Halloween

Our Halloween started with a trip to the clinic for Greg to get his second steroid injection. Grgeory & I wore our halloween t-shirts, though Greg was a little uncomfortable wearing a grim reaper t-shirt to have a *procedure* done. :)

There's never been any trick-or-treating in our immediate neighborhood. For several years, we went with friends to a huge subdivision a few miles a way and hit the halloween jackpot. But the last 2 years, Greg didn't want to go. He's not into crowds. Two years ago we went with one friend to his grandfather's neighborhood. That was nice, because as we walked around, they knew everyone. It was like a huge block party. And after trick or treating, Greg & Jacy got to give out candy for a while. He really enjoyed that. Last year, we didn't make any plans ahead of time. Gregory really didn't want to go. That was the worst point of his *don't want to leave the house* period. He was quite glad when I told him that I had candy & he didn't have to go trick-or-treating just to get the candy.

This year, with all of Greg's back problems, we had nothing planned. My friend Brandie (with 5 kids) whom we usually had gone TrT with had no vehicle. So we decided Wednesday night that we'd put together a little Halloween party here. The kids were cool with it, as long as they got candy. So we made some witches brew punch, some mummy dogs (pigs in a blanket with mustard dots for eyes), snake sandwiches (sandwich in a rolled tortilla, sliced and shaped like a snake)& some monster toe cookies. We put up our spider webbing and our black lights and some halloween music. We bobbed for apples and had a pinata filled with much much candy. It was low key, but very fun.

In the end, Gregory decided not to wear a costume. He instead tried shaving and it went horribly wrong. :) He had more fun with that one dollar tube of theatrical blood!

It's been a while...

So much has been going on, and yet life feels like we're on hold all at once.



Greg has a herniated back disk. He's had back problems for as long as I've known him, but nothing like this. The tree that fell and put a hole in our roof and big dents in my car also damaged Greg’s back. It happened moving the heavy wet trunk to the street. After a week he went to the doctor, then back again 2 or 3 times over the next 2 weeks. Then a MRI - herniated disk. He's had one steroid injection, and will probably have another, but he's not really getting any relief. He's just getting better at tolerating it. He's ready for surgery. He's ready to begin healing and put this behind him. Surgery will only treat the problem temporarily - it's time to start really exercising that back!

So for the past 6 weeks or so, we've been dealing with doctor appointments, missing work, a teeny tiny paycheck, and prayers and blessings from people all around us. We'll be just fine. I may have a panic attack or two as I open the bills that are coming, but we'll still be fine.

Then about 2 weeks ago, I found out my cousin Brandy had a lump on her forehead. Four years ago we lost a 34 yr. old cousin to breast cancer. So when this didn't go away right away, Brandy became the squeaky wheel she needed to be to get her self to the right doctors. Nearly 2 weeks ago, she had surgery and a very large, aggressive tumor was removed. It was a long and invasive surgery. The surgery was considered very successful, and she actually went home 4 days later. But when she returned at the one-week point to have the packing removed from her nose, they found she's been having brain fluid leakage. So she's been back in the hospital, flat on her back and will be until it stops. I'd imagine at some point if it doesn't stop on it's own, surgery would be an option.

I went to see her today, and she looks great. She lives about an hour and a half away, but is in hospital near me. I couldn't believe how good she looked. No swelling, no bruising, no shaved head. Her surgeon told her he's a fan of hair and her incision was just past her hairline and really can't be seen. But she's miserable. She's a go go go girl and lying on her back in one room for several days is not her cup of tea. Tuesday will be the 2-week mark, so pathology reports should be coming in soon. There is a slight possibility the tumor was not malignant, but it's pretty much assumed that it was. Nailing down just what they're dealing with is a big deal to determine where to go from here. I know she wants to just get this all behind her and get back to living. I met her 2-year-old son today. He is adorable! Of course I've seen many many pictures, but hearing that cute little Cajun accent was priceless.

And then there's me. For the first time in several months, I'm having a uveitis flare, and it's in both eyes. Dealing with this is such a pain. The flare itself is very painful, and the drops I use to treat the outbreak and the pain blur close-up vision. Everything past my arm's length is perfectly clear; anything closer is a total blur w/out my reading glasses. And I have no depth perception, so driving at night is out of the question. It'll take a few weeks to treat this and then get my vision back to normal. Ha! Normal. What a concept!

I did have the pleasure and blessing of being able to watch much of the webcast of my church's women's conference this weekend. I really enjoy listening to Christine Caine, and she always draws a great crowd. Her passion becomes my passion. It's contagious.

And it's not a coincidence that she spoke last night of not giving up in the waiting, of not quitting because it's not happening in your time frame. In ways, it feels like life stopped here Sept 1st, and yet at the same time, so much has happened since then.

Just for the heck of it...

Copied from Stephanie...

Go to urban​dicti​onary​.​​com and type in your answe​r to each quest​ion in the searc​h box, then write​ the FIRST​ defin​ition​ it gives​ you.


1) Your name?​​ Penelope
A character off a popular skit on SNL, (Saturday Night Live.) She is the ultimate one-upper, and always strokes her hair while telling you how much better she is than you.
"Girl: "I just had a baby! I'm so happy."
Penelope: "Well I just had three babies and a cat... Yeah, they're all perfect and I'm ecstatic..." "

2) Your age? 41
A good looking or HOT, female. Used as a code so others will not know what you are talking about.
"Look at that 41 behind us or thats a 41 at the door."

3) One of your frien​ds? Brandie
An Intelligent woman, usually brunette, gorgeous, and goal oriented. She's one to speak her mind and you do not want to mess with a Brandie. She's liable to attack at the slightest insult and she has a mean right hook. However, she can be won over by a really nice hug.
"She just totally decked him, she's such a Brandie."

4) There was no #4

5) Favor​ite color​? green
yes... it is most definitely referring to the marijuana... and also, upon occassion, any substance with similar uses. too, properly, of course, it is a golfing term, but that's really not very much fun, now is it?
"'yo, where da green at?'"
(oh my...)

6) Birth​place​? Lafayette
The center of cajun culture in louisiana.Very cool town.Bigger than what what most people think.Home to the university of louisana and is the states 5th largest city. Lafayette has a lot of potential but it is slowly losing its uniqeness to strip malls and 5 lane roads which can be found in any other city.

7) Month​ of your birth​day? January
(could NOT use the first definition, this is #2)
One of the worst month's of the year for most people. Either after New Years, where as you did some so incredibly stupid you'll regret it forever. Or that your going back to work or school. Either way you hate it.
"Oh sh*t! It's January again."

8) Last person you talked to? Greg
A scottish word used mainly in Glasgow meaning to always get drunk and flirt with women
"Do you like him?
Yeah hes ok but hes a bit of a greg...
Really, i thought he was shy?
Nah he flirts with all the girls when he's drunk"
(ROFLOUPMP!!!) Did I ever tell you how we met??

9) What did you last eat? Chocolate
the yummiest, tastiest thing in the whole wide world. chocolate also makes u happy and makes u feel better.
whenever u feel down just have some chocolate it makes u feel better !!!!!

10) Your nickn​ame? Penny
Nothing printable...LOL!

Sunrise ???

Following Stephanie's good advice and keeping it light tonight...

I can't imagine being a sunrise person, unless I've been up until sunrise... Maybe that's it.

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary. You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward. Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts. All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Hair

Stole this one from Donna...

Your Hair Should Be Red

You are a passionate person... both in love and in life. You have many causes that are important to you. You can be very intense. You are very fiery. You speak up, and you don't mince words. You also have a very flamboyant personality. You love to show off. (NOT!) You are both eccentric and expressive. You like to share your unique point of view. You can become quite impassioned. So impassioned that you can seem a little overbearing. Moi??

What Color Hair Should You Have?