Fell Off (Again)………

So, I fell off the face of the earth.  Again.  Not sure who all stops by here anymore – I’m a lot more active on facebook, pinterest, goodreads, or ancestry these days.

Cancer – My sister was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma a few days ago.  We are still reeling from that little bit of news – trying not to over-google it…but still trying to research it just the same.  We’ve joined a few support groups and are just trying to process.  It’s definitely a life changer. We don’t yet know what strain or what stage she is in.  There will be a bone marrow biopsy and a PET scan done within the next week.  From there we’ll know more and then the oncologist will come up with a course of treatment.  The prognosis is good, so although we are scared, we are hopeful for a  positive outcome.  Your prayers are very much requested and appreciated.

Reading – Well, no surprise that I increased my reading goal this year to 110 books.  I’m about 75 in so far….fingers crossed.  It’s nice to know I’ll meet one of my goals this year! (ha ha).

Health – You would think that someone who was diagnosed as pre-diabetic would work harder at making better food choices for herself.  I know what good choices are – I’ve gained and lost a lot of weight over my lifetime.  For me, limited processed carbs works best.  I do better with proteins, veggies, and fruits.  I need to lose the weight – over 100 pounds, as a matter of fact.  I need to cook more at home, less eating out, less convenience foods – more movements, less sitting around.  I need to have more respect for myself and I need to get healthy.  End of story.

Genealogy – Still plugging along.  Still a lot of dead ends and roadblocks, but it is a passion of mine that I’ll carry for the rest of my life.  It is wondrous how connected I can feel to ancestors that lived generations before me.

Thirteen Days…

is all we have left until Christmas?  How did that happen???  I didn’t even realize it until Jill Shalvis mentioned it on facebook yesterday, (thanks Jill!).  So, I did some last minute shopping (thanks Amazon.com!). I’m still not ready, though.  Who would think that the hardest one to buy for would be the 4-year-old?  Yup, she’s spoiled!

What’s Up With Me (also known as making very bad excuses for why I’ve deserted my blog)

I moved in August. Physically I just wasn’t able to live on-campus at work anymore – I’m so limited in what I can do right now, so I just thought it was best to leave.  Plus, I watch J a lot and if I have to choose between spending time with her, or spending time on-call, it’s really no contest. So am trying to re-educate myself on budgets, since I didn’t have to worry about housing & utilities when I lived on-campus.

In February, I started getting another flare-up of my neck/back.  I’ve endured months of chiropractor, physical therapy, doctors, etc., etc…finally in August I had X-Rays and MRI done.  Of course, I’ve known that I’ve had issues with my neck/back stemming from 2 car wrecks in which I was T-boned on the passenger side of my car.  The first time, the truck was going roughly 40 mph; the second one, the car whipped through a red light and hit me going at roughly the same speed.  So, it could be worse; but has left me with a lifetime injury.  Anyway – X-Ray and MRI showed what I already knew – well, mostly.  I do have 2 bulging discs (C3-C4, C5-C6) plus bone spurs, which are pressing onto the nerve roots at the base of my spinal cord which is what causes the burning, tingling, numbness from my shoulder blade all the way down my right arm. Doctor thinks I’m a good candidate for epidurals  blocks, or injections (not quite sure what the difference is between the 3); so am on my way to a neurosurgeon on Tuesday (the same neurosurgeon that did my mom’s surgery last month).  I’ve a bit nervous – I think the worst thing someone can do is research on the internet…….which I’ve done a lot of.

The thing is, I’ve lived with this for 9 years – it wasn’t horrible when I lost the weight 4 years ago…but then again I was very active and exercised everyday. About 3 years ago, I gained the weight back and then some. Now I hurt all the time, so common sense tells me that I would feel better if I lost the weight and got to moving again. The problem is I hurt all the time and don’t really feel much like moving around. But I need to do something.

Which brings me to vacation plans.  The whole family is going to Disneyland next year for J’s 5th birthday.  I want to be in the family pictures, but I can assure you I won’t be at this weight.  Either I don’t lose the weight and don’t get in the family photo, or I get busy knowing what I have to do.

September 2012

Snowed In

Mom was supposed to leave today for Minot for Christmas.  So far, she’s still at the airport.  Darn those snowstorms in the midwest!!  She is still supposed to get out by 3pm today; which will put her into Minneapolis by 6pm……then she won’t leave Minneapolis until 9:40pm (if she gets to leave at all!!) and gets to Minot at 11:30pm.  Yikes!!  Being the loving daughter, I told her “Ya know, if you’d driven, you’d already be there by now!”  Of course, that’s not true – the roads are closed in North Dakota and the plows aren’t even coming out.  I do pray for safe flights and that she gets there tonight – this is the first time she’s been able to spend Christmas with all of her brothers and sisters (7 total!) in about 30 years.

In other news, I’m just ready for vacation.  Two more days and then I’m off for 11 fun-filled days of sleeping in, reading, watching old movies, and doing genealogy.  That’s it.  That’s all I have planned – and I cannot wait!

Oh! If you could, please say a quick prayer for Morgan and her family.  She had surgery this morning and I’m really hoping they were able to get most (if not all, preferably!) of the tumors from her lungs.

Miracles 4 Morgan

I promise I’ll get back to regular posting soon.  My pinky is still a bit wonky, so it’s difficult to type up a long post.  On the bright side, the splint is off now!! 

Anyway, if you could please spread the word to keep prayers going for my cousin’s daughter, Morgan, I would appreciate it.  She is a 15-year-old girl and is battling a couple of very aggressive cancers.  You can read up on her story here. (You will need to have a caringbridge logon in order to view her page)

Also, if you could please spread the word amongst your friends and families to keep Morgan in their prayers, we would appreciate it. 

A Beautiful Summer (Fall) Day

I was quite elated this morning when my sister called to let me know that her ex-husband called in sick for his visitation today.  (Long story on this one, and not sure it’s a story I should tell in this format).  So, I got an unexpected fun day with Baby-J ( who is 3 and I really should quit calling her a baby.  It was supposed to be a beautiful day outside today so J and I decided to go to the zoo with a picnic and then play at the playground before ending our day with frozen yogurt.

I should have gone to Subway for our picnic – they have fresh fruit options and your sandwiches can be made to order.  Unfortunately I went with Wheat Montana instead.  Chips instead of fresh veggies & fruits (I didn’t eat them).  Didn’t really like my sandwich, so I ended up tossing out at least half of it. Half of the zoo was closed for refurbishments (which begs the question, why wasn’t the price to get in 1/2 off then???). 

The animals were pretty scarce – I think it was just too hot for them (it was upwards of 90 degrees today).  Boris the Grizzly Bear was out putting on a show – she was essentially just sitting in front of the fence and checking out all the people that were checking her out.  Right across from her, the wolverines were enjoying mealtime, so they were out putting on a bit of a show.  Other than that, the animals weren’t out at all.  J just wasn’t interested though – she just wanted to play on the playground.  So, I think next time we’ll just go to the park.  But, at least at the zoo, I get to walk the trails so I can get some exercise in at the same time.

The sensory gardens were beautiful and there were quite a few trees whose leaves were changing to a glorious red color.  Not to be missed.  That’s one of the reasons I love Fall (even in 90 degree weather).

After 2 1/2 hours at the zoo, I was ready for something cold and refreshing so we headed to town for frozen yogurt. I’m now officially in love with Red Velvet Cake froyo.  And I don’t even like Red Velvet Cake.

I’m so glad we went out to enjoy the day – there won’t be many more beautiful ones like this left before Winter rears her ugly head.

Genealogy Mystery #1: Julia Fluur

Today’s Genealogy Mystery:

My grandmother was born in 1917.  She and her twin sister Adeline were adopted and of course, it was right at the time that Minnesota started sealing adoption records.  If an adoption record is sealed, you have to wait 100 years from the date of the adoption before the record is available. 

I know bits and pieces.  Grandma thought her birth mother’s name was Julia Fluur.  I’ve later discovered that it could also be Fluhr, Flohr, Fleur, or Fleury. I don’t think she was from Minnesota because I can’t find records on her anywhere.  Then again, we could be way off on the name. Who knows how much information was shared with Grandma growing up?  I know she always knew she was adopted, so it’s possible Bill and Elsie (her adoptive parents), shared the information they knew.  Unfortunately, Grandma’s gone now.  She passed away in 2005.

So, what does an amateur genealogist that doesn’t want to wait 7 years for access to the information do?  She petitions the courts, of course.  I did that last month.  Well, Kandiyohi County anyway.  I could also petition Hennepin County since that’s where Grandma and her family were living in 1920. It could make sense that the adoption took place there, although Grandma was raised in (and her adoptive family are all from) Kanidyohi County.  Spicer, to be exact.  Or Wilmar. Both, really.

So far I haven’t heard anything back.  Which could mean that the adoption didn’t take place in Kandiyohi County….and I may have to proceed with petitioning Hennepin County.  Which is okay – I’ve got the necessary paperwork already notarized.  I was just……..waiting, for whatever reason.

Now as far as Grandma’s adoptive family goes, I’ve gotten lots of information.  At least on her adoptive mother’s side.  Unfortunately, her adoptive father Bill Stevens (also known as Charles Stevens, William Stevens, Charles William Stevens, William Charles Stevens) seems to be as big of a mystery as her birth family.  I think he was a preacher.  Or a businessman.  I’ve heard both.  Maybe he was both.

Grandma’s adoptive mother, Elsie Masters, was a direct descendent of Silas Foot.  The Foot family were the first settlers in Wilmar, MN.  Several lakes in that area are named after them. Silas was also involved in the Sioux Uprising of 1862.  More information on that family can be found here.

Remembering Dad

Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you and miss you everyday.

Remembering Dad

A Conversation w/ Mom

So, Mom called me last tonight to see how I’m coming on the packing. (Note: Not well. I get sidetracked easy). The conversation went pretty much like this:

Mom: Are you packing?
Me: Yup (Lying through my teeth)
Mom: How’s it coming?
Me: It’s coming. I’ll do more this weekend (Okay, that’s the truth as far as I know).
Mom: Well, you can pack up lots of stuff now. Pack up your makeup you’re not using. What about your dishes? Or you can start on your books…..
Me: I’m not packing my books yet. I don’t know what I’m going to read between now and then.
Mom: **silence**

**brief pause**

Me: I bought myself a congratulations present.
Mom: Really?! (Excited) What’d you get.
Me: An Ebookwise-1150 Ereader (Really excited!!!)
Mom: A what?
Me: An ereader. So I can download books off the internet and read them. It’s better than reading off the computer.
Mom: Oh. I suppose that’s better than keeping all those books you’ve got. It’ll save you a lot of room.
Me: Oh no. I’m keeping those too.
Mom: **click**

Mom’s just not a reader………..

The Weekend

We left Billings Thursday night, stopped in Bozeman to eat at The Chinatown Restaurant, and then continued on to Deer Lodge, where we stayed at the Western Big Sky Inn. The hotel itself wasn’t bad. It was cheap, clean and roomy which is what we needed since there were 4 of us. Unfortunately, we had an ass in the room above us. About 1am, he started banging on doors ~ every half hour until about 5. The only reason I didn’t call to complain was because the phone was across the room. Then there was the fact that Deer Lodge is where the state prison is. Sister and I both had vivid imaginings of an escaped conflict loose at our hotel. 🙂 Anyway, he eventually stopped, but we didn’t get much sleep anyway.

Baby-J started throwing up about 2:30am. Poor thing. It didn’t really seem to affect her mood, though. She was still trying to play and she was still happy. But she definitely sick.

We got off to a late start on Saturday, between the door banger, and a sick baby we slept through our alarm and didn’t get up until after 7! We had some coffee, except poor Kiddo spilled hers right in her female area. Luckily she didn’t get burned, but she wasn’t happy. Truthfully, she’s 16, so I’m not sure how often she’s happy anyway.

We then went out for breakfast. After placing our order, Kiddo and I went outside to take some pictures of the Old Prison that was right across the street from the restaurant. One day, we’ll go back and actually take a tour.

We got to Hamilton close to noon, opened the door to our father’s house, and…………..nobody’s home. He and step-mom were both working! Turns out, Little Sis was home, but she was sleeping in the back. She woke up eventually though, but then went out to lunch with a friend, so Sister, Kiddo, Baby-J and I all headed to the motel to check in. Our room was comped because Father and Step-mom both work there. Of course, when we got there, Father had just left to go home 🙂

After checking-in and letting Step-Mom show off her family for a bit, we stopped by Super-1 foods so Sister could buy some PediaLite for Baby-J, and then we went out for a bite to eat and then headed back to Father’s house. He made some soup because we’d mentioned that we’d liked it the last time we visited. It was good. Unfortunately, Baby-J couldn’t even keep the broth down. We ended up going back to the hotel early and hoping baby could get some sleep. Ended up having to get two extra sets of sheets for Baby, but she eventually was able to get some sleep.

Saturday, we’d made plans with Little Sis, so we headed over to Father’s about 11. She was still in bed, but it didn’t take her long to get ready. We went to the new sushi place in town and it was phenomenal. I hope that they get the business to sustain it, because it really was good. Baby-J was still sick, so Sister took her back to the hotel to sleep, then Little Sis, Kiddo, and I went shopping. We went to the used book store where I bought the entire Virigin River series for $5, the second in the Grace Valley series for $1, and Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux for $.50. Not bad, if I do say so myself 🙂 We then went to the art supply store, the Christian book store, and then the candy store. After that, Little Sis asked me to drop her off back at Father’s so she could visit her mom, so Kiddo and I went back to the motel to check on Sister and Baby-J, then headed back to Father’s. Baby-J basically just layed down the whole time ~ poor thing, she just wasn’t doing good. We ended up going back to the motel early again so baby could get some sleep.

Then Sunday morning about 1am, it hit me. Full frontal flu. It was awful. After being up all night with that, needless to say I wasn’t up for much yesterday at all. Went down to hotel lobby for a piece of dry toast and Step-Mom told me Father and Little Sis were both sick also. Talk about bad timing. But, the good news was Baby-J was feeling much better.

We went to Father’s, but Little Sis was in bed so we didn’t want to wake her. We talked to Father for a little while and then headed out for home. It was probably the quickest trip home we’d ever made because we didn’t stop anywhere. I was sick, Kiddo wasn’t feeling well, and Baby-J pretty much slept the whole time.

Last night, I still had 100 degree temp, so I called in sick to work (which I never do), and decided to just take it easy today.

So, that was my weekend in a nutshell.

Like a Dirty Shirt………

I’m off. Will hopefully be back early Sunday so I have a little blogging time. Or not. I still have to write my paper that’s due on Monday. Still no idea what I’m going to write about. Although, I dreamed about a great first sentence last night. I’ve forgotten it now. Sure hope it comes back……..