4th of July

We went to Joe & Lauren's for the evening of the 4th of July. This is about the only time we see Lauren's parents, and Lauren's sister Emily and her husband Chris were home from the UK, so we saw them as well. I bought a new "point and shoot" camera because my last one finally pooped out, so I was experimenting and some of the pics didn't turn out like I wanted, but you will get the idea.

Joe and Lauren have a nice, older house, in Cedar Falls. They have done a lot to it since they bought it two years ago, including this week new concrete countertops, but the worst thing is NO YARD. But it actually works pretty good to just sit in the driveway that is off of an alley to grill.  It's nice to set your chairs on concrete and not in the grass with all the bugs.

This is Lauren, Lauren's mom Susan and Matt getting the grill/food ready:

Al, Emily (Lauren's sister) and Mark (Lauren's dad). I know, not a great picture, but you get what you get to get everyone in the blog!

Emily's husband Chris, and Olive, the first Chinese Crested in the family. She is Lauren's parent's dog. She really just looks like a tiny Tai: almost the same coloring and almost the same amount of hair, just smaller, although like Tai, she's a little challenged. She has one eye that doesn't go the right way. She's a doll, though, and likes almost everyone, especially if you have food.

 

Chris is from England and he had a shirt from Old Navy with patriotic stuff on it. In his English accent he said that he was an "American Patriot" for the night! But only for the night. We will give him that one.

Matt was leaving for Des Moines the next day so he was a little funky that night. It's a big step for a young guy. He's the one who calls almost every day and still the one that comes and sees us the most often (he's the baby!). This is going to be a little weird without him around. (Love you baby!)

Joe was at an all day volleyball tournament (like mom USED to be able to do!) so he was hot and tired (and maybe a teeny bit grumpy). Not too grumpy, just obviously tired and ready for bed. Leave me alone!

 

We have the second Chinese Crested in the family, Tai.  He, of course is the epileptic one that cannot stand being without a shirt. If I do say so though, he is the cutest one!

Then Joe and Lauren have the next two in the family. Clover is basically blind. He can see shapes, and he really does pretty good for not seeing anything, but every now and then if he's confused or doesn't know where he is, he will just start turning around in circles. He really is a nice little guy, though.

Then comes Violet. She is the last one (for now!) of the Chinese Crested dogs. She really is the only real normal one in the bunch!

We didn't ever end up going to watch fireworks. I was a little bummed, only because my new camera has a "fireworks" setting on it and I wanted to try it! Oh well......

For whatever reason, at the end of the evening, the guys had to see who had the biggest muscles. I think Al is just trying to keep up with the boys. He does do a pretty good job for 48, but I think Matt has finally passed him up! And the 20 lbs he lost when he was sick doesn't help, although he does look pretty good!

 

Although I do think Lauren is right there with them! Nice ones, Lauren!

:)

Matt's moving :(

Matt starts his new job in Des Moines on Monday. He's excited and nervous all at once, but looking forward to it I think. He doesn't have an apartment there yet, so he's staying with Matt & Erica in Ankeny for a couple (few?) weeks until he can find one.

IN THE MEANTIME......he is homeless. Well, not really, but he officially moved out of his old apartment Sunday and has been shacking with different people this last week. It's kind of weird having someone live (even for a couple days) with you again. The last time he really lived here was probably 3 or 4 years ago. It's a little strange. But it's been nice to see him, I think it's going to be more challenging to see him once he moves to Des Moines. He can't just call up 30 minutes before to go have lunch with him. I guess it's just one more reason to go visit Des Moines!  This dogs do like having someone else to sit on and cuddle, though.

I do hope he finds an apartment soon (and I'm sure Matt & Erica will agree in a few weeks) because he moved all of the stuff from his apartment to our house. It's amazing how much you can accumulate in just a few years.

And this in only part of it, the back bedroom is full, too, as well as part of the garage, and he STILL has stuff in his old garage to move! 

He had to give away his cat, because most places do not accept pets, but evidentially his things still smell like her because Roxie keeps going downstairs to sniff everything. Tai, even after 1 1/2 years, will not go down the inside stairs, so he just waits at the top.

Have a great 4th of July! We are going to Joe & Lauren's to grill out and watch the fireworks.

TTFN

Finally Home!

We finally got Al out of the hospital this afternoon. He was so ready! After surgery Thursday, he felt 200% better. He hasn't taken a pain med since last night, he did take an ibuprofin this afternoon, but that's it. It really is amazing what they can do and what a difference it can make! He was in so much pain for almost two weeks and now he is basically pain free. He can't lift anything over 10 lbs. and cannot drive or work for 3 weeks, then he will have restrictions for another couple after that. By the looks of him tonight, I think he is going to be very very ready to go back to work when the time comes.
And the dogs are very very happy to have him home, now Roxie can quit running around the house looking for him.

Night & Day difference

This morning I got back to the hospital and Al was sitting in a chair eating breakfast and actually smiling! He feels wonderful, nothing like it has been the last two weeks. Later this morning he walked part of the way around the floor and up and down a few steps. That's as much as he has done for a long while.
A part of the disc was broken off and had just been floating around for a while and it finally just landed next to the nerve and a blood vessel. Who knows when it happened, but he probably didn't have the pain until it found it resting place.
It really is amazing what can be done and what a difference something like that makes.
I think now the issue is going to be keeping him down, but that's so much better than it was before! He will probably go home in a couple hours.
Thanks to everyone for their help and support these last couple weeks.
Love ya!

An update....

We went to a nerve Dr. today to "map" the nerve in Al's back and leg to see if it's working right or how "pinched" it is. We really didn't learn anything new, we know it's pinched, but the surgeon that we are seeing tomorrow requests these tests before they decide what to do next and how soon to do it. So....we don't know much more than we did before. He is pretty drugged up today. He pretty much just sleeps in the bedroom except when I bring him medicine or something to eat. He has been eating better this week....last week he was down 15 pounds from the week before. It's really strange to see this big, burly, macho guy taken out so bad. I mean, this is a guy who stitched up a cut in his hand not too long ago! (not that that was real smart, but you get the idea: he is in pain like he hasn't ever had before) The Dr. today said there is a fairly new procedure called a "micro-surgery" where they just go in arthroscopicly and take out the piece of the disc that is broken off and it's not real invasive and usually there is a quick recovery. Hopefully he will be a candidate for something like that.

When we were at the Dr. today they announced on the loud speakers a Thunderstorm Warning, then a few minutes later they announced a "code white". Then the nurse came in and said that we were under a tornado warning (that would be what a "code white" is I assume) and that we would have to move. Then they came in and said that since we didn't have any windows in the room, we were fine to just stay there. It was kind of weird just sitting there under a tornado warning! At least we were in the middle of a big brick hospital and probably pretty safe, but it was weird. There wasn't a tornado, just very high winds, but it was still pretty strange.

After we got home there were a few branches broken off here and there but nothing too bad. It did make for great sunsets, though. It was the kind of sky that is a weird shade of green (if you have seen it you know what I mean). I tried to get pictures, but you just can't get that weird color on camera, but I tried.

Throughout this whole thing Roxie doesn't quite know what's going on. She realizes something isn't right, but isn't sure what's wrong or what to do. She always has her worried look and keeps going in and sitting by the bedroom door where Al is. Tonight they were both pretty calm, which was nice for a change. 

Of course, Tai doesn't have a clue that anything is wrong anyway!

I will let you know what the Dr.'s say tomorrow.

Bellevue camping

We took the trailer out for it's first "official" camping trip, other than our own campground to Bellevue, which is on the east side of the state along the Mississippi River. The Conversation Board Director there used to be the park ranger at our park, so we thought we would go visit. It was a nice campground in a great location. He saved three spots for us that were right on the river. We didn't pull in until almost dark and it took 4 people telling Al which way to go to back it in. To be fair to Al, though, there was mature trees about 3 feet away from the trailer on both sides, and it was almost dark, so it was a bit hard.

Being right on the river, Al was pretty sure he would just fish all weekend. He did. The trouble was the only thing he caught that was of any size was this lovely CARP!

We did go to a small (very small) pond that the county is going to drain and re-line that was full of 12" rainbow trout. It was fed by a spring and full of grass and moss, but all you had to do was put a small worm under a bobber and throw it out and catch all you wanted. They are going to make it into a child's fishing pond, which will be great. It was still fun (although not real sporting!).

The rest of the weekend we just sat, read and enjoyed the quiet.  Even the dogs were good. (never mind the foot in the picture!)

I think one of the best things was the sunrise in the morning and just being able to sit out along the river and watch the geese go by and an occasional barge and read or whatever without a plan.

Although most of you by now know what we have been doing all week (either sitting in the hospital with Al or dealing with him at home), you can tell by this picture that it had already started in Bellevue.

This picture is from Saturday. Today he can't even sit or stand, he is only comfortable laying on his right side. A a quick update for those that don't know: Al has a herniated disc in his back. He didn't do anything in particular, it just started hurting a week ago last Thursday. By Monday night he was down for the count and hasn't been right since. They have had him on all manner of pain killers trying to find the right one with no real relief from any of them. They finally admitted him to the hospital yesterday after two trips to the ER and two MRI's and gave him a steroid injection this afternoon. But the Dr. said that the disc (or a piece of it that may have broken off) is blocking the canal and she didn't feel real good that he was going to get any relief from it because she couldn't get all the medicine in. We will be off (more than likely anyway) to see a surgeon next week. It really is the wrong time of year to have this happen, but there is not much that can be done. We just hope that whatever they decide to do gets done soon and hope that it works! Keep your fingers crossed! It's been a very long week and we are both looking forward to a return to normal.

Oh! and one more thing! Sarah and Craig have started their own blog: http://craigsarahandfamily.blogspot.com/

Check it out!

TTFN

Mexico, 2009

Jack asked me to go to Mexico for a couple days to help get the house in Mexico ready for a photographer to take new pictures. Plus we are starting the rent out the one next door, so we had to have pictures of that one. Al couldn't go, so I asked if Joe and Lauren wanted to. (everyone else needs to get their passports, so that they can go!!)

We flew down on Friday and came back on Monday, so it was a very very short trip. And it was 95 degrees. Hot as can be. The pool felt great (from what I hear, I didn't get the chance to get in. It really was a working trip!).

There is a cat that has been there every time that I have been down there, and sure enough it showed up again. He took a liking to Lauren, but, then again, I think he takes a liking to everyone that he thinks might feed him!

And since we were not paying guests, we did our own dishes. Do you suppose Joe actually does this at home?

We went over on Saturday night with the photographer and had dinner. Since we were only going to be there such a short time we didn't buy much for groceries, so it was nice to have a decent dinner.

The resorts are always gorgeous, and usually filled with people, but since the swine flu has decreased the amount of tourists to Mexico, the Iberostar had only 2 of the 6  resorts open. You had no trouble with lines at dinner, but we had to walk and walk to get there (in the dark). This photo is from a few years ago, but this was the resort we went to.

And the beach. Jack's house is right in the center of this picture down the beach.

The whole reason for the trip was to get the houses ready for the photographer to take great pictures to make people want to rent them. Of course this means lots of work to make everything shine. Alejandro, the caretaker and Marina, the housekeeper worked hard to help make it all happen. Joe and Lauren wanted a picture with the two of them.

Marina made such cute towel animals. Every time you go to one of the resorts the maids make towel characters and put them on your bed after they clean. They do this sometimes everyday. Here are a couple that Marina made.

A dinosaur:

 

A baby doll:

And lovebirds in the master bathroom:

The pictures turned out great and we will have them updated on the websites soon. Both homes are very beautiful and I always love going down there, even if it is only for a weekend. You can check them out at the respective websites:

www.villa-paradise.com (this one is Jack's)

www.villacarolinamexico.com