A Week to Remember!

The past week has been utterly delightful!  We left Tuesday and drove to Paris.  After Stephen got home from work, we went to eat at a local catfish place, which was wonderful.  I was privileged to be able to sit between the boys and visit with them throughout the meal.  They were SO good!  Jesse is usually a picky eater, but he cleaned his plate.  I think he must be about to hit a growth spurt.  He did the same thing at lunch on Wednesday.  I've never seen him eat that much...much less 2 days in a row!  The boys are growing and changing so much.  Shepherd talks more and better every time we see them.  He is so funny!  Jesse is smart as a whip and loves to talk with us...as well as play and be read to.  As always, our time with them was too short, but we loved every minute of it!

We left Paris and drove to Warren and Linda's Wednesday afternoon.  We had time to get settled in, eat supper and visit a bit before time for the service.  Keith gave one of the best lessons I've ever heard him give on Daily Evangelism.  There were about 130 people in attendance.  Refreshments were served after the assembly, then we went back to Warren & Linda's.  I think it was 12:30 or so before we made it to bed that night.  We decided we wouldn't do that anymore, but we did it just about every night!  We just couldn't get enough visiting!

James and Debbie P came over Thursday, and we visited and all went out to eat together.  We shared a lot of laughs and good times.  Debbie and Dennis and Warren have been friends since they were youngsters, but they rarely have the opportunity for them to all be together at the same time.  Everyone really enjoyed our time we had together!  Dennis spoke that evening on Worldliness.  As different ones came up to him after the assembly to comment on his lesson, Ben and Laura's next to the youngest, Chloe, came up and hugged him and told him how much she liked his lesson.  For those who don't know her, Chloe is quite shy and hugs from her are pretty special for us.  It was SO sweet!  When we got back to the house, Bella (Melissa's daughter) came up to him and did the same thing.  These girls are only about 8 years old!  I was very impressed!  Bella and Dennis hit it off right away.  They spent the whole weekend talking and visiting. We also enjoyed getting to know Bowen.  Both of Melissa's kids are really sweet and well behaved young'uns!

Friday, a bunch went skating together in Benton (after a wonderful pizza lunch at Larry's Pizza).  Dennis and I didn't care anything about skating, but we went to visit and watch.  It was a blast!  There were several parents that skated, as well as Debbie P...and of course, tons of kids and teens.  There were a few minor injuries and one trip to the ER (which turned out not to be serious), but it was mostly a big success.  That evening, Garrett gave an outstanding lesson on Godly Friends.  He and Lara and 4 of their girls also came to stay at Warren & Linda's.  So we had a great time getting to visit with them and get to know their sweet girls a little better.  (Dennis and Maggie also became pretty good friends!)

Saturday, Warren and Linda opened their place for a day of fun and fellowship.  Ben and Laura (thanks to the Salem Fire Dept.) supplied a water slide and bounce house for the kiddos, which was a HUGE hit (even though the water slide did turn over at one point...no one was hurt).  The older kids played Frisbee with Mocha (the dog) and did their own thing, while us older folks ate, visited and sang.  The day was warm, but there was a good breeze blowing all day (hence the upturned water slide) which kept things pretty comfortable.  John A was in charge of grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs and did an excellent job!  That evening we heard a very straightforward and passionate lesson from Ron Tate on Godly Dating.  There were over 150 in attendance at that service...the house was FULL!  After more food, more singing and more visiting, we headed back to the house for another late night visit among our bunch.

Richard Newhart gave his lesson on Godly Marriage this morning.  As always, he did a great job!  The ladies served up an amazing potluck dinner, and then Dennis and I had to hit the road and head home.  We THOROUGHLY enjoyed ourselves!  It was great to catch up with old friends, get to know new friends, participate in some really amazing singing, hear some very encouraging and inspirational messages, and just have FUN!  I want to thank all those at the Salem Road church for their wonderful hospitality and all the hard work that they put into the planning and implementation of this meeting.  They did an outstanding job!!!  It was definitely what Dennis and I needed!

Almost done with the (Saginaw) house!

It has been a very busy week!  Last Friday, we went to the Saginaw house to pick up a couple of hutches that family wanted to keep.  Teddy called me Thursday night to tell me there was a LOT of stuff left out on the curb.  We loaded down Dennis' pickup Friday morning and had to call my nephew, Chad, to bring his over to pick up the rest before 1:00 on Saturday.  Then we had to offload everything when we got back home, to get the hutch for my cousin (one hutch didn't survive, sadly), break it all down, and reload the truck for Dennis to haul it to the dump.  My cousin came over Saturday afternoon and picked up his, so we only had to store it overnight.  (So thankful to have a nice size garage!)  But we FINALLY got the house EMPTY! 

Teddy had the open house on Saturday.  They had a good turnout and ended up with several offers.  The highest offer wasn't what we were hoping for, but it was high enough to accept...and we can close on the 31st.  I've been busy all week taking care of things for that, as well as a couple of other matters that have come to my attention that needed dealing with.  Daddy finally heard from the insurance company that carried his cancer policy, and they refuse to pay, because their policy is that claims have to be filed within a 2 year window (it has been over 8 years).  That was a disappointment, but not unexpected.  My biggest gripe is that they had told me to file on it, so I went to a lot of time and effort to get everything together to do so...then they deny it!  Ugh!

Tonette found a document and gave it to me this week on Daddy's teacher's retirement benefits.  It looks like he never sent them a death certificate when Momma died, which would have affected what he draws every month.  So I've written them a letter, including a copy of Mom's death certificate, to see if they will increase the amount of his monthly check and possibly pay retroactively for the past 11 years.  I don't know if they will after this much time passing, but it is definitely worth a try!

Bobbie has been in rehab for the past week.  She can't do any weight bearing exercise with her bad arm, but they have been trying to build the strength back up in her legs.  She has gotten so weak lately!  The rehab doctor wants her to stay until the 23rd, but the folks have made up their minds to leave tomorrow.  Daddy has been staying over there with her night and day, sleeping in a recliner, even though the facility is only a 5 minute drive from Brookdale!  Did we try to talk him out of it?  Of course!  Did he listen to us?  Of course not!  We still have some fallout to deal with because of what all that entailed.

Daddy had two doctor appointments this week and Bobbie had one.  He saw his orthopedic doctor for a follow up on his MRI.  He has several places in his spine where the nerve is being pinched.  The doctor is referring him to a specialist to see if he is eligible for a procedure that will go in (using a scope) and shave away some of the bone to relieve pressure on the nerve.  It would be outpatient with no down time.  His new primary care doctor found a couple of skin cancers and some "possibles", so he is referring him to a dermatologist to have them removed.  I was impressed with the new primary care doctor that Daddy decided to go to.  I wasn't happy about him switching (again) from the service that came to Brookdale, but I was very happy with this new doctor.  If I continue to like what I see, Dennis and I may change to him.  Our doctor is wanting to retire...just trying to find a buyer for his practice.  I'd rather find someone we like, who is young, rather than just taking whoever decides to buy out Dr. Reeve's practice!

Bobbie went to a GI doctor, who is going to have to scope her to determine where she is bleeding internally.  She has evidently been having a slow bleed or bleeding off and on somewhere in her GI tract that has caused her to be pretty anemic. It seems to be one thing after another.....

Dennis is making nice progress on the kitchen cabinets.  The west wall is about done.  He's been doing cabinet doors and painting all week on that side.  Now he is starting on the sink-side of the kitchen.  It has quite a few more doors to do!  We do have the dining room put back together though.  I'm really enjoying that!  Besides looking much nicer, we can actually sit more than two people down at a time to eat.  Many days, we ended up standing at the kitchen counter or eating in the living room.

For Mother's Day, Sheila came over and spent the night.  She took us out to eat supper on Saturday, since I really don't like fighting the crowds on Mother's Day.  Then Sunday, Ricky came over and the four of us fixed tacos for dinner.  It was a great day!

Next Tuesday, we plan to go to Paris and spend the night on our way to the meeting at Salem Rd.  Sure looking forward to seeing our boys!  We also need to meet with Stephen about our investments and getting something set up for the money that Daddy makes on the house sale.  We'll be heading on up to Warren and Linda's on Wednesday.  I'm not sure how long we'll be staying though.  We'd like to stay all weekend, but we never know when we'll need to be here for some "crisis" with the folks.  Tonette will be home that weekend to fill in, if needed, but there are some things that I have to handle myself.  Our travels will be greatly curtailed for a good while, I think.  The folks are planning to go with us to the summer meeting.  We aren't sure they will be up for it...waiting until it is a bit closer to make that determination.  When Sheila and I go to Vietnam, I'm going to have to tell my brother that it is HIS turn to take over for those 2-3 weeks!  I will be turning my phone OFF!  (So if you are reading this, Rodney, be forewarned!)

Guess that's about it for now.  Have a great weekend, and I hope these spring storms pass you by unscathed!  (So far, we've not had any damage!)

Picture update, folks' health issues, etc.

You would think, by now, that I would have learned NOT to make predictions on when I thought a project would be completed!  Ha!  Dennis doesn’t work in a predictable manner.  Instead of deciding to finish caulking and painting the dining room (so we could put everything back in it and have it done), he decided to start on cabinet doors.  Ok…so I’m excited about getting cabinet doors.  I’d just really like to see ONE room get finished!  I decided to go ahead and post a few pictures.  The dining room and entryway are both pretty finished looking.  Of course, the cabinets are very much a work in progress!

Still need to caulk and paint the crown moulding, and finish painting the base cabinets

The upper cabinet door should be installed by the end of today

Pretty much done!

The webinar that Sheila and I watched was very informative…but VERY long!  I’m glad we watched it together, so we could discuss ideas and break up the monotony.  It was about transracial adoption and the challenges involved.  All of the panel, as well as the facilitator, were adult adoptees from other countries who were adopted by white Americans.  It was amazing how similar their thoughts and feelings were. 

After the webinar, we went to an Ethiopian restaurant that Sheila likes.  It was my first time to try the cuisine.  It isn’t my favorite, but it was ok.  I enjoyed the experience more than the taste.  I do want to go back and try other things though.  We got the lamb tips and samosas.  I did like the samosas!  I think next time I’d prefer to go with the veggie tray.  I loved the cabbage and carrots that came with the lamb tips.

I finally started back walking this week.  I haven’t been walking since I had bronchitis a couple of months ago (seems a lot longer than that).  I’m having to go back to just every other day.  My Achilles tendon has been sore lately, and I don’t want to get it all inflamed again.  I do fine while walking, but it is pretty tender the next day.  It does feel good to get out again though!

I finally got all of the paperwork for Daddy’s cancer insurance claim turned in.  That turned out to be quite an ordeal!  I sure hope he gets something out of it!  I took him yesterday to the doctor for some hip pain he’s been having.  The doctor said his hip is in good shape, and the pain is from a pinched nerve in his back.  He went for an MRI this morning, we go back to see the doctor for the results next week.  He thinks that injections in his back may be all that’s needed, if that.  It only hurts him when he is on his feet a lot, and he really isn’t up and around all that much anymore. 

Bobbie went back to the wound care doctor yesterday.  The pressure sore was infected, and he thought that her hardware in her elbow was coming out.  So she went back to her surgeon this morning, and sure enough, she’s going to have to go BACK into surgery tomorrow!  They will have to remove the hardware and put some permanent stiches in the tendons to secure and stabilize everything.  He is hoping she will still have some mobility in her elbow.  I’m afraid she will never have good use of that arm again.

Well, the estate sale did NOT go well.  Daddy isn’t getting much at all from it, and the liquidators barely got enough to break even.  I feel bad for all of them.  We are going tomorrow to pick up a few pieces of furniture that we didn’t want sold.  Then Saturday is the open house.  I sure hope he gets a good offer.  He has received quite a few cash offers from flippers.  They are lowballed though.  We would love to find someone who wants a good deal on a fixer-upper for themselves!

I hope you all have a great weekend and Mother’s Day!

Update

Things are going pretty well.  The guys have been working on trim, mostly.  They also got my light fixture put up over my kitchen sink.  Unfortunately the globe had been broken in transit and we didn’t check it when it was delivered…months ago.  So I’ve ordered a replacement, which will take a couple of weeks to arrive.  So I have light, but it lacks somewhat in aesthetics for now.  The dining room is SO close to being finished (except for the window seat…which will be pretty labor intensive).  I’m not wanting to post pictures until it looks finished.  Hopefully that will be next week.  The entryway should also be completed next week.  The kitchen will take longer, since Dennis still has to do the cabinet doors.  It is really exciting to see everything coming together!

Bobbie is still struggling with her elbow.  She has developed a pressure sore on it now and is going to a wound care specialist to deal with that.  Both folks have several doctors’ appointments coming up over the next couple of weeks.  Daddy has been having hip pain and is seeing a specialist for that, plus he is changing primary care doctors.  Bobbie has to see several specialists for “routine maintenance”. 

We had a good outing with the folks last Saturday.  We went over to see if they wanted to go for a drive in the country.  They were excited to go with us!  We drove out around Brock, showing them where different folks from church lived.  We stopped in to visit with Alena for a few minutes.  I thought it would do them, and her, good.  Alena is totally housebound and is totally dependent on others for everything since her stroke a couple of years ago.  She was very happy and upbeat during our visit though.  I know it has been a hard adjustment for her to adapt to her new lifestyle, but she seems to have learned to be happy…even with her challenges.  Before taking them back to Brookdale, we stopped at the DQ for ice cream cones.  I think we all enjoyed our little outing!

Sunday was our monthly potluck and singing.  Koh was our guest speaker.  We really enjoyed having him and his sweet family as guests!  James and Renee graciously opened their home for the potluck.  We had a nice turnout and a lot of fun.  The morning assembly was amazing, as was the afternoon singing.  It was a great day all around!

Later that evening, we found out that Sherrod and Anita’s house had caught fire due to the high winds blowing the electrical lines into some tree limbs.  It was contained in the hall closet where the a/c and heater is housed.  If their son-in-law, Eddie, hadn’t been there, it would have engulfed the gas lines and the whole house would have gone up!  He did exactly what needed to be done, in just the right time, to save everything.  They were without electricity for several days while the electrician did repairs.  They stayed with family during that time and brought their freezers and cold foods over here to keep.  They really came out very well, considering how bad it could have been!  So thankful that everyone was ok and they didn’t lose anything!

The estate sale is going on this weekend.  I’m not going over there…the liquidators prefer not having the family around.  I can’t wait to hear how it goes!  The pictures they took looked really nice.  They did a great job cleaning everything up!  Next week I’ll need to clear out a couple of hutches that belong to family members and check out some paperwork that they found and thought needed my attention.  It will sure seem strange to see that house empty!

We spent Wednesday night in Allen, so we could attend Eldon’s funeral.  Since it was at 10:00 am, we didn’t want to have to get up early and fight morning rush hour traffic.  Bobbie D. seemed to be doing very well.  She had such a good attitude about everything.  Eldon had been declining for years, and she knew he was ready to go.  It was nice to see old friends that we don’t get to visit often.

I’m spending the day at Sheila’s tomorrow.  She signed up for an online transracial adoption “boot camp” and asked if I wanted to participate with her.  I think it will be pretty helpful with both of my grandsons from overseas.  She also wants to take me to an Ethiopian restaurant close to her apartment.  We normally do Vietnamese, but I’ve never eaten Ethiopian before.  I would like to learn more about Shepherd’s native land’s food.  I have to do things like that when I’m not with Dennis.  He isn’t a very adventurous eater! 

Well, that’s what’s been going on here.  I hope to be able to share pictures with you next week!