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Archive for August, 2017

This whirlwind called life!

August 25th, 2017 at 08:27 pm

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind.

We learned on Tuesday that our insurance would cover the damage from the crazy storm that passed by a few weeks ago. Such a relief. Now the process begins of getting bids and making the repairs. The hub got home last night, so he will take the lead on all the projects.

We have some minor repairs to make on our 5th wheel that will hopefully be made so that we can camp in a couple of weeks.

My boss has been hinting that he may be getting a promotion and poking around the idea of me stepping back into my former role. Ugh. I am going to REALLY have to think about this one. I stepped out of the role because of stress and have no desire to go back to that stress. However, I do think it would be different this time because I would be under his direction and NOT my former boss, who was the main reason for my decision to step out previously. I am still planning on retirement in 2-3 years, so the extra money would sure help catapult our savings goals. I will give it some thought and weigh the pros and cons. Money is no replacement for stress, this I know.

My pinched nerve is better and I am back to feeling normal. I still have to consult with the Dr. about whether or not I should consider more seriously having surgery to keep this from recurring. I suppose things like this are something else to seriously ponder if I am retiring. Better to have my current coverage for a known surgery, than to wait and deal with unknown coverage with likely higher deductibles. But I dread the thought of back surgery and the potential risks that come with it.

Last week we learned that BM is pregnant again (#5). Baby #4 is only 4.5 months old and still in state care where they live. Timing suggests this one belongs to baby daddy 4 who's been in jail the past 3 months, but BM quickly moved on to a new guy who could also be the dad. It is SO FRUSTRATING.

In the meantime, Z and X are doing great. Both are thriving here. Its such a blessing to have them in our lives. I had them most of the weekend last weekend and sure enjoyed them. Z will soon be losing both his front teeth...they are so loose. He smile is going to be adorable as he starts first grade. Big Grin




Week from hell

August 13th, 2017 at 04:46 pm

This past week has been one to test the patience of Job.

It started on Sunday with a pinched nerve- which caused severe pain in my right arm- 24/7 pain, that necessitated time off from work, pain pills, muscle relaxers and very little sleep.

Then, my dog developed a hematoma in his ear- which required surgery...

And on Monday, we experienced a severe storm- something called a microburst or downburst- which is like a reverse tornado. Ive never been through anything like it.

I heard the first thunder, and decided to sit on my outside deck to watch the storm and try to take my mind of the pain.

It was really quiet, except for the thunder, which was really loud- and it was 100 degrees out. Lightning was hitting all around us, which meant we were in the middle of the storm that was brewing. I was videoing the lightning, and a rainbow appeared- followed by a burst of wind...only the burst never stopped. A heavy rain started and the wind got stronger. It was blowing my chairs around on my deck and lots of leaves off the trees. A neighbors horse started running in a big circle, very agitated.

The wind got stronger and the rain became marble sized hail. LOTS of hail. It literally felt like I was in the middle of a hurricane. My hammock blew over our railing, a 50 ft oak tree fell over and the roof blew off of our shed- 4X8 sheets of plywood were being blown in the air like they were sheets of paper.

Another large branch from a tree fell and crushed a mobile shed. Then a 75 ft pine tree fell, crushing part of our chain link dog pen...

And it kept going! About 15 minutes of high wind and hail- hail that completely covered the ground and piled up to 4 inches in spots...and winds that stripped our trees of leaves. It knocked out our power and water.

When it was finally past, the temp had dropped 40 degrees and the damage was pretty severe.





A couple of guys from the national weather service stopped by the next day to photograph our damage. They said we were in the epicenter of the storm and that our area was definitely hit the hardest. It left a path of downed trees, power lines, destroyed gardens, and naked trees.

Tuesday, I took my dog for surgery- having not slept from nerve pain- and having no water or power... ugh.

Its now 5 days later. Power is restored, water is back on. My dog is healing from surgery. My pain is letting up a little.

It will be a while still before our insurance adjuster can come and give an estimate of coverage.

I now have a new empathy for what those on the east coast and in the midwest experience in tornados and hurricanes. Definitely one of the scariest storms Ive ever encountered.

*edit* - A fellow blogger correctly pointed out that we didnt lose anything that couldnt be replaced and she is 100% correct. I am so thankful for that!! No one was hurt, our house, cars and RV were not damaged...so we really did get 'lucky'. Im just frustrated because this all hit at once...and I was in significant pain- and my husband was in Alaska when it happened. (poor me...lol just venting and feeling sorry for myself)

9 years ago....

August 7th, 2017 at 05:26 am

This weekend was my grandsons 9th birthday.

The backstory is bittersweet.

On December 20, 2007, I was sitting in the ER, as both my parents were admitted as patients.

My mom needed heart surgery for a serious blockage...

My dad was dying with congestive heart failure. He would be discharged into hospice care.

The doctor shared his news about my dad, and DD1 decided, rightfully so, that I needed to hear that I would be having another grandchild.

So on the night I learned I was losing my dad, I learned that I would have a new grandson.

The circle of life, if you will.

My dad died on Dec 29, and 8 months later, my grandson was born.

My grandson is now 9....half way to adulthood.

I miss my dad so much, but am so thankful for these young blessings in my life.

Frugal weekend

August 7th, 2017 at 05:13 am

This weekend was a fairly frugal one.

I spent $23 at the store Friday, for chili fixings and some snacks that I took to the lake on Saturday.

Z and his lil brother 'X' spent the night Friday night and then the thee of us went to the lake on Saturday and spent the day. Today I made chili - which then became a batch of chili bean burritos for the freezer.

DD2 ended up taking Z to urgent care on Saturday with an earache that went from zero to 60 in just a short time. Poor lil guy. He really was miserable until they put him on antibiotics. However, once he started the antibiotics, he felt much better and is on the mend now.

Today I cleaned, did laundry, and just hung out at home. No spend day...

Update on Z and X:

The caseworker is filing all of the necessary paperwork Monday to start the court process of severing parental rights and starting the adoption process. BM is continuing to do drugs...but has started trying to get into an inpatient rehab program. If she doesnt get in by next week, she likely will do jail time.

Baby daddy 4 is still in jail and baby 4 is still in foster care in a different state than her brothers.