IRELAND!!!

Okay, so many of you know that we have been struggling for a few years financially and with John's health. Well last May, John had an email with this amazing deal for going to Ireland for New Year's. It was 4 nights and 5 days in Dublin which included air fare from New York and 4 night stay in a hotel. He called me at work (IRS) and asked if I wanted to go. He said that we could celebrate our 10th Anniversary and such. I just could not break his heart. He served his mission in Ireland January 1987- December 1988 and has been wanting to go back. I told him to go ahead and book it as we had left over money from tax return. We also figured that we could turn in my 401K and use that money for our spending money. Well needless to say we spent that money WAY BEFORE the trip. So he booked the trip and extended the time for 2 weeks but that meant that we would have to pay for 12 nights lodging, food, etc.


Shortly after I was furloughed and no job in sight. As the time got closer and I still had not received a call back from the IRS we started thinking about cancelling the trip and losing out on the money we had already paid. We had no idea where we were going to get the money. So I just prayed that somehow we would be able to go. Well the Lord answers prayers!


John has a friend who owns a tax/accounting business and called and said that he had a big computer system project and asked if John would be willing to do it. Here was the money we were needing.

Also regarding John's health I was so scared about him getting sick while gone for 2 weeks or how we were going to go without him being hooked up to his oxygen machine. I was terrified that I would spend my vacation in the hospital.


So basically days before we left somehow (okay answer to my prayers) we had enough money to go and we went. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!

Never having been there and not really knowing a lot about Ireland except that it is a green country, leprechans, shamrocks, Blarney stone, and red hair, well that was my knowledge. I later learned about Waterford Crystal and Belleek china come from Ireland. Also that the Titanic was built in Ireland.

My mom graciously watched the kids for us. Evanslee went back home to go to school on the 2nd week that we were gone and she learned what being homesick was all about. She had Grandma Alice but without brother and sister (who stayed with Grandma Mel) she found out that she was very bored with no one here to play with.


We had a fabulous time. The plane ride over was an experience. It was kind of embarassing to have to ask for an extension and when I put it on there was only a few inches that needed to be added. When we got to New York we had a 5-hour layover but it was too expensive to go see Manhattan so we stayed in the airport. The plane to Ireland was packed with others who got the same email deal. It was a night flight and we were able to sleep on the plane (it was a 7-hour flight). That helped tremendously with jet lag. We arrived in Ireland at 9:30 in the morning their time. It was typical Irish weather of rain, but there it does not fall straight down I swear it falls sideways. The wind blew from every direction. The hardest part of the trip was that the Euro and Sterling were 1-1/2 times more than our dollar and our money went fast. The first day we took a bus from the airport to downtown Dublin where our hotel was located.


It was a lovely hotel and there were also quite a few people trying to check in at the same time, also from the same flight we had been on. We talked to a few and asked them what their plans were and most were just there for the 4 nights and heading back home.

We ended up the first day getting a bus pass that was good for the entire day on any city bus so we decided to go find the mission office. We located it, same place as his mission, John said it even looked the same inside. We talked to a couple of the missionaries who were in the office and asked where the best "chippy" or doner kabob was, they directed us to take a certain bus and marked on our map where to go.


Well we had to go back to town to catch the correct bus and as we were on the bus we were talking to an older Irishman and told him where we were headed to and he said that we were wasting our time. So we got off at the next stop and headed back to town. We did finally find a "chippy" in town and had dinner. John had fish and chips and I had chicken and chips (since I hate fish). It was lovely and I even enjoyed chips with vinegar and salt. But the one thing that I never got over in Ireland was Coke with NO ICE!!!! UUGGGHHHHH!!!!!


On New Year's Eve John became really sick and spent the entire day in bed sleeping. Needless to say I was a little bored sitting there watching TV and crocheting on my project I brought with me. We did finally go out at 10ish to get dinner and celebrate New Year's but after eating dinner it was snowing and we had no idea where the festivities were actually being held in town so we walked back to our hotel and celebrated in the room with our sodas and Guiness glasses (when I asked the receptionist where the ice machine was he gave me the weirdest look and when I said I wanted ice for my soda he told me to go to the bar and ask for a glass with ice and so they gave us Guiness glasses with ice in them).


Staying in the hotel we had complimentary full Irish breakfast. Now let me explain, you get toast, soda bread, "back bacon" which is essentially a slice of ham warmed up, eggs, "baked beans" basically pork and beans without the pork or the barbeque flavor, so essentially beans in tomato soup, sausages, and tomato slices that had been baked or grilled. They also had a selection of cold cereals, fresh fruit salads, and juices. Oh and coffee and tea. So essentially I had toast, soda bread, bacon, beans, cereal and fruit. I actually liked their baked beans better than pork and beans and wish I could figure out how to get them here. John said that you were supposed to put your toast on the plate and then put the beans over it but I chose to dunk mine in the sauce.


I also tried what I thought was some type of polenta thing and when John saw it on my plate he did not say a word but waited for me to taste it. It was a brownish yellow color about 1-1/2 diameter and about 1/4 inch thickness. I took a bite of it, it was DISGUSTING!!! John started laughing and saying that I can now say I have eaten BLOOD SAUSAGE!!! YUCK!!!


We really did not get the chance to see all that we wanted to see in Dublin do to being on a tight budget, John being sick, and just not having the strength to walk everywhere and that is exactly what they do WALK EVERYWHERE! One day I needed to go to the pharmacy to get John some medicine to fight the chest cold he had and I asked at the desk where the nearest pharmacy was and she said only just a few minutes down the road. Okay it was like 6 or 7 blocks down the road and I was exhausted by the time I got there and rushed back to the hotel. I need to live there and adopt the walk everywhere lifestyle and I will definitely lose weight.

We got to go one evening to spend the evening with the O'Farrell clan at Ben and Mary's house. John had baptized Mary O'Farrell's sister and brother-in-law. They have sinced moved to the US and arranged for us to have dinner with the O'Farrells. We had a lovely evening talking about their conversions and how it used to be to now. They also told John about different people he remembered from his mission and what they were up to. We had planned on going to church with them the last Sunday we were there but ended up being sick in bed on that Sunday.


The oddest thing about Dublin is that you do not hear a lot of Irish accents, it is more Eastern Europe and others. Where here we have a lot of Hispanics in our lower class jobs they have the Eastern Europeans for theirs so I had to go out into the country to experience the accents.


After we spent our time in Dublin we traveled up to Northern Ireland, planned on going to church in Portadown but the train did not leave Dublin until 10 and their church started at 10. By the time we got there they were just changing to Relief Society/Priesthood and we attended those classes. The weird thing for me was the RS President was actually from America and she not only was in charge, she led the music (they used a CD for the accompaniment), and she taught the lesson. The Young Women joined us because their leader was not at church. It was an enjoyable lesson and so nice to know that no matter where you go church is essentially the same. We talked to quite a few members afterwards and to the couple missionaries that were there. The couple missionaries told us that they were from Minnesota and had only been there for a couple of weeks. Their job is to reactivate the nonactive members. This particular ward was 80% inactive, so they had a busy job ahead of them. They gave us a ride to the train station and we headed to Belfast. We found a Travelodge and spent the night there. The next day we hired a taxi that gave a tour of the murals from the troubles of Ireland. It was interesting to watch John and see him be amazed at the changes in the last 20+ years. He remembers hearing bombs going off daily, seeing military presence everywhere with machine guns in hand, and being terrified of doing the wrong thing. It was hard to realize that overall it was 2 religions fighting over who was right and in the end they have settled without either being correct.


We went the next day up to Antrim, spent the night at a nice B&B, had a lovely Chinese dinner, and went on our way the next morning. We rode the train up to Portarush in the hopes of getting to Giant's Causeway but by the time we got to Portarush it was SOO COOLLLD so we stayed there and walked around the town. It was a beautiful seaside town and we took lots of pictures.

We took the next train to Derry/Londonderry (depends on where you are from) and spent the night there. We planned on staying in a hostel but when we got there and saw the conditions and then went to our room where there was nothing but a mattress on the floor, no heat, and I went to use the shared bathroom, and there was no toilet paper I wanted to scream!!! Luckily I had tissues in my pocket. John had passed out when we first went to the room and when he woke up about an hour later he asked me if I wanted to stay and I said no so we went and asked for our money back. We ended up going to a B&B (which was only a few minutes away, yeah right!) and had only barely better accommodations. We did not get breakfast the next morning because there was somebody passed out in the kitchenette that we were supposed to use (they had a party there the night before).

The next day we took a bus to Sligo, spent the evening trying to find a hotel to stay in and the next morning we got up and caught a train to Dublin. We watched the beautiful landscape go by as we rode the train. It was absolutely beautiful but snow and/or frost covered. Once we got to Dublin we then took a train back out west to Galway and spent the night at a B&B there. I got up the next morning and walked back to town to the bank. The bank did not open for another half hour so I spent time window shopping and seeing the little town. It was a lovely place and I wish we could have spent the day walking around but with John's health we got back on the train and headed to Dublin. He still had not gotten over his cold, in fact it seemed to be getting worse and I was afraid of pneumonia. Also his legs were swelling up like balloons and he needed to just find a place to stay for a few days and rest. He found a Travelodge in Dublin in an area called Ballymun and we spent our last few days there. We did go back into Dublin and spent an afternoon walking around the shopping area which included an outdoor market and bought fruit and fresh baked bread and sandwich supplies which ended up saving us as we both got sick on Saturday night and spent all day Sunday in bed. By this time I was ready to go home and get him back where I would feel that he would get better care.

I so enjoyed the peace and quiet of the vacation and did not regret leaving the kids behind. I can even say I did not miss them at all the first week out but by the second week I definitely missed my kids.

I have to say the worst part of going on vacation is the long trip back home. I swear the plane rides took longer coming home than going there and in reality we made excellent time. By the last hour of our flight to Salt Lake I was ready to have a panic attack. It was hot in the plane and the guy in front of me pushed his chair back. I am claustrophobic and the 2 together are nt a good combination. Also I was sitting in the middle between John and this nice young lady who had the window seat and it was difficult for me.

John kept saying how amazed he was that he never thought he would go back to Ireland as poor as we are and here we did it and actually enjoyed it. We did not get to the Southern part of Ireland but basically saw the rest of Ireland.

The funniest part was they were having a "BIG FREEZE!" It snowed about 1-1/2 to 2 inches total and the entire country was ready to shut down. In fact they did shut down the buses and trains on New Year's Day because there was too much ice and snow! hehehehe, seriously!

So all in all I completely enjoyed my trip and would love to go again, but the reality is that this is probably the one and only time for me and the last time for John.

Oh how they can make me laugh!!!

Okay, I think that being older and having children I am able to enjoy the naughtiness and not panic and throw a fit. This last week or 2 we have had some instances that I think years ago I would have panicked and yelled but this time I realized its just the small stuff and decided to take pictures and laugh, so enjoy!!!



This is what happens I tell Caddis to go get his pajamas on, he says he does not have any and I tell him to go look in the dryer I had just washed some that day. Next thing I hear is giggling and him yelling "Hey, I fit in here!" and more giggling. My first reaction is to yell and then my second thought is grab the camera and go find out what he is talking about and here is the result.... Got to love 'em!!!!

So for Zlee's birthday party I let the kids decorate their own cupcakes and this is the result of letting Miko my 4-year-old decorate her own.

So I say just appreciate them because one day they will be all grown up and out of the house before we know it!

Yeah, back to work is going good!

I have been working for 2 weeks now. First week of training, drove me insane but last week was good to be working on live work. I had to send all my work to QA so that they could check to make sure that I was doing it right and correct any mistakes or blanks that I could not understand. Last week was also a little hectic with the holiday weekend. My new schedule is Tuesday through Saturday and went I started working on Tuesday there was an email from my supervisor asking me why I hd not worked on Monday. I explained my schedule and she said that she needed to update my info, they still had my old schedule of Monday through Friday. Well on Thanksgiving I needed to work but was only able to get in a little less than 4 hours before the work ran out. Then on Saturday I also was only able to put in a half day before the work ran out so that bothered me because, no work, no money! Now I have started my 2nd week of real work and when I checked my email the first thing this morning there was a note that I do not need to send to QA, YEAH!!!! Now I just have to be very careful and make sure that I look things over before hitting send.

I enjoy working as a transcriptionist, it is a constant learning process but at the same time it is very hard work, because you have to sometimes translate what is being said, in fact the company is now calling the position medical language specialists, and boy is it another language; so I guess I can say that I am bilingual now, hehehehe. Also working on production sucks!!!! You have to check in and check out on their time clock, but you do not get paid by the hour, only by your production so it bothers me that I have to remember to check in and out all day long. Oh well, such is life, at least I have a job and I am able to work from home which means I do not have to pay a babysitter, which would just take all the money that I had just made. Now hopefully there will be plenty of work this week and I can keep busy.

Now if only the IRS would call......but rumor has it that it will not be until mid to end of January possibly even February, so the wait continues!

YAHOO!!!!! It's back to work for me!!!

Okay, I am still waiting for the IRS to call back but I finally got a job. I called my old job when I was furloughed in July. They would not let me come back because I had been working on clinic accounts for the past 4 years and they said that they were only hiring for acute care (hospital) accounts and I had to have been working on them within 3 years. RIDICULOUS!!!! I have been transcribing for over 16 years and most of that has been acute care. Well they said that they would keep me in mind if a clinic account position became available. I thought "yeah right, you won't be calling me back." Well I was wrong I received an email last week that they just received a new clinic account and would I still be interested. So as of next Monday I will be working as a medical transcriptionist again. They have already sent the computer equipment, with a note that I needed to set it up immediately to make sure that there was no damage during shipping. Well........

Since I have not been working at home since February, my poor old desk has been piling up with bills and junk. I had to hurry and clean it off so that I could at least set it up and test the equipment. I have my desk in our storage room and I have had the thoughts that I would clean up the storage room and get it all organized while I was furloughed, well.....I found games on facebook and became an addict and therefore the storage room is a HUGE MESS!!!! Now John is saying that we need to give the old desk (it is his dad's) to his sister who wants it and then bring my real computer desk home and set it up. Now not only do I have to clean it off to set up but now I have to clean out my stuff from the drawers and probably everything that has been left there by his dad....UGHHH!!!! But I definitely prefer my desk to his.

I have to say that I am a horrible procrastinator and that I am easily distracted and I now have the proof, I have been out of work for over 4 months and I have not accomplished a whole lot. I had great intentions but me and my procrastinating has left me with a long list of unaccomplished things.

Now for an update on my dad. He is still recovering from his surgery. The last time I talked to him he is still not able to physically move except his arms and wiggle his toes. I also think that there is some memory loss but overall he is doing okay.

Now I just had to patiently wait for Monday to come so that I can get back into the groove of working but I am so dreading the first week of training.......BORING!!!!! I need a little refresher course but I have to go through the week long torture instead. In reality it would only take a couple of days to do the training but people ask STUPID QUESTIONS, over and over and over again. So I have to sit there and bite my tongue and listen to their stupid questions and remember that I am getting paid to sit there and listen, my only salvation. I think that last 2 days I will get to do some live work and that will hopefully make it all worthwhile, we will see.

In case I don't get on before, Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!!.

My life this last month

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I last posted something. I have actually had some events happen during that time. The last time I posted it was about my dad and I am happy to say that he is actually doing better. Last week I took my mother-in-law to the doctor's office and while I was waiting for her I got a call from my stepmom saying that someone wanted to talk to me. My first thought was a doctor or nurse to talk to me about his condition (OH NO!) but instead the most wonderful sound in the world, my dad's voice!!!!! He is now off the ventilator, they have put in a smaller trach tube, and he is moving his fingers and toes. He was now talking but was only awake for about 15-20 minutes and then wearing out and falling asleep. He told me that it was scared when he collapsed and realized that he may never see us again until we die. I think that is what kept him going.

Last night my stepmom called to say that he is now eating solid foods with someone feeding him and staying up and talking all the time. They will put him in a chair so that he can sit up straight for a while but he has to be straped to the chair because he still has no control of his body. I am so greatful that he has pulled through and continue to pray that he can recover fully or almost fully but I am greatful that he is still here and he does not seem to have brain damage like they had feared.

Now also I was able to reconnect with a long time friend who I had ended the relationship years ago. We have been chatting on facebook and last weekend we went out and had a "GIRLS NIGHT OUT!" It was wonderful, went to dinner and a chick flick. I decided to go to SLC to meet her and I had my mom watch my kids. I decided to spend the night at my mom's afterwards so that we could have time to chat and not worry about getting the kids home before too late. Turns out we talked until 3 in the morning. It was great reconnecting. She kept asking me what happened, why did we stop being friends and I had to tell her it was because we were going down 2 completely different paths. We had moved out together and I was enjoying the freedom of being on my own and not worrying about rules and curfews. She was enjoying the freedom also but decided to party with her friends that were into that. She also was spending time with creeps that were taking advantage of her. I was stressing out every time she left to spend time with these "friends" and I even made myself sick worrying about her. I had to end the roommate situation for my health.

After moving out she moved back home and continued to hang out with these "friends." She became pregnant with a much younger guy (boy actually), she did not tell me until after she had given birth. They ended up marrying 2 years later and I am happy to say that they are still married 16 years later. I really felt that it would not last and they have somehow made it through and have 3 teenage girls. She has totally settled down and I see so much growth in her and in her attitude. She truly was a friend and it was so hard to end the relationship. She was someone I could talk to and she would listen and help me figure things out.

Well now I need to go get ready and take Miko to Headstart. That is also something new for me. I have 2-1/2 hours without any kids and it is so strange!!! I have a hard time having a quiet house except for the sounds of TVs, John snoring, and some movement upstairs from grandma Alice. The kids really love school and I am so proud of them, but of course I am their mom and I can say that I enjoyed going to school too!

My life this week!

So I took John to the doc for a follow-up visit. He asked what the plan was and we said that nothing was really planned. We were not able to get insurance so that we could go to the surgeon in SLC before he retired in July. He then informed us that the surgeon decided not to retire after all. Our prayers have been answered. Now I just need to get back to work and work for 2 more months to qualify for insurance.

Then we went the next day and talked to a lawyer about fighting for disability. After telling him John's situation he feels that we can win the case. We will probably be denied again but he said that that was standard practice and to then appeal to be seen by a judge. He said that it can take up to a year and a half before all is said and done but he was very hopeful that we would win. It will be nice to have that extra money but it really sucks for John to have to admit it is time for disability. It has been hard to accept for him. I told him that stay-at-home moms do not get paid by the government and he will at least be getting money to help out the family. Now the wait begins.

And last but not least....my phone rang right at dinner the other night and I saw my dad's name on the phone and thought "now what story does he want to tell me about me?" I answered the phone and it was my step-mom (she never calls me) and said that she had to take my dad to the hospital that morning. The she says and I quote "he died on the table!" I gasped, and then she says "oh they shocked him twice and he came back and then they had to put 2 stents into his heart, he is in the CCU now." I about had a fit!!! You do not tell someone He died, that was horrible. She could have said your dad had a heart attack, that would be a little easier to hear. Then she proceeded to tell me that the doctors thought that he was doing well after surgery but she said that they have not been there and that he is not doing well. She said that they thought he would be transferred to a regular room the next day. I thought about it and having had experience in the art of being the spouse of someone in the hospital, I realized that yes you know them well, but the doctors do know what they are talking about.

I was going to call her yesterday for an update but thought that she would have been at the hospital and I did not have her cell phone number. When I did remember (after John reminding me) it was 10:30 their time and I figured it would not be a good time to call her. I called the hospital and after a few run arounds I finally found out that he was still in the CCU and that the nurse was in his room at that moment and they would have him call me back when he was done. The nurse called me about half an hour later and informed me that my had had gone into respiratory failure and distress and therefore they put him on a ventilator and sedated him. GREAT, now what do I do? The nurse was very gracious and helpful and told me that I could call back during the night if I needed to and that they would take good care of my dad. It is very hard to think that my dad could die but then again he is 67, not a young man, and he has had problems with his heart for a while now. I know that he will be in a wonderful place when he does die but still it is hard to think about. He lives in Texas and it is really hard to not be able to just run to the hospital and check on him myself.

I called my step-mom this morning and talked to her. She told me about the ventilator situation and said that the medicine they used to sedate him is the same kind that killed Michael Jackson. That does not bother me because he is in the hospital under supervision in the CCU unit.

I will definitely pray for my dad and hope that all turns out well. Now I am going to SLC to spend time with my family for my nephew's birthday, YEAH!!!

10 years of being married to my love!!!

We have officially made it 10 years of being married. I had a few scares during those 10 years where I did not think that we would see this day. With John's health being poor I remember quite a few times being in the hospital with him or in the ER room with him and thinking of things like: who should I call first, what will I do now, how do to make funeral arrangements, what would like to have in his funeral service, he wants to be cremated am I ready for that, and so forth.....

Even this last week while he was in the hospital I had those thoughts and it scared me. But I also know that I have a wonderful support system that will be there when I need them, so really no worries.

We have been so blessed these past 10 years, we have 3 wonderful blessings that are healthy, well behaved most of the time, beautiful, smart, loving (okay I could go on because I am their mom) and they are definitely the joys of our lives. We have been able to get through the difficulties we have faced with our marriage still intact, our faith in Christ still strong, our dreams of eternity still intact, and still in love.

I went to a funeral of a dear childhood neighbor this morning and listened to all of the wonderful talks and memories shared about her. I sat there thinking I am sad for the family members left behind to lose their wife, mother, grandmother, etc., but having the understanding that she is in heaven it made it so much easier to handle. They only found out less than a month ago that she had leukemia stage 5 and were told that she would not being going home from the hospital, and so it was. I sat and thought about all the times I played at her house with her daughters, going on a few excursions with them, and how she was a great lady. She is someone that I have been able to look up to in the role of a working mom. She worked graveyard shift so that she could be home with her kids and be able to attend all of their school functions, and she did. But if you tried to call their house in the morning it would be off the hook and you knew that she was sleeping. If I was over there when she was sleeping you had to tip toe across the front room floor, because her bedroom was directly below and she would come upstairs and get mad if you woke her up. Now as a mom who has decided to work a night shift, I totally understand now what she was going through. I deeply respect her decision and am glad that she was an inspiration to me. She also had the opportunity to help care for her mother when she had dementia and was unable to care for herself well enough. I remember going over there many times and she was off to take care of her mom, or there would be grandma spending the day with the family and eating dinner with them. She was able to show me compassion for others and taking care of your family.

I hope and pray that one day when I look back on my life I can say that I am not ashamed of the way I lived my life and hopefully I made a difference in the life of someone else.

Now if I can just be able to get John well enough so that we can spend our 20th anniversary together.....