WE ARE HOME!

We had a great time traveling but we are glad to be back home again. The trip started off well. We were able to get everything packed into our suitcases with out going over the weight limit for the airlines. We were making our first stop in North Carolina. Dad had wanted to see a development called Ford's Colony in Rocky Mount. We did not check the map very well as we had landed in Charlotte at 4:30 PM and Rocky Mount is about a 4 hour drive north. As we were still on California time, it wasn't too bad getting there. Dad did all the driving, as I have a tough time driving at night.

We had a great hotel room at the Residence Inn. More room than we actually needed. It had a small kitchenette and breakfast bar to eat at if needed. We didn't. We did spend a full day at Ford's Colony looking at their model homes and at lots available. Even though we did find a couple of lots of interest to us, I think we are going to pass. The question of where we are going to be once Dad retires is still up in the air. Dad has decided not to worry about it anymore until the time is closer.

We left a day early from Rocky Mount to make our way to West Virginia. We were able to get our room a day early so that made our decision to move-on that much easier. Again, the drive took us about 5 to 5 and 1/2 hours. The drive was uneventful. We even stopped along the way for lunch.

We finally arrived around 4:30-5:00 at the hotel. The Clarion Hotel was tucked away from the road so you did not see it right away. Once you do, you are amazed at the site. It is a very large hotel. It was now our home away from home for a few days. We saw Jon and family that evening for dinner. We visited some the next day but we also needed to visit Tony and family too so we split-up the day.

Dad wanted to do the Farmer's Market with Tony on Saturday but was talked out of it by Tony. Dad did not want to disappoint him but was told that it might be too much for Dad to do. Dad listened. I helped Abby make the fruit cake cookies and Gabe and Sophia and I put gingerbread houses together. We thought the houses were the best ever!

We tried to get together as often as possible to see everyone. We hoped we spent enough time visiting but we know that it is not the same as if one is available every day.

We did attend Christmas service on Christmas Eve which was very nice. We opened gifts with Tony and family before the service and before Jon and family arrived. We had decided to do this as the gifts were quite large. It made it easier to leave the gifts home the next day.

We arrived at Jon's house on Christmas about mid-morning. We started to open some gifts and Katelynn was very excited. She wanted to keep opening presents when we stopped to take a break to have some breakfast. It was a good way of doing things as it made the morning's excitement last for awhile. We think everyone received what they wanted.

Tony and family arrived later in the afternoon for dinner. Jon cooked a large turkey with all the makings. Some dinner rolls and cranberry sauce were forgotten but no one seemed to mind. It was a fun time for everyone. Afterwards, the Wii game was used and everyone had a lot of fun. Gabe, Tony, and Dad seem to have a rivalry going with that game. Tony and Jon do so also. We need to get one so we can practice for the next time. Now, we just have to find the game system...

After returning to the hotel, we went down to the lobby to use the hotel's computer. We wanted to print out our boarding passes for the trip to Denver. It was a good thing that we had tried because our flight had been CANCELLED. United said they did not have a crew to fly the plane. (We found out later that United had let a number of crews off so they were short handed. The cause was two major snow storms that had caused many flight delays. No pilots - no planes) We had not been notified and at the time we did not know what was going to happen. It took a long phone call from Dad and some very strong conversation to get us on a flight. There weren't flights available from Dulles Airport or Ronald Regan. The only flight we could get on was out of BWI at 8:00 am. This meant we had get up and moving by 4:00 am in order to arrive at the airport on time. We did make it and even had a quick breakfast. We weren't even finished eating when we thought our flight was being called so anything left over was thrown away. It was a false alarm but we rather had been safe than sorry.

We had to call Jennifer when we had the flight change. They were picking us up originally in the afternoon but it had to be changed for the morning. Luckily Mark was home and could do the job as Jennifer had a haircut appointment for the kids. They had also received 3 inches of snow on Christmas Day so it was a pretty sight. On Thursday, they received another 6 inches. We definitely experienced snow this trip. Noah and Madilynn loved playing in the snow. There were drifts that were a little deep and hard for both of them to manage but it usually did not slow them down. It was hard at times to get Noah to come inside as he was having so much fun.

We had a great visit with the Colorado group. As we were getting ready to leave, we checked on our flight several times to make sure it was still on time and flying. It was and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time. The only problem we did have was a gate change. It wasn't a major problem but you start to wonder whether there would be anything else.

The flight was a little bumpy but not all the way. We had our small packet of pretzels and one drink of water or soda. It was a short trip, only two hours or so. We were finally in Orange County. It took awhile for the bags to be found but that was a minor problem. We at least had the bags. We then loaded up the car and away we went. Boy it is good to be home.

Now the laundry, ironing, going through the mail, and on and on.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!!

California's Winter

We will be having rain and cooler temperatures this weekend. Now you may think what is the big deal ... well, this is winter for California. Our snow is the rain. This is rain that we so desperately need. We have been so dry for so long. It will mean snow for the mountains which will help the ski season and also to provide water for the state. We are expecting temperatures during the day to be in the 50's and overnight in the 40's (temperatures in the mountains will be colder). Snow may be down as far as 5,000 feet, These temperatures won't last long but for now it is a big deal to us Californians'. We are having high surf at the beaches with the surf being as high as 15 feet. Rain will be starting tomorrow night into the weekend.

We have had to leave our cars out of the garage because the "apron" of the garage had to fixed. They dug up some asphalt and put down concrete in its place. We were told to not drive across it for 2 weeks. That is a long time to not be able to use your own garage. The concrete has had time to dry some so the rain shouldn't do anything to it.

I guess the colder weather is for us to get use to our trip that will be here soon. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate and we won't have big problems. This is a first for us to fly to one place and then drive to another. We can't wait though. We have all the arrangements made and they have been checked.

We will see everyone very soon.

The Holidays

Am I rushing the holidays by asking for suggestions already? I don't mean to make one feel that way. I see the holidays moving quickly into view (Thanksgiving is next week!) and I wanted to get a head start, as well as, get the best selection. I have had things already mailed ahead.

I am excited about Christmas and Thanksgiving. We will be traveling but we will be able to see everyone this year. Of course, it won't be as long as we want but it will help some in the long run.

We will have a couple of holiday parties to attend here. One will be on a yacht with dinner and dancing.

The holidays in California is very different. No snow and really cold weather to get you in the spirit. Homes are not decorated as much as those back east. We have our artifical tree up but not decorated yet. We want to have time to enjoy it before the trips. At least we won't have to worry about it drying out. I know it is not the same as the smell of a real tree. I can still bake and fill the house with the aromas. Smelling the cinammon, gingerbread, turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, dressing, and even fruitcake, makes one think of holidays past and future.

Enjoy the time before, during, and after the holidays. They just move too fast!

The Fires Continue

Some of the fires have been contained and people are being allowed to go back home. It is sometimes just to see what is left of their home and whether they can find anything in the ashes. How sad! Some will find their home OK.

The Irvine/Santiago fire has burned 27,000 acres. It has now moved to the Cleveland National Forest. We just have the smell of smoke around us. Last night and today has been the first time we have smelled the smoke inside the house. We have everything closed up but it still gets in somehow. It is like the smell you get after you have had a fire and the smell lingers. It will be around for sometime until that fire is contained and we get some rain to wash it away.

The President was here yesterday to look things over. He told people that they be feeling bad today but things will be better tomorrow. How sweet was that?! Now he should make sure those people get the money they need to rebuild!

Anyway, we continue to do what we need to do. We try to stay inside as much as possible but life goes on. We were told that smelling the smoke is like smoking packs of cigarettes. Not good. Again, once it all goes away then your lungs can clear. I just hope it is soon.

The Fires

Day 3 - The fires keep burning and growing. We have about a dozen fires all around us. The fire for Orange County/Irvine was started by someone. Can you believe that? Actually starting a fire! No one has been found yet but they are looking.

The fires are not that near us. We can see one but again it is not close. We feel sorry for those people who are loosing their homes or having the uncertainty of whether they would have a home to return too.

We are at the mercy of the weather and the winds. It is scary. You want it to end!

Traveling ...

We have finished our latest trip to Indian Wells California. Indian Wells is very near Palm Springs which is in the desert. We had a bit of a problem with blowing sand during a portion of the trip but it wasn't as bad as the day before our trip. On that day there were major accidents. Two people had died. We did not encounter anything like that.

The temperature was very nice which was a surprise but a very nice surprise. We only stayed at the hotel, for the meeting that Dad was going to, for a night. The drive was only 2 1/2 hours and the traffic moved very well.

This trip came only one day after we returned from DC and Maryland. I had just enough time to do some laundry before we were out the door once again. Our next trip will be for the two of us going in different directions. Dad will be flying to Oakland and I will be flying to Sacramento. Dad will be helping on a job for Clark and I will be attending a meeting for the Operation of Emergency Services for California.

Once we return from those trips then we will be off to San Diego for a weekend the beginning of November. We will then have two weeks before the trip to Denver for Thanksgiving. We will be checking the area out and visiting.

Then we will move into December. That month will be very busy too. I can't worry about that now. I need Christmas suggestions .... send out cards ... what to take??? TOO MUCH! One day at a time.

New Baby Blankets!

I have finally finished another group of baby blankets for the hospital. It has been fun making them especially trying to use different patterns. I also try to use different colors instead of the pink or blue. The one picture that looks like a dark green is actually yellow. I also tried to make hats to go along with the blanket. That is hard because you don't know if what you are doing is big enough.

UPDATE NEWS

Dad has made a plan for his retirement. He will continue to work full-time for another 3 years and then part-time for one year. After that, he should be 62, he will retire. Where are we going or what are we doing has not been decided yet. We are still looking at the Carolina's, Tennessee. Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado. We do know it won't be Florida. Another 49 states to go!

I have had some tests done because of a problem unrelated to MS. Be very lucky that you don't have to deal with a colonoscopy yet. The prep work is the worst but this is a necessary evil. The doctor did find a couple of polups which were benign but one of them did look suspicious for cancer. Again, they were benign but I need to repeat the test in three years instead of five. I also had another test called an EGD. This test required a tube to be inserted down my thoart to check on things and I have not received the results on that one. The initial result was everything was OK but the doctor did take some biopsies to check on things. Such fun!! At least I did not know what was going on with this test as I was sedated.

We went to look at dogs yesterday (Sunday) and Dad really liked this chihuahua named "Dino". We had a laugh. The dog was cute but not house broken or knew how to walk on a leash. These are things we could work out but we aren't sure about getting a dog right now. I would be the one that would need to take care of the dog. Most days that would not be a problem but I still have meetings to attend during the week. Can I get into a routine of having a dog around? I don't know. It has been nice with Chester because he doesn't require any work except to brush him once in awhile (which Dad does) and to feed him and clean his litter box. With a dog, it will require walking on a daily basis and training. As we don't have a back yard, we would need to take him to a dog park for excersise. Just so many added jobs ... I think we are going to wait until we have made our final move.

Everything else has been going well for us. Dad was asked to be on the State board for the AGC (Associated General Contractors). It will require him to attend more state meetings which he isn't doing now. I will be able to attend also as the wives usually have something planned to keep them occuppied. It is an honor for him to be chosen.

I continue to make baby blankets. I am on my fourth one now. I am also making little hats to match. It is fun and I know that they will be appreciated. You will have to look for new photos later.

I guess that is about it. The weather is great. We are starting to get Fall temperatures. Of course nothing like you will be experiencing. We do miss the Fall festivals and the change of leaves. Enjoy and take pictures for us :-)

TIME GOES BY SO FAST

It has been awhile since I last posted and the only reason for it has been time. Where did the time go?

I was busy with my MS Support Group in getting a new location for us, making sure notices went out, and having all the supplies needed for the meeting.

I am also on a Government Relations Committee with the MS Society and I was chosen to represent the disabled with the Operations of Emergency Services for the State of California. I was sent by email a document to review which was 483 pages long. After printing it off, which took almost a full ream of paper, I had to read it. It wasn't an exciting paper. The document talked about how California was going to handle floods, earthquakes, wild fires, tusanamies, and any other emergencies. I was to review to make my comments regarding the disabled. The paper did not have much and I had to point that out.

I also had to take care of the house with cleaning, laundry, and other stuff. I had to call and get my cleaning people back as I wasn't doing a very good job or at least I felt I wasn't. It was very hard for me to try and stay on top of things. I would get tired easily and that lead to things being put off until another day. Dad helped some but he has been so tired lately with his job that I did not want to add more to him.

We also had to have a termite service in to take care of a termite problem. Dad had to cut back a beam over the garage as it was messed up from the termites and wood rot. He had to go to Home Depot and buy a couple of sanders for the job but he needed them anyway. Besides he likes going to Home Depot. I guess it is a guy thing! We still have about 14 boards under our eave, that are gone from termites that need to be replaced but this is going to require removing some roof to get to them. They are at the peak of the house. Not an easy job to get too. So this will be a major job and a major cost. I don't know when we will get to that!!

We are also trying to figure out where we are going to live after Dad retires. Now Dad is not retiring for at least another 5 years. We aren't sure whether to buy a home already built, buy land and build later, or stay in California. Where do we look? We are checking out North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, and Tennessee. I am sure there will be others.

Dad and I miss everyone and wish we could make more trips to see everyone. It is that time thing again. Where does this thing called TIME go?

Baby Blankets

I have been crocheting baby blankets to give to a hospital for their neonatal unit. I have made about 6 blankets and I gave two away. The others showing were ones that I gave to the Irvine Regional Hospital. This was the same hospital were Jennifer gave birth to Noah. The neonatal unit helped with giving Noah a start with his life. To see him now you would not recognize him as a baby that weighed 3 pounds at birth and had so many problems.

Madilynn was also born there and also had a visit in the neonatal unit. The nurses do some great work.

When I gave the blankets to the unit, the nurses were very surprised and grateful. They have some other blankets to give to a lucky boy or girl. The nurses said they would be glad to take others. So my work is cut out for me. They were fun and easy to make. Sorry for a picture sideways. The colors were blue, purple, light yellow, and cream. I also did one in pink but we gave that one to Dad's assistant who was going out on maternity and was having a baby girl.

DOE A DEER, A FEMALE DEER

I took some pictures of a couple of deer that were just outside of our house. I was so close to them it was unbelievable. They even laid down for awhile (I didn't get a picture of that and I wished I did). I will see deer once in a while out back but never in our front yard. It was something to see.

The deer stayed around for at least an hour or more. At times they were staring right at me. I didn't want to take a picture then as I was afraid they would run off. Dogs barked, people opened and closed their garages, cars were moving about but they were not bothered by any of it. I guess they have become so used to everything that it would take a lot more to scare them.

Yosemite Work Outing

Dad survived his work ordeal building on the deck for his boss. He was so impressed with the area that he took several pictures. I have also shown you what the deck looked like once it was finished. The group of guys really worked very hard to do this deck in 2 days. Sorry for any pictures that are turned sideways but you can get the idea of height.

On the Road Again

No this does mean we are moving even though that has been our theme song. No, Dad is doing the flying. He just had a quick flight to Las Vegas yesterday. It was a one day trip - there and back. On Monday he will be going again but for two days. The company has a couple of bids they are working on in Las Vegas so Dad has to go to make sure things are going smoothly.

Dad also has 3 other projects here in California that he is working on. His assistant estimator that he has depended on will be going out on maternity leave starting tomorrow. Dad's stress level has really increased. He is ready to retire as he is getting tired of the job. I am just glad that I am doing as well as I am so that is not an additional burden for him.

We are having two more companies out to give us their decisions on the termites. Dad does not feel we have them and is very skeptical when told we have them. We are replacing the garage door frame because of dry rot with new boards. We were told to have the new boards treated for termites so we don't have a problem in the future.

I think Dad is ready to move again. He just can't decide where because he wants to be close to everyone. Hmmm, I wonder how that will work. It is just talk today but you never know what will happen.

Another Trip and Other things

It is Dad's turn to take a trip. He is helping out his boss, along with several others, to build a deck onto the back of his house. The house is located in Yosemite. This required a drive of over 6 hours to reach. Dad has not done physical labor in a very long time. He will work around the house doing small projects but nothing like he did today. I am not sure how big of a deck he is working on but between the men, they were able to get the flooring finished and a start of the railing. He is one tired "puppy".

He has been working in the heat (about 100 degrees) which can take everything out of you. The guys will be having a barbeque tonight of quail and ribs. Dad was really just wanting a shower and air conditioning.

I have finished my physical therapy. I am doing pretty well with walking, going up and down stairs, balance, and just generally getting around. I have been doing therapy this time for about 2-2 1/2 months and it has paid off. I was given excersises to do at home to help maintain what I have accomplished.

I have been having a lot of swelling in my feet and legs and I went to the doctor about it. He said my blood pressure was up a little but he was not concerned about things. He is running quite a few blood tests (checking my heart, thyroid, kidneys) and I should hear on the results Tuesday, next week. For now, he has given me a diurectic to remove excess fluid and salt from the body and for hypertension. It is a low dose but it should help. He also suggested pressure socks but they would be very hot to wear. I have trouble with my bladder and having to go to the bathroom often, so the diurectic may increase the frequency. I guess I will need to decide what I can live with -- swelling or going to the bathroom. Its not fun getting old!

Trips

Well, I am back from a trip to Colorado. Seeing Noah and Madilynn was a lot of fun but also tiring. They are so full of so much energy. They are doing well and it was so nice to spend some time with them. They are definitely in their terrible two's. Whatever Noah did, Madilynn wanted to do too. There were times that Madilynn just struck out on her own and got into trouble. She didn't like having time out.

Jennifer is busy doing her schooling for her CNA and still being the mother. It can be exhausting for her especially when Noah and Madi decided to get up during the night. Interrupted sleep does not go well when you need to be fresh and clear headed for your studies. Jennifer is still handling everything. Mark also has been a help to her.

Jennifer and I took some time to visit Aunt Bonnie and cousin Tanya. Tany also has MS and is in a wheelchair all the time now. This is a recent development and Tanya is still getting used to the changes.

Mark and Jenn showed me around Colorado. They were impressed with the mountains and we took a trip to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain State Park. The scenery was beautiful and spectacular.

All good things had to come to an end and my trip did. I did take pictures of their house and backyard. They have a lot of room and there is no worry about the noise bothering a downstairs neighbor. They have a beautiful home (rental) and are looking forward to getting their own one day. Until then, the kids are enjoying being able to go outside and play.

HAWAII

We saw the fireworks off the Hilo coastline. We had rain before they started and we were not sure if they would happen. The rain stopped long enough for the display and when it was just about over, sprinkles started again. The ship continued on its way to Kona, the other side of the Big Island.

We stayed onboard while the ship was anchored off of Kona. We were very tired from the adventure on Hilo. That excursion was an all day trip. We only stayed a day at Kona before we left for Maui.

We knew we were moving as the ship moved on us when we walked around the ship. I did fine as this is the way I usually walk - unsteady - but those that don't had a much harder time. Many people were affected by the movement and were seasick but we never had that feeling.

Now, I am not saying that the ship was moving roughly all the time because it didn't. You just usually felt it more on the lower levels of the ship.

On Maui, we only took in one show called "Ulalena". This show gave you the history of the Hawaiian islands and their people from the beginning until now. They spoke in their Hawaiian language which you could not understand but you still got the meaning by their actions on stage. It was beautifully done.

The ship stayed in Maui two days. As we had been to Maui before, we had already seen what we wanted to see. We took to watching trucks moving in and out of the dock onshore from our balconey. It past the time.

It then came time to set sail for O'ahu and the final stop. We made it around the islands. We had a good time but we were glad to be coming back home.

Confession

The tatoo is not real. It was airbrushed on to look like a real tatoo. We thought it looked cool and was trying to pass it off as real but I just couldn't do it anymore. The tatoo is starting to fade on me so it doesn't look as good as it once did. It was fun while it lasted. Could I really do it? I don't think so. I thought about it and so did Dad and I think we both have agreed that we are not that type to carry it off.

Sorry...

TATOO

Well, I did something on our trip that was out of the ordinary. I decided to get a tatoo. What do you think? Is it me? Dad likes it. We even called Jenn to let her know. Are you shocked! You just never know what I or we will do.

ALOHA THE BIG ISLAND

We left Kauai and sailed to the Big Island of Hawaii. The first stop would be Hilo. On the way we saw magnificent cliffs of other islands and dolphin. The dolphin (there was a pod) were too quick to take pictures of but several would jump out of the water. They might have been doing this to move fish around as it was feeding time.


We visited an orchid plantation but the other flowers were just as beautiful.

We went to the Volcano National Park and it looked liked pictures from the moon. In fact, astronauts did train on this terrain for their lunar landings. We were showed how the lava destroyed roads and the scenery when the volocano would send it on its way to the ocean. The island increased by 4 acres the last time it blew.

We were not able to actually go into the volcano but we did walk through a lava tube, which was quite large and gave you an idea of how much lava is moved. The temperature is around 4000 degrees and you can not out run a lava flow.

ALOHA!!

We are back from our cruise around the Hawaiian islands. It was a good week. We did have some problems with the coolness of the cabin but it wasn't too bad at night. During the day we could go to other parts of the ship to stay cool or we would be on an excursion to some place on one of the islands.

The first island we went to was Kauai. We took a trip to see Wailua River to see the Fern Grotto. We stopped first at Opaekaa Falls and then we went to the River. It was a pleasant drive and we were able to see parts of Kauai. What was funny was the driver telling us about a KFC. You see they have wild chickens that roam around and yet none of the chickens want to hang around their KFC. Hmmm, I hope they are not using these chickens! (they aren't) The first picture has a shot of one of the chickens but at the last minute it put it's head down. It now looks like a headless bird. Oh well, I tried. These chickens are all over the island and run free. There was also a place that raised fighting roosters. Thank goodness we didn't have to see them fight or were fighting. The bus driver just stated that this was just the way of the Hawaiians and this should not be stopped because someone didn't like it. Do you think he was trying to get us on his side? More to follow

Changes To Our Phone

This isn't a big thing but we decided to try Caller ID with our phone service. We use Cox and of course we couldn't just get one thing, we had to get their package. Their package included voice mail.

Now we have an answering machine and it has been working just fine. The voice mail was part of the Caller ID so we took it. It was so strange to hear the number being announced to us when the phone rang for the first time. For those that already have this feature, I know it is not a big deal. For us though, it is now letting us know when those telemarketers are calling and to not answer that phone. Why did we wait so long?

Now the voice mail has been very strange and a little harder to get use too. We have to actually pick up the phone and listen to see if there is any beeping on the line to let us know there is a call. Sometimes we will get a message saying we have calls but it is not always true. We could be getting that message because we had calls and they are still saved waiting for us to do something with them. Do we delete them or save them? The pressure!!

With all these changes, I had to remake the message. I tried not to have it sound business like but to have it sound pleasant. It is that "California feeling" I guess. So, the next time you call, you may be hearing my voice. Enjoy. Talk with you soon.

Took a spill

I just went outside to see Dad and he was working on the side of the house. The side of the house is mainly made of mulch and on a slant. It is not a good walking area, especially for me. I took a chance anyway. I did OK going to Dad but on the way back I lost my balance.

I didn't hurt myself really bad but I did scratch up my back. I fell back against some schrubs and a rose bush. I have a nice long cut the length of my back. It did not bleed but the blood came to the service. I was more angry at myself than being hurt. Dad was upset about me falling and he said his upset-ness was higher than my being angry. Oh, I did cut my right arm too and it did bleed a little.

I just feel stupid for not being more careful and angry at myself that it happened. I am OK.

Las Vegas

We went, we saw, and we came back. It was a nice trip for our anniversary. The hotel was OK but very crowded. We stayed at the Paris Casino and it looked terrific from the outside. It just had SO MANY people. We went to other casinos and spent more time at those places than we did at our own hotel. We saw a couple of terrific shows, Mamma Mia and O (Cirque du Soleil). Those shows were fantastic. Have I mentioned that we thought they were wonderful. : )

We broke even with our gambling. I lost my money. I did not have much luck with the slots as I usually do. Dad won a little over $200 in Roulette. He had never played this before and wanted to try. He lucked out the first game he played as he wasn't too successful with the other games. That is OK as we know when to walk away.

We did cut the trip short by one day as we did not have anything else planned. We didn't want to gamble anymore so we got on the road early. Sometimes that is a good thing to do when traveling to Vegas from California as traffic can be bad on the weekends if you wait too long. People love going there. We were glad to be back home and sleeping in our own bed.

We Have TERMITES!

I had a phone call from a termite company wanting to do an inspection of the house because they were going to be out in the area. Their company also was close by and they had done a lot of work with other home owners so knew the area and was aware of the problem with termites.

Well, of course we did not feel we had a problem. We didn't see anything or felt there was a problem. Dad felt it was just a way for the company to try and sell their service to make some money. We were under no obligation to use them as they just wanted to do the inspection for us for free, to see if we had a problem.

At first he didn't see anything but the first sign showed up in the garage, especially over the garage door. There is a 2/4 over the garage door that is real bad with termites. There had been markings, in the garage, that showed the garage had been treated for termites before. We were not aware of this!

On the side of our house, there is a couple of places. One place in particular is on the pitch of the roof. The guy does not have a tall enough ladder to get to the spot but he can tell from looking at it from the ground that it is not good. He said we needed a contractor to REPLACE some boards up that high. We have to use a contractor as there is a slope and it will require scaffolding to do the work.

The other termite damage can be treated by the termite company without using a tent. (Thank goodness) It would be difficult to use a tent anyway as our house attaches to another and the other neighbor would need theirs done too. That usually doesn't work out. OH! we also have a tree next to our house that is also full of termites that needs to be taken out. This is going to be something that the Homeowners Association will need to do so that is another process.

We figure we will wait on everything until after we finish our trips. The termites have been there this long they can continue to wait a few more weeks. They might like living a little longer too....

Apple TV

We have now acquired the Apple TV. It is not an actual TV but a device along with a router on your computer and iTunes, you can listen to music or watch movies that you have downloaded from iTunes. We downloaded the Pirates from the Caribbean movie (the first one) in iTunes on our computer. We then synced it with Apple TV and we could watch it on our bigger TV. It took a little bit for us to get everything figured out and we almost thought we were going to have to return everything, but it was worked out. This was a Father's Day present to Dad from me. I didn't think it was going to be an an all day project or such a big deal in putting it on the TV.

Depending on how many movies you download and music you want to listen too, you can also look at all the pictures you have on your computer. We haven't done that yet but I would think that would be fun to look at everyone in large view.

This is something new for us to play with now...

It has ended before it started

You remember I had said if Dad would have a work related item come up our "movie extra" would be over? Well, Dad had a meeting show up on Tuesday and our "movie extra" time is over. Oh well, there will be others. It is probably a sign. We probably should not be in a movie that deals with such violence. Our grandkids would not be allowed to see it even if we were in it!

Extras in a New Movie

Dad and I are going to be in a new movie called Redbelt being filmed in Long Beach California. We will be on set this Tuesday, June 5 from 9:00 until about 6:30 at Californa State College Long Beach. We just can't stay out of the movies! To learn more about the movie go go www.BeInAMovie.com Then scroll down to where they have a list of the movies they are getting extras for and click on Redbelt. It should come up and give you the information about the movie.

We couldn't pass it up as it was so close to us and Dad could get away from work. It can always fall through if something should change with work but we are hoping that this won't happen. We are going to be "Movie Stars" again....

You Can Always Find Something To Do...

I was writing in my diary and I was making a list of projects that I want to do around the house. It started off small with straightening up the second bedroom and then I added, organizing the closet, to organizing the pictures and the picture frames. We have several sized bags that we have used for carry on luggage or just when we need something to use to carry something around here. Well, these need to be gone through and fixed up as they are just all in one big pile.

Oh, lets see, the bed will be taken out as well as the dresser. Dad is putting up a door across the two night stands to form a table for me to do my scrapbooking. I use the dining room table now but it requires me to put things up and then take everything and put it away each time I mess with it. It doesn't make you want to do the scrapbooking that often when you spend all your time putting everything out and then taking everything down again.

Dad wants to put up shelving in that bedroom. Yes, he plans on doing it himself so that means trips to Home Depot or Loews! If we know anyone will be staying with us, we will get beds for them. For now, no one visits so we are going to use that space. This is the plan anyway. Of course this has been the plan for quite some time. I think it will happen, Dad just came in with a piece of wood for the table top.....

Monterey

We are back home from our quick trip to Monterey. We drove there and it was a LONG drive. We left at 8:00 am on Wednesday and finally got to the hotel in Monterey around 4:00. We did stop for lunch and a bathroom break but other than that it was driving, driving, driving.

The days were nice there but on the cool side. We didn't check the temperature like we ususally do so we had take short sleeve things when we should have had long sleeve. We each did have a jacket so that helped.

We didn't go anywhere but stayed at the hotel. Dad had his meeting all day on Thursday. Wednesday night we had a cocktail reception that we were invited to and then we went to a late dinner. It was an expensive dinner at the hotel restaurant. Thank goodness for travel expenses. Dad charged things on his corporate card and will submit the bills for payment.

Things were very expensive in Monterey. Gas was $3.89 a gallon. We had dinner bills over $100 for the two of us. We weren't getting the most expensive thing on the menu either. We were glad to get back home even though gas here is $3.53 a gallon.

The drive home took us forever! We left later than Wednesday's trip. We started out about 9-9:30 am. We decided to go by way of Big Sur. If you ever get a chance to do this, the views are spectacular. The roads are curvy so you aren't able to go real fast. That is OK. The road seems to be made for a leaserly drive. We started the trip home without breakfast and figured we would stop and get something on the way. We didn't find anything until almost 11:00.

We ate and off we went again. We changed drivers and I was driving now. Dad did pretty well in staying calm with me driving those roads of Big Sur. I could see him hanging onto the door handle but he didn't say a word. When we stopped for gas, we switched back again. I had only driven a short time but I think that was all he could handle.

By the middle of the afternoon, we were ready for lunch. Again it was hard to find someplace to stop. When we got off the highway, we had to drive into town a short distance to find a restaurant. It wasn't like the interstate where the restaurants are right at the edge. We found a TGI Fridays but they were slow serving. The food wasn't good either. The sandwiches were dry. I had a turkey burger and Dad a chicken sandwich. Dad asked for a refil on his tea and it took awhile to get as the waitress was doing other things in the kitchen before actually getting the refill. I could see into the kitchen so I knew what she was and was not doing.

We finally got back on the road again but Dad did not want me to drive as we were going into LA rush hour traffic. He said that it would be difficult to drive through. (I think he just didn't want me to drive) Anyway, to make a long story short, we finally got home around 8:00 Friday night. We had stopped for dinner before we came home but we were glad to be back. Chester was glad to see us too.

New Positions

Norma Rickard, who was the leader of my support group, passed away on May 2. This was very unexpected and a shock to all of us. She was 64 years old. It was quite a shock upon opening my emails after the trip to read about her passing. During the meeting today, the other leader, Jack, stated that a co-leader needed to be found. I was asked to serve as the other support group leader. Even though it was a sad time, it was one that we needed to move on from. I was nominated, voted on, and was unanimously elected.

My other bit of news is that I am also on a committee for the State of California Emergency Prepardedness. The committee I am on deals with mitigation. This happens after a disaster. For example, if a house is destroyed by a flood from a river, then when it is rebuilt the options would be to either move it back away from the river or put the house on stilts. Because I represent the disabled community, I would suggest not doing the building of a house on stilts for access purposes but another suggestion. This is just a quick example given to me. I will find out more when I get involved with it.

My first meeting will be a group meeting to teach everyone what the Emergency Prepardedness Agency does, how it operates, and what the different committes do. It will take place some time in June. I am also not sure of the location or how many meetings it would entail but it does sound interesting.

I am excited about the new positions but I then start to wonder if I took on too much. Time will tell.

A Quick Trip

We made it back home without too much problem. It was a little bumpy from time to time but for the most part the trip home was smooth. We came home to a heat wave! It was 97 in Long Beach when we landed. This was very warm for this time of year. We had a breeze but it was a warm one and not the cooling breeze we were used to.

We had a wonderful time seeing everyone even though it was so short. We know it was not enough time but we did what we could with what we had to give. The grandchildren are growing up and doing well. All of you are doing a great job.

Michelle and Jon, we look forward to seeing the group picture of us that was taken after dinner. We still haven't figured out yet what the problem is with my camera.

Jenn, I will get the pictures printed off of the one we took of Noah and PaPa and with myself and Noah and Madi.

Tony and Abby, I will send you the pictures of Gabe and Sophia that I took at the restaurant.

I will also send everyone the latest picture of Grandma Brusco.

Again, the trip was too short and not enough time to see one another. We miss you and love you bunches.

Mom

Physical Therapy Part 3 & 4

I just had my latest physical therapy. I have to admit it is helping me but today was a time not to be hard on myself. I needed to walk with one foot in front of the other. Now if you try this, you will see that it does take balance. It is one of those tests that cops make you do to see if you have been drinking too much. Well, I was very sober and yet I felt like I was going to fall on the carpet. I felt so unsteady and wobbolly. My brain needs to be retrained. It will take time.

Just try it....one foot in front of the other. Go forward then try it going backward. Try it with your eyes closed. Not easy!

MS Walk

Dad and I just finished the MS Walk. Actually we walked yesterday but we went to a different site today. Yesterday we walked at Legoland. It is an amusement park with everything made of legos. It was pretty neat to see how creative they were. There was a very large dragon that was so colorful and realistic but made of legos. Fantastic! The walk by the way had about 3,000 people.

Today it was onto San Diego. This is their largest walk. There was over 5,000 people and many dogs, and kids, and babies in strollers, and the different teams with the different shirts or makeup or hats. It was amazing how many people turned out. I don't know how much was raised yet. Last year the walks brought in about 2 million. I know they wanted to do more.

Dad and I did not walk today but stayed at a booth for the Champions Against MS. This booth is set up for people who do not have a connection to anyone with MS and would like to know who they can walk for. A team came to the booth and asked for someone and I was chosen. Someone else placed my name on the Wall of Hope. Usually the Society will send out stories of the Champions to the teams or others who want to walk for someone but do not know anyone. The story gives the person or persons a little background on the person, when they were diagnosed, etc. I have been a Champion for about 3 years now.

Thank you Jon for doing the bike ride. Someday there will be a cure.

New Haircut

I went and got my hair cut yesterday. I needed to do something different with my hair as it seemed to be out of control. The hairdresser cut the sides shorter and took the weight off the back. The length was kept but it doesn't look it was. I am happy with it but the true test will happen when I actually work with it. I bought the moose and the hair spray. Now if I can manage to use these things. : )

Physical Therapy Part 2

i had another session today. It went pretty well. They do things a little different than the other places I have been at and I like it. They have a machine that can record your movements and tell the therapist what areas need to worked on by the person looking at the print out.

It was decided, and I knew this all along, that I do have problems with both my right and left sides. The doctor keeps telling me that my left side is weaker but I also have problems with my right leg. This just means I need to really work on both sides. I am hard on myself when I am slow at doing something but everything will take time. I have to stay patient and continue to work at the excersises.

Easier said than done! Frustration, feeling sorry for myself, wanting to give up before I give it a chance, just wanting a cheering squad when I do something right. I know I have done somethings that others have not but I just want that "pat on the back".

I will get through it. I just miss not being able to be "normal" and doing things that I want to do when I want to do them.

It just takes time.....remember that....it takes time!

No Beard!

Dad decided to shave his beard while we were in Florida. He came to this decision when he was receiving comments from family about how old he was looking. Dad had received the opposite when he was in California. People here told him he looked destinquised. He looked good. They like it the beard. So it was a complete surprise to hear the comments that it made him look old. This is not something you tell Dad -- you look old.

So after we saw his mom, Dad made the decision to shave. He still asked if I was OK with it but I just told him it was up to him. As we didn't have shave cream, he used hair conditioner. I read this in a magazine that you can use this for any kind of shaving. Anyway, he shaved and he did look different.

Now that he has been "beard free" for almost a week now, I like him better this way.

CHESTER

We just got back from the vet this morning. We took Chester in because he has been throwing up quite a bit lately. He does have a problem with his kidneys and that is why he is on special diet cat food for his kidneys. Its a little expensive when you can buy a bag of cat food for cheaper but he is only one cat so the bag lasts for a while.

The vet needed to do some blood work and check his blood pressure. He has high blood pressure so we have to give him some medicine everyday for that. He needs to take Pepsid AC, 1/2 tab everyday for his stomach to help with his throwing up. This visit costs us almost $300.

As much as we love Chester, the vet bills are becoming quite high. We just paid out a little over $500 in October for this same problem. It may be getting to be his time. There is nothing the vet can do except maintain him. He isn't going to get well from this problem. He is in renal failure.

Chester could live for some time being maintained but I am not sure we can continue paying out the huge vet bills to do it. We will have to see what happens with him. Just be prepared if we have to put him down. I guess that is for me too.

Physical Therapy

I have started on physical therapy to get some strength in my legs and hopefully to lose some weight too. I have a problem with doing the regular exercises because I can't get overheated as it will affect my legs. My legs will get "heavy" feeling and it becomes difficult to walk. The foot catches on things as I walk and makes one feel that you will fall. I haven't but the feeling is there and it is scary.

So I am going to a new place and so far it seems very nice. I was just evaluated today and given some exercises to do at home. I will go twice a week.

I have been doing so well for so long that when my legs started to act up on me again, it came as a big surprise. I did have a cold a few weeks ago and usually that will bring on a problem. I guess my body wanted to stay to form. : )

The problem isn't real bad so I am hoping that I have caught it before it did progress. If it does progress, then I will contact the doctor and ask for a dosage of steroid to stop things. I am hoping it doesn't come to that.

It is a rainy day today. Our winter just came late - rain is like your snow on the east coast. Crazy weather!

The Wedding

It was a long day but a sunny one for the wedding. It was an evening wedding so Uncle Phil, Aunt Linda, Dad and I had time to kill before we had to be at the country club that evening. Aunt Karen was able to get Aunt Linda and I hair appointments just to have our hair done (washed and blown out). The brides and bridesmaids were to get their hair done at a hairdresser in West Palm Beach. When someone called about the appointment, they were informed that the hairdresser was out of the country. WHAT! The hairdresser that the wedding party did a trial run with and had everything worked out was not even in the country now to do anyone's hair. Aunt Karen had to call her hairdresser and ask if she could bring the bride and the b-maids down to have their hair done because of this problem. It was worked out and the first person to get started was at 9:00. One person worked on the bride and the matron of honor. One worked on another bridesmaid and the mother of the bride (Aunt Karen) and still another worked on the other two bridesmaids.

Aunt Linda and I had our appointments at 12 and 12:30 but we didn't get started until 1 and 1:30. Everything still turned out well. While all the hair appointments were taking place, the dresses were in our rooms at the hotel so they didn't wrinkle staying in the car.

The wedding was not to take place until 6:30 but Uncle Phil, Aunt Linda, Dad and I had left the hotel early because we did not know how far away the country club was going to be. It turned out to only be about 15-20 minutes away. We were VERY early. Linda and I went back to the brides room and saw the bride and maids getting dressed (which most were). We didn't stay there too long and left to meet up with the guys. We went in the room that was set up for the ceremony and took a seat.

The wedding was delayed by about a half hour. Aunt Karen's make-up was the last to be finished (yes, they had a make-up artist) and it was delayed because the photographers were in taking pictures of everything. Karen finally had to tell them to leave so they could finish getting ready. The groom and best man came out to the sounds of the Star Wars Theme. Jeff, the groom, is very much into Star Wars. The traditional wedding march was not played but another selection when the bride came down the aisle.

The ceremony was quick. Because Jeff is Jewish, he broke a glass at the end to signify the beginning of the marriage.

We then moved next door to have some appitizers and drinks while the room was transferred into dining tables and the band set up. Once they were finished, we were asked back. When we arrived at the wedding and signed the guest book, we were asked to pick up our sitting place name tags. They were a small photo frame which we could keep and use as a small gift to the people attending. This was different and a nice touch.

The reception was handled in a different way. The meal was eaten all through out the evening. In between courses was dancing. We didn't eat the main course until 10:00 p.m. We finally left for the hotel around 11:30-45. The bride and groom were still there!

As rice or flower petals could not be thrown, bubbles were used. The bubbles were made up of alcohol and water. It was done this way so the floor would not get slippery when the bubbles hit the floor. Normally bubbles are made of soap and water. We never thought of that but it worked out great.

Jessica and Jeff flew to California for their honeymoon. They were going to Disneyland and the Chinese Theatre. They had also planned to fly to Las Vegas to see the hotels and a couple of shows. They would fly back to Los Angles and then back to Florida on Friday.

The pictures will be posted soon. What a busy few days!

We Are Home

Well, we made it back home. It took a little while because there was a delay in Dallas. It was raining and the flights were backed up on the runway. We sat on the runway for about 20 minutes after waiting to board for about 45 minutes. We initially were told that we were going back to the terminal because someone wanted to get off the plane. If that had happened, it would be another 45 minutes before we could get on our way. Well, John Wayne Airport has an ordinance that flights have to stop after 10:00 pm. This is because of the neighborhoods around the airport and the noise. So we had to really leave or we would not have had a chance to reach the airport that day. We started back to the terminal or so we thought. The next thing we hear from the pilot is that everyone needed to get ready for take-off. We were on our way! We made it home about 30 minutes late. Not to bad. If anyone is going to fly American Airlines, just know that they charge for their snacks - $3.00 a piece. They have a large container of chips, M&M's (not the largest bag), a large snickerdoodle cookie, and a trail mix. You can get your own bottled water for $2. If the flight is over 3 hours, then you will have the ability to buy a sandwich for $5. You still get soft drinks for free - the whole can. You can take food on the plane.

Also take your own headphones. They charge $2 for theirs. You can watch some TV but you don't have an option to see anything but what they show you. We did get to see a movie, "The Holiday", on the way back. It was good - chick flick of course but still good. Dad didn't watch but was engrossed in Sudoko.

I was so happy to land without my ears hurting or clogged up for awhile. They were great - no problems and I didn't have to drink a bunch of water. Jenn you know the feeling.

We are home and trying to get back into routine and to catch up on things.

Travel Day

We are all packed and about ready to leave for the airport. It didn't take us long to get things organized I guess because we have traveled so many times that we have it down. I bought a new camera for the trip - a Casio Exilim EX-Z850. It is a small camera which is what we were looking for and it also has the motion stabilization.

Hey, hey, I received a copy of the show that I was interviewed for here for the MS Walk. We have it as a DVD/CD type so everyone should be able to see it (if we remember to bring it - : ) ). We will when we see you in May.

Everyone can reach us on my cell phone. I will have it on, honest! It sounds like it will be a busy time when we are there as I talked to Aunt Karen tonight. She had to get a different hair dresser to do the brides and brides maids hair because the one she had set up, the person left the country. So the hair dresser she found is Karen's. So starting at 9:00 on Saturday, the bride and bridesmaids will have their hair done. Karen will get her hair done by 11:30. I will have mine done at 12:00 and then Aunt Linda at 12:30. The wedding is not until 6:30 but Karen and the group has to be at the country club by 2:00 for a rehersal and then make-up and photos. Busy time. Thank goodness we are not involved in all that.

I will let everyone know what happens when we get back.

New Beginning

This is a new thing for me. I usually write in a journal. The day started off foggy but the sun is appearing and it is to be a wonderful day. We will be finishing up some last minute things today so we can leave for a wedding tomorrow. I have to stay organized or I will not get everything done. Where is my list?

I have joined the "blog brigade".