Home Again, Home Again! Oh Happy Day!

I'M HOME!  Yes. I'm very happy about it.  YES!  I missed Hubby something fierce.  Chloe was very happy to see me too.  She even slept with me a little.  She usually doesn't sleep with us.  She would be on the bed, then in her bed, then a half an hour later she would come over and lick my face, (she also VERY rarely gives kisses).  Then back to her bed.  Repeat all night.

This was the view out of the airport window in Salt Lake City.  It is really a beautiful view all around the airport.  The turbulence on the flight between SLC and Spokane was terrible.  The flight attendants never even left their seats.  People were actually screaming!  It was like a roller coaster, up and down.  I think the whole thing re-aggravated my whiplash and concussion because I have had tremendous headaches and neck pain again since I landed along with intermittent nausea.  It was no one's fault, but I think now I'll have to heal all over again.  Very frustrating.

Chloe and I drove to Loon Lake yesterday to check out the food and clothing situation at the trailer.  After three weeks, I couldn't remember what I left there and Hubby did stay a night or two while I was gone.


This is Lori's and my garden at the lake that she planted while I was gone.  I know, I know.  Compared to the rest of you who live in more temperature climates it doesn't look like much, but you have to remember that we're only about 70 miles from Canada.  It got down to 35 degrees at the lake last night so it's been too cold to plant earlier.

Rhubarb in one of the tractor tires.  Free for the taking.

See what I mean about close to Canada?  We have lots of visitors here at the resort that come each year and rent cabins or bring their motor homes or trailers.

Lori's flowers by her steps.  I bought mine last night and will get them planted today.

Here's the table runner.  I did some crocheting yesterday while at the lake.  It's about 7 feet long, (I think).  I haven't actually measure it yet.

I have to get gas in my car and run a couple of errands and then Chloe and I are heading to the lake.  Yippee!  I'm so glad to be there again.

Karen is doing well.  I thank you for your prayers and thoughts for her.  It will be a long, slow recovery and she's still very week.  She gets very frustrated as she can't even raise or lower the footrest on her recliner herself.  It puts too much stress on the broken bones in her chest and the incisions.  She needs help getting in and out of bed and she isn't allowed to raise her hands over her shoulders.  Other than that she does a lot for herself now.  Please continue to pray for her and her family. 

And now, I'm off to the lake.  Enjoy your weekend my friends, ours is predicted to be full of sunshine and warmth.

Blessings,
Betsy

Homeward Bound

Hello Everyone,

It's 10:45 on Memorial Day night here and I have my bags mostly packed because I'm heading home to Hubby tomorrow!  Oh. My. Goodness.  How I have missed that man.  I guess that's what happens after almost 36 years of marriage isn't it?  He flew to Portland over this long weekend to visit Miss Piper.  I'm a wee bit jealous of that. :-)  

Karen came home from the hospital last Monday.  She's doing very well, but has been very tired this weekend.  It worries me.  The visiting nurse will be out tomorrow to see her and so will the physical therapist.  I'm looking forward to what they have to say.  Mom and I made a huge amount of food and took it over today for all nine of us for a holiday meal.  I admit, I did buy the fried chicken at the deli, but we made most everything else.

On Friday Mom and I went to the cemetery to put flowers on Dad Queen and Hubby's sister Susan's graves.  We also decorated his Grandparents and my Mom and Dad's graves.  They are all buried very close to one another at Forest Lawn here in Omaha.  Whenever I'm back here visiting I try to take flowers to them and this visit happened to coincide with the Memorial Day holiday.  My Dad was a veteran of WWII.  There were many people decorating their loved ones graves.  It's always a difficult thing for me.  I lost my Mom when I was only 29 and I don't think I've ever really "accepted" that.  It's very hard to lose your Mom, as many of you who have experienced it know.  I was at the age where I really needed her advice on raising my kids and that support was abruptly taken away. 

On Saturday, Mom and I met Brad's parents, (Mandy's in-laws), for lunch at Applebee's.  We sat there and visited for over 3 hours!!  They are great people and Hubby and I really enjoy their company and try to meet up with them whenever we can. We've all stayed at Mandy and Brad's for a week together and we all get along fine.  I truly wish more people could say that about their families.  I think it's hilarious and quite coincidental that Mandy and Brad grew up, within a few miles of each other here in Nebraska.  We even camped at the same campgrounds-probably at the same times, and they never met until they lived in Portland, Oregon.  

This was the mural on the wall at Applebee's.  Ever heard of the Nebraska Cornhusker football team?  Nebraska is pretty proud of them.  This kind of support is everywhere you go.

This morning I snuck away with my sister and niece for an hour or so and had this done to my feet!  They talked me into getting a pedicure with them and then my niece, Chaela, told the lady to put flowers on my toes!  I think the flowers are a bit "over the top" for me, don't you think so?

I've been busy crocheting away on the purple runner.  It's slow going but I think it's about 6 or 7 feet long now. I don't have a tape measure here but I'll take another picture soon.

And now I'm off to bed.  When I wake up I will wash my sheets and remake the bed so Mom doesn't have to do that and then we'll head to the airport.  Yippee!  I'll be seeing my sweetie soon.  Mandy tells me that he's REALLY missing me.  My Chloe leaves the room when he puts me on speaker phone.  I think she's really mad at me.  Hopefully she'll be glad to see me when I walk in the door.

Blessings always my friends,

Betsy

Progress!

Hello everyone.  I'm sorry for the long absence this week.  I've been trying to read and comment on blogs this past week when I could, but I admit it's been "hit and miss" on the ones I've read. Again, I thank you for your prayers and good thoughts for Karen.  We have high hopes that she may come home today.  She had a few setbacks over the weekend, one of which was her heart beating too fast, but with medication adjustment that should be fine now.

It really is amazing what medical science can do.  When I think of the surgery that took place just one week ago today and how she may come home just 7 days later...well, it's nothing short of a miracle in my opinion.  

(UPDATE-No coming home today.  More problems.  Please keep praying for her.)

As much as I've enjoyed the time with family and old friends, I must admit that I'm missing Hubby so very much.  Chloe is so put out with me that when he puts the phone on speaker, she turns and walks away.  That's her way of telling us that I've been gone too long.  I have my ticket to fly home next Tuesday, the 27.

This was our view from the ICU window for most of the last week.  Puffy clouds that look nicer than the storm clouds last Sunday.  The tornado that hit just west of Moms house and a small town just west of Omaha had been declared and F3 tornado in size.  I must admit that I do NOT miss the storms in Nebraska.  There are lots more deciduous trees here than we have in Spokane.  I do miss our evergreens and mountains.  The high humidity here today is something I'm not used to anymore either.

Before Karen went into the hospital I was able to meet all three of my siblings for dinner one evening at Valentino's Buffett, along with their spouses and several of my nieces and nephews.  From left to right, my brother Lynn who is 11 years older than me, Melanie, who is 3 years older and one of my best friends, Me, my oldest brother Roger who is 14 years older than me.  Yep, I'm the baby.  Roger was gone into the Navy before my earliest memory so I have no recollection of him living with us.  Melanie and I used to wash Lynn's car and then he would take us to get ice cream comes at Dairy Queen!  :-)

Yes, baldness runs in my family among the men.  My oldest son Jamie has lost all his hair at 30 years old and Alex at 25 is noticing a hair loss already.  None of them are happy about it but the genetics are pretty strong.  All of my nephews have lost their hair too.  All of us girls seem fine!

We don't see each other very often, only when I make it back to Omaha, but we enjoy each other's company when we can get together.

Mom and I went to a small town named Ft. Calhoun, just a few miles from Omaha for lunch one day the first week I was here.  It's a favorite of all of us and she doesn't make the drive on her own because of her eyesight.  These were some of the wall decorations.  Can you tell we're in farming country?

Teresa, Taci, Gracie, Aimee and all my Oregon readers, the next picture is for you. I was doing some word searches last night before I fell asleep and when I turned the page, look what I found!  Oregon!!!!  Multnomah Falls, Mt. Hood and the Coumbia Gorge were some of the words to look for.  I was surprised that I had been to so many of the places listed.

Progress so far on Jenny's crocheted runner.  I've been working on it steadily all week while sitting at the hospital but it takes quite a bit of time and is growing slowly.

Thank you all for visiting and being so patient with me not being online much.  

Blessings,

Betsy