I don’t know how much longer we will be camping, it is exciting to think about the start of a new chapter in our lives.  So I guess I need to just put on my “big girl” panties and get over myself.