Debbie Delozier :: A Casual Affair

J, the teenager and I were back in our regular seats for Sunday services at FCC.  It felt good to be back although we only missed 1 Sunday.

After church the youth held a spaghetti lunch and basket auction.  The spaghetti was mighty tasty and was served with a green salad and french bread and a number of desserts.  Pictured are 2 of the baskets I bought, the one with the nuts are for J and the other one (the one full of pampering items) is for J’s mom (if anyone needs a bit of pampering right now, she would be the one).  I also purchased a basket from the Shades of Color salon that was full of hair products that the teenager wanted, an Autumn basket with a pumpkin candle, an Autumn kitchen towel, and some mulling spices just to mention a few items.  The last basket I purchased was a Friendship basket which included herbal tea, 4 mugs, cute little note papers, some blank note cards, and many other cute little items.

We had a wonderful time at the auction with J and Miss Sarah battling it out for one basket with J ended up letting Miss S have it for $100.  Sis-in-love, Debbie and I were going head to head for a Christmas basket which I ended up conceding to Debbie; after all I had already spent quite a bit.  At the end of everything the youth had collected $1300.  Good job, Kiddos.

After church J and I caught up on a few things around the home-front (i.e. lawn, laundry, dishes, etc).  After spending the time here at the house we headed for Tulsa to visit with J’s mom and dad a bit.  Dad visited with a for a bit before getting tired, so we left him to get some sleep and headed home with J’s sister, Debbie following us.

J’s mom called this evening to let us know that Dad had an even better day today, he shaved (with only a little help from Mom) and he spent most of the day using the cannula, only switching to the oxygen mask for a nap.  Hallelujah!!!  Every good day is a day closer to home and a day closer to Dad feeling a little more like himself.

Tomorrow is Rotary Tuesday, I will be serving Cornbread Taco Casserole with a salad and a strawberry/pretzel dessert.   Thursday will be the bank lunch and I am serving an apple/walnut turkey sandwich and then on Friday J, the teenager and I will be rising early so we can be at church at 6:30 to help fix pancakes & sausage for 50 football players.  Woo Hoo!!

So, that is how it has been for the last few days and how it will be for the next few days.  Sometimes there is a lot to be said for a normal, routine life.

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Dad finally made it out of ICU on Friday evening.  J was there with him at the time they decided to move him up to the 5th floor and a private room.  He is doing well enough that he is able to take a few (slow and almost steady) steps on his own now and is also able to set up for 4 hours or so without totally tiring himself out.  He is also able to go a few hours with the cannula (oxygen hose in nostrils) and for-go the oxygen mask for a longer time.  Mom is now able to sleep in the room with him at night which leaves all of us able to go home at night and not worry about her being in the waiting rooms all night alone.  Between their 3 children and their spouses we were able to split up the nights so that it wasn’t too much for any of us.  Needless to say, we are so happy that our much respected and dearly loved Dad is one step closer to being better and on his way home.

Thursday afternoon I went to Tulsa to relieve J from his overnight stay on Wednesday night.  We talked Mom into going to a late lunch at Pei Wei (I think she likes it almost as much as I do) and just getting out of the hospital atmosphere for a little bit while brother Ed was sitting with Dad for a while.  Mom and I sat up until 12:30 – 1:00 am chatting after we had checked on Dad at midnight, making sure he was resting and checking which nurse was on duty for the overnight shift.  Mom fell asleep on the waiting room couch while I read until 2 am.  I fell asleep on a pallet in the waiting room floor and slept until 5:30 Friday morning.

Mom wanted to go home on Friday afternoon for a while, read her mail, do a bit of laundry, etc.  I called J to see if he could come back around 1 pm or so, enabling us to head back to Nowata.  We stopped in Owasso for a late lunch at KFC before I dropped Mom off at the apartment and returned to my own home.

Friday night I worked in the concessions at the high school football game, we were so busy I have no idea who even won the game.  We finished the clean up about 10 pm and I, again, headed to the house where J and I (who were finally at the house at the same time for the first time since Sept 17th and Dad’s heart surgery) waited up until almost 1 am for the teenager to return from the 5th Quarter Party.

I slept late this morning, staying in bed until 8:30.  I called my truly magnificent son-in-law to sing Happy Birthday to him and wish him a wonderful day.  J spent the morning at his aunt’s house, crawling underneath to check out some pumps that are messed up.  When he returned we headed south to Tulsa once again to check on Dad and Mom. We stopped for lunch at Abuelo’s and then went and purchased our Travis’ birthday present and some balloons for him and for Dad.  We then dropped off the present, got some hugs and again wished a happy birthday to Travis and headed to the hospital.

Ed and Lori had brought Mom lunch and were just leaving from their visit with the them as we were arriving (changing shifts again I guess) and Dad had just fallen asleep.  We visited with Mom a bit and then after Dad woke we chatted with him a while before heading home and letting them both get some rest.

That is how we’ve spent our time lately.  A little while longer and Dad is going to be right back to his ol’ self again.  Thank you all so much for the prayers you sent up on our behalf.   We felt every single one and believe they are being answered.

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Dad started the day with a large breakfast of scrambled eggs, muffin, cereal with 1% milk, a peach half and just what he has been waiting for: a nice hot cup of coffee, which he ate and drank while sitting up and visiting with Mom and I.  He is able to take the oxygen mask off and use the cannula while he eats and while he visits a bit.  If his breathing begins to get labored (which it usually does after an hour or so on the cannula) they will put him back on the mask.

He looks tired (who wouldn’t be tired after what he has been through) but so much better than a few days ago.  Everything pertaining to the actual heart surgery is right on track and healing as it should, and Dr Blankenship says he is out of the woods (Thank You, Lord). We are still harassed a bit by the pulmonary problems, but things are getting better everyday.

The prescribed diuretics have helped get rid of 6-7 lbs of fluid in the last 2 days.  He still has a few more to go, but they are going to let up for a bit and let his body absorb the fluids that it needs then start again with the diuretics and finish the job up.

Dad’s left lung is clear but the right lung shows a bit of cloudiness so Dr B is starting him on an antibiotic just to be safe.  We’re still juggling the thought of moving from ICU and getting a private room by this evening.  We’ll probably know for sure by mid-afternoon.

We have all (especially Dad who isn’t used to laying in bed) had a test in patience this last week that is for sure, but you know – to eat an elephant you take one bite at a time.

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We are singing and rejoicing!!!  We are thanking the Heavenly Physician for his work.

Last night was a good night for Dad; he was able to rest peacefully.  I’m afraid my J was up most the night as family members can tell from the time stamp on the emails he sent out.  The diuretic has done what it was meant to do and gotten rid of a lot of the fluid.  The doctor said he had gained 16 lbs (all fluid) since he has been here and he just began eating a little here and there yesterday.  His x-rays are looking better and he may even get out of ICU tomorrow.  Praise God is all I can say.

Dad got a shave today and feels a little more like his old self now.  It is wonderful just to set and look at him, just to watch him sleep without thrashing about.  Of course he wants Mom close enough to hold her hand most of the time; and Mom is happy to do it.

We are thankful!!!

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Finally, one giant step forward after 2 steps backward.

J called me about 6:30 with great sounding news.  Dad had eaten a dinner of cream of wheat, milk and an apple, and was asking about everyone.

They have gotten 1 liter of fluid from him and will do give another Lasik dose tonight and another one in the morning.  This should put us back on the main track and help get our Dad on the way to healing.   Hallelujah!!

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Our lives are on hold at the moment.  We are doing what has to get done, and only what has to get done right now.  Everything else gets pushed to the side as we wait, watch and pray.  It’s been 6 long (very, very long) days in ICU when it was meant to be a surgery day, a day (maybe a day and a half) in ICU, a few more days in a regular room, and then maybe home on Wednesday.  Sometimes things don’t happen the text book way.

I won’t go into details but it has been rough.  Nights seem to be the worse as he is able to sleep a bit off and on during the day.  They did give him something to help him sleep yesterday but his doctor says the natural sleep is the sleep he needs.  The drugged sleep helps for a bit though so we are thankful for that.

We do feel a bit better after talking with Dr. Blankenship this morning versus talking with the weekend staff.  It turns out the weekend staff were not giving him the diuretics he greatly needed and this has caused a setback as he now has more fluid on his lungs according to the x-rays (Mom and I both noticed yesterday the puffiness in his hands and asked the night nurse about it to no avail).  Dr. Blankenship is going to get this under control and get things rolling again.

It was my turn to stay at the hospital all night last night to help Mom again.  I returned home this afternoon once J (who will be staying tonight)  was able to get down there.  I’ve heard J’s sister and her husband will be there as soon as they get off work, everyone in the family is getting there whenever they can to lend a hand.  I am going to spend the evening here at home with the teenager who has been taking care of herself since this whole ordeal started.  I actually did have a minor breakdown last night before I headed back to Tulsa because I feel like I should be there helping but I should be here taking care of the teenager too, see that she is fed, etc.  She just hugged me and told me to go help Grandma and Grandpa that she was doing fine.  What a great kid I have.

I was able to cancel everything I had on my plate last week and this week except for tomorrow’s lunch (which I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, its just this sense of responsibility I have that bugs me) and working the concession stand at Friday’s football game.  I told J that as soon as I get Rotary lunch finished up tomorrow I will be back in Tulsa to relieve him and stay with Mom again, unless we see a great improvement and he gets moved up to the regular floor and regular room.  We’ll see how it goes.

We do appreciate and feel all your prayers and we thank you for them.  Your prayers, God’s love and having a close family who pulls together in times of crisis are what sustains us.

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It’s been a rough week, but day by day, hour by hour, we, as a family, are getting through it, supporting each other with hugs, kisses, a prayer, a shoulder, a tear here and there sometimes, and just the presence of each other.  Dad is showing improvement which lifts the collective family spirit and restores our hope that he will feel better very soon.

J’s dad (Jerry) had open heart surgery on Wednesday.  They ended up replacing his leaky valve with a donor bovine valve instead of being able to repair the valve.  They did 2 by-passes while they were there and did a maze/freeze procedures also.  Every day he is showing signs of improvement and they are able to stop this medicine or that medicine, remove this tube or that tube.  We are still waiting for his breathing to improve to the point where they can remove the oxygen (it’s hard to see him having trouble breathing).

Dad is able to talk, he knows we are there and wants someone holding his hand most times which every single one of us is more than happy to do.  I don’t know how much he’ll remember because of the pain medicine, but it makes each of us feel better to be with him rather he remembers it or not.

We’re also trying to make sure that Mom gets enough rest, takes her medicine and gets enough to drink and eat and isn’t alone for very long.

Keep Mom and Dad in your prayers please.  There is nothing like the power of prayer and we thank you for each one you send up.

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We had a small family gathering at my parent’s yesterday.  My sister Betty and her husband, Mark were here from Wisconsin over the weekend, so we tried to get a small section of the family together.  Of course, this is the Mitchell Family; Mom, myself, my brother (we call him Tolly, not because he is tall though) sister Betty, sister Teresia and Daddy.

Of course, our little Courtney (my brother’s daughter and the youngest of the grandchildren) absolutely loved having all 3 of her aunts there at her beckon call.  She had the 3 of us wrapped right around her tiny little fingers and knew it.

  I think Teresia, Betty and I enjoyed it as much as she did.

Last Thursday we had our first Family Game Night at church.  Because our family loves to play games (Scrabble, Uno Attack, Bingo) I thought it might work to have one night a month where our church family joined together just to have a good time.  We had a small gathering for the first one, but now that the word has gotten out what a great time we had I’m imagining next month’s Game Night we will be having quite a few more in attendance.  We played games, had a few prizes, snacked a bit and even did some Karaoke.  Look in the gallery for photos from the evening.

I need to go get some supper ready now; I know, usually on Tuesday’s we have leftovers but today they ate every single bite of what I prepared, so we’re going to have something else; what? I don’t know yet.

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Just when you think you have everything under control; your menus are created, your lists are made, your time-line is doable and the grocery shopping is done, the Lord decides to see if you’ve been paying attention all this time.

Being a Libra,  a middle child too, I like to have (or think I have) everything around me in balance, nothing askew, life on track, it’s right down the center of the road for me; so it doesn’t take anything huge and major to throw me into a bit of a frenzy.  That is when  in a numbskull moment you do something silly that throws your perfect harmony awry.  Yep, a take and bake pepperoni pizza threw my whole well-balanced life off kilter.

I bought this very large pizza at the market yesterday just to have handy in case I was busy and we needed a quick fix supper.  It wouldn’t fit in the smaller freezer (the garage refrigerator freezer) so I tossed it in the large freezer and finished putting up all the other purchases. I then finished my tasks and headed to Talala to visit with my out-of-town sisters who are in-town for a few days (more about our visit later on this week).

This morning, knowing I had everything under control for tomorrow’s Rotary lunch of Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with bacon and chocolate chip cookies, I went to the freezer to get a loaf of french bread I had in there.  I had told my sister I would bring it to go with supper this evening at my mom’s.  Then I walked into the garage and noticed water on the floor.  Hmmm, I’m thinking as I look to see where the water is coming from.

I know you’re a quicker thinker than I am so you have already figured out it is coming from the freezer, haven’t you?  Oh yeah, the floor in front of the freezer is all wet and the door is opened.  As I open the door further, there is that stupid, overly large boxed, take and bake pepperoni pizza hanging out of the freezer.

I reach in and touch the 5 lb beef tenderloin that I’ve had in the freezer for about a month and it is thawed, along with 6 pork chops, 2 packages of smoked sausage, a couple packages of hot dogs, 2 containers of freezer pickles, a package of bread, some pie crusts, 2 packages of English Muffins, 2 packages of frozen asparagus and numerous other items.

As I’m turning circles in the garage, saying “oh no, oh no” to myself J comes out and sees me starting to go into tizzy.  He says he’ll go get the ice chest so I can put stuff into it and he also grabs a few trash bags.

But, before I go into full blown hysterics because my perfectly balanced, perfectly planned day has a kink, I stop and took a breath (actually quite a few breaths as I think I had forgotten to breath in the midst of my momentary frenzy) and decided to throw caution to the wind and change things up a bit.  Yep, here the day before my planned meal I’m going to redo the whole menu with the items I need to use up.

So, I will take the bread to my mom’s as planned, the Rotary Club will now be having pork and sausage kabobs, augratin potatoes and green beans.  Later this week we will have a fancy dinner with the beef tender (I have a new recipe I’ve been wanting to try anyway) I’ll take the packages of hot dogs to my brother, one of the smoked sausages to my Dad, I’ll take a container of freezer pickles with me today to Talala, and we’ll use the English muffins for breakfasts here.

We threw out a few of the items I know we will not be able to use in the next few days, it won’t have to lay in the out-door trash bin long as the garbage is picked up early tomorrow morning.  We’ll just figure out the rest of it as we go along the next couple of days.

And it turns out, I have been paying attention:  Be still and know that I am God.  Everything works out and I’m back in balance (for the time being).

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The worst of the storm has passed through the Houston area and we have heard from loved ones so we know they are safe.  Vicky called early this morning to let me know how things were.  They had some damage to the fence and lots of litter in their yard in Spring.  They are without electricity along with about 3 million others, but no significant damage.

This is not what they feel for their beach house on Galveston however.  They are unable to check on the place and probably will not be able to check it for weeks.  The last Vicky knew the water was up to the sea-wall which is 17 feet above sea-level.  Their back porch is 16 1/2 feet above sea-level, so . . .

We have also heard from our friends the Sorengens who live (not far from Rick and Vicky) in the Woodlands.  Craig, his wife and 6 children (who fortunately slept in the floor of the large walk-in closet through the worst part of the storm) are safe also.  They, too, escaped massive damage, but their neighborhood has many damaged trees, with some even going through the roof of their neighbor’s house.

We have not, however, heard from our friends, the McLellans who also live in The Woodlands.  We are assuming they are safe too but busy with all that is going on.

Thank You, Lord for keeping them all under Your watchful eye.

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