This has not been a good week for us. No, Bill has not had any major issues. It has just been a very emotionally draining week.

Early Monday morning, my best friend's father passed away suddenly. He would have been 90 next month, and while it was not totally unexpected, it was still a shock. Then, on Tuesday, the mother of my other friend, who I had requested prayer for last week, passed away just before midnight. We managed to get through the visitation and funeral of Phillis's dad, but just barely. There was a full regular Army Honor Guard and that part of the service was hard on both of us. I don't know when the other funeral is to be held, and I haven't seen Berta yet. I've talked to her and she is holding on. She has a large family and her kids are all here by now, so she's not alone.

We did have a bright spot. Bryan came over Monday and tried to find where the water was coming in. He tried everything he could think of, where it looked like it could be, but no water. Ron came over on Tuesday morning and started cleaning the gutters for us and still no water. It also rained some and no water. So, we think that the gutters were too clogged and it was raining so hard that they overflowed at the flashing. We'll just have to keep an eye on them for awhile. But, at least we have clean gutters all around the house now.

Today we took my car to Jackson Tn. to have the 30,0000 mile maintenance done. When I told them how rough it was driving with the new tires, they re-balanced them and now it drives beautifully. The technician said there were too many weights in them, and in the wrong places. Now, since we bought them at a tire specialty store, you would think that they would know how to balance tires. Anyway, I should get better gas mileage and it rides like it did when we first bought it.

Bill got his first Hepatitis A and B shots this week. Gets the 2nd shot of 1 next month and for a couple of months after that. The 2nd shot of the other one is in 6 months.

I've had a terrible time breathing this week. Sunday was a full-blown allergy attack where it took all of my effort to just breathe. I didn't make it to church. Felt better most of the week except for a headache, but today I'm hurting some when I breathe. I've used my inhaler and it hasn't helped a whole lot. It feels like the Pleurisy is back. The only thing they can give for that is Prednisone and I'm allergic to that. So, I guess I'm just going to have to suffer with it.

We had a security light installed yesterday. There's only a small monthly charge and it's just like a street light, maintained by the power company. It's in the back and lights the entire backyard and part of our neighbor's yard. That house is empty and for rent and it was broken into and all of the copper stripped from the air conditioner. Since we had someone prowling around while we were in Illinois, we figured we'd better do something else. We also had to get a locking mailbox since our neighbor Joe caught some kids going through the box. We may have to get sleep masks to keep the light out, but I don't think anyone will be nosing around the backyard in the middle of the night anymore.

All for this week. Hopefully yours was better than ours was. At least this next week should be better, except for "Momma's" funeral.

This week seems like it was very strange. Maybe because of the holiday. And when I said that LIFE happened in the last post, this week we could substitute other letters!

We grilled some steaks on Monday with corn on the cob, baked beans and salad and then had leftovers in a salad on Tuesday. This was the first that Bill had done any grilling since we went to
Florida. We didn't grill there because it was a communal grill and we just didn't want to take a chance with it. Of course the charcoal I bought would not stay lit so it took forever for the steaks to cook. We also bought a new washer and dryer.

Ryan and Bryan got the old washer and dryer Tuesday morning and the new ones were delivered that afternoon. We also got Bill's meds from Fed-Ex instead of them coming on Wednesday.

Since the meds came early, we decided to go to Tunica on Wednesday. For those of you who don't know "what" that means...it's Tunica, Mississippi to the casinos. We had been in Oklahoma for a little while and Bill did pretty well. He didn't do as well this time. He was very overwhelmed by all of the noise and people. He also couldn't remember how to play the games. This was something that we had both enjoyed in the past, and I wasn't able to enjoy myself because of keeping track of him and what he was doing. They have also changed the machines so much now. There are too many paylines and to win anything you have to bet a lot more than before. We can both remember the first time we went. We each had $50 and stayed all day and into the evening. On the way home we both commented that it wouldn't bother us to not go again.

Thursday was the last day of school and McKenna wanted to walk. But, when she didn't arrive at the church within 15 minutes I got a little worried. I drove to the school and the bus for her field trip had not arrived yet. She was one tired little girl when she finally did get home. It started storming that evening and rained really hard all through the night.

When I got up yesterday morning there was water all over the laundry room/computer room floor. I was not real happy, not that I had to clean up the water, but we've had that roof repaired 3 times since we put the roof on! Of course no roofing company would come out in the rain, so we just cleaned it up. The good thing is that I got to really try out the new washer and dryer!

It also started raining today, and I started watching that room to see just where the water was coming from. To my surprise, it's not the roof. Some how the water is getting in behind the siding and coming down the wall and then out into the room. I put down lots of towels and then marked the wall with painters' tape to get an idea of where to look when the weather lets up enough to get out. This is very discouraging since we just had the siding installed 3 years ago. I also had a sneaky suspicion that Home Depot is not going to be very cooperative at fixing it. There were lots of problems when it was installed to begin with and they probably don't want to hear from us again! But, if you're going to do a job, do it right!

On top of all of this, a good friend called and said that her mother had cancer throughout most of her body and they were just keeping her comfortable now. This was totally unexpected. She did say that "Mama" is handling it well and is a peace with it. Another friend developed an infection in his colon and has spent the entire week in the hospital in Memphis. Still another had a pacemaker/defibrillator implanted this week. So, last week the mundane aspects of life happened. This week it was the bigger, badder things. But, another month has passed. Another month of life for Bill and we will be thankful for that blessing. We are also looking for the blessings in the problems and illnesses. So far they are staying hidden from me. Maybe before long they will show themselves.

All for now.

Good Sunday morning! It looks to be a lovely day here. It's a little cool right now but the sun is shining and no clouds in the sky.

We've had a good week after our trip. We went shopping for a new washer and dryer. Haven't purchased it yet, but I think I've decided which one I want. Need to get the old set moved out before the new gets delivered. The old ones are going to Ryan's. We also got some replacement parts for the grill and a few other things for the patio. I'm hoping we can spend some time out there this summer and enjoy it. We're planning on grilling some steaks for Memorial Day, just the 2 of us I think.

The only thing that has really happened this week is LIFE, the little every day things. There have been no major problems or developments. I did take McKenna to the eye doctor early Thursday morning to get her glasses fixed. She talked the entire drive there and back. I love the conversations we have. You never know what she's going to come up with, such as needing to go back to Florida to the beach, but this time with a beach chair since she has a new bikini!

I hope everyone has a great holiday week-end. Please remember the reason for the holiday, not just as the start of summer. I sometimes wonder if the origin of the holiday is taught anymore. As I was looking at my great-uncles grave, and listening to mom explain to Bill who he was, I realized that he was not 18 when he was killed in World War I, but 17. So young, yet wanted to fight for his country so badly that he lied about his age to enlist. So, let's take the day to remember our fallen ones, before our baseball games and bbqs. OK, off my soapbox! Until next week....

Sorry for no post Saturday. We were visiting my mother in Illinois. We had a great visit and I got to meet my great-nephew who is 8 months old. He's a happy fella, especially being around people he hadn't seen before, in addition to a niece and nephew and brother and sister.

The weather was perfect for the entire visit. Bill did really well for the entire trip, although he did get tired. We went to the family cemeteries to place flower for Memorial Day with Mom, and between her and Bill walking on bumpy, unsteady land and leaning over driving a screwdriver in the ground to dig a hole, I was a nervous wreck! I had visions of each of them overbalancing and falling on their heads, or twisting an ankle and falling and breaking a hip!

Our travel days were not too bad, some rain and wind, but lots of construction, especially in the bigger city areas. We had considered going home through the country to by-pass those areas, but the weather was supposed to be bad today so decided to stay in more populated areas. As we got off the interstate, I got a message that a tornado watch had been issued and almost immediately a severe thunderstorm warning. We were able to get the car unloaded before the storm reached us. It has thundered all evening now and there is supposed to be another wave of storms coming in.

We have family in the tornado areas of Oklahoma. The Shawnee tornado came within 1/2 mile of one daughter's house. They lost some trees, a fence and an out-building, but the last we heard the house was ok. Another daughter lives nearby and I don't think they have had any damage. She and her husband are in the National Guard and I know her husband was activated. Since Aimee works in supply, I'm sure she has been too. Please keep all of the victims in your prayers, not just the ones in Moore.

All for this update. We're probably going to bed early tonight, if the storms hold off! If not, it could be a very long night!

We are home! We got home about 3 yesterday afternoon. Had nice travelling weather until an hour from home and then it rained so hard I had to pull off the road. We were both pretty tired and went to bed early, but we apparently both slept fairly well and didn't wake up too tired.

Bill was plagued by leg cramps again in the night. Stephanie and Dr. Hosenpud both said that this is probably a side affect of the Prograf. He walked it out and it seems to be fine now. He's been to Ron's to check on his building project. And, I've been to Walmart to pick up a few things. We aren't planning on anything else today, just to take it easy.

I'll go back to posting once a week now, and if things get too mundane, may be less frequent than that. And, if things pick up, or if something happens that I think you will want to know, I'll post more than once a week. Even if you only check once a week, you can always go back and catch up!

To all my followers who are mothers, Happy Mother's Day tomorrow! You are already blessed to have children and I hope you are able to at least hear from them tomorrow! I know I'll be calling mine!

Just a short post tonight. We made it to our first stop about 3 this afternoon. We both slept really well last night and left the hotel about 9 this morning. We didn't get to Bob Evans but hit Dennys instead and were on the road at exactly 10. The weather was clear, the traffic was light, and it was a pleasant day to be on the road.

Stephanie called with the results and again, no rejection! All of his arteries were clear and there are no med changes except for adding the Fosomax. We don't have to go back for 3 months. We don't have any dates yet but they will send an itinerary.

We took the bandages off the groin incisions tonight and the sites look really good except for some bruising. But, those will go away! Other than that, no ill effects from the procedure. The cocktail of drugs he got kept him from reacting to the dye. It would have been a very uncomfortable ride for him if he hadn't had it.

We'll get home sometime tomorrow afternoon, depending on how early we get on the road in the morning. My preference is to leave early and have breakfast while rush hour in Montgomery ends, but who knows. We'll just have to wait and see.

What an exhausting day! But, it could have been worse. Just as they were getting ready to take Bill from the holding area I noticed a huge swollen area at his IV site. The vein had occluded and the fluid was just sitting there. So, an emergency new IV was placed in the other arm and hot packs were put on the original arm to move the fluid around.

Dr. Hosenpud said that the cath went well. He did say that his arterial pressures were up but he expected that due to the long recovery. He also said the heart was rather stiff but the output was good. I've tried to access his records to get a little more info, but they haven't been updated yet. When I get more I'll let you know.

They were unable to use his femoral artery because of too much scar tissue so they had to use the vein on the left side. This led to small incisions on both sides. Bill, being the stubborn person that he is, refused to keep his head on the pillow and the femoral site started bleeding. After 15 minutes of pressure it had finally stopped and a special "safeguard" was put on. This is an additional seal that is placed on the site and then pumped full of air to put additional pressure on the site. They also put a sheet over his forehead and tucked it under the mattress to remind him not to move his head. This increased his rest time. So instead of being discharged at 1:30 we didn't leave until almost 4. And, since we had left for the hospital at 6:15 this was a very long day!

As far as we know, we are able to leave tomorrow so I'm going to pack up tonight. We travelled as lightly as we could so it won't take long. And, if Stephanie calls to tell us that his biopsy shows some rejection that we need to come back and attend to, we will turn around. But, I don't anticipate that happening.

We've had dinner and we're waiting until it gets dark. We are both exhausted and it will feel good not to set the alarm in the morning. My internal alarm will get me up in time to give Bill his meds. We're going to go to Bob Evans for breakfast and then hit the road after rush hour. (Sorry you won't be with us, Mom). We'll go as far as Ozark Alabama tomorrow and the rest of the way on Friday. We are both ready to go home!