Randomness of Life

It has been another busy week in our Random household. The last 7 days have been full of meetings, friends, sick kids, a concert, decisions, laughter, and tears. To say that I am exhausted and in need of a vacation is an understatement. But I must trudge on. I will get a little rest tonight before more meetings tomorrow night, attending a community play with Bug on Friday, and connecting with more friends on Saturday. At least the weekend looks like it will be very enjoyable.

So here's a brief recap of my last week:

- I determined a need to distance myself from a very close friend due to his life decisions. While I won't turn my back totally on him, it's definitely a time for us to take separate roads.

- I got the chance to hang out with a bunch of old friends who unknowingly renewed my faith in the males of our species and reminded me that it's okay to be the old me again.

- Tended to a sick kid as Bug got sent home from school Monday morning. Mommy guilt kicked in when I had to return to work, but thankfully I was able to get off early and skipped my church meeting to cuddle him.

- Said adios to J from my Baggage blog. Seems there were a few reasons for my apprehension. I am quite all right with it. The quest continues.

- Laughed so hard with a friend that I inhaled my gum & almost choked. Ah, it is so great to have girl friends that know how to tickle your funny bone.

- Organizing, organizing, organizing for Cub Scouts this week. I should be almost ready for tomorrow's meeting.

- Attended Bug's 3rd grade program. I have some great video, but unfortunately it won't load on here. It was quite enjoyable; cute and sweet. Bug did a great job during his monologue, only stumbling over the word Specific. Here are a few snap shots:

I'm not sure why he was sticking out his tongue. I can only imagine it was directed at his sister sitting next to me.

This is only half of the 3rd grade classes. The other half performed an hour earlier.

I'll leave you with a final thought for the week, the best pick line that I have ever heard (and not from J): Would you feel just as comfortable backpacking in Costa Rica as you would watching movies on the couch?

A Pampered Patient

“Smile - It's the second best thing you can do with your lips.”

Warning: If you are the slightest bit squeamish, this entry would be better off left unread.

Last month I had my annual physical. No big deal, I'm pretty religious about those after my mom passed away. At that time the Doc and I discussed a tiny bump that I've had on my lip for the last 9 years. It had appeared while I was pregnant with Bug, at that time we attributed it to some hormonal imbalance or gland issue brought on by my little bun in the oven. The plan was just to keep an eye on it, and that's what we did. Then in November, I had another one pop up on my lower lip. The Doc decided it was time to have it looked into.

Two weeks ago I met with an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist. He didn't have any answers for me. He knew that the one on my lower lip was benign, but he had never seen anything like the lesion on my upper lip. He gave me two choices: we could check it every six months for the next twenty years, or we could take it off, biopsy it, and be done with it. The latter seemed like a lot less stressful solution.

Today was my surgery. It went very well, I slept through the entire thing and have been at home napping on and off this afternoon. The swelling is a little more than I expected and I'm running a slight fever tonight, but other than that I'm glad to have it over and done with.

My lips before surgery. The lesions are just off the middle of each lip along the lip line.
A closer look. I always thought the top lesion looked similar to a mole. The bottom one is white and small, making it rather hard to see here.

This is right after surgery. Notice the redness going up my cheeks? I'm hoping that's from the sedative and not an indication of future bruising.

A few hours later and the swelling continues. Hopefully it will go down tomorrow!

Sis and Bug have been wonderful! Sis made chicken nuggets and garlic mashed potatoes for lunch, Bug has been looking for every reason to wait on me so I can rest, and Sis is getting ready to make chicken & pasta for supper. I hadn't planned on them taking care of me, but it sure is nice to know I raised such caring children and to have my turn being pampered for once!

I've lost my muse

Courtesy of Sis & Ricky, hopefully these will lift my spirits

I'm trying to figure out why. Why every time that I get a good creative flow going, life has to knock me down & complicate it, so that eventually the creativity gets pushed aside and I have to deal with whatever is so pressing.

That right there is the sum of my last two weeks. Everything was going great. I was baking up a storm, I was writing up a storm, I was living and I was happy. I had started several poems and had the beginnings (or middles, or ends) of several more. I had started the outline and first sample writings for a new blog. I had even started writing a short story, something I have not attempted for years.

I will admit that part of the problem is that I became distracted. I let a few messes clutter up the counters. Then I realized that I had put off the necessary phone calls to secure a location for our next Scout meeting. I have a tendency to become temporarily obsessed with my inclinations. I don't think I'm alone in that. We all become a little caught up in our own creativity every now and again.

It would have been all fine and dandy though, I am comfortable with letting a few minor details slide now and again, except that I got into a huge argument with Ex. Admittedly, I had let my guard down. I had begun to trust that maybe, just maybe, Ex had grown up just enough to be trusted in a co-parenting roll. Perhaps he now realized that his actions reflect on his roll model status as a father. Or perhaps not. There was a lot of hurt and betrayal felt by Bug & especially Sis as Ex followed his own whims and left their feelings and admiration behind. I wish I could say out right the terrible decision that he made, I will keep to my promise not to discuss his transgressions on this blog however, but I am very thankful that I have been able to raise my children well enough to realize that it was a moral mistake without my pointing it out.

So I spent last week consoling my children instead of writing and being creative. It was the right decision and I have no regrets about that. Then Christmas came. A 3 day weekend alone with the kids! No one can really be expected to sit themselves in front of a computer on a long holiday weekend can they? Instead I cooked, did some light cleaning, made phone calls to loved ones, and played the wii with the kids. We had gotten a lot of snow and travel was not really advised, so we stayed in where it was warm and simply enjoyed our time together. The one time I did venture out I managed to get pulled over, but that's a different part of the story and not where I'm headed with this particular little rant.

So Sunday night came and I was very relaxed. I was sitting right here in this very spot with the computer in my lap. I really thought that maybe I could find a little bit of that creativity and write just a little bit. I was a little cold though, so I ventured over to the thermostat. 65 degrees it read. Not bad, but lower than I usually had it set. I went down to the basement to check, sure enough the pilot light was out. No big deal, I had become a pro at relighting the old rusty contraption since Ex moved out.

After getting the heat flowing again I decided I should probably just head to bed and jot in my notebook. I listened to the furnace hum as I went about my nightly rituals. I could feel the house starting to warm. And then, suddenly, nothing. The pilot light was out again.

I braved the frigid basement and lit it again. I fell asleep listening to the rattle of heat blowing through the vents. It seemed like the furnace was running a long time now and I was quite toasty.

I woke up at 1:00 shivering. It was now 57 in the house. I re lit the pilot. Then I lit it again at 3:30. And again at 5:30. And once more before I left for work at 7:00.

I sent a text message to my best friend, who's dad happens to be my furnace guy.

I stopped by home real quick while I was running the work deposit to the bank. I re lit the furnace twice. The temperature had dropped to 53 degrees. The kitchen faucet was starting to show signs of freezing since the pipe runs along an outside wall.

I got a text back. My friend's dad would be over after 5:00 to see what he could do. He was pretty sure it was a cheap part & simple fix. I took the rest of the day off work and used two space heaters and blankets to set up warm rooms in the house. I opened up each of the faucets to a drip so the pipes wouldn't freeze. I did laundry just to run the dryer and I curled up under a blanket with Bug to read a book. Every couple hours I would check the faucets & move the heaters.

My friend's dad came over sooner than expected and set to work. Throughout the even I could hear pounding and the occasional shrill of his phone ringing. At 8:00 he came up to tell me the bad news. He had done all he could, but sadly my furnace was beyond repair. The good news was that he had used furnace in his daughter's garage and he would put it in for me free of charge.

The man is a saint. I have said before that he is an angel in disguise. You wouldn't know to look at him what a huge heart he has. He looks like Chris Farley if he had lived to his almost 60's and had chosen a career in plumbing & heating. He is always laughing & smiling and rarely has a bad word to say to anyone.

So last night he put in the new furnace. It took him until 11:00. He left here with an apple pie as my thank you to him. I know that was not nearly enough thanks for the wonderful kindness he bestowed to me.

Now I have heat, wonderful heat. Maybe I could pick up where I left off, but now I have the sniffles. I suppose that's what happens when you go 2 days without heat. I just want a clear head so I can concentrate and unplugged ears so I can hear my muse again.

Oh well, such is life. Maybe next week. The start of a new year, the start of new creativity perhaps?

One day at a time

This has been the common sight and discussion around our house this week.

Poor Bug!

We did get good news at the clinic on Monday though. After three x-rays and a lot of poking, prodding, and bending, it was determined that Bug had a bed sprain at the third joint of his ring finger. The sprain is down low enough to affect the adjoining digits.

The treatment is pretty much the same as what we've been doing. Ice three or four times a day, Motrin as needed, and the finger splint.

Hopefully he will be feeling well enough to start weaning him off of the splint this weekend.

There is already some improvement, especially with the bruising that was very prevalent on Monday.

He was feeling well enough (with the help of bandaged fingers and Motrin) to play soccer Monday night. He even scored the first goal for his team. Way to go Bug! He told me after the game that his loose tooth bothered him more than his hand. Last night he lost that tooth and earned a dollar from the tooth fairy.

A Typical Boy

I am amazingly far behind on blogging. I'm not sure if all of our summer adventures are going to make it up here. Between a very hectic schedule, school starting, and the fact that my laptop was down for almost two weeks, I just haven't had the opportunity to share the fun that we've been having.

And now that I'm back online, the first thing that I get to share with you is not fun or happy.

Bug has proven once again that he's a typical accident prone 8 year old.

Yesterday Sis and Ricky decided to take him to the park to play with Ricky's brother. The boys decided that they wanted to take their skateboards and try out the skate park. That was the part that I thought I should be nervous about, but I was wrong. Bug could have gotten hurt anywhere. He didn't even get hurt while skateboarding. He tripped as he was running around on the grass outside of the cement ramps. He fell and landed on his right hand.

The older kids rushed him home convinced he would need to go to the hospital. I probed at it, gave him some ice and Motrin, and sent pictures to a couple nurse friends of mine. They both agreed that he could very well have a broken finger or two. They also both agreed that a trip to the ER would just be a waste of money. The ER doctors would just suggest the same form of treatment plus a splint until his regular Dr could see him on Monday.

So we decided to avoid our second ER visit of the year and keep him comfortable until Monday. We purchased a finger splint (which he thinks is amazingly cool), ice it down several times a day, and give him pain reliever as needed.

One of the pictures sent to my nurse friends. The fingers in question are his ring finger & pinky with the ring finger most likely broken.

A second picture sent to them showing the swelling and curvature in question.

Taken today, now I'm starting to question if the pinky is broken too.

Notice the swelling between the 2nd & 3rd joints on his ring finger and discoloration at the 2nd joint. I', pretty sure the Doc will x-ray this one.

This is his left hand, just for comparison sake. Notice the gash on his ring finger here? Another typical boy incident playing with a sled on concrete... don't ask LOL.

Rays of Sunshine

Isn't that a lovely picture? I found it over at LennoxC's Flickr page

We started to see some very positive changes today. The power of prayer is amazing! R is out of the hospital and back on base. He has responded to antibiotics, so it was possibly some sort of infection. He will get to graduate from Basic next week and continue to schooling in Mississippi.

Another positive is that my Dad, who went into acute care yesterday, gets to return to the nursing home tomorrow. He is making a speedy recovery from bladder infection.

I also have been sick this week with a horrible sinus cold. Yesterday I thought it might develop into pneumonia, but am feeling much better today.

So now all that's left to pray for is that Ex, who lost his job yesterday, is able to find employment soon. It could be a scary road for us in the randomness house without that child support as a back up. We have been through this before though, and I am thankful for all the budgeting tips my mother passed on to me in my youth.

Thanks everyone for continuing to check in! I hope that I will find time for some FUN writing this weekend!

The power of prayer

It seems that we are on our way to having some of our prayers for R answered. Situations can sometimes change dramatically when we pray. I'm seeing some positives happening, so please don't stop.

Today he was seen by a different doctor. This one seems to think that there isn't really a tumor, but that R is suffering from bleeding of the brain. While they run tests and compare results R is back at the military hospital. That part is good news. If he can remain on base through graduation on Saturday he will be able to receive full benefits even if he is medically discharged. The Doctor is also working on trying to find a way to get R's mom down there.

We can see that God is listening to our prayers and slowing things down. We can see that god is working to help our sweet R. Please keep up the prayers everyone. They do help.

A Letter

I wrote the following letter tonight in response to the situation that made me so sad the other day. I am blocking out names for privacy reasons. Please keep this family in your prayers as they face this difficult time.


August 10, 2009
　
Dear ,

I am writing you today to tell you about an amazing young man and a very sad circumstance. My daughter has been dating a wonderful young man, R since last year. Since he was a young boy R has dreamt of being in the United States Air Force. It seemed early this summer that he was well on his way to achieving that dream. He had graduated from high school early, in January, worked through the spring, and left for Basic Training in Texas in June.

He wrote to my daughter almost daily, his letters filled with excitement for their future. His mother updated us weekly on his progress as he rose up to the top ten graduates. He completed all of his testing with flying colors. All that was left was to prepare for the ceremony. His graduation would have been this coming Saturday and he would have graduated with honors.

Thursday, however, brought tragedy to his American dream. R passed out during an exercise. He was transferred to the hospital in San Antonio where it was discovered that he has a brain tumor. Right then and there it was determined that R would not graduate, that he would receive a medical discharge and he would not receive any benefits. Because he is 18 and left for Basic, his parent’s insurance will not cover him. He would not have the option to go on to schooling in Mississippi for jet engine mechanics because he was now considered non-deployable. He will not have the option of re-enlisting after he recovers.

We were told today that R’s discharge could be final in 4 weeks or less. His mother had surgery of her own at the end of June and is unable to drive to Texas to be with him. The local Recruiter has informed her that there is nothing that the Air Force can do to help her get down there. R is not stable enough to transfer back to Iowa at this point.

While it sounds like the tumor can be removed successfully, there is still no word on when. If the surgery is not performed before his discharge is final, this brilliant young man will be turned out without insurance or his family. This seems awfully cold-hearted of our government to me. This does not seem to fit into the ideals that our nation was built on.

I realize that it is too late by this point for anything to be done about R’s case. Thankfully he is a resilient and driven young man that is already planning to take college courses when he returns home. It saddens me to think that our government is turning this brilliant mind away because he had an unfortunate illness at an inopportune time. Had the tumor been discovered two weeks later he would still have the opportunity to follow his dream of working on jet engines for our Air Force. He would not have to worry about paying the staggering medical bills that he is now facing, he would have a better chance of having his mother there at his side.

Surely there is something that can be done to ensure that our young in similar, unusual circumstances are not turned out to fend for themselves so coldly.

Thank you for your time,
　
　

Life

If All The Skies

IF all the skies were sunshine,
Our faces would be fain
To feel once more upon them
The cooling plash of rain.

If all the world were music,
Our hearts would often long
For one sweet strain of silence,
To break the endless song.

If life were always merry,
Our souls would seek relief,
And rest from weary laughter
In the quiet arms of grief.

- Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933)


Tonight I had planned on continuing the Dream Adventure blogs that I had started before vacation. Instead, I sit here and think about a very special and important individual in my daughter's life that just found out some devastating news. Sis is not aware of this hardship as of right now. Ex and I don't plan to tell her until later in the week when we have more (hopefully positive) news on the situation. She is going to take this hard no matter what.

Please keep our family, especially Sis, in your prayers.

I will try to get back to the fun blogs later this week as a distraction. Look for more poetry on my other blog soon as well.