Smile Dammit

This made me laugh . . .


I needed that.

Honor Flight, Part Two

Dad and Mr. Dizzy went to Washington, DC, on one of the Central Illinois Honor Flights, on Veteran's Day, November 11, 2009.

It was a very EARLY, very LONG, BUSY day for them! The bus left Effingham at 2:30 AM and headed down to Lambert Airport in St. Louis, where they were greeted by a large crowd of people wishing them well. From there, they flew into Reagan Airport, where another large crowd waited and greeted them, and then began their tours.

Unfortunately, the weather was terrible! It was a torrential downpour ALL. DAY. LONG. Fortunately, they had ponchos and umbrellas for the guys.

Here is the group of veterans in front of the WWII Memorial:


Here is Dad in front of the Illinois section of the Memorial:

At the Lincoln Memorial, Dad was very excited to have his picture taken in front of Mr. Lincoln:

Another highlight of the day was the opportunity to meet Bob Dole and his wife, Elizabeth Dole. They make a point of greeting the Honor Flights and meeting/greeting the veterans. Dad was very happy to have his picture taken with Elizabeth Dole, and said she was a very nice, very gracious lady:

Dad and Elizabeth Dole, Take Two:

Dad also got the chance to meet and speak with Bob Dole, and said he was a very, very nice man. Mr. Dole almost didn't get to come to this event; apparently he has been not feeling well, and is scheduled to have leg surgery very soon. But, he was determined to come and meet/greet the veterans - - it's something that means a lot to him and he loves doing it! The group was told that he would only be able to stay for about 5 minutes, due to his health problems. But, he stayed quite a bit longer than that, from what I understand!

Here is Dad with Bob Dole:

There were a lot of other places the group went to on their tours - - the Korean Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial - - I don't have the pictures for them cleaned up and ready to post yet. Those will follow in another post - - there are a LOT of pictures to go through. Mr. Dizzy took well over 100 photos! So, hopefully soon I will have more to put up here!

After a long, busy day, it was time to head back towards home. They made it to Reagan, and boarded the planes for home. But, the surprises of the day weren't over yet! Unknown to the veterans, the Honor Flight group had contacted family and friends of theirs, as well as schools and legislators, who sent in cards and letters for each one of the veterans on the Flight. During the trip home, they held a service-style "Mail Call" and passed out packets of mail to each member of the Flight. They were absolutely thrilled! Dad ended up with 40 letters/cards in his packet, and was so happy!

Once they landed back at Lambert, there was another reception for them - - a large group welcoming the men back home. Then, back on the bus and headed back to Effingham, where they pulled in around 11:30 PM. But, the day STILL was not over - - there was a large group there greeting the troops as they came home!

Finally, Dad and Mr. Dizzy made it back to their hotel room about 12:30 AM, and called it a day. And what a day it had been for both of them!
Dad is still on Cloud Nine over the trip, and can't seem to wipe the smile off his face. But that's a very, very good thing.

Thank you for your service to our country, Dad. I'm proud of you!

Honor Flight

Mr. Dizzy is with my Dad today in Washington, DC, participating in an Honor Flight. These flights take WWII Veterans and a guardian for each to the WWII Memorial, the Korean, Iwo Jima, and Vietnam Memorials, and also to the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Mr. Dizzy took his camera, and is taking LOTS of pictures, so I will have some to share!

More later . . .

Hey, Better Late Than Never, Right?

YES, I KNOW. Halloween was last weekend. But, I just got the pictures!

So here you go - - Mr. Dizzy (not sure what the hell he's supposed to be) and Dizzy Ms. Witchy! Er, Lizzy! Oh, whatever . . .

Okay, What's Next?

In my last post, I explained what PART of the problems were that kept me from blogging for so long, or even wanting to write ANYTHING about ANYTHING. So, here is the next part - -

My son and his wife, after 14 years of marriage, are getting divorced.

It's rough on both of them, I know, and it's rough on Mr. Dizzy and myself, and the rest of our families. But most of all, it's terribly hard on two of the most important men in my life - - my grandsons.

God, I hate that.

Mr. Dizzy and I have been trying very hard to spend as much time as possible with them to help ease the transition somewhat, but can anything do that? When you are age 7 or 10 and suddenly your Daddy is not in the picture - - heck, not even in the same STATE - - can anything "ease" you through that? I don't think so. All they know is that Daddy is not here, and even thought he calls all the time and they get to talk to him, they don't get to see him.

How do you explain that to them? HOW?

This past weekend my son was in town to see them, and from what I understand, it was difficult at best, especially for the oldest one. My heart breaks every time I think about it, and I wish there was a way I could "fix" things and make them all better. Unfortunately, I'm not a witch (hush) with magical powers. I can't wiggle my nose like Samantha on Bewitched and make things the way I want them.

I wish I could. For those two dear boys, I wish I could. I wish I could make all the hurt and pain go away. But I can't.

And THAT is the other thing that is keeping me awake nights.

Okay, First Things First . . .

After my last post, I have had some people contacting me concerned about Mr. Dizzy and the "health scare" we had. So, the first thing is to fill you all in on what the situation was . . .

Mr. Dizzy has been told by his Allergist many times that his blood pressure was high; however, they attributed it to "white coat syndrome" and the fact that he always came in for his allergy shots right after a strenuous 10-hour work day. Well, back in late May, he had a pretty nasty cold and went to the local Express Care clinic. When they checked his blood pressure, it was high. When he mentioned "white coat syndrome" they said they were going to treat it anyway, and started him on a blood pressure Med. He was also told to check with his Family Doctor about it. We went to our Doctor's office the following week, with our home blood pressure monitor in hand, to get him checked out. The nurse took his blood pressure, and it was high. We immediately checked it with our home monitor . . . and it read extremely low. He had been basing his readings on what apparently was a faulty monitor! (That one has been pitched, and we now have one that works!)

When he went to our Doctor's office the following Thursday about possible carpal tunnel issues with his hands, he had his pressure checked, and it was EXTREMELY high, to the point that they would not allow him to go home; instead, he was sent across the street to the hospital and checked into the Cardio-Vascular ICU.

Imagine what was going through my head when he called me that afternoon:

Him: "Hey babe, when you get home this afternoon, I won't be there."

Me: "Why? What's going on?"

Him: "I'm being admitted to the hospital for my blood pressure."

Me: " . . . . . "

Him: "The numbers were (I forget the exact numbers, but he was a WALKING STROKE)."

Me: {Dropping the phone and running out of the office, headed for the hospital}

Him: "Hello? You there?"

I don't remember when I have been that scared. And, I think I made the trip to the hospital in record time.

I got there and found the CVU, and he was in a bed with wires and patches and machines and monitors all over him. My husband, the BORG Mr. Dizzy. They had him started on an IV drip to bring his pressure down, and it was starting to take effect. The Doctor came by and said he was going to keep him overnight and monitor his situation. I wanted to stay there that night, but Mr. Dizzy wanted me to go home and try to get some rest, and the Doctor concurred. (Rest? Right - - like THAT was going to happen).

Friday morning I got up early and headed back to the hospital and spent the day there with him. His pressure was doing much better, and it was mostly a matter of waiting for the Doctor to come around and release him to go home. That finally happened around 4:30 that afternoon, and we got out of there, picked up his new Meds, and went home.

That was our Wedding Anniversary weekend. We had made some tentative plans, but naturally, they got put aside. The main thing was getting him rested up and getting him on his Meds, which seem to be working out well for him. He went for a recheck this week, and the Doctor was pretty pleased with how his numbers are playing out!

But, this scare played a major part of my mental state issues - - I know he's fine, but . . . well, it's something I just need to work out in my head. I'll get there, but it's difficult. I just need to keep working at it. One day at a time.

More later.

This Blog Has Been Down . . .

. . . because I have been. Now down PHYSICALLY - - but mentally, I've been better.

There has been a lot going on in my life recently that has not been good - - a health scare with Mr. Dizzy, a pending divorce in my immediate family (NO, not Mr. Dizzy and me; he's stuck with me for life. Period.), other things in life that have just piled up and piled up and piled up . . . and well, you get the picture. It finally got the better of me, and something inside just snapped. And, since the last thing I want is for this blog to just become one big "Lizzy Pity Party", it was best to just let it go for awhile. Not that it was a difficult decision to make; I have not even had the desire to write ANYTHING. About ANYTHING. At All.

I kept hoping that I would snap out of it and start feeling better about things, but that hasn't really happened yet. So, I just keep plugging away, day after day, working on getting my head back on straight. It's not easy - -

But you know what really helped me start snapping out of this funk I've been in? Well, there is a blog that I read all the time, written by Kristabella, called "Kristabella: Full of Snark Since 1977". She wrote a post recently about what she called "The Sads". And that post really hit home with me! What she described is exactly what I went through a few years ago when my Mom passed away, and it's what I'm going through now.

Back when Mom passed away, I went to the Doctor, who put me on a med that did absolute wonders for my psyche, but unfortunately, it also did a number on my weight. That side effect is making me very hesitant to go back to the Doctor this time, and I've been really fighting to make it on my own, with the strong support of Mr. Dizzy. It's not easy, but I'm not giving up.

However, with this much stress, some things gotta give - - and unfortunately, this blog has been one of the casualties. Have there been things going on that would be good blog fodder? Oh, absolutely! Good, funny stuff, and would provide a good laugh . . . and I have had no damn desire to write about it. Not at all.

Dear Mr. Dizzy has been encouraging me to get back into writing - - he thinks it would be very therapeutic, and he's probably right. In fact, when I tell him that I've actually written THIS post, he will be very happy! But, it's going to take time, and a lot of effort, for me to get back into the swing of things. However, just the fact that I've been able to do THIS post is encouraging; I wasn't even sure if I could write anymore! But I've finally gotten my courage up and taken that First.Big.Step. Maybe the second step will be easier. Let's just see what happens. Hopefully, I'll be back soon.

And Kristabella? THANK YOU for having the courage to write about your own issues with "The Sads". Your willingness to blog about it encouraged me to find my own bravery and try writing again.

Fun Times

This was a WONDERFUL evening!

My best friend from High School, Bobbie, was in town. She has lived in San Diego for the past 35 years, and came back to Central Illinois to spend the month of May at the old homestead, and visiting family and friends. We had been in touch through sporadic e-mails and a few phone calls, but had not spent any time together for - - hmmm - - probably 20 years or more. (Well, it's not like Decatur, Illinois is next door to San Diego, ya know? So just hush.)

Tonight was my Classmate's monthly dinner, so Bobbie and I decided she should come along with me and be a "surprise guest". The double-takes and surprised looks on everyone's faces was such fun to see!

Bobbie is getting ready to head back towards Cali this weekend. It was good to see her - - hope it's not another 20 years.

Safe travels back home, Bobbie. Let's keep in touch a little better from now on, hey?

I Don't Like Country Music, But . . . **

. . . that fact has NOTHING to do with this post.

One of the blogs I read faithfully (Boobs, Injuries and Dr. Pepper) has a post, titled "The Completely True Brad Paisley Story . . . " about her sister and family who, because of Brad Paisley and his wife (actress Kimberly Williams Paisley) are out of their home of the past 10 years. Also, their non-profit group, "U-Grow", which helps disadvantaged kids from dire circumstances, is now a non-profit in name only, thanks to the Paisleys. This means everything they built up for the last decade - - climbing walls, petting zoo, etc., for the non-profit, is gone. For NO GOOD REASON.

You can read the post HERE:

And, please feel free to share with your family and friends.


** However, if I DID like country music, I would boycott ANYTHING that Brad Paisley or his wife was involved in. What JERKS!

Remodel, Stage Three - Shower Stalls (and a Bonus - Pretzel Kitty!)

The shower is all installed, and almost ready for use! The shower door will not be in for another 3 weeks, but we have a rod and curtain to use until then.

All ready to paint! I will be spending this afternoon getting everything taped off so we can paint tomorrow.

Of course, we can't expect the FURBALLS to do anything to pull their weight around here - - especially our little Squeaky-girl. She's is totally oblivious to everything going on around her . . .

HOW does she twist herself around like that? She must have made an "A" in "Pretzel 101" . . .

Well! THAT Was Exciting!

Yes, VERY exciting, indeed!

We Interrupt This Blog . . .

I was composing a blog post about Stage Three of the bathroom remodeling, but . . .

We are under a tornado warning. Heading to the basement in a few minutes - - yes, with both cats in tow. Have the weather radio batteries charged, flashlights, and cat carriers ready.

Batten down the hatches!

Remodel, Stage Two

A new exhaust fan and light - - installed a couple of days earlier than expected!
The insulation is in, and we are ready for the shower unit to be installed - - hopefully TOMMOROW!
And this may not seem important to some people, but - - to a woman with a blow dryer, curling brush, and many other implements to make all this "natural beauty" happen, this makes me SO happy . . . FOUR EXTRA PLUG-INS! And they are on 2 different circuits, so it shouldn't trip a breaker. Sweet.
It's really coming along nicely, don't you think?

Remodel, Stage One

Bathtub - gone.


Wall - torn out.

Tomorrow, the insulation gets put in, the new wall gets built, and things get ready for the walk-in shower unit.

It's coming along!

More "Remodeling" . . .

Well, the time is FINALLY here! (We have only been waiting since NOVEMBER - - what's the rush? No reason to be IMPATIENT, right?)(Right . . . )

Tomorrow the contractors start on our Master Bath - - the pink one? Remember? With the Flooring saga?? (Don't worry, the new flooring will not be inb harm's way.)(At least I hope not!)(If it is, I will NOT be going back to FlooringAmerica, that's a promise!)

ANYWAY - -

The contractors are supposed to show up tomorrow morning, remove the bathtub, build up the short wall between the tub and toilet, and get everything ready to install a walk-in shower unit. The shower is supposed to be in to the plumber's on Tuesday; they will probably install on Wednesday. Then on Thursday the electricians come in to install a couple of additional wall plug-ins, and a vent fan and switch.

We are going to be in the middle of a MESS for the next week or so . . . and stuck in the cramped little bath at the other end of the house.
But, it will be SO worth it!

And yes, there will be pictures to follow . . .