Monday, January 29, 2007

The Case of The Missing Blogger



Monday, 29 January 2007

Well, it seems to be true that I have been missing a few blogs since 2007 started, not because I haven't wanted to write a few things, but mainly because my life has been super busy, so busy that I haven't even been doing Bikram yoga. Geez, what a slacker! (No, but really, I have better excuses than that.) My life has been consumed with the following (in no particular order):

1) Planning a wedding
2) Hunting a wild mother pig and baby piglets
3) Watching Dad
4) Making Invitations
5) Shopping
6) Trying to Sleep
7) Trying to Eat
8) Walking

To recap, 1) Yes, I have been planning a wedding...And, if all goes as planned, I will know that it is indeed possible to plan a wedding in 5 weeks.
2) For the past few weeks, or perhaps it's been a month, we have been rudely awakened by barking dogs and rustling in the bushes. Finally, I saw it with my own eyes. We have feral pigs (a brown sow and two black piglets) running around our property, eating avocadoes that have fallen from the tree, and making their way down the hill from about 7 pm to 2 am each night.
3) Watching Dad is the same routine. But of course not without some humorous stories. One day, after I showered and dried him, he instructed me to pull a chest hair and save it for myself. For what you might ask? "For DNA testing," he said. So in a labeled ziploc bag it went. This past weekend (1/27), he had difficulty being off the bi-pap machine for more than 40 minutes. So he didn't bathe that day. We may have to consider sponge baths in the very near future as his ability to sit upright without assisted breathing is getting extremely difficult and scary.
4) After daily trips (over a week) to Ben Franklin Crafts store and Kinko's and one late night of Miya and I gluing, embossing, and tying ribbon, the invites were finally mailed out. (And, as people are RSVPing, Dad is trying to see how many more he can invite. Yikes!)
5) Bridesmaid dresses, jewelry, little guys'outfits....
6) With the dogs and pigs waking us up at least once a night, sleeping soundly is hard to come by.
7) For about a month and a half, I had difficulty eating my favorite foods. I'm feeling better now.
8) Because I haven't been doing yoga and I have not been disciplined enough to do the video, I've tried to walk up and down the hill at least 3-4 times per week, sometimes with Kaliko by my side.

And, now who's wedding am I planning you might ask? Well, surprise, surprise...Yes, it is true. Chris and I are getting married on Saturday, February 17th, so that my dad can "walk me down the aisle". Since we're accelerating this for my dad, we can only invite family and close friends. I plan to have receptions later down the line in Hawai'i, Seattle, and California so that those that couldn't come on such short notice can attend and celebrate our new beginnings with us.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Planning

Thursday, 11 January 2007

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged, but let's just say it's been a busy start to the new year....and I have a feeling 2007 is just going to get busier.

I've been busy planning a luncheon for next month, and with work starting today, how did I spend it?? Well, working on all 43 report cards that I've put off these past three weeks since being on vacation. The students come back tomorrow for one day before the three day weekend. This weekend will be spent shopping, planning, and more planning. But, Chris and I do have a fun outing on Sunday night, going to listen to Blue October in concert (after they cancelled the concert because they were scared of the storm that hit us back in October.)

Hospice has been checking in with Dad each week since Christmas. He is pretty much dependent on the bi-pap machine in order to breathe. It helps him to breathe easier during the day, sleep through the night, helps him to talk, and helps give him more energy before bathing. The pulmonologist said if he gets a headache, then goes on the bi-pap, and then the headache goes away, then that's fine. It shows that it he needs the bi-pap machine to push out the carbon dioxide.

But, if he has a headache, goes on the bi-pap, and then the headache still doesn't go away and he starts getting drowsy, then that means the pressure needs to be higher on the bi-pap.

Yesterday, we lost one of our members of the support group to ALS. She had just signed up with hospice recently.

Hospice volunteers can help give us respite care, bathe Dad, and even will take him into a home with nurses, for a weekend, if my stepmom needs respite on the weekends.

That will be helpful as Bernice is now sick with a cold and is busy taking my stepsister Lindsey shopping for winter ball and prom dresses.

Today, I talked with one of my coworkers (who actually was my 4th grade teacher when I was in school) about Dad, and she reflected on how helpful hospice was when her mom was sick. It's a tough time, but she emphasized the importance of talking to your loved ones before they go. "Do you talk to your dad?" she asked me. "Yes."

Even through tough times, it's nice to be able to sit and talk with my dad, make plans, and continue to live each day to its fullest.