Girls Day Out

Today started out nice and sunny, and in the 40's, so my neighbor and I went shopping in West Bend. We looked for succulents in Steins, Home Depot and Meijer's. We stopped for coffee at Dunn Brothers Coffee It was my neighbor's first time ever being in a coffee bar. My neighbor had a blast and bought several plants. I didn't see a lot that I wanted but I bought one, a Haworthia.

While my dear husband toils daily taking care of his mom (God Bless him), I am bored without him and filling my time with Facebook, watching PBS and packing, oh, and drawing a little and succulent shopping. Well, hey, I'm not crying.

I saw my doctor the other day. I requested it because I was having issues. She ran some labs and prescribed some Pepsid for my excessive heartburn, magnesium for leg cramps, and estrogen cream for dryness down there, because I noticed some pink, and I was alarmed, especially since hubby is away so nothing is going on...personally....I think you get it. Just dryness.

The Pepsid has helped a lot. I was to the point that I couldn't eat anything without pain. I also bought some probiotics. I think some of my problems are from my life turning into a train wreck after loosing my daughter. I mostly cried for 6 months, but I had to make a choice. I had to choose life.

Update

My hubby's mom needed additional surgery to have pins set in her ankle. She is recovering. Hopefully she will be home soon. It has been hard on my husband and his dad. They take turns spending the night at the hospital. Sometimes there is a shortage of staff and my hubby and his dad do the jobs of nurses' aids. When mom is back home, a nurse and a therapist have been employed to visit.

I have been busy packing. Tomorrow I am showing the apartment to a potential renter. The property manager will be here as well. The property manager and his wife told me that they will be moving into this apartment for one week while they renovate the apartment they are in now, across the hall. Then they will move back into their apartment, and shampoo the carpet here so it will be ready for new tenants. The nice thing is we don't need to shampoo the carpet, because shampooing twice in a week's time would not be good. I am cleaning as I pack, so I won't have so much to do when we move out.

I am working on eating better, cutting sugar and lowering fats. I seem, as usual, to be an exception to the rule when it comes to diets. The Paleo diet makes me cringe. All that fat that is supposed to be good? Oh hell no! I get the Worst. Heartburn. Ever. It seems I have become more and more sensitive to any kind of fat or oil. I suppose I need to bring it up to my doctor, especially since it seems my digestive issues are getting worse. I'm also cutting waaay back on coffee, and trying to eat so that I don't need to take any kind of antacid.

So today I made soup. I cooked a chicken leg for a long time to make a nice broth. Then I threw out the leg. Yes I did. I hate dark meat, Yuck! I initially wanted to use a chicken breast but it had a slight strong odor. I won't eat questionable food. (I bought some deli chicken tenders at Walmart to replace the protein I was missing). I added chopped onion, celery, carrots and one small potato and simmered till done. Then I let it cool and I ran it through the blender till everything was chopped really fine. At that point I added salt to taste, some dill and a small amount of cream. It was good, and I made sure to only eat a small amount. I'm trying to loose weight. I have gained 5 pounds since going on Glipizide. I don't feel well at 160, and most of the weight is in my stomach. I use the app "MyFitnessPal" to keep track of the foods I eat.

I did have good news from my endo doc (endocrinologist, or hormone doc). The results of my latest test are normal. I see him again in December.

My mood seems to be better. Forcing myself to pack and clean has helped me break out of my depression. I made a personal resolution to learn to live again and not be so sad. My husband and my other daughter need me.

Where To Begin

Friday, January 5 my hubby got a call from his brother while he was at work. His mom had been hit by a car. She was hurt and crying. His dad, who was with her, was frantic. Details were sketchy. Hubby called me with the news, said we would talk more when he got home. He was upset and worried.

I immediately went to the bedroom closet and pulled out his suitcase. It was maybe an hour later hubby called me and asked if I could look up ticket costs.

Already on it, I told him.

Turkish Airlines was the best price. He called me from HR and made the arrangements with his work. He would fly out Monday evening and return in mid-February.

Over the weekend, after many video chats with family and seeing pictures of his mom, we learned more details. To make a long story short, two guys were drag racing. One guy hit mom and broke her ankle. X-rays determined fractures but not complete breaks. She was bleeding, so the open would was closed at the hospital.

From that point, things became more confusing. Hubby was told she needed another surgery. Hospitals are different there. Family members need to buy or bring bandages. We bought boxes of medical supplies and crammed them into hubby's suitcase. He could buy them there, but they are cheap, so he stocked up. He also brought a walker that I had in the closet. The airline accepted it, no charge.

Hubby flew out of Chicago on Monday evening and landed in Kosovo on Tuesday. He was relieved and happy to see his mom and family. Two uncles from Canada flew in. Hubby and two other family members donated blood, as his mom had been given blood. That's how it works there. (That explains why my hubby wanted to give blood after learning I got 3 pints during my neck surgery. It was explained to him that he didn't need to, insurance paid for it.)

It is now Thursday, and I am still not clear about his mom's situation. She has had scans, and the fractures are not breaks, just fractures. I don't know why she needs more surgery, but the surgery is delayed. They have a shortage of doctors. His mom has a weak heart. Hubby's father knows a lot of people, and has located a good doctor, things will get worked out.

The driver of the car who hit my mother-in-law was caught. He admitted to drag racing. There will be a court date, complete with a record of medical costs. The driver will never drive again. He is suspended for life. The court appearance will determine how much he needs to pay. Justice is swifter over there.

Hubby was planning a trip to Kosovo in May or June. He and his cousin were going to fly together, have a ton of fun and visit family. Things can change in an instant. Hubby got 2 weeks vacation and a month of personal leave. Good thing we have the money saved. That was the main reason I talked to hubby about renting instead of buying. Better to have the money in savings than use it for a down payment.

Speaking of our new apartment, we must be out of this apartment 11 days after hubby comes home. I have begun packing. It helps keep me focused. After all the sadness I went through last year, I have been struggling to get back on track. Motivation is difficult. I have been depressed. Maybe I still am.

Walmart didn't have any boxes available but the liquor store did. I took a picture. I thought it was funny.

Nope, no party, just packing

Happy New Year!

We had company last night, and lots of laughter. That was good. It's sunny today, and cold as snot.

I was thinking over the last 5 years:

2013 - my hubby immigrated to America from Europe. It was a year of discovery for him.
2014 - we sold my house and moved to California
2015 - we explored the far northern coast of California
2016 - we moved to Wisconsin, I had surgery on my neck, my younger daughter moved here.
2017 - the year my younger daughter got her angel wings. Hands down, this was the hardest year I ever endured in my life.

We are looking forward to moving to a new apartment the end of February. 2018 needs to be a year of healing for me.

Happy New Year to all