Y-Town 50th. B-day

Well, finally other members of Rob's family are getting old. I'm in the middle of my family.I start the "second platoon" I don't feel that we have hit the oldtimers mark. I have siblings that have preceeced me in the "golden years" I can't even say that because they ar so hip, but come on we are not the young'uns we used to be. Not until Jim hit fifty did I feel the pain of the oldies but goodies. In Rob's family we are the oldest. And that is very discerning.
It was a fabulous spread of Y-town food. The amazing buffet of ethnic variety would blow your mind. Unless of course you live in Youngstown and you take great this food for granted.The pasta and meatballs, pieroegi's halupsie's, Chicken francais, Yum,Yum. That's why I totally blew my diet that weekend. Whatever, that's when you are allowed. It was so special, the little girls, Jaci and Jenn were so excited about their Daddy being surprised. What really hit me was how calm Jolynn was. She is something else. She works full time , run the girls and still puts together a party. I would have been bouncing off the walls. Not her. Cool as a cucumber. She's young! Jim is so lucky to have her and so are we.
It made me miss the wonderful gatherings of parents grandparents friends and neighbors. There were people there that Jim went to highschool with. And isn't that great to still hang with those old friends? What really hit me was that I have known Jim for longer than I've been married. That's over 30 years. So I basically grew up with him, and Joyce and Rob. So I think that really makes me more of a sibling than a "in-law". Besides, out of all the "J's" in my family there is no Jimmy. I love him like he is a brother, and I always will.

Dinner And A Flashback

I went to Indy to be with Bri for a doctor's visit. It seems that Dad gets the business sort of life questions, you know about buying a new car, starting a job ,or buying or renting a place. I get the health questions. Which I love. I really don't have all the answers. At least I can guide them as to to what is serious and what can be just watched for awhile.
I observed my girl handle herself beautifully with her questions about her pregnancy, I try not to intrude, I am just the mother of the mother. I am there just to take care of a "what if". I forget what it's like to be worried about everything, I just was oblivious to any abnormalities. It wasn't going to happen to me, and I was just fat, dumb and happy. My little girl is worried about everything. I don't know how to change that, but you would have never have known that in the doctor's office. She was sweet and happy and congenial. I do think that when the mother bear shows up with her cub, everyone is just a little more attentive. I like that. So note to self, I think I need to be there for all the visits.
The Doctor got called away, so I didn't meet her. I am planning on going next time. I think it will be a good Idea for the doctor to get to know me when I am calm and coherent. I just don't know what will be in store when Bri is in labor. So note to self, I will try to be the sweetest thing that ever walked .....till the delivery.

I had a very special evening of dining with both my kids all to myself. I don't think that they noticed , but I was very attentive to every word, and I just enjoyed them interacting. I miss that. They have a special bond. I do not even think they realize it. They pay attention to each other, and know more about each other than I do. I just watched them , and it reminded me of when I took them both to McDonald's when their Daddy was out of town on business. Robby was three and Bri was five. I was at my wit's end. I didn't have an adult to talk to , and they were very busy kids. McDonald's was their favorite place. I was having a family meeting, about how we all had to do our part, since Daddy was gone. Robby had ketchup all over his face. I said Robby wipe your face. And he took his white T- shirt, and proceeded to wipe his face. There was an older couple sitting behind us,(probly the age I am now) and the gentleman laughed out loud. It made me laugh too. I probably would not have, I would have scolded Robby. Brianne ran to the counter and got extra napkins, because she always wanted to please. Robby tried to clean his shirt, but it was a lost cause. Brianne said that they would help me. Robby wanted a different prize , because he already had that one from a previous Happy Meal. He marched right up to the counter and asked for a different prize. It's so funny, because the two little ones at McDonald's have the very same characteristics as my two adult kids. I sat with my kids, and I thought, how lucky I was to have them all to myself, when twenty years ago it was so difficult to handle. I still have the same two kids now, and I jump at the chance to be with them. Tonight, Robby got food on his shirt, and Bri was directing him on how to wipe it. I just watched my babes. I am so lucky to have these two in my life. I hope that they will go on helping each other whenever needed, even if it is a small as a little food on your shirt.

Working Girl

Well, I haven't been to work since Jan. 31st. I have been called off due to low work load. So today when I got the call to come in I jumped on it. But it had been so long that I have been there that my password had expired. So I had to mess with IS all evening to get that going again.
And then there was little Ayden. He is five years old, and very smart. And he has been feeling sooooo much better and very bored . His Mom looked like shit. Ayden is this precocious red haired cutey pie that you just want to choke after two minutes dealing with him. He was attached to an IV, yet he was climbing the TV, which is attached to a mechanical extension from the wall. He scared me. He was ratting on his Mom for "treating him inappropriately", his words. And he was wanting to "turn her in to the authorities". His words. EEEEE! Makes me worried.
It was a pretty busy evening, and I had to get my sea-legs again.The highlight of the night is when a code -blue was called on my floor,4th and I was on the first and the elevator was not moving fast enough. So I proceded to run the stairs....feeeling very guilty about one of my patients that was in critical condition , but I thought I had it under control. Yet, it had to be him that was coding, who else could it be? After running up the stairs only to find....No it was little Ayden, pushing all his buttons. God love him.You would not believe the response a hospital has to a code blue. There were people everywhere. Emergency physicians, pharmacy staff, laboratory,nursing....a ton of people! Here is little Ayden....and his mother on the phone, not knowing just exactly what he had done.
When I saw him later on , he said, "Do you know that I can get kicked out of the hospital for pushing buttons?" I said really? And his mother just sat there, waiting for him to go to sleep.

Grammy's 2006

Well, what a dilemma last night of TV viewing. The IU game, American Idol and the Grammy's. Now last year I was on the road going home ,so I missed the grammy's and I heard it was the best ever. Awesome line up of stars and music. The Grammy's are usually entertaining and I love all kinds of music.
So it was pretty cool to see Paul McCartney, and if I do say so myself the old guy can still rock and roll.I enjoyed a lot of the hip-hop music, although I really don't know their names, but I do recognize their songs.How about Kelly Clarkson? But I was also looking forward to my man Sly of Sly and the Family Stone. First I was annoyed all night with the microphone dysfunction. For God sake this is the Grammy's .....If you people don't get it right, how do you expect every other little po-dunk telecast to get their sound right. I hope heads rolled, or that the headliner performers made a big fat stink because the sound stunk! And what was with Sly? Sly does not have a mohawk! What was that? I think Sly Stone must be in the Brian Wilson state of mind. You know like for all those years Brian Wilson stood at the organ and really didn't sing or play with the Beach Boys, cause for whatever reason he was stunad. That troll looking man could have been anyone. He wasn't too brain damaged because he realized he sucked and left the stage. In my opinion he had less brain damage than the idiots that put him on stage to begin with.They could have done tribute to the man, given him his little trophy and just let him smile.I am sure he would have felt more at home with an afro than that troll looking mohawk he had on.
And then what a letdown of a finale. After the last award, This guy gets on and tells us all to go to New Orleans and support the musicians there on our holidays. Where the hell are people staying when they get there in tents? They have this ecclectic group of performers sing the blues.....and again the microphones don't work. EEEEEE! Goodnight folks, better luck next year.