Less Drama

 

My son and daughter in Arizona.... Howling at the Moon....

 Hello,

 I have been pretty busy with doctor appointments but I seem to have a break now. I have labs the 15th and an appointment with my primary care physician to go over some of my medications and to have specialty labs for my kidney specialist. Should be about an hour and then I will be home. 

 I am pleased to say that the neighbors have calmed down. Last weekend got really loud but since then they have calmed down a lot. I am sure that they had a noise complaint because they have really been a lot quieter. Every once in a while they get loud but it doesn't last long.

 But I did get another new neigbor right next door to me and I have not had any decent sleep for the last 2 nights. He plays his music really loud and it is a boom boom bam bam type of music. Kind of like the kind that the cars have that boom their music going down the street. 

 It is coming to the point to where I am thinking of knocking on his door to ask if he can turn it down just a little. After midnight it is still going on and while I like music, I like sleeping too. 

 He is really a nice guy, and I really don't want to say anything, but yesterday I laid down around 6:30 and I was like Ok I can maybe fall asleep to this. But every hour it seemed like I was awakened by the thump thump thump of a different beat. 

 He works late hours, so I get it, I know that when I worked late hours I needed time to unwind, but this is just a bit much. 

 I finally got up at 7:00 this morning. I wonder if he fell asleep with his music playing. I enjoy listening to my music during the night, but I keep the volume at a reasonable level.

 It is hot and miserable still. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year 2023 so far and today is supposed to be a repeat of yesterday. I cannot imagine what August is going to be like. 

 I'm sorry to have been away from my blog but I really didn't have much time to do anything. 

 Hopefully I will be able to get back before too long. I still have not heard back from the game that I would like to post. I am just going to have to figure out a different way to do what I would like to go about it. Maybe just write my own resources and find a photo of what the topic is. I will give it a few more days and then decide.

 Until next time... stay safe.... BB

Hello!!!!

 

A Winters Dream. A  scrap page when I was on a creative digital team. Isn't this a pretty page?

Hello to all,

 I didn't get a chance to get back yesterday but I tried....

 I am going to be doing something different on my blog. I play a game with my grandson called The Universe and Everything Else. Shorter version is called Cue!

 I love this game. I am not a good player just yet but I love collecting the game cards. So what I would like to do is share my number 1 cards that I am trying to collect. If I only have 1 card then those are the ones I want to show on my blog or the ones that I find extremely interesting.

 Interesting indeed. I have learned so much about the topic of the card. Some history or fact on the back of the card. But I need to contact support to make sure that I can do this and give them the credit of course. I hope that they say yes. I have been trying to decide what I want to share first as I have topics from all over the world to show if I can. It will give me something new to write about as well.

 We'll all of the neighbors have been very quiet. Not sure if they got noise complaints or what, but I have not even seen or heard them on the patio except once. That was the night that I got home from the hospital. In fact, I didn't see them at all for a few days. The night that I came home the elderly man was outside arguing as usual and he was loud but not screaming and he told the female that when he said Jump, he wants her to ask How High.... well, that comment fueled the argument but finally she went inside, and he couldn't yell at her lol.

 I'm not sleeping well but I have so much to do chore wise. I am washing my clothing for the week and washing my bedding as well. 

 Karyn is coming today to spend the week, so I want her to sleep in a clean bed. I did a lot of towels and miscellaneous items that was just a few things. 

 I have to order myself some under clothing and some night gowns. I am out of things to wear and it is tiring to do multiple loads a week just to have clean clothes. I might just make a trip to Walmart and not have to wait on shipping. 

 It is 93 degrees today. I am not sure what the humidity is but it is hot and humid. The 7-day forecast says that June will reach the hottest temperature so far this year for the month of June.

 The last day of June is supposed to be the hottest day of June. It is also Jonathan's birthday, so we don't have plans to get out and about. I want to take him out to dinner and then if possible and it isn't very hot then go see the fireworks. I have not been in years, and I would like to go. He may decide not to go though and I will stay in if he does.

  Time to switch the laundry and I think that I might take a quick nap while I wait for Karyn to get here. She is coming to spend the week. She has to work in the office this week and I will have to try and adapt my sleeping schedule because I get up all hours of the night and the slightest noise will wake her up. Maybe it will be cool enough to sit outside and relax. Hopefully there will be no screaming arguments to force me inside lol.

 Have a great one everyone and I will get back as soon as I can to maybe start my new blog project.

 Take care everyone... BB

A Long ER Trip

This is one of my favorite scrapbooking kits called Arabian Nights. I have had a lot of fun with this kit. It is such a shame that digital scrapbooking is going by the wayside....

Hello,

 Well just as I said yesterday, the minute I laid down and got comfortable my doctor called me and she was sad to inform me that she is out of options and that I needed to go to the Emergency Room. So Jonathan took me and it was not a very good visit, but at least I was able to come home around 10 hours later!

 My blood pressure was really high when I got there. Well not being able to hold down my blood pressure meds can do that. They gave me Zolfran for the nausea but it really didn't help but the good news is after a kidney scan I do not have a kidney stone. I tried to tell the doc that but he wanted to be sure and yep there is no stone. Just an infection but not of the kidney itself so it has to be somewhere else. I got home around 2:00 in the morning and I was so glad to get out of there! 

 One patient was so rude to the doctors and nurses and staff that they ended up calling in Security or the police. I am not sure which but they should have done it hours earlier instead of waiting for him to escalate his anger issues. 

 I have to finish this post a little later. i have a few things i have to take care of. 

All My Love

 All My Love, a scrap page I made for one of my best friends scrapbooking kit. I was just learning how to scrap book so this was done probably around 2003 or around that time.

 Hi,

 So, I may have to go into the hospital so if I am not posting then that is where I am and I will not take my laptop with me because it is not a good place to leave in case, I have to go have tests or ☓ rays so it is safer here at home.

 I have a kidney infection. I went to have my labs done for an upcoming appointment with my kidney specialist and the urine culture came back positive for an infection.

 I started a new antibiotic that looks promising to get rid of my super resistant bugs so I am not sure what, but I am not feeling any better and now I am running a temp and I called my doctor but so far I have not gotten a call back from her so I am not sure if I will hear back or not, but Jon wants to talk to her before we make a trip out to the ER.

 So yesterday we got a good bit of rain. It made our day a little cooler, but the humidity is back up today with another heat index in triple digits as I figured would happen.

 The most amazing thing, or it could be just stupidity but we had a group of guys playing volleyball and we had some wicked lightening, and they were still playing out in the open. 

 We had a couple of strikes that were bad and bright blue and still they played on. I am sure that the rain felt good, but I cannot believe they did not take shelter from the lightening. 

 Then again in triple digit heat why would you be wearing long sleeve sweats? Maybe they were trying to lose some weight or something, but for me I would have passed out from wearing that lol. I am hot natured anyway. 

 I am so done with the neighbors. Nothing new on that end, and my new upstairs neighbors are at this moment dropping something on the floor, but I am used to it by now. It is the others that I am not happy with. They are just ridiculous, arguing about a car this morning. Yes, they are so loud I can hear entire conversations, but I need to stay out with Foxy, so it isn't like I am trying to eavesdrop. 

 I just took Foxy out and the guy was yelling about how gross it was to watch a dog pee! Well Hell, don't look if your that squeamish and it bothers you to see a dog go pee. 

 I took some more Tylenol and my temp came down so I was able to take a shower and I feel so much better. I was able to eat a bit of Jello and I plan on laying down soon and see if I can sleep. It will be my luck that my doctor will choose to call me while I am resting but I will gladly take the call. 

 So until there is something else to write about I will close for now and try and rest. Have a great day to all.... BB

More Arguments

 

I am not sure when I did this scrap page. It looks like it was done with one of my creative team scrap kits, but since it was done before water marks were required with the date, I can only make a guess and I would say around 2013, but not sure.

 Good Morning,

 Yesterday I had a horrid day. I am not sure if it is the new antibiotic or what, but I was in a lot of pain for most of the day. 

 It was my fault mostly. I was feeling a bit nauseous so I didn't take my pain medication like I normally do. I have a fear of becoming addicted so if I don't need it then I will wait until a little later to take it and then the pain was overwhelming and I ended up groaning and moaning to the point that even Jon came out to check on me to see if I was alright. 

 And on top of that pain I had a splitting headache. And I was tired. Foxy kept me awake most of the night before and she was being a total butt. She kept crying and I realized she was wanting food, but she has gotten picky with her feed so I wouldn't give her anything else until morning but perhaps I should have. It is just too expensive to keep throwing out, so if she doesn't eat then she has to wait until breakfast. 

 Well she did wake me up this morning at 3 to go potty and the neighbors across from me are at it again. Not the elderly man this time but either the son or son in law and it was Amen, Amen, Amen all over again and he was screaming at 3 in the morning. He scared Foxy so bad that she rushed to potty and wanted back inside. I took her out about every hour or so and he was still screaming! He I think even woke up the toddler because he/she was screaming too. 

 This is getting old really fast. Jonathan said that he doesn't want to make a complaint because we don't know for sure if it would be confidential and he doesn't want trouble so I can respect that, but sheeesh! Total zero respect. 

 My headache is back so I am going to take some Tylenol and lay back down. I will try and update later on today! BB

Another Week Has Flown By

 

My Little Monkey Damien. Halloween 2022

Hello,

 I hope that all are doing well. I guess that I am ok here. Just been busy with more doctors' appointments and last week and this week my potassium has been severely high, and my endocrinologist (Diabetes Specialist) office called me to tell me that it was very dangerous, and I already knew that it was dangerous, so she advised me to contact my primary care doctor who wrote me a prescription to help bring it down, but I had to hunt for a pharmacist that had enough of the medicine to fill.

 Jonathan had to go clear across town to pick it up and I have had to have a series of more labs and then more labs. But one good thing is that while I was there, I was able to get the labs done for my kidney specialist so I could cancel the appointment on the 27th. I need to contact them and see if it is a telemedicine appointment or a in person appointment. I do like the video appointments. I can stay in my comfy clothes and don't have to leave the house.

 Anyway last I heard, my potassium is still high but down to a better level. It is scary what can happen when some of our minerals our bodies need go to high or too low.

 After the last day of the man, my neighbor screaming, he stopped. I think that they must have called someone to take him to the hospital. 

 It was really peaceful for a few days, but he is back home again, and he is slowly returning to his old ways but not nearly as bad as before. 

 It isn't even 10:00am yet and the heat is 95 degrees, and the humidity is 87%. We are supposed to hit 99 degrees today. I don't know if I will be able to sit outside for a few weeks as we are under heat advisories. I am worried that our a/c will stop working. 

 Have a great day to all and Be Blessed. My eyes are starting to water so I don't want to strain them. Take care and have a great rest of the week. BB

 

Memorial Day 2023

 

My brother James when he had Lung surgery. 

 Hello,

  This man in the pics above is my brother James. One before going into surgery and talking to the doctor and the other after they brought him out of recovery.

 He had been exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and had a couple different diseases. They had to remove a part of his lung. He was strong. He was able to sit up the next morning and even eat a few bites of food. 

 I miss him so much. I wish he was still with us. I was going to post a picture of him and my dad today but I couldn't find one on this laptop. I have them on my eternal hard drive and on my other laptop for sure. 

 So I found out that the blog post that I made yesterday did not post to this blog. It posted to my new blog, so here I am trying to correct my past mistake.

 

 I have been in the hospital and have not been feeling well. I have had another UTI/Kidney infection and it was bad enough to toss my butt into the ER and then they decided to keep me, so I am getting better, but one theory is that I am having so may kidney infections is because the antibiotics are not clearing up my infections 100% and the ones, not even the ones they were treating me in the hospital with is geared towards clearing the infection. Some kind of bacteria that the scientists have been warning us about has taken aim at me and my surviving kidney so I see my urologist tomorrow if my ride transportation arrives to pick me up. If not then I will have to reschedule for next week sometime.

 Steve the name of the book that I have been searching for is lost to my daughter and I. We think that the name of the book is called "The Levity Tree" about a tree that was happy and kept a kingdom happy until the tree became sad and the entire kingdom was crying and the tears threatening to flood the kingdom.

 Since Laurie is almost 35 years old and she had this book in Kindergarten it is not a new book and we have tried searching for it, I even contacted the school at one point but no one remembers this little book. She loved it and so did I. 

 I would read it to her every time she was allowed to bring it home. One year she had pneumonia and was really sick and had to be in the hospital for almost a week and it was the only book that she wanted me to read to her. 

 As she grew older another favorite was The Box Car series. People who lived in old train box cars and the lessons that this tiny community of box car people taught people and how they helped the kids in the community. Great series. I just wish that I could remember the names and authors of these great books. 

 We are trying to build a home library for the kids and if the one about the levity rings a bell, I would sure appreciate it.

 Well, I have discovered a few things about my neighbors. The older man's houseguest is obviously his daughter and there is a lot of loud yelling on their end.

 Around daylight last week she said to him.... "I moved in Dad to help you, but if you continue to talk to me the way you do, I will leave and go right back to My house and My family, and you will be on your own".

 He yelled and she said, "See this is what I am talking about". That woke the baby up and he yelled about that, and she was sure to point out the fact that since he was yelling, he was responsible for waking the baby up.

 He is mad that she is pregnant. She said that at least she and her husband planned their family, and they were not surprises like so and so and asked if there was anything that made him happy. Apparently not. 

 He screams and drops a lot of F Bombs, and she gives about as good as she gets. I can understand her frustration, because he cusses like an old sailor but then starts singing the Gospel at the top of his lungs. 

 I just have to go back inside because it is too offensive, and I know that they can see me on my patio trying to enjoy my coffee. I found out so many things that I felt like I was eavesdropping, but not intentionally. 

 I was minding my own business and found out that he doesn't like her cooking and complains about every meal she cooks, and he makes messes and will not try to clean up knowing that she is pregnant and cannot do a lot of the bending and scrubbing and not to yell so much because it scares the child. 

 He is just grouchy. A Grouchy Old Man who is not a happy man! If he is I certainly haven't heard it, but one good thing is that he doesn't bring his television outside on the patio anymore, so I don't have to listen to that when I do get a chance to enjoy my patio.

 The volleyball quart has been used all 3-day weekend. Even during the rain. They have been a pretty good group though. No one was obnoxious or rude or at all like that one group that comes here to play. In fact, I have not seen them at all since the beginning of the month.

 Guess I will close for now because I need to get something for dinner and do the dishes. Karyn is coming Wednesday to spend a few days so I have wanted to do a few things here so I am doing little things here and there. Dishes are an all the time chore so that is one thing that I always have to do. 

 Take care and Stay Safe.... BB

I Phone And Photos

 

My Grandkids, Adrian and Cathy making Jambalaya and roasted corn on the Cob for dinner... The boys. Dante and his headphones and Damien being NaNa's Helper.

Hello,

 It is very late that I am trying to write on this Blog. Yes, it is still active, I was just very sick and in the hospital on and off. It is hard getting on in years. My health has never been good, but this past two years have been the pits.

 Breathing issues and a cardio event due to high potassium and reoccurring Urinary tract infections have left me feeling like the pits.

 I was having problems with being able to sync my photos with my laptop. I have worked on it when I could, but it was really confusing to me. 

 I have an iPhone and a windows laptop and haven't been able to post any pictures but today I fiddled with it, and I was able to upload these photos of my grandkids.

 I went last week to spend a few days and I was able to take some photos and I was so surprised when I was able to post them.

 Why do they make technology so hard for people to use and understand? I used to be very tech savvy, but I seem to have lost that ability after I bought this laptop. 

 Apple doesn't work with Google and Google does not work with Apple... But the recovery process said... apple iPhone with Google support. I suppose that is how I was able to do this.... I have zero idea HOW, but I will probably never be able to do so again. That is the way that my luck works.

 Well speaking of phones, my daughter is getting us both new phones. It is time for an upgrade and it will be a late Mother's Day gift. She gave me a gorgeous card and raspberry chocolates for Mother's Day plus she came to see me and Miss Foxy.

 Let me see if I can upload a picture of my little girl.

 

I call her Queen Sheba sometimes, especially when she is propped up in my bed on my pillows lol. I got up to make a cup of coffee early one morning and she stole my spot. I left her where she was and decided to move to the chair, but she soon joined me. She isn't far from wherever I am. I wouldn't have it any other way.

 I started another blog. It is called: Happiness Is Life...

 It is new. I was afraid I would never get back into this one again, but I found the information I needed and was able to get in... YAY

 The other blog only has 3 posts so that is how new it is. It was a time for a fresh start I think, and I really hope that I can make it a little different and have some followers. I never have many followers. I am sure that I am doing something wrong. I would love to hear any advice that you have that might help me.

 Jonathan ordered us some early dinner, so I am going to close this for now and hopefully have a good appetite once the food gets here. 

 Stay well everyone and I will be back... this time for sure because I have lots of stuff to say lol... take care... BB

Spring Storms

 

 

Forgiving ourselves is one of the hardest things that we can do to try and move forward. It is not easy, but it is very rewarding.

 Hello,

 It has been a little while since I posted. I was really busy last week, and it seems like I am on the go for one day and crash for the next two days. Ugh! Oh well, it is one way to get some actual rest lol.

 We had a really cold week. It actually lasted a few days longer than the weather people predicted, and now that spring has sprung, we are in for some severe weather tomorrow morning and another cold front, but it is a weak one and will not be too terrible. I just hope that the severe weather doesn't bring any tornadoes our way. Or any place really. It is usual for this time of year to experience them. Cold air meeting hot air can always be counted on to bring disturbances.

 This post is going to be short. I am actually playing a game in two worlds. It is called Elvenar. You can choose to be an elf or a human. I am an elf. 

 We are having what we call a Fellowship Adventure, and we are busy. Lots of guilds have been working on their strategy since before Christmas. I like to play but I am not so caught up in it like some people are. 

 But they offer some nice prizes, and I can always use them. Still, I am trying more to be able to move my city around to accommodate the Dwarves! Now that is a pain in the backside and word has it that if I think that this chapter is hard, just wait until I get to the next chapter of Fairies! Yikes. But it is relaxing, and I have met so many nice people. So, it takes up a lot of my time because I like to chat with the other players, but it is something that I enjoy.

 I am trying to watch a series on Netflix, and it is really enjoyable as well. I started watching it on my phone but then I decided to watch it on the big tv. I just worry that since I don't hear as well as I use to that the volume will disturb Jonathan while he works. He said it doesn't so I am going to give it another go today. 

 I am out of coffee creamer. I am using the powder kind right now with some splenda. I am not enjoying it. In fact I am thinking of pouring it out and making a cup of tea.

 Jonathan ordered a grocery order yesterday and it is on the list and on the way. It will not be here until the afternoon, like 2 or 3 today so, I will have to wait until then to have a decent cup of coffee.

 We have new neighbors in building 14. They live on the 3rd floor. I don't know who they are, but I do know that they are driving me nuts. They are just loud talkers. I cannot make out their words, thank goodness, but they are talkers, and they laugh a lot, and they have guests who are loud as well. 

 I normally don't let it bother me, but I like to sit outside when the weather is nice in the early mornings and have my coffee and look at the news on my phone. 

 This morning at 5:45 our smoke detector went off. We live in an all-electric apartment, so we don't know why it keeps doing this. Once a week or so it will go off and it is so loud. Well, I was up. I tried to get Foxy to lay back down, but she wasn't having it, so I got up and made a cup of coffee. 

 I took her and my coffee out and our neighbors were on their balcony and the man has a very deep voice and she has a sort of high pitch, and I stayed out until Foxy was ready to come in and I picked up my cup and came back inside. I guess it is the acoustics. They are not doing anything wrong. Just enjoying time on their balcony. 

 Now the lady above us is a different story. She talks on her speaker phone and OMGosh. it is awful. She doesn't let her caller ever finish a sentence. She will get upset and cry, or yell or both at the same time. She seems to be the unhappiest person, because even though I can't make out what she is saying, I can read her tone, and it is not a happy tone. I really hope that she is just a complainer, and nothing is really wrong. That much upset is not good for anyone, and I sincerely hope that she is ok.

 So, I came inside last night and played my game, getting ready for the FA (Fellowship Adventure) and set up my game for today and went to bed. 

 I had an issue with my C-Pap machine last night and could not use it. I am not sure what is wrong with it. I think it has something to do with the intake hose. I was nervous about sleeping without it but the noise was really distracting. It is usually so quiet I rarely know it. So I will have Jonathan look at it today. The last time that it did this, it fixed itself. I am hoping that it does so again. The company that services it went out of business so I cannot get it serviced until I have a new sleep study done. We are waiting on insurance to say it is covered. If not, then I am up creek and no paddle. 

 And with that, I am going to make a cup of tea and try and sit out for a little while now that everyone is either inside or gone. Have a wonderful day. 

 Oh our order was delivered early... yay. Now some real coffee and something good to eat! BB

Time Change

 

  A beautiful Day

 Greetings. 

 Has this time change affected you? For us, it seems that we just acclimated to getting an hour extra sleep at night, but Saturday night we sprang forward an hour, so we lost an hour of sleep and yesterday, everyone that I know was having trouble, forgetting something or just getting out the door to get to work or school or other appointments. 

 Karyn's co-worker forgot his badge and couldn't get into the building and then after a trip back home, she dropped him off at work and she went to work and lo and behold, he left his phone in the truck. Thinking that it was hers she dropped it into her purse and then later discovered it. He managed to call her and said he would just let her keep it, so she didn't have to make another trip to his office. She picked him up and he just wanted to go home. It was a Monday after all and he had already had a rocky start to the day, bless his heart. Karyn's day didn't go well either.

 She came home and was in bed by 8:00pm. I swear that girl was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She needs a few days off after this past week. She said... "This Job Is Trying To Kill Me Mama". 

 But... It is a beautiful morning here in Austin Texas, considering that I did not sleep much last night. Karyn is here with us, and she didn't rest well either. I know that my mask is a little tight and just didn't want to wake up enough to adjust it, so it is basically my fault that I didn't rest well, and Karyn I think worked in her sleep most of the night. 

 Foxy has a hair ball, and we are trying to experiment with her food, adding some oil to help lubricate the hair so that she can get it up. Long haired breeds usually do have them due to being long haired and shedding. We keep her groomed, but all the shedding that she does, our house is filled with dog hair. I guess that is part of being a fur baby mama. I mostly let Jonathan and Karyn keep the dog hair swept up these days lol. 

 So, as I mentioned earlier, Karyn is here with us. She has been working in the office this week and she found out yesterday that she is going to be here another week. This job is not being convenient for her. The added expense is another reason as to why. She lives an hour south of us now and the price of transportation is crazy... Right now, a friend of hers is loaning her his truck so that she can commute to and from work from our house, but it is still expensive. It's a good thing that he doesn't live too far away from us, but it is a pain in the butt and Karyn is trying to pull in some overtime so that she can make up for having this crazy commute. 

 Laurie came on Sunday for about an hour. It was good to see her. I had not been back since the ice storm. I had some things that I wanted to give to her, and it gave her and Karyn a chance to catch up and I was glad that I could get them out of the way. It has been here for a good while. I didn't have room in my suitcase when I went last and it is just too hard to take what I need, my medication and now I have to carry my machine with me so it was a little much so it was nice to give it to her and she can always use it or rehome it all. I don't care as long as it is out of my way lol. 

 Speaking of machine, I have to have another sleep study done for insurance purposes. The company that I was using went out of business so I had to get a different company and they have some strict rules. I had to see my pulmonologist and she is the one that will sign off on it and she couldn't get my sleep apnea results and her hands were tied so I am going to have another one, but this time it is going to be in a sleep center and not at home. 

 I am not a big tv kind of person, but the last month I have been Binge watching Netflix. I watched season 1 of The Secret Of Skinwalker Ranch. I remember hearing about this stuff as far back as high school. It is creepy but I have never thought that we were alone in the Universe, and I believe that our Native American ancestors had some great stories to tell.

 It is on the History Channel, so I am now watching season 2. I have to deal with the ads, but they don't bother me very much. So, in order to watch it, I will watch the ads. I'm not much for reality television, but this one... WOW I am really not sure what to say, but since I was growing up with this stuff, I am caught up in it and I know that the producers and editors cut and clip and make things more interesting. They would have to because who would want to watch a bunch of scientists and researchers who are analyzing tons of data? Still history and science are my favorite subjects it is easy for me to get lost in the data aspect of it all. Not that there is much to make me zone out, just enough to keep me guessing and of course coming to my own conclusion and then go... OKayyyy WOW lol.

 So, if it is something that might interest you, there is I believe 6 seasons. The first season is on Netflix and then seasons 1-6 are on the History Channel. Just remember that there are ads on the History Channel. At least we use to call them commercials once upon a time lol.

 Karyn and I were talking to Laurie about taking the kids to the park this weekend, but it is supposed to turn off cold and rainy. So maybe weekend after next if the weather is pretty. Those kids have so much energy bottled up they are ready to explode! We decided that we will grab a bucket of chicken, some sides and have a picnic and the park that we are taking them to is called an All Abilities Park. They have challenges for people of all ages and abilities. From Mazes to playground equipment to hiking and bike trails and they have the half pipes for skateboards and roller skating. Basketball hoops and so much more. It reminds me of the park that I use to take my boys too when we lived in Nevada. It is all free of course but I need a new Chairity to donate too, and these parks always need donations. One Park is asking for trees this year, so I donated to 2 trees and a dog park. I donated money to the tree fund I should say. They get to pick what kind of trees, buy them and plant them so that is all great with me. Trees are much better than those umbrella stands that they have in places that don't have much shade.

 I am having issues with my photos. All of my folders are empty. My external hard drives are packed up in the shed somewhere. Karyn packed up a lot of my things and now I have to dig them out when I get some energy. I don't know what happened. I still have a few, but you might see me using a few that I already have posted before. Just be patient with me. Even the photos that I take with my phone are not showing up, so I don't know how to fix it. I am going to keep trying though.

 Have a great week and take care of yourself. Hugs to all... BB

Friends Of The Heart

 

 A Beautiful light on your journey.

Hello,

Friends,

 I have waited to post this message until I had permission. It is with a sad heart that I tell you that our Beloved Miss Edna has passed away. 

 Her sweet daughter asked me to keep this to myself as she and her sister were trying to notify all of the family and she and Deanne had so much to do so of course I waited until Audrey let me know that I could post this news.

 In our lives, we have that one person that we hold dear to our hearts and Miss Edna was that person. She was more than a friend. We can't choose our family, but we can choose our family of the Heart and Friends of the Heart and Miss Edna was that kind of person to me.

 She was so funny, serious one minute and cracking me up the next. If she had something that she thought that I needed to hear, then believe me I heard it! 

 She knew so many things about me and the same for me to know about her. Her favorite colors were yellow, and orange and she said that it reminded her of a sunny day. Flowers of every kind, and birds, Oh her birds! Florida was a bird watching adventure. Some days we would just try to see what different kinds were out. Lots of fun stories there!

 I will close for now. I am sure that you understand, and I promise to be back soon. Having some issues with my laptop and I will tell you about that Next Time... 

 Hugs and Blessings to all, BB

 Ohhh I do have one other thing to add. One of Miss Edna's favorite songs was sung by Willie Nelson called "Something You Get Through" and I am playing this song, remembering my beautiful friend. Blessings!

Miss Edna

 Hey,

 Just a quick post to let you know that Miss Edna is in the hospital and said that she has a lot going on and that she will call me as soon as she can.

 This is super short because I have been having a upset stomach last few days and I have eye procedures in both eyes in the morning, so I will be back as soon as possible. 

 Have a awesome rest of your week and weekend. and Steve, stay WARM!!!!!!

 Talk to you later, BB

A New Machine

 

This is my B-Pap machine. This is what I wore to bed since March 2022, but this last time I was hospitalized they didn't send me home wearing a B-pap or anything and I had to apply for a sleep study, per request from my insurance.

 I now have a new machine. A C-Pap and it is much smaller, even the tubing and mask. Last night was the first night that I wore it. I went to bed at 8:pm and woke up at 5:00 this morning.

 I hate this new laptop. I am having problems with my photos not showing up to where I can save them or move them to another album, and it is frustrating, but I will try to show you a picture of my new machine.

 

 So, the top one is the machine, and the bottom is the mask. It is a lot different than the B-Pap one is. It runs so quiet, and I tell you that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I am hoping that I have more restful sleep in the future. I do have to let my body adjust.

 Hello,

  I have not been that busy lately, but at the same time I have felt that I have been very overwhelmed at everything that I have had to do lately. 

 I don't know why it feels that way but dealing with multiple doctor appointments has been a bit challenging. I just got my new calendar filled out and have made the necessary changes in scheduling and rescheduling and a couple of those were really exasperating. But I think that I got them all done, so I am happy about that.

 Last week the weather was just gorgeous. We got to 80F yesterday and then a cold front came in and we are supposed to be in the 60"s today, but it is still cold outside, due to the winds and we got down into the 30's last night but will see sunshine today.

 Miss Foxy wasn't impressed with the cold this morning! She walked outside and sniffed before turning her tail around and went to the door to go inside. She climbed up in bed for a few minutes and then wanted breakfast and I fed her and offered to take her out, but she climbed up into my chair and is sitting right beside me. It is still rather chilly outside with the wind blowing. I agree with her with staying inside.

 I am going to go to my daughter Laurie's house to spend the weekend with my grandkids. We are trying to see the Green Comet as it streaks our skies. It hasn't been seen since the stone age! We think that it is going to be awesome, but so far have not seen it. I meant to go out and look this morning, but I just forgot.

 Oh, I got a text message from Miss Edna, and she said that she was ok and will try and call me later. So at least I did hear from her. I tried calling her again yesterday, but she didn't answer. I will try to call her again and see if she feels ok.

 Take care everyone and I will try to be back soon. Hugs to all and stay well! BB

 

A Little Late

 

Foxy trying to get my glasses off of me. I fell asleep with them on and she was just trying to be helpful. lol. Those glasses are history now. They finally broke and she is much happier with the ones I have now. She doesn't try and knock them off my face anymore. Now it is my phone. She will knock it out of my hand if I don't doze off before then lol. Usually, I wake up when my phone lands on my night stand table! She has learned that the more I have my phone in hand the less attention she receives lol.

 This is usually how we sleep at night. She needs to be in my arms and petting her and telling her how much she is loved and how smart and beautiful she is. Foxy is a Princess and expects Royal treatment.

 Hello everyone and Happy New Year! 

 I hope everyone had a great New Year. We had a very quiet Christmas and Jon cooked a great dinner and we watched tv. So it was a nice day, then New Years Eve, Karyn and I went to see Laurie and her family.

 We had eaten before going to her house and the kids just wanted to snack on leftover Pizza then we all stayed up to watch the fireworks from her balcony and had a lot of fun. Karyn went home the next day but I stayed on for a few days.

 I haven't said much and not sure if I posted about it or not, but I was lucky to be home for Christmas or much of anything really. 

 Karyn was spending the night with me and we were talking and I got up to use the bathroom and couldn't catch my breath and then I couldn't breathe at all. Once I could breathe, I came out of the bathroom and told Karyn to call an ambulance. I quit breathing and according to my kids, the EMS crew did CPR all the way to the ER. I came to with a tube down my throat. I had what they called a cardiac event due to high potassium. It all started with a UTI infection.

 I was released 2 days before Christmas. I feel alright at the moment, but I do get scared, especially when I lay down to sleep.

 I have to update this blog, so I will be back as soon as I can. BB

 Sunday...

 Hi I am back. I was trying to get back on last night but I had some things to get done and then it got late and I was tired. I went to bed at 8:30pm and I slept for a hour or so, but then I was awake until 2:30am. I knew I would probably have issues trying to sleep, but I started watching The Secret of the Skinwalker Ranch and I spooked myself and couldn't sleep!

 I caught up on a blog and learned that Miss Edna had Covid. I have tried with no luck to get in touch with her. I will update if and when I hear from her. I sent a text this morning asking if Deann or Audrey could at least text or call me to let me know how she is if she herself cannot respond. I don't know anything else to do, but I am concerned about her.

 Jonathan has gone to the grocery store and I need to do a few things so I have to close for now, but please stay safe and well. Love to all and I hope that your New Year is off to a wonderful start. BB

Christmas Day

 

Oh My, I love finding older folders on my computer and remembering the fun I had in creating the pictures. This picture is really old, and I used this photo program to give it a fun look. This picture was taken right before Adrien's surgery. 

 Hi,

 I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and that Santa didn't leave anyone any lumps of coal in their Christmas Stockings!

 Jonathan and I had a quiet day, and it was really nice. Karyn and her family stopped over for about a half hour after having Christmas with his mom because it was his son's week to spend the week to have Caleb and after he had his Christmas with his mom, then grandmother and his aunt and uncle, it was time for them to go home so they could have their own Christmas.

 I was surprised to have been able to see them at all, so it was a nice surprise.

 Jonathan had cleaned the kitchen and then he prepared our Christmas dinner. We had ham steaks with pineapple, stuffing, baked beans, collard/turnip greens and a style of creamed corn. It was a different kind. He even baked some rolls. 

 We had a German Chocolate cake, but we were so full and had no room for it. I ended up cutting a slice of it today. We have learned to just buy the small personal sizes of baked goods from the bakery because an entire cake or pie would just go to waste with us. We like the brownie bites, and he will get them, and we may have one or two if we want something sweet and that is usually enough to curb our sweet tooth. 

 We even shared our meal with Karyn to take home so they would have their dinner and not have to cook once they got home. They live an hour away, so after the long day and the trip home, I am sure that cooking dinner was not something that they wanted to do so sharing our food was fine. 

 I finished the last piece of ham and the last of the stuffing yesterday. Jon and I didn't think that those ham steaks would have fed 5 people and still had ham left for a couple more meals. 

 I talked or text all of my kids. Matt and I text, and Nathan had to work so we text, then I talked to Laurie.

 They had their Christmas at midnight. That is the tradition that they want for their family and the kids wanted to do it as well. It gave them a chance to stay up and to play with their new gifts, so I am happy that is something that they would like to do as they go forward.

 We had Christmases when my kids were growing up to open our gifts at midnight. It was really better for us as a family because then the kids could have time to enjoy their gifts. We were always expected to go to his mom's house Christmas. That was for me to help cook and clean! 

 But once the kids opened their gifts, they were busy enjoying their presents and I usually put on a DVD that we had bought and laid on the couch where I usually fell asleep. One year I remember waking up on the couch and Laurie was asleep in the chair, Karyn on another sofa across the room, and the boys had a blanket and a pillow asleep in the floor and Jonathan is the only kid that had sense enough to go to bed lol.

 Somehow, we all got enough sleep to get up and get through Christmas Day at my husband's parents' house. It was usually a hard day for me at least. The amount of clean up was insane. Of course, my sister-in-law helped me, or I would still be there cleaning. And of course, his mother always had something that just had to be done and couldn't wait and no matter how tired I was I was expected to do it. After the kitchen was put to rights, I always had to bleach the counters and stove and wipe down the refrigerator and then sweep and mop. It was all just so exhausting. There was a lot of resentment as well. My sister-in-law was always upset that her husband and kids couldn't really have a Christmas Day for their kids to be able to enjoy their gifts. They had to leave them at home and then make the trip to her parents' house. They lived about 11/2 hours away and so I understood. They always held or attended a party or church service Christmas Eve so; they were tired too.

 For me, I resented the fact that I never could have Christmas with my family. I had to do it Christmas Eve by hosting my family. One year we did go to my mom's, but I didn't get to visit my sisters or the kids because they had already left to go home, and it was after rushing thru Christmas at my in-laws. I told everyone that I was going to leave to go be with my family and I got out of there as fast as I could, but disappointed that I had missed my 3 sisters and their families. So, I ended up hosting on Christmas Eve and continued because it was easier than rocking the boat and making everyone mad. 

 So, I haven't spoke of this in my last blog post, but I had a bad experience a few days before Christmas. 

 I couldn't catch my breath and then I couldn't breathe at all. Karyn was here and she was napping, and I went to the bathroom and suddenly I couldn't breathe at all. I remember I walked out of the bathroom and told Karyn to call 911.

 She knew I didn't ask if it wasn't an emergency. Once the EMT's arrived they put me into the ambulance, and they had to do CPR all the way to the hospital and the trauma team met us and intubated me on the way in. I don't remember any of this. 

 I had a UTI, and my doctor prescribed an antibiotic for me, with my suggestion, telling her that it worked better than the one I had been on. I had 3 UTI's back-to-back, for the last 3 months and we needed to knock it out. She researched a proper dosage and as it turned out, I should have never had the antibiotic due to only having one kidney. It caused a critical injury to my kidney, and it caused my potassium to become very high. The potassium caused my cardiac issues. I have to see a pulmonary doctor, Jan 16th. It has caused some problems and it seems like all my blog posts are somehow about my health. 

 Besides that, it was the Christmas season, and I didn't want to have a depressing blog post.

 I don't remember the date that this happened, but I was released on the 22nd, just a few days before Christmas. Karyn and Laurie and I had already decided to have our Christmas New Year's Day so at least I was home for Christmas. Praise the Lord that I survived. 

 I don't know how Miss Edna is doing. She doesn't return my phone calls, or text messages. She said that talking on the phone causes her breathing issues to be worse, but she would return my texts, but I haven't heard from her since the last update I gave. I am worried about her, but I hope that she is doing alright. I would think that Deann or Audrey would call me if she was in the hospital. 

 It is after midnight, and I am really tired. I had a long day and I had not slept well the night before, so I wanted to go to bed and to sleep early tonight. I was in bed before 9:00 but after tossing and turning, I got up and decided to finish my blog post, but I think that I can rest now, so I am going to bed.

 Stay Safe and Stay Well and I will talk to you later on. BB

 

Merry Christmas

 

This is a picture I found of my beloved Cisco. Not a day goes by where I do not miss him. He was not just a pet to me and our family, but our baby boy, or sometimes we called him our little man, but to me he was my baby. Here are some other photos that I found with him and his beloved toy from Auntie Miss Edna. He just knew everything package that we received was for him and mostly it was lol.

He had many toys from Miss Edna, but this one remained one of his very favorite right up to the very end. He had his own bed (a gift from Miss Edna) that he used for his naps but at bedtime, he was up in the bed with me. 

 Gosh how I miss him. I have Foxy now and I love her, she is my baby girl, but I miss my boy. 

 He never left my side when I came home from having my kidney removed. He stayed as close as he could get to me and became very territorial. Not in a bad bad way, but he wouldn't let Foxy near me and was very selective about who could actually come close to me. 

 He only left my side to go eat and potty and he was right back close to me. I was in a lot of pain because they had given me liquid pain medication and they had the wrong dosage on the bottle, so I was not getting the proper amount.

 Karyn actually called the doctor, and they said that no wonder I was in such pain. They called me in medication that was in pill form and poor Nathan, he walked all the way to Walmart which was a 5 mile walk just to get my prescription. He was able to catch the bus back home but had a bit of a long uphill walk just to get back home. 

 Cisco allowed Nathan to get as close to me as much as he wanted to, but Jonathan not so much. Only when I told him to back away would he grudgingly agree. Jonathan and Nathan had to help me up and down, so I needed their help, but Cisco didn't think so.

 Cisco laid to actually support my right side which was the source of my pain. They say that dogs can take the pain from those that they love, and I believe I would have had a much harder recovery than I did have if it had not been for Cisco. 

 I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and thank you for taking this trip down memory lane with me. 

 We are having a small meal tomorrow. It is just Jon and I so we are having ham steaks with pineapple, stuffing with cranberry sauce and mac and cheese, baked beans and a salad. 

 We are going to have an old-fashioned Southern style dinner at Laurie's on New Year's Day. They are having Christmas at their house for the kids in the morning, but we can all be together for New Years, so that is when we decided to have our Christmas and dinner. 

 We are having our traditional dinner. Turkey and Dressing, collard greens, English pea salad, black eyed peas and what ever the else they decide to make. I am sure Karyn will bring stuff and I am going a day or so early to make the dressing and black eyed peas. Probably the collard greens too. 

 Oh and Steve, What Adrian had was actually a birth defect that is caught early after the babies are born. It has a name a mile long but we are just thankful that they finally caught it and corrected it.

 On that note I am going to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and call it a night. Foxy is whining at me to come cuddle with her so I am going to bed. It has been a long day. Have a Blessed Day and be safe everyone. Hugs to all... xx BB

 

Fuddy-Duddy-ish

 

 My grandson Adrian. He was my firstborn grandchild. This baby boy is now 15 years old! He is One of the Loves of my Life!

 There is just for many people, not just me, who has a very special bond with their firstborn grandchild. It is like we can do all the fun and loving things we couldn't do as a parent but at the end of the day, we can give them back to Mommy and Daddy.

 When we were raising our own children, parenting was filled with pressures that we as a parent had to take care of. Providing a roof over their heads, feeding them, clothing them, school, homework, teaching them, and filling the parenting role as well as working full time jobs. Some parents had to work multiple jobs to care for their children and that meant that somethings had to wait. 

 Not that we didn't want to give our precious children another kiss or hug or bedtime story, but somewhere along the line we would run out of time before falling into an exhausted state, (We really can't call sleep) just to wake up and do it all over again. 

 With grandchildren, some of us are lucky enough to be able to help mom and dad by being a grandparent and giving Mom and Dad a much-needed break for a few hours. Mom and Dad can rest assured that their child is in good hands for a few hours and Grandparents get to spend some time with these children and reap love, affection and share a laugh at the antics of those little ones.

 But those precious babies just grow up so fast. One minute they are tiny little Mini Me's and the next, they are preparing for Graduation Day, going out and braving the world.

 As they grow, they encounter many challenges as my grandson Adrian has done.

 When he was 9 years old, he started screaming in the middle of the night, and this is a child that never cried. He could be sick as can be, but he didn't cry. Not even when he had an ear infection, teething, or if he fell and took a hard knock, this child would just deal with it and go on. But when he was 9 years old, he started screaming in the middle of the night and holding his stomach. 

 Mom and Dad naturally took him to the Emergency Room to make sure it wasn't appendicitis, and once that was ruled out and many tests later, they couldn't find a problem. 

 They couldn't find a problem but eventually they careflighted him to a children's hospital in Los Angeles. Once again after almost a week of more tests and managing his pain they released him with no answers.

 Not even a week later they were back to square one. The sobbing, the fact that the meds were not helping him anymore and finally during the middle of the night, he was careflighted out to the Childrens hospital once more.

 They did exploratory surgery and found nothing wrong. They were going to send him home after they referred him to a pediatrician but one of the doctor's wanted to see his X-Rays one more time and boom. He discovered the problem.

 The condition is a birth defect and usually shows up right after birth. Adrian had gone years with this not being a problem and I am sorry that I cannot remember the name of his condition. 

 They found a part of his intestine died and had to remove a large portion, like 3-5 feet. He is doing great since the surgery, but something to always look out for. 

 His latest challenge came to light right after Thanksgiving this year. While I was there, I noticed that every time I looked up, he was drinking a large glass of water. I told Laurie that I was concerned because thirst and frequent urination was often the first sign of diabetes and I noticed he complained a lot about being tired and she was like, "He is alright. He just drinks a lot because he has been doing this or that and is active".

 I remember my doctor in 1991-1992 telling me to watch my boys, they are more at risk because of my diabetes. So, I have always kept an eye out for my kids, but the boys especially.

 I don't know if I posted this about Adrian or not, but last week Adrian did test positive for diabetes. It broke my heart because I never want him or anyone to have to go thru what I have, but it is what it is, and we will support him fully.

 Adrian is young and he for the most part is healthy. Those two things will go a long way on the road he is traveling on this lifelong challenge. I cannot wait to see him sometimes during the holidays and pass on some incredible tips and do's and don'ts. 

 The first thing I want to say to him is that you can turn this around and live a great life. The doctors have found this early and in doing so listen to your doctor. Don't try to self-guess. Work with your dietician and be mindful of the choices you make regarding food and exercise. 

 By taking these steps now it can really help him in the future. 

 It is getting late, and I need to close so everyone stay safe and well. BB

The Promise

 

Miss Edna, Audrey and I in Florida one night watching the Walt Disney Fireworks display. It was always so beautiful to watch and the company was always loving and filled with awe.

 Hello,

 Happy Friday! I know that it is now Saturday in many parts of the world, and I am glad that your weekend has already begun well past Friday night!

 I had good news from 2 of my doctors today. My endocrinologist informed me that my A1C has come down! 

 Whooo Whooo.  I have worked hard to bring it down and was so excited to hear that news along with the news that my insulin was also decreased and then at my second appointment, my medication was switched back to a different kind which will hopefully bring me some much-needed pain relief. So even though I was tired when I finally got home, I had a great productive day.

 I had planned to come home and watch The Addams Family, Wednesday on Netflix, but I was just too tired so I will have a Netflix Saturday and watch it. I hear it is funny and a cross between Sabrina and Harry Potter so I am sure I will enjoy watching it. 

 Other than that, I really have no plans to do much of anything. Just have a binge-watching weekend and cuddling up with Foxy. It is supposed to be blustery and cold with drizzle. A perfect day to hibernate under the covers with a snuggle bunny. Foxy is a great companion who loves to cuddle as much as I do.

 So I decided that I would write about my promise that I had mentioned in my last post. So here is a bit of my back story.

 In 1998 I had gone to work in a candy factory. I had a great job. I was called a runner. My job started in one station, where I would weigh candy and place in a small white bag that was sent down to a group of people that attached labels so the bags of candy could be sold in our gift store. 

 After that I would go to a different station lasting from 10 minutes to a half hour so others could go to break, then I would go and relieve another station and so on.

 I was on my feet 10 hours a day but I was constantly moving so I was never bored. My last station of the day was a hard one. I loaded pallets with boxes of candy. Each box depending upon the pallet was between 10 and 20 pounds. So, it was a constant movement.

 I was also beginning to hurt in my back, but I thought that it was just because I wasn't used to the strenuous work I was doing. I had recently started the last station a few weeks before. I worked Monday-Thursday.

 My set of days off I was not feeling my best but I just figured I was tired and tried to rest as much as possible. On Sunday I figured I might have a UTI or something and decided I would keep an eye out.

 Monday morning I was in a whole heck of a lot of pain and I called in, fully expecting to call my doctor for an appointment. I went back to bed and Karyn got the kids off to school and I slept.

 All was fine until I got up to go to the bathroom and couldn't move. I finally managed to get to the bathroom and the pain ripped thru me and there was so much blood, it scared me half to death. And I was alone.

 I don't know how I got back to my bed, but I called the school and had Karyn to come home immediately. Well, she ended up running home because our car wouldn't start, naturally. It was on its last leg anyway and finally died in a heap of crap.

 She stayed with me until a friend arrived to carry me to the ER and then went back to school and to get the other kids when school let out. 

 At the ER they gave me a shot and said that I had a UTI and said that if a UTI was really bad then yes, there could be blood. I went home and at some point I was sobbing and I called a different friend who would get off work around 10:00pm from Walmart and she agreed to come to my house when she got off work and take me back to the ER. 

 The same doctor was still there, and he told me "Mrs. Reed you're just going to have to give the antibiotics a chance to work." 

 Something told me that this was not just a UTI. I remember asking him when his replacement came on duty and he said something like in a hour and I told him I would just wait to see his replacement. 

 His replacement agreed with me that it could be more and he called in a kidney specialist and they ran some tests and he said for me to be in his office the next day. 

 When your car is broken down and you have no wheels, that the town you need to be in the next day with a hospital is 30 miles away, that is when one is grateful to great friends. Ones who took off work to get me to that kidney doctor's office!

 Long story short and many many tests and treatments later the end result is that I had a kidney stone. 

 Not just any kidney stone, but one the size of a Grapefruit! No, I am not lying, or exaggerating. I am telling you the truth. It had filled the entire kidney and even into the crevices of the kidney. I cannot think of the name of those crevices at the moment. Poles I think that they called them, but I am not sure. They explained to me that like rock candy, the stones would start out small and as others came along, they would adhere and just continue to grow until all spaces was filled.

 I had many procedures, and once they decided what kind of surgery I would have, they had to insert a series of tubes into the kidney so they could get the instruments into the kidney.

 They made a mistake on the amount of anesthesia to give me because the entire thing was supposed to only last a half hour or so, but I am not really sure of the problems they had, only that it took longer, and they had not planned for more anesthesia, and they had to keep working and when I would start screaming, they would give me just enough to knock me back out again. I remember the screaming parts!

 They ended up keeping me overnight and I remember I woke up freezing cold and shivering so bad that I couldn't even press the call button. I think that I called out but I just remember this beautiful woman coming in and she said I had a fever and she brought me warm blankets and stayed with me, wiping my head with a washcloth and I remember her talking to me and staying with me. I recall telling her how much she reminded me of my friend Cyndy and I had lost contact with her and I really missed my friend. 

 We talked of many things, about how guilty I felt from keeping her from her other patients and she telling me that she was right where she needed to be, and we talked about happiness. 

 I made a promise to myself that night. If I lived thru this ordeal that I would be happy. I would do my best to always be happy or as happy as I possibly could be.

 It was a promise that I meant to keep and later I would be reminded of that promise many times. I have never forgotten the promise that I made that night.

 Now I don't know if you believe in angels or other worldly things or even if things that you cannot explain, but I remember telling the woman that she was my angel.

 I asked about her the next day. I wanted to know her name so that I could send her a thank you note. No one knew who I was talking about. Several people came to me asking for descriptions of her, what she was wearing, how tall she was, what color was her hair? 

 According to staff, there had been no one there matching her description. No woman with long blonde hair, no nurse on duty that gave me medicine or tended a fever I didn't have. No warm blankets or kindness from anyone other than the night staff. So who was she?

 Everyone said I had dreamed of her. They said I had experienced a difficult procedure and it wasn't unusual to hallucinate or imagine things. In other words I was either crazy or going crazy. But I know what I saw that night. I didn't imagine her. I remember telling her that I was going to live my best life and be happy. I remember the hug, the warmth of her hands. I can still feel the hug. I didn't imagine her. 

 I had lost touch with Cyndy when she moved back to Ohio with her husband. I had no way of getting in touch with her. I had tried every avenue I had back then but nothing panned out. 

 About 3 weeks after my big surgery to remove part of the kidney stone, I was trying to get up and move around. I remember making it to the hallway where I had my computer and was sitting there when the phone rang. It was my long lost friend.

 Cyndy and I have discussed this several times and around the same time I had met my angel, Cindy had tried to get in touch with me but couldn't remember my family, sister's names and such but she was praying one night and said that she remembers praying, I miss my friend and had an overwhelming urge to just try again. She got out of bed and went to the computer, and it was like a gold mine of information just came to her.

 She called my husband's mother the next day who told her about my surgery and gave her my phone number. We have never lost touch since then. 

 I remember telling the lady that was with me that night, "I miss my friend." 

 She said to me "I'm sure she misses you too. You will be reunited. Just wait and see."

 So my promise holds so much meaning for me, not just in choosing to be happy, but believing that even if I cannot explain some things, things that are unexplained can happen.

 Good night and take care of yourself and be safe and be kind. BB