Ups and Downs

Happy Hump Day.  I tell ya, I am plugging along staying busy prepping for my Junk Show in 3 weeks and the big Gala for Refuge for Women event the same weekend.

I am sanding and painting and getting things together. I’ll post pics of some of my things I repainted another day . I had a meeting last night with RFW making centerpieces and getting handouts and stuff ready. We have one more meeting next week to tie up all loose ends before the event. Its going to be so great because we have a wonderful guest speaker and an auction with some awesome things. There are spa packages, hotel rooms, jewelry, and even a  few guns ( hey we’re in Texas and the gala is in rural area) , some purses, all kinds of stuff for the auction.  I can’t wait!  Yall will hear all about it after the event.

So this past weekend was filled with a lot of emotions. The lowest of low and the highest of highs and it really messed with my body and mind.  A very dear friend of mine was in a horrific car accident last Thursday night/Friday am. She and her husband were hit by a car driving 100 MPH.  For all of Friday, it was 50/50 on whether she would survive.  I was drained from holding my breath literally for hours. Slowly she is showing improvement. They were finally able to wean her off the ventilator yesterday. She’s still sedated and will be in ICU for a while.  She broke her arm – a bone popped through her skin and they operated on that and put in a plate, she broke her neck but is not paralyzed, almost all her ribs are broke on right side and some on the left, and fractured pelvis.  We don’t know how much brain damage she may have.  Her husband was driving and has stitches on his mouth from the air bag and is just beat up and sore from the impact.  They were driving her old BMW and she was T-boned on passenger side after he hit them from behind and spun them around.

My friend and I have been friends for over 30 years.  We were Hooters girls together when I was in college.  She caught my bouquet at our wedding. The thought of losing her was crushing.  I am an empath. I absorb others pain and sadness as well as happiness.  I woke up Saturday morning after  really not sleeping at all just a weight around my neck waiting for any signs of good news from Dr updates.

On the opposite side of spectrum, my cousin adopted a precious beautiful baby girl that was born early Saturday am and that was what we so needed.  I didn’t ask permission to post pic of baby so maybe another day for that.  The baby was such a special gift. My cousin Lauren and her husband Chris ,adopted a sweet baby boy (Amos) 2 years and it was a wonderful occasion. We knew about the whole process and knew when the baby was due, etc.  Literally seconds after Amos was born, they drove to the hospital and got to hold him just hours later.  Our new baby Evie was a different story.  They actually got to be at the hospital during birth and Lauren even got to cut the umbilical cord.  I know being there during the birth will be a memory so special for them. The adoption process came very quick and with only a few weeks’ notice but it all worked out perfectly.

My friend has a very long painful road ahead of her but she survived and she’s a fighter. I can breathe again just knowing that.

Friends, life is so fleeting. As cliché as it is,  hug your loved ones and tell them every day that you love them.  

I haven’t shared a picture lately of my dogs. They bring me great joy as you know if you follow me on IG. LOL I post them a lot!

Here is my handsome Jax. His favorite place is on top of the couch pillow. 

Muddfest 2019

Good morning yall!  Last night we attended our first concert of the year. It was a lineup of late 90's rock bands. It opened with Tantric, then Saving Abel, Trapt, Saliva and Puddle of Mudd was the headliner.  It was honestly a great show. They all sounded great and it was a pretty night with the gorgeous full moon over us.  The concert was at Lava Cantina which is a restaurant bar that hosts lots of concerts. We got rooftop tickets and i'm so glad we did. I had chairs with backs on them which for me is a must.  It got a little chilly but they had those gas heaters and one was right behind us so it was great.

Here is a song from each of the bands you may be familiar with......

Saving Abel

Trapt

Saliva

Puddle Of Mudd

I kinda feel like poo today and truthfully I felt that way yesterday and almost didn't go to the concert. I think its my allergies but that always ends up turning into sinus infection. I see a lazy night on the couch in my future tonight!!

My top 10 movies i MUST watch if its on

I dont get to the movies often as I would like.  I actually don’t watch a lot of TV either. I typically sit on the couch and read my books, magazines or my phone while Todd watches what he wants.  I do watch a few shows such as This is Us, Ellen, and Flea Market Flip.  I record those so I can watch when I feel like it.

I saw a post recently on Facebook asking to list your top 5 movies that ” IF ITS ON – I MUST watch.  “ So that inspired this post except I am listing my TOP 10.

So these are in no specific order either:

Forrest Gump,  Breakfast club, Shawshank Redemption, Tombstone, Green Mile, Labyrinth, Princess Bride, Practical Magic , Braveheart , Moulin Rouge

The next 5 if this was top 15 would include Dances with Wolves, Man on Fire, LadyHawke, Edward Scissorhands, and Top Gun

What are yours?

Wednesday thoughts

I received the sweetest package today from my work team.  Its a light box with Nanny's name and date on it. It was sent to the office and I started crying immediately when I read the box. I have some thoughtful people on my team!

I've still been on a roll of going through stuff at my home to toss or donate. Last week in our mailbox, there was a flyer that was from a charity north of us and asked for donations to be left on our porch and to schedule a pickup. Man , was that perfect timing for them! I had already packed 2 bags of stuff that I was going to drop off . On Saturday, I spent 4 hours straightening up a side of the garage that needed organized and I ended up filling 3 more bags up. The charity picked up yesterday.  I still have much more to do including another closet. 

We had some severe thunder and rain storms this week and my dogs hate the thunder. They bark back at it which is both funny and annoying. We got woke up this am by some loud thunder claps at 3am so I have very puffy dark circles under my eyes.  I am so tired and seeing an early bedtime tonight!  Todd flew home today from his work meetings so that is always nice too to have him home. 

Lastly, the picture of coffin was from Nanny's funeral. I don't know what prompted me to take it but as I watched each of my cousins who were pallbearers take off their flower and add to the coffin, I snapped a quick photo.  Saturday, as I was organizing the garage section, I came across Nanny's small travel carry case. It had her address label stuck on the side and I burst into tears and cried for a few minutes. I had to pull myself together quick because I had created this HUGE mess around me in the garage and I was doing it alone and didn't have time to allow myself to wallow in grief.  I still feel that a time will come and the flood gates will open up and there will be no quick 3 minute cry. 

I hope yall have had a good week. I'm honestly ready for Friday!  

This has a light inside of the box

5large lawn bags packed for charity pickup

lack of sleep and allergies have caused my eyes to be dark and puffy. I also have no clue how to use eyeshadow!

The pallbearers stuck their boutonniere in the casket 

SAVE THE BEES

Its getting serious yall! I've heard for a while that Bees are getting to be fewer and fewer and lately its proving to be true and getting worse. We really really do need to take measures and save the bees.
My goal is to go organic on my gardening supplies and sprays.  There are specific chemicals in gardening sprays that are deadly to bees. I'm also going to plant more flowers that bees are drawn to.  Whenever I've been in my pool and see a bee in the water, I get a leaf to scoop it out and lay it on concrete for it to rest and dry out.  Some I've seen fly off and unfortunately a few didn't make it. At least I try.
I am still just so sad and really missing Nanny. I just cant talk about her today. I am not in good place to cry.  The funeral was this past weekend. I actually read a speech I had written at the gravesite service.
So today is about bees!

Thank you for all your love and sweet comments on losing Nanny.  It means a lot to me!

Love Reunited and it hurts so bad

Ok, I am going to try to make this post as legible as possible.  My heart is broken in a million pieces and i'm still numb.  My precious sweet Nanny passed away on Monday , February 25. Now, do you want to hear something I couldn't begin to make up in this universe? My grandpa Poppy - her husband- passed away on February 25, 22 years ago.  So YES, they both died on the exact same day but years apart.
So I cant remember if I had mentioned that this last year since September, we had to go to Hell and back to try to get her approved for Medicaid. She had gotten really sick in September and the Dr's wouldn't release her to live alone again. So Nanny went into a rehab for 4 months and it was wonderful. Then they couldn't keep her forever so she had to move next door into the adjacent nursing home. We really wanted her to go to the assisted living center that was in near her hometown and that's when the battle began with Medicaid to approve her assisted living. She got approved during the Federal shutdown which meant her paperwork got pushed aside.  Fast forward and 4 weeks ago, she got approved and moved into her new place. Nanny was so excited and that's what gave her something to look forward to the whole time she was in the nursing home.  My uncle and his wife got her new place decorated with all the things she wanted from her apartment  and looking good.
My cousin and my nieces were going to ride with me and we were going to visit her and see her new place this past Saturday.  Then Friday, she wasn't feeling very well and had thrown up.  We thought just a bug or virus.  A home health nurse came by and her blood pressure was very low so she thought it would be good idea to send her to hospital to check all her vitals to be safe.  They ended up putting her in ICU because of her age.  That's when they realized her kidneys weren't functioning at all and she had pneumonia.  Her only option to survive this was to go through dialysis. She had done that a few times before and it was really hard on her. She hated it !!  Nanny called it the morgue because it was really cold when they would take her for dialysis. She said she would never do that again so she refused.  And that's when we knew she wouldn't be going home.
She was moved into a beautiful hospice center Sunday afternoon so she could pass with dignity and peace and not a ugly scary sterile hospital room with wires and beeps and people poking and prodding her every minute.  I'll have to do another post on the hospice place because it was so great!!
Of course, no one even Dr's can say when she will Go but they estimated her lasting a few days. I KNEW in my heart that GOD would take her Monday knowing what day it was.  How could he not?!!  It was the anniversary of her losing the love of her life.  I prayed for it.  The waiting is the most excruciating part. Its when I get selfish and impatient. If I cant have her, then please take her now.  And so HE did.
My grandparents were very involved in motorcycle clubs. They had lots of matching outfits and were all so dang cute!! She rode with him for so many years.  We imagined Poppy on his Harley , engine on, revving it up waiting for her to jump on the back and take her for the Ride of her Life through the streets of Heaven.
I will have more to say because I have years and years of stories about my sweet precious Nanny. She was our matriarch and we are very lost without her.  I am grateful for her 91 years and I could have never imagined her leaving us on the day that was already so hard for us but I take comfort that she's with Poppy.

Can I just point out how smoking hot she was!!  The OG Biker chick!

Let's Dance

I grew up dancing. My mom said I danced before I walked. My dad was a musician and played in bands and music was always playing so I chalk it up to that. I was in tap and jazz classes from when I was 3. I was in drillteam all through high school and first 2 years of college on scholarship. When I transferred to a different university , I took dance classes for credits. I was always going to dance clubs even when not old enough to get in. I got a fake id and I wasn't interested in drinking, I just wanted to dance.   Then life got busier and busier and I dance less and less.
Sometimes I forget how much I love (d) to dance.  Every so often, my hubs will dance with me in the kitchen because he knows that will cheer me up.
I will ALWAYS have dance in my heart and soul!

Keep dancing yall!!