Care Package

I received a care package from my friend Tony in Chicago yesterday. He sent Malibu Rum (my favorite), a couple of shot glasses, chocolate truffles, and coffee. Apparently Tony knows me pretty well!

A very thoughtful and appropriate package for me, and the timing couldn't have been better.

Thank you Tony, you are a sweetheart!

My Hero

Ever since I heard this song many, many years ago, it has always reminded me of my Dad. I heard it again today, and of course it made me cry. He truly was the wind beneath my wings.

Support

The outpouring of support I have received via private emails, comments, and mainly on my FB account has been so wonderful and touching. I can't begin to thank everyone enough. Your notes, kind words of concern and gentle advice have been so good for me. I've been sharing everything with my Mom, and she too has been so touched.

The words "Thank you" simply aren't enough, but it's all I have to offer right now. I've also been absolutely overwhelmed by the deliveries of flowers and plants I've recieved since yesterday. I just don't know how to begine to express my appreciation...so for now I will simply say....

Thank you Valerie
Thank you Denise and Gregg

Thank you Jill and Jeremy

and Thank you Troy

Sometimes Prayers Aren't Enough

The world lost a wonderful, loving man today.

Rest in Peace my Sweet, Perfect Poppa. You were truly, and without a doubt, the best Daddy a girl could have ever, ever asked for.

I love you now, I will love you forever.

3/4/29 - 1/5/12

Please.

My Dad just got taken in for his hip surgery. Please keep him in your thoughts this morning.

Really 2012?

Is this is how you want to start things off? Just a few days ago you were new, and fresh, and showed the promise of a beautiful, peaceful new year.

We started off together nice enough, ringing in the new year with family and a handful of friends. We played some cards, ate a bit of food. We even relaxed that first day together, lounging on the couch, watching a couple of old movies, and just enjoying each other. I thought we were getting along just fine.

You must not like Mondays. While I was on the way to Pasadena on the second to see the Rose Parade floats (I'll show pictures of some of those soon) you decided to show your true colors. I got a text from a dear friend telling me he'd lost his beloved canine companion of 17 years. While it was not completely unexpected, it was still heartbreaking and certainly not the way to kick off the first week of the new year.

Shortly after that, still on Monday, I sent another long time, very dear friend a birthday wish. She no longer lives in San Diego, but I knew she was in town to welcome you, 2012, in with her family. I quickly received a response from her saying that her father was very, very sick. I knew that he hadn't been well, but I hadn't realized the severity of his illness.

Needless to say, my heart was heavy walking around looking at the sites, thinking of two of my very dearest friends, worried for both of them and praying that Mother Nature held off for just one day, sparing my friend her birthday.

We had a pleasant time at the post parade viewing, but it was very warm, and there were so many people there it was hard to enjoy the event. Still, we made the most of it, saw the greater majority of the floats, got some great pictures, and were grateful for the experience.

Shortly after getting back to our car I got the text I was dreading...my friend's father died. On her birthday. Dammit. Out of the 365 days, it had to be that one? Sometimes things almost seem like a cruel, horrible joke.

After what proved to be a pretty rough Monday, I was ready (at least I thought I was) for a new day. I didn't have much on the agenda on Tuesday, which is pretty rare for me. I was looking forward to spending some time with the kids, playing catch-up on some emails, getting a little paperwork done, etc. The day started off as planned, and was going along nicely until around 2:30pm. I was just finishing up a late lunch with the girls when my cell rang. It was my Mom telling me that my Dad had taken a fall coming out of dialysis, and that she was going to take him to the hospital to get him checked out. Sounds like a good idea I thought to myself. I told her to call me and let me know how things were. Just minutes later I got another, this time panicked, call from her telling me to get to the hospital ASAP. Something was terribly wrong. When they'd gotten my Dad into the car after the fall he seemed OK, but when they got him out at the hospital, he was not. They weren't sure what had happened - a possible stroke or heart attack, but whatever was going on wasn't good. He lost consciousness and was completely unresponsive for several minutes.

To make a long story a little shorter, we still aren't sure what exactly happened. It does not look like he had a stroke, but we aren't 100% sure about a heart attack. His heart went into an abnormal rhythm and his pacemaker kicked in and did what it was supposed to do. That's a good thing, but we have no idea why it went into the arrhythmia to start with. That's the scary part. On top of the heart concerns, sure enough during the fall the poor guy broke his hip. Dammit again! He was finally moved from the ER room into a regular room at about 9:15pm last night. At least is was a little better than the hectic ER environment.

So...Pops will need surgery to put a rod and a screw into his hip to repair it. The problem is that with is heart troubles (did I mention he's had a quintuple bypass a while back?) there are some major concerns. We spoke to several different doctors yesterday from an internist to an orthopedic surgeon to a cardiologist and they are all in agreement that the surgery needs to be done as soon as possible. They will be running some more tests on Pop's heart today, being sure that the pacemaker and defibrillator are doing what they are supposed to be doing, and that he is as (in their words) "tuned up as he can be" for the surgery. The newest news is that they will give him another dialysis treatment either late tonight or early tomorrow, and then do the surgery tomorrow. The surgeon already told us that the recovery is a long, difficult one, so that's something to dread look forward to...

You know I don't usually ask for much of my blogging and FB friends, but my Pops sure could use some prayers and good vibes sent his way. If you are so inclined, it would be very appreciated. I'll keep you updated.

Until then, I'd like to remind Ms. 2012 that if you keep treating people so crappy, you are going to get a really bad reputation. Nobody likes a royal bitch, so back off.

'Nuff said.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to my wonderful family and friends! I hope today will be the beginning of an extraordinarily good year for you. I look forward to sharing it with you.