That perspective thing

I do believe I am tired of the perspective side of things now.

Last night I had to take The Man to our local E.R. He was feeling a little wonky (my word I used when things aren't right) yesterday morning. He still got up and was helping me clean The Boy's room and go through clothes he has outgrown. Around 5-ish, he made the comment that his chest was hurting.

Oh?

I asked if he was having pain in his arm and jaw. He said no, but, he was lightheaded and short of breath. I put the symptoms in the g**gle machine and decided quick like we might need to go get him checked out.

The E.R. was packed. A bunch of teenagers were there to support a friend. Lovely. We didn't wait long for triage and the nurse was very concerned. The Man was pale and he is not a pale person by nature. He was pretty much taken back immediately.

Can I say I love my friends? I started texting right away to let them know where we were and what was going on. I did this, too, so they would know the kids were at home alone and to keep an ear out for them. They texted back right away showing support. I heard terms being thrown around as the nurses moved quickly to hook my husband up to monitors, start and I.V. port, and talk a bunch of nonsense. Both Carla and Debbie were my links to finding out what they were talking about. Neighbor Greg let his fingers fly on his computer to get information back as fast as possible. I probably looked like a teenager the way my fingers were flying over my phone.

When they brought in the nitro, I got really worried. I texted (paraphrasing here): "Oh crap. They're giving him nitro!!" What did Carla do? She immediately sent out texts and requests for prayers to her mother and our friends and stood by with fingers ready to look up anything I needed her to. Neighbor Debbie jumped in her truck and headed to the E.R. for some moral support. I kept updating Paige so she wouldn't freak out but kept it low key for her.

His blood work and cardiac work up came back fine. Whewww.

Now it gets wild.

The Man has had an awful cold the past two weeks. A trip to the doctor got him some antihistamine and that was it. This E.R. doctor was asking a million questions and running tests left and right. He almost seemed perplexed to me. I am also feeling my age because this guy looked like he was 12 years old. He finally came in and leaned against the counter to tell us his diagnosis.

It appears The Man is recovering from bronchitis and walking pneumonia. (What????) He has had a horrendous cough the past week and this cough seems to have made the cartilage separate from his chest wall. OUCH.

Add in the stress from the past week and it's just not good. I'm thinking the wrestling match with the constipated 4 year old probably made things worse, too.

He was given a super-wham-a-dine dose of Motrin with anti-inflammatory to give him some relief in his chest. Add in a prescription for antibiotics for ten days and we're going to see if we can get this thing cleared up.

Of course he won't take it easy a day or two to get over this. He hasn't in the past two weeks, so why start now? He's taking a class this upcoming week that goes with retirement and he will be there. He is such a Chief.

All in all, it was a quick E.R. visit (who has those?) and we were home within three hours total.

Now, I watch him closely and make sure he's drinking enough fluids. I'm doing my best to keep him low-key. (He's sitting in the recliner doing Calculus homework. So much for low-key, huh?) He'll get this one good day to recover as much as possible before I let him go do that stuff he does week in and week out.

Yep. I do believe I'm done with all the perspective stuff. I think a few drama free days are in order for The Edge.

The Treat

This treat involved two special people in my life. The Man and our gal Makenna.

A few weeks ago, The Man forwarded an email he had received from work from the USO. We're big fans of the USO because they support our troops at home and abroad like you would not believe. In the email, it was stated that they had some discount tickets available for an upcoming Jacksonville Jaguars game. This would be something I would normally scan over and keep going. I had to pause this time and look again. They were playing the Minnesota Vikings. The Man's most favorite team in the whole wide world. He is die hard and he is loyal to this team.

I called The Man at work and told him he might want to check out the prices and see if it would be reasonable for him to be able to go. He called me back to say the tickets were $10.00 a piece and he could only get two. I told him to go for it. He was worried about who would go with him. I told him to give Paige first dibs but my money was on Makenna going.

I was right. Paige graciously declined going and Makenna jumped at it. Makenna is The Man's partner in crime. They golf together and watch NASCAR together. When he asked her to go, she said, "Well, it's not NASCAR, but that's okay." Plans were made for them to leave early (Sunday, November 23, 2008) so they would be sure to get there in time and find their way.

I received many text messages and picture messages that afternoon while they were gone. The Vikings beat the Jags soundly and it was considered a very good time.

Are you ready for some football?

Getting ready to walk out the door and head to Jacksonville. Check out the VERY old jersey Makenna got to wear. She has the purple fleece on underneath to show her team support.


These are the stairs that my child complained about. Over and over again. She could not understand why escalators weren't an option. She seriously called me when she got there and these stairs were the first thing she talked about.

This was their view from their seats. Not the closest to the field but acceptable for ten bucks.

This is The Man on the phone with me. So, I guess I was there in a way?

The half-time snack. The Man was thrilled she chose "football fare". There were many tasty choices from the food vendors, but my girl wanted the good stuff.

I love this picture. Aren't those two happy campers? I see she scammed his hat for some shade for a little while. I made her take shades to wear because I'm a fanatic about wearing shades to protect the eyes. Everyone has a pair in the family and are required to wear them. (No, they don't always listen to me.)

This was a great day for two very special people. There was football, hot dogs, a big win, and bonding time. Can't beat that, can you?

I wish to add here that if you are looking for a charity or organization to donate to? Please consider the USO. They really do look out for our troops at home and abroad. We are so thankful for what they do and all the volunteers that make many things possible. Quoted from their web page: "The USO is the way the American public supports the troops. "

If you Like this kind of stuff.....

I'm going to do a quick endorsement of a blog.

My husband is a good man. Seriously. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father. He's human and doesn't like housework, much to my dismay. That fact keeps him from being totally perfect, but no one is perfect. Right? He prefers me at home to be dedicated to our kids and that's a decision that works well for us. Would I like a job? I know I'd like some extra money. But, I like...no love being here for my babies should they need me. My parents both had to work when I was growing up and that's okay. My Grandma kept me and my brother and that was the next best thing.

I digress.

My husband loves his country. He first joined the military so he could get help with an education. If I'm not mistaken, 4-6 years was the limit in his mind and he was out. This November will make 19 years of service. He believes in the purpose of the military. He is honored and humbled to be able to serve all of you. What he has seen and what he has been through will be memories for him to revisit in his old age. No one but him and his shipmates will be able to comprehend and understand.

Politics. A right touchy subject as of now, isn't it? I won't talk about it in public because I tend to get a little too vocal about things. My husband has done the research. He has studied the facts. He pays attention.

When you have a member of the military SUPPORT his boss, or as we call him, The President of the United States of America? You might need to listen in some. Has anyone asked our military who they need as a boss? I didn't think so. Everyone claims to know what is best for them, but who has actually asked? 'Nuff said on that.

If you are into politics and love a spirited debate or discussion, head on over to my hubby's blog.

If you need to be educated a little more or something isn't quite clear? Check it out.

Some times, my eyes glaze over because he gets a little over my head, but his heart is into it.

He believes.

And I believe in him.

Recovery Room-Edge Style

The Man had him some surgery this past Wednesday. For those of you just joining in? Here's a past reference so you can catch up. I figured since I had diagnosed him initially, I'd let a professional do the actual surgery. I don't dig the thought of messing with guts and blood.

We headed out before dawn Wednesday morning for the drive to the Naval Hospital in JAX. Man, that is one busy town early in the a.m. We arrived with just a few minutes to spare.

Can I stop the story a second here? Thank you.

As we all know, I come from a civilian world. Civilian hospitals and what not. I am not accustomed to seeing an abundance of male nurses (a.k.a. corpsmen) in military uniform. I am not accustomed to being in such an old looking facility. I am not accustomed to the snarly looking faces and the lack of personality. When I worked for a hospital, we took training on how to deal with the public. When we wore the name tag with the facility name on it? We had to keep a smile on our face and greet all visitors with friendliness and offers of help. Not the case here. The only people who offered to help were in khaki uniforms. I did not feel good about this as we found our way upstairs to check in.

*Now to the rest of the story*

We were shown The Man's room and preparations started. The Man Upstairs must've known my anxiety was starting to climb because he sent the absolute bestest corpsman to my husband. He just oozed personality. Told stories of his home (St. Thomas-Virgin Islands) to keep us entertained. He was incredible and I was appreciative of his thoughtfulness. Instead of getting off at end of his shift, he ended up staying as long we did. I hated it for him, but was glad to have such an attentive person for my husband.

It wasn't long before The Man headed to surgery. Mrs. M. (who, God bless her, went with us) and I grabbed a bite to eat and settle in to wait. I was starting to get antsy and worried when his hour and a half surgery was trying to turn into a three hour wait. The doctor finally came out and filled me on how things went well. Whew. We headed downstairs to pick up his medicine and call family members awaiting news.

When we got back upstairs to his room, he was being wheeled in. Let me tell ya, that man was feeling NO pain. We got quite a few chuckles out of him. Apparently, they had to use a Foley catheter to drain the bladder so as to see the area better. Well, crap. Anyone who has had one of these done can tell you going to the bathroom that first time is almost impossible to do. (speaking from experience here) Many ounces of juice/water/soda/coffee later....he finally was able to do enough to deem him able to go home. I was helping him get dressed to go and he made the comment that he felt like The Boy (I was holding his pants for him to step into). I told him I was a professional at helping people get dressed, so he was in good hands. I didn't remind him that the people I help are usually a lot younger and shorter than me. Pants are pants, people!

It made for a long day and driving home (again, during the beginning of rush hour) was hard. I was tired and had this individual high on pain killers beside me. He kept coming and going .....suffice it to say he had great entertainment value.

It's been a good couple of days. Pain killers are the key the first few days and he's doing way better than I anticipated. Today was shower day and when I unwrapped him (he's bound around the waist), I was met with what I didn't expect. Was I supposed to take the bandages off? Was I supposed to leave them? After a call to the hospital, where I was transferred a half dozen times, I spoke to the doctor himself! How about that? He was great to talk to and said all sounded fine. I was told how to handle the bandages and if I had any questions, to please don't hesitate to call back. I was shocked I spoke to the doctor. Score for the Naval Hospital on that one. We go next Tuesday for a follow-up. If he keeps going like he is? I think all will be just fine.

In fact? He's sitting at the table right now doing homework for Statistics. Shoot. I'd be all over the couch doing what little I could. I'm just saying. I think those pain pills are working a little TOO well.

Have a good weekend, Internet. We're keeping it cool and on the interior. The Jaw-ja Skeeters are out hunting prey.

Like I said...he was feeling nooooooo pain.

What Day is This?

May 1, 1966 was the day The Man was born to Mrs. M and Mr. C. He is the oldest of three siblings. He is one many many MANY cousins on both sides of his family. He is a Submariner. He is a Chief. He is a Dad. He is my husband.

When I first met my husband, he had a smattering of gray hair around his temples. Now? I do believe he's to the point where there's more gray than dark. He will be quick to tell you he's just glad he's still got a FULL head of hair. Who cares if it's gray? I tend to agree with him and, dangit, it is true, you know. Men with gray are distinguished and seem to look better as they age.

The Man, with his advanced age wisdom (heh heh), has taught me much since I've met him. I've learned to love some Mexican foods I never would have tried. I flown in planes (but would be okay with never doing that again). He introduced me and my girls into this HUGE family that hugs and kisses anyone who walks by. Talk about killing your nerves the first time around. Whew. Makenna was four and she jumped right in and hugged and kissed right back. Paige and I probably had looks of terror on our faces as we tried to out run whoever was coming after us for another hug. Now, we all hug and kiss and easily tell each other "I love you". I am grateful he showed me that showing love is a good thing.

Now, at the age of iklsfourtylkwndktwozmer (the number is in there somewhere), he is getting ready to venture into another chapter of his life. Retirement from the U.S. Navy looms in his future and on his birthday, he starts back to school to finish his degree in order to be better prepared for life when his duty is up with our country.

It feels like we've had birthday cake every other week with the kids since February (that's really an exaggeration...key word here is "feel"). Because of that, he has decided he does not want a birthday cake for himself. He prefers this instead.

I'm thinking he has a good idea going on here and I'm also pretty sure I won't be arguing with him about it. At all.

Also, it's been decided that golf clubs are coming in the very near future. The ones that are owned now were a self gift upon completion of Power School. That would be about sixteen years or so ago. When I had no problem with him getting a new set, boy did he jump right on the internet and start doing some serious window shopping. Did you know you can buy a piece of metal that is called a golf club for over $300.00?? ONE CLUB?!?!? Yeah, we brought that helium balloon down quick like.

Happy Anniversary of your Birth, Man. I sure do love you and wish to share many more and all types of anniversaries with you in this life time!

What is Love?

What is love?

Love is being able to sit at home with the laptop in your lap with the television on while your husband is standing in line to get the new Harry book that is going to be released in merely minutes!!!!

Love is your hubby calling you to remind you just how much he loves you because he's been standing in line for over 30 minutes and there's nothing to do but stand there.

Love what you feel for your hubby when he tells you they've handed out wrist bands and he got a Gryffindor one which means he's in the first group to get a book and he totally knows the importance of Gryffindor and it's significance in life.

Love is knowing that he totally expects me to read all day tomorrow. To holler at the book. To probably cry. To smirk as other family members take their turn reading because I know something they don't know.


*GASP*

It's 12:01 a.m.

It's time to see the end.

Chivalry

Just so you know. Chivalry is not dead. Yesterday, Fred and I were doing that parent thang. You know....where we run one kid to dance, pick up another kid from cheer leading tryout practice, while finding something for the Boy to eat so he'll ride better.

During one of these trips, we were heading back to house. Fred pulled into our cul de sac and came to a stop. I just looked at him because Jaime wasn't outside for me to speak to (she lives right at the front of the sac).

Out on the main sidewalk, there was a lady walking with her baby. The baby was in a stroller. There was a small group of vehicles with men standing outside of them talking. Our base is going privatised (don't ask-long story), so we have more civilians than usual around getting ready for the switch over. These guys were surveyors and were finished up for the day, standing around shooting the breeze. She had to walk through the middle of them.

My husband stayed there until he was sure she was safely through. He felt that a lone woman with a baby in a stroller needed extra looking after.

That's the kind of husband I got. Ain't it cool?

The Mack Daddy Grill

We got us a happy man here. At 9:30 yesterday morning he surprised me by coming home. Apparently the Head Honcho found out it was his birthday and sent him home for the day. I fixed us a nice lunch and he got to sneak off and get a nap.

Fred was presented with his grill that Paige and I had gotten from Low*s the night before. This was done as we were leaving to go out to supper, so he really only got a good glimpse of it. Supper was almost an ordeal because Vitt simply isn't public material. I was wore out from fighting him by the time we left. After a quick trip to Wal*art, we were in for the night.

It didn't take long for The Man to put The Boy to bed. Unbeknownst to me...he had plans. Big plans. I was on the computer in the East Wing when I had need of my cell phone. I went to the West Wing to get it when I came across this.

Dude was puttin his grill together. In my living room.

Note how a headband with a flash light makes a man look FIERCE and all business-like. Complete focus, PEOPLE! This is serious stuff. If the grill isn't just right, steaks and chicken will suffer!!!

He didn't hardly care that I was snapping pictures of him and laughing. Cuz he's got a GRILL, man. I'm thinking he had visions of watching that television behind him whilst cooking up some steaks. Don't know how he was going to manage it, but, hey, a man can dream. Right?

And I'm not stupid. The ROYAL WEEKEND is next weekend. I'm not cooking.

Birthday Boy

Today is Fred's birthday! And instead of making it a good morning for him, I was threatening Makenna's butt because she's lost a jazz shoe and I refuse to pay for another pair and if she doesn't find it, I will literally cut her tail because I bought a bag for her to keep them in and even monogrammed the bag so she would always know it's hers and........

Suffice it to say I'm not thrilled with my middle child at the moment.

Back to The Man.

I have known my husband for almost 7 years now. That, in itself, is very hard for me to believe. And I STILL like him, too. Amazing. Alot has happened in the past seven years, but I want to focus on him for a minute. Shall we?

When I met Fred, he had a touch of gray at the temples. It was sexy and cool and I liked it alot. Now? He's pretty much working on ALL gray and little bit of black. And that's okay. I've seen him go from being a bachelor with no worries, to a Dad of two then three. I saw him just step into those shoes with no hesitation whatsoever. Well, none that I saw or that he let me see. He's still a freaking math genius who won't keep up with budget. He's quite handy to have in the store when I'm trying to figure out what 15% off is. He can whip it right up in that noggin of his.

The other night I was laying there going to sleep and got to thinking about things. I have friends. I have alot of friends. There are those who are mainly acquaintances. There are those that I'm working on establishing friendships that will hopefully last a long time. There are those who mean the entire world to me and I know that I can count on no matter what. There are those who go far enough back with me that we will be friends til our dying day because we know too much on each other. (you know who you are!)

Then I got to thinking. When something goes on in my life, no matter if it's good or bad...who is it I want to talk to first? Fred. Who listens to me talk about me and acts interested every single time? Fred. Who makes me believe I am the most wonderful person in the world? Fred. I would sometimes hear those women who would say that their husbands were their best friends. I would snort and laugh and say "yeah, right." I apologize to all those women out there I laughed at.

I can laugh with Fred. I can cry with Fred. I can voice my opinions (which I do frequently) and he listens. He doesn't agree most of the time, but he doesn't put me down for how I feel. I guess what I've heard all my life is true. When you find the right partner...it all just falls into place. I am content and happier than I ever thought I could be with this man. Why, he's even promised to hang around til all is said and done. Through wrinkles, walkers, and our kids being teenagers.

Happy Birthday, Honey! I love the man you are, the father you've shown you can be, and I can't wait to grow old with you.

Oh, and please don't go and write something all sappy-like that'll make me cry and everyone else who reads this gag because we're all lovey-dovey and as Paige would put it..."Ewwwwww, old people love."

p.s. And, yes, we did go get your birthday present last night. Like I would admit it to you. You'd drive me crazy trying to guess what it is. And if you discovered what it is, you better act all surprised and excited when you finally get it or I'll be mad.

As If

The Man and I were watching t.v. the other day when a commercial came on advertising a huge golf tournament coming in May. All the big names will be there. I asked the hubby if this was the tournament down in Ponte Vedra. He said he wasn't sure, but it could be and did I want to go?

I was laying on the floor and I turned to look at him sitting in the recliner.

The tournament takes place the weekend of May 13. May 13 is Mother's Day AND my birthday this year.

I simply said....."I don't hardly think so. That's the royal weekend in case you've forgotten."

Men

Men are funny creatures. They can't help it, though. DNA and testosterone just make them that way. A while back on a talk show, I heard a speaker say that men are problem solvers. Women like to talk things out, but men kick into problem solving mode automatically. I believe this to be true. The men in my life are problem solvers of huge proportions. My dad, brother, and especially my husband.

Now my husband is a manly man. There is nothing about him to suggest otherwise. When we were dating, he picked up a strange hobby. He started cross stitching. I kid you not. When I asked him about it, this is what I was told.

Alot of NFL teams make their players take ballet. Ballet helps with coordination and balance. It's not a widely advertised thing because it would be considered...ah....sissy? There are things "real" players have to do to stay on top of their game. So, he cross stitches. He is a nuclear electrician. He deals with motors and such....with lots and lots of tiny wires. When he was teaching power school, he wasn't dealing with motors on a regular basis, therefore he took up cross stitching to keep his dexterity and ability to focus in a very small area. I see his point and have a few nice pieces he's done in the past few years. ~shrugs~ When he's not on a boat, he occasionally works on something to keep the skills sharp.

He's not on a boat at this moment. He's working on some needlepoint/cross stitching with pillow cases for me. I personally don't have the patience to sit and do this, plus my eyes are going bad. It might take him a year or two to get it done.

Last night I came around the corner to see he had broken out a pillow case and was working on it. That was cool. Then I came farther in the room and guess what I saw?

Due to my newly re-arranged living room, the light isn't so good near his chair. And being the problem solver he is? He went and got his head band with the attached flash light on it and was wearing it to work. I just stopped and looked at him. And I said....

"Dude. You know what this means, right?"

"Yep. And I don't care. I need to be able to see."

"Oooookay, then. I just wanted to make sure you knew you opened yourself up to be blogged about."

I gotta admit. It was sort of manly looking, you know, the way he was doing it. He works on the boat with that head band thingy on, so he's really keeping his skills sharp.

Just wish I had the camera handy.

Email to my Husband

It's Thursday. What happens on Thursday morning around this time?

That's right. The trash truck comes around.

Guess what?

You are correct. Our trash wasn't out there.

I was a running fool.

That simply was not attractive.

Let's try not to let that happen again, shall we?

Love,

Hope



This is the email I sent my husband a few minutes ago.

I'm glad we have good communication skills.

Letter of Importance

Dear Discovery Channel,

We have a teensy problem here. You see, my husband is working in an office at the moment instead of being on a boat. This is fine except for the fact he has a television located in his office. Why, you ask? I have no idea, but apparently everyone has a television located in their office. Until recently, he had an office mate who loved to watch a certain channel that showed continuous J*A*G re-runs. Now that the office mate is gone....he has full control and has decided you, Discovery Channel, will be the channel of the day after he's seen Robin and Company run through at least three times (in case he's missed something concerning sports).

I didn't think anything of it at first. Call me oblivious.

But, at lunch yesterday, I got a full entire monologue on how baby chickens are hatched, sorted, etc etc. He insists that it is very interesting, yet he feels sorry for how the chicks are handled so soon after birth. I can live with it.

Tonight....out of left field.....he all of a sudden says..."Do you know why mirrors are so expensive?" I sighed. Then I looked at him and said..."You've been watching Discovery Channel again, haven't you?" I was right.

I'm all about educating one's self. I really am. But, you've got to understand that you've got the wrong person watching you now. He stores all this lovely information so that he can enthrall his family later with bunches and bunches and bunches of facts. I would even venture to say that his explanations are longer than the shows he watches.

All I'm saying is that if you are kind, you will go off the air from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

We, the family, would appreciate it. Alot.

Yours truly,

Miss Hope