Whirlwind

Wednesday - May 27, 2009

According to the dictionary the definition for whirlwind is : a small rotating windstorm of limited extent; a confused rush a violent or destructive force or agency! Why would I choose "Whirlwind" as a topic? The last two - three weeks has been like a whirlwind! Most of it was great, but there were a few moments that was destructive and upsetting.

Let me start off first with the first stage of this "whirlwind!" May 16 was a special day for two people I love very much - Todd and Cassie. It was to be the day they were to become husband and wife! During the weeks leading up to the wedding, I was trying to help Mom find an outfit that fit and that she liked! She has lost weight and we needed to find something smaller. It is very hard to find an outfit for an 89 year old lady that she really likes!!! I ordered her a suit from Penny's, then she found one on the rack that she liked - sooooo she had two outfits to choose from!

Then we had to find the right pair of shoes! She has a very narrow foot - again do you have any idea how hard it is to find shoes to fit her. After looking in eight different stores for shoes, we hit pay day! She found not one pair, but two! I encouraged her to buy both, which she did! I felt like I was in the middle of the whirlwind going round and round trying to find the right outfit and pair of shoes. It was worth it because Mom looked wonderful and had a great time looking for the right dress and shoes! Doesn't she look great!

The wedding was absolutely beautiful! Cassie and Todd are a gorgeous couple - I may be just a bit biased! :) The happy couple at the reception.

It was also we were able to visit with my late brother's widow, Laurie, and my nephew and his wife - JD and Darcie. John was at the wedding in spirit, and it was so good to be able to see them.

Another great moment at the wedding was the fact that my oldest brother felt like attending. He had suffered a severe stroke and heart-attack back in February! He is still recovering, and has made big strides in his progress. I'm sure he gets frustrated at how slow the progress seems to be going, but he is hanging in there! We love you Dink! Dink is posing with the beautiful bride! We love you too Cassie!

Once the wedding was over, we had another special occasion to prepare for - our grand-daughter Cora Ann was coming to Huntington for her "baby dedication." Following the dedication services at church, we were going to have a picnic with family and friends. Food preparation was in the works - what we would have and how many to prepare for!

While trying to plan for for the picnic, I still needed to go to Mom's and do things with and for her! She had doctors appointments, medication changes, an ear ache that needed to be attended to, grocery shopping (daily if she can), and being taken to church each time the doors are opened. We are all so thankful she feels like going and enjoys worshipping with her church family!!! The entire family helps Mom in many ways - keeping her company, driving her to where ever she wants to go, taking her out to eat, helping her cook, and taking her to church! We love her very much!

On one of my stays with Mom, we had to go to the Post Office to get her some stamps! She had just opened the car door when I felt the whole car shake! A truck had hit the opened passenger door. Scared us both to death! We were all so thankful that Mom did not have a hold of the door or had a foot on the ground. I shudder at what could have happened! Insurance companies are battling it out as to who will pay for the damages!

Not only was I thinking about what I would be taking to the picnic, but we had to decide when and where we would be taking the car in order for the adjuster to give us an estimate of the damages! Bill and I took the car to the garage and was there for well over an hour. Once we left the garage, we stopped at the store so I could get the ingredients and start working on food for Sunday!

Friday evening David wanted to know if we wanted to go out and eat at Chili Willi's! Of course Bill said yes because we would get to see Cora Ann; eat at Chili Willi's, which is Bill's favorite place to eat; oh, and we would get to spend time with David and Jeni before Sunday! We had a great time!

Mike and Debbie stayed with Mom this past weekend so I could do a lot of the food preparation at home. I did go down on Saturday so Mom could "help" make the potato salad and deviled eggs. She absolutely loves it when we cook together - just like the days when I was still home! After returning home, I needed to make sure Bill and I had our clothes ready for church and then a change for the picnic. I tried to pack the food in a way that would be easy for us to carry, and in a way the hot food would stay hot; and the cold food would stay cold!

The big day was here - Cora's Dedication. This special day was witnessed by not only her parents, four great-grandparents, five grand-parents, one great-aunt, but the congregation at Fifth Avenue Baptist Church in Huntington. Cora was beautiful in the dress her Great-grandma Johnson had made for David's dedication. Cora was wearing her dad's gown - it was absolutely beautiful!

The picnic was enjoyed by all in attendance. There was a total of 27 there to help celebrate Cora's special day!

Monday was a gathering at Mom's. Dink and Mike and their families were there, and we were so thankful for another day we could spend together as a family. We had so much good food the past two days. We did not let the rain curtail the ability to cook out on the grill!! Mike grilled corn on the cob with a little extra head cover!!! Tuesday and Wednesday were days Bill and I had doctor appointments. We both had great blood-pressure readings, but alas, Bill was placed on medication for diabetes. Today we went to the store and bought healthy food! The plans are for eating healthier and using the Wii exercise program to help lose weight which hopefully will help not only the sugar level but the blood-pressure as well. We know this is going to be hard to break the old habits of eating, but we know we can do it!!!

We will try and keep all posted on Bill's progress (and mine too)! Prayers would be appreciated as we do what we must to get healthier! We have a little more incentive to make our attempts at becoming healthier a success!