Superman

Sorry for the delay in updates on Daddy-things have been kinda hectic.

Daddy’s surgery went very good-Dr Smith did not have to take as much of the quad muscle out as she first thought,which is great news!

Mercy Hospital is a wonderful hospital-the staff are out of this world fantastic. They took such good care of daddy and I think seeing happiness on the oncology floor was just what the staff needed. We are, as they say, “One BIG Happy Family”

Daddy was in rare form telling everyone about mangosteen,no I’m not kidding-there he is getting hooked up to the IV,wait let me back track, it actually started with admitting…we thought at one point he may actually try and write this lil hospital stint off as a business trip!

I had very strict orders, there were 3 things I could NOT forget

1)his briefcase that holds his mangosteen info-check

2)his bottle of “juice”-check

3)his redman golden blend chewing tobacco-check 

Daddy got to come home to our house Thursday and I will admit I was a bit nervous-all these “what ifs” kept popping up in my head, like, what if…he bends his knee and his incision splits open-will the ambulance get here in time to revive me? What if… I pass out at the site of his incision-will the ambulance get here in time to revive me? So you get the idea, ima big ol wimp!

Now here is where the “Superman”comes in to play…Daddy started out on a walker, after a few hours he was on crutches and I want to also note that he has not had one ounce of pain meds not even an aleve-now if I were in the hospital and had a lil push button device that would administer “good drugs” with a one finger push I would be flying with the birds, but not daddy! Yesterday we took a stroll down the street-gotta keep the circulation in those legs going…He is doing well with the leg immobilizer(LI) and the LI sure helps keep me at ease because he is NOT to bend that leg or God forbid the need for an ambulance for me-just call me “nervous ninny”.

Friday morning mr gp went to Okay to pick up ena-she so desperately wanted to help in some way,so I called her Thursday night and asked her if she wanted to come up and help me take care of daddy-well she jumped at the chance and she was a BIG help,she cut up taters for me to go with the beans and mexican cornbread,then she helped slice garden fresh cucumbers,tomatoes,onions and mozzarella cheese for our salad-I couldn’t have done it without her!

We had a home health nurse(Katie) out yesterday and she cleaned and re-dressed daddy’s wound-and my sister(you know, the faloozie) would be so proud of me cuz I even looked while the nurse did her thang,all-be-it through my fingers BUT I looked! He had no drainage an his stats were great!

We also had Justine the physical therapist(PT) out and he showed daddy some foot and leg exercises that he needs to do 3 x’s a day to help keep circulation going and to help with his quad muscle. The upper thigh exercises hurt but they are necessary for recovery.

He is getting REALLY bored with watching tv and movies so we have been playing dominoes(the beans really enjoy straight dominoes) and today when my sister gets here we hope to get a game of 42 going-have you ever played 42? Or is it a country thang? Well it’s fun and I remember when I was a young bean watching all the adults sit around the table playing 42…ahhh memories.

So my sister Laura Gayle came up to bring daddy’s mail-thats her in the front of the below pic

And daddy got lots and lots of cards in the mail-it was so cute watching him open up cards and go hmmm “I think I know a Pam… but I don’t know a Pam in Denver” then I let him in on the secret…he just giggled and giggled Then he said “how in the world am I gonna Thank all these people?” So from the bottom of our Hearts THANK YOU for the get well cards!

Here are a few pics from the past few days…

Daddy after surgery-notice the nutter butters-I knew I should have bought stock in those cookies-geesh and daddy says he dosn’t like peanut butter! pffft

Here’s Daddy in shorts-shhhh don’t tell him I put this on the internet or he will whoop me! and there is ena looking lovely as ever

Here is daddy a few minutes later-he sent my sis LG to the store to get him some new britches that have zip off legs-he is officially “city-fied!”

He feels more covered up now and thinks he may need a couple more pairs of these snazzy britches-what I see is NO Immobilizer! Hey why is that thing off your leg? Ya gotta watch daddy, he is sneaky!

So daddy goes to Arkansas on Monday,to stay with the faloozie,we have decided to still go on our summer vacation-it really wouldn’t be fair to the beans and believe me I was torn on this decision but daddy is superman and knowing him he will be trying to 2 step come Thursday-

Thursday daddy will go back to OKC for a follow up with Dr Smith-then we will start either chemo or radiation-we will know more about that and physical therapy on the 24th. The one thing I do know is, he is so ready to get back to his house!

My confession for today: My Daddy is “DUH BOOM!”

Today is Daddy Day

I didn’t sleep last night,I am nervous about what will happen tomorrow…trying to stay positive and have faith that everything will be okay. Everything just happened so quickly, I don’t think that I have fully processed it all. We are trying to take care of things since he won’t be home for awhile,like making sure my sister can pick up his mail,making sure all bills are paid,making sure the animals are taken care of,double checking the fridge for foods that may spoil, the list goes on…

I am overwhelmed and I can only imagine how daddy feels-I don’t think there has been a day in his life he has asked for help and now here he is in this situation where he has to rely on others-it is both heartwarming and heartbreaking-

We have been daddy-proofing the house,trying to get flip flops,back-packs and all kindsa other things the beans inevitably walk in the door with and just drop in the first empty spot. We have 5 lil step-ups/step-downs in and around my house-I have sent mr gp on a wood run so we can try and create a slope effect making it easier on daddy when he arrives here from the hospital.

We have also had tons of calls from family and friends asking how they can help and I thought about this last night-if anyone would like to send daddy a get well card,I am certain he would get a huge kick out of having mail from complete strangers with well wishes-plus it will give him something to do-while he is pretty much “holed” up in my house wearing *gasp* shorts-

I will post an email addy in the comment section-if you would like to send a card just email me with “Papa George” in the subject line and I will get you his addy. Of course we gladly accept PRAYERS!

My Confession for today: Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my Daddy?

Daddy Update

We are home from OKC with good news. They will NOT have to do a leg amputation. Dr Smith feels like she can get all or most of the tumor/cancer out. He will loose some muscle,may need some radiation therapy and probably wear a brace but as daddy puts it, “a butchered up leg is better than no leg”-AMEN

Mr gp is going to pick daddy up on Monday, while I fix him fried chicken,mashed taters with gravy and veggies-he can’t eat after midnight,so I am gonna make sure he has a good home-cooked meal. His surgery is scheduled for Tuesday in OKC and we hope to have him home on rainbow mountain in Ft Gibson by Thursday-

We are a family who completely believes in the Power of Prayer so Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers, it will be a long road to recovery as he will need physical therapy and if Dr Smith isn’t able to completely remove the tumor he may need a medical oncologist. A CT scan will be done on Tuesday to make sure the sarcoma hasn’t spread to his lungs. 

We have made reservations at The Courtyard By Marriott in OKC-they just opened for business today and I was assured we will be the first to sleep on their sheets-I was just excited they wanted my business so badly they gave us rooms that typically have a going rate of $149 for $79 and he comp’d in their full breakfast buffet that is normally $10 pp for our entire family of 14 travelers. The rooms have fridges and microwaves, so we can take sandwiches for the beans to eat.

My Confession for today: clean sheets,fridge,microwave & breakfast included, one less thing I gotta worry about on Tuesday-Thank You Lord!

I’m gonna be gone for awhile….

I just wanted to let you know that I am going through a very rough time in my life right now and this blog may be kinda silent for a while…

Long story short daddy went in for what seemed like a lil routine hemotoma drainage on his knee last Thursday. Well when the Dr cut in to him he didn’t like what he saw and wanted to do a biopsy and our worst fears were confirmed today-my daddy has a high grade sarcoma that is very malignant, AKA rhabdomyo sarcoma.

We are on our way to to OKC on Thursday to meet with an orthopedic oncologist…Please keep daddy in your thoughts and prayers…

My confession for today: I will be back to bloggin when I can

We are going on Vacation…

Nothing like waiting till the last minute to plan your summer vacation, huh? For the record, “not how I roll” For the record how I roll is… planning months ahead of time,making sure I got the BEST deal for my or errrmmm mr gp’s money

Our summer vacation plans have changed SO many times that I was startin to feel sorry for the beans-aside from a few minor mishaps(mishaps=me being mortified that I was their mom, but hey who’s countin? just kiddin….sorta) they have been very good beans,who deserved a summer vacation.

We are goin to Branson, why? Because gas is almost $4 a gallon and we needed some place within a 3-4 hr drive to be able to afford a vacation-our previous trip to Branson has been down Indian Point Rd and we really didn’t venture into Branson proper….this year I must be CRAZY because we are staying on the strip!

Well, when you wait until the very last(we are talking 2 weeks away) minute to plan something AND you would think in a town with so many motels/hotels/cabins/condos/A-frames etc…finding what you need,even if it is last minute wouldn’t be that hard,but with a family of 5 and 3 of the 5 aren’t so little anymore(OK so the/us “other” 2 aren’t so little anymore either-suck-it!), a 2bed motel/hotel just doesn’t quite cut it! We need space,we need something that offers more than just a swimming pool,we need the flashing lights of the strip to keep these beans who are sometimes easily bored,entertained…

So middle bean gets out his laptop-yeah he is soooo cool, he bought a laptop with his B-Day $$$(I don’t even have a laptop…pfffft) and he finds this CLICK HERE and he is so completely enticed by all these amenities:

* Free Full 50 item Hot Breakfast * Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater On Site * 22 Acres Park Like Setting * 2 Great Pools (seasonal) * ‘57 Heaven Car Museum On Site * Heart of Branson Location * Game Room * Discounted Show Tickets with Preferred Seating * Free Wireless Internet Access * Pet Friendly Hotel - $15 per night * Basketball Court * Horse Shoe Pits * Volley Ball Court * Pool Table * Dining and Shopping * Concierge * Express Checkout * Fishing nearby * Free Parking on-site * Free Local Telephone Calls * Golf nearby * Hairdryer in Room * Meeting & Banquet Facilities * No Smoking Rooms * Free Newspaper * RV and Truck Parking * Guest Laundry * Surrounded by shows, restaurants, and family activities. * DVD & VCRs Available * Expanded Fitness Center * VIP Floor and Suites Available * Special “Area 57″ View Rooms Available * Shuffle Board * Jaccuzi Suites Available * Children’s Playground * Mini Golf on site

NOW before you all go WOW let me just say this property hasn’t gotten the best reviews on trip advisor BUT they do have 2 pools, one with a slide and diving board and game room according to middle bean AND they have a pool table which mr gp will throughly enjoy.

So I call wanting a deluxe queen suite-meaning 2 queen beds and a sleeper sofa-it says these rooms are 40% larger than a standard hotel room and they are in the remodeled building-welp they only have the deluxe room open for one night-then we would have to pack up and oh gawd MOVE to another smaller queen size room-Angie was more than accommodating and I said “let me think on this and I will call you back”-well I called her back 3 more times and she finally said “let me transfer you to Jake”….

Jake worked his magic(I promise I didn’t whine to much-just tryin to keep the beans happy) and got us a deluxe queen suite with sleeper sofa for all 4 nights @$75-some will prolly say we paid too much BUT I am deciding to reserve judgement until we arrive,especially since the property seems to offer so much, the breakfast buffet(included in room rate)boasts 50 items,a basketball court,horseshoes,shuffle board and pool with diving board & slide, oh good grief the beans will be in heaven! See, we are the “rare” few who when on vacation actually spend time at the hotel-don’t get me wrong we will venture out,I mean cold stone creamery is right across the street….the beans LOVE Cold Stone Creamery-what I am tryin to say is I am a  timeshares dream prospect-because I “buy” into all the hoopla, BUT NO timeshares this trip!

We are planning on Silver Dollar City and possibly Celebration City… along with the fact I did NOT inherit daddies passion for riding horses I also did not inherit a passion for rides so all the extras that the Ramada resort promises, are… well promising. My idea of a vacation is well lounging by the pool while the cabana boy brings me all kindsa exotic drinks,I didn’t see anything in the amenities list about a cabana boy but I can deal with no cabana boy if the beans are happy. We will prolly do a visit to the Tracks where you can do go carts and maybe some putt putt,the beans wanna ride the ducks but I am such a chicken and there is prolly a watch list of some sort for the ride the ducks that the airlines pass down,meaning I wouldn’t be admited, ya see for those of you just joining in this lil thang I like to call a blog, I am certain, I am on the U.S. Terrorist watch list…

I have my list of places I wanna eat at like Danna’s BBQ, still deciding on a Mexican restaurant of choice maybe El Portal,Cantina Laredo or Elenitas Mexican Cafe,we have never been to Mels Hard Luck Diner and of course Branson now has “The Landing” which I can only imagine screams to the beans of “take all your parents money” “TAKE IT NOW”

I Like my relaxing trips to Eureka Springs and don’t think for one second I wasn’t saying let’s go to Eureka but that’s kinda like a mr gp and me or a beans and me trip-summer vacations for us are always crazy so why should this year be any different? Especially since we are insane and stayin on the strip-I may come home divorced-mr gp HATES sittin in traffic-esgirl where are ya? I need travel tips to save my marriage…

My confession for today: I need to find me a black diamond watermelon-I am craving them and no I am NOT preggers

Mangosteen or XanGo™

Touted as “The Queen of Fruits” but more on that later…

My daddy, it seems has been in every single pyramid scheme there has ever been-I remember him saying one time ”he lost his butt in amway” so now after all these years Why oh Why is he so enamoured with this “Mangosteen juice”?

Well, he saw a sign on someones truck and decided to visit with this gent about Mangosteen-what this guy told him, sent daddy into a tailspin-the promise of $money$ that can be made, the healing powers of the juice and he is informed this is NOT a pyramid scheme/MLM(I have yet to see proof of that-but I won’t judge). Thats all it took for daddy to be hooked-line-n-sinker, well and the fact it only costs $35 to join.

Let me tell you a few things about daddy:

He is NOT materialistic in any way shape or form

He is a simple,country man-remember we had oil lamps for light,pulled our water from a well and had a cb radio for a phone in the 70’s-Thank goodness he has moved into the more modern of times

He lives to ride his horse’s-a passion I did NOT inherit

Don’t expect a phone conversation with him to last more than 2-3 mins UNLESS it is mangosteen related

He doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him

He is the way he is and I love him all the more because of, not in-spite of…

So he will tell anyone who will listen about this juice,I mean complete strangers-sometimes it is hard for me to witness this,because in our skeptical society no one likes rejection,but it doesn’t even phase daddy-he just moves down the road to the next person and starts all over again. I stand in amazement-I would be crushed beyond belief but not daddy…

Does he know something I don’t? Am I missing the bigger picture? Personally, I think the juice is expensive,especially for a family of five,but, if it has all the healing powers it claims, how could one put a dollar amount on ones health? There are lots of supposed success stories from people with diabetes to lupus being cured from drinking the juice.

The Queen of Fruits-has something called xanthones which according to the website (http://www.xango.com/learn/index.html) is a vigorous family of next–generation phytonutrients(pronounced-fy toe NOO tree ents). I had to look up that word: medicinenet.com says, phytonutrients mean-the active health protecting…Ok so it is obvious these words and the meanings are way over my head, and since God hasn’t given me ”Divine Information” on this subject I do what any gal with to much time on her hands does… I google…because thats how I roll….  

I found this website http://chetday.com/mangosteen.htm and I read what Chet had to say, then I read what some of his readers had to say http://chetday.com/mangosteenletters.htm There are, like with so many new “cur-alls” the believers and the non-believers-I am on the fence about this one-I have had a swig of the juice and it does taste very good-I just haven’t had an extra $100 laying around to try the juice for any length of time,ena has been drinking it and she seems to have gained some extra energy and of course daddy has been drinking it.

My Confession for Today: I just saw on the news that Orange Juice is over $10 a gallon in Hawaii-Oh and if you want to try the “juice” I can put you in contact with Daddy… 

Happy Birthday Middle Bean

Thirteen years ago right about this time I was laying in a hospital bed on the labor & delivery floor saying nawww I don’t need the epidural let me wait a lil longer…I waited one whole contraction longer!

The births of my beans were all inductions,short and pretty easy, with oldest bean I never even felt a contraction, Dr. Thompson never wanted his mommies to be in any pain. So when we went in to have middle bean, I wanted to live on the wild side for just one moment and actually feel what all the hoopla was about, once I was dilated to a 3 the Dr says I could have the epi,but silly me says noooo I can wait a lil longer, pfffft! What was I thinking? I am a WEE-NEE,a wuss,a baby when it comes to pain and we won’t mention what happens when I eat a bug…

So the epidural arrives and a few pushes later so does middle bean. I can honestly say that the births of my beans were 3 of the happiest days of my life. Weighing in at 9lbs 1oz, 21inches long and at the very least 10days early, Lord only knows how big middle bean coulda been if I went into labor on my own…God Bless Dr. Thompson and his views on induction…

At that time we had double insurance so we opted for the “High Roller” of hospital suites-which meant we got a huge room with a couch that makes into a bed and extra chairs for all those visitors, a surf N turf & champagne dinner but most importantly a very private room.  

We were going to name middle bean Ethan,once we knew we were having a boy and after a few disagreements on boy names like Tucker,Riley,Dalton we had agreed on Ethan. Something I shouldn’t have done is formed this picture of a blond headed baby,because what I got was a red headed,cone shaped-alien headed baby and I just couldn’t name him Ethan-so he was no-name for a few hours until we agreed on Reese.

Something else I shouldn’t have done is ever compared middle bean to oldest bean-while their births were pretty similar “they” were not-he had extra parts! I will admit I didn’t and some may say still don’t know very much about boys! I had a horrible experience with trying to get oldest bean to nurse,so when the lactation nurses came in to meet with me, I quickly shooed them away saying nope,no-way,not gonna do it-give him a bottle and politely asked for the milk-dryer-upper-pills-which I found out to my horror, they no longer offer…but but but just a year and a half ago you offered them-no luck! So I prepare myself mentally for adding cabbage to my boobs and try to block out the pain that ima fix’n to endure,yanno when a womans boobs swell up to the size of cantaloupes-that just isn’t normal….

I want you to know that middle bean and I were home sittin in the rocking chair and I get this wild hair-well more like a “let’s just see” if this will work type thing, ya see every-time he cried I felt this “sensation” in my boobs-that would be known as my milk coming in…so I put him up there and I’ll have you know that lil middle bean took right to the boobs and I do what any proud mommie does….I call everyone I know and say he’s a tittie baby,he’s a tittie baby! I’m doing it, no wait, he’s doing it and I am NOT a failure…but wait is he doing it right? I remember reading when I had oldest bean that there is a right way AND a wrong way to latch on…I am only 24 and I dont wanna mess this up,so I call the hospital and they schedule a lactation nurse visit-gotta love the double insurance! I am quickly told he is doing great and what to look for….yippppeeee I did it!

There have been many glorious middle bean moments a few that come to mind…

When he tried to run away from daycare

When he decided to paint the walls AND himself in his poop(yuck I know-just keepin it real…)

The time he used a tampon as a stick for a mask project at school

The time he found a condom(still in the wrapper-THANK GOD)in the neighbors yard and thought it was balloon

His milk-shake video

I could go on and on about middle beans escapades-he is such a funny lil bean and the things that come outta his mouth never cease to amaze me. I am so very proud of him and of course he is the most handsome un-alien-like boy bean in the whole world. He is super smart-too smart for his own britches sometimes and he is my favorite ummm my favorite Reese…I got busted on that a few years back, all 3 beans would ask me “who’s your favorite,mommie?”(why do beans do this?) of course I would say “you are” then one day, as if to conspire against me they *gulp* compared notes and then confronted me. My reply, I didn’t lie to you because you are, well, you are my favorite Jessica and you are my favorite Reese and you are my favorite Abby…. phew 

So my only boy is a finally a teenager, altho’ mr gp says he has been acting like one for some time now…we started “bribing” the beans with a $100 dollar bill a few years ago-it’s not that we don’t like Birthday Parties-it’s just how we roll…I always do a lil gift each day leading up to their Birthday,then I make their favorite dessert(the beans aren’t big cake eaters) middle bean loves fruit,so he will get a fruit tray today,then they get to bring a friend or two out to Birthday dinner,which has me stumped because middle beans choice for dinner is …drum roll please…..A CONCESSION STAND! Now where in the world am I to find a concession stand except at a rodeo-which mr gp refuses to set foot in….wish me luck! 

That’s my boy! Happy Birthday Baby I LOVE You!

My confession for today: I can’t believe middle bean is a teenager-where have the years gone?

New Furniture

There is something indescribable about getting new furniture-whether it’s new or just new to your home. The new addition can change the look of a room instantly…our Den now has a new focal point:

Please forgive the mess I am still trying to re-arrange. The china cabinet is woolly mammoth massive and I am proud to say that moi’ helped mr gp carry this into the house-it does separate in 2 pieces BUT it was still mighty heavy

Here is the tea cart-which I just love. I’m not liking the arrangement yet but it’ll get there…it just looks cluttered

This cabinet holds silver-which I hope one day to fill-the doors swing out and there are 7 drawers to hold Christmas dinner silver

This is the table, all in it’s magical glory it came with 2 leafs and 6 chairs-3 of the chairs need some minor repairs and once thats done we will add one leaf-DYK how exciting this is-I have never owned a table that had a leaf and there is oldest bean patiently waiting for me to get off the pc…inside the pedestal of the table are 2 secret compartments, middle bean wanted to put a book in there like a time capsule

Heres one more of the table again excuse the mess

These chairs are just beautiful-they sit on each side of the fireplace

Thanks to my neighbor I just created a “mood” for the focal point of the room by adding 2 little lamps-the pic is kinda dark but you get the idea

Middle bean says it looks “snazzy” Oldest bean says we need a new house for the “new” furnishings and lilest bean hasn’t seen it yet(she’s still at my sisters house)-but when I told her we got it all set up all she said was “did you get pretty towels?” The furniture is hand carved and numbered and Uncle Tex had a complete household set-I just happen to draw the envelope with the dining set. I figured we could 1)put it in storage until the beans were older OR 2)we could move it in and enjoy it now, after looking around last night and seeing the room with fresh eyes this morning I’m glad we opted for moving it in….

My confession for today: Next time I will pay some strapping young lad to help mr gp move things because my back is not liking me very much today!

Let’s take a trip-part 3

WE had a wonderful time in Tombstone but it was time to get back to work…after dinner we started packing and taking down these shell lamps that were anchored into the wall-these shell lamps gave me fits at night almost as much as the grapes of wrath…lemme see if I can find a pic of them

At night those thin lil blue shells would gently CLANK together, due to the ceiling fan creating a breeze in the room-they were put out of their misery as soon as the grapes of wrath were. It took 4 girls to get those suckers down they had huge screws anchored into the ceiling and when we were finished Uncle Tex comes up to us and says “you girls were doing what I like to do best” NOTHING could prepare me for his one word answer “SCREW” told ya, he is one  HOT MESS! 

Sunday night is also the night I decided to have another unbug induced freak-out session…we needed to print out our boarding passes, southwest lets you print 24 hrs before your flight for their open seating policy. Becky and I had gotten A’s on our first 2 flights, meaning we were among the first to board the plane(hey, I like being first-who doesn’t?) and here I was thinking what am I gonna do??? What if I gotta sit in the back of the plane where it’s all kindsa noisy? What if Becky and I are separated farrr apart on the plane? What if the plane crashes and I am in the last row and  see the fiery crash LAST(if I gotta go I wanna be the first one to go!) All these ”what-ifs” flooded my head. I started stressing and packing oriental knick knacks like a mad woman trying to take my mind off things. Finally Michelle says she would drive me to UPS in the morning and use her laptop to hook into a printer and print our boarding passes-whew I felt a lil better.

We are packing and laughing having a good time playing the “you ate it” fart game-I know so childish-but when you are running on 3-4 hrs of sleep at night, you have a tendency to retreat back to child-like silliness. We decided we needed some coronas(as if we REALLY needed anything to impair us further). Finally we decided to call it quits for the night so we make out the hide-a-beds and I roll out my lil piece of foam and plug in my handy dandy fan.

Michelle and I are outside cooling off, finishing  the last of the coronas, when Becky comes out and says “she is going to wash her face”, my reply “ok see ya in about 45 mins”. No kidding… what,how,why it takes my sis so long to wash her face is beyond me-but I guess when you are rockin the floozie, a gals gotta do what a gals gotta do…after about an hour we notice she isn’t back, so I lightly tap the bathroom door “Beck, you OK” her reply “I’m takin the browns to the superbowl” this may seem like nothing more than a poop story to some BUT Becky had been taking iron pills and this was her first superbowl appearance since before Friday-when she finally makes it back into the room we all cheer,yell and clap and she informs us “The browns won” I think the last time I was that happy for someone going to the potty was when middle bean was finally potty trained!

So we are all finally laying down in our respective spots when Becky notices she isn’t in the same hide-a-bed as last night-ya see Uncle Tex didn’t have the highest sheet thread count and apparently the sheets Becky used last night were softer than the ones she had this night and those softer sheets were on Michelle and Renee-out of no where Becky gets up and says “I am sorry but I gotta have my sheet back” and RIPPPSSS the sheet off Michelle and Renee, then she proceeds to inform them that she will even tuck them back in with the sandpaper sheet-oh my gosh-maybe you just had to be there but it was comical, mainly because it was so unexpected-I mean that’s something I would pull…my comment to Michelle and Renee “doesn’t it suck being so far down the food chain-that you even loose your sheet” ya see there are 5 of us in our respective age orders Me,Becky,Laura,Michelle & Renee-guess Becky was pullin rank this night. 

Monday morning was a hectic one, Michelle had to take me to UPS to print boarding passes, the penske rental truck had to be picked up around 8:30 and we had left the kitchen a mess the night before and Uncle Tex says he knew the first thing that HAD to be done and that was clean the “shit” up in the kitchen(his words) and my daddy decides at the last minute he wants scrambled eggs…so we quickly clean the kitchen, I make my daddy some eggs baggie style-yanno crack 2 eggs, add some milk, pour into a baggie, then immerse into a pot of boiling water-then presto you got no mess scrambled eggs(THANKS MOM for teaching me this quick, less mess way of doing eggs) 

We arrive at UPS to find a HUGE line, so we wait, then I notice a computer, we about to knock people over tryin to get to it(well ok maybe I’m the one ’bout to knock people over but…)-ahhhhh Internet access! Michelle leaves me with the promise she will send someone back to pick me up and I print my passes we got A 33 & 34 and A 17 & 18 all is right in the world, at least for the moment. I’m sitting outside the UPS store when my sis pulls up and I noticed on my boarding passes it says arrive in Vegas 11:15 leave Vegas 11:15 so I break down and start crying inside starbucks afraid I messed something up(Monday was filled with lots of breakdowns for me-I was tired,I missed my beans & mr gp,I had been sleeping on the floor on a piece of foam with the grapes of wrath and clanking sea shells and it was 102 outside-everything caught up with me on Monday)Becky’s hubby Chad double checks our reservations and we are all good.

We arrive back to Uncle Tex’s to find this:

so we commence to loading it…

and loading

almost full

HEYYY what are to two doing loafin’ while we is a working-OK so I am takin the pic BUT I am “documenting” that’s a VERY important job yanno? That’s the fan I put together and used while I was there…

There’s the Hot Mess again, right behind Uncle Tex is the burgundy foam thingy I slept on, Ann calls it a futon, I call it a foam thingy and of course the grapes of wrath makin another appearance 

There’s Renee plum-tuckered-out, the bed didn’t make it on the truck, I decided at the last minute that I could use it and by that point the penske truck was pretty full and Daddy and Uncle Tommy still needed to load tools…ahhhh such is life and I got plenty and there was no need for me to be greedy.

The run down of my items include 2 beautiful carved chairs with red cushions,a tea cart with green marble, the wooden fork and spoon,a lane hope chest and Uncle Tex had us draw envelopes for the most beautiful carved furniture you have ever seen in your life, my envelope contained the dining room table with 6 chairs,the china hutch and a silverware cabinet. I will post pics when I get my items home on Saturday. You can see one of the carved chairs on the right side of the below pic…and of course the guys are trying to move their tools into the truck

That pretty much sums up moving day…there was lots of blood,sweat,bruises,fever blisters and tears that day-I never felt like I was helping enough, But Becky & Renee were in charge of packing the penske truck to ensure items were packed properly-they did a GREAT job and I just wanted to stay out of their way since I am really not that good with jigsaw puzzles and thats how they had to pack the truck…

Becky and I had planned to drive back to Tucson and stay near the airport since we had a 6:15am flight but we just had to have La Casita’s Mexican food before we left. Said our goodbyes and kidnapped our daddy and went to dinner. Daddy said two things to me during that moving day 1)”I shore am glad you girls were here” 2)”Gina, please don’t go back to Oklahoma” (my family calls me Gina my parental given name is Georgina-which is what mr gp and his family call me and most my friends call me Georgie) While growing up I HATED my name but this late Monday night I had never been more proud to be named after my daddy!

We arrived at the Country Inn and Suites around 9:30pm and I have never been so happy to see this: a real BED! That’s my bed with the comforter off-cuz yanno hotels don’t wash those comforters after each stay and that’s just plain nasty!

We arrived back to Tulsa around 4pm to the smiling faces of my beans and mr gp-they took me to dinner and had a surprise waiting on me at home-they made me a cake,cookies and they decorated the house with streamers and posters. My favorite poster read: “My Mommy is DUH BOOM!” Dontcha know I always wanted to be the “DUH BOOM” !

I learned a lot about myself and others on this lil trip, like:

I dont like bugs in my coffee

my sis now knows that I sleep at the foot-end of a bed

that it takes my sis 45 mins to wash her face

I still don’t like bugs in my coffee

that takin the scenic route isn’t so bad-sometimes it’s fun gettin lost

that packing up someones life in packing paper and boxes is no easy feat

remembering childhood stories with your sis and cousins is very therapeutic

Daddy tryin to sell mangosteen juice to every Tom,Dick and Harry-he’s learning some new tricks

that my sis and I CAN travel together and still LOVE each other in spite of our differences-and differences is not the right word-it’s hard to travel period…but we made it through and I can honestly say I LOVE my floozie of sis even more now that I have gotten to share/spend this time with her-I guess the word is “appreciate” I feel so fortunate that we got this time together!

Hearing how daddy fell asleep in a golf cart inside DFW airport with a chew in his mouth(love ya daddy-but that’s too funny)

Ohhhh the luggage errrmmm suitcase

That I can go 11 hours without a ciggie

Giggling about the bowns,the grapes of wrath,shell lamps,who ate it & rotted luggage, seeing my Uncle Tommy’s face in big nose Kate’s,cooking for 9 people,being called a PITA, and getting those priceless pics, were just a few of the things that will make this trip to Arizona completely unforgettable.

My confession for today: I still look at my watch and count back two hours-I’m tryin to get back on Tulsa Time…Oh and Thank You for reading…

Lets take a trip-part 2

Ok where was I? Ohhhh yes the grapes of wrath and trying to sleep…

So we wake up Sunday morning and no one knew how to work Uncle Tex’s go-go juice maker, so my Dad and Uncle Tommy ride with me to the Express Stop to get go-go juice for everyone. Daddy needed ciggies and I want you to know that if I lived in Sierra Vista where smokes cost over $6 I would quit right there on the spot! We get our coffee and dad gets his smokes and head back to Uncle Tex’s.

We decided to give Uncle Tex and Ann a break today and since my Uncle Tommy had never been to Arizona, we knew he would just love Tombstone. Tombstone is only 18 miles from Sierra Vista, the perfect day trip. So everyone is showering and getting ready for the day excursion, drinking their coffees etc… I was just about finished with my half Columbian half mocha coffee when I took a swig and felt something in my mouth, I thought, did I get a lump of sugar not stirred up or what? So I kinda rolled it around with my tongue BUT it wasn’t dissolving so I spit whatever it was into my hand…

OK I gotta go FREAK out again BRB

If you have a weak stomach you may not wanna read any further….

This is your last chance turn away, turn away nowwwww….

I really don’t wanna relive this BUT I will make this sacrifice for my loyal readers(I do have loyal readers right? Humor me please-this is very painful and I will be scarred for the rest of my life!)

What I spit into my hand was *gulp* some kind of BUG-I flung it into the sink, threw my coffee cup into the sink and immediately started gagging. My sis thought I was choking and that she may have to perform the Heimlich on me. I was paralyzed to speak all I could do was gag into the sink, I started crying and completely freaking out. Once I came to terms with the fact I did indeed just roll a bug around in my mouth, I was able to speak and utter the words “BUG in MY coffee“. I can not tell you what kinda bug it was(you will have to ask my sis or cousin)-it obviously came from the Express Stop’s coffee pot or cappuccino machine and because my cup had a lid & I never noticed it, until it was in my mouth *yuck* *gag* *spit* OK so it is fair to say you will NEVER see me on Survivor or Fear Factor. Go ahead say it “IMA BIG OL WIMP!” I can admit it and it doesn’t even hurt my feelings… It makes me sick just typing it out…

Moving on…We arrive in Tombstone around 10am and here are just a few of the sites we saw:

Four Deuces Saloon

 The O.K. Corral Gunfight site

That’s Ena coming out of a shop and papa George talking to one of the locals-I think he was trying to sell them some Mangosteen Juice at any rate all the locals dress the part of a time gone by in the town To Tough To Die

This is the Oklahoma Crew visiting with a local

We even saw a gunfight in the street-they had re-inactments all day and while I know they had banks back then that Bank of America sign just looks of out of place

You could take informative tours aboard the Wagons

The American Flag was my focal point in this photo

We decided to take an Old Time Photo while in town and this is one of my Favorite photos of my dad and ena

Enas Costume was called “Lady Chatterly” I guess we are her posse and Daddy is our bodygaurd

Gosh I just LOVE that pic! Now for another of my favorite pics-they were the only ones out there dancin’ and both of them LOVE to dance-I can’t for the life of me figure out how I got the pic blurry but them in focus-but it works and they stand out.

My Uncle Tommy even got “lay’d” in Big Nose Kates Tombstone thats Michelle his daughter holding the noose

Here’s one of the floozie and I, those are my cousins bodies you see minus the heads-My Uncle Tommy took the pic and he wasn’t familar with my camera-we are posing with the soldier boys

My daddy and Uncle Tommy REALLY enjoyed taking this photo-well OK maybe my Uncle Tommy REALLY enjoyed this photo op, daddy looks a lil upset because he didn’t get to be in the middle 

This is how I felt at the end of the day AND how I feel now…

I hope you enjoyed spending the day with us in Tombstone, Az.

My confession for today: There’s more to come…the day’s only half over…