Geez, it's Always Something....

Sometimes it's a pain being me...
I went to see the kidney Dr. yesterday and my kidneys are totally mad at me. I have only 16% kidney function left. I'm so dumb sometimes...when the Dr. first said that to me I almost burst out with...'16% out of what?!' OMG, thank goodness I didn't...lol.
Anyway, she said they are going to try and keep what functions I still have but if it should go down to 10%, I have to go on dialysis. Yikes!
They gave me the, 'you are now living with kidney disease' speech and gave me a bunch of pamphlets. I have an appointment to see a special kidney dietician on the 31st of March. Apparently, you can't eat so many things when your kidneys are compromised..crap. Even stuff that's good for you..like tomatoes and beans of any kind. Kind of wierd.
So, I did something today that no non-medical person should ever do. I did some research at the Kidney Assoc. of Canada website. I wish I hadn't now...this is going to really suck, I think. Sigh....
Ah, well, life goes on...
So, I don't need a chrystal ball to know what's ahead for me in the next while...Drs., Drs, and more Drs. Sorry people, my dance card is full..lol.
Anyhoo, aside from that, life is good..it really is. I'm enjoying my life as it stands and will continue to do so no matter what's going on. This crap never really stops me from enjoying stuff, and I have a pretty good attitude about these things. Possibly I'm just too dense to comprehend it all, but whatever.
Take care,

Make No Mistake.....

Well, one could certainly become discouraged by watching the news these days. So much terrible news from every corner of the globe.

I am constantly finding myself praying for the people of Japan. They are saying that there are like 9,000 people dead and 12,000 people still missing. They seem like biblical numbers to me. We have donated to the Red Cross and I would encourage everyone to give, but if you can't give, think of and pray for them. It's not going to be o.k. there for a very long time. Make no mistake, anything we can do is a help and we must not forget about them in a month or two when it's not a top news story anymore.

Then there is the mess going on in the Middle East. Those poor people in Libya are going through hell. Their lives will never be the same again either, I'm sure.

France, Spain, U.S., the Emirates, Britain etc..are sending all their best weapons and aircraft to overthrow this brutal regime. I am sort of wondering what Canada is sending over??
Above is a picture of our Navy, at the ready to assist the allies...sigh....

The media has gone to great pains to avoid using the word 'war' in connection to this campaign against Libya, but make no mistake, this indeed is a war. There, I said it. It may even turn into a world war when all is said and done.

Keep praying....

Take care

I'm O.K....

So, I'm O.K. for now. My creatnine levels are pretty high and getting higher by the minute. I have an early appointment to see a Nepherologist (or something like that) who is a kidney Dr. and with and endocrinologist which is a diabetic Dr. They let me go from emerg so I thought my Dr. over-reacted, but as he told me, it fast-tracked me to see these specialists. Otherwise, I would have had a very long wait and by then I could be in serious trouble.
I'm a mess, but I'm not dying this week...good thing cause I have laundry. Besides, my house is really messy right now and there's just no room to die!!
One time I had a Dr. ask me, after looking at my blood sugar levels, if I was trying to kill myself...and without missing a beat I replied, "Yes, but I'm not very pro-active...a bit lazy, maybe.." He thought that was the funniest thing he'd ever heard...I was pretty serious though. Good news is, I don't feel that way anymore, and I am striving everyday to try and take control of my health for my family's sake and my own. I'm too happy to die right now.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. It worked!!
Take care,

News and Views...

Well, I know it's been awhile again..
I have been so busy lately. I am happily doing the 'grandma thing' and am crocheting hexagon blankets for my precious little people. They are a lot of work, I must say, but worth the effort. They are looking good.
Also, for Christmas I received a Kindle. OMG...I'm in love. I have not been able to read a book for about 2 years because of my eyesight and now I can read again. Believe it or not, I'm reading War and Peace. Boy, what a good book. I love my Kindle.
Have not been feeling very energetic lately and just feel blah in general. I was not able to get a family doctor in this area until last month finally. So on Monday I went for my blood test as I have a full physical scheduled for next Monday. However, my Dr. phoned me tonight with the results of my blood and urine tests and he wasn't a happy camper. Apparently, my kidneys are failing. He wanted me to go right to the hospital and get admitted but I talked him out of it. But NIA hubby is insisting I go in tomorrow. Old poop! But I don't wanna.....sigh.
Apparently I'm in pretty bad shape...snort....who knew?? Actually, I really suspected something was wrong with my kidney functions but I figured as long as I was peeing, what could be wrong? I thought if my kidneys failed, I would stop peeing and then I'd go into the hospital. But the Dr. says I'm not peeing the right stuff and I am full of toxins. I wonder what would happen if I spit on someone??? Kidney cooties I suppose....
Guess who's taking their Kindle to the hospital??
So, I'll keep you posted as soon as I get back. Please send prayers and kind thoughts my way...I may need them.
I will put up some pics of the new animals we have now.
Take care,

Happy New Year All!!

Well, it's been fun around here lately. We have all had the flu since basically Christmas Eve. I was really looking forward to this Christmas as it was the first one here with my grandbabies. Then the challenge just became to survive making all the food. Ugh!! However, even with the challenges, we had a great time together, as a whole family. Even on Christmas night, poor Rob had to leave right after dinner as he was feeling terrible. However, in spite of it all, it was still a great Christmas altogether.
Holly, Ashley, Rob and I all chipped in together and bought NIA Hubby a beautiful fish aquarium, including all the trimmings. We got a great deal on it from the classified ads and it even came with a beautiful hand-made cabinet and a lot of fish accessories such as bridges, plants, castles etc... Don't tell him I told you this, but he actually cried when he saw what it was. He loved it and had always wanted one. It was so nice to see him so happy. God bless his heart, he will kill me for writing this, but it was a beautiful sight to me. I just love that man so much!! I honestly don't know how long we've been married, but we've been together for 10 years and I still feel so in love with him. I don't think I'll ever tire of loving this man. And he spoiled me this Christmas with the most beautiful camera ever. It's one of those new ones....the Canon Rebel. I really wanted it, but in a million years, I never thought I'd own one. And Holly bought me the greatest thing. It is a picture frame that....how do I explain it....it shows a slide show of pictures. You actually have to plug it in! I have no idea of how to use it, but it's going to be great when I take some great pics with my camera and then put them in the frame. What will they think of next?? I asked Holly how we would push the pictures into the frame and she said you have to push them in manually. I believed her until NAI Hubby said she was making fun of me and it wasn't true. Whatever...brat!
We only had one sad spot over Christmas, and that was the death of Poppy. I miss her and all her badness. Poor Bailey. But he's doing fine.
I have been wanting to go to the bird sanctuary ever since getting my camera, but as I've said, been sick on an unbelievably consistent basis. I hope I get there soon, and will post some pics on my photo blog a.s.a.p.
Now for some 'things you hardly ever get to say'....
1) I discovered that I love the smell of Ozenol. I cut my arm and when NIA Hubby put some on my cut, I noticed how clean it smelled. So, every once in awhile, Hubby would catch me sniffing my arm. Somewhere in between all this, Hubby said he was going to make me some coffee and I asked him if I could have a glass of water too. Without batting an eye, he had the nerve to call me an..'arm sniffing, double drinker'! Well, I never....At first I thought..'sticks and stones..etc' but then I thought...'Cool, how often do you get to say that?'
2) Me, talking earnestly to Holly...'Do you realize that we don't have a long distance plan on our phone?? What if I wanted to call Peru or even Romania. Well, I just couldn't could I??' I really hate it when she gives me one of her blank stares.
3) 'The sharks have been hiding in the trees for 2 days now.' (Me noticing the aquarium.)
4) 'I think I am actually Eastern European because all I ever feel like eating these days are black bread and liverwurst.'
5) 'I think the dog peed in my shoe....again!'
6) 'Look, even the animals are in the Christmas spirit...the cat has tinsel sticking out of her butt!'
Anyhoo, I'd like to wish you all a very good 2011. May God bless you all and make this the best year ever!

Oh dear, Oh dear......sorry, with an explanation.

I am finally back. I know, it's been too long, but I was having some trouble with my computer and could not see any colour in my blog, therefore making it impossible to write anything. I have finally had my computer fixed and I'm ready to go. I've missed writing on here.

So, lets catch u all up on what's new around here! In the obituary section....we lost Bunny and had to have her put down. She was a very sick girl so we let her go. Our poor baby. We now have two other dogs and 3 cats in addition to the others. What a petting zoo!

I am living right next door to my wonderful grandbabies and I love it. I don't miss anything now. I will be putting up new pics a.s.a.p. of both kids and animals.I have loved my life since moving here. I've made some great friends and enjoying my family.

Next Thursday, Holly is taking Ashley on a her dream 4 day holiday to New York City. Ashley has always wanted to go there so they are heading out on a bus tour and will be back Sunday. Ashley is so excited as they will be seeing the Rockettes Christmas Extravaganza and dining at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. I'll be making sure that the babies are being fed and Rob isn't going crazy.

I will be going back to school for my BA in Christian Counseling so I'm excited. Keeps me out of the pool halls..ha, ha.

Holly is doing great, but she's the worst driver ever! Worries me sometimes, but she doesn't go far, thank goodness. She's doing well in school and is keeping at it.

That's all for now, but don't worry, I'll be back!

Tory

Happy New Year!!! O.k. I'm back....

I bet you guys thought I fell off the face of the earth by now. I didn't, but what a ride it has been.
So, I left the job at the shelter, as they wouldn't let me get involved at all except to cook all day.  I went in to the directors office and told her exaclty how I felt and she offered me a job there.  I said no and left that day. 
I then went on to enjoy the rest of the summer at the lovenest and had the grandkids up.  We had a ball at the beach together.  I realized how much I'm really hating it being so far away from them and missing so much of their growing up.
You know, I'm not one of those 'kid people'; I just don't like little kids that much, but my grandkids totally have my heart and I really love spending time with them.  Even after a week of a messy and noisy house, I still don't want them to go.
So, at the end of the summer we had to make a discision as to where we wanted to live.  We ended up back in Toronto, not far from NAi Hubby's mother.  Which was handy.  We were able to have her over all the time for dinner and now that Holly was driving, she would take her shopping and she loved having a 'grand daughter' as much as Holly liked having a grandmother.  Mom spoiled Holly silly and even paid her tuition into pastoral college.  I was floored.  That was so generous of her.  Anyway, Holly was definately her favourite person on the planet.
So, Ashley, Rob and the kidlets came down for the Chistmas holidays and Holly went back with them to spend some time with her sister.  She ended up staying there for nearly all of January and kept phoning and saying that she wished that we would move back to our old area to be near Ashley and the kids.  I didn't think Holly would ever want to go back there again.  I was telling NAI Hubby this and he suddenly said, 'O.k., let's move there.'  I was stunned.  I would never want to live in this scuzzy little town again but the area is gorgeous and I actually missed it.
So, Holly and Ashley were thrilled that we would live close together finally, as that's what we had planned all along, but Rob is a small town boy and Toronto just wasn't for him.(and I didn't blame him!)  So, Holly came back home to help pack and I went out to Ashley's house to look for a place to live.  I was there for about two weeks when Hubby called and said that they had to take his mother into the hospital with stomach pain.  I was quite worried, but not overly as she was a pretty healthy 72 year old woman.  She was still living in her own house and was very indepenent.
The next day Hubby called to say that her bowels were leaking and she was toxic and they would need to go in and repair the leak.  I knew then it was very serious.  I told Hubby I should come home and he said not to because the Dr.'s felt they could fix it.
After the operation, she had one good day then one bad, and it went on that way for a few days.  She began to have respiratory distress and very quickly things went downhill from there.  My poor Hubby called me in hysterics last monday pleading for me to get home a.s.a.p.  I have never heard Hubby like that before and it really freaked me out.  I felt desperately helpless.  I grabbed my insulin, a few meds and Ashley and I hit the road.  I was so afraid I would not get there in time.  And I really didn't want my Hubby to have to go through this alone.  Plus, I wanted to see this precious lady one more time.  She was so good to me.  I just felt sick when we started on our journey home.
Ashley doesn't have her full liscence yet, so she is not allowed to drive on major hiways, so we had to take a slower secondary highway from just outside Ottawa to Toronto.  On a regular highway, it would take about 5 hours.  It was all good going up until Kingston, the halfway point.  We suddenly were hit by a blizzard so bad, we had to drive at a crawl.  Ashley is a good driver, so neither of us was worried, but we knew this was going to be a very looooong drive home.  I was praying for two things, 1- We would get there safely and 2- We would get there in time. 
Then it got dark and Ashley was having a terrible time seeing.  She couldn't tell what part of the road was the part we should be driving on.  It was not busy, but there were still some cars coming towards us on the other side.  I could tell Ashley was a bit nervous.  And with my eyes, I could barely see Ashley, never mind the road.  There were two cars coming towards us and Ashley turned the wheel just slightly to make sure we were on our own side when we suddenly spun out in front of the two oncoming cars.  And just as suddenly, the car spins around and we end up in the ditch on our side of the street, with our front tires totally in the ditch.  We were missed by just a hair by these two cars.  When we finally came to a stop. Ashley was completely unhinged.  She was shaking so badly I thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown.  Nof one of those two cars stopped to see if we were alright; they just kept on driving.  Great, out in the middle of nowhere, blizzard conditions, no clue where we even were, and my kid's falling apart beside me.  Hmmm, what to do.  Finally I asked Ashley if the car was a front wheel drive.  She was still in a panic and said she couldn't remember.  Finally, a guy that was behind us stopped and came over to the car.  I asked him if he knew if our car was a front wheel drive and he said yes.  I asked him where we were and he mentioned a Native Reserve.  He said he'd go back to his car and call for help.  I'm thinking tow trucks and hassles etc. so I told Ashley to just floor it and we'd get out of there.  She did and voila, we were out.  What really had her shaken up was that she's afraid of the airbags in the car.  She is a very tiny girl and has to sit pretty close to the wheel to reach the pedals.  She has heard so many stories about the airbags going off on small people and really injuring them.
O.K. Back on the road....30 K/H....sometimes 20 K/H...poor Ashley, and the weather was getting worse with every kilometer.  And she was very freaked out because she had barely touched the wheel and wasn't even near the break and we spun so bad.  It freightened her that it could happen again at any time for no reason.
So, we're crawling and up ahead we see a bunch of cop cars etc. and there was an officer standing in the middle of the road stopping cars.  We thought it might be a R.I.D.E. program so we stopped and the officer said there was a huge accident just ahead and we'd have to take the major highway past the accident.  So we turned around and Ashley is freaking because she isn't even liscenced for the big highway.  But we have no choice.  I tell her she'll do fine, just go slower and just make it to the very first cut-off which shouldn't be too far away.  It sounded good in theory but I didn't think of one thing.  The trucks!!  They were zooming by at well past the speed limit and it was blowing us (at 30k/h on a 100k/h road) Everytime a truck or any other vehicle could be seen in her rearview mirror, Ashley would immediately pull over until the coast was clear.  Sometimes it was every 20 feet.  Then she'd pull over and cry.  She was so scared.  It took us nearly an hour to get to the next cut-off.  And the weather was just getting worse.  I felt terrible I had got Ashley into this mess.  She was a wreck.
We finally got to a gas station in the middle of nowhere and called home.  Poor Hubby was worried sick.  He had even called Ashley's house just after we left to say don't leave, there's a storm coming.  So, I promised to phone every two hours or so.  Altogether, it took us 16 hours to do a five hour drive.  We then went straight to the hospital.
Mom was in a private room and she was asleep most of the time, as they had her on a morphine drip.  She seemed happy to see me and I told her I loved her.
Very long story, just a little shorter....Mom died on Saturday.  I was the only one there when she took her last breath.  God Rest her soul...
The memorial will be on this coming Saturday. And I have no underwear...
So, we are staying in her house right now until everything is done and then we are gone for good.  Hoooray!!!  I really hate the city and will be glad to see the back of it.
Well, I'm exhausted and have a cold, the second one this new year!?  So I'll write after the memorial on Saturday.
Again, forgive my lengthy absence.  I'll try to do better.  Lots of new things up ahead for us, so I'll keep you posted.
Forsythia, thank you for your patience with me.  I hope you're good.

Life At The Youth Shelter...

Well, it has been an interesting week! Didn't get many hours in this week at the shelter, and to be honest, I felt like walking out on the first day.
I only worked for 4 hours on Monday and it felt like an eternity. What did they have for me to do?? Supervise lunch, make sure the kids did their chores...then nothing really. I just wandered around basically asking if I could help out. Sure, I could clean out a large room full of donated goods, which would only take about 3 weeks if I hurried. I was very dissappointed to say the least. I did not pay $14,000 for an education to be the lunch lady or the cleaner. Not to mention, morning is not my friend and to be there by 8 or 8:30 a.m. was a fate worse than death. I've been used to the afternoon shift for years. And to make matters worse, they only wanted me to come in that early to make breakfast!! No way...this is a 24 - 7 shelter and I decided to talk to her (the administrator) about doing afternoon shifts. After all, I'm free help and they can take advantage of that to a point, but I should be able to make my own hours. I decided to talk to the lady about it the next day.
When I got there Tuesday morning, one of the kids was standing outside, looking like 'ordered but not picked up', so to speak. She informed me that the shelter was completely on lock-down until 5p.m. and nobody could get in until then. It would have been nice to have been told this, but I wasn't. The poor girl was stuck standing outside for the rest of the day, and it was hot. We ended up driving her to a friends house. I realized that this was probably breaking some kind of rule, but too bad. I couldn't just leave her out there.
Now I was really annoyed.
I didn't go in on Wednesday, but gave them a call. She apologized for not informing me of the meeting. I told her that I would be busy until Friday, because frankly, I was pissed off. I said I would give her a schedule and would she mind if I worked the afternoon shift. She said, (thankfully) that would be fine. O.K. I was happy with that.
I decided I would work from 1 to 7p.m., Monday to Friday and a few times a week, go and help out in the various programs they have in the evening, such as Anger Management, AA and NA. That would fill in the rest of my hours. She is fine with that. Praise the Lord!!
Today I went in with some trepidation, as I did not want to be stuck in the kitchen all day again. I was thinking as I walked in, 'Be assertive, Tory. Insist on them teaching you the ropes!!' O.K. So, after I made the evening snacks, (a fruitbowl and dip), and being told I would be resposible for them every day, (crap!) I went to the front line and told one of the women, 'O.K., teach me about the intake process!' And she did!! I then read some of the residents files and spent some time talking to the kids themselves, one on one, in a casual kind of way. It was great! They were so willing to tell me about themselves, which I was surprised at. I thought they would be hesitant to speak to a newcomer. But, for each and every one I spoke to, my heart broke for them. Sad, sad, sad.
But all in all, it was a really good day. I'm so glad, as I really thought I would have to look for another placement. Something usefull, but today I believe was useful and I'm very happy.
I'm tired tonight, because I was getting used to my life of leisure at the 'love nest.' I don't work tomorrow, but on Sunday evening I'm going to help out at the NA (narcotics anonymous) meeting. I'm really looking forward to that. It is an open meeting and is mostly made of people from the community, not too many kids from the shelter go there. It will be a great learning experience.
Other than that, not much else is new. I'm still waiting to hear from the interview I did on Tuesday to see if they want me to do counseling for them. I hope they do.
That's it for now.
Take care.

Well, hello all. Been so busy this summer, but no excuses for not blogging. But I'm back. A lot has happened, so it may be a long read.
We're up at the love nest, and are having a wonderful time. I was supposed to have found my co-op before June 9th but it was impossible in such a small town, so it took me awhile and today I have started working in a youth shelter run by the Salvation Army. Not the area I'm looking to work in full time, but perfect for experience, you know how unpredictable kids can be. They are between the ages of 16 - 25. Should be interesting.
Tomorrow I have a interview to do Christian Counseling at the Salvation Army Church, part-time. That's going to be fun. So, my dreams seem to be coming true and by the time we get back to Toronto, in the fall, I will be ready to take a full-time post somewhere. Yay!!
Ashley and the grandbabies came up for a week 2 weeks ago. They are getting so big and I miss them so. Would you believe Scarlett is 2 already? And yesterday was Ariel's 7th birthday. We had a lot of fun and spent most of the time at the beach.
Beach, Beach and more Beach seems to be the theme this summer. NAI hubby had 2 weeks vacation and he, Holly and I went to a terrific beach about an hour from here. It was so beautiful but even with sun block, we all got a little too much sun. However, the next day while we were in the food store, Holly suddenly exclaimed, 'OMG, what's wrong with you?' I was going to tell her, 'My mother had DID, I'm riddled with anxiety, my ex screwed me around for 20 years and my feet hurt.', however that's not what she meant. My face had swollen to twice it's size around my forehead and nose. Holly, being the compassionate and loving daughter that I raised her to be, then started yelling, 'You're the Elephant Man!, which made NIA hubby walk away from us. Sigh....
We were going to go back to the beach the next day, but when I woke up I was still very swollen. Plus, just to top it all off, poor hubby had the beginnings of cellulitis which is quite serious. So, off to the hospital hubby and I went, hoping for a group rate. Poor hubby had to go back to the hospital for 3 days straight for I.V. antibiotics. As for me, they think it's an allergy, but have put me on antibiotics for a sore on my head. What a way to end poor hubby's holidays. Plus, we had made a big picnic for the beach for nothing. We ate macaroni salad, tomato salad and sandwiches for 4 days. Ugh..
I had my 51st birthday in July, (don't tell anyone) and I think it was the best birthday I've ever had. It was perfect in every way. NIA hubby and Holly outdid themselves this year and I felt very special..and old..
Anyway, it was wonderful and I must be getting old because I find myself reflecting on how great my life is these days. I really do. I'm overly blessed and soooo happy. All my relationships are excellent and satisfying. No stress in my life at all even with my new 'elephant man' look. Actually, it's getting better. At least my new boss didn't run screaming from the office, which could have been fun.
So, (I know I always say this, but) I will be blogging more often from now on as I would like to keep a journal, of sorts, about the early days of my new career, so I can look back and laugh at myself and how unsure I am at this point. And to see how much I learn and grow. But don't worry, I won't make it too boring, I promise.
Gosh, I've missed writing this blog. It has been great having it to just jot down the crap that goes through my head. I guess you all know that.
I'll write again tomorrow and let you know how I made out at work and at the interview.
Take care and thanks for hanging in with me.
Love,

P.S. I will post new pics of grandbabies on photo blog.

An Homage To A Great Teacher!

Well folks, it's all over but the crying. I am finished school, and after my practicum, I will be officially graduated. I'm even getting a graduation picture, just like a real person!
Today I went by my school to sign off on my marks and I wanted to bring my wonderful Professor some sort of gift for all her efforts. I was going to get her a plant, but that just wasn't good enough for this wonderful lady, so I ended up getting her a ginormous slow cooker. She loves food, and she is probably one of the busiest people on the planet, so I thought that would be a good idea especially since she has growing teens to feed. We must have hugged and kissed each other a hundred times. It was like we missed each other all ready! But she was gracious enough to give me her personal cell # and e-mail address, promising to remain good pals forever. And I will be keeping in touch with her, as she has single-handedly changed my life. You know how you can pick out just a few people in your life that you know changed the course of your future? Well, she's one of those people for me, and believe me there hasn't been many in my life. I could sing her praises all day long. She really cared about our success, and her job is completely thankless. Some of the stranger types seem to give her a hard time, for no reason, but, if you show up, listen to her and do as she teaches, you can't lose. She is also very musically talented and gave me one of her CD's, on which she wrote all her own music. Her voice is smooth and beautiful. Holly and I were floored. God Bless You, Doc....Don't stop doing what you do. You made me believe I could actually do it and you will forever be my mentor, my model and now, my friend! Love you!

How Time Flies...

Has it really been that long since I wrote?? Wow!
O.k. All the latest that's fit to report. I will be finished school on Friday, May 7th and then have my big exam the following Monday, May 11th. From the 12th until July 3rd, I do my practicum and that's it, I'm done!! I am on the honour roll, can you believe it?? It was a shock to learn that. I never did well in school before, but I really enjoyed this course. I've learned a lot.
Now for the fun part...we have given up our apartment for July 1st and will be living up at the 'love nest' for the summer. I really wanted to get out of this town, as I hate it here as does Holly. We are so excited to be up north we've already started packing. I really shouldn't say 'we' as it is Holly who is getting us ready to go. She has been so helpful to us, while I've been at school. She's kept the house clean and made some great meals. I'm very proud of her. She is finally done with high school and is really looking forward to going to a bible school in Toronto in the fall. So, we will be moving to Toronto in September and I know I will be able to find a job there. I know of one place in particular that works with Native men who are alcoholics and since I'm native, I would do well there. They are a new agency and are always looking for people, so that would be great. But there are so many opportunities in Toronto, I'm sure I will find something I like.
Holly has also been working on getting her driving license and should have it by July.
Life is very exciting right now, and there's a lot of pressure for this final exam. Please say a prayer for me to remember everything as it's worth 70% of my mark. Whew!!
Right now my mood is very positive, excited even, and everything is going so well. I feel like we will be starting fresh and living a new life, which always excites me. We all have 'Jazz Wings' over this! I think I'm a gypsy at heart. I have never stayed in one place very long except when the kids were growing up and going to school. I didn't want them to have to adjust to a new school all the time, so we stayed put all through their school years. It was a good decision as now they have friends who will probably be lifelong, BFF's!
Everyone in my 'petting zoo' is doing fine except for one fatality. My sweet Heffalump died about a month ago. He first got something called 'Bumblefoot' and lost weight rapidly. Holly began to hand feed him smoothies and oatmeal and we even took him to the vet for some antibiotics. He seemed to rally a bit and gain a bit of weight. But the next week he again lost more weight. I looked in on him one day, and he looked just awful. I picked him up and held him for about an hour. He died in my arms, being petted and talked to which he loved. He tried to squeak for me but barely got it out. I know he was only a hefalump, but I was truly sad to see him go. I loved him very much and if I was feeling down, I would pet him and he'd talk to me and give me wet little kisses. I really miss him. Sleep well, my little sweetheart! I have him in the freezer so I can bury him up at the love nest.
Anyhoo, you may or may not be glad to hear I have quit smoking for nearly 2 months. My life is really not worth living anymore, and I still crave it terribly. Everyday I say to my family, 'I'm smoking tomorrow and you can't stop me!', and everyday they reply, 'O.K. Go ahead'. And every day I don't, but I haven't got a clue why not?! Can anyone give me just one good reason why I shouldn't smoke, cause I can't think of one. Everyone says, 'So you won't die.' That's it, that's the reason. Are you kidding me? Do I really want to live longer and be this miserable?? I really can't see any good reason why I can't smoke. But I tell you what...if my Doctor ever says, 'Tory, you have terminal cancer.', I will leave his office, go to the store and get the biggest pack of smokes ever. And I will enjoy every puff...so there! Sigh....
Actually, I think it would be so hypocritical of me to counsel addicts while smelling of cigarettes. That is honestly the only reason I quit. Plus Holly kept nagging about some crazy second hand smoke stuff...whatever...brat...sigh...why doesn't she move out?...sigh..
O.K. I'm over it...
Anyway, I will be able to write more often once I'm up at the love nest, as my summer will be my own. Boy, I really can't wait. Holly and I are going to be alone for a lot of the time as NIA Hubby will be staying with his mother on work days and just coming up on the weekends until his holidays kick in. So, Holly and I are going to go to garage sales, fishing, lots of swimming at the beach and in the pool after dinner. We will be going to the driving range, the farmers market, reading, I will work on my book, and she will continue with her Hebrew lessons. Not to mention I have some books pertaining to different therapeutic measures that I'd like to read before I start a job in the field. I also have several books I want to read for pleasure as I have read nothing but psych books, reports and other technical things for so many months now, I have to get caught up on the Twilight series, at least that's what my girls tell me. Actually, I read the first one and it was really good.
Anyway, Holly and I are also looking forward to experimenting with food this summer. She has become very interested in cooking lately, and has learned a lot. We watch the food network together a lot and I answer her questions. So, we've gotten together a bunch of recipes to try out. NIA hubby is mostly a meat and potato's man, so we're going to cook with recipes I don't think he'd like.
Well, this was a long post, but I have a lot of stuff happening right now.
I hope you are all well. Yes, Forsythia, I will be blogging once again starting in July. Hi Andrew, I hope you're doing good. I will catch up on all your blogs tonight.
Take care

Still at school....So just a quick note...

Whew~been so busy with tests, tests and more tests..I feel like a lab rat. But I'm doing fine as far as marks go. I just got my mid-term marks and my average was 90%. Not bad for an old lady when there's so much memory work. I have thought and thought about the kind of counseling I'll be doing. I started out wanting to counsel abusive men, and I still may do that, but I'm leaning more on Christian counseling at a church. Well, it could all change again before I'm done, so I'll keep you posted on that.
Holly is doing fine, trying to finish up her high school and then off to pastor's college. Hey, maybe she'd let me be a counselor at her church. Oh boy, mayhem....I can see it now.
Other than that, there is so much not new around here right now. Except, once I get my degree, we will be moving into the city, (Toronto) to be closer to my wonderful mommy-in-law. And work will be better there as well. Sometime in the next few years we will be moving back to the Ottawa area as I miss it so much. I absolutely hate where I live now and I've been here for nearly 6 years and have never warmed up to it.
Holly has been learning to speak, read and write Hebrew. It's hilarious to hear her. She tells me that she is actually dreaming in Hebrew at this point, which is really good. It's funny when I go past her room and she has a Hebrew radio station on...Shalom, you crazy kid!! Actually, she will need it for pastor college and this will put her ahead of the others as it is usually one of the courses you take in order to study the bible.
All the animals are doing well. Lumpy is as fat as ever and the birds are still evil, but we love them. Poppy has 6 eggs on the go right now, but she's not sitting on them much. Maybe she's fed up! Oh well, who has the time for 6 babies right now? Not me, if I can help it. And poor Bunny has lost 2 or 3 teeth in the last few months or so. I think she's older than we think.
Anyway, consider yourselves up to date on my boring life. So sorry I'm posting so little lately. Maybe once I get a job, I'll be able to post all day, every day...lol.
NAI hubby is doing just fine. He's busy at work and managing just fine without me, which is great. I love that about him....I think.
By the way, I seem to have lost my Title Header and no matter what I do, I can't get it back. Any suggestions??? This has been a problem for months and it's driving me crazy. Oh, well.
By the way, I'll be posting new pics of the grandbabies in the next few days. You won't believe how they've grown. You'll find them on my photo/video blog.
Take care

Merry Christmas and Pass the Vodka...

Well, it's that time again people. Christmas cheer, family, birds 'banging', me falling...oh wait...that's just a Friday for me, I forgot.
I hope you are all readier for Christmas than I am!! Nope, not in the least bit ready...sigh. And we're getting the tree today....where did I put those decorations??? I believe they're under a my small mountain of small kitchen appliances in the storage closet. You know, the one that's so crammed full of junk you can't close the door anymore...sigh.
Holly had her surgery on Tuesday. She's doing very well, but has a mouthful of cankers that are causing her more pain than her teeth. Poor Holly! But she has found some solice in swigging vodka every once in awhile. Either it helps the pain or she just doesn't care anymore!! Merry Christmas Holly!
Well, some good news. Ashley, Rob and the grandbabies came on Monday. The kids are getting so big! and so are the grandbabies..lol. I love having them here; I just want to keep them forever..all of them. Somehow, we'll pull this mess together and make a beautiful Christmas of it because I have all the main elements for the best Christmas ever. I have my loving family here all together for the first time in a long time and that's all the Christmas I need.
So, now for 'Adventures in Toryland'. Ashley, Ariel and I go for a simple trip of grocery shopping yesterday, but it was snowing like blazes. We took our bundle buggy with us and when we came back we got stuck with the buggy in the deep snow. Ashley and I are pulling and pulling until I (of course) fell down. That was it. I could not get up no matter how we tried. I was about ready to get out my blackberry to phone Rob to come and get me, as everytime Ashley tried to help me, I would fall again and spin. We look up, and there's a man shoveling snow. Ashley asked him to help us and he came over and helped me up and even pulled our cart for us into the building. It was then I realized it was my next door neighbour! Embarrassing! Ashley couldn't stop laughing long enough to be of any help to me at all...the rotten kid. She's just like her sister...sigh.
Anyway, school is going great and keeping me busy. Homework and more homework, but I'm enjoying it.
Just in case I don't write again before Christmas, may I extend God's Richest Blessings to you all from my family to yours.
Take care

School, School And More School...

I know, it's been awhile..the title says it all. Lots of homework but my grade average is about 95%, so I'm happy with that.
I am so enjoying school, I love learning, it turns out and by the time I'm done, I will have a college diploma as an addictions counselor and community service worker, another words, a social worker. It seems so hard to believe at my age that I will get this diploma and I'm really looking forward to being a help to people. It will make my life worth something, you know?
NIA Hubby and Holly have been so supportive. They have both managed to take care of most of Christmas for me and getting the house ready.
Now for some really fun news! Ashley, Rob and my grandbabies will be down for Christmas this year, for the first time in at least 4 years. I'm so excited to see their little faces making ginger bread houses and cookies etc...So fun.
Poor Holly has to have surgery on Dec. 16, to have her wisdom teeth out...ouch. They have not been able to push through the gums because there is not enough room, so they will have to go after them. I will take the day off school because she has never had an operation before and I know she will be anxious about it.
Tomorrow I go for more laser surgery on my eyes. They have found more bleeding in my eyes and aren't sure they can save my sight, but oh well, life happens. My school is really good about letting me take Holly there to do my notes when I have my laser surgery, so she will go to school with me tomorrow. She's a good kid.
That's all the news for now. I'm not that interesting really right now because my life revolves around school, But I miss you all and a special thanks to Forsythia for hanging in with me.
God Bless you all this Christmas season! May you and yours stay close and warm.
I'll write again soon-er!
Take care

School Days...

Well, I'm back. I've been so busy with homework for this particular module at school. It was body, mind and health and it was very interesting. I really enjoyed it. There was quite a lot of work to do but i loved it. We had 2 tests, an essay and a presentation. I am really convinced that God has truly been directing my ways these days. I can actually get up in front of my class and do a presentation without any signs of a panic attack or anything. I'm getting quite comfortable up there and that's just not me.
We are starting to get some practical teaching on how to practice therapy and I find it very exciting.
In this module and the last, (psychology) my overall mark was 88%. Now before you start thinking about how brilliant I am, I should tell you about our phenomenal teacher. She has her Doctorate, so she's actually a professor. But she's very low key about that and asks us to just call her by her first name. That's actually very helpful to me as, if I had to keep being reminded of how smart she is, I could be intimidated by her. Her manner is not intimidating and she's a lot of fun. But the main thing I appreciate about her, is that, she sets us, her students, up for success. She teaches in such a way that it's really hard not to pass. The way she prepares us for tests is actually the main reason I'm getting decent marks. I really believe this and I thank God for her every day. Each module has ridiculous amounts of information that we have to absorb and at first it doesn't seem humanly possible, but she manages to get it pounded into our silly little heads and with just a little effort on the students part, it works out somehow. For example, the textbooks from which we study can be very convoluted in their definitions. Often, the definition makes no sense at all to me, but Teacher explains it so much simpler and makes it very understandable. She is also brilliant at getting you to retain what you've learned, which was something I was particularly worried about at my 'old age'.
So, yes, school is great and I'm loving it.
In other news...I take Holly to school on the days I have a test because once we write the test, we are able to leave. So, it's company for me and we usually go out for lunch after. Good bonding time for us....er..most of the time. So, yesterday, Holly came to school with me and afterwards went to Wendy's for lunch. We had a good time and went outside to sit on the curb in the parking lot while we were waiting for NAI Hubby to pick us up. He forgot we were at Wendy's and drove by us to go to the school. I started to get up from the curb when I saw him coming and Holly held out her hand to help me up. Good kid, right?? Noooo! She yanks my arm out of the socket, I go flying on my face in the parking lot, landed on my elbow and knee, did some sort of weird 'break dancing' move, (break dancing was never my strong point), my shoe goes flying across the parking lot probably nearly putting Holly's eye out. Suddenly she lets go of me and I'm spinning on my fat belly uncontrollably. When I finally stopped, I look up and she's got her phone in her hand calling Hubby to tell him where we are. She then hangs up the phone and looks down at me. 'What are you doing?' she asks innocently. Urgh, kids. I told her I was practicing my hip-hop moves. How could she have missed that entire theatrical program I put on in the parking lot? I hope no one from school was driving by!
More news of schools and fools to come.
Take care all.

Yes, yes, yes, I know I suck. I am so sorry about the long lull in my blog. I have actually been really busy and have a good excuse for not being here.
I stayed up at the love nest for 5 whole weeks! As you know, one of those weeks were with the grandkids. We had such a wonderful time in spite of the fact that the weather wasn't co-operating a lot. We went fishing and I watched my babies catch their first fish. Yay, a milestone I didn't miss. Scarlett started walking the day she arrived and was walking like a little soldier by the time she left. It was so cute.
I spent the rest of the time relaxing and enjoying my time up there.
Now for the big news! I started school last Monday! Yes, I actually did it, even though I didn't think I could. I am in college for the Addictions and Community Service course. I'm loving it, I really am. The teachers are fantastic and the students are wonderful as well. So far, so good as far as understanding and retaining. This was a concern for me being a 'mature' (nice word for ancient) student.
I had a couple of mishaps at school though. I fell down 2 days in a row. Embarrassing, but I'm used to that! But the second time I fell, on Thursday, I actually sprained my arm. My wrist, fingers and shoulder were throbbing and I couldn't really write very well on Friday, but it worked out. I'm so excited, as on Monday we start psychology. I am very interested in that subject, but I hope I can retain all the facts. I'll just try my hardest and pray.
So, I was thinking...what should I do about my blog as I don't want to just let it go, as I have done for the last couple of months. I have decided to leave it until the weekend, and make an effort to let you all know how it's going. That's better than nothing, right?
So, I'll meet you here next weekend to let you know how my week went.
I have missed you all, and will try not to neglect you through my schooling.
Take care all..

The Love Nest With Perks!!

I have been neglecting my blog for awhile, so sorry! I am still at the love nest but with perks...Ashley, Rob and the grand kids are up for a visit. We are having a great time with them, except Holly and I have colds for some reason.
The kids have had fun going to the beach and the pool, and Scarlett is now walking like a little soldier! She's only been walking for 6 days, but she gets around really great. It's so cute to see her older brother and sister interact with her. Most of the time, they are really good with her and she tries to play with them. So cute!!
Stephon woke up and asked his mother this morning, 'Why do we keep sleeping here, Mom?' Too funny. Ariel is getting so big now and is smart as anything. Nothing gets past her.
Of course, I will be sad when they have to leave again, but hopefully it won't be too long before we see them again. And yes, I will probably cry when they leave, as I always do. Sigh....
NAI Hubby finished his holidays Monday and had to go back to work, so we were alone all week. However, we are anticipating his arrival late this afternoon. We've missed him. The love nest just isn't the same without him around.
The kids will be taking their 3 baby lovebirds home with them, and I know Holly and I will miss them too as we have gotten a little attached to them. We have to stop that if we are going to be able to sell them the next time Poppy has a batch...sigh...
We have had really bad weather for them being up. It seems we had thunder storms just about every day. They have managed to pop out to the beach in between storms. It has been thundering all morning again today....sigh....
Anyway, more news as soon as it comes in.
Take care

Holiday Time At the Love Nest!!

Well I know that's it's been a long time since the last post, but we are up at the love nest and are having a wonderful time. It seems like we've been pretty busy, but there's been a lot of relaxing going on too. It's just the best place to be in the world, especially if you want a break from the city.
We set up our new patio set, and have eaten many meals out there. Right now it's pretty hot and humid, so we will stay in until it cools down a bit, which it should tomorrow. But that's ok, it gives me time to catch up on posting and reading my fave blogs. Hubby just went out to pick up a few things we need and Holly is listening to music. We are all bonding pretty well as a family and it's been so good for all of us being up here.
This year I have had a bad case of psoriasis, all along my right arm from my elbow to my fingers. Very itchy and annoying. When I unpacked, I found what I thought was Hubby's psoriasis ointment in my bag. I used it faithfully every day since I got here. It didn't seem to be helping much, but at least it didn't feel as itchy. Holly was sitting on the couch and she noticed the cream. She asked me if I had been using it for my psoriasis, and I replied proudly, yes, every day. She picked it up and then just looked at me like I was crazy. Now what did I do?? 'Mom, this isn't psoriasis cream.' 'Of course it is!' I replied. 'No Mom, this is vaginal cream for a yeast infection!' I was floored! 'Are you kidding???' I replied, shocked. Sure enough, that's what it was. Gosh, I'm such a dork. Of course, Holly laughed for a full 10 minutes and has mentioned it about 100 times since. What a brat! All I had to say in my defence was, 'I told you I can't see!'
Since I've been here at the love nest, I have been having some really bad coughing fits and I've almost lost my voice. (Much to the thrill of my family!) Also, my glands under my neck have swollen up, but they don't hurt. I've also had a lot of dizzy spells. So we decided to hop over to the nearest town, to see if I could get some cough meds. I told the Dr. all the symptoms, focusing on my throat and glands. I thought the dizzy spells could be from a possible ear infection or something like that. It was all good up until I told her of the dizzy spells, which were bad enough that Hubby had to hold my hand when walking from the car to anywhere. I was actually afraid that I would pass out in front of people and embarrass myself....yeah, like that would be something new for me..
Anyway, she said she was concerned about my dizziness. She layed me down and took my blood pressure, which I've never had a problem with. Of course, it was normal. Then she asked me to stand up. My blood pressure plummeted to the point that she and Hubby had to hold on to me, I was so wobbly. She thought that I was dehydrated, but was not sure why my blood pressure was doing this, so she took some blood and urine tests and I should hear by Friday. I'm fine, just a bit dizzy.
Ashley, Rob and the kids will be coming up around July 20th and I'm so looking forward to that. We'll have a great time and I've bought the kids some fun toys to play outside with. I can't wait!
After they've gone, I will be inviting Bambi out for a rest. Just a girls weekend. I'm looking forward to that a lot.
Just as I've been writing this post, a big storm has developed. There is no nicer sound than the rain on the tin roof, it's so relaxing and somehow comforting.
Saturday night the trailer park had Canada Day fireworks. We all took our lawn chairs to the center of the park where there is a big park. It was a beautiful night and they really do a good job of the fireworks. It lasts about 40 minutes or so. Would you believe I fell asleep in my lawn chair?! Even through all those pops and bangs, I managed to have a lovely nap. Hubby and Holly laughed at me, of course. They're just jealous of me...
Anyway, happy holidays all.
Take care

Our Pets...

Click to enlarge.