My mother is on my mind......

My mother has been on my mind a lot lately. You see she died of heart problems when she was only 58 years old. Her side of the family has a history of early deaths and heart problems. On Valentine's Day in 1990, she gave up her fight for life. She was undergoing a simple procedure on her heart, when the left side of it stopped working. I don't want to follow in her footsteps!

With my family history, I am doomed! Heart issues on my mother's side and cancer on my father's side. God knows that I would never want to be like my father, except for one thing! His heart health! Even with all of the cancer and lung problems, his heart was always strong. Please God, let him pass that on to me. He owes me that much!

Today, I underwent a CT Scan of the heart. Thank God for my daughter in law, Joanne. She is a nurse practitioner for my cardiologist, Dr. Maniar. Because she knew that I would be paranoid to have a heart catheterization done, she and Dr. Maniar went to bat with my insurance company so they would agree to pay for a CT Heart Scan instead. I had this done because I was having abnormal EKG's and did not get a passing grade when undergoing a nuclear stress test.

The test wasn't all that bad! Scary, because as I learned from my mothers death, any time that they are doing something with your heart, something can go wrong! The only thing that caused me any pain during the procedure was when they inserted the I V. And even that wasn't bad. The weird thing was the feeling that you get when they inject you with the dye during the scan. You can feel it travel from the top of your head, all the way down to your toes. It gives a hot sensation as it travels through your veins. The worst part of all of it, is the wait for the results. Although, I know that it will be quicker than most, because, Joanne will be on the look out. And no matter what turns up, I am sure that I will have the best doctors available.

Tomorrow, Gary (Pop Pop) goes in for some oral surgery. This week is strange for us as we are usually not having health issues that require hospital visits and surgery. But, it could be worse! I will be keeping my fingers and my toes crossed!

Looking back on my childhood

As most of you know, I was never really close to my real father until the end of his life. Growing up, I was never physically abused by him. However, my older brother and my mother were. Many a nights as a child, I would have to make the mad dash to our neighbors house. Screaming at the top of my lungs for someone to help my mother. It only took a couple of minutes for me to make that run, but, for a child in trouble, it seemed like an eternity! And each time before I took that run, my father would yell for me to stay put. Thankfully, for my mother, I was brave enough go for help. And looking back on it now, what seemed like an eternity for me, must have been pure hell for my mother, as she was the one being beaten and choked.

In those days, the police did not get involved with domestic problems. And when looking back, I think that for the most part, many believed that the woman must have deserved the beating. Thank God for our neighbor, he would come running and could talk my dad into stopping. What did my mom really do to deserve those beatings?? She worked (when he told her not to) while he was off truck driving. If he came home early and found her working he would make her pay. She did what she had to do to put food on our table and clothes on our backs. Back then, we had an angel, by the name of Kitty, helping our family. Kitty was the manager of the truck stop and she would allow my mother to work in the restaurant when my father was driving and be off when he was home.

To make a long story short, my mother, who had every right to hate my father told me to take care of him because he had lived a life of hatred and had already paid for what he did. As she lay dying, I knew that if she could forgive him, then I too could be that kind of person. You see, she knew that cancer was taking over him and that he would need someone to care for him.

Day Cares

Well, it is official! All of my "babies" are in daycare. They don't go to the same one, but both day cares are very good.

Mason started in Imagination Station the week after his mommy, Joanne, returned to work. The first week back they were fortunate to have her mother stay with them. Joanne was not excited about daycare because she always thought of them as having "snotty nose kids" and "germs". Because I used to run a daycare, she knew that I thought differently about them. I think that she wanted to please me, so we had a couple of day cares lined up and a couple of private sitters to interview as well. So, I took off for the day and we went looking. The first day care that we went into was Imagination Station. It was a new facility and everyone was great! We ended up putting up a deposit to hold the spot and went on with our search. After a day of searching we knew that we were going with the first one! They have been so good with him and Joanne says that he is so smart because every day he has pictures that he has colored, pasted or painted. She laughs and says that she feels like a "bad mother" because she can't give him that much attention at home. LOL And, oh yeah, as for the germs...... this is the first week that he has been out sick. So, he made it several months in good shape!

As for Haylee and Rylee, they were blessed to have a private sitter, Sara, watch them since they were born. She has been outstanding and I believe that Rylee is so smart because Sara spent so much time with her. Not to mention that she also has older children of her own to show her the ropes. And Haylee is following in her sister footsteps. But, with some personal issues going on her life it is hard for her to continue to babysit. Mitch and Amy chose Collina Kids for their girls to attend. This was the 2nd daycare that Joanne and I checked into. It was also a top notch daycare and is closer for Mitch and Amy. Plus the fact that Amy's friend Sarah is the Assistant Director there.

This is the first week in daycare for them and for Haylee it has been great. She seems happy and can adjust. Rylee is having a little separation anxiety when she is dropped off. But, the teacher says that she is doing good during the day. She hasn't had any "potty accidents" and seems to love all of the activities.

I am sure that in no time at all it will be like a second home for them. No, scratch that........the second home is always at Mimi's! It can be their third home!

Kids can make things go from bad to good.....

Today, I was on my way to Gary's shop. It's Saturday and he went in early to work on his 55 Chevy. I figured that I would stop at Burger King and pick up a couple of sandwiches for us to eat. The drive thru was lined up so I parked and went inside to order. Surely, the inside would be faster......I opened the door and good deal, there were only a couple of people in line. For once, I was right! Or so I thought....... The order went great, but, what can be hard about ordering 2 chicken sandwiches and 1 cheeseburger (the cheeseburger was for the dog who was with Gary). Then the waiting started......

I was growing madder by the minute and if I had not already paid, I would have just left. There was a woman and a little boy standing beside me. He caught my eye when he came in the front door with her as he was very cute, but chubby. I would guess that he was around 7 years old. (He reminded me of my little brother, Glen, when he was that age. Glen hates looking at pictures of him as a little boy as he too was on the chubby side.)

The minute the little boy got up to the counter, he started saying that he wanted 6 chicken nuggets, fries, a milkshake and don't forget the butterfinger pie! The woman he was with asked him if he could eat all of that and he said yes and then he asked her if he could play on the inside playground. She said that since she could see him from there that it would be okay. I watched him as he ran in the door and removed his shoes and socks and began playing.

I began to think of my mother and how she would have ordered that same meal for my brother and I, had we asked for it. After all, the diet could start tomorrow. Which is probably why Glen was heavy as a child. I was never heavy as a child, but, it caught up to me as an adult!

Then all of the sudden, he jumped down from the slide and came running out. There was such an urgency that I thought that something had happened to him. But, when he ran through the door he yelled "Maw Maw, a hummer", She laughed and said, "Where"? He pointed out the window and sure enough, there was a hummer making a turn at the intersection. He then laughed and said that he was winning now 10 to 6 and then ran back in to play. I had to laugh and told her that I used to play that with my sons. Only we were looking for Volkswagen's, not hummers! It made me think back to when my children were little and how the smallest things would make their day! I loved playing games with them, reading to them or just admiring their wild imaginations. Children are always full of energy and I believe that they keep you young, as long as your not afraid to act silly with them!

Then, my number was called and I realized that kids can make things go from bad to good in no time. That little boy had kept my mind busy and brought back a few memories while doing it.....

Easter with our bunnies......

Easter was fun for us this year as we prepared baskets and colored Easter eggs for the little ones. It was impossible to get a picture of all the "bunnies" together with everyone happy. Even Mason and Haylee were tired of trying. So, I will just show a few separate pictures of each.

Pop Pop made sure that each had their own egg specially made by him.

Michael and Joanne had us all over to their house for dinner and festivities. Joanne is getting to be quite the cook, she put a lot of hard work into everything and it tasted great! And not the first tamale!

Mason (top) & Haylee (bottom) both liked the baskets, as long as they were in them alone........

Rylee loved the Easter egg hunt and especially liked the candy that came from them!

Rylee is very good about getting everyone involved in some kind of play! She had Mimi playing the "Poky Hokey" and Pop Pop playing a little Simon says....... Unfortunately for Pop Pop, Mimi had the video going. Enjoy...........

Next year will be even busier for us, as all 3 grand kids will be running around. Our Easter blessings were abundant. Thank God for our family. We are blessed to have 2 fantastic sons and they married 2 great women. We couldn't love them anymore.

A Life Remembered

Yesterday, we celebrated the life of my stepfather, Kelly Carver, shown above with his current wife of 8 years, Maria. He was a christian man, so there is no doubt in our minds where he is. I am sure that he was welcomed into heaven by my mother, Betty. I am sure that he once again aggravated her by pulling his pants up high, turning his cap backwards and saying "Give me a Kiss", which is something that we witnessed numerous times. He is no longer in pain and will never again have to struggle with his memory.

In the years that my mother was married to him, one of the things that we all admired about him was that he could remember things from way back, names were never a problem and he always had a story to tell. He was an old "Georgia Boy" and loved to farm and raise animals. Both he and my mother had been married a few times before finding each other. And although I never had problems with stepfathers, my little brother Glen had many. That all changed when Kelly came along. Sure, there were many times that Glen said he couldn't stand him as he did the various chores that Kelly made him do. But, Kelly never treated us as stepchildren. Instead he always told us that he couldn't love us any more if we were his "real" kids. Glen & I both say that we always think of Kelly when we hear the song, Half the Dad that he didn't have to be, by Brad Paisley. My children also loved him and he was their "true" Grandpa. My mother and Kelly moved from Georgia and bought a place two houses from us, so our boys were very close to them growing up.

It was very touching to listen to my stepbrother, Terry, speak at the service. He said that he wished he could stand up and tell everyone a lot of happy stories about growing up. But, there wasn't many. Back then, his father was a hard man to deal with and was not very happy with life. Terry said that he believed that his father's life truly began when he married my mother. My mother brought the family together and changed his dad for the better. After my mother died, Terry remained close to his father and talked to him on a daily basis. Even after Kelly remarried and moved to Ecuador, his wife Maria said that he waited each night for the call from his son. So, for Terry that is what he will miss the most. The daily talks with his dad.

As my mother was a peacemaker, so was Kelly. Before he came along, my real father, Chet, hardly came around. But, Kelly wanted him in our lives and there were a many Sunday dinners that my father was also included at the table. They were both long distance truck drivers and had many roadtrips to talk about. Kelly was also an honest man, he raised his children by telling them to never lie. He said that if a man would lie to you, he would steal from you to. As people, one by one, got up to share stories about him it made me think about life in general. My mother always used to tell us not to wait for someone to die to send flowers or tell them how you felt. Instead, make sure that they knew how you felt and cherish them while they are here with you. But, as each person got up to share their story, it was clear that Kelly touched each and every one of them during his time on earth. Some even shared songs that he had sung, as he loved to sing. In fact, as we unplugged the life support and stood around his bed, we all sung songs to him. Some church hymns, but, also his favorite song, You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille, by Kenny Rogers.

Saying goodbye is always hard for those left behind. And sometimes, in death, I think that it is the hardest thing for the person dying to deal with, those that they are leaving behind. Kelly died doing what he did best. He was fighting for life. He did not want to leave us and most importantly his wife, Maria. They married very late in life and she had never been married before. He was the love of her life and she came along when he needed her the most. Maria is such a strong woman and as his health was going downhill, she was there to nurture him, clean him and love him. He was a very appreciative man and expressed his feelings well. He told her daily how much she meant to him. As he lay dying we all promised that Maria would be taken care of. Although she may not have ever given birth to children, she has many stepchildren that love her and will be there to support her.

Goodbye for now, Kelly. And as the song goes, There's a better home awaiting, in the sky Lord, in the sky..........

Ahh.....Spring Break, some time with my little man

For Spring Break, I took 3 days off. I really needed to take care of some appointments that I have been putting off for awhile. However, I also had some fun time scheduled as well!

I had a lunch meeting with my co-workers and a secretary from our office that retired several years ago. Kathi also took off and we decided to bring along the grandchildren. She has two older grandchildren and brought them both. They were both very well behaved and made their me- maw proud! I have to say that I was reminded of Rylee because after we sat down to order, Olivia, Kathi's 3 year old granddaughter said, Barbara.......Play! She had brought some toys along and wanted to play. I thought that she was cute and did manage to play some with her as well. Donovan, her 5 year old grandson, showed off his reading ability. He really did a great job!

I am not that brave to try and take all 3 of mine. I guess that I need to give myself a little credit as mine are very young with two being only 5 months old and one being 22 months old. So, I decided to bring along my little man, Mason. My co-workers have seen my girls before and this was their first face to face meeting with Mason. As soon as we sat down, I decided to feed him his peas and give him a bottle. Afterwards, he was content to just sit with me. Even though he was full, we all laughed as every time I put the fork to my mouth he looked at me as if to say, hey, what about me???? He did great and never cried or got fussy once.

After, leaving the restaurant, we went to the car dealership to have my oil changed and new tires put on my car. When I bought my car, I received tires for life. It is a great program, but, you really have to be ready to fight for your tires. After a little hassle, I got my new tires.

But, had a little wait. Again Mason was a trooper. I keep a stroller in my car and we walked outside and inside looking at everything. Then we went into the lobby and played. He is starting to really "jabber" and loves everyone stopping to say how cute he is. Boy, he really is just like his daddy! My salesman, Mike, was there and he kept coming over to play with him. Mason just laughed out loud at him. Of course, Mike was sure that it was the color of his skin and his bald head. But, it was because he was crazy and loud. After he left, I am sure that everyone thought that I was crazy as I sang, Five little Monkey's jumping on the bed and other little songs. But, for that moment...... I was making his day and he was making mine!

We met mommy at Pop Pops shop and spent a little time playing there. While walking him to the car, Michael called Joanne to see if we made it back from our little adventure. Always being the funny one, he told Joanne to check Mason for scratches and bruises before she left. After all, remember, I am that "mad woman" that raised him! Don't worry, Michael, he is safe for now. I am sure that the time will come when he sees the "mad woman" as well!

Mimi, Play!

We had Mitch, Amy and the girls over for dinner last night. We had just finished dinner when Rylee Jo, my oldest granddaughter, who is not quite two went in to the living room to play with her doll house. No sooner than she laid down on the floor, I hear....... Mimi, play! Pretty soon, I hear.... MIMI, PLAY! We had a chuckle and somehow..... the dishes did not seem to matter to me. They would be there after she left! Life is too short and you need to enjoy the moment! She is so funny because every time you lay on the floor to play with her, she just scoots back to watch you play. She really gets enjoyment out of seeing how you react and play with the dolls.

One weekend we were babysitting the girls and I was busy doing something. So, Rylee got Pop Pop to play with the doll house. They played for quite sometime and Gary took the grandma doll and gave her a ride on a car that goes on its own, after you pull it backwards. Rylee did not like seeing grandma race across the floor and fall off. She jumped up to rescue grandma and told Pop Pop that he was BAD!

Haylee Jayde just turned 5 months old and she is just starting to play with us. She doesn't quite know what to think about Pop Pops beard. Sometimes she sits with him and rubs the beard, but most times she puckers up her lip and cries for someone to get her. I guess that he has tickled her on the neck, one too many times!

Before they left, we all colored at the kitchen table and I decided to let "Hay Hay" finger paint with me. That was short lived and messy! I gave up the finger painting and went to feeding her bananas instead. We enjoyed the quality time together and I know that the girls had a good time.

It is so nice to be Mimi and Pop Pop! Our little angels....