I'm pretty sure I know why I slept so much last week

...so that I could deal with the trauma that was this weekend.

My stepdad Jim has suffered another setback in the form of an aortic anuerism on Friday afternoon.

My Mom called to let me know that she had called 911 (from a restaurant) because Jim couldn't stand and was numb, with front & back pain. He wanted to go home, she insisted on calling.

I met them up at the new Providence Hospital ER. How many times did we joke that it was a good thing they were opening a new ER so close to them, after all the weeks we spent driving to Southfield? Countless.

When I got there he had just had a CT scan and an Xray, which showed the aa. All of the sudden this was serious. The med-evac team was on their way to take him to Uof M hospital for the earliest possible treatment. The helicopter team.

The course was changed to Beaumont in Royal Oak because another cardiac event was already taking place at UofM. My Mom & I jumped into the car for the drive while the helicopter was 30 feet away, preparing for take-off.

The minute we arrived @ Beaumont someone lead us to a surgical consult area, where we talked to the surgeon. He described the tear in Jim's valve and aortic wall. He gave us an 80% mortality rate for this type of anuerism. 80%. This is the same thing that killed John Ritter. It's quick and almost certainly fatal. The surgery would take anywhere from 8-10 hours.

2 1/2 hours ago he had been eating pancakes at his favorite restaurant.

Now we were calling everyone in to say their goodbyes.

The surgery lasted 71 minutes. Under 3 hours from first cut to last stitch. They replaced the valve and used a plastic piece to repair the damage. They were able to bypass most of the tearing by using the plastic, so the surgery was shorter than anyone expected. They didn't have to hook him to the heart/lung machine, or cool him down to protect his brain. He, at this point, was nothing short of a miracle.

He was waking up @ 7:00 a.m. when we were getting ready to leave. Responding to his name. By 3:00 p.m., they had taken out the vent and he was sitting up in bed, talking normally. Exhausted, confused, beligerant but Normal. Normal for him.

Yesterday was harder. He hadn't slept at all and was very confused. He thinks he's going home today. He's scared. They are treating him so that he can relax a little, but what he needs is a ton of sleep. They were hoping to remove his 2 chest tubes today. They are uncomfortable to say the least. Get him in a chair and moving. Every step forward will boost his spirits.

He is a miracle. If he can avaoid pneumonia and any other bug floating around the hospital, he will make a great recovery.

To me the most amazing part is how attuned into him my Mom is. If she hadn't seen a particular look cross his face, she may not have called 911. I don't think I would have. If she had waited an extra hour to take him in, he would have died. Plain and simple.

Take a minute today to say a prayer for an incredible man. He deserves a speedy recovery.

what a long,strange week it's been

T.G.I.F. Another one bites the dust.

I spent the whole week in a sort of fog. Not really sure why I'm so tired and generally bleah, but I have been. I need to exercise. I need to eat better. It's hard to get moving when you feel so exhausted. And I wasted a generally beautiful fall week with napping and lethargy. Ack!

Next week will be better. Yep.

Lots of soccer and homework this past week. Everyone is starting to settle into the school routine pretty well, even if we are all a little tired.

Sadly, this tree is not in front of my house. It's in front of the house that I park at when I get the little man. So beautiful and vibrant-I just knew I  had to bring my camera before the leaves fell.

Last night was middle school open house. This is a crazy event. You go to each class for 9 minutes, and you have 5 minutes to go from class to class. Emma is in an AR (Academic Resource) class that had a special meeting for 45 minutes before the rest of the open house deal. I didn't realize what a big deal it is- less than 5% of the students test into the class. Very elite. It's a smarty pants class. (If they had a smart ass class, she would test into that as well!)

The teacher was very intersting, and I think she will do well in this class. For her 4 main subjects she has a team of 2 teachers, both very enthusiastic. She has a lot of the same kids in these classes, so the 6th graders get to know a small group intimately before moving into 7th.

It's a whole new world. let me tell you. Her organizations skills are so much better than when I was a middle schooler!

Off to get the man-cub. Have a great weekend!

bestest days

The early days of fall are some of my most favorite. I love the cool nights, opening the windows during the days, no mosquitoes. The kids are in school and the days are mine to do with whatever I please. Yesterday was a good one.

My friend Jan came over and we spent the whole day together.

We enjoyed a coffee from Starbux.

We went to the cider mill for cider and doughnuts.

We had a tasty lunch @ Zoup!

And we scrapbooked. Really, we did!

I have proof, just in case you think I'm hallucinating or hit my head or something:

I'm working on a quick little mini book of our vacation to Glen Arbor & Sleeping Bear Dunes. I just gathered a bunch of stuff I thought I might like to use, a few pieces of cardstock, and a smattering of photos and went to town. It was very freeing to only have a handful of things to work with. I didn't stress out about being chronological, or the fact the I've only printed a third of my pix. I can add in wherever I choose. So what if I can't find my postcards? I can put them in later. No biggie.

We are going to play twice a month, so maybe just maybe, over time, I'll get back into the hang of scrapping. That would be good.

In the meantime, there is plenty of adventures to be had! See you soon Jan :)

I can sense a need for earplugs in my not-to-distant future

Guess what came to live with us today?

It's true. She's a band geek. A bando.

And naturally Evan loves it too, so in approximately 2 years I could be waking up to the sound of dueling trumpets at 7:00. Don't be surprised if I take up drinking in the a.m.

p.s. I may not love it, but it is 1,000,000,000 times better than the stupid recorder, and she hasn't even had a lesson yet. She can't stop laughing long enough to play!

that was a week?

Wow.

That was fast. I blinked and it was the end of the week.

In the end, I didn't spend two or three days doing the dance of joy. I didn't even spend one. I somehow got stuck in the never-ending loop of shopping, shopping and more shopping.

Emma's birthday is coming up in 2 weeks, so I have been hunting and gathering for her. I had to make several trips to stores because they were out of something or other that I needed, so I never got anything accomplished in one trip. Soooooo frustrating.

And I spent a ridculous amount of time looking for a badge holder for her. I had 4 of them. I threw them all away (probably). Now I need one and they are like unicorns, mystical and mysteriously hard to locate. After no less than 4 trips, I found one @ some office store. But c'mon. 4 trips? Shit and double shit.

I repeated this scenario in the search for shoes. Need a size 5? Good luck with that. I challenge you to find something that is not too babyish, cute, affordable, and doesn't have pink in it. See you in a month.

I also lost my mind and have been doing a little shopping for me. I know. Bad bad bad. But I am back on the wagon, so to speak. And if I wasn't, I think this week cured any impulse to shop.

But how cute is this?

How could I not buy that croc charm? Seriously.

The rest of the week was spent in a blur: visiting friends, having lunches, soccering, signing papers & trying to remember to pick up Evan.

The good news is that both of the kids are happy with their classes & teachers. It was a week with little homework or responsibilities. Emma's only complaint about middle school is the location of her locker...it's in a hallway. The 8th graders trample her every day when the bell rings. She needs to learn to be quicker.
I have 5 different projects on needles right now, but can only show this one, my first ever toe-up sock! I am doing a knit along on Ravelry and this was the pattern chosen. The cast on was much easier than I figured, and the yarn is divine. Not quite sure I like how boxy the toes look, but when you put them on they don't look like that. Progress is moving right along. Unlike the rest of my life!

Happy weekend to all!

back to school

It's not easy being a Mom who likes to take photos, especially on back to school day. I got one photo each before I got the stink eye and the "Mooooooom". When they are older they will wonder why I didn't take pictures (or as many pictures) as I did when they were little and cute.

Emma & Anna, preparing to leave. Not even a shot of the first day outfit. My scrapping Mom card is going to be revoked.
Walking to school with Anna's 8th grade brother Alex. The school is just down the street to the left; a 5 minute walk. It's 'cool' to be close, for whatever reason. Note the matching backpacks.
And here's Mr. Man in his usual uniform of sweatshirt & basketball shorts. Barely tolerating one photo, don't even think about trying to take one @ school.

They both had good first days. Emma likes her teachers and found she knew more kids in her classes than she thought she would. Didn't get lost one time. All good stuff. Tomorrow brings lockers...and locker combinations.

Evan's actual teacher is still out on maternity leave, but he likes his sub and seems to be ok with his class. None of his good buddies are in his class this year, so he'll have to work hard to make some new friends. Not a problem for him so much.

Off to fill out emergency cards!

Hello September

Ahh, the dog days of summer.

I'm lazing around a lot like the dog today

doing the bare minimum and trying to stay cool.

Funny how it seems like it's always 90 degrees the day school is back in session.

I'm making lists to help keep me organized with all the comings and goings

(I love my lists), not that I don't miss a thing or two

I feel like I am orgazined. That's half the battle.

Speaking of battles, bedtime should be fun tonight. 

All across the state parents will be wresting unwilling kids into bed (but it's not dark yeeeeeettttttt) and packing lunchboxes

and breathing a sigh of relief

that tomorrow morning when the bell rings

it will be quiet for the first time in months. 

Ahhhhh.