Tee Hee!

thanks!

Dr. Randy Pausch - from Oprah

This is the shorter version. I was impressed with this inspirational talk. I just spent the evening rehashing old wounds with my mother and trying to balance being a nurse and being a daughter. It is so hard to deal with her and keep any semblance of hope. Everything is a gripe, and nothing is ever good enough. Thankfully, a friend sent me this link tonight, and it really lifted my spirits and reminded me of what is important.

Randy Pausch Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

This is the long version

We want my dad to stay in rehab, but they say no, no, no

Insurance is kicking Dad out of the rehab facility. He's been making progress, and has even said a word or two (in context during music therapy with his trach plugged), but it's not enough. Mom has been reassured that she will be able to get him admitted back to rehab later if he becomes more interactive, but part of me feels like he's just getting dumped.

Dad would get approved for a nursing home, but there's almost none that take trachs in the area. She visited one that seemed subpar (and she's been through the nursing home process last year with Papa so she knows what to look for). That nursing home was even further from home than the rehab place. There is a VA nursing home in town that is supposed to be very nice and take trachs, but with the current war situation, and all the service-injured GIs with TBIs (traumatic brain injury), that puts a Vietnam vet WAY down on the list.

Mom really wants to take care of him at home. If all she needed was the sheer will and determination and desire to take care of him, he'd be in a great situation. But there are a lot of things she can't take care of herself, and she realizes most of them. She needs in home health, but it's questionable what insurance will pay for and what will even be available in her town. She lives in a fairly decent sized college town, but all of their resources are much less than they have here in central Missouri. Because once you step outside of town, you are in rural Alabama. And you hear the banjos.

A silly place

see more loldogs are funny dog pictures!

Thought for the day

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. - Marianne Williamson"

They're all sick!

I am the only non-sick one in the house. Which means this must be the flu, as I am the only one who had a flu shot. It hasn't hit Chris that badly yet, but Chloe has missed a week of school and Tom had to go to work today because he had a hearing he just couldn't miss. Hopefully the judge will take pity on him!

Chloe is usually so sweet, but sometimes she comes up with some real zingers. Today she told me:
"Andrew's coughs sound so bad. But it might not be him coughing, it might be the devil taking his soul." I told her that was mean to say, then she said: "But he is so evil."

Nothing like sisterly love!

Happy VD

Awwww.... Tom remembered Valentine's Day!

I was in doubt because the boy has a bad cold, or probably the flu. Chloe and Andrew have it, too, and Chloe's has been the worst, poor bella! Tom's baritone has slipped down to bass and this morning he was nice enough to wish me a happy THANKSGIVING!

So I had no idea he would actually get me anything. He got me a package of chocolate covered strawberries. Yummy!

Now it's not an expensive gift, but to me those are the best kind. I didn't ask for anything, and I really didn't even expect anything.

So tonight I'm making dinner (using Turkey of course!) and we'll have a big decorated cookie that I got at Hyvee last night. Yep, it's not romantic, but who cares ;)

Papa and me

I got this picture emailed to me today from Mom. It was so nice to see this. We lost Papa this past June. I miss him so much. I was so lucky to have him in my life. He was just such a wonderful man and he and my grandmother were the only people that I can truly say have given me unconditional love.

For some reason I was thinking about him a lot today. It was so nice to see this today!

Thanks to the magic of Tivo...

We were able to confirm that the Grammy makeup department had clothed Amy Winehouse's nekked lady tattoo. That was just WAY too funny ;)

What Lies Beneath

Tom and I finally watched this. I've wanted to see it since it was in the theater, but we really don't have a lot of time to devote to watching movies or doing anything else for that matter. People ask me what I'm going to do on the weekend and I tell them clean, and they think I'm joking!

Anyway, this was a really good movie. It was a thriller, but not gory - which is what I like. I am not a squeamish person, by any means, but so much gore is overdone and doesn't really add to the story. I like these movies because they keep me in suspense and because the story keeps you guessing. If I wanted to see a lot of blood and gore, I'd go work in an ER or something ;)

If you haven't seen the movie, please don't read further because I'm about to reveal the ending...

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The husband (Harrison Ford) turns out to be a real prick who had an affair with a college girl, then killed her when she threatened to expose him. Then he tries to kill his wife because she has figured it all out (with some help from the ghost). In one of our usual backhanded compliments, I thanked Tom for not having an affair and for not trying to kill me. Hey, it's the important things that keep marriages together, right? But boy, I loved that lake house in Vermont. That sounds like a life goal right there! (without the cheating, homicidal husband part though)

I realize it's silly to put in spoilers for an 8 year old movie, but I have accidentally found out plots SO often and usually when the movie's been out for a year, people don't even bother to insert the spoiler space.

I feel like I have no life whatsoever talking about great 8 year old movies! I really don't. Between work, school, and kids, there's not a whole lot of time left for fun. Thankfully, Andrew is old enough to leave at home alone with the kids, so occasionally we'll go out for breakfast on the weekend (Truman's has some killer hash browns) or go for a quick dinner while the kids nosh on pizza. One of these days we'll get to do something really nice, like travel, but I figure by the time we'll be able to swing that all the kids will be in college anyway!

Travel crazy

I've been everywhere in the past week! My job takes me to interesting, somewhat out of the way places. This week I've been to Kansas City, Platte City, Sedalia, Fayette, Jefferson City, Holts Summit, Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, and Fredericktown. We haven't done this much traveling in quite a bit!

I really enjoy traveling, but it takes a lot of time. Tom's job takes him to areas all over Northeast Missouri, so together we probably have a quite hefty carbon footprint! I guess we'll just recycle more to offset that ;)

One of those silly little polls that people like to put on their blogs

Firsts

First best friend: Sherri. My mom and her mom were more best friends than we were, and we had absolutely nothing in common but she was really sweet.

First real memory of something: Standing on the beach in Virginia. I was 2 and my mother has told me that there is no way at all that I could remember it, but I spent my entire early childhood in Illinois and we don't exactly have oceans there ;)

First car: 1984 grey Buick which I not-so-affectionately named "Deathtrap" because of its tendency to die in the middle of intersections.

First date: Double date picnic at Lakeside Park.

First real job: Catfish King. Don't ask.

First screen name: ellis1992

First self purchased album: I really don't want to answer this. Let's just say it was Country and stop at that.

First funeral: My elderly neighbor. I was about 7?

First pets: A dog named Dawg. I didn't name him, but my brother and I wanted to call him either Peanut Butter and Jelly or Fireplace, so Dad won his choice of names.

First piercing/tattoo: Ears pierced at 13. No tattoos yet.

First credit card: Target Visa.

First true love: How do you know it's true? Probably Tom.

First enemy: Tara. The bane of my 5th grade existence - and many of the other 5th graders as well. I hope she got some counseling or something - she was truly messed up.

First big trip: Lots of trips between Alton and Slater to visit my grandparents.

First play/musical/performance: I used to go to children's theater in Alton, where a local community college put on plays for us.

First musician you remember hearing in your house: I was the first one with any training, but my Dad used to play a little piano, too.


Lasts
Last big car ride: Going to Alabama to visit the 'rents.

Last kiss: ??? How sad is that?!?! Chloe gave me a kiss today if that counts. I guess it's just a sign that I've been married for 15+ years!

Last good cry: It's been far too long.

Last library book checked out: The Handbook of Infant Mental Health. Yep, not really a bestseller, but it's very useful.

Last beverage drank: Iced tea

Last food consumed: Turkey sandwich.

Last phone call: My sister-in-law, Jen :)

Last time showered: This morning

Last shoes worn: Black slip on Merrells.

Last cd played: Duran Duran, Red Carpet Massacre.

Last item bought: Groceries. Before that, socks. I'm, like, so fun!

Last disappointment: Realizing how long it had been since I had a good kiss from Tom, so I just interrupted the Super Bowl to give him a good smooch. He was pleasantly surprised ;)

Last soda drank: Cherry Coke Zero.

Last ice cream eaten: Peanut Butter Cup ice cream from Ben and Jerry's. We don't get Blue Bell here, dammit!

Last time wanting to die: About a month ago.

Last time scolded: ?? I usually get off the phone with mom when she starts that crap, so I really can't remember.

Last shirt worn: multicolor floral shirt.

Last web site visited: weather.com

Superbowl Blah

I just can't get into the Super Bowl this year. I'm not even interested in the commercials as much :( I really don't care for the Patriots. Yes, they have a good record, but I just don't care for them. I can't get behind the Giants either. I couldn't put my finger on why, but Tom reminded me that they are in the same division as the Cowboys, so I guess that might be a reason.

Anyway, I'm going to watch Missouri women's basketball today - free tix are always good! I'm taking Chris and Chloe and we should have a great time ;) Last time I went to a game I went to see Missouri play Baylor. Since I was sitting with my coworkers, I had to promise that I wouldn't be obnoxious in rooting for Baylor. Instead, I just took the quiet, smiling approach ;) I don't think they appreciated that much, either LOL.

Welcome to the world, Caroline Margaret!

I became an aunt for the second time in a week! Caroline was born on January 29th. We are SO excited and can't wait to meet her. Jen and Steve will probably be trying to make a trip down to Bama to see my folks, since they won't be able to travel to meet her. We're thinking this should be around Spring Break, so we'll be able to go as well.

She is such a cutie! I'm thinking she looks a little more like Jen at this point, but it's really too early to tell. For the first several years we kept going back and forth on who our children looked more like and they've finally settled into somewhat of a pattern. Andrew and Chloe look more like Tom but act more like me. Chris looks more like me (in a blond haired thin male sort of way - you have to see old pics of me or my dad to really see it) but he totally acts like Tom ;)