Since our time here in the NW is getting shorter we have to face the fact of how to get the stuff we bought home in the jeep. Our back seat comes out and we usually leave it here in storage as we really don’t need it where we live, but there still isn’t a whole lot of space when you have 2 computers, 2 large suitcases, two overnight bags, and a medium ice chest. I will go through all the stuff I have in storage left over from last year, like fabric and yarn, and see what I want to take with me and then I have to take the craft things I bought with me. That is a must. We are having our annual Arts and Craft show in November so when I get home I need to get busy making things.
The doctor wanted me to get an MRI to make sure nothing else was going on with my back before I scheduled an appointment for a cortisone shot. I had that done and the doctor called and said that everything was looking alright. I do have signs of stenosis which is the closing of the area inside the vertebrae around the nerve in L4 in my lower back and degeneration going on but as far as he saw I should be able to get some relief from the sciatica pain. Yay!!!! When I received that shot 9 years ago I felt immediate relief so I am looking forward to that again. I know one of these years the cortisone won’t work and back surgery will be the only thing that will make me better, but I am praying it will be a few years before I have to go through that. I am not as adamant about not having back surgery as I was years ago, as things have improved tremendously and healing time is quicker. So when it is time to have that done I will look forward to getting back on my feet and enjoying life.
My eldest sister had back surgery a few months back and she may not be totally as good as new but she can move and I am thinking she isn’t in as much pain as she was. So it is all good!!! It is all about quality of life.
Just when you think things aren’t going to change-------they do. Dave and I had discussed wanting a truck but with our finances until the boat sells just didn’t look too promising. But one day we were out and decided to go to the Toyota car dealer ship just to look to see what kind of truck we wanted to get. We were not looking to buy, just window shopping. We drove up and parked and there was a gentleman standing outside that approached us very friendly, and asked how we were and all that kind of stuff and asked what we were looking for so we said a truck. He took us to a used Toyota truck that didn’t have a lot of miles on it with a 6 foot bed. We took it for a drive just for grins and giggles and it was nice. It had a few bells and whistles on it like back up camera and blue tooth. Well we really don’t need all that stuff in Mexico but now a day that is what is included in the package. After the test drive we got out and JT (the salesman) was there and we were talking and he mentioned about maybe writing some figures down just to see if it was doable to trade the jeep for a truck. We figured it wouldn’t hurt. We told JT that we didn’t think we could afford it and explained about the boat, but we would never know unless we tried. As we were walking toward the front door to go to JT’s desk we stopped and looked at a brand new Toyota, Tacoma truck. It had a shorter bed and we liked it so JT told us to take it for a spin, so we did. It was quieter than the other truck and it had more bells and whistles on it like XM radio, navigation, Bluetooth, GPS and weather. Well we weren’t getting excited we just figured that is what we will look at when we can afford to get one. We came back and parked and then followed JT into the show room to his desk. He asked us questions and filled out some paperwork and started to run some numbers. Well I will wrap this up. Everyone was really nice and they came up with a number we thought we could manage. But we had to go home and look at the finances to make sure we could start a deal. Chuck, the guy who crunches the numbers ask Dave what price would we be comfortable with walking out the door today. They had given us a price already and Dave said it was doable but he wanted to make sure. Chuck didn’t want us to leave because he didn’t think we would be back. We had to convince him we would call to let him know. So we came back to the Condo and Dave did some number crunching. It was doable!!! However, there was a lower number they had mentioned earlier which was less than when we left so Dave called them back and said the price they came up with was doable but it would be better if we could get it for the lower price. So we went back and they had crunched more numbers and came up with the number we felt comfortable with!!!! We couldn’t believe they were that willing to work with us on that. So we made a deal and now the new truck, Toyota, Tacoma 4x4 with 6 miles on it is ours. No one can tell me God didn’t have a hand in this transaction!!!! It went all too smoothly!!! So we traded in the jeep and now have a wonderful truck to haul stuff in and it is quieter than the jeep and smoother riding. Yahoo!!!! So now I don’t have to pick and choose what to bring home!!!! That is a wonderful thing!!!! We have been praying for a truck for a long time and now the Lord has blessed us with one. We are pleased and excited to see what the next few months will bring with the boat. Miracles do happen!!!
Happy birthday to my lovely niece Sheila and our grandson Dominick.
The weather has turned cold. We have had a few cloudy rainy days and the temperatures got down to the 40’s at night and only mid 50’s to low 60’s during the day. For us that is cold. It looks as though warmer weather is coming back so summer isn’t over yet.
Labor Day came and we got to watch our two grandsons, Cameron and Jonathan Jr. for the day while mom and dad did what they wanted. Jonathan Jr. is a kick and so fun and of course Cameron is still a baby but it is fun to hold him and rock him. Just think-----next year when we see him he will be walking and talking. Time really flies. The boys were good and both of them took naps so it was pretty quiet in the afternoon. It is nice to have them around but so nice to give them back too!!!! Ha!!!
Dave left and did some errand running and when he got home he walked past me and I looked at him and he had a smile on his face and then I realized he had gotten his hair cut!!!! He said he wasn’t going to do that until the boat sold, but he figured he would get a jump on it and by cutting it might spark a sale!!!! I like the way he thinks. It is strange to see him without the pony tail but I like it.
I warned you pictures of our 10th grandson were coming so here they are!!! Enjoy!!
Friday the 11th Dave drove me to Tacoma to the Pain center to get my cortisone shot. He also wanted to stop and get one of his stamp books that he had as a kid, appraised. I didn’t have to wait long before they called me to see the doctor. The nurse asked me questions and took my blood pressure but it was really high so she had to leave so I could relax and get it down more. If it stayed high I would have to leave and my doctor would be contacted to prevent any problems. But that wasn’t the case as it did lower and the doctor came in and was very thorough explaining what was going to happen and had me look at my MRI, which was pretty cool as my back didn’t look as bad as I thought it would. Just the low back in the L4, L5 area was affected. I was happy to know that. Then he asked me questions and we talked for quite a while then he asked if I was ready and I said yes. All in all the time I spent with the doctor and nurse was about an hour and a half. Dave was beginning to worry what was going on. This time getting the cortisone shot was way different and safer than in 2006. I still was hurting pretty bad when I left the pain center but knew it would take some time for the cortisone to work. Plus they gave me an anesthesia before the cortisone. I had a hard time getting into the truck as it was high for my leg to stretch, but I made it. We then drove a few blocks away to the stamp place and found out that his stamp collection was only worth $10.00. Oh well. It was nice to know though. Then we drove back to the condo in Bremerton. By the time we were home my pain was subsiding but the tingling and numbness was still there. It was good to feel relief. I didn’t realize how much I hurt until it went away. I figured my back would be sore where they injected the anesthesia and cortisone but it wasn’t. Not like last time. I didn’t do any exercises or major walking for awhile, just to let things settle down a bit. I have started a counted cross stitch birth announcement for Jon’s little one, Cameron so I have been working on that to hopefully finish it before we go home. It will be close.
I took Judy to the new Tommy Cash’s restaurant and bar for lunch to celebrate our birthdays. He is located in old town Silverdale now instead of Port Orchard and we have heard he is packed almost every night. He has made a name for himself in this town and that makes me happy. He and his wife Ester run the restaurant and are doing a great job. They will be brewing their own beer by next year so when we come back we will have to try some. Tommy was in my Cub Scout den when he was in grade school. I also had his brother Chris a couple years later. They come from a neat family and I am really good friends with their mom!!!! I didn’t get a chance to see her before we left as she had been taking care of her husband, Charlie, after hip surgery and then were going on a road trip. So we will have to wait until next year. Timing just wasn’t right this time.
We are starting the process of going through things in storage and figuring out how we were going to pack everything and load it in the truck.
We were able to see our friends Bob and Diane and visit with them and she even bought some of my jewelry for Christmas gifts!!! That was really great. They are really great people. They are laid back like we are and enjoy similar things we do. I hope they can come and visit us one day in Mexico. They would like it. Bob
Is retiring in December so they plan on doing a lot of traveling with their travel trailer next year. Diane has been retired for awhile now. We keep telling her that since she is retired all she should do is one project a day!!!! Bob wasn’t too happy with us about that since she would remind him of what we said. Ha!!!! He laughed! His time is coming!!!!
We had one last visit with Brooke, Ernie, E.J., Eian, Brody and Conor on the 14th as Eian was playing on his school football team that evening. We took separate cars as we have to leave right after the game. Eian played well and he is now the kicker for the team. He really likes doing that. Here are some pictures.
After the game we said our farewells and gave everyone hugs and kisses. Next year when we go up E.J. will be in the Air Force and Eian will be getting ready for his Senior year of High School, Brody would have grown by leaps and bounds and Conor will be talking and maybe even walking. Time doesn’t wait for anyone that is for sure. We got to see Michael and David one more time and then it was off to Susannah and Jon’s for an afternoon with them. Jon had a salmon so Dave doctored it and cooked it on the grill and we had that and some vegetables. It was very good and we enjoyed the time we had with them. Jonathan was really tired and wanted to take a nap and his parents tried to make him wait but we told him it was alright. We gave Jonathan hugs and kisses and told him we would see him next year. We left around 2:00pm as Jon and Susannah wanted to take the kids to the Pullaup fair when Jonathan woke up. We hugged and kissed everyone and I gave Cameron an extra kiss. Until next summer!!
We have the truck packed to its fullest capacity. We got a tan lope cover for the bed which is nice and will keep rain and dirt out. We wanted to get a hard cover for it but couldn’t wait 4 weeks. So hopefully next year we can get it. It will give us more stacking room. I did have to leave a few things behind, but for the most part I got to take what I needed from storage for home.
We invited Ron and Noreen over for dinner to thank them for letting us stay in the condo. Then we saw them again on Sunday to say goodbye. We had a nice visit and they were off to watch the Seahawks play at a friend’s house. We went back to the condo to watch it. We are leaving on Tuesday the 22nd so tomorrow, Monday I will do final cleaning and laundry and last minute packing.
We are on the road again and the weather is good. First stop is to my nieces’ house in McMinville, Oregon. We will spend the night then leave the next morning to travel to my sisters’ house in Ukiah, California. We thought about staying a second night but decided it would be better to keep heading south. Sandi and us had a nice visit and caught up on what was going on in our lives. She made an adorable super hero shirt for one of the young grandsons and is in the process of making another. She does good work. We had a great dinner after Andy got home from work and after dinner we sat and watched T.V. for a little while before retiring for the night. Sandi is having problems with her computer so Dave said he would take a look at it tomorrow.
The next morning Sandi and I made breakfast while Dave was looking at her computer and then explaining to her what he had done and what she needs to do the next time. Her computer was really slow as she had over 700 pictures on her hard drive. We told her to get a thumb drive and that way she will have her pictures and not slow her computer down and also won’t lose them if something happens to her computer. After breakfast Dave finished up on the computer and Sandi and I looked at the books she has and she was telling me how good this series was and let me borrow them until next year. She also let us borrow a Clive Cussler book we hadn’t read yet. Awesome. We really didn’t have room for them but we made room. Ha!!! We said so long to Sandi as Andy had already left for work. Maybe next time we can stay an extra day.
There were some fires burning in northern California so we had to drive I-5 which we don’t like but a few of the back roads were blocked due to the smoke and fire. We ended up working our way to Eureka on the coast of California and stopping for the night. We called my sister to let her know we would be at her house tomorrow afternoon. We had a quiet and restful evening with me watching TV and working on the birth announcement for Cameron.
The next morning we started out about 7:30am and were at my sisters’ early afternoon. We actually made good time and got there earlier than we thought we would. We had a nice 2 day visit and I got to see my niece, Sheila the night before we were to leave. Even though it was a Friday night and Sheila had put in some long hours at work, she stayed and visited until about 11:00pm then went home. Larry, her husband, was volunteering to help the people who had lost their homes in the northern part of California.
The next morning when bags were stowed in the truck and we said goodbye to my sis and Hig, we headed south. We had tried calling our friends in Santa Cruz to see if they were going to be home but they had already left for Ensenada to get their visas and then on to Bahia. We stayed in Kettleman City, California, overnight and called Creela, as her husband had had a stroke and was in the hospital. We usually stop and visit with them but we wanted to know how things were going and if she was up to company. She wasn’t much up to company but she told us to come ahead anyway. They live in El Cajon, California. When we arrived she wasn’t home as she was visiting Phil, but she told us the door would be open. So we were greeted by Chiquita and Taco and we waited for her to come home. Roger, a friend of ours came to see Creela and was staying the night. When Creela got home she said we could have the spare bedroom, as her grandson was gone for the weekend. Roger slept in the trailer. Creela was drained and very depressed as she couldn’t understand anything Phil was trying to tell her. He lost his speech and the use of his right hand and leg. He could however, raise his right leg off the bed a few inches and wiggle his toes which was a great sign. We ended up staying about 3 days with her as we didn’t want to cross the border until the 1st of October as that was when we got paid and we could take money out of the bank. We helped sweep out the garage and larger garage they had just built and I pulled weeks and we both helped where we could. We had a nice visit and while we were there we went and saw Phil about 3 times. He is trying to talk and he has made it known he doesn’t like the speech therapist. He doesn’t want to do the juvenile stuff like feelings and saying what, when, where, he wants to talk. We let him know he may not have a choice in the matter and in order to get out of the care facility he will have to meet their requirements. He is a very stubborn Italian and if anyone can get back to normal------he will. He is a fighter and won’t take no for an answer. We caught him one day trying to get out of bed to close the drawer in the table that was near his bed. Ha!!! It was so good to see and talk to him and try to understand what he was trying to say. Dave figured it out and it was about the speech therapist. Ha! He looks really good and he still has his sense of humor. We tried to give Creela as much support as possible while we were there. She is really depressed and I hope and pray she seeks out a support group and see her doctor to let him/her know what is going on in her life right now. She is a strong Italian lady so I know she will get through this. We are headed for the border in the morning.
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