The Verdict is in.......

So we just got back from the doctors office and it is a good thing we went! Casey still has three pieces of "debris" in his knee which they found by taking x-rays. From what the doctor said barnacles carry calcium and calcium shows up on x-rays so therefore we decided it was a good thing to take a look see. Casey was given antibiotics and instructions to heat pack his knee because the plan is for these little buggars to work themselves out of the incision. He got knocked in the knee yesterday at school and it broke open sending out some lovely puss, so I felt pretty confident about my decision to take him in to be seen. Shane was saying that it would just all work itself out and that we haven't given it enough time, it is kinda nice to be right once in a while, but I certainly won't gloat;-) Just kidding, I really won't rub it in, I just see so much crap working at the hospital that the littlest thing can blow up to something big if you do nothing so I felt safe having him seen.
Still waiting to hear about Megan's surgery, talked to Mom right after Casey's appointment and she still hadn't heard anything either. Here is praying for great results and a speedy recovery!

Casey

Just a little update on Casey and his knee. Yesterday I noticed that Casey's knee was swollen about twice the size that it should be. Being employeed by the hospital all kinds of different things ran through my mind, none of them good of course. I decided to call my orthopedic surgeon's office and make him an appointment so they can make the call if anything needs to be done or if it just needs time to heal. I am thinking aspiration, or worse an I & D so hopefully my fears will be put to rest.

On a different note I have to have to get yet another crown and I am not too excited about it! My dentist also wants me to get a night guard made, but the out of pocket expense for that is over 300 dollars and insurance doesn't cover it so that is a huge no! Can either Megan or Aaron shed some light on this subject? Would a mouth guard like they use in sports work if this was a must? HELP! Some people must work just to pay for their dental care as much as they charge for the torture that they put people through!

New Post

Well it has been a while since I have posted so I thought I better get to it!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we all lived to tell the tale! It was fun for me for many different reasons. First I have worked every Thanksgiving since I have had my job at the hospital so it was bittersweet to have a Thanksgiving off seeing how I wasn't there last year when Wayne and his family came up, not to mention it was the last one that Dad was around for. On a brighter note, Shane coming with me was a huge bright spot! It was a shocker when he said that he wanted to go, but I am so glad he was there! Right after we got to the coast we went for a walk on the beach and he told me that he only came for me, it melted my heart. I already knew that but to hear him say that meant alot. Casey was already going down to the coast with his friend JJ so we knew that we could see him if we wanted to, which we really enjoyed not having the responsibility of having any kids but that quickly came to an end when we got the call telling us that Casey needed to probably get stitches! Needless to say we left to pick him up and to take him into the E.R. in the small hospital in Lincoln City. I thought I was getting a break from the hospital scene, but it wasn't meant to be. He didn't get stitched due to the fact the he had some debris that was removed and the doctor didn't want to possibly stitch it if they missed any. He came back to the house with us and it was a good thing, he needed to keep having his steri strips changed and he woke up at three in the morning having quite a bit of discomfort! We let him go back with his friend and he was happy to go back! Not that he didn't enjoy spending time with his family, but hey JJ has an X-Box you know! Over all it was a great trip and everybody got along great, thanks Mom for providing us with a fun time!

Work continues to keep me busy, and frustrated and I don't see it getting better any time soon. After our holiday schedule is done I am supposed to be going to start working Sunday through Thursday from 3:00 p.m. until 11:30 P.M. This will make it so I will have a set schedule, and I will be working 40 hours a week versus the 36 that I work now. Seeing how I am kind of a "night owl" it shouldn't be too big of a deal for me to make the change, and my hope is that it will relieve some of the stress that I deal with during my 12 hour shifts that I work now.

That's all I have for now, but I will try to keep all up to date on anything I feel worthy of putting in writing.

Coast Trip

Just wanted to quickly update everybody on the trip to the coast in a few weeks.........Shane is actually coming with me! Casey will be at the coast already with JJ as this had been planned for a few months, but he will be in Lincoln City too so we should hoepfully get to spend some time with him when we are down there! I almost fell off my chair when Shane told me that he was going to come with me. I know the reason, it is because we are staying in a house and not a tent. He isn't too fond of having to live in the "elements" due mainly to the fact that he works out in it day in and day out. Whatever the reason I am really excited to have him come down and for him to be able to take a few days off and hopefully relax some!

Stuff and more Stuff

I haven't "blogged" in a while so here is some updated information. Just to let you all know Jared has made the decision to drop out of school. Most of you know what a struggle school has been for him, and it wasn't getting any easier. He has taken his pre-GED test at River's Edge and will be finding out what his score was so he knows which parts of the GED that he needs to brush up on before taking it. Once he knows that he will get signed up at CBC for the GED course. It kind of sucks that once a kid is 18 they can do whatever they want to with the school district ie. quitting without the parents being notified, but what is done is done. It is a tough from our standpoint as parents feeling like we have somehow failed him, and I can just hear Brian and Sheri laughing and saying I told you so, but again there is nothing that I can to to change what has already happened. He will start working full time and be made to pay rent, because if you are going to be a big boy, then that is what big boys do. I know things could be worse so I am not going to sweat the small stuff and be happy that it is just not getting a diploma.

Many of you have noticed that Adele's blog has been removed, I did that on her request due to the fact that Pat was the one writing the blog (as if we didn't know that huh?) and he is no longer a part of Adele's life. I will not get into that, just want to say that they split amicably, but they will probably not have a friendship after it is all said and done.

Casey has his last basketball games tomorrow so that season has come to an end, and I am not unhappy about it. You can only watch your kid play on a team that gets stomped every time they play for so long. It is difficult to see Casey work his butt off out on the court and to know that his team just doesn't play with the heart and the desire that he does. Most of them have never played AAU before so that doesn't help much. His game times are at 1:00 and 4:00, the second game was moved up from 5:20 as previously sent out in e-mails.

Shane's parents are moving to the big Tri-Cities from Prosser. His mom has decided to quit her job at Food Depot, where she has been forever, and she is going to work for Yoke's. She was wanting to step down from her management position and go back to just decorating cakes again and they woudn't let her so she quit. This is going to be a huge transition for them as they have spent their whole lives in the lower valley area, but Shane's sister Shaylee lives in Pasco and is having her 3rd child next year and I think they want to be closer to their grandchildren. Shane's brother Seth is also having a baby soon. This will be his first child, and the second for his fiance. He is pretty excited, but he is calling alot and I think he is really missing his family being around for this momentous occasion in his life. He lives in Minnesota right now and I believe he plans on staying around there.

Now you all have been updated with our lives, let us know what is happening in yours! Love to you all!!!

Update on Evey

Just wanted to let everybody know that Evey went back to the vet today and her stitches have to stay in for another week so she will remain a "cone head". She got four more shots, but Stacie tells me that she is full of energy and waiting to spend the day with "grandma" tomorrow. In answer to Pam, no Stacie isn't living at home with us, she is staying at Jon's in Kennewick but seeing how her work is so close to my home she brings Evey over every day so she can see her on her lunch break and to be able to let her out to the bathroom. Remember, Evey stays in her kennel for most the day when I am home I let her out in the morning for a bathroom break, Stacie lets her out at her lunch time and I let her out for the last time in the late afternoon. I do let her stay out for a while from time to time on my days off just to irritate the crap out of my own animals, they really need to lighten up! It is sure fun to watch a puppy try to get old stick in the mud dogs to try to play with her;-)

Puppy Surgery

Stacie and Jon's baby, puppy that is, had surgery on Monday and I am happy to report that she is doing fine. She had her dewclaws removed, she was spayed, and she had her hematomas (sp?) in her ears taken care of. The last part is just a trait of a Sharpei, and Evey is part Sharpei so she came by it naturally. She has to keep her legs bandaged up until tomorrow and she hasn't been able to get her feet wet since her surgery, that is a chore trying to make her go to the bathroom in the dirt instead of the wet grass in the morning, but by now she has adapted pretty well to the challenge. Her sutures will come out next week (in her ears) so she is wearing a little cone just to keep her from damaging the work by scratching. She is so full of energy and it is so fun to watch her burn around in the back yard. She can't figure out why my dogs won't play with her, she doesn't know that they are stuck up and set in their ways. It just seems weird that they get kind of pissy when she is around, like maybe they forgot that they used to have another dog around her not too long ago. It would've been cool to see how Mary would be with Evey, but I guess we will just have to imagine that she would have been the most open to having her around seeing how she was always the one with a level head and such an easy going temperment:-( I miss Mary!

Our week

Well now that the flu has come and gone we are now experiencing the "cold". It so far has started with Jared, and I am hoping that because he keeps to himself for the most part that it doesn't spread around the whole house. Stacie is fighting some kind of bug too, she missed a day and a half of work during their big "convention" and she really didn't want to do that.
We also have a new puppy in the family, not mine but Stacie's and Jon's. They brought home Evey, or is it Evie? Anyway, she is an adorable part Sharpie and part chocolate Lab. She has beautiful coloring and the cute little ears. I get to have her at my house during the week when Jon is working out of town because Stacie works very close to my house and it allows her to come over on her lunch break and see her. She is being kennel trained, at least until she understands the whole potty training thing, and she doesn't even whine or bark while she is in her kennel. She stays in Jared's room so it is away from the rest of the animals and people in the house. When I am not working I take her out for a bathroom break about every three hours, this time will get longer as she gets older I am sure. The hardest part for me is that I just want to play with her, come on a PUPPY!! But I do respect Jon and Stacie's decision on how they want to train her because it is what is going to be what is best for them. I sound like a grandma huh?
If I haven't said this already at some point, Casey is playing AAU again for the fall season. This way when they start basketball for school he will just be finishing up and will have played quite a bit which should help out! At this time he is just practicing, not sure when he is going to have any games but I will send out an e-mail when this information is given to me. I know that he won't be having any tournaments during this AAU season so at least we won't be going out of town like we had to do last season.
Work is well, work a dirty four letter word. I am still at the hospital and things aren't looking much better than they have been since we have moved to our new unit. The moral is so low right now and at times it seems like a hostile work environment. Everybody is always mad at somebody else over things that are beyond their control so alot of it is nonsence. We have an outside facilitator coming in to help us with "team building", and so far that isn't working either. The sad part is that we have had to hire so many new people to try to staff our new unit, and about 80% of the people that have just started are already looking for different jobs.
Shane is staying busy, as a matter of fact I just found a week ago that he is framing a house for one of the new nurses that I work with, I guess she is going to have to stay around now huh? He is also framing in the valley which is kind of nice because he leaves his work trailer at his parents house so he sees them more often when he works down there. I can always tell when he is working down there because all these stories about his family come around and I know he doesn't talk to too many family members. I am glad that he gets to see them though, it seems like we are worlds apart from Prosser to here.
I got to see Madisen and Kennady play soccer this weekend, I was looking forward to watching Noah too but I understand that he was misbehaving so he didn't get to play. I probably won't be at any games this coming weekend, it is the only day off in my 3 on 1 off and 3 on stretch. This stretch of work kills me just about!
Time to go let the "grandpuppy" out!

The Flu

Just wanted to share with you all..........there is a bad flu going on around right now. Some of you have first hand knowledge of this flu, and we have been fortunate enough to now have it at our house. It sticks around for about a week, and the smell isn't pretty. Casey was vomiting so bad last night it was coming out of his nose too! Just try to be extra careful, and use precautions like hand sanitizer and lysol to not help spread it around and to keep it away from you personally.

"News Reporting"

I don't know about many of you but I have my favorite station to watch the local news on and it is KNDU. After last night I may have to change which station I watch though. Their top story was about the accident that two young people tragically lost their lives, and the third person is in critical care. A motorcycle driven by a 19 year old ran a stop sign and somehow landed in the back of a vehicle which a 10 year old girl was riding in. Both of these two lost their lives at the scene and the driver is still hospitalized. This girl was the only child in her family which makes the whole thing more devastating! The reported went on to say that her mother wasn't available to comment........WHAT?????? Seriously what were you going to ask her, how are you doing? How do you feel? The questions could only be idiotic and hurtful, this woman is now having to think about a FUNERAL for her only child and is wondering if she has to plan a second for her husband too. I was so upset I sent an e-mail to the news station and I am still waiting for a response to it. How is somebody's grief news? I understand that the accident is "news worthy" but trying to get a statement to me is way over the line! Let me know what you think.

Spokane

Well I have just come back from attending my first derby bout in Spokane, and I just have to say that it was a blast!!!
It was amazing to watch these women in action! I now feel like I have a little bit of understanding of this sport, and yes it is a sport! These ladies have worked so hard to get to the point that they are actually competeting in bouts and I give them kudos and two thumbs up for their hard work and dedication to making this happen. At their last bout (I didn't get to attend it) they only scored a total of 38 points, if I remember correctly but I could be wrong. Last night they only lost by 12 points, the final score was 75 to 63. This was quite an accomplishment and a huge turn around from their debut in Tacoma. After the bout there were so many people that came up to the girls and were quite shocked to find out that they had only competed once before so that was quite a compliment to the dedication that they have shown.
There were so many different people there, but the environment never got rude or ugly like some sporting events can. You find yourself routing for the underdogs and giving encouragement to people you don't even know so it is really a relatively calm enviornment, in the stands not the rink! What you have to remember is that the majority of these women in this sport are mothers, so the enviornment doesn't get too racy. There is a fare share of, let's call them same sex couples along with enough tattoo's to feel like you are at an ink convention. Let's not leave out the athlete's that like to let you know that they are WOMEN, we almost had a complete "fall out" if you know what I am talking about but right before that happened the skater realized it and dealt with the situation.
If you enjoy sports I would suggest that you attend at least one of these bouts, just see what you think. You may find that you like it so much that you want to join a league;-) Remember this if you do, you will live eat breath the sport and you have to seriously dedicate yourself to the practicing. Let's not leave out the conditioning that these women have to do to be able to skate through a whole bout without having any injuries!
Overall it was a great time and I look forward to going to many more bouts to cheer on Stacie and the Tri-City Atomic Roller Girls, GO DERBY!!

Camping

Sorry that I don't have any pictures to share, I don't own a camera so that could be the reason, but I do have input on the week!
I know that this year was going to be diffucult for alot of us seeing how it was the first year without Dad, but it seemed to be the smoothest time this year. I believe that Dad was keeping us all safe and happy and it worked!
The whale watching this year just wasn't as good as last year due mainly to the weather, the swells were so high and the foggy mist was just a little bit too chilly for alot of people. I personally had to figure out what position would work best for me to keep myself from feeling sick and I finally stuck with standing so my legs could absorb the rocking of the boat and it worked like a charm. There seemed to be alot of sick tummies and last year it was just a matter of people who just get motion sickness that was the problem. Fun none the less!!
It was great being able to be all together and really enjoying each others company!
We all had the shock of our lives when Mom announced her retirement from the school district, but I guess there comes a time in our lives that we have to decide that we have given enough of our time and our lives to the time clock and it is time to enjoy life. She sure seems happy to have made this decision and as we have all heard she is branching out ie...computer and internet at home!
Aaron and Megan suprised us all with the news of their expectation of their third child. It was exciting to know that they had just found out that it was a boy right before they came to the coast and they shared that with us too. It touched us all that they have decided to name their new little son after Dad!
I just feel so fortunate to have such a large and loving family! Like all families there are going to be some hurt feelings from time to time, but I feel that those feelings are short lived as they should be. So this is a big thank you, first to Mom and Dad for having all of us. Also for putting up with all of our different personalities and quirks, and for not judging us but instead they accept us faults and all. Another big THANK YOU for all the years we have been able to enjoy doing this together as a family. And for the rest of this great family.....I love you all and those of you that couldn't make it know that you were missed and thought of quite often!

Derby virgins no more!

Well Stacie's first bout is under her belt. They got their butts handed to them, but it was a very good experience for the whole team. I don't really have all the details, but Stacie said that they were on their butts quite a bit but they did score some points so it wasn't a total blow out. Jared and two of his friends got to go and see the bout and they had a great time. A big thank you to James and Nance who graciously opened their home to both Stacie and Jon and also Jared and his buddies. I understand they had a BBQ for all of them and that the boys enjoyed playing with both of Stacie's younger siblings. The next bout is in August, not sure of the date but I will have to go to that one. I feel ripped off that I didn't get to see her "debut" as Whomping Willow, but I am in total support of what she is doing because she loves it, and because I am the Mom;-) The derby association is supposed to have the bout on video and when they put that out I will send a link to anybody that is interested in seeing the Atomic City Roller Girls in action. Not the same as being there, but it will still be fun to see them in action. The girls have been sent quite alot of different messages to their myspace congratulating them on their first appearance, that is where I got the derby virgins saying from. I guess you could say they "popped their cherry", wow I can't believe I just put that in here. Some things never change I guess.

Thanks for the input!

Just wanted to drop a line to thank those for the input that has been given. Once I really get the hang of this whole thing I will figure out if or how to comment back. I know that Christina told me that she is reading, but doesn't comment so at least I know it is being viewed. Maybe there is a way to track how many visits to my site??

Off topic I thought I would let you, my fan club (ha ha ah) know the latest update with me and my knee situation. I went to the ortho doc. a couple of days ago and had x-rays taken for the first time in over 5 years. They showed that there is still some "cushion" between the bones in my knee so that is good news! The bad news to that is that if my knee doesn't respond to the physical therapy that I am getting right now then the only alternative is doing another arthroscopic surgery. I am going to have a knee brace fitting this coming Tuesday and will start back up with a few weeks of PT. I will of course take the week off for the coast, but that should be in the middle of therapy and hopefully I can do some excersises and a little extra walking while I am down there to make up for the fact that I am taking a week off. Only time can tell at this point!

Blogging

I always thought that there were different purposes for blogging, or having a blog. First it is a great way to keep everybody up to date as to what is happening in your life, and second it is a way to put different items up for discussion and feedback. It seems like either nobody is bothering to read, or they read and they just don't have any input! I guess I will just use this as a way to be a sounding board in a sense. I will just put my thoughts in writing and if I get any feedback then great, if not then I at least got to get it out of my system. So comment if you want to, and if you don't then I won't lose any sleep over it!

Stacie's first derby bout

Well the Tri-City Atomic Roller Derby Girls finally have their first bout coming up. It is this coming Saturday in Tacoma and she is pretty excited about it. They have been practicing very long and hard hours getting ready for this and they are all pretty nervous about it. I think that once they get their first bout under their belts they will settle down and know what to expect when they have their next bout in Spokane. If you happen to see her, wish her good luck!

Morals

I know that I am not the queen of everything high in the "morals" catagory so I guess my complaint would fall under scruples. Does anybody but myself find it wrong that a nurse can have a personal relationship with a doctor and due to that fact this certain doctor can "text" this certain nurse while she is working with a new order for one of his patients that she is caring for? After numerous times going to my manager with similar incidents like this and seemingly nothing being done about it I ask myself if I should care? If any of you have any thoughts on this subject I would like to hear them.

"Whomping Willow"

This is my fearless, beautiful daughter who is "Hell on wheels" and loves being in derby! And yes the 9 3/4 is done in permanent ink, aka "tattoo". She is a huge Harry Potter fan, thus the name Whomping Willow and the number being the 9 3/4.

Stacie and Jon

Stuff

It has been quite a while that I have done anything on here so I will try to do better ;)
Life is busy, Shane is starting up a new company, more to come on that some time later, the kids have been making me old before I am ready to feel that way. All I can say is cherish your kids while they are young because when they get older the mistakes are alot worse!