looking back at the year and Thanksgiving!

I wish I would have done a better job blogging this year because it has been a not so good year for me.  However, I do feel like through the bad things that have happened I have seen the good or things have happened that are good because of the bad.  I know that may not make any sense, but I did want to write it down on my blog so I have a record of it.  I am feeling great because of the gallbladder surgery.  Even though it is hard to find any good from my dad's death I do take comfort in knowing he is not confused or sick anymore and is whole again in heaven. My job is so much fun this year and I was super scared to change buildings, but it has been a good experience.  I am working with teachers more my age and as silly as that sounds, it is hard being around young people all of the time in the sense of they are not going through the same things as you are.  These teachers are all at the same point in their life as me and we just understand each other.  It is nice and it helps me be more ok with my age and where I am in my life.  I do still get to be around young teachers, which I do enjoy, but it is nice to have teachers that understand me too.  There is not much going on new except we did have blood drawn from Mandy to send off to see what is going on with her legs.  I suspect degenerative myelopathy which would paralyze her hind legs and the vet did not agree at first, but now they are wondering too if that is not what it is, so the results should be in soon.  If it is her back as in a slipped disc, I have found a doggie chiropractor I would like to try.  Anyway, enough if that.  I do have a picture from last week at our Book character parade for Halloween from the primary school.  This is my friend Meghan and myself.  Meghan is our speech therapist.  It is almost Thanksgiving!  I am so excited!

Back to School new job...

I was so crazy busy over the summer I do not think I mentioned that I am working at a new building this year. So, I used to teach Early Childhood Special Education before I changed jobs and went to Reeds Spring Elementary.  I am back in Early Childhood Special Education this year at Reeds Spring Primary School and I was a little nervous about it, but I am loving it and loving the people I am working with.  Here is a picture of our team.  I am on the very left.  We have so much fun and the day goes by so fast.
My summer never really did get much better after my dad's memorial service.  My mom had to have eye surgery and I took care of her up until time to go back to school.  I was really not ready to go back to work, but I am having fun now that I am there. 
I do not think I mentioned that during all of the craziness this summer I also took Mandy to the vet.  I believe she has degenerative myelopathy.  She is basically having trouble with her back legs.  If I am right, she will lose the use of her back legs.  The vet does not think that is what is going on, he said it was her back.  He gave her a lot of medicine, but she did not get any better.  I just hate this is happening to her.  She is truly my heart dog.  I love her so much.
I am not sure what else has happened since I last posted, it is a blur.  I hope you are all doing well.  I will post again as I am able.

My dad died

Monday we went to visit my dad and he was the same as every other day.  He ate and he rested.  He seemed comfortable.  The next morning I got a call from my friend Tommy that had gone to visit and he asked how long it was going to take me to get there, that my dad was having trouble breathing.  I went and got Josh up and we went to the nursing home.  It takes 30 minutes to get to the nursing home.  We made it though.  I told my daddy I loved him and that Josh and I were there.  I held his hand and I told him we were all ok.  He had a hard time breathing and started the death rattle around noon.  He passed away at 1:50PM on Tuesday June 20th.  The rest of the day went very fast and is a blur.  I could not sleep very well that night and  got up really early the next morning.  My mom is not dealing very well with any of this.  Josh and I are doing a lot of the memorial planning along with my friend Tommy.  Tommy and I were raised together, so we are like brother and sister.  He went in last week and talked to my dad alone and told him he would look after my mom and me.  He is just a precious friend.  So, it is just a really hard time right now.  I feel like I have nothing positive to write, so I have been kind of quiet on facebook.  I get home super late anyway.  So, the memorial is going to be July 1st at 10AM.  I want it to be so nice and perfect just like my dad.  I am doing my best.  I am so very sad as you can imagine.  Just pray for God's comfort and strength for us right now.  I will update soon.

Father's Day!

Sorry for the lack of updates.  Last I posted it was Spring Break. I was able to get the stent removed that was put in during gallbladder surgery to catch any gall stones that might have been loose.  That went great and I am happy to report that now 4 months later my acid reflux is gone as well.  I feel so good.  So, all of that is behind me hopefully. 

Josh graduated from High School.  The pictures are him and then him and his friend Alexis.  It is so hard to believe.  I sound like my parents, but he grew up so fast and it seems like just yesterday when he was born.  Many of you that read this blog celebrated his first birthday with me at my website The Ray Family Website.  I loved those years when we did the country websites and that seems like an eternity ago too.  I miss it.  My last day of school was a week later.  I went to visit my mom and dad at their house and my dad was very sleepy and was bent over in his chair.  I have a good friend that is an EMT and he was worried my dad might have had an infected sore that could have gone septic.  We called the ambulance and it was a very long day/night...but he was put into the hospital and put on anti-biotics.  The next day the doctors told us he would need multiple surgeries to heal this sore and he might end up on a ventilator and feeding tubes.  Now if you have forgotten, my dad has advanced alzheimer's.  We decided to not do the surgeries.  It was not an easy decision to make.  We thought that he would not understand the pain of the surgeries or he might try to take out the feeding tube, the list goes on and on.  He is under hospice care now and has been in a nursing home for several weeks.  He is comfortable in no pain.  Some days he will wake up and talk to us, but he sleeps a lot with the medication he is on.  I posted this picture of us on facebook.  It was taken when I graduated college probably 25 years ago or so.  I was around 22 years old and he was around 51 years old.  I wish he was as healthy as he was then.  It makes me sad to see him in the nursing home.  I get to feed him every day though.  The nurses say he eats best for me.  Not sure of that is true or not,but I am happy to do it.  The hospital had given us 2 weeks for him to live and the nursing home doctor said a month, so we will see what God decides.  Please pray for all of us.  This has not been easy for anyone.   I am just so very happy I got one more Father's Day with him.  I love my daddy!  I visit him everyday, so it has been crazy, but since it is summer, I will try to keep you all posted.  He is holding is own for now. 

Spring Break

I had my follow-up with the surgeon.  I had gallbladder surgery in January and they put a stent in to catch any gall stones that might still be in there.  I had some complications, I posted about in the post before this one.  This surgeon told me they wanted to wait until 12 weeks and I am at 8 weeks.  They will remove it on April 20th.  It will come out via my mouth and they will use a scope to go down my throat, etc to retrieve it.  I thought I was going to be awake, but it is a same day surgery and I will be knocked out for it.  I am kind of glad just because I gag easily.
I also fell on my hands and knees in January and my arm is still hurting, plus I helped a teacher lift a table at the school for parent/teacher conferences and my back is pulled out.  I went to see my chiropractor yesterday and he got me lined back out.  My hips were off, my shoulder was out of line and he worked with my lower back.  It will take a few days, but I am hoping to feel much better soon.
Josh and I are going to get our hair cut tomorrow.  I am excited about that.  I had also wanted to take him to see Beauty and the Beast, but the tickets are so expensive.  I have not decided if we will go or not.

I decided to try the Wal Mart Beauty Box.  I have been looking at subscriptions and I decided this would only cost $20/year and I could see if I liked it.  I hate to sign up for a monthly subscription and us need the money for something else.  Anyway, here are the pictures of it.  I liked it.  I believe the Spring one will come out April 1st.  It comes with items you can find at Wal-Mart.  There are no name brand items like you might find with Ipsy or Birchbox.  That is fine with me.  I just want to see what I get.  It is kind of fun.  Target does these as well, but it is not a subscription, you sign up monthly.  I understand they sell out fast though.  I might try to get one of those this summer when I have time to be online and wait for them to post it.  Do you do any subscriptions?  Which one/s?  Do you like them?

Josh and I are on Spring Break, so I hope to be able to come by and visit blogs.  I hope you are all doing well!  Happy Spring!

Gallbladder surgery

I know many of you know about my gallbladder surgery, but I did want to post about it so I would have something written down here at my blog.  I had been having attacks in my abdomen for the past year and a half or so that would last a couple of hours and then go away and I would be fine.  Then I might not have another one for months.  Karl told me he thought it was my gallbladder, but it passed and I did not want to see the doctor.  Well in early January I had another one and had to be home a couple of days, then had another one a few days later and I just felt really bad.  If I tried to eat I felt sick.  My co-worker (Wendy)...her son was going through the same thing and they had found a doctor.  She gave me the number, because I had called my regular doctor and they told me it would be a year before they could see me.  The surgeon my friend recommended was able to get me in the next week, I went in and talked to him on a Tuesday, they ran an ultrasound and found gallstones and surgery was scheduled for Thursday of the same week.  I took Thursday and Friday and then Monday through Wednesday off for the next week to recover.  I had a complication when they went in.  They got my gallbladder out fine, but there was a gallstone in the bile duct the size of the end of a thumb.  They had to bring in another surgeon to scope that and get the gallstone out and they put in a stent to make sure no other gallstones were in there that could get to my pancreas or liver.  The stent has caused a great deal of pain for me.  It has been two weeks since my surgery and I am eating fine now and I am able to take less Tylenol for pain.  The first day back to work was hard.  I went back to see the surgeon again last Tuesday and he said the pain I am feeling is normal for what I had done.  My tummy still has bruising.  He said everything was healing nicely though.  I see the second surgeon on March 20th about the stent.  I have to have it removed also.  That is during Spring Break, so I am hoping they can do the surgery that week.  I will keep you posted.
I am still reading my Bible and I have stopped drinking Pepsi.  The surgery made the thought of Pepsi make me sick.  I am trying hard to not go back down that road.  I was drinking way too much caffeine.  I feel less tired now actually. 
So much has been going on, but I wanted to post about my gallbladder surgery so I can remember it.  I hope everyone is doing well.  Happy February and Happy Valentine's Day!

Winter Greetings!

Well, I had hoped to get back here over Christmas to make a post, but I was sick for almost my whole time off from school.  I was very fortunate. The flu and strep were going around at school...but I just had a virus I believe.  I was coughing and just really tired.  I will take that over the flu anytime.  We did get with my parents day after New Year's to celebrate.
We have started back to school and it has been so cold, but tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 60's and Wednesday also.  I will have to keep an eye on the weather though, because they are saying we could get ice this weekend.
I have started reading my Bible.  I have done this before.  I was on a plan one other time to read the Bible in a year, but I really want to do this, so that is also what I have been doing.  I have read my Bible, but I want to do it from front to back.  I need to be walking on my treadmill too, but that hasn't happened yet.
I fell when we were taking down our Christmas stuff.  We have a step in our house and I was not paying attention and slipped and landed on my hands and knees.  My right arm has been hurting some ever since.  I hope that goes away soon.
I will leave you with a picture that was taken at recess and of November at school.  It is me (on the right and my co-worker Samee on the left).  We wanted to get a picture in our furry hoods.  I love my co-workers!  Have a nice winter and stay warm!