Hello, Readers! Thought I'd pop in for a few moments and let you all know that I am always thinking of you guys and I hope that the Summertime is treating you and your family all well.
Any plans this year? Or have you already taken trips that you decided on?
Well, so far, so good here in my world. Summer days are bit muggy lately, so it makes for awful hot days. My son is enjoying his Day Treatment Camp time (goes Monday through Thursday, during the day, only).
My oldest who is going in to Middle School this Fall has made ALL Advanced courses, and was accepted/invited to attend a "gifted program" school for her grade range, where they have science labs such as a Lazerarium, Terrariums with different exotic pets (including an iguana and a couple of bearded dragons) and a "hands on" petting fish tank.
My youngest is starting first grade and is pretty apprehensive. But I know she will adjust quickly once she really gets to know her teacher (who is a LOVELY lady who LOVES her job and her students).
Here's a few pictures of some recent past adventures of Summer... And of how big our Bearded Dragon, Gobi is getting since I last posted about him.
Well, soon, we will have LOTS more pictures coming, thanks to our annual trek to King's Dominion coming up. Talk to you all again soon. I can't wait to be back on here more regularly. I'm still on my "hiatus", but wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and am enjoying myself. Have a great rest of the Summer and I'll "read" you all again very soon.
We all knew that this was coming. For the last six months or so. But after losing other family members in the past that you "prepared" for losing, when the time comes, you are NEVER truly "prepared".
Last night we were told to get to Big Papa if we could because Hospice gave him just hours. So Scott and I placed the kids with some friends of ours and rushed over. He was ashen, pale and gray. His breathing was rattly and hard, thanks to the fluid on his lungs. He was sedated and given pain medications for comfort and so he wouldn't fight himself.
We stayed there a good hour or just a bit longer. All the while talking with Scott's Grandma and his Aunt, who was staying the night. As we left, we told Big Papa we loved him and to just rest and that everything was okay.
After leaving to get the kids, two of our nieces (sisters) apparently arrived not long after us. We missed one another by mere minutes.
We left at about 8:10 last night. Scott got the "call" at about 9:05, about ten minutes after we walked in the door for the night.
He died as the oldest niece was brushing his military-style cut hair. That was something ALL the grandkids and great-grandkids did. He paid them a dollar if they did a "good job", which of course they all did. *hehe*
This past Summer was the last TRUE family reunion with EVERYONE together. This year, it will be drastically different. And more morose and somber as we gather with one less person joining in watching the kids catch lizards and snakes in the backyard, eating up a storm and just having a fun time talking and being together.
*Big Papa with my girls, Skyler and Hayley (oldest of the three kids)*
*Big Papa with my son, Bryce and our oldest niece*
I can only imagine the reception Big Papa received as he entered the Pearly Gates. I know his sister and youngest brother were happy to be reunited with their big brother, as I am certain that it was a welcoming experience to see his parents again.
Big Papa was an extremely hard working man in his time, as he was the manager of a strong insurance company. And he served in the military in his youth. When he met his wife of 62 years, she had three children from a previous marriage. One of them being my Father-In-Law, whom he adopted all three after the couple had married. Then along came four other children that they had after that. So needless to say, he left behind many upon many hearts to grieve his passing. Between their seven children multiple grandchildren, and several great-grandkids and even a great-great-grandchild.
I think that the following song is extremely appropriate to say how I feel about a man that gave me a good taste of what life is like with having a Grandfather in your life, seeing as my granddads were dead before I was born. And thanks to Big Papa and his inclusion of me in to his family as "one of my granddaughters", I can never thank him (or Grandma) enough for the last eleven wonderful years of having a great man in my life such as him...Even if he was a Washington Redskins fan. I looked past that atrocity and still loved him anyways. (=
*I apologize, but VEVO just had to put a freaking commercial in this one..which is inappropriate for a song like this in my opinion.*
Go Rest High On That Mountain lyrics
Songwriters: Gill, Vince;
I know your life on earth was troubled
And only you could know the pain
You weren't afraid to face the Devil
You were no stranger to the rain
Go rest high on that mountain
Son your work on earth is done
Go to Heaven a shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son
Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered round your grave to grieve
Wish I could see the angels' faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing
So go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on earth is done
Go to Heaven a shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son
So go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on earth is done
Go to Heaven a shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son
Go to Heaven a shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son
You know, it's bad enough that Dominos Pizza has now given my husband the WRONG pizza (we use Delivery Service) twice out of the last five of our orders. He ALWAYS gets the Meatza (where it is ALL meat, not a speck of veggie on it because he's a typical man and just rolls like that).
When Dominos last messed up before this, they gave him the one with BOTH meat AND veggies. I specifically said (seeing as I had a brain fart and couldn't remember the actual pizza's name) ALL MEAT, not with ANY veggies. I trusted the girl on the other end of the line to KNOW what I was talking about, seeing as she IS an employee and all.
Last night we went ahead and ordered pizza, seeing as my plans to make a spaghetti dinner were kind of ruined.
See, I have not one, but TWO big refrigerators in my kitchen as I type this. One is the pretty new (but barely used) one that we set up last night. This one has a WORKING water/ice dispenser. But Scott had to clean it really well with Bleach Spray. That alone sent me to tears and in to burning breathing...Even with windows OPEN.
The other of course, is the old one that also too needs to be cleaned. Scotty wants me to clean it BEFORE he moves it. Riiiight!!! I can barely get around in that tiny kitchen with those two giant fridges up in there. I'll wait until he and his brother MOVE IT out of my way, even though it means lots of trips up and down the basement stairs.
And I have totally gotten off track..Back to the bad mushroom pizza and the screw up. (=
The kids got their pizza and started munching right away. As did I with my green peeper, onion and (apparently Psychedelic) mushroom pizza. Poor Scott got a Pineapple and Bacon pizza. And the box (after looking at it) said the CORRECT pizza with chicken and bacon added. But the WRONG pizza was in it. Niiiice.
Poor quality, but this as close to "Psychedelic" as I can get to, let alone WANT TO get to...
My poor husband had to wait yet an extra thirty-five minutes to get his CORRECT pizza and chow down.
We got to keep the Bacon and Pineapple pizza, so I took a piece and tried it. Pretty good, actually!
At first all was fine and dandy for me, sleep wise. But then about an hour or two of being in bed, my youngest comes in in semi-tears and said she had a bad dream and asked if she could sleep with us. So, I became "monkey in the middle", squished between her and her Daddy.
Sometime after that, began the uber scary dreams of zombies, gross and gruesome violence that ensued from being chased by the undead creatures, and other manic and weird dreams.
I think this one best describes the look on my face in the vivid dreams of being chased..
Here's to a much better, zombie-less filled tonight. I'm done with being chased thanks to mushrooms that give me more than a kick.
Yep, I finally have made it to the big time. Took pretty much all Winter long, which for me is a new record!
OOPSIES! Set that one on the player a tad too hard. My bad.
Anyways, I think I'm once again going to just chill on my downstairs couch, because that's how I roll.
Don't those look yummy! Too bad that my throat is still a bit sore and can't hack anything more than yogurt.
Why? Because a kid was sent to school last week, sick, coughing and running a fever. So of course mom and dad decided that since their kid was sick and looking like this...
..that everyone, including two parents (myself and another mom), as well as countless other kids from class (which now to my knowledge stands at other mom's kid at least, out of 22 count) must want the joys of feeling like this happened..
So, with that said, let's hope I can go from this...
over to this...
..in the next 24 hours. After two days of this junk, I'm ready to be my normal self again.
