Sneaux!

It began to snow at about 5:00 this morning and it came down in big flakes for 3.5 - 4 hours steady. This is the most snowfall here in my lifetime. It's not like me to wake up at 5:30, much less wake up my child at 5:45, but I had to. It wasn't fair for us to be enjoying it without him. It's 2:30 in the afternoon now, 39 deg.(F), and about half of it has melted. The trampoline still has a heavy coating, the roof is still mostly white, the snowman is standing tall. I don't know if we're supposed to get anymore or not. The sun is peeking out now, a little at a time.


The last time it snowed here, Gregory was 3.5, and it fell at night so we didn't get to see it coming down. We just enjoyed what was left when we got up.

Home sweet home

Greg's surgery went very well yesterday. It lasted just under an hour. He awoke saying his leg did NOT hurt. The leg pain is really what's been keeping him down, so to hear that was incredible. So far, everything has gone wonderfully. He tolerated anesthesia well, was only on morphine for 12 hours or so, tolerated eating very well and walked the hall w/the PT standing taller than I've seen in a long time. Those were the required markers to go home, so home we are. We got out about noon. Of course, his low back still hurts. But he feels so much better. He's not pale anymore; he's not wincing at every move. He can return to work part time in 2 weeks and sees the doctor for follow-up in 3 weeks. I'm sure he'll be working from home in a day or two.

Thanks to all for the prayers, healing thoughts and positive energy sent our way!

12 hours...

Plans have changed and we have to be at the hospital by 6:30 AM. We are NOT early risers. So I'll be taking my melatonin a bit early tonight. Right now we are waiting for my FIL to arrive and then we'll get something "out" for dinner.

I got some ornaments on the tree, but there are so many to go through! My mom brought about twice as many ornaments as I already had. And she's got it organized. The boxes have notes of what ornaments are in it and who it came from/when she got it. My child will not be so lucky. :)

So send all of your prayers, healing thoughts, and positive energy our way. I'll update tomorrow if I am able to.

Love you all!

Christmas tree

We got the tree assembled and light tonight. This is my favorite time. I love my ornaments, but there's something about a tree with just white lights on it that's so beautiful to me.

I discovered some coffee mugs from a New Orleans department store, which closed at least 20 years ago. I'm excited to see what else Mom's brought me. I do know that there are a few boxes that she wants my sisters and I to go through. All of those ornaments are special to me, but I know many of them have much more sentimental value to my sisters. Some may have been from their mother or grandmother (we're half-sisters). I won't put up a fight for ornaments. After 20 years of marriage, we have quite a collection of our own anyway.

So tomorrow, we begin to decorate the tree!

Good & not so good

This morning my parents brought us their artificial tree to use this year. There's no way we could have a real tree this year w/what's going on. Anyway, she'd not put it up in years, and happily agreed to bring it. I think it's mine now, as my mom made references to storing it in my attic. She also brought boxes of ornaments! Some are from my grandmother and many from my childhood. There's still much we haven't gone through. Gregory & I have gotten the bottom half of the tree together. It's big, and it's full! I want to put the lights on the bottom before moving any higher, and they're still in the attic. So that'll wait ‘til tomorrow.

This afternoon, I went to Walgreen’s. When I came out, a young couple was walking away from where I was parked. They asked me if that was my truck. Yes, Greg's truck. They told me that man (pointing to a car parked a few rows over) hit your truck. He hit it trying to turn into the parking spot. So I walked over and his window was down just a little and I asked him, "Sir, did you hit my truck?" He said he couldn't hear me. So I repeated it louder, "Did you hit my truck?" He said, "I don't think so." Poor thing he was obviously quite old, & I believed he couldn't hear me. So I called the police and an officer came out. By this time his wife had come out and I told her what had happened. The officer took down all of the information and will file a report, but there's no investigation since it was an accident on private property. So he didn't get a ticket, but there'll be a police report and I got all of his vehicle & insurance information.

I could tell he was scared, maybe even confused. I felt bad for him. The police officer asked him how long he and his wife had been married. He said 60 years. She said, no, 69 years. She said she was 89 and he was 92. After the officer left he apologized, and I assured him it was okay, it was fixable, and wished him a Merry Christmas.

I've never had to deal with anything this grown-up before, so I guess I will start by calling my insurance company. Like I said, he wasn't ticketed, but the report will state that he did hit my vehicle (his headlight was smashed from it), so I believe his insurance will pay for it. It's not very bad. In fact if the couple hadn't pointed it out to me, I don't think I would have noticed it until we washed it. It's very low on the driver's rear fender panel.

So, I had to go home and tell Greg that his truck, his pride and joy, which he has earned with much hard work, was dented. I told him all about it, and he got dressed to look at it. He agreed, he probably wouldn't have noticed until washing it too. His final word, "Could have been worse." I've never loved him more.

4 more days...

Only 4 more days until Greg's surgery. It's been a bad week for him. He's having trouble sleeping. He can't sit for very long. But he has been able to make it to work 4 days this week, half days that is. He goes until he can't think anymore, and then he comes home.

I'm beginning to think ahead. We've been stuck at this roadblock for a while, and while it sucks, it has become our routine. It'll be nice to get back to other routines. And I'm hopeful to see just how much better he'll feel. He's likely had this injury for a long time and it finally got severe enough to stop him. He's always had some back pain, since the day I met him in 1985.

My niece is getting married in March and I really want to dance with my husband at the wedding. And it'll be nice to be able to focus some more attention on Gregory. He's really been flying solo for a while. We've missed so many outings because of Greg's condition combined with my car being out of commission. We hope to go ice skating next Friday!

My FIL will come up Monday and stay at the house at night to sit with the furbabies. It'll give Gregory the choice of coming home if he doesn't want to stay at the hospital with us. And it'll give my FIL something to do. He's a very nervous guy to begin with, so letting him help us will help him.

I'm off to bed now. Early for me, but I'm really exhausted these days.

A Christmas favorite

6 more days...

We've looked forward to this for a while, and now that it's so close, it's become surreal. Well, for me it has. Greg's getting nervous. Because he didn't get the relief he'd hoped for with the injections, he's saying "I hope it works". I feel for him. I've had several surgeries, but most were emergencies, so no sit and wait time.

We continue to receive blessings through this all and I refuse to be overcome with concern about finances. My daily needs are met daily. If I don't have it today, I don't need it today. :)

So surgery and then 2 weeks later BAM Christmas. Believe it or not, I've been able to get some bargain shopping done. Still need to pick up a couple of toys for the church toy drive though.

Getting to know you Christmas version

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Love both, but since egg nog is only available at Christmas time, I'd chose egg nog.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? If it's wrappable, it gets wrapped :)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White on the tree, blue on the house (also blue) - none outside this year :(

4. Do you hang Mistletoe? No. The whole house is a *kiss me* zone!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Around Dec 10th (like to leave them up a while after X-mas)

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Candied Yams!!


7. Favorite memory as a child? Going to Mass at St. Louis Cathedral

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? There was never a moment when I *knew*. I just remember around 4th grade the kids who still believed were made fun of. I can remember thinking I didn't really believe, but I'd better believe just in case!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We usually do. I don't like opening everything at once - too overwhelming. We like to start opening one gift a day a few days ahead. I think the gifts get a chance to be appreciated individually that way, especially the *smaller* gifts. And I believe that if I have a gift for you, why wait? I want to see you enjoy it now. :)


10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? White lights, lots of sentimental orniments, paper chain garland Gregory & I made a few years ago, and tinsel

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Since It's never something I have to live with, LOVE it! It snowed when Gregory was about 5, enough to cover outdoor toys and shrubs most of the day. Now he complains about it never snowing *anymore*. I remember school closing due to snow when I was in K.

12. Can you ice skate? Yep! And I get to go skating in 2 weeks!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I remember having to find a gift on the tree when I was almost 6. It was a smiley face ring that I wear to this day (on my pinky now). And I remember the year our cat found a real mouse under the tree! I'd dare say that was her favorite Christmas.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Making sure I don't forget the Reason for the Season, and making sure my child doesn't either. It's important to me to share our blessings with others, most especially at Christmas.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cheesecake. I know it's always there, but the holiday season is the only time I indulge.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Getting our tree & decorating it, along with watching our favorite Christmas movies.

17. What tops your tree? A star

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? GIVING!! We are so blessed all of the time that giving is a need for me.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? O Come O Come Emmanuel, Do you Hear what I Hear, Little Drummer Boy (can't decide on 1)

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum? So-so. The make pretty decorations!

21. Favorite Holiday Movie? A Christmas Story

Good news...

Hurricane season '08 is over!!!!