A New Chapter...

2010-05-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Having one of those days that you wish you could crawl back into bed and start over. We have a new palliative patient, and my resident decided to be completely unresponsive this morning until 10:30. I mean completely, not even to painful stimuli. Scared the daylights out of me!

I think I need to be a few years tougher before I can go into geriatric care. It is emotionally taxing!

Life is changing so it was time for a new name.

2010-05-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

I have been a neglectful blogger over the last (OK, long, long, long) while. Life has been crazy for the last year. Getting to know my precious little grandson has been the highlight of my year! I am just two weeks away from officially finishing my first year of nursing!I am so excited. It has been a year of ups and downs, times when I was having a riot, times when I thought certain instructors were trying to drive us insane, and times where I was so exhausted I was asleep withing 30 seconds of sitting still.All in all it was great. I am looking forward to what year two has to throw my way. :)

Also...I will be starting off the next chapter single. Unfortunately Frank has continued to struggle since his stroke and we have had to part ways. It is sad to say goodbye after 18 years of marriage. I am not sure where I go from here as I have not been single in 20 years! I guess time will ease me through. Cuddles from my grand babe will definitely help.

Nothing much...

2009-01-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

... life is moving forward. Classes are going well, and I am feeling very excited to continue learning. Work has slowed down after the Christmas season, and that is both a relief and scary as the paycheck is also suffering. I am trying to trust God to take care of it, but that is always easier said than done!
Keaton has settled into his new school well. He likes his teacher and is making friends. He has his first "crush" on a little girl in his class and it is so cute. Her name is Honesty, and it is always..." Honesty said...Honesty and I did..." LOL!
Nothing new to report on the girls. They are doing well.
Frank is also continuing to progress. He has bad days, but over all making good strides.
Not much new so I'll end here and talk to you all soon.

A New Year

2009-01-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

2009 brings with it a lot of change for us. We moved over the last week, and that in itself is a ton of change. We are living with Frank's brother to help make ends meet. There is very little support for people when they are ill. Frank will recieve 15 weeks of sick leave from EI, and then we have to apply for disability, which takes 6 months. So I am the only wage earner, and let me tell you part time work at $9/ hour does not go far!

I start a new term at college tomorrow. I am so excited. I have had a hard time trying to decide the best course of action to take to get us through this hard time, and the conclusion is to continue on my path. In the long term it will benefit us the most as I will make enough money to support our family. This is important as we are uncertain what Frank will be able to do. Short term it will be tight, but worth it in the end.

Frank is doing good. He will not be allowed to return to a labor type job, and is trying to figure out what to train for. His stroke occurred in the cerebellum, which is the "best" place to have a stroke if you are going to have one. That part of the brain can eventually(1-2 years) rewire itself. Not necessarily 100%, but enough to function mostly normally. They discovered a hole in Frank's heart and think it is one of the major reason's he has had two strokes. He will be having more tests done to determine how big the hole is in his heart, and what they will do about it.

The kids are adjusting well. Shea especially likes living in the city. There is better busing and we are only a few blocks from the mall. LOL! Keaton is sad to have to go to a new school, but I hope he will adjust well. Charelle is still living with her boyfriend, and is expecting a baby in early July. So we will then be called Nana and Papa! Too weird, I know.

As far as New Years resolutions go I will be folling in the footsteps of my good friend Fran, and will choose to be happy, and find the good in every situation.

Love to you all, and God Bless you in the new year!

Scary!

2008-11-13T19:29:00.001-08:00

So my trip to AB did not happen. As most of you probably know Frank had a stroke on Nov 2. He thankfully is OK. He has some damage to his balance and coordination, but no paralyses! It has been a very scary, and nerve racking 2 weeks to say the least. He will probably have to retrain, as his damage will make working in construction unsafe. We have lots of follow up to do with doctors. I will update more later. Time for bed now.

Travels

2008-10-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

So I am going to Alberta after all! I am very happy to be able to be with the Wilson's for Casey's birthday. Kathy has shared how happy she is I will be with her for that day. I really have no idea how to handle these first "anniversaries", but I'll do the best I can. All I can go on is my own feelings as a mother, and rely on God to give me strength and wisdom. How do you get through the first birthday after your child has gone? Anyone have any experience? Share away if you do! Pleeeeaaaase! I will be in AB late the 5th of Nov till the afternoon of the 9th. Please lift us all up in your prayers! Oh, and a bit of financial advice....buy stock in Kleenex!!!

Autum

2008-10-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here on the island we are enjoying all the beauty of fall. The trees are in the peak of color, with the odd twist of green grass and blooming flowers. I remember last fall, cutting the grass, and weeding the flower beds in Nov. How odd it feels. Our winter wardrobe consists of rubber boots and lined sweaters! I think if we had to try to survive an Alberta winter again we would be too wimpy! LOL!

The kids have settled well into school. Shea is finding her niche and has shown a passion and talent for photography. She has been recruited to take pictures for the yearbook. Keaton has been surprising his teachers with how well he has adjusted to school. At our meeting on Monday they often commented on his maturity, compassionate nature, his eagerness to work hard, and how well he "goes with the flow". The school is very wonderful at working with him to overcome the hurdles of his learning disabilities. They are trying a few different techniques involving technology, and he is eager to try and to do well. Since the weight of being forced to write beyond his ability has been removed, he is viewing school in a whole new light. He is still required to write, but the volume is less. He is doing larger writing assignments on a personal word processor and is showing an interest in language again. There are several other strategies in the works as well, but most importantly he will be provided a reader and scribe for exams and tests so that his knowledge is tested, not his dysgraphia.

School is going well for me. I finished midterms this week, and will be anxious until the marks are back. It feels like the term has just begun and I am already planning next term. Ah the life of a student!

Well I gotta run we need to head into the city to get Shea's SIN#. She started her job as assistant to a wedding planner and she is loving it!
Bye for now. :D

Justice?

2008-10-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

So it turns out that the wheels of justice turn slowly. Neil (the driver that hit Kathy & Casey) has had his preliminary hearing rescheduled to June 4th and 5th 2009. The prosecution asked for the extension this time. I know they want to make sure their case is air tight, but it is still frustrating for everyone who is wanting closure. By moving this date, the trial most likely won't start until December or January. It seems like injured parties, keep being injured by the very system that is supposed to protect them. My prayers go out to the Wilsons, that they can find peace, and some sense of normalcy while waiting to put this all behind them. It is hard to put their daughter to rest when they have to keep reliving the accident through the courts years after the fact. Everyone who is close to them is trying to comfort them and help them heal along with grieving and healing ourselves. We lost a "daughter" and friend that day as well, and our hearts are joined with Jack, Kathy and Andrew as we wait for the legal process to plod along.

Some pictures of my garden.

2008-09-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite flower.
It looks neat in black and white.

This is Casey's daisy.
I thought this was a cool angle. Shea took these pics. She is really into photography lately.

Connecting with friends.

2008-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Starting a blog was such a good idea! Since I moved I have felt quite disconnected, and now I am feeling more connected. It is really nice to read what is going on in every one's life. (except I don't read Japanese, Camellia! ;) ) Life can be so busy it is hard to stay in touch as often as we would like. This gives us a little connection any way, and I miss everyone a little less.

I have been emotional for the last couple of days, ( I'll blame PMS) and have been thinking a lot about Casey. Sometimes there is a trigger, like hearing a news report about drunk driving, but often it is a random thought. She'll just pop into my head, or I'll think, "Casey would like that"...etc. Of course Kathy is always on my mind, and with the coming of fall, I got to thinking about how hard Casey's birthday and Christmas are going to be. I am trying to find a way to afford to come be with Kathy for Casey's birthday in early Nov. If anyone wishes to donate to the fund, I wouldn't say no! LOL!

In turn thinking about Casey, brings to mind the preliminary hearing which starts tomorrow. I am praying about it a lot because I'm sure you can imagine how easy it is to be angry, bitter, and hate. I need to pray for justice, not vengeance.

Tuesdays with Morrie

2008-09-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

If you get a chance at all to read a book, I highly recommend, Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It is a short non-fiction book, but one of the most powerful you will ever read. I won't tell you about it, just go to the library and check it out!

Hello Everyone!

2008-09-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello to all,

I have decided to try my hand at blogging, as I am seeming to have a hard time staying in touch with everyone.

A quick recap of our first year in Victoria...
We LOVE it here! Winter was...well really to us Albertans, not winter at all! There is so much to see and do, and we are enjoying playing at the Ocean every chance we have.

As most of you know when I moved here I was planning on taking my Doula training. Well one of the the instrucors, talked me into shifting to nursing. (not that it was hard! LOL!) So in February I went back to high school. I need some classes, and to graduate to qualify for the nursing program. I continued to homeschool the kids, and we studied together. The kids had a great year, and in June I graduated with honors! I am currently finishing my last prerequisate course, while I am waiting to start the RN program. I have recieved my acceptance letter, and now just wait for a seat. I am als working part time at Superstore as a cashier, and am really enjoying it. The kids are liking having more time with dad.

Keaton and Shea have both returned to public school, and are enjoying it. Keaton has been diagnosed with some learning disabilities, and school has better qualified help than I can give him. We are still settling him in and observing before we come up with our strategies.

Shea has grown into a young lady. She is doing well, and is really maturing. She is a favorite "big" kid in the neighbourhood, and has lots of babysitting jobs. She has also been hired as a wedding planer's assistant by a neighbour. She will do her first wedding on October 11th.

Charelle is doing okay. She has become our prodigal child, and we would appreciate your prayers. Sadly she wants to grow up now, and doesn't see that she should enjoy her last few years as a kid. She always did need to do things the hard way. She is a lovely young lady and I know she will be okay, it is just hard to watch your kids struggle so hard when they don't need too.

Frank is doing well. He has a great job with great hours. The climate, and the change in jobs have improved his health tremendously. Another confirmation that the move was a good one.