I'll start with the newest information about my Dad. He is doing very well! He had surgery Friday morning and they did a double bypass/open heart surgery. The doctor said his heart was very strong, like a thoroughbred! He had his breathing tube removed today and also the chest tube. After two days of no talking, I am sure he was very happy to talk again! My sister said when she went to see him this morning the first thing he wrote was asking if Alabama won the football game. That's my Dad for ya! I was able to speak with him for about 15 minutes this afternoon and that felt so nice! He sounded great considering he hasn't been allowed to talk! He said he was feeling good.
SUCH A RELIEF!!!
My sister picked my brother up at the airport today so he is there now too. Between my siblings and Irene's, I am sure Dad has lots of company! Irene was released from the hospital yesterday, and today she was finally able to visit with him. It was difficult for them both to be apart, so I know they enjoyed their time together today.
If things continue on the nice path they are on now, I will wait until school is out for break to go up. That will give my sister a chance to go home and spend Christmas there with Aric's family. I am looking at keeping Abbi with me while I am there and sending Libbi on home with Dave. I am sure someone can look after Libbi while Dave is at work. There just is no way both girls can stay with me while I am helping Dad recover. I do not return to work until January 5.
We just take things a day at a time and will see what needs to be done.
Hearing his voice has been what has set me at ease.....both when I heard what happened and also today AFTER the big surgery. No one has a lot of details right now because his doctor is not at the hospital on weekends, so they expect a lot of information tomorrow when he returns. We still do not know if he actually had a heart attack or if it was simply signs leading to something of that nature. According to him, there was a steady downhill way about how he had been feeling. But with it being cold and flu season and the weather all over the place, it's hard to really know when something is wrong. Maybe he had that same inner voice that told me to go to the doctor when I had my PE because I just sensed something was definitely not right.
A LOT to be thankful and give praise about with Dad.
It has been a very busy weekend here! Friday at school we combined all the 200 second graders to practice all together the first time for their program (performance is this Thursday). We were very surprised at just how well they did for the first time all together! Mildly shocked is more like it! We have 3 more big practices on stage then a dress rehearsal Thursday morning and the performance Thursday night. It has been so much fun!
My work Christmas Party was Friday evening at a banquet place not far from our house. It was fun! We sat with the other Specialists, and Dave got to meet the other music teacher and they chatted FOREVER (he is a male an reminds me a lot of Dave, except Ted has tons of musical talent). Ted and I waited around for the party to get over to pack up the school sound system we took since they just used an IPod hooked up to the system instead of paying lots of $ for a DJ. Worked great. The principals did a hilarious skit featuring OPRAH and presidential candidates, weaving in some current school issues. Oh we laughed and laughed!
Saturday, we woke to get Abbi ready for her first parade of the day. The girl scouts were in the Lakeland Parade and rode on the back of a flatbed trailer. The theme of the parade was A STORYBOOK CHRISTMAS, so the girls all dressed in their PJs, the sides of the truck were adorned with big wrapped presents and the girls sang. Libbi, Dave and I watched from the end of the parade route (not too long of a parade and it was cold outside! Libbi had such a blast and smiled the entire time. She came home with a bagful of candy that she promptly agreed to share with her sister. We then had lunch and went home to get ready for the NEXT parade of the day that both girls were in. Libbi got a little nap while I straightened the house and got Abbi ready. This one was our town parade and their dance company was in it. The big girls danced and the little ones rode in the back of the truck. Their theme was salute to the armed forces and they wore red turtlenecks black shoes/leg warmers, and adorable camouflage mini-skirts that had red ribbons and a red underskirt and BELLS on them. They had camo hats too. The big girls danced to the CAN CAN music. Dave was not at this parade, though he did drop them off. He had to get to the church where the 4th Degree Knight's Christmas dinner was being held. Since he was in charge he had to be there. I took the camera and waited at the end of the route. Their spot was near the front and as they came to me, I snapped some pictures, then followed the truck around the corner where I picked them up and we darted to the van and home. I was lucky enough to have a great parking space that was close yet easy to get out of and depart the chaos! We were home by 5:30 and I had to transform myself into more formal attire, fix my hair and so forth. Kevin came to pick me up. He had been in the parade with his son Connor and since he too had to attend this dinner, it was easier for him to take me and them me ride back home with Dave once it was over.
By 6:15 Kevin and I were in the way to St. Anne's for the dinner. WHEW! We almost got stopped by the Bartlett parade, as they had shut the road down already two blocks from the church. Kevin got out and asked the cops if we could just drive to the church, I mean, why would we be wearing tuxes and formal attire for the parade and COLD????? The cop was nice and let us through, and considering the parade had not even started it was the right thing to be done on the cop's part.
The dinner was nice. It is mostly older people so they tend to leave right after dinner. That left us with well over an hour to kill after we cleaned up and until we had to be home for the babysitter. I suggested to Dave and Kevin that we try out the new little Sport's Bar in our little town and it was nice! I didn't know that smoking wasn't allowed in the bars anymore, and with this place being new, it did not smell like smoke at all. YAHOO!
This morning I went to play at the services at church, came home and we made brunch then we moved the furniture in the hearth and great rooms. We actually switched it between rooms. Long story on why but it is finally done and now we are able to both be in here comfortably. The "nice" furniture is not as comfy as this couch so I stayed on it out in the hearth room and Dave was in here in the recliner most nights. I asked if we could switch the furniture so we could all be together and not overuse the pretty couch hehehe. After we finished and I looked at my watch, I saw I had just 15 minutes until I had to leave for rehearsal. Rehearsal lasted almost 3 hours, our last one just us as the dress reh. begin with the full cast tomorrow evening. We worked out some last minute problem spots and ran through the harder musical selections as well as things we'd barely looked at.
When I came home, the Christmas Tree was up and about done, The girls were putting the ornaments on. I jumped right in and got the little knick-knacks out and put them up, along with the stockings and the manger scene that once belonged to my mother (it is at least 32 years old, I remember when she got it from a friend and how she adored it). My grandfather had made the little barn for his own manger scene at his house in Alabama, so when he died, my Mom got that. When my Mom died, I got the barn and the figures. They are hand painted and so beautiful! I remember how proud my grandfather was about making the barn too.
Exactly five years ago today, I did the hardest thing I ever had to do...said goodbye to my mom. I had rushed to Cincinnati to see her when her cancer spread into her brain and they moved her to the Hospice Center in Hamilton. She was, as we all felt, WAY too well to be there. She was talking to us like nothing was "bad". BUT, my brother, sister and I just felt we needed to go be with her to help her transition and also to be able to say goodbye and see her in case things deteriorated. I thought for days about what to say to her....I mean HOW do you tell someone, especially your mother, goodbye forever and thank you for everything? All while hoping it wasn't really the last time, and I had also taken Libbi with me as a 4 month old because she wasn't yet in daycare and Dave had to work. I arrived Dec 3rd and we had a great time visiting. We saw several families lose their loved ones the few days we were there. We spoke to the doctor who said he had no idea how much longer she had....maybe 6 months, maybe more. It almost made me ill to think of saying goodbye that Sunday afternoon before my Dad took me back to the airport. She told me Christmas was just a few weeks away and we'd see each other then, but I also think she knew that she was not going to make it to them. Anyways, I of course started crying and my words came out hundred times faster than I wanted and Mom cried some too. I was a blubbering mess. BUT...we felt great that each of us kids had the chance to say goodbye and I think she was glad to know and feel our love. I told her that if she felt it was her time to go and I was not there...to go ahead. I did not want her hanging on until I could get there. And then I hugged her and walked out the door to go make my flight. My dad took me to the airport and I cried at check-in because m bag was too heavy and I was about to again make that trek with an infant by myself through the airport and onto the place. BUT, we worked it all out and the lady said the plane only had 13 passengers (instead of 50 something I think) anyways so it would not be an issue for me to have one heavy bag under the plane. She seated me in the back by myself and I am so glad. I cried a lot on the way home. There was a group of guys that looked like they had just had a guys weekend and they were so sweet and loved on Libbi a bit before moving towards the front when she fell asleep so they would not bother her.
That was a LONG trip home, but I knew in my heart that most people never get to say goodbye so I did feel very good about that.
ANYWAYS, Kentucky is in the Liberty Bowl here in Memphis Jan 2. If I am back I will work in the sky boxes at the game with Dave....how cool? I am only a UK alumni tee hee.
I have more than typed enough for one evening. So much has happened or been crammed into just a few short days. The next 11 days are going to be busy.
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