momx3

On 10/5 I got to go to Texas Stadium and watch the Cowboys beat (although it was very close) the Bengals. I have always wanted to go to a Cowboys game and to be able to go to the stadium in its final year!! Very exciting! :Clap-Hands: My husband bought the tickets for me in September as a late birthday gift. I think it was the greatest thing I've ever recieved! :laughbounce: He knows how much of a fanatic I am about the Cowboys. I had to fight back the tears when I finally saw them run out on the field. :happydance: For me, this is one of those things that I can mark off my list. Thanks Hubby! :thankyou:

I am very sorry for your loss. I will keep your family in my prayers.

I live in San Antonio, have all my life!

That's our dream Fred, right after we win the lottery! He has it all planned out. The only thing I want is a saltwater pond because I don't care for fresh water fishing. They hunt pigs all year round. That's their reason to go up there during the off season. Turkeys too, but that's not as big of a deal as deer season! He wants me to go too, but I just don't have the heart.

Today starts the first of many "widow weekends". Today it's to go feed the feeders, drink beer, set up camp, drink beer & BBQ, pull weeds, drink more beer. Hubby has been packed all week, as has my dad, ready to run out the door at 5:30 today to go do the "man thing". They're so funny about all this. My dad was scheduled to be here at 5:30 to pick up Joe and my son to drive 200+ miles to put out apples for the deer. I get home and Joe is practically standing on the street corner looking for my dad to come driving up. Dad gets here and they have to completely empty out the bed of the truck, load the 4-wheeler (which by the way, DH has been petting every day for the last 2 weeks), then load everything back in the truck. Doesn't this sound like a whole lotta work for apples?!? Then I get kisses and hugs from all around and they're off. I really do enjoy this time because it means I get the remote, I get the whole bed, it's just me and my daughter and the little one (who is already itching to become one of the guys!) Now is the time of year that Thanksgiving and Christmas, if it weren't for the fact that these days have their day of the year (along with glaring looks from us wives) would be overlooked and cast aside. Our calendar is filled with the words "GOING TO LEASE" on almost every weekend between now and the new year. Pray for mercy on the wife who says yes to a b-day party that falls on one of these weekends. Have mercy on the child who has a concert or a game on one of these weekends. It's hunting season for goodness sakes!

Hello from a fellow Texan! I am just over a year post stroke. I am 37 and I have 3 kids (17, 13, 3). My stroke was due to a blood clot caused by a clotting disorder. For the first 6 months or so my speech was really bad. I would constantly run into walls because I was really unaware of my entire left side. My typing went from really good to almost non-existent. With persistance and the support and determination of my family, and of myself, I am almost 100% today. You dad needs time for improvement. Like so many others have said, a month isn't very long in the world of stroke recovery. I know its hard for you, but just remember that your dad needs your encouragement, and his anger is more than likely a result of the stroke. Just recently my mom became very ill and my dad called me one morning while I was on my way to work and asked me to come by their house. I said ok, whats wrong and he began to cry because my mom was unresponsive. I went over there and when she wouldn't respond to me I became a bumbling idiot, crying and wondering why my dad asked me to come over. Because of the stroke I have no control over my emotions and cry when a leaf falls from the tree. :blush: I wish you well and I will pray for your dad. From what I've seen on this board I don't think there is any tougher job than being a caregiver and I applaud you for what you are doing as hard as it may be. Visit often, vent, blog, read. This really is a great site with many wonderful people to lift your spirits when you need it. It's nice to meet you.

I had to go to Miami on Tuesday for a business trip. Along the way I stopped in New Orleans to pick up a co-worker. She and I had never met but since I had to go over N.O. to get to Florida I figured I'd stop there and meet up with her and we'd continue on together. She's a very nice person, about the same age as me, she has an older daughter and a new baby (9 mos old), we had some things in common and enjoyed a nice chat during our flight. :chat: About half way through the trip she said long flights make her nervous , I asked why and she said because she has a blood clotting disorder, which she was on meds for, and she had had a DVT and a pulminary emobolism. I thought wow! :yikes: this is really strange. I asked what kind of meds, coumadin, I asked what the name of her disorder was, Lupas Anticoagulant. Now I didn't know until 3 or 4 weeks ago what the name of my blood disorder was and had never heard of it and couldn't find much information on it so to now be sitting next to a co-worker who had the same thing I had was very interresting to say the least. She was diagnosed in '98 and has been on coumadin since then, she doesn't see a hematologist like I do but we were able to exchange some information and it was really neat.

What would we do without our cards!? A few weeks ago I had to cancel mine because some unauthorized charges were appearing on my account, luckily I caught them all and I wasn't responsible for any of the charges (one was a laptop!). Anyway it was about 2 weeks that I was without my card and I thought I was going to go crazy. I typically don't carry cash since I've had the debit card and I HATE having to go to the bank. I feel your pain!

no, took care of that after the last one was born, plumbings broke. :giggle: I do have 2 stepsons so I'm really already momx5, they don't live with us though. They're all spread out, 21, 17, 16, 13, 3.

:Clap-Hands: My first born is 17 today! :cheer: Its so hard to believe, time has gone by so fast, its all a blur! I asked him how it felt to be 17, his answer: the same. :big_grin: We went through a rough period probably due to puberty but all in all he is such a great kid despite some bad influences in his life, namely his sperm donor :ranting: . I've never had a single time where I thought he was doing something illegal or harmful. I trust him completely and we now have a wonderful relationship. When my husband is gone he's my 2nd man. He helps me with anything I need and with nothing more than a joking groan, he is always at my parents house helping them with whatever they need done around the house. He helps my elderly neighbor with whatever she needs. I'm so proud of him. When I told the kids that I was pregnant with my youngest, my son actually cried and was so upset that I was pregnant. I can only imagine why he was so upset. He was 13 at the time. Now he is crazy about his little brother and visa versa. He will come flying through the house to get his skateboard or something from his room and on his way out the door, he'll stop and tell the little one to give him a hug. If he sees me driving down the road, he'll stop me get in the back seat and give the little one a hug. He's so wonderful, if I do say so myself. To me he is proof that kids can turn out ok with one parent. Even though he has my husband now as a role model, for 80% of his life he only had me. Now if I can get my daughter through these awkward years without locking her in a closet :wicked: then I'm good for another 10 years or so until the little one reaches that age. :dribble:

I get like that too. Every little pain or strange sensation and I try to remember back to when I had the stroke and compare. It doesn't do me any good though because other than the neausea that morning I don't remember how I felt. I get headaches regularly and sometimes I think is that a normal headache or is it different? Am I having another stroke? Some days my left arm doesn't work as well as it did the day before, am I having another stroke? I think we are just super sensitive because of the experience that we had. I get very nervous when DH is out of town. I'm going to Florida next week for a business meeting and I'm already nervous about being in the hotel by myself. What if.............. What if............. It's all in my mind though because I was never like this pre-stroke. I guess if I had known what was coming I would have been, but we can't predict the future. All we can do is take it one day at a time. Take care and good luck with your surgery.

Hubby got a new job yesterday :Clap-Hands: :Clap-Hands: He just has to pass the drug test and background check but neither of those are an issue. He starts on 6/26 installing security alarm/survelleince systems at businesses. He seems excited, its a little bit different that what he's been doing for so long which was in-house wiring for phones and computers. He actually ate dinner last night (then complained about how bloated he was). I don't think he had really eaten all week because he was so worried about finding a job. I am proud of myself I never got upset about it. Never freaked out, really. I was concerned but I didn't let it consume me. I am so relieved :cheer: :cheer: :cocktail: :beer:

Thanks Trina! I'll be sure to check it out. His resume was already on Monster, but I went out and updated it for him last night. He was trying to apply for some of the jobs that Toyota and their suppliers have open but, I guess unless your a 100% match to their profile checks then you don't get the "apply now" option.

Got to work a few minutes late this morning, because I had to drop my daughter off at my mom's house and mom LOVES to talk! :yadayada: :yadayada: Anyway, when I got here there was a message on my phone from my husband and it just said "gimme a call". So I did. Some small talk at first then......."I got fired". :Tantrum: Now, knowing my husband, I immediately thought he was pulling my leg. But there was something in the sound of his voice that told me different. Why? That's a mystery to us. They said it was because of a customer complaint. But the customer they mentioned was one that seemed very pleased with the work hubby had done for him. I don't know :uhm: , I'm trying not to obsess over it. Let's get a new job and move on. But the OMG how am I going to pay for this or do that's are eeking up on me. I've been online all day helping him apply for unemployement and apply for jobs. He's really computer illiterate! The job sites for Texas suck! You find a job that matches you and there's no way to apply for it. Ahhhhh!! :throw: Man, that's just what we need! I sure hope the old saying where one door closes another opens is really true. Pray for open doors!

I went to the hospital to see my friend. I prayed for strength all night and again on the way to the hospital. I printed off the "Survivor's Bill of Rights" and "A Letter from your Brain" and took them with me. Her mom was there and I told them both that it may be a benefit to read them, when they could. I decided that maybe I could be an inspiration to her if she saw how far I had come on the road to recovery. I told her most importantly she is a survivor and she is alive and that as rough as it is right now, it will get better she just needs time. Rest when she needs to, cry when she needs to. It's ok, it's our right as survivors. From what I could tell she started having the effects of the stroke last Tuesday while she was at the courthouse (for her divorce I guess), but she didn't go to the hospital until Saturday. Her mom said they are going to thin her blood but that she didn't have a blod clot. Her speech is really bad so I expected her to be in a lot worse condiditon. She is able to move all of her limbs, but can't stand or walk on her own yet because of the weakness. Her face is numb, she has double vision in her right eye and can't swallow very well. They were getting ready to hook up an IV when I left and the doctor discussed some PT with her and her mom. I told her I'd come back by in a couple of days.

I was at the doctor with my youngest when I got a call on my cell. We had just been shown to an exam room, and I didn't really pay attention to who was calling and after I answered the phone the voice sounded like my friend when she is messing with me disguising her voice. But after I said WHAT DO YOU WANT, she didn't stop like she usually does. So I looked at the caller ID and realized that it was the wife of a co-worker. I really couldn't understand her, her voice sounded very distorted and I thought oh my gosh, is she drunk? She was crying and drawing her words out a lot. I said what's the matter, thinking it was more drama with her husband who has been having an affair and not being very nice to her since she caught him. Then she said she was in the hospital and my light flickered on. She said what I already knew by now, she had had a stroke. I don't know yet what caused it but I can only guess it was from her blood pressure. She has been under a terrific amount of stress for the last month or so and her husband, my co-worker, is just a jerk and is mad at her because he got caught. I really feel bad that I was so abrupt when I answered the phone, I really did think it was a friend of mine. I told her I would try to come see her. I just hope I can handle it. I told my husband that because I am so emotional I didn't know how I was going to react when I see her. If she is as bad as she sounds I'm not sure I can handle it. I told her the only thing I knew to tell her, I said it seems really bad in the beginning but it will get better. I asked if I had ever told her that I had a stroke and she said no. So I told her that a year ago I had stroked and that it took a while but eventually I started feeling better. I don't remember sounding quite as bad as she does but I do remember sounding drunk. Maybe it was worse to those listening to me. I had a very hard time understanding her and I will probably muster the courage to go see her tomorrow since the hospital is right near my office. I just don't want to give her any false hope. I know that I've been extremely lucky with my recovery and the fact that I don't have too many lingering effects. I also know that others have not had the same fortune that I've had. Wow, I wish she wasn't going through this.

I just got word that a co-worker passed away last night. She was only 22 and has two young children. Her husband found her when he went to kiss her goodbye this morning. We don't know the cause yet but they are doing an autopsy and I guess we'll find out more later. I know its all part of His plan but it sure upsets me to think about those two little ones having to grow up without their mommy. I guess we aren't supposed to understand it all, because I know I don't. It also reminds me of how close I came and how many things would have been left undone, unsaid. Life is too short to not let the ones you love, know that you love them. To let disagreements and misunderstandings continue, without resolution with anyone you care about. Why put off until tomorrow what you could do today. You never know what tomorrow might bring.

Oh My! It sounds like we share the same mom. Just remember, she means well. I'm sure my kids think I'm a know it all too. No........that can't be............ teenagers think THEY know it all. Hope your head is better and that you get some good sleep soon.