One Whole Year!

I can hardly believe yesterday was our one year anniversary! What a year it has been! Together we have had our ups and downs. We have dealt with the death of Petey, a knee surgery, a friend having cancer, a car accident, a trip to the Daytona 500, a cruise, a trip to Disney World and many more exciting things. Together we grew stronger as a couple. We have such a wonderful marriage and relationship. I am so lucky!

I started off the day of our anniversary by going to work to fire someone. I also brought all the employees, donuts! Then I came home and we spent the day vegging out and watching movies. Finally we made reservations for dinner, got dressed up and went to the Sunbird. When I made the reservations I asked for something by the window. The Sunbird sits on a bluff and looks out over a large portion of the city. I had forgotten that it was a cold overcast day. But we got a table by the window and enjoyed the view we did have.

We had a wonderful, tasty meal and a bottle of wine. After we stuffed ourselves to our earballs (as Uncle Walter would say) we rolled ourselves over to Blockbuster and rented Phantom of the Opera. Since we are going to go see it in London, I wanted to know what it was about. We watched it when we got home. I can't wait to see it in London now. I have also been listening to the CD's in my car to get familiar with the music.

Thank you to all of you who sent cards, called, sent emails, and stopped by to wish us a happy Anniversary! It made us reminisce about how much fun we had a year ago! We hope all of you had just as much fun as we did!

Today was my mom's foot surgery. They ended up putting 2 2-inch screws and some wire in her foot. I picked her up when she was done so she could get in my car easier. I brought her home and Dad and I got her settled in her new Bedroom in the living room. She is currently napping. The doctor said the foot isn't perfect, but it's better than it was. She will get that hardware out in 8-12 weeks.

Well, I hear a storm coming and I think it's time for more pills for my mom. So I better go and wake her up.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

It’s been pretty busy around here. On my days off I am usually running to mom’s house or running errands for our household. So, I haven’t been able to update my blog as much.

Mom is going to need surgery on her foot. Her joints are all splayed out, so they are going to go in and wire them all back together. She is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday. My dad will take her in. Thank goodness because surgery is scheduled for 7am. Meaning she has to be there at 5am. After she is done, I will come and pick her up as it’s always easiest for her to get in and out of my car.

Today we spent the day at my parents’ house. We moved Suzi’s twin bed down to the living room so that Mom can be on one level after her foot surgery. Hubby also installed 2 grab bars in the bathroom to help her since she won’t be able to put any weight on her foot for about 8 weeks.

We now have the living room all set up for her. She has a twin bed, a TV, DVD player, phone, and all the necessities right within her reach. The doctor’s okayed a wheelchair for her also, so now she has a wheelchair to get around.

We practiced with the wheelchair today. We took her to Target and Michaels. She needed a whole list of stuff at Target and she got craft stuff to keep her sane the next 8 weeks. It gave me good practice getting the wheelchair in and out of my car, plus pushing her around. All though Hubby had more fun pushing her around and pretending he was going to push her into things.

We got home from errands just in time to see the beginning of the race. Both Hubby and I took a brief nap and then my dad made us dinner. Thank you to the Curless’ who sent my parents a big box of goodies from Omaha steaks. We ate the chicken cordon blue tonight for dinner and it was very tasty.

At work, I had an employee not show up today. Looks like I have lost another one! Good thing we had an ad in the paper recently so we have had a lot of applications come in! I have done interviews for 2 straight weeks and have more this week!

So, lots of stuff happening here. We also leave in 2 weeks for Europe. The weather is cold and icky today. I told Hubby I am glad we got married last year instead of this year, the weather is really bad this year!

I can’t believe tomorrow will be our 1 year anniversary! What a fun year it’s been so far!

And the winner is......

not who I wanted it to be! :(

(American Idol)

Same old, same old...

Things are still the same here. I am working all the time. I worked Friday and Saturday. Saturday night we went to the zoo ball. We payed a ridiculous amount of money for this ball, but hey, it benefits the zoo! And we got to get all dressed up, which is something we don't always get to do.

So, I got off work, rushed home, got all dolled up and we hit the road for the zoo. I knew we were having drinks with the hippo's, and I was telling Hubby I hope they let us park up there or the tram was running as I didn't want to walk all the way up there in my heels. Well, we parked in the parking lot and the local Cadillac dealership had Cadillacs with driver's ferrying people back and forth. So, the nice thing is that we didn't have to walk and they dropped us right in the middle of the party.

The first party of the ball was cocktails and a silent auction. We snuck over to see the white lions in the next building up. One of them was playing with a ball and having a good time with it.

Next was dinner. They set up a HUGE tent and we had dinner in there. While we ate, they had a live auction. The bummer part was that we ended up right under a speaker, and so it was LOUD! After we ate dinner and our delicious dessert, we ducked out of the tent because it was way too loud.

After dinner was dancing at the next pavilion over. They had a good DJ who was spinning some good tunes! After listening to a few songs we hit the road. We grabbed a Cadillac and headed down to the parking lot. We had to stop at the gift shop to pick up (and pay for) the 2 silent auction items we won. We ended up with brunch at the Broadmoor and dinner for 4 with the president of Colorado College before a hockey game, plus tickets to a game and a locker room visit.

Mom is doing okay. She gets the CAT scan of her foot read on Wednesday, so we will know more then. It's a stressful situation all around on everyone.

Yesterday Hubby went to the motorcycle races. We won tickets at the Red Ribbon Ball a few months back. But I wasn't interested, I don't like it when they wreck, and they always do. So, Hubby took his friend Glenn. They spent the day at the track watching several races and having a good time.

I spent the day being lazy. I ran a few errands but I pretty much just vegged out at home. I have to work today, but I get tomorrow off.

Road to Recovery

Well, let’s see. Since I last wrote there has been a lot going on. Sunday, I had a staff meeting at work. We had one of our food reps in to teach us all about food. It was very interesting and I really learned a lot about dog and cat nutrition. I enjoyed it very much. Then I had to work that day as well.

Suzi and Zak came down to take care of mom for a few days. They arrived Sunday and stayed through Tuesday evening. Mom is doing okay. She saw both a foot doctor and a hand doctor on Monday. It was determined that she needed thumb surgery to repair her thumb. It was also determined that there is a fracture in her foot and they aren’t sure but also maybe a joint is out of place. They are doing the CAT scan today on her foot to determine if surgery on her foot is necessary or not.

She did have surgery yesterday on her thumb. They ended up pinning the piece of fractured bone back into place. They didn’t even have to make an incision to do that, they just used the pins from the outside, guided by x-ray to pin the piece of bone back in place. In about a week she will have the pins pulled out.

Today we are working on retaining a lawyer. She will defiantly need one due to the co-pays that she had all ready had to pay out of pocket as well as the time she has all ready missed off work. It’s her right hand and her right foot so writing and driving are both out of the question.

I took her to surgery yesterday. Hubby, Buddy and I stayed the night. Since she had surgery late in the day yesterday she hadn’t eaten since Tuesday night at 9pm, so she was pretty hungry. We grilled steaks, made mashed potatoes and asparagus last night for her when we got home. Today, Hubby will take her to the CAT scan as well as to the lawyer’s office.

It’s going to be a long road to recovery for her. It’s going to be a long road for all of us…

Colorado switched their laws about car insurance within the last couple of years. We switched from no fault, to I guess someone’s fault. So, it used to be that when you got in a car accident, your car insurance just took care of everything for you. Not anymore, it’s a little bit more difficult now. Now, if you are in a car accident the best thing to do is to get yourself a lawyer.

So, I don’t know if I told everyone yet or not, but we got kitties at the store. They are 9 & ½ weeks old now and they are little terrors. They will live out their lives at the store, and man, right now they are little bundles of energy. We ended up naming them Bart and Lisa after the Simpson’s. We did that because Bart is a little troublemaker. We keep them behind the cash register until they are ready to get out and explore on their own. Well, while exploring behind the cash register, Bart managed to get himself down between the walls of drywall! One of the owners ended up having to cut him out!

But they are cute as a button, both of them! We just have to keep an eye on them at all times to make sure they don’t get into or cause too much trouble. The last few days they have been going out and exploring the store. I can’t wait to see what new tricks they have learned in the last day!

Friday the 13th

I never used to believe in Friday the 13th. I may now.

They day started off almost like any other day with just a few abnormalities. I had the day off from work. Hubby stayed home to work. (First abnormality). Hubby had a 4 inch thick binder of information he had to read.

He took a break about 10am so we could go to the DMV to get the plates for the Jeep. Well, we went prepared to spend about 2 hours there. We were in and out in about 20 minutes! (second abnormality).

The rest of the afternoon was okay. Hubby worked, I took a nap and watched TV. Then at 5:18pm I got a phone call. The rest of the story from here will all be abnormalities. It was my mother who said that she had been in a car accident and that she would be going by ambulance to a hospital. She called back about 20 minutes later to tell us which one.

Meanwhile, a storm was moving in. There were 2 claps of thunder and then suddenly there was a lighting so close that things in our house went zzzzzzzztttt. And of course the thunder was immediately upon the flash. I said “wow, that was CLOSE!” A few minutes later, a fire truck headed up the street! I told hubby that must have hit a house! So, on our way to the hospital we detoured through the neighborhood to see if we could see anything. Imagine out surprise when we head up the street a little bit to discover that there is not only a fire truck, but an ambulance too and they are working on a roofer on a driveway! From the scene we were seeing it looked like the roofer was on the roof and was hit by the lightning which blew him onto the driveway.

Well, we headed off to the hospital and wouldn't you know that that same ambulance passes us on the way. And of course since they had their lights and sirens on, they beat us there. We arrive a little after them. I finally was able to see my mom who had an injured foot, a broken thumb and lots of bumps and bruises.

We spent the next several hours waiting. Meanwhile, the roofer was okay, he did have severe burns so they ended up flying him via helicopter to a hospital in Denver that has a burn unit. But, he survived both the lighting strike as well as the fall off the roof onto the driveway because of it.

Hubby and I left about 9:45pm to go and get something to eat and then we headed for home. When I got home I called my dad to check on mom. She had finally been splinted and they were trying to decided what was the best way to get her home. We finally determined it would be my car. So, I got in my car and headed back down to the hospital. They didn't see any break on her foot, but it's about 3 times it's normal size and several colors it's usually not. So, there may be a break in there that they will not be able to see until the swelling goes down a bit. She will have to go and see a foot and hand specialist this week.

We got her in my car and home and in bed finally at 11:30pm ish. By the time I got home and in bed it was after midnight. Hopefully Hubby will be able to track down her car today and get her stuff out of it as well as some pictures of it. So, I may now believe in Friday the 13th...

Well, I guess I will go and check on my mom, see how she is holding up....

Addition

I am an Aunt! Well, to a dog. Suzi and Zak got a puppy! They now have an 8 week old boxer pup who they named Phoebe. She is unbelievably cute! Here are a few pictures:









They brought her up to the store Monday night where they spoiled her rotten. She got a collar, tag, a bed, a kennel and a million other things! She is such a sweet little girl!

So, yesterday was a day off! Yea! I actually woke up early, well, earlier than I normally would on a day off. I always watch Good Morning America, because I enjoy that show. While I watched that, I paid bills and exciting things like that. Then I headed off to Bed, Bath and Beyond to pick up new curtains. I saw some purple curtains that would look good in our bedroom a few weeks ago, and I finally went to get them. Then to WnW to pick up my paycheck and a few other things that Suzi and Zak might need still for the puppy. Then, on to King Soopers for some grocery shopping. After that, I came home, unloaded groceries, and started cleaning. Suzi and Zak stopped by about 11am. I made them a pan of brownies to take with them back to Greeley. We made sandwiches for lunch while Phoebe took a nap on our chair and Buddy hung around hoping for a dropped sandwich. The kids hit the road about 12 or 12:30pm and I went back to cleaning.

I hung the new curtains, and put away 2 baskets of laundry. About 4pm some people came to give us a price quote for cleaning. After they left, Buddy and I went for our daily walk. It was a BEAUTIFUL day yesterday. It was about 75 degrees outside with a slight breeze. They are predicting cold weather to move in today. After the walk, I broiled myself some salmon. Hubby is in a golf league at work and last night was his night to play, so he didn't get home until almost 9pm. After I ate dinner I had a nice phone conversation with my cousin.

So this past Saturday was the year anniversary of when Hubby broke his elbow. Hard to believe it!

Busy Weekend

Friday was another fun filled day of work. Friday's are always busy because we have to gear up for the weekend. Plus we usually have the remnants of a shipment left over to put away. We are so busy on the weekend that we don't have any time to get merchandise out or samples or anything like that. So, Fridays are always busy.

After work Hubby and I headed to Outback for dinner. We still had a gift certificate from a holiday, I think Valentine's day (thanks Mom!). So, we had a nice dinner.

Then at 1am Saturday morning I woke up with a horrible stomach ache. Then we had to get up at 5am in order to hit the road to get to Greeley in time. We got to Greeley at 8:45am and made it to the stadium in time to get good seating. We watched Zak graduate! His parents and one of his brothers were in town. Here is a picture of Zak, his parents and his brother.



After we had a brief stop at their apartment and a brief stop at a party for the graduates, we hit the road to come home. Which I was thankful for as I was fighting a pretty good case of the stomach flu. Thankfully that turned out to only be a 24 hour stomach flu.

I woke up this morning feeling weak, but a lot better! Suzi and Zak came down from Greeley and we picked up my parents and took them to the zoo. We had a Mother's Day brunch at their Safari Lodge. It again was good food. I didn't eat to much, but a couple people at our table went back for seconds so it must have been pretty tasty.

After that we took a quick trip around the zoo. The special exhibit this summer is “White Lions”. Well, I was a little unimpressed, they weren't very white. Apparently they start white at birth but the older they get they darker they get. So these must have been some pretty old lions because they were pretty dark. I will have a picture of them soon to show you.

After that we headed for home. We all seemed a little tired and draggy today. So, as soon as we got home we took a nap. Now hubby is working on his homework and I am making dinner.

To all you mother's out there: A very Happy Mother's Day to you!

Dog Food

Dog cancer and disease has been on the rise the last few years. Pretty much now a days it’s out of control. A long time ago a dog having cancer was pretty much unheard of. But not anymore! And people wonder why! Well, considering the meat that they add into the generic dog foods, it’s no wonder! Any meat that is not fit for human consumption, according to the FDA, is then given to the dog food plants who put the meat in dog food! So, sick, cancerous, diseased animals are put into dog food! That is a good reason as to why dogs should be fed a "natural" pet food. Yes it is a little bit more expensive, but it also is better for them. It’s kind of like feeding you dog McDonald’s everyday versus a homemade meal. So, if anyone ever had any question about what you are feeding your dog, remember this. If you buy your dog food in a grocery store, discount store or even a pet store such as Petsmart or Petco, you may not be getting the best food for your dog. I just had to share a little bit of what I have learned as it’s pretty scary what they put in dog food!

I am getting off my soapbox now....

Wednesday

Not too much is going on here. I smashed the end of my finger in the gate to the trash bin yesterday. So, I have one less finger to type with. It broke my nail and caused an immediate blood blister.

Our friends lost one of their dogs last Thursday, he was 14 ish and had had a stroke and lost the use of his legs. So, the ended up having to put him down. Then this weekend, their 3 year old dog got sick as well and they ended up putting him down yesterday. They have had a tough week! So, we took them out to dinner last night. I know that doesn't make up for their loss, but at least we were able to show them that we care.

One of my bosses is out of town this week which means I have to work a lot. Yipee.. I do have this weekend off though, which I am very much looking forward to!! We are heading up to Greeley for Zak's graduation on Saturday.

Well, I am off to walk on the treadmill...