Miscellaneous Tidbits

It’s a balmy 16 degrees Fahrenheit outside today! Clear blue skies and frosty windows. I love it!

Why is it, when you ask 1 second grader not to whistle, the other 13 take that as their cue to start?

My move is almost complete. I think last night was my final night in that house. I’m sad and relieved all at the same time.

10 days till I go to Town for the Southeast Alaska Region V Basketball Tournament. I can not wait.

I was supposed to take a test on Friday to “see what it looks like” and use it as a starting point of where to start studying. I passed in one shot and am done! I’m now considered “Highly Qualified”. Boy, do I have them fooled!

I was deeply touched last night to find that Michael has saved every single letter I’ve ever written him. I didn’t read any of what I found, I was too much in shock to realize they meant enough to him that he saved them. He’s more sentimental than he lets on.

Today is the first day of the last quarter of the school year.

Did I mention it is nice and cold? Aside from the shocks I receive every time I touch anything that even resembles metal and my frizzy hair, I LOVE IT!

I haven’t been able to dress for work without matching someone else on staff for at least a week. Today I match a substitute teacher.

Okay, enough rambling…

On a Positive Note...

The temperature hasn’t risen above 24 degrees in 3 whole days. I’m loving it!

Getting Closer

We're almost to the point where we can move into the other house. The couple that were living there are finally completely moved out and we've managed to line up a storage space here so we don't have to cart all our belongings to Town.

As anxious as I am to get out of this house, though, we won't be able to until sometime next week. We can't pull it off tomorrow and won't be able to change our utilities and phone until Monday at the earliest so it looks like one more weekend here.

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I wish I could say that the move was the only thing weighing on my mind. People around me are getting sick left and right. Not just minor illnesses...big time problems. Cancers, heart problems, kidney problems...its getting to the point where I'm afraid to answer my phone because every call seems to bring more bad news.

Just in the last 3 weeks:

*a very close friend gave birth and had major heart complications

*a dear friend and co-worker had to have a kidney removed because he had cancer

*another dear friend and co-worker had a relapse of her breast cancer and I am still waiting to hear about a suspicious spot they found outside of her lung

*Michael's aunt will be coming home to spend her last days with family

*an aunt of mine will be having heart surgery tomorrow (Friday)

*my brother-in-law had a malignant tumor removed from his neck

The trouble with living in a small town is that everything that happens affects everyone. You're either a relative or a friend to just about everyone around you so anything, good or bad, has an effect on you or someone close to you.

I seem to be sensitive to everyone around me. My cousin and his wife weren't speaking today and that was all I could think about all morning. When he showed up at work to apologize to his wife, I don't know who was more relieved, me or her.

People always tell me they like that quality about me. They know I'll be sympathetic, empathetic, or at least be there to listen whenever I'm needed. But it's also that quality that wears me out. I sometimes find myself feeling exhausted because I carry the world on my shoulders and find myself trying to "fix" the situations of others or at the very least hold them up when they can't seem to stay upright on their own.

This is why I've been so quiet here on my blog lately. I'm quick to pick up everyone else's burdens and then tend to keep all that emotion bottled up inside. I put up a strong front but sometimes its all an act.

The Bad News Just Keeps Comin'

Yesterday was Space Cadet’s birthday. We had a big turkey dinner at my in-law’s house. In the midst of her opening gifts and all of us sharing and laughing, my mother-in-law’s niece walked in the door.

Michael’s Aunt Lillian is about 83 years old. She had surgery on her kidneys on Monday. They “think” she may have had a stroke before she even left for Anchorage because all of the sudden, it’s extremely hard to understand her when she speaks.

So we all sensed something was wrong when Aunty Lillian’s daughter came through the door. She shared with us the latest news about her mother. The surgery was unsuccessful in correcting any problems she had with her kidneys. Her kidneys are failing. One is functioning at 50% and the other at 25%. Dialysis is not an option. Doing Dialysis would mean she’d have to be up in Anchorage for 2 months. Given her age and the fact that she just outright refuses the treatment, the doctor said the best option is to bring her home and keep her comfortable. There’s nothing they can do.

He said, “We could keep her up here and force the treatment on her, but the chances of it working are slim and she’d die of a broken heart before treatment was complete. If she were my family member, I would want to make her as comfortable as possible during her final days.”

I am not a medical expert…I have no idea how long we’ll have her with us once she returns home. She is completely bed-ridden so the ambulance will have to pick her up at the airport and transport her home. That means the earliest we can get her home is Friday…if the flights out of Anchorage coordinate with the ferry run.

Please keep Michael’s family in your prayers. I know this will be extremely hard on all of them. They are a huge, extremely close family.

It's About Time

We finally got the call we’ve been waiting for. The people who were living in my dad’s house have finally moved out completely and we have started moving in. My dad’s house is smaller, but at least we don’t have to worry about feuding family members and we can start concentrating on a home of our own.

Lindsey spent the night with us on Saturday. In hopes of discouraging her, I told her that she couldn’t stay unless she helped me pack. She was more than eager to lend a hand and even though I was reluctant at first, we were glad to have her help. She is so strong for her age (and I have the fat lip to prove it!) and I had to work hard to keep up with her.

My sister-in-law’s dog had a puppy; just one lone puppy. Michael has wanted another dog and I was trying to hold out but his sister has already called him and told him he has first dibs on this puppy, a female, if he wants. It will be a small, indoor dog. I’m not sure I’m totally for it just yet, but I think I may be outnumbered this time. As long as she gets house-trained before Michael has to leave for work, I guess it will be okay. I’ve never had a female dog, though…I don’t know if I can handle it should she get pregnant and/or have puppies while Michael is away. We may have to get her fixed ASAP. hehe

I only have 4 days of work this week. Friday is the last day of our 3rd quarter and since my grades are done, I am not required to work. There are high school basketball games this weekend so having the day off will be beneficial when it comes to moving to the other house.

I was thinking I had a trip coming up next week, but it’s actually the week after. March 8th through the 11th I’ll be in Town for the Southeast Regional Basketball Tournament. We made reservations and paid for tickets and the hotel months ago when we thought Michael would be out of town for most of the basketball season. This was assurance that he’d get to see Alexys play during her freshman season of basketball. He’s actually been able to see all of her home games, but we’re still looking forward to the time away.

I have 2 more tests to give this week - one tomorrow and one on Wednesday. Then I’ll be done until May. I can’t believe how fast this school year has gone by. This is Lindsey’s last year in elementary school. She’ll be in junior high next year and Lucione will move on to high school! I’m starting to feel old.

I'm Such a Bad Blogger

Too many things to deal with at the moment, I guess. I just can't come up with anything even half-way interesting to write about. I can't even post new pictures because, being in the process of moving, I can't find my camera and haven't downloaded the newest pictures from it yet.

Michael received some not-so-good news on Friday. He's been laid off until April or May. Not exactly the best news, but I have to admit, I'm not upset. We've made it through the toughest part of Winter and will do just fine with my income for a while. Besides, I'm feeling selfish and am just finding myself feeling glad that I'm not going through all of this alone.

I was sick all weekend so haven't checked up on Genon. Thank you all, for your prayers and good thoughts.

Tomorrow another friend of mine, who happens to also be our guidance counselor in the elementary school, is having surgery in Anchorage. She had cancer 12 years ago and beat it. Unfortunately, during her yearly check-up this year, they found reason to be concerned. She's going to have surgery tomorrow in order to do a biopsy, lumpectomy, and check out her lymph nodes. It's in the early stages (only 4mm) so there's reason to be hopeful. She is irreplacable to us as at school so hopfully she'll beat this for a 2nd time.

I'm exhausted...physically from being sick and emotionally from this rollercoaster called Life. Hopefully, I'll soon be back to normal (whatever that is) and back to blogging regularly.

Rambling Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I opened the front door and saw a blue sky. It was actually blue…as in not cloudy and not completely dark. I am so excited that I’m not coming to work in the dark anymore.

My arm is so much better today. I actually rolled around in my sleep last night. I kept waking up in different positions. Since the day I hurt my arm, I had been sleeping on my back (which I hate) all night long. I even brushed my own hair today. It made my arm tired, but didn’t hurt. I’m making progress. :o)

I’m stuffed up again today, though. It never fails. When I get sick first, Michael doesn’t catch it. But when he gets sick first (like this time) I get it, too. It’s so not fair!

I just got a memo in my mailbox telling me we have an inservice next Wednesday. That’s going to put me behind on my testing. Why does something have to happen every time I need to test?! Just once I’d like to go through the process and have it go smoothly. Being that we don’t have an on-site tech guy, I guess I should just be glad they are working this time.

I just got back from science class. We had extra time at the end and had fun reminiscing about past years. I had to tease my nephew Ethan about the day he fell asleep in computer class. He’s little…always has been the shortest in his class. He’s also a clown. He likes to tease and be teased. He used to pretend to sleep in his chair. Every time I went near him he’d close his eyes and pretend to snore. Well, this one day, I noticed he was extra quiet and still. I walked over to him and, of course, his eyes were closed. I whispered his name and he didn’t move. Not even the hint of a smile. That’s when I suspected he was actually asleep because he can’t keep a straight face. “Ethan, are you asleep?” Still nothing, so I have him a little poke in the ribs. He didn’t open his eyes so I went and got his teacher. It took the both of us to wake him up. Once he woke, she took him back to his classroom. He curled up on a bean bag and took a long nap. I’ll have to post a picture of him. He’s a cutie and you can tell just by lookin at him that he’s a clown and a ham.

Speaking of nephews, Craig got a hair cut. It’s really short; shaved, but not bald. Feels kinda like a man’s chin after a few days of not shaving. He walked into computer class yesterday and I almost didn’t recognize him. He must have realized how shocked I was because he said, “Aunty Kerri, I’m here and I’m NOT bald!”

I’ve been following the trial of a Craig teenager accused of plotting to have her mother killed. I can’t decide if I believe her or not. I’m so glad I don’t live in Juneau. I would not have wanted to be on this jury. She could get multiple 99 year sentences if she is found guilty of all her charges.

She confessed to knowing about the plot, but they’re saying it was coerced, that the cops kinda bullied her into a confession. Both of the guys (who were 24 at the time…she was 16) who committed the murder pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against her but the guy who actually killed her, changed his story on the stand and said the girl had not spoken directly to him, that he was taking the other guys word that the girl wanted her mother dead. The entire story is on Court TV’s website, if you want to know more. The jury should begin their deliberations today.

I can’t believe its Wednesday already. I only have 1 computer class today and they aren’t coming because they have to do some testing in their classroom. That means I have nothing to do for the next 2 hours.

Hopefully, I’ll manage to keep busy. I can’t type anymore, though.

Blowin' in the Wind

I’ve been awake since 3:00AM. The wind and rain woke me up. I’m told it was blowing 65mph and gusting well above that. I don’t know for sure, but it was strong enough to shake my house. Add to that, the fact that I am stuffed up today and I am not a happy camper. I can’t miss work for the next 2 weeks so am stuck being half asleep and miserable.

Oh well, complaining won’t fix anything.

Getting Better

Slowly but surely, I am getting better. My neck and back are fine now. I have limited use of my arm but it’s getting better. I am not bothered by it too much unless I am too active. I still can’t raise my arm above my head but can at least rest it on my desk so I’m no longer typing one-handed. But that also means I can’t type as long, as the longer I do, the more I ache.

Our belongings are slowly getting packed up in boxes. I am not allowed to help so that is making things go a lot slower. We have a lot more “stuff” then will actually fit in the house so we have to figure out what to do with it all. I’d hate to think we have to haul a bunch of it to Ketchikan to put in storage and I don’t know that I’m ready to give it up in a garage sale.

We went and looked at my dad’s house on Friday night. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the couple who were staying there did some minor repairs. They also painted all the walls. All white…but still they are painted and it looks nice. They didn’t pay rent so I guess this was their way to thank my dad for allowing them to stay for so long. They’ve got a few more things (like an extra refrigerator) to move out of there before we can move in.

I’m feeling better about moving and am even a little glad. It will be nice to not have the stress that came along with living here. I still don’t like the way things have played out and am extremely disappointed in my uncle, but I couldn’t stand to be in the middle of it all anymore. It’s not my fight to fight. I really shouldn’t have ever been involved at all. We were just doing my mother a favor because she didn’t want the house to stand vacant.

We were busy with basketball this weekend. It was Homecoming weekend and Craig sent both their boys and girls teams. That meant 4 basketball games a night. We were at the gym from 3:00 to about 9:30 PM both Friday and Saturday. Friday night the boys lost. They were behind by as many as 20 and fought their way back up to with in 3. They had some silly fouls right at the end and they lost by 6. They played a lot better on Saturday and won by 15. The girls won both nights; Friday by 19 and Saturday by 30. Alexys scored 19 points on Friday. I don’t know how many she scored on Saturday, but she played another great game. I can’t wait until the tournament next month. They have a chance to do really well. The boys can, too, if they play like they did on Saturday.

Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. We made french dip sandwiches and homemade french fries. The game was disappointing. I’ve got nothing against the Steelers, but I like to root for the underdog. Seattle had never played in the Super Bowl before and I was hoping they would win. I feel like they should have. The so-called “pass interference” was barely a touch and the Steelers quarterback did not break the plane with the football until after he was down so should not have scored. By my count, the game should have been 17-14 in favor of the Seahawks. Sorry, SQ…hope you enjoyed the game. :o)

Now I’m back at work…and testing again. That means that no matter how sore my arm gets or how much I sneeze (I think I’m getting another cold!) I can’t miss work for at least the next 2 weeks.

I’ve got 2nd grade coming and my shoulder is tired…time to stop typing. Happy Monday to you all.

I'm Baaa-aaack! (For Now)

I was told I should put up a post so y'all would know I'm still alive.

Please excuse my long absence. Life around here has been crazy and painful. I have not spent a lot of time at my computer and once I've typed this, will get back off because I can only sit here for a short time.

Let's see...where to begin...

When I last posted, I was confused about what to do about the whole house situation. Thanks to my uncle (ha!), I am no longer confused but angry and hurt. Without going into all the gory details, lets just say that he's claiming this house is his, he's convinced the mayor this house is his, and he's not changing his mind.

I can keep living here and pay him rent, or move on. Had I been the one fighting for the house, I would not even consider moving on. I know he's wrong. I totally disagree and am heart-broken over it, but this is not my fight to fight.

We've already started packing. It's taking a lot longer than I had hoped (because I can't help) and I don't even think my uncle knows yet. We'll live in my dad's vacant house until we figure out our next move. At least I know he won't kick me out.

Now, about the pain...

Last week, when Michael drove me to work, I hurt myself getting out of the car. I opened the car door just as a big gust of wind came. The wind grabbed the door and flung it open almost pulling me out of the car.

I didn't let go because I didn't want the door to be damaged. I damaged myself, instead. I've got severely strained muscles in my neck, shoulder, and back as a result.

I haven't worked this week and have been on pain killers that are not really killing anything except my good mood. I can't really move my arm and when I do, have almost no range of motion.

Even now I'm typing with one hand. It takes forever because I'm right-handed and have to do everything with my left. Using my right hand for anything, including typing, makes my shoulder ache.

I didn't want all my posts to be all about my problems, aches, and pains so I took a break. Jayleigh, I'm sorry. I just got your comment today and will check out your new blog soon. Being at the computer is too uncomfortable at the moment.

Y'all take care and I'll be back on once I regain use of my right arm.