Catching Up!

Has it really been TWO months since I've posted here? Time certainly flies when one is having fun and fully participating in life and love! Life has been very GOOD to me as it has unfolded these past few months. So good; that I haven't felt the need to purge my brain here in my blog. I think I am more prone to write here when I am depressed, so the lack of material may be a very good thing. Let's catch up here; shall we?


It's a BOY! Ab's now about 7 months pregnant and doing very well. The baby is due January 1st; a few weeks after she turns 18. She still continues to impress and surprise me with her ongoing maturity. The most impressive decision she made recently was to fully purchase a mobile home with some of her settlement as a result of her father's work-related death. It was a 2007 model in a nearby mobile park community, which was beautiful and bank owned. We put in a bid for way under their asking price of nearly 50 thousand and to our surprise and delight, the bank accepted. As she couldn't own it on her own until she was of age, I handled the purchase and will sign it over to her later. She and her boyfriend (and his mother) are living there now. IF her relationship with the baby's father doesn't last, at least she will OWN her own home! I am so very grateful that she had the opportunity to make such an investment at her age. The boyfriend is now working, nearly full-time and they are struggling to learn budgeting and finding out how difficult this "adult" stuff can be. Oh how I remember those days!


It's been 6 months for Mr. GS and I! We are very, very happy together and get along so well, it's scary! Life is always an adventure with him and I have done so many things that I would have never experienced without this relationship; like going Jeep and quad riding on the dunes. Wicked fun!!! I've been (cat) "fishin' in the dark!" and out fishing on huge lakes on a pontoon boat in Tennessee. And, who could forget the zipline in Alaska? We've been to OKC and visited family, the OKC Murrah Building Bombing Memorial, Toby Keith's "I LOVE THIS BAR"...bar and grill and the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame in Tennessee, among tons of other stuff. Along our trips, we've eaten some mean bbq, catfish and I introduced him to fried okra...an Okie delicacy! He's hooked! We try to eat at places that we'd not normally find near home, so that's been an adventure in itself. As we both love to eat, we make sure we exercise as well. He puts in an impressive 2 hour workout each day! I am walking about a mile and a half, or two miles nearly every day and I hope to work up to more. More trips are in the works for us! In November we are attending the Baja 1000 in Mexico, where we will be part of his son's pit crew as he races. In June, his son won the Baja 500 on a quad! We might go to Germany in the Spring if his sister gets married there as planned! Here's a photo from our recent Alaskan Cruise and one that I snapped of his son getting some air with his quad at the dunes!

We had a wonderful Summer visit with Fly Boy and his family! He was home for his "mid-tour" break from Afghanistan and we had lots of positive family time together. Fly Boy returned to Afghanistan after his two weeks, with just a few months left there. He is expected home from this deployment near Christmas and will be transferred to Alabama shortly after his return, where he will be a Helicopter Flight Instructor. He hopes that will keep him Stateside until he retires in a few years! Here's a photo I snapped of Fly Boy and my oldest Grandson as we are riding the General Jackson paddle boat up the Cumberland River! I think it's my allllll time favorite snapshot! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my youngest grandson, who I had not seen since he was a newborn in January! He's adorable! Look for yourself!

Well, that's it for now! I hope all is well with my Blogger friends! I have missed you and hope to be able to come by to catch up with you soon! Blessings! Lisa

A Few Wedding Shots!

As I am such a good procrastinator...and have only left this computer long enough to go out and purchase my hair color; having no motivation to actually do the deed, I decided to share a few shots from the wedding I photographed recently, instead. Above the Bride and Groom enjoy a dance during the Reception! Soft focus effect added to this shot in the editing process.



The bride gave the attendants and me a personalized wine glass to mark the occasion! Mine said.."I photographed Heather and Myron's Wedding and all I got was this stupid glass!" Isn't it pretty?



The gorgeous and very tasty wedding cake. In case you couldn't tell, the wedding colors were purple and black!

Slacker Sunday

I've decided to follow my friend Pam's style of bulleting in this entry as I don't really have too much to say, but I am feeling compelled to just purge my head a little. Here are a couple more photos from our Northern California mountain trip. Double click to enlarge!

• I am finding myself very attached to this computer, since Mr. GS is out of town. But, it's also interfering with my need to do something constructive with my time, like clean my bedroom or color my hair.......both of which are long overdue. I am missing Mr. GS, who motivates me to do a lot more than sit my fat, lazy fanny in front of this computer!


• Tomorrow, nearly 5 years after my father's death, his ashes are being buried with military honors in our NEW Veteran's Cemetery which is finally accepting remains. I am grateful to our town's little cemetery which let me "temporarily" house his cremains until the National Cemetery opened. BIG Thanks to my younger brother who took care of the arrangements this time!


• Ab is now 17 weeks pregnant! She has amazed me with her maturity and concerns for her own health and the healthy development and well-being of her growing child.


• Her baby's father has not yet found a job and hasn't tried very hard, in my opinion. That is causing Ab some stress and we've talked about the situation. She says she loves him, but also realizes how immature he still is in many ways.


• If he can obtain a job in this economy, I am going to do something I said I wouldn't do EVAH again....I am going to rent my rental house to he and Abbie. His mother is going to move into the attached Mother-in-Law apartment to help with the rent and Ab will be paid to provide some medical care to her, which will allow Abbie some income during her pregnancy.


• My oldest daughter "detoxed" herself from her vicodin about 38 days ago! I am amazed and very proud of her. She's doing this on her own without a program. I can't help but wonder how long it will last? I realize I need my Al-Anon program more than ever!


• My HERO son....a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, will be home for his Mid Tour break in August. I am so excited to see him and his family in TN when he arrives! I haven't seen my grandsons since January, when my 2nd grandson was just a few days old! Needless to say...I CAN'T WAIT!


• Recently, as he requested, I met all of Mr. GS's extended family during a "Home Town" visit. In August, he will meet many of mine as we are driving to OKC and then on to TN for vacation and to visit with my CW3 Pilot and his family.


• Mr. GS hasn't travelled much past New Mexico, so I am excited to share this adventure with him, especially the Nashville area where we will both enjoy the Grand Ol' Opry and my condo on the Cumberland River!


• My "first true love" from High School befriended me on Facebook the other day. He left me a "wall" message saying I gave him the "best kisses ever" back then! Ahhhh...memories. On the other hand, he also sent me an email that just said "Aruba" as the subject. Nothing else in the entire email, simply ARUBA. We were in contact back in 2001 near our 30th reunion which he couldn't attend. He sent some unintelligible emails back then too. I've decided he hit his head one too many times while we were surfing as teens back in the 70s or he's still smoking organic material that is probably interfering with his thought processes. Maybe he'd like me to go to Aruba. I'm thinking that's not a good idea. I am soooo over it-40 years later.


• Call me shallow, but I absolutely can't wait to see the final episode of The Bachelorette tomorrow night! I think Kip is probably the better choice for her, but I believe Reid is coming back to make a serious play for her in the end. There's just something about Ed that makes me a little uncomfortable. He's cute, but I find him a little odd and kinda fishy.


• I recently photographed a wedding. It scared me to death to do it, but I took something like 500 shots. I am pretty happy with how most of the images turned out via editing. I don't think I ever want to do a wedding again! It's a lot of work!


• I think it's time to get off this computer and do my hair!

Emerging!

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."

~Zora Neale Hurston

In the past 4 months, I have found that my soul has really crawled out from its hiding place and I am happier than I can remember! Spending quality time with someone who is open to being loved and loving someone in return has been very fulfilling; providing me with peace, joy and lots of new adventures! We always seem to manage to have lots of fun! Experiencing laughter on a daily basis is the icing on the cake of love!

This past week I spent time with Mr. GS as he tended to his 89 year old Mother's needs in the hospital, after she fell and broke her hip; requiring surgery. They say you can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his Mom! I was impressed and very touched by his caring, thoughtful nature as he gently fed her and carried on meaningful conversations with her even when she didn't seem to be comprehending much. But, there were plenty of funny times where they'd banter back and forth and she was razor sharp! He really enjoyed those moments as did I!

There were extremely frustrating times where she'd rip her IV out, over and over again, and times when she was verbally and physically abusive to her son and staff! He hung in there and continued to be loving and supportive of her and her caretakers, wanting only the best for his feisty Mama.

At night, we'd drop by a fast food place where he'd buy her "favorite" chocolate milkshake and then tease her that he "had to sneak it in to the hospital" as she lapped it up! He recently began going in to the hospital every few hours in the middle of the night, to move her extremities since she's been totally uncooperative with the physical therapists.

In between hospital visits we would trek out into the wilderness in his trusty Jeep, enjoying the beautiful scenery in the California Gold Rush area where he grew up! One day we crossed streams and creeks off the beaten path of the Sonora Pass and headed up to 10,000 feet to a pristine lake that was surrounded by cool mountains that still had some patches of snow! It was breath-taking and so remote that I had to pee on a tree! You heard me! I......peed on a tree! And by the time the jeep ride was over, I was the dirtiest I've EVER been in my life and I liked it! Imagine that! Oh, and when we headed back down the highway that night, a bear ran out in the road in front of us and we came this >< close to hitting it...on MY side! Scary...especially with the doors off on the Jeep!!!

Anyway, I took tons of photos of wildflowers and awesome scenery that only those familiar with the area and in possession of a 4WD vehicle would get to see!

Here's a couple for you to drool over! They will enlarge if you double click them!








(As Mr. GS remains up North until Monday, I have enjoyed some computer time that I don't normally get much of anymore! I know I still have to write about our cruise to Alaska! I've edited most of those photos and will get to that story soon! In the meantime, know that I am happily busy and enjoying life, love and my retirement!

Saturday's Six Words

Slaving over a hot laptop today!

Yes, when the Cat's away, the mouse will play on the computer to her heart's content!




You can play Six Word Saturday with Cate...HERE! Go have some fun; it's Saturday! <--Hey, another six words for today! <---And another! Damn, I am on it today! <--Again!

Please help me! I can't quit! LOL!!!

Six Word Saturday! Taking the Right Exit this time!

Driving right past his exit today!

Play along with Cate here!

I Just Love a Man Who Goes After What He Wants!

And....to give me a choice in the matter too? Priceless!

Mr. GS has an absolutely adorable 5 year old grandson...who just happens to be an only child. He's used to getting his way and having the adults in his life at his disposal. He's bilingual, which makes me melt and soooooo very cute that it's just hard to resist giving in to him!




The other day he crawled up next to me with TWO storybooks in hand and said..........


"Lisa....Which one of these books do you want to read to me first?"



Come on! Say it with me....."AWWWWWWWW!"

Something tells me he's going to be just fine in life! Especially with the ladies!

Where Have I Been, You Ask?

Well, in addition to Mr. Grocery Shopper being an accident waiting to happen (referring to the broken ankle he got on our zip line "adventure" and the ongoing medical appointments), it seems he's also Mr. Johnny-on-the-Spot when it comes to being an unsung Good Samaritan!



About a week and a half ago, he narrowly missed being hit head on by an out-of- control car careening toward him on one of our local roads. The driver swerved both ways in front of him, crossing back and forth in both lanes until the vehicle jumped a barbed wire fence and she rolled....end over end and side to side before coming to rest in a nearby field. As Mr. GS saw all kinds of things flying out of her car as it rolled he assumed the worst and quickly went to the rescue, fearing people had been ejected and the strong possibility of a fire starting in the dry grass. He scaled the fence, with his casted broken leg and ran to her car as someone else who stopped called 9-1-1.

She was dazed and confused (and later determined to have only bruises and scratches) and wanted to get out of the car despite his pleas to remain there until medical help arrived. As he was concerned about a fire starting, he worked desperately to open the crushed car door using all the strength he could muster and he apparently smacked his elbow on the vehicle with the momentum of his back swing.

The next morning he was complaining of severe pain in is elbow and thought maybe he'd chipped it when he hit it on the car. By that afternoon, the elbow was very swollen, extremely painful and hot to the touch so we headed down the mountain to our HMO's Urgent Care. They took an xray and determined it wasn't broken, providing an initial diagnosis of "Traumatic Bursitis." But, they did warn us to watch for it turning into cellulitis...a serious infection of the skin/tissue.

We left Saturday morning to visit his family in the Northern California Gold Rush area and by Sunday night, we were in the ER where he was diagnosed with a life threatening case of cellulitis. The infection had spread up and down his arm! They didn't hospitalize him because we were traveling, instead giving him an injection of anti-biotics and instructions to report to the ER again once we returned home the next day.

To make a long story short.....we've (actually I've) been driving UP and DOWN the mountain, DAILY so he can have IV antibiotic treatments in our HMO's Urgent Care. It's their alternative to hospitalization. So, you see, we're now dealing with a broken right leg/ankle and a severely infected right arm!

(Update-Since I began this entry in between medical visits, he's now had his last..we hope....IV and is now continuing with 2 types of oral anti-biotics and a mouthwash to deal with the Thrush infection in his mouth-thanks to massive doses of anti-biotic meds!)



And for me? I developed an (<----operative word here...as in only ONE eye as WHO would drive?) eye infection that so far has required TWO darn trips to Urgent Care, which fortunately were at the very same place he was receiving his IV.

How convienient.

I swear, the two of us together don't make one healthy person!

Anyone need a ride to Bakersfield? I am sure we'll be heading there soon!

Sanitizers and Sniffles.......

Someone must have coughed in my vicinity while I was on the cruise...or maybe it was the recirculating air on the airplane during the trip home. It could have been that I picked up this nasty virus during ONE the TWO emergency room visits we had to make....the first....while on the cruise, because Mr. Grocery Shopper BROKE HIS ANKLE while we were having a true "adventure in ziplining!" as advertised...in Ketchikan.

Truly a memorable moment.

More on that later.

Perhaps it was the stress involved in taking care of an injured traveling companion that made me a little "immune compromised."

But...I will tell you one thing. It wasn't from the fact that I DID NOT have sanitized hands.



Because I certainly had sanitized hands on the cruise as they've got one on the wall or a stand at least every 15 feet with a staff member standing over it, strongly encouraging the passengers to USE IT!

Getting off the ship, getting on the ship. Of course, it's especially important for those entering the buffet lines where it's likely the whole gastrointestinal outbreaks on ships begin. You can't get into a restaurant on board without using the handy-dandy, strategically placed hand sanitizers!

SO DAMN IT....I can't blame it on dirty hands.

Anyway....as soon as I am better I will write more and post Alaska photos!

I am back!

Stories and photos from an exciting and eventful Alaskan cruise will be forthcoming-after I rest up a bit! I seriously need a vacation from all that vacationing!

Alaska is spectacularly beautiful! Seeing Bald Eagles fly majestically overhead is commonplace!



(Photo Credit-Photo Bucket Search)