Mikayla

For those who don't know, my older step-sister, Andrea, is expecting her third child. A little girl named Mikayla. When Drea went for her 20 week ultrasound about a month ago, the doctor found some concerning things on the ultrasound. Her head is small and she has low amniotic fluid. So, Drea and Chris went for a level 2 ultrasound last week. Unfortuanetly, the results were not very encouraging. They should that she has a brain bleed and that the potential for a brain shift is very high. Her lab tests also showed that she is a carrier for CMV, the leading cause of hydrocephaly, mental retardations, and deafness in children. The genetic testing also shows the she is a carrier for cystic fibrosis, another potential problem for Mikayla. Today, she went for the amniocentesis. It was a cloudy yellow, when it needs to be a clear liquid. This usually indicates anything from an infection to chromosal abnormalities. We won't get the results for at least a week. Please pray for Drea, Chris, Mikayla, and the doctors for wisdom. We are hoping for a miracle, but preparing for the worst.

T.G.I.S

Thank goodness this week is finally coming to an end!! It has truly been one for the books! It started out okay. Sunday was great...Doxa for church, Moes for lunch with Mom and Michael. Then off to the pool for a sun bath. Life was great! I headed to work (sans Joy and Janna--they're in Brasil this week).

Then, Monday night rolled around. I got to work around 6:30, parking in my favorite parking place, and headed on up. To say it was a rough night would be an understatement. No one stopped moving until about 2:30 in the morning. Just as I was getting everything settled in and charting caught up and everything the way it needs to be, I got a phone call. It was Security. Asking if I have a Dodge Stratus and if I parked on the first level. I answered yes to both questions and that's when things got bad. I was informed that I needed to come downstairs immediately, because it appeared that my car had been brokend into. That, my friends, was the understatement of the year. It wasn't broken into, it was smashed beyond recognition into. All 4 of the windows are damaged, the frames above the windows are bent and the hood jimmied open, the paint job completely ruined, and glass everywhere. Not to mention the finger/palm prints and 3 gigantic rocks lying around my car evidence that my car has not been broken into, but vandalized. Such a personal way of putting it.

OPD came and took pictures and fingerprints and the videos of 3 older adolescent black males who smashed rocks into my beautiful car and then walked back out onto Pine Street. With my gorgeous new summer bag. And in that bag was my debit card and check book. I panicked! The first thing I did was call and cancel everything and start praying everything would be alright.

I spent the day calling the insurance company, OPD, the bank, MRMC security, and anyone else who could possibly help me out. The insurance adjustor, Dirk, and the appraisor, Mike, were absolutely the nicest guys ever, and by 11:00 I was on my way back to the hospital to get my car towed to the body shop.

The next day, Wendesday, I got a phone call from the manager of the apartements where I live. She asked me if I had recently lost my purse. When I said yes, she told me that I needed to call a certain city of Ocala engineer, because one of his guys found my stuff. I called the guy and sure enough, everything had been found in vacant lot behind on IHop. Literally across the street from where it had been taken!! The only things missing-- my Clinique lip gloss and my copy of Million Little Pieces. Who breaks into a car, doing $2500 worth of damage to take a book and lip gloss. The problem is that all of my accounts at the bank had already been shut down.

So, that is where I am now. Driving my mom's beater Explorer that is in desperate need of shocks and no way to get paid because my check is stuck in the elctronic magical neverland. I just thank God that no one is hurt and that He is in control of this...

Normally, I can keep my emotions in check while I'm here at work. For some reason, that just won't be tonight. Last night and tonight I took care of a little 88 year old lady named Ada. She is ill with Alzheimers and a sick heart. She so confused and doesn't know where she is and why she's here. So, we're helping her along. Last night she was okay-- in her terms anyway. The medication helped her sleep. Tonight, however, nothing seems to he helping her. She's convinced the guy helping us out tonight is my husband. She's convinced I'm a teenaged boy playing at being a doctor. She's convinced that I'm giving her the wrong medicine and won't take any. She's convinced that the pudding I gave her with her medicine in it is poisoned and won't take it. She's convinced I'm trying to beat up an old woman and am going to hell because of it. So, I called a doctor to ask for help. I got nothing. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I just wanted someone to help me help her! I don't normally get so upset when it doesn't work out the way I want it to, but there is just something about this little lady that has completely pulled at my heartstrings. I finally got what I needed to help her relax. It isn't working so great...the way that so many meds don't. It'll help her relax for a few hours anyways. Long enough for me to be able to get the charting done and bath my other patient. And pray. Because right now, I don't know what else to do for her.

Mother's Day

I am a forgetful klutz. I forgot my camera at home and so, I didn't get any pics of dinner tonight. We met the grandparents, my aunt and uncle and 2 cousins at Olive Garden to celebrate. I had the new grilled shrimp Caprese. It was yummy! Grilled marinated shrimp over linguine with fresh grilled tomatoes. Mom helped me eat it. :-) We as always, had good conversation and caught with everyone. How is it that even though we live in the same city and only minutes from each other that we some how are always a few steps behind on what is going on in each other's lives? Present is always exciting. Jen, Mike, Kent, Drea and I got mom a gift certificate to Face the Day Spa for a massage and a planter with garden stuff in it. She seemed surprise by the certficate. It's always so hard to surprise her with anyting! Grandma got what she loves the most...a gift certificate to the movies. Tomorrow, I'm sure will be spent at the pool. And at the gym. I've got to get my hour of cardio in...

Michael found my camera lodged underneath my carseat! Everything will now be okay!! Little borthes are good for something, other than hauling trash, huh? So...here are some images from the last month. Enjoy!!


Jacksonville at night. Trying to get out of the Beth Conference

Toilet Paper Brides. Always a hit!

The gang...take 1

A beautiful ceremony

The girls minus Ronnie. Aren't we cute?!

Me in a dress and heels... it doesn't happen often!!

Sponge boats

Tarpon Springs Sponge Man.

Our pacing group We were up before dawn..

We did it!!

What I've been up to...

Okay. So, I totally did not realize that it had been so long since I've posted anything!! I kept meaning to do it and show everbody some pictures to go along with it. Well, I'm totally stressng because my camera is MIA after this weekend... if anyone has seen it, let me knw, will ya?

Well, the last weekend in March Joy, Raegan, Stephanie, and Lindsey and I drove up to Jacksonville to see Beth Moore. It was awesome. It was a great opportunity to get to know each other a little better. We learned about apprehending that for which we've been apprehended. It was great fun! We were gone Friday morning into Saturday afternoon. That night was Lindsey's bridal shower. Yet another show of solidarity as we pulled the whole thing off in about a week and a half. We called the guest list to invite them... the joys of quickie weddings.

The next weekend was Lindsey and Jeff's wedding. It was a gorgeaous weekend! It rained cats and dogs ealier in the afternoon, but by the time the ceremony started, it was absolutely perfect. They were married in one of Jeff's cousins horse barns. As you looked through the barn, you could see the horses running in the fields. The breeze picked up to keep everyone cool, and it smelled like flowers everywhere. We had a great time at the reception eating barbecue and mac and cheese and baked beans! We even danced a little!

The next weekend I went with some of the girls from work up to Gainesville to see "Chicago". It was awesome! I'm a huge fan of the story. I own the movie and compare every role that Catherine Zeta Jones is in to her role as Thelma. I also have the soundtrack of the original Broadway production. It's sad when you can sing along to the play... It was neat to see everyone all dressed up in someting other than scrubs! :-)

The next afternoon mom called me and said that she and Dale and Michael were heading to Tarpon Springs. So, I tagged along too. Greek food=YUMMO!!! We went out on the little boat and watched the sponge harvesting. Those guys are so strong! The suits way nearly 150lbs to keep them on the ocean floor.

This past weekend, however, is what I am most proud of. Mom and I ran in the MinnieMarathon weekend 5K race at Epcot. We have been training for about 3 weeks to do this. We were so afraid that the little old men in golf carts were going to come and pick us and take u s to the end. It was an unfounded fear since most didn't finish in under an hour. But we did!!! Mom, the outside runner, finished in 38 minutes, and I, the treadmill runner, finished in 41 minutes.!! I was so proud of us. We've never done anything like this before, so just the shear facet that we finished is enough of an accomplishment to us...

I think that brings everyone up to speed. Sorry for the shear length of this thing, but I've been such a slacker lately. Hopefully my poor little pink camera will resurface somewhere and I'll be able to post the pictures that go along with everything.