December 31, 2014. - Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

12:30 PM  CST

An early blog post today.

Mom suffered a cardiac event last night and was moved to the cardiac unit.  This morning she underwent a procedure to find the blockage and place a stent.  She is back in her room resting.

I will update the blog as the day goes along.

5:00 PM. CST

Brent sent a text saying that Mom appears to be doing well.  He add that she has been pretty much out of it since she went back to her room.  That's probably for the best.

December 30, 2014 - Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

Mom had a slight setback today, so more tests are being conducted.  While she is very disappointed about not being released, she knows that the hospital is the best place for her at this time.

December 29, 2014. - Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

Mom is still in the hospital, but the good news is is that she is hoping to be sprung tomorrow.  She was able to eat today and sounds better each time I talk to her.

Fingers crossed that Willie gets to see his Abuela tomorrow.

December 28, 2014. - Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

Mom was able to eat today!  The hospital food is horrible, so Dad and Brent have been bringing her food from "outside".

She was able to get out of bed several times today, also good news!

December 27, 2014. - Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

Mom is still in the hospital, but there is good news to report tonight.  Her upper GI showed a small blockage in her esophagus, which they were able to remove.  Because the hospital food is so terrible, Brent and Dad went and got her Arby's.  She was able to eat a bit of her sandwich.  Yay!!!!!
Hopefully this trend will continue so that she can go home soon.

December 26, 2014. -Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

Dad called this afternoon at about 4:00 Mississippi time.  Mom had had the procedure and was back in her room eating ice cream.  Her doctor told  Dad that  he would meet with them tomorrow after he has had a chance to review the results.  In the meantime, Mom has the perfect excuse to eat as much ice cream as she wants!

December 25, 2014. Brent's in Brandon , Mississippi

Merry Christmas!  Our family may be spread far and wide, but we remain very close knit.

Tomorrow mom has an upper GI, with a camera.  Fingers crossed that we will get some answers about her difficulty in swallowing.

December 24, 2014. Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

It is Christmas Eve!  Mom's room was decorated for the holiday.

December 23, 2014. Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

I spoke with Dad today.  Mom's test has been scheduled for Friday afternoon.  She will remain in the hospital until then.  While it is a bummer to be in the hospital during the holidays, she is feeling much better because she is getting nutrients through the IV.

December 22, 2014. Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

Lorri here doing blog duty for mom.  She had an appointment today with the doctor to review test results.  It was determined that more tests were needed, so she was readmitted into the hospital.  Hopefully she will get some answers after these tests are done.

December 21, 2014...Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Today was another stay inside day for me.  It was nearly noon before I got up.  I am incredibally weak, because eating makes my chest hurt and I have thrown up several times.  We’ll see what the doctor has to say tomorrow.  

We watched TV part of the day, but I mostly napped.  We were watching the Seahawks game and I began to feel somewhat better.  But I am sad to say, it didn’t last long.

Please cut me some slack if I have errors in my typing.  I am very shakey.

December 20, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

December 20, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi Today was spent shopping for everyone except Bill and me.  I didn’t feel well enough to even get out of the MHO.  Sara went shopping the other grandmother, Jojo.  Brent and Courtney went to Walmart.  For Brent, that was a challenge.  When Sara got home, they took her to shop for Christmas from Brent.  That little girl really likes to shop!

We spent some time going over my dischargee papers from the hospital.  I have a follow up appointment on Monday and I need to have in mind the questions I want ask.

There are some really pretty sunset here.  This house across from Brent

may appear to be on fire, but it isn't.  Just a beautiful sunset.

December 19, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

I wasn’t feeling well today.  I spent most of the day in bed, resting and napping. 

Brent and Courtney decorated the treel  The kids were elsewhere.

December 18, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

We had some rain today and some blue sky.  The weatherman couldn’t quite make up his mind.  It was cool all day and that was nice.

As of yet, Brent and the kids haven’t decorated their Christmas tree.  Brent did get blue and white lights strung on it.  When I get pictures, I will send them.

I stayed in the MH all day, only going into Brent’s house once.  I  was working on a sewing project.  I will send a picture of it when I finish.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for Sara and Coleson.  They aren’t complaining one bit about that.  If things go as usual, we won’t see much of them then anyway.  They are always so busy.

Tonight, Brent went to see Courtney.  Sara and Coleson were with Keltie.  Willie was in the house taking a nap.  And Bill and I were in our own “nest” so everyone was happy!

December 17, 2013---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

The kids got out of school at noon today.  Sara, Brent, and I drove into Jackson for lunch.  It was about a 30 minute trip.  After getting into the area, we drove around for quite awhile looking for a place to eat.

I am always intrigued by the differences in Jackson.  The area around the capitol building is what you would expect...well maintained, large buildings and nice parks dotted here and there.  Just a few blocks away is an area that looks as if it has been bombed out.

Brent said that because it is a historic area, any building must stay with the original architectural theme...bricks, windows, layout, etc.  As a result, nothing is being renovated in the area.  I can understand wanting to preserve historical areas, but what would you do with a pile of rubble.  Not much!  So the area just sits there, falling apart brick by brick.

We chose a Greek restaurant across from the Governor's Mansion.  The food was good and the location was great, but we didn’t see “hide nor hair” of the gov.  Actually, we really didn’t expect to.

We left Sara at a friend’s house on the way home.  Brent’s crystal ball showed a nap in his future, so mine must of shown the same thing.

For dinner, Brent made spaghetti with deer sausage.  It was very good.  And, no, he didn’t hunt, kill, and slaughter the critter.  A friend of his did all those dastardly deeds and shared the booty.

We spent the evening watching the final episode of Survivor.  Since I don’t enjoy all the scheming and bickering, it was a good time for me to start watching.  

December 16, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

This morning, Brent and I went to do some Christmas shopping.  Actually, Brent was shopping and I was just along for the ride.  He was looking for a recliner with a camo patterned cover.  Yes, that is what Coleson wants for Christmas!

Believe it or not, Brent was able to find two of three of them.  Unfortunately, they were more expensive than he had meant to spend.  Just the fact that he found any of them proves that we are indeed in redneck country.

Tomorrow, we will look some other places, north of Brandon.

This afternoon, Amy and Mike’s two dogs got out, and as usual, they made their way to Brent’s house...through the forest in back of Brent’s property.  It isn’t unusual for them to end up at Brent’s, but if he just puts them in the backyard, they dig out.  Today, one of them was captured.  Bill was enlisted to get the other one.  Brent tied them to the swing frame.  Amy came for them when she got out of school. 

Coleson and Sara wanted to have a real Christmas tree this year.  This afternoon they went to get one.  It really is a pretty tree, but it had dropped a lot of needles on the way into the house.  The plan is to decorate it tomorrow.  That will be fun, especially with Willie helping.

December 15, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

We had some rain this morning.  It seemed like a good day for Mexican food, so away we went.  There are several places that serve good TexMex.

After eating, Brent took me to Hobby Lobby.  I needed to do a little bit of Christmas shopping.  Because the store is so busy and crowded with displays, we decided not to take my “sports car” aka scooter, in.  That was a big mistake.  By the time I got back out to the car, I was very, very tired, and my balance was worse than ever.

A nice long nap really helped.  When Sara came home from school, we had a nice visit.  She is such a pretty young lady, and is always fun to hear her “chatter” about school, and her friends.  She and Coleson are growing up way too fast.

I went into Brent’s house to see if there was any pecan pie left from last night.  Courtney had made it with fresh pecans from her mom’s yard in Longview, Texas.  I could really get use to that.

I watched part of the Monday night football game between New Orleans and Chicago.  It was a pathetic game from both sides, so I didn’t even finish the first half before I went back out to the motorhome.  Next week will be much better, I am sure.  Denver will be playing.  Yea!

December 14, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Brent and Courtney made biscuits and gravy for breakfast.  That’s a good way to start the day, eh?

We spent part of the day watching football.  Brent was glad the Seahawks won.  And I cheered when I saw that the Broncos were victorious, also.  We were both happy with those wins, but are missing seeing the Ducks play.

Tonight, we had a “liver and onions” party.  Brent made his special Brussel sprouts with bacon dish and mashed potatoes to go with the main course.  It was a fun time and no one went home hungry.  Courtney made a pecan pie for dessert.  It was a good ending for a great meal.

The parties never end very early, and this one was no different.  It is always a happy crowd.

December 13, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Today is 12-13-14...that kind of pattern won’t happen again for a long, long time. 

I have a news update!  When we were having dinner at Robyn’s house on Thursday, Amy ask me if I had put my scooter together.  I told her I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.  She said Lori had bought a scooter for me and it was in a box in Brent’s garage.  At that point, Amy figured out that the scooter was to be a surprise.  She was really embarrassed she had blown the surprise.

If you read my blog, you will know that Brent stepped in and took credit for the surprise.  He also placed part of the credit (or blame) on Meredith and Michelle.  Alas, we may never know the true story behind all of this.  It doesn’t make any difference, because I love the “little mini-scooter-wheelchair thing” and will find many good uses for it, I’m sure.

Brent postponed the “liver and onions party” until Sunday night.  This left us with some extra time today, so we drove to Jackson to eat lunch at Cool Al’s.  You may remember that is the place where the floor is sticky.  Well, the food was still good, but the ambiance was diminished.  The floor wasn’t sticky and there had been some “decorating” changes.  Some things should be left alone.

When we got home, a long nap was in my near future.

We went in the house to watch the Heisman Trophy awards.  The Oregon quarterback was the winner.  That made all of the Duck fans in this family very, very happy.  It is the first time the Heisman winner has been from the University of Oregon.

December 12, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

This morning, Brent brought a big box out to the motorhome and said he, Meredith, and Michelle had pooled their pennies to get me a lightweight transport chair.  It is kind of like a wheelchair, but not as heavy.

He and I went out shopping to test the “new toy.”  It was easy for me to get around the stores by myself, which was great, but the best part was that I had a place to sit.  A lot of standing has become very hard for me and this solved the problem.

And to top off his thoughtfulness, tomorrow night he is cooking liver and onions.  Wow!  What a guy!

I am still trying to recover from my time in the hospital.  Things just keep piling up here at home, but I don’t seem to be able to deal with them.  Maybe Santa will give me some extra help this year!

December 11, 2014---Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

My main activity for the day was “nap taking” and I was successful at it.

I omitted a story from last night’s blog, so I am going to put it in tonight.  Those of you who know me, know that one of my favorite Southern dishes if not grits.  That is an an understatement!  

Every meal at the hospital included grits.  I would usually take a tiny bite and I did not change my opinion.  Well yesterday, for breakfast there was the bowl of grits beside the scrambled eggs.  I took a bite of the eggs and nearly gagged.  They were terrible.  I had Bill taste them, and he agreed with me.  He even spiced them up with pepper, etc.  It didn’t help, so I stirred some sugar into the grits and that became my breakfast.  When Brent came, I told him what I had eaten.  I was glad he didn’t pass out from the shock, but he took the news in stride.  Now if anyone ever ask me if I like grits, I can honestly say, “Yes, better than hospital scrambled eggs!”

Robin invited us to dinner.  She made lasagna that was really good.  Amy and two of her kids were there also.  We all had a great time, as usual.  And I didn’t have to excuse myself to take a quick nap!

December 10, 2014---From Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

Thank you, Lori for taking over blog duties while I was in the hospital.  It really feels good to be back at the computer again, but I may need a good proof reader.  I have already caught some glaring mistakes.

Brent and Bill have sat with me for countless hours.  I feel sure they would rather have been elsewhere.   Courtney was a big help also.  Some of the things she has learned in medical school, explained some the questions we had.

I had been wearing a heart moniter since Saturday.  It discovered that my heart skips beats, so I am on medication for that now.

We kept expecting that I would be released today, but it brgan to look doubtful as the morning progressed.  One of the doctors this morning said It might be later today.  I think he must have heard the collective response from the three of us and perhaps feared for his saftey.  He signed my release and left a Rx for a new heart medicine. for me to try.  I will return to his office for a recheck next week.  I hope to take Brent as my interpreter.

December 9, 2014. -- Brent's in Mississippi

Mom is still in the hospital, but has hopes that she will be released tomorrow.  Several more tests were done today, hopefully she will get some answers tomorrow.

I know that everyone will be happy when she is back in the motor home, most of all Willy.  That golden retriever loves his Abuela!

December 8, 2014. -- Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

This is Lori pitching in for mom once more.  Mom is still in the hospital.  She had a tilt test today which came back normal.  Tomorrow she is scheduled for an upper GI.

I spoke with her this evening, she sounded good and quite chipper.  While I don't mind pulling blog duty, mine are quite boring compared to hers.

Thank you for sending thoughts and prayers her way.

December 7, 2014 -- Brent's in Brandon, Mississippi

I'm doing blog duty for Mom again this evening.  She remains in the hospital tonight.  After another day of tests, Dad reports that she is feeling a bit better.  She is scheduled for a few more tests tomorrow, hopefully we will get some answers then.

On another note,  today is the eighth year anniversary of Brent's brain surgery.  We are all thankful every day that he continues to be the strong Uncle Sir that we all know and love. 

December 6, 2014 -- Brent's in Brandon. Mississippi

Lori here pulling blog duty for Mom.  She woke up this morning feeling puny and declined as the day wore on.  The decision was made that she needed to go ER for tests.  Brent called at 9:00 their time to report that she was still in ER  where tests were being run.  He and Dad had gone home to eat and were heading back to the hospital.  Please send positive thoughts to Mississippi!

December 5, 2014---At Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

We had a small amount of rain today.  Barely measurable, but it was nice.

Bill drove me to the chiropractor’s office this afternoon.  Dr. Brown adjusted my spine.  I’ll go back on Monday to see if any of it stayed in place.  It usually takes several treatments before there are any lasting results.

Brent fixed spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  Courtney came to eat with us.  We had a lot of fun talking.  

Dinner was a preview of the night’s entertainment...which was the Oregon Ducks game against Arizona.  The final score was 51-13.  We were glad the Ducks won, but it really wasn’t a very exciting game.  Oregon had way too many penalties and the quarterback was off his game a bit, although the final score didn’t reflect it.  The game tonight was for the PAC12 championship.  There was much hoopla on the field at the end of the game.  The win tonight sealed Oregon’s spot in the national championship playoffs.

Robyn and Wesley, neighbors of Brent’s, came just as the game ended.  They had been to a Christmas party, but came as soon as they could to visit with Bill and me.  “A good time was had by all” was an understatement.  I’m sure we will all get together again before our visit here with Brent ends after Christmas.

December 4, 2014---At Brent’s in Brandon, Mississippi

After a slow start to the morning, Brent was going to take me to see my chiropractor.  By the time we actually got in the car and were on our way out, it was after 12:00.

I wasn’t sure if their office closed for lunch, so we decided to eat and then go to see about it.  We went to Newk’s.  Their food has always been good and today was no exception.  I had red bean and rice soup.  Brent had salad and a sandwich.  We were both happy with our choices.  I thought it was cold in the restaurant so Brent went to his car and found a sweater of Sara’s.  Of course it was way, way too small for me, but it kept my arms and shoulders warm.

We got to the doctor’s office only to discover it was closed on Thursdays.  Gad, zooks!  Hopefully, we can go back over there tomorrow!  It wasn’t a total wasted trip.  We drove around the Flowood area looking at new business.  That town is really growing.  Several large businesses and new housing developments have sprung up.

On the way home we stopped to see Polly and Pito.  He works on an off shore oil rig and was back home for two weeks before going out for two more weeks.  They live about two blocks from Brent.

Sara and Coleson were with Keltie tonight and Brent had a date with Courtney, so Bill and I were on our own.  He went to Taco Bell for our dinner.  We certainly know how to take care of ourselves, don’t we?

December 3, 2014---On the road to Mississippi

Bill was up early, driving the “big box” down the highway, while I stayed in bed for some extra sleep.

I heard him honk and immediately the road got very rough, so I knew we had crossed into Louisiana.  Just in case, I yelled “yahoo.”

For various reasons, we didn’t find a Rest Area, so when we got to Monroe we parked at Sam’s Club for a late breakfast.  We had been driving in fog.  As we got toward the Mississippi River the fog got thicker.

We crossed into Mississippi (Honk, honk!  Yahoo!) and soon after, the fog dissipated.  We stopped at Walmart in Vicksburg.  We were making good time, so I called Brent to tell him of our ETA.

Bill backed the motorhome into its spot and got everything hooked up and in place.  Willie was so excited to see us.  He turned into a wiggly, frisky puppy...he was so excited.

It was good to see Coleson and Sara, and Brent, too.  We traveled 295 miles today.

December 2, 2014---On the road to Mississippi

We left Decatur, Texas, at 9:30.  Before long, we were on an adventure.  Translated that means we had missed our turn.  We decided to follow through with it, and we are glad we did.

We had never been in that area, and just before getting on I-35, we saw Texas Motor Speedway.  We’ve seen it on TV several times when NASCAR has raced there.  Today we got a better view of its size.  It is huge!

I-35 took us to I-20 which took us to In-N-Out...for an early lunch.  It was great, as usual.  That was visit number 24 in 2014 (If I have counted correctly.) Yum, yum!

As traffic goes, we have seen it much more congested in the Fort Worth/Dallas area than it was today.  It is always a relief to get on the east side of that mass of humanity.

In Longview, we parked at Walmart.  We have parked here on several other occasions.  We park right next to a railroad track.  It is a different kind of train, as trains go.  It may have 40 or 50 cars attached to it.  It goes very slowly, blocking the main road through town.  Soon after going past and traffic resumes, it backs up, repeating the whole traffic snag again.  This may happen several times an afternoon and night while we are parked here.  Each time we have been here, it is the same pattern.

We traveled 212 miles today.  Not very many miles, but tiring, just the same.

December 1, 2014---Traveling to Mississippi

After driving for a couple of hours Bill pulled into a Rest Area for breakfast.  A sign said “tornado shelter.”  I’m glad we didn’t need to use it.

We traveled 221 miles today, stopping at a Picnic Area for lunch.  We seemed to be eating our way into Texas, don’t we?

We continued on Hwy. 287 to Decatur.  After parking at Walmart, we rested for the remainder of the afternoon.  Bill is taking longer than before to adjust to driving down the highway.  Maybe we should blame it on the lack of altitude, since he seems to blame most things of the altitude.

As fate would have it, Panda Express was just across the parking lot from us.  So naturally, since that is one of Bill’s favorite places to eat, he was very willing to go get our dinner. I told you so, didn’t I?

The drive today was through farmland.  Many of them had been planted with cotton and had been harvested.  It was interesting...some of the fields were stripped clean, while others had a lot of cotton left behind.  Back in the “good old days,” cotton was hand picked, which produced a better quality of cotton.  All picking is done by machine, even though the quality of the cotton has diminished.

If you are wondering how I know these things...(1) my grandparents were cotton farmers, (2) I taught in the middle of a cotton patch in Ropesville, Texas, and (3) I rode on a plane to Denver next to a cotton farmer from this area.  I probably asked him about a gazillion questions.  Imagine that!