Time? What Time?

Where did the days go? I ended my last post on the 18th of May. There have been a few days in between then and now that I will get caught up on.

Friday was just an ordinary day.....I think. OH....John and I met with some friends for dinner at Marie Callenders.

Saturday was pretty ordinary as well, with the exceptions that it was Jonathan's birthday (he turned 24, wooohoooo) and I took a class at Cat's with Johanna.

Let's see....we didn't do anything for Jonathan's birthday and I don't think he did either.

The class that I took was fun. We learned how to make ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) with Johanna's new line of rubber stamps.

I did take some time to get by and see my Dad. He is always happy to have visitors.

Sunday, (I didn't take any pictures of before or after) BUT...I started to organize and clean up my stamp room / office. What a night mare that's gotten to be. As I was cleaning and clearing things up, I noticed that I hadn't stamped since last summer, except for the few classes I have taken. I will be getting back into it real soon.

Monday it was back to work. Have I mentioned that I just love my little job? It has its challenges from time to time, but that's what keeps it interesting....lol!! If I remember, John took me out for dinner. We don't eat at home much anymore since the kids aren't there.

Tuesday was an easy day at work and then out to dinner again. OH.....we did baby-sit April and Eric's little kitty.....whata monster!! We locked him in the bathroom with all of his need and left the light on. When I got home from work, Jonathan said that the brat had hissed and bit him when he went in to check on him. I thought....he just needs to have me go in and give him some attention.......HA!! He let me know under no uncertain terms was I going to be staying!!!!! He hissed and hissed some more until I left him alone. He was having no part of me even trying to be kind. When April and Eric got back from work.....what a happy and sweet kitty he was, again. Can you imagine if they had children???? Scary!

Today, Wednesday, was another great day at work. It was outing day for the residents. I took them to Olive Garden for lunch. I'm not a big fan of the restaurant so I took the bus and parked across the street at Barnes & Noble. I even ran into a friend. We enjoyed a snack and some coffee.

After work, I went home and picked up John. The facility had wine tasting from Orfila Winery. I don't care for wine, but John enjoys some from time to time. They had lots of tasty tidbits to munch on, live entertainment and of course lots of good company to visit with. Needless to say, we didn't go to dinner tonight.

Alzheimer's support group / Dad update

Tonight was our monthly Alzheimer's support group meeting. My Dad has dementia. There's a fine line between Alzheimer's and Dementia. There characteristics are very similar as much as they are different. I have been his caregiver since he moved back to Escondido in 2003. He was diagnosed by his doctor and was very aware that he would worsen. He lived in his own apartment for the first year and a half. He was just under a mile away from my home. I spent each day with him, making sure that he ate, got his medications and all of his needs were met. He did very well but it was becoming noticeable that he needed 24 hour assisted living. He was aware of the move and he was ready. He made the final decision to live where he is now. I have to say that this made it much easier for me to move him. He lived in the assisted living part of the facility for just over a year, until April 2nd. I enlisted two of my brothers to help me move him.....this time without his knowledge. It was so very hard for me to do, but it had to be done. He is now in the Alzheimer's lock down area at the same facility. He was starting to wander away from the facility. They watched him as he walked away, following him and noting that he was continuing further until they finally stopped him and redirected him back to the facility. I couldn't move fast enough at this point.

The support group has been such a big help for me as I was feeling guilty, even though I knew it was the right thing to do.

I have gone back to work (now that my treatments are finished) at the facility, driving the bus for them. I enjoy it very much. I get to see my Dad each day and spend a little time with him. Sometimes he will even join me for a scenic bus ride.

It's been a roller coaster ride, but I think that things are getting back to a smoother pace now.

I received employee of the month for January!! Here is the picture that my boss took. My hair is getting longer. Much longer than this picture. I will get an updated picture soon.

April's "A"

Such a cute picture, I just couldn't resist the urge to share it. April's "A" at Disney's California Adventure!

April is my daughter. She and her boyfriend, Eric took some much needed time off to relax for a day!

My 1st "New Blog" Post

It's been several months since I have done any blogging. The exact date was Monday, September 26th, 2005. I enjoyed blogging, but I didn't want to go back to my old blog.

Things have changed so much since then. All is well, but different.

After receiving a clean bill of health, I was asked by my employer, to come back to work. I started back by helping out in the kitchen. They were short handed and I had time on my hands. I waited tables for about four months when it started to take its toll on my body. I have to say that I enjoyed it so very much! It just wasn't good for me.

I started back to driving the bus and I love that little job too. It's keeping me a bit busier than we expected. The community is growing so much and more people need to go places. I take them out to shop, to doctor appointments, for scenic rides and other outings. Today, we went to see the movie, RV with Robin Williams and Jeff Daniels. I'm not much of a movie goer, but when it's your job... This was a fun movie!