Last Monday, my dad and I flew to California to supervise the packing of their household goods. Two hard days, with an average of four packers each day, and the job was complete. On Thursday, the truck was loaded and on Friday, we headed for Texas.
We spent the last evening with my mom's dear friends Nancy and Tony. We had a delicious dinner and a short night's sleep and we were off.
The next morning we were due to leave at 6:00 a.m., but my father was too wound up and could not sleep. So he woke me up at 4:30 and we headed out at 5:00 in the morning. Then we had a senior moment. Out on the highway (hwy 20) we passed a CHP who was on the side of the road. Immediately, he turned on his lights and began to follow me. I looked down at my speedometer and I was doing 80 in a 55. I could not believe it. I hadn't been on the road 15 minutes and I was about to get a very expensive ticket. I geared down to 65, which was still too fast. It seemed so strange to me. The car appeared to be crawling. Then I took it down to 55. Strangely enough, still no red lights!! At the next highway exchange, I turned onto HWY 49, heading for Sacramento. To my delight the CHP kept going on HWY 20. As I started out on 49, I was doing about 60 and cars were just flying past me. I looked at my dad and told him his speedometer must be broken. It was then that he remembered that he has a one button toggle that goes between MPH and Kilometers!!! The fastest that I ever went was 60 MPH and the slowest, in a 55 MPH zone was about 38 or so. Wouldn't it have been ironic, if I had gotten a ticket for going too slow!!!
Later on in the day, I got a nice follow-up call from my father's retirement association asking about my mother's health, and if the move and change of insurance had gone smoothly. This was the kind of attention to detail that we had come to expect from the association. (When I got home I wrote a letter to the President of their association to commend all of those who had been so helpful in facilitating the transition.)
By 4:00, we were pulling in to my aunt and uncle's (Norma and Gil) place in Lake Havasu, Arizona. We had a great visit with them and they saw us off at 6:15 a.m. the next day. Later in the day we had lunch with my niece in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Fuddrukkers. It was short, but sweet. Lindsay, had just won $400 for an academic accomplishment, awarded to only 15 people out of 25,000!! She is on her way to Edinburgh Scotland on a full scholarship. She is studying Carbon Management. She wants to be a consultant, to show businesses how to reduce their carbon footprint. I am sure she will do great.
Once we got to Tucumcari, New Mexico, our destination for the day, my father encouraged me to keep going until we got Amarillo. Then he suggested that we go a little further. We finally quit in Vernon. We rolled into a Walmart parking lot, got two hours of sleep and headed home for Dallas. We arrived a little after 8:00 a.m...31 hours of driving for the total journey!!
Monday and Tuesday were nonstop activity, setting up electricity, water, gas, phones, internet, car registrations, new licenses, etc. We accomplished everything but the car licenses. We needed a Social Security cards but they were packed somewhere on the Bekins Van Line truck.
Wednesday we closed on the house and Thursday (today) the movers arrived. Wednesday afternoon, we visited with my daughter-in-law, Abby and our granddaughter Lore. She was up from Alabama to attend a wedding. Savannah, another granddaughter, was also at the house (Chris was babysitting so Jessica could go on field trip with her oldest son, Cody.)
Also, on Wednesday evening, we took my mom back to the emergency room and she was readmitted to the hospital, because she was running a fever. They did a series of tests (e.g., chest x-ray, CT scan) and so far the results are favorable. While the movers were there, I took my father to the doctor, for his first visit, since arriving in Texas. Chris and Zack, my youngest son, took over from there. My dad has been having some issues as well,and tomorrow we will head back to the hospital so that he can have an Echo Cardiogram and an MRI. We will visit my mom in between!!
We were joined today by Sarah, in the afternoon, and Jason and Joy, in the evening, to help unload boxes. We made some pretty good progress and called it quits around 9:00.
While I am at the doctors tomorrow, Chris will be at the new house to receive a delivery from a furniture store and to let in the cable guy to set up their cable, internet and land phone.
On Saturday, we have to be a Lowe's by 6:30 a.m. to make a purchase on special deal Lowes is having on refridgerators. Hopefully, we bring my mother home from the hospital and we can continue with the boxes. Then, I think it is Sunday...the day of rest...which starts at 7:30 a.m. in the RS room for a missionary correlation meeting!!
Was that a whirlwind or a Texas sized tornado!!!
Best Regards
Friday, May 22, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
A Big Night in Allen and Anna: Two School Board Winners
Election day in Allen and resulted in big wins for the Shepard family. Jason and Billy both won their places on their respective School Boards. Congratulations to both!!
My mom was also released from the hospital just in time to celebrate Mother's Day. Now we wait for the blood thinners to do their magic...8 to 10 weeks until surgery.
Today my parent's new home was inspected and it passed with flying colors. Later today, they went to meet the sellers to look at a few items they wanted to sell rather than move. Then we discovered that they are moving just down the street, about 5 homes away. The sellers wanted a smaller place now that they purchased their new RV. I can relate to that!!!
Eight of the Shepard and Williams girls in Texas threw a surprise birthday party for Chris. They met at the Cheesecake Factory and showered her with little treasures. There would have been 10, but my mom hadn't been released from the hospital yet.
My mom was also released from the hospital just in time to celebrate Mother's Day. Now we wait for the blood thinners to do their magic...8 to 10 weeks until surgery.
Today my parent's new home was inspected and it passed with flying colors. Later today, they went to meet the sellers to look at a few items they wanted to sell rather than move. Then we discovered that they are moving just down the street, about 5 homes away. The sellers wanted a smaller place now that they purchased their new RV. I can relate to that!!!
Eight of the Shepard and Williams girls in Texas threw a surprise birthday party for Chris. They met at the Cheesecake Factory and showered her with little treasures. There would have been 10, but my mom hadn't been released from the hospital yet.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
All Quiet in Dallas
Closing on the house is set for May 20. The movers pack on May 12. We fly to Ca. on May 11. We will return to Dallas on May 18 or 19.
My mother is still in the hospital. She is doing well. She has had several vistors over the past couple days. We hope to see the numbers on the coumadin move in the right direction today. Yesterday the number was 1.2 the same as it has been for the past couple of days. It generally takes a few days for it to do its magic. We need a reading between 2 and 3. Waiting for blood to thin, is like watching a pot boil. It is very boring, but the Dr. says boring is good!! When she is released, we hope to experience a gradual recovery over the next 8 weeks or so. If no more blood clots form in the lungs, we should see a gradual clearing of the clots and more lung function. Then a date will be set for the surgery.
We did find out that the clots are much smaller than the filter (they use the word filter instead of screen, which I had used in the last post). The blood then passes through the filter. The filter is not a plug, though under extreme conditions the filter can get plugged, but there are procedures for dealing with that too.
It has rained every day this week. Our lawn gets longer, but is too wet to cut. Maybe today.
It took two hours last night to get my printer to work correctly. I finally had to reinstall drivers. The night before, it took two hours to get the internet working properly. Today, I figured out how to transfer a Booksmart file from one computer to another. You must export then import the file. It's a pain, but it works. Today, I will be able to work on my book.
My mother is still in the hospital. She is doing well. She has had several vistors over the past couple days. We hope to see the numbers on the coumadin move in the right direction today. Yesterday the number was 1.2 the same as it has been for the past couple of days. It generally takes a few days for it to do its magic. We need a reading between 2 and 3. Waiting for blood to thin, is like watching a pot boil. It is very boring, but the Dr. says boring is good!! When she is released, we hope to experience a gradual recovery over the next 8 weeks or so. If no more blood clots form in the lungs, we should see a gradual clearing of the clots and more lung function. Then a date will be set for the surgery.
We did find out that the clots are much smaller than the filter (they use the word filter instead of screen, which I had used in the last post). The blood then passes through the filter. The filter is not a plug, though under extreme conditions the filter can get plugged, but there are procedures for dealing with that too.
It has rained every day this week. Our lawn gets longer, but is too wet to cut. Maybe today.
It took two hours last night to get my printer to work correctly. I finally had to reinstall drivers. The night before, it took two hours to get the internet working properly. Today, I figured out how to transfer a Booksmart file from one computer to another. You must export then import the file. It's a pain, but it works. Today, I will be able to work on my book.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Emergency Procedure
Yesterday, the doctors confirmed that my mother has blood clots in her legs. These clots work themselves loose and travel to the lung, and if you are lucky, they stay there. For the past month, even though she has been on blood thinners, the clots in her legs have found their way to the lungs and my mother's condition has not improved. Yesterday, after seeing a pulmonary specialist, she was put immediately in a wheel chair (to keep her off her feet) and sent to radiology and had a special little screen implanted in her groin area to catch the blood clots and prevent them from getting to the lung. He was very concerned and said that he would breathe a lot easier, once the screen had been implanted. The screen should keep the lungs free, and hopefully, her lungs can now heal. What happens to the clots caught in the screen? I don't know, but we will find out today. Hopefully, the new blood thinners will do their magic on her legs. She is now on Fragmin and Coumadin. After the procedure, she was admitted to the hospital for observation. I think she will be there for a few days, while they get her blood thinners established at the right levels. The doctor said her surgery would be put off for 8 to 10 weeks while her lungs heal.
More later.
More later.
Monday, May 4, 2009
New Assignments
Chris and I both received new callings today. Chris will teach RS once a month and I will serve as a Ward Missionary. We have a great ward mission leader. We are very correlated. I have assignments to work with fulltime missionaries and with other ward missionaries, with each, once a week. We have a goal of 10 baptisms for the balance of the year.
Elsewhere we received a counter offer on my parents house. They will make their final decision tomorrow.
Also, tomorrow my mother and I are headed back to the doctor for a final decision on surgery and to check her Coumidan levels.
Tonight, we had dinner with my parents and Chris's parents. This is the first time they have seen each other in over 2 years. They get along wonderfully. I am sure they will have great times together in Texas. I am about through with all of these special meals though. I am ready for bread and water. On second thought, forget the bread...if you get my drift...
Where in the world are Sam and Narene? I am guessing somewhere in Nebraska? Any other guesses?
This morning I began working in earnest to complete the blog book. I came home with about 160 pages completed. I now have over 200. I have 200 more to go. Then it will be down to layout changes and final edits. I can't believe all of the typos on the blog. But I will make my best effort to clean them up and get the blog book print ready over the next few months. The good news is that I was able to switch my files over to the Mac and I am using iphoto to search for additional pictures, which makes the job a lot easier.
Elsewhere we received a counter offer on my parents house. They will make their final decision tomorrow.
Also, tomorrow my mother and I are headed back to the doctor for a final decision on surgery and to check her Coumidan levels.
Tonight, we had dinner with my parents and Chris's parents. This is the first time they have seen each other in over 2 years. They get along wonderfully. I am sure they will have great times together in Texas. I am about through with all of these special meals though. I am ready for bread and water. On second thought, forget the bread...if you get my drift...
Where in the world are Sam and Narene? I am guessing somewhere in Nebraska? Any other guesses?
This morning I began working in earnest to complete the blog book. I came home with about 160 pages completed. I now have over 200. I have 200 more to go. Then it will be down to layout changes and final edits. I can't believe all of the typos on the blog. But I will make my best effort to clean them up and get the blog book print ready over the next few months. The good news is that I was able to switch my files over to the Mac and I am using iphoto to search for additional pictures, which makes the job a lot easier.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Beat Goes On...
Well, my mom and dad arrived on Thursday and we spent all day Friday at the doctors. She did well on all her tests, except she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. This is causing a slight leakage in the first main valve in the heart. This is not such a big deal, and if the pressure from the lung eases, with recovery, this will further minimize the leakage. Unfortunately, it looks like the doctor would like to postpone the surgery to give her lungs more opportunity to heal. So we may be looking at 6 weeks now until surgery. On Friday afternoon, we were making plans for surgery on Monday. Additional healing will give the doctor the advantage of taking more of the lung and thus precluding the spread of the cancer, which at this moment, is contained. Otherwise, he would be inclined to take less lung and the chances of the cancer returning would be increased. We will meet with the doctor on Monday to have her blood checked and to review his final decision.
In the meantime, no moss grows under our feet. My mom and dad found a house they like and are putting in an offer tonight. If all goes well, we could close in 2 weeks and I could be heading to CA for the move in about 10 days. It's a beautiful home, in a gated community, with lots of room. My mom remarked, " I raised three children in less than 1,000 square feet. Do I really need 2300 square feet, with no children?" Well, with 6 grandchildren nearby and a dozen great-grandchildren, I think she will find use for the extra room.
In the meantime, no moss grows under our feet. My mom and dad found a house they like and are putting in an offer tonight. If all goes well, we could close in 2 weeks and I could be heading to CA for the move in about 10 days. It's a beautiful home, in a gated community, with lots of room. My mom remarked, " I raised three children in less than 1,000 square feet. Do I really need 2300 square feet, with no children?" Well, with 6 grandchildren nearby and a dozen great-grandchildren, I think she will find use for the extra room.
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