Things That Make Me Smile....

Time passes slowly and quickly all at the same time but it has been a good week for us. It is all sort of fuzzy in my head right now so please bear with me while I try to organize my thoughts. Let me share a couple of pictures I snapped with my phone in effort to give you a 'being a mouse in my pocket' kind of feeling.

4th of July

It was a quiet day for us. Well maybe quiet isn't the right word since there were colorful evening displays all over the neighborhood. How about laid back instead. Daddy was pretty sleepy and slow over the weekend so I decided to try and tempt him with a delectable stroll down memory lane. I prepared some favorites for dinner that I hoped would make him smile. I made a small ham (which thank you Mom: baked in coca-cola is very tender) and a small batch of mashed sweet potatoes. Then I did up the jello creation that you see above. He ate about 5 TBSP all together but it made him smile so my goal was accomplished.


Conguito

This cute lil' guy is the yorkie that will be going home with me to become a permanent playmate for Kekoa. (Sigh! Gosh I miss Kekoa!) Conguito is a sweetie and he is attached to me wherever I go. He sits at the kitchen gate and stares at my bedroom door until I come out in the mornings.


In this picture I had just finished giving him a bath because he had been digging at the fence and dirt trying to get at some cats that were just out of reach. He is a silly little wimpy pushover that cowers easily to my command......but when it comes to cats he somehow flips a mental switch in his head and becomes the likeness of Bugs Bunny's Tasmanian Devil. I don't remember the day exactly, but sometime over the weekend he did succeed in grabbing a cat that got too close and it was horrible. I tried to move quick but I wasn't fast enough. Ok that is not a smiling thought so let's move on.





Really?

I had to stop and take a picture of this yesterday when I was running errands. It is a Daiquiri Lounge....with a drive thru! See the window on the right with the arrow that says Drive Thru? Boy is that a million dollar idea or what? (sarcasm intended) I had to laugh simply because at times the oddest thing can be a tension breaker. I don't see how that place can be legal. Not only does the idea of a drive thru obscure the law of no open containers in the car but isn't the purpose of a lounge to....lounge? I sent this picture to a friend and he responded back with laughter pointing out that the cones must be there so patrons don't run into the front of the building.

Chemotherapy

Daddy started chemo two days ago (at 75% of the dosage) and he is doing absolutely perfect so far. No pulmonary flash edema, no side effects yet and his energy has all of a sudden perked up. He has been awake and talkative, had me drive him a couple of places, made some jokes and has been looking around the kitchen for food. Goodness this is all so unpredictable. I was talking with my aunt yesterday about that very fact. She was caregiver to her husband through his battle with cancer and totally remembers that every time you get comfortable with a routine...the body changes things up and keeps you on your toes.

Daddy is not so hesitant to get in the car now that I have shown him how to use a pillow. I learned last year after my surgery (thank you Alice) that a pillow between body and seat belt keeps everything from jarring around inside. That one simple bed pillow is making such a difference in his countenance and pain thresh hold when it takes us 30 minutes each way to get to his hospital visits on this bumpy Texas roads.

We make conscious effort to find the good in things and tell each other so every day. It is like a game we play. Daddy decided to try and eat a burger with me yesterday. He couldn't taste it and enjoy the teriyaki sauce on it but he could feel that it was a different consistency from the other things he had tried to eat. And he kept the food down so that was a major positive.
Then while sleeping last night he knocked out his attachment for his feeding tube and the pump kept flowing everywhere in his sleep. But the positive is that we have been taking such good care of his j-tube that it didn't hurt and wake him in pain when it pulled out.

Angel-girl

I miss home so much but my family does special things to help me stay a part of it all. My special little niece is growing and changing on a daily basis. My brother and sister-in-law published some videos so we could see her and all the new things she is learning. She is 11 months old now and taking steps on her own. Here is a short video of Angel-girl doing on of her favorite past-times....singing.






Another Thing I Am Grateful For

My mom had surgery a couple of days ago and everything went wonderfully well. It was a planned surgery that had been put on hold when she had that small heart attack in May. It is the first time that I haven't been there to help her and watch over her and that feels very strange. But I know this is where I need to be right now. Her sister is there watching over her and being a wonderful encourager and giving me updates and I am grateful. And there are friends. A friend of Mom's came in from out of town to help around the house and then another friend from Hawaii is flying in on Monday. Yes Mom is well taken care of and she is going to feel so much better with this surgery behind her.


Well...

For now I must go. I am on an adventure to find a medical supply store today. We have supplies delivered to us once a month but I am needing to acquire some new things that Walmart and Walgreens don't carry. So yeah! Adventures are fun! How lost can I get?

You are so wonderful. Thank you for your faithful encouragement and prayers. Have a completely blessed and destiny filled week and know beyond a doubt that you are loved and have purpose.