call me a copycat if you want...

i have a dear friend, becky, who is so funny and creative..she is very talented as well...some of her talents i did not find out about until after she had children..for example sewing and crafts...anyway she did a blog post that listed 101 things about her that some people may or may not know...the cool thing about it is there were some things that i did not know about her and we were college roommates...the other cool thing is that i have met so many people through this virtual cyberspace world we live in and hopefully they may follow the lead of listing 101 things about themselves that will allow me to get to know them better through our blogs...so i have said all of this to say here is my 101...these are in no particular order...they are listed as they come to me...

1. i am 33 years old
2. married for 11 years to the most wonderful man in the world
3. have two children - jamie is 16 and jacob is 9
4. there is nothing better than being a momma- not a mom, not a mother but a momma
5. my children are as different as night and day - both are dramas but are different
6. i had a very unique childhood..some parts better than others..but i always knew i was loved
7. i know more off the wall songs due to the music i grew up with - peter, paul and mary, arlo guthrie, johnny cash - need i say more - my hubby calls me the human karoke machine
8. i grew up in lincoln, al - very small town in talladega county
9. my momma is a school teacher - so she knew what i had done before i did
10. have the greates momma in the world - she is the forever optimist - pulls the good out of everything but she will tell you when enough is enough
11. had a great and wonderful grandma that i really did not appreciate until i was older
12. have another granny that is insane - in a good way - she wears tennis shoes and blue jeans and before she lost her sight drove sporty cars
13. i have a bachelors degree in social work from uab with a minor in biology and psychology - a combo huh
14. i am the director of social services at a skilled nursing facility
15. i have worked many areas of social services but long term care is where i belong and where God called me to be
16. i work great under pressure - i have often been told i work my best when everything blows up
17. i care to a fault about my job and my residents
18. my hubby is a web server engineer at blue cross blue shield - computer nerd
19. he graduated from troy university with a bs in information systems and criminal justice and minors in accounting and business admin - more degrees than a thermometer
20. miss my father in law more and more each day
21. have the greatest sister in law ever - i love you cathy
22. love to clip coupons and send them to friends in a card - especially those friends with children - at least it is not another bill in the mail
23. love surprises - not like you becky - i guess that is why i loved it when you rearranged our dorm room
24. love to read - i deal with so much sadness, disfunction etc that i escape through my books...go somewhere entirly different
25. am an insulin dependent diabetic with an insulin pump
26. i have coded three times - that means quit breathing - never seen "the light" - don't want to see it but it did change my view on life
27. strange things happen to me - got any questions or want to know email me
28. totally dependent on my cell phone
29. played trumpet, clarinet, french horn and mellophone in band - of course not all at one time
30. my motto is "failure is never final unless it is the last time you try"
31. want to have a clean and organized house...the Lord knows i am trying - miranda can testify to that
32. always striving to be a better Christian and sometimes, more often than not, feel like a complete failure
33. love clearance racks anywhere - home depot, dollar tree, shoe store it does not matter
34. love coffee - anytime
35. very opinonated - if you don't believe it just ask me about something- but if i am wrong i will be the first to admit it and apologize if necessary
36. probably know more about long term care, federal and state regulations and useless stuff than the average joe- but hey i may be on jeopardy one day
37. have the best friends in the entire world
38. love comedy movies
39. live for the show clean house, intervention and extreme home makeover - that is my social work show
40. admire my momma - if you don't know her story - email me
41. am partially ocd - only about some things - my office at work
42. i take great pride in my work and am very maticulous about how it looks, it is written etc...
43. try to be the voice of those who do not have a voice - elderly, disabled, children
44. have strong political views - believe it or not i am a republican and a social worker...usually it is a democrat and a social worker
45. love animals - my dad used to call me ellie mae
46. have hundreds of great ideas in my head they just never get out
47. if i pick up a book and read the first page i have to finish it - just a quirk
48. love mary kay products
49. should own stock in kirklands
50. addicted to blogging and reading others blogs - i think beck calls it "stalking"
51. my momma did not name me - my dad and sister did - momma was not happy with the name - she was knocked out
52. have more than i deserve
53. very goal oriented
54. i am a nerd - i love to learn - i am never satisfied
55. was involved in just about every club you could be involved with in high school and was president of most of them
56. will one day be heard in montgomery on my soapbox about adult services in alabama
57 will send out an email in a heartbeat if i have a bone to pick - ie the newspaper, a company, the governors office, state agencies
58. admire school teachers - i subbed for two months and let's just say that is not my calling
59. my dad is a dreamer and a gypsy
60. love to travel
61. from the time i was 12 years old i wanted to be a flight nurse
62. went to nursing school but my health just did not allow me to finish
63. happy i chose medical social work because i use all that i learned in nursing school everyday
64. love to throw things away - it is refreshing
65. love to mark things off my eternal to do list
66. read the obituaries - morbid huh? - this goes back to my grandmother - also because i have worked in long term care so long - i usually find out about former patients
67. love football - especially ALABAMA football
68. love the fall and the spring - not too hot not too cold
69. loathe coats - they just do not fit me right
70. don't wear heels - my daughter says, "if momma has on hose or heels somebody has died"
71 am not a morning person - never claimed to be
72. usually only watch informational, documentary or medical shows on tv
73 read just about anything in print
74 read the wedding announcements in the sunday paper every sunday - this is comic relief for me because some of these announcements are so sappy - good grief
75. agree with beck - i hate those forwards that say if you don't forward this you don't love jesus
76. love surveys...most of them
77. could eat "thanksgiving ham" everyday of the year
78. just gave my bedroom a facelift - for the first time in my life i have a bedroom that is coordinated - curtains included
79. cannot sleep on my back
80. have no veins - so if anyone ever tells you i am an iv drug user you know they are lying
81 accepting of the fact that i am fat...God made me that way...will not try to gain weight but will not obsess over losing it either
82. am a fan of hot wings with good blue cheese dressing
83. gardenias are my favorite flower
84. have never bought my husband any clothing that i picked out - he is so picky - he will not allow me to buy clothes for him
85. have a horrible fear of having to go on dialysis one day - remember i am diabetic
86. passionate about finding a cure for cancer, particularly childhood cancers, and alzheimer's disease - both have touched my life very closely - my daughter and grandmother
87. love to give hugs
88. love to leave funky stickers on coworkers workspace so that when they come back they will smile
89.must have a tv in my room
90 must read before i go to bed
91. have had more surgeries in my 33 years than carter has liver pills
92. hate to go to the doctor because he usually puts me in the hospital like 5 out of 10 times - then i have to listen to people say, "you're back in the hospital."
93. miss riding to work with my hubby - adult time is precious
94. miss having lunch with my hubby
95. wish for a beautiful yard that people envy
96. wish i had a new pair of socks for every day of the year - yes that means wear them one time and throw them away
97. have dreamed and still dream of writing a book about my life experiences both personally and professionally - it would be called "it's a good thing" - there is a story behind the title
98. elvis is my hero - not for his lifestyle but good grief how could someone sing so beautifully - can you say "blue christmas"
99. have some family that should be in bryce - they may say the same thing about me but hey....
100. cannot eat something hot and drink something hot...it must be something cold to drink
101. that i actually have friends that read this whole list...

bonus - just like beck said that my Jesus loves me even through ALL of my MANY faults and issues

hopefully you know more about me now than you did before...i hope you will still talk to me!!!!!!!!!!!!

thankful thursday...

ok so i have not been faithful to do a thankful thursday every thursday...but as a dear friend once told me, failure is never final unless it is the last time you try, so here goes...

1. i am thankful that i did not break anything when i decided to go skiing out the front door yesterday - my hubby's comment was, did you break your hip...you know they have a room for you at the nursing home!

2. my den is painted and my new floors will be down when i get home from my in laws on sunday - thanks miranda and kevin

3. my job - i get to truly help people everyday = i get to see them smile over very simple things = a hug, a kiss on the cheek, a sticker that says, you rock, just the simple things

4. my children - i have the two best kids in the world - they love me unconditionaly

5. my hubby - yes he is a smarty pants - but he is amazing

6. my friends - those i have had forever, those i have reunited with through cyberspace and those that i have met through cyberspace

7. for each new day - although i try to make the most of each day, i know that if i live to see the next day i have the opportunity to do a "do over"

8. for the show "clean house" - first it makes me realize that there are other people whose house looks worse than mine, second, it gives me ideas of what to do in my own house

9. that although this world has many mean people in this world, but it is full of good, nice people who just don't get the spotlight

10. all the blessings that God gives me that i may not realize

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

A Mother's Prayer

I found this and just cried...I had a real bad day today with the kids and was pretty ugly to them. I found this and remembered God did give me the honor of being a mother to the two most wonderful children in the world. I hope you enjoy it.

Dear Lord, It's such a hectic day,
With little time to stop and pray,
For Life's been anything but calm,
Since You called me to be a Mom,
Running errands, matching socks,
Building dreams with matching blocks,
Cooking, cleaning, finding shoes,
And other stuff that children lose,
Fitting lids on bottled bugs,
Wiping tears and giving hugs,
A stack of last week's mail to read,
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet, when I steal a moment, Lord,
Just at the sink or ironing board,
To ask the blessings of Your grace,
I see them, in my small one's face,
That you have blessed me
All the while --
And I stoop to kiss
That precious smile.

what kind of flower are you?

i found this on another blogger's site...i thought it was pretty cool...interestingly enough snapdragons are one of my favorite flowers....see which one you are and pass on the fun!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

successful saturday

i am not sure that anyone reads my blogs anymore, but regardless i will continue to write. i started my day by making two home health visits. i really did not want to do that early this morning especially as cold as it was...but i went. i am thankful that i did because both of the visits made me realize i am a lucky duck...i really don't have any problems. i then went to the grocery store for me and my mom...again doing something for someone else always makes you feel better...came home to find that my hubby and children had been cleaning house...i was shocked...went to get jamie's boyfriend, austin. came back home started supper, homemade chicken fetuccine alfredo, and began remodeling the den...we ripped out the carpet and will begin painting tomorrow...i also cleaned up most of my bedroom...not sure where this energy came from but i am not going to argue with it...i love it when i feel like doing something...hopefully it will continue....have a great sunday!!!!!!!!

you can't put a dollar sign on a peace of mind

there is a new song by the zac brown band called "chicken fried"...it says, a little bit of chicken fried, a cold beer on a friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right and the radio on...

in a few lines it says, "you can't put a dollar sign on a peace of mind." i love that line..that is so true

some days are better than others and we handle situations differently, but at the end of the day as long as i have peace of mind i am ok.

in my line of work i feel like all i do is fuss at people and correcting mistakes and blunders that happen in the nursing home...but at the end of day i can usually lay my head down and know that i have tried to do my best to help someone...that is peace of mind

today i got to be part of something that was pretty remarkable. i got to go the day program in st clair county which is a program for mentally disabled individuals. these individuals come to this program everyday and learn different skills. i was able to be part of presenting a check for $500 to the program that will help buy christmas presents for these special angels. it was real humbling. things that we take for granted, eating, cleaning up, toileting, crafts...these people have to work really hard to accomplish these tasks...they were so innocent and loving and greatful...it was just real special.

another thing i got to do this week was dress up for halloween with my residents...now i was a deviled egg..don't ask..i will post pictures later...these elderly people had so much fun being kids and having fun...sometimes we forget how to have fun...we dressed our weenie dogs, sissy lynn and bubba joe, up as hot dogs...it was great

it has been a good few days...yes i have bumps in the road...but i have peace of mind...that is all that matters.........

i found this online...think about it...

Peace Amid Chaos

I don’t know anyone who is especially peaceful at this moment. The whole world feels a bit threatening. So many of us find ourselves in a tumultuous and unsure state of being. We are filled with fears and worries – about losing our homes, jobs, retirement packages, freedom. We are concerned about the state of our nation, the election, the war. Each day presents a new struggle we must grapple with. There is no doubt these are tough times. However, if we try to redefine our personal definition of peace, and look for gentle ways to incorporate it into our everyday lives, we might find a way to better weather the storms.

pay it forward

I got this from Becky - www.the-tuckers.blogspot.com anyone wanna play???

THE RULES: The main focus is doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and pay it forward. I will send a small, fun gift to the first 3 bloggers who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and then the game will continue!! If you are interested in participating, be one of the first 3 bloggers to leave a comment!! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found, anything you want!! Just a gift that will make the person's day!! You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link back to me, and then send something to the first three people who sign up to play along through your blog.Ok...ready...set...go!

candid shots....

Absolute Natural!


Another natural....



Jamers and Sissy Lynn!


Me and Bubba Joe!


Jacob playing putt putt!


Lexies Outlaw Dude...aka DUDE THE WONDERDOG!!!


Jamie & Sissy Lynn


What are you looking at?


And the winner is........

paws in the park

i may have told some of you this, but if not....we have two puppies, sissy lynne golden and bubba joe golden. they are weenie dogs that live with us at golden living center. do you think the names are appropriate? anyway,today was paws in the park in our little part of the world! i have never been real big on these kinds of events, but i got nominated to take the our puppies, sissy lynn and bubba joe, to the park. it was kind of a marketing strategy as well as they had on golden living tshirts. they were the cutest thing...to top it off they won prettiest girl and most handsome man. we also took my bassett, dude, with us...we had so much fun..we will definately do this next year....hope you enjoy the pics...some of them are also of jacob playing putt putt....





Jamie with Bubba Joe and Sissy Lynne!






Jacob playing putt putt - watch out Tiger Woods!



Our WINNERS for Prettiest Girl and Most Handsome Boy!!!!

We had so much fun! It was not what i had anticipated...it was much more fun!!!!!!!!!!!

need to unwind

been a long week at work, but hopefully i can relax a little this weekend...went to see a friend of mine on the way home from work on friday...it was great. we were friends in high school that kind of was a love hate relationship..we were musical rivals..but anyway, we have gotten back in touch recently...he is going to be a dear friend of mine for a long time...he knows who he is...

i am excited about going to paws in the park tomorrow...i am taking our two weinie dogs, bubba joe and sissy lynn. they are the puppies at the nursing home and they are ROTTEN. i am also taking dude, my beloved bassett hound.

just some random pictures of the fam....


DUDE!!


JACONATOR!!! this is typical jacob...never slowing down..ready to save the world from all danger!

please disregard the broom and dust pan in the background...i have not figured out how to crop pictures yet...or maybe i just don't know how to put things up!




this is my beautiful daughter who i don't know what i would do without her...she is really my best friend in more ways than she knows...i love her dearly

thankful thursday

today it is a little hard to find things to be thankful for as it has been an extremely stressful day at work...but i am going to try to reverse my current mood by thinking of what i am thankful for...

1. report card day - no one is grounded
2. a great hubby that does not get mad when it hits the fan at work & i am late coming home
3. we are closer to my hubby having lap band surgery
4. my cousin is finally happy, free, in a new house and beginning a new life
5. friends
6. new socks - i bought some new ones this week - they are so cute
7. 5 more car payments and one car will be paid for
8. a work day only is 8 hours long
9. some days the best part of the day is when you can go to bed
10. my family - even the crazy ones!

have a great weekend!

kid stories...

there is really not a whole lot of point to this blog other than craziness in my house

story #1
i was told today at work that i had to do care plans for deceased residents...how do i implement this when they have gone to the big house? i guess i am in the celestial care planning business!

story #2
i called home yesterday and asked jamie, my sweet air headed 16 year old, to please scramble the hamburger meat, drain it and leave it in the sink. i told her when i got home i would finish supper when i got home. as i pulled into the yard, she comes out on the porch and says...i could not cook the hamburger meat...why...because the meat skillet was dirty. this is actually the conversation. she acts like we have only one skillet in the house...she says are you mad...i say no just confused...i say did it ever cross your mind that you could have washed it. you could tell by the look on her face that the thought never did cross her mind. this is the same child who is to graduate next year and thinks i am going to let her go off to college by herself.

story #3
jacob had a major meltdown at walmart sunday night...WHY?...because jamie got something and he did not...would you like to know what she got? a BRA! my only response was, "would you like some underwear?" that is all i am going to say...only if you have kids - plural - will you understand.

that is all for now - i am sure there will be more to come.

satisfaction saturday

ok this blog may be a little elementary but here goes...i have had the best weekend...it started by going to my high school homecoming...we are undefeated and ranked 2nd in the state..we played a team, coosa central...bless their hearts...we beat them 86 to 36. it was pitiful...but fun...i got to see a bunch of friends from high school that i don't get to see very often...GO LINCOLN GOLDEN BEARS!

then auburn got beat by arkansas...SOOIE SOOIE!!!!!i hated that vandy got beat by mississippi state...that should not have happened...bama taking a day off...possibly moving to number 1...tennessee got beat and at this moment lsu is getting beat!!!

i am at my mother in law's house right now...when i come down here i don't have to do anything...as a matter of fact she told me and stephen to go out to eat dinner and she would watch the kids...it does not get better than that!

have a great weekend!

thankful thursdays - 1st edition

as stated in an earlier post, i am borrowing from a friend of min for a weekly post, "thankful thursdays". so here goes the 1st edition.

1. i am thankful for lazy days when i can stay in bed with my kiddos around me and watch cartoons.

2. i am thankful for my job - i love working with the elderly - they are such an inspiration and great story tellers

3. i am thankful that i do not have any major problems - addictions, financial, marital, etc.

4. i am thankful for coffee - enough said.

5. i am thankful for my husband who helped me clean up the dining room and the formal living room today.

6. i am thankful for clorox wipes - they get stuff so much cleaner than a rag and detergent

7. i am thankful for ALABAMA football

8. i am thankful that i have come back into contact with several friends from high school through the internet

9. i am thankful that i have two great kids who at times i would like to ring their necks, but all in all they are great kids

and finally,
10. i am thankful that i live way out in the country and no one comes to visit because my house is never clean!

have a great rest of the week and weekend!

always keep your receipt...

i must share this story with everyone...i had two pair of blue jeans i had bought for jacob at dollar general...well of course they did not fit...he is the hardest child to fit for clothes...anyway, i lost my receipt but i knew i could take them back and "exchange" them for some other items we needed.

well i go into the dollar general i always go into and tell the cashier what i wanted to do...she said ok...so i proceed to go pick up some items that we needed. bear in mind i am expecting to exchange these pants for other items that total about $20.00 - the pants were $10.00 a piece. so i get to the counter and the cahsier takes the jeans to ring them up for exchange...it comes up they are only worth A PENNY! i asked if this was a mistake and she no because they had just had a clearance sale on their clothes...i proceeded to tell her that the tag was still on the pants. needless to say i did not get to exchange the pants because they were only worth 2 cents!

now i must tell you that i became a basement person! keep in mind that i have a major sinus infection because it has been raining. so i already did not feel good. i told her i did not want the items...as i am walking out the door with my jeans she says "do you need a bag for those?" i said ,"no they are only worth 2 cents." i left the buggy sitting at the register with all the stuff in it.

probably not the best thing and the christian thing to do, but good grief!!!!!!

Being a Balcony Person

i have been guilty in the past of using my blog as a place to vent about family issues, work issues or anything else that ticked me off. well i am heading in a new direction. i am going to try to use this as an inspirational avenue for those people who might need to be lifted up. all of this comes on the heels of a presentation i did over the weekend at a ceu opportunity. the name of the presentation was "balcony people". i really was shocked that as i did this presentation i was really realizing that i was a basement person instead of a balcony person. so, let me define the difference....

a balcony person is a person who believes in you, who pulls you up when you are down, someone who comes and cleans your house just because you are stressed beyond words, someone who may not agree with your ideas but will support you.

a basement person is someone who would gripe about being hung with a new rope. they never have anything nice to say, it is always woe is me, it is all about me, never satisfied with anything, just miserable birds.

as i did this presentation i began to feel that i had become a basement person. i cannot be a basement person and be a christian, a good social worker, a parent or a wife. so this presentation was as much for me as it was for the audience.

i am not saying that i will never have another basement momment, but i am going to try to keep them to a minimum. if any of you start to see my being a basement person, please call me on it.

i am also going to borrow an idea from my friend, becky, and try to do a thankful thursday post. i think i will be more of a balcony person if i think about and acknowledge what i have to be thankful for.

ps let's not be like the man in the Bible who sat in the window, fell asleep and fell out the window.....

i hope everyone has a great week!

Just Being Lazy & Catching Up on Thoughts

Well, I have been at my new job for a month! I am really enjoying it - especially since it is 15 minutes from my home. Even when I have to take the kids to school it is still just 30 minutes from home to school to work. It is really cool in the fact that it is a small building and it has a family feel to it. I actually get to sit with my residents and talk about whatever they want to talk about. They tell me stories that are amazing. One man had been in the bed for three days so I was asked to go and see what was going on with him. He told me he would be 95 years old in a couple of weeks, and he was ready to go see his wife. She had died several years ago. He was really missing her - it was also their anniversary. We talked a little longer and he began to perk up. He finally told me that there was nothing wrong with him that 1/5 borboun (sp?) would not fix. I thought that was funny coming from a 95 year year old!

Although I liked working on the oncology unit with end of life issues, I really love the nursing home. My motto has always been, "They come here to live not die!" So many people are scared of old people. They are just a wonderful generation of people who have brought more joy to my life than I will ever be able to return. For Halloween, each department head is to pick a resident and together come up with a costume that we can wear together. Then the other residents will judge the costumes to pick a winner. I have chosen this lady who we will only call Shirley. She is a hoot! She carries a fly flap on the back of her wheelchair. When I asked her about it she told me it was to pop sassy social workers on the rear end! Anyway, we are going to wear grey sweatsuits with a huge black P painted in the middle. We are going to blacken our eye and we will be "The Black Eyed Peas." The other idea is for me to dress like a cow and she as the moon, and we would be the cow jumping over the moon! This is what is fun! This is what I hope brings some joy to their lives.

Kids are doing good - I guess. They are in a weird stage right now. Get this...I come home from work yesterday to find my hubby in his underwear and my son running around NAKED! When I asked why neither of them had on clothes, I was told, "There were no women here and we just wanted to be free!" What is it with men and their frank and beans!!!!!!!

It is true, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Revelations Conversations with a Teenager....

You have not lived until you have tried to explain the book of Revelations to a teenager. Now it is hard enough to understand the book of Revelations as an adult. Stephen and I have just lived through 20 questions, and that is being conservative, of what that book means. I also have often thought that teenagers don't think about anything but clothes, friends, music, food and sleep. Well let me tell you more goes through those heads than I ever thought. Jamie has asked some questions that me and Stephen just looked at each other like...how are we supposed to answer that.

After this conversation, I realized that I have done miserable job as a parent because I am not able to inteligently answer the questions that she puts before me. I know that may sound strange, but it has just been a real eye opener.

Please pray for us as we as a family are trying to make a very concerted effort to live the life that God expects of us and that will make Him proud to call us His children. Hope everyone has a great week!

Does anyone keep their word anymore - Part 2

Well evidently I am just a nerd who expects too much! My daughter had no clue that the money I gave her today for Six Flags - money out of the clear blue sky - had no connection to the promise she made me of helping me at work. She thought I was just feeling like being nice. Now I have my moments where I like to be nice, but let's keep in mind that her bathroom is horrible - I asked her last week to clean it up, the kitchen has not been cleaned up. Her definiton of clean is loading the dishwasher. There is no wiping down the counters or sweeping the floor. In addition to the fact that we have the whole "Yea I will go to work with you and decorate your door for Halloween." I just feel like I am getting the short end of the stick right now! Again this is NOT a pity party - it is a venting session. I am beginning to think I am just way out of touch with being a teenager!

Does anyone still keep their word anymore?

Ok, this is NOT a pity party, but a soap box! I have had two experiences today that have infuriated me about people keeping their word. So please read these instances and respond to me. I would like to know if I am just old fashioned, expect too much or live in a different world.

First of all, my daughter, Jamie, told me she would go with me to work on Sunday to help me decorate my door for Halloween. I am the manager on duty on Sunday. There are alot of little things that she could help me do, and get paid for, since I am the only member of management that will be there. So, we had a plan. Last night a girlfriend of hers invited her to go to Six Flags with her today. So being a good mom, or so I thought, I told her she could go. Tickets were free - how much better can you get? So I have been texting her this morning. I talked to her just now and asked what time she would be home. She said she did not know. I asked if her friend's mom could bring hr home and she said yes, BUT...if it is too late she said I could spend the night again! I said what about going to work with me. She said, I will if I can! This really flew all over me! I don't want to be a mean person, and I am not trying to be a friend to my daughter. I am basically tired of being the responsible person. Any feedback?

Second situation. This person will remain anonymous. This person had been volunteering at the nursing home - mostly in my office. So as things came up that needed to be done, I would contact this person. I have a new project that I just found out about. I asked this person yesterday, and I was told, "no...it depresses me to go up there." I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but since when do we do only what we want to do? It does not really make me want to turn cartwheels to go into a nursing home and see these people in the conditions they are in, however, it makes me feel a little better about myself and about our world knowing that I may be able to brighten someone's day just by giving a little bit of my time. Am I totally living in another world? Please somebody give me some feedback!

DHR is not here yet....

Well, it has been so long since I posted anything, but I thought this would be the greatest way to get back in the spirit of blogging...

Last week, I got a phone call at work from the school. This teacher identified herself as a behavioral specialist, and she had been working with Jacob on his temper and mouth. Now before we go any further, please help me understand where he gets those two characteristics. Anyway, she proceeds to tell me that Jacob has told her that I "whip him with a boat paddle and lock him in the closet when he does not do what I ask him to do...he eats popcicles and cereal for supper every night."

I was totally shocked - speechless. It was to the point the lady asked, "are you there?" I said, "Oh yes I am here." We continued to talk and I basically had to tell her my whole life story in order to keep her from calling DHR."

Do ya'll know how I really wanted to beat him with a boat paddle? Oh I forgot - I could not do that if I wanted to - why? - the boat paddle is on the roof of the house where Jacob chunked it two weeks ago.

Does anyone else have hellion children? Please don't get me wrong. I love both of my children very much, but never in a million years would I have thought one of mine would go to school and tell such.

Anyway this is just one of many upcoming posts! Have a great weekend!

Moving On

Well, I have not had any comments lately, but for those of you who read...I am moving everything to myspace. The url is www.myspace.com/ginbsw. This way I can manage alot of different things. See ya!

Ramblings for the 4th....

Well today is July the 4th! I hope everyone has had a great day, great food and great family time - I had great work time. Yes I had to work. However, my mom did bring me some ribs and potato salad from my grandmother's house.

You know at different times in our lives we think about how fortunate and blessed we are - or at least I do. I work in a nursing home and never really realized how blessed I am to be able to go outside everyday and enjoy the rain, sun and / or humidity! As I was working today, I watched people walk by my office on their way to visit their loved one. I don't know why it suddenly hit me, but it did. The realization that not only do we live in a country where we are free but everyday that we wake up in our own home, in our own bed and with our family is another Independence Day! I am able to get my own food, go to the bathroom on my own, dress myself, bathe myself and all those other daily things without any assistance. How must it feel to know that everything I need or want I have to ask someone for - and the chance of my getting what it is that I want or need depends on whether or not the employee answers my call light.

These are thoughts that I have today as I also think about the men and women who have served over the past 200+ years to ensure that we are able to celebrate Independence Day!

As the World Turns....

greetings to the few and faithful! things have been a little wild down here - ok so what is unusual about that. i went back in the hospital on 6-7-07 to 6-12-07. i have been sick for about a month prior to this with what i knew to be a some sort of urinary problem. but of course do you think i went to the md? no - that would make too much sense. so when it got to the point that it felt like midgets were jumping up and down on my bladder i decided to go to the md. she said there was so much blood and white blood cells in the urine she could not count them. so she put me straight in the hospital for iv levaquin and other goodies. she was scared because they traced the blood clot in march to a uti that i did not even know i had. anyway, i went back wednesday for another urine culture. she looked at it under the microscope before she sent it off for culture, and it still looks terrible. as she put it, "that is nasty." still blood and wbc. she has put me on cipro until the cultures come back. now remember i was on iv levaquin bid for 6 days and then took 5 additional pills orally. she said once the culture comes back she is going to put me on a daily antibiotic. we may be looking at a bladder scan and urethral dilation. i have heard that hurts real bad. other than that for me everything is fine.

jamie is going to have to have a mri done on her left leg and foot. i don't know if you remember, but several years ago her left leg began to swell. we have injured it a couple of times playing volleyball. we have torn the planar facia muscle twice. well now the foot starting swelling and hurting. now it is all the way up to her knee to the point her toes look like a pregnant woman's toes, she can't bend or flex her foot. she wears flared leg jeans and they are tight around that leg. i took her back to the ortho, and he said there are no fractures and he is puzzled. so we are waiting for bcbs to approve the mri. of course she still has her regular drama.

jacob is doing great. he has really matured alot in just a few weeks of being out of school. i still am probably going to hold him back b/c i just do not feel he is ready for 3rd grade. it is a hard decision to make but i don't want him to continue struggling. he is so loving. everytime you turn around he wants a hug. last night we went to a viewing of a little girl that we know who died of leukemia. she was only 8 years old jacob told me that he bet she was in heaven playing with paw paw. he was real sweet. he walked up to the casket and just looked at her. then he said, i am ready to go. he is going to a summer camp at a baptist church 4 miles from my office. they are really good with him, and he seems to enjoy it. they are certified k - 12 private academy. i am thinking about putting him there for a year. i have not made up my mind.

stephen is doing okay. he is having horrible sinus trouble, which makes it difficult for him to wear his cpap machine. hence the reason i am up and online at 5 AM. there really is not alot new with him. he is taking his lipitor medicine and seems to be doing okay. i don't know if you knew he had to have an emergency arteriorgram. he had no significant blockage in any one artery, but he had 33% overall. he has not lost any weight. he is interested in the idea, but not willing to do what it takes. i know it is hard, but i just worry about him. i have lost 46 pounds since october. it was hard for me to lose the weight, but i knew i had to do it because of my diabetes.


mom and dad are okay. of course dad is in montana where it is not 150 degrees. he said they got 8" of snow the other day. mom is going downhill physically. since this last knee surgery, she has not bounced back as quickly. she is still walking with cain. she will not allow me to set up home health to come out and do some pt on the leg. she is being real stubborn. she has no energy whatsoever. just to go to the grocery store and back she says it wipes her out. who knows? dad is doing great - at least that is what he is telling me.

work is work. i enjoy my job and the people i work with, i just don't like the corporate structure. you literally have to submit in writing if you need to fart. oh well, nobody asked me for my opinion. it is very rewarding to see people come in, go through our rehab program and then get to return home. i was part of the planning to transition a man back to the community who had been in the nursing home for 7 years. he is doing well and is much happier. i also was a part of helping a homeless lady that came to us for therapy find a place to live. so even though there is alot of red tape, it certainly has its rewards.

stephen and i went on a little weekend trip last weekend. we are at dinner and my cell phone rings. it says "home". jamie says, "mother" now we all know she means buisness. She says, "mother, would you please tell Jacob to quit playing golf in the house?" he had taken the handle off the swiffer and was using it as a club. God only knows what the ball was. you know they grow up way too fast, but it sure is fun while it lasts. love to all



well now that you have a mini novel on the life and times of the Bass family, i am sure your day is complete.

Life is fragile...

Well it has been a long time since I posted. Life has continued to pass by along with the struggles and triumphs that go with it. I just have come to the realization that life is very fragile. The Bible says it is but a vapor. This is so true.

In the past two months, more people that I know or who are close to have died. Some of them were expected. Others were not. Most recently was the daughter of a friend of mine. The little girl was 8 years old, and she had leukemia. You know, my daughter had cancer. We were very lucky that she is still alive. We all have been told it is not our place to question God's timing, but doesn't it make you wonder, why the children? You see and hear about all these bad people in the world who seem to never get caught or punished, but yet a small sweet child is taken so untimely. Another instance is a little 8 month old baby that I am acquainted with. He is suffering from a rare form of leukemia. His story is amazing. www.ethanpowell.com but why must the little children suffer. I know when our daughter was sick, my husband prayed for God to give it to him. Parents feel totally helpless and guilty.

These are just thoughts that have kept me awake tonight. This blog may go unread by many, but the words are at least on paper.

Random Thoughts

Well, I have not posted anything in a while. It has been interesting in the Bass household - as usual. I was in the hospital - no shock there - then Stephen scared us all to death. He was in overnight with chest pains, and had to have an arteriorgram. We have been out of town and just dealing with the day to day grind of raising a family. Stephen surprised me today with a new set of patio furniture. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs tonight and ate outside on the new furniture. It was great. The kids are getting ready to get out of school for the summer. They will be leaving at the end of May to go to Montana for 6 weeks. I don't know what Stephen and I will do without children for 6 weeks. Anyway, I have posted some new pictures...hope you enjoy!

The 15 year old love triangle...

i am not really sure what the title of this blog should be. i am so miffed right now with my 15 year old. why is it that they think we as parents are stupid. this tyrade started yesterday as i am waiting at the surgery center with my mom. there was a kid, boy, in there who was about 12. he got up to walk outside and his dad asked where he was going. he said outside. his dad told him no because we were in downtown birmingham. the kid turned and said i'm hot and i'm going outside. first of all i am 31 years old and if my mom or dad told me no i would sit my butt down. why? number one i would not want to pick my teeth up off the floor, number two you just don't do that. anyway. so i come home yesterday and my 15 year old says, can i spend the night with sue - i am changing names of these minors. she proceeds to tell me that there will be about five girls spending the night at sue's house. now it is important to realize that "sue" is my 15 year old's ex boyfriends ex. here is how the timeline goes. sue and joe go together. sue and joe break up. joe starts going with my 15 year old. now my 15 year old and joe break up. joe and sue are back together. now that you have the timeline here is the rest of the story.

so this afternoon, joe calls here and asks me if it is okay if he goes to sue's house while my 15 year old is there because he and sue need to talk to my 15 year old about "some issues". i promptly and curtly remind joe that i pay a trained professional to talk to my 15 year old about her issues. he says no, these are issues related to me and sue. i tell him, if you and any other army need to talk to my 15 year old about anything you can do it in my house. he did not like this.

so stephen and i begin talking to our daughter about how messed up this situation is. she contends that she does not have feelings for joe anymore. i find this hard to believe since they "dated" for almost a year. for some reason, she seems to think that they can all be "one big happy family." am i over reacting? wait it gets better. so stephen tells our duaghter that joe and sue can come over to the house and we will all sit down and discuss this situation. at the end of the conversation, sue decides that she is not coming over because she wants to go to a party. so joe comes over to his ex girlfriend's house while his current girlfriend is at a party.

is this messed up or am i just that old? i am telling you raising children is an adventure. i know there are people in the world who have lost their children and would give anything to be in my shoes and there are people who would love to be able to have children. i am by no means wishing that i did not have these problems, but it just seems so strange to me that things are so different. i told my mom the other day that you take your children to church, you raise them the best you know how, you give them everything they need and could possibly want and it still is not enough, it is not good enough and they still have issues. for those of you who know me well, you know what issues i am speaking of. well i guess i have vented enough for now.

I have a new camera....

After 10 years, I finally splurged and bought myself a GOOD digital camera. I have been playing with it. I could really kick myself for not getting one sooner. The pictures posted are just random ones...my cat...my dog - at least one of them I have four...and yes the lovely critters I call children. There will be an additional post about those critters.

With the software that came with my camera I can make invitations, greeting cards, etc. As many of you know, I am technologically challenged, so all of you probably knew that this could be done. Humor the social worker!

Reality Check

you know it is great to be alive! i don't really know where this thought came from, but it has really been on my mind the past few days. there is baby ethan fighting for his life, a co worker of mine was in a real bad car accident and is in critical condition and then there are the people who live at the nursing home. i worked today and had some quiet time. i was looking over the census and we have people from 18 to 104. 18 years old and in a nursing home. i cannot imagine. i spent about an hour today with one of my residents. he is 28 years old and very wise. he is a hurricane katrina evacuee. it was nice to sit and talk to somebody who has traveled a different road than i. we talked about the Bible, church and such. i just realized that i take alot for granted and need to be more appreciative. i hope everyone has a blessed day!

Nailing Jello to the Wall

my father in law used to say that raising children is like trying to nail jello to a wall. i really did not understand that until jacob started school. for those of you who do not know, jacob is textbook ADD. if you have never worked with an ADD child, count your blessings. two rules to remember about ADD children - they do not adjust well to change and they are always right. now i don't mean i am right and you are wrong. i am talking that right is right and wrong is wrong. if someone is doing something wrong, then the ADD child feels that it is his responsibility to "save the world." now with all of that in mind, we go to jacob's day at school yesterday. i get a phone call at work from the school. it seems that jacob, otherwise known as superhero, that jacob had beaten the snot out of a little boy in the lunch line. jacob said that this little boy was breaking in front of other people in line - boys. then he did it - he broke in front of miranda. at this time, jacob felt that as a superhero he had to save the girl. therefore, he beat the snot out of the little boy. understand that jacob has spent quite a few days in on campus suspension because of his mouth and his "superhero responsibilities." i had to give permission for them to paddle my son. yes, i agreed for them to beat my child with a board. wouldn't dhr be proud? however, on a happy note, since this paddling, my superhero has not felt that his responsibilities were so great and his attitude has been much better.

on to another day -
last saturday my mom took jacob to my sister's house - lib. they all were going to hangout and just spend some time together. they go to mcdonald's for lunch. jacob informs lib that he needs to borrow her cell phone to call his girlfriend - hannah. he dials a number - the wrong one - gets frustrated and hangs up. a pretty little girl is walking across the resturant, and my sister says, "jacob, there is a pretty little girl" to which he replies, "lib, i am already juggling three who are trying to hit on me." so now not only do i have a child who is a superhero, but he is a superhero pimp. again, raising children is like nailing jello to a wall!

Satan goes to church...

now that i have gotten your attention. i have never wanted to cuss in church as bad as i did today. we had lunch after church today with a quartet - alliance - to sing at 1:30. well, it is customary that during intermission, different people from the church or community sing while the special singing group rests. well today, they asked me to sing. now for those of you who don't know, i do sing more than just in the shower. some of you may not have even had a clue. anyway, so our choir director asked me to sing. i had the song "thank you" by ray boltz in my purse. so i get up there to sing. i have sung this song a million times - no problem. well, i begin singing, it is going very well. but then things start to seem strange. i am looking in the audience to my friend shiela who together we decide that something is not going right. so i continue, making the best of it. still thinking that something bad is about to happen. then it does. the whole system shuts off- completely off. do you hear me? do you understand what i am saying? the whole system shuts off. now bear in mind that i am already a little ticked to start with. we will discuss that in a minute. i cannot believe that the system has just shut off. no music, no sound, no nothing. this is just the end to a perfect day. before i knew it, i said, "that will be just about enough." i turn the microphone off and plop it down on top of the piano. i go back to my pew, and the preacher's wife leans up and says, "you know...we have been having problems with the system doing that...it just turns off." do you think you could get a new one before you have people singing in front of 100 people. unbelievable.

okay, now to the reason why i was already ticked. most of you know that i was raised in the church of christ. we all know the jokes and the redicule that comes with it. my opinion is this, unless you were raised in the church of christ and you know the whole story and all the principles, then you do not have the right to make any comment on the situation. now do not get me wrong. i have made the decision to go to a different church than the church of christ. i have good reason. however, folks need to get some business and get in it. i love our preacher, brother harold. but sometimes, he makes me really wander if there is a filter between his brain and his mouth. this morning he preached on false doctrine. okay this is a good topic, because lord knows there is plenty of it out there. he goes into the catholics, mormons, jehovah's witness and then he did it. he went there. the church of christ. he stated that if all you do is go down the aisle, shake the preacher's hand and get baptized, you are going to a devil's hell. now what i think and hope he really meant to say is that if you truly do not repent your sins to God and you think that just being baptized is the answer, then you are going to a devil's hell. well i am seriously outnumbered in the church. i am surrounded by people who are saying amen more times than carter's got liver pills. so i am already in a foul mood, but maybe i did not go to church with the right attitude this morning. so then the incident with the sound system just really did it. so as i said, satan goes to church because he was sitting right next me. have a great week!

the 14 year old law....

ok for those of you who do not have teenagers...get on good terms with God. just fyi...once your child turns 14 the government seems to think that they are old enough to make their own health care decisions. yes that is what i said. you see i have had a personal experience with this. i had good reason to request certain lab tests be done to my daughter. so today when i called to get the results...mind you the tests that i requested that my insurance paid for that i pay the premium for... i was told "well she will have to call and give us permission to talk to you." excuse you! i support this child 100%, put a roof over her head, clothes on her body and food in her mouth. the government says that a 14 year old can make their own health decisions but you have to be 16 to drive a car, 18 to vote for the leader of your country and 21 to drink alcohol. but at 14 you can decide how to handle a std, pregnancy, drug screens and addictions. is it me or is there something wrong with this picture? again, yes i am a social worker and maybe i am supposed to know these things. but i work with old people.

so after i have peeled myself off the roof, had a nervous breakdown, scared several of my friends to death because they had never seen nor heard me so upset, i begin to think of how i am going to approach this with my child. so this is what i came up with. i explained the 14 year old law to her, but gently reminded her that she still lived under my roof, spent my money and ate my food. therefore, if she felt that she did not need to place my or her father's name on that blasted hippa form, then the next time she got sick with a cold, flu, cramps, shits or whatever, she was on her own to get to the doctor. she says what about medicines. i said what about it. you are old enough to make your own healthcare decisions then you are old enough to figure out how to get your medicines. i don't know how to take my temperature or my blood pressure...what is normal...to which i said, you have two choices put my name on the paper or figure it out on your own.

if you have ever wondered what is wrong with this country...it is the people who have nothing better to do than to think up stupid, rediculous absurd and every other expletive that i cannot put in writing laws like the 14 year old law. and if you disagree with me...keep it to yourself because you probably don't have kids and it won't do anything but make me alot more mad.

the joys of parenthood...

My first survey as "director"

oh my goodness. you know if you work in a nursing home, you are used to the phrase, "Attention all staff and residents, we would like to take this time to welcome the Department of Public Health to our building." This means one of two things - it is time for your annual survey or you have screwed up. well needless to say, since i have not updated this blog in a while, we had really screwed up. the state was in our building from Wednesday through Friday. The whole problem is that they were in our building on a "social service issue" yea that makes me feel real good. bear in mind there has been no social worker in this building in about 3 months, and the year and half they did have a social worker, i do not know what she did. anyway, i feel like i have been on an ak47 firing line for the past week. luckily, we have managed to get out of a major tag with the state, but it was alot of work. for those of you who would like the "ginny version" of this story, just call me. the story is too long to put on a blog. i guess the funniest part of the whole week was on wednesday night, we are all about to fall over. it is about 8 pm and we are starving. understand that when the state is in the building, you cannot leave until the state says you can leave. so anyway, we decided to order pizza. it was left to me to do this. so i call papa johns. they answer, thank you for calling papa johns. i say, i would like to place an order. they say pick up or delivery. i say delivery. they say i'm sorry we are not delivering anymore. before i knew it, i said then why the hell did you ask. the funny part of this is i have only been at this job for two months, and the director of nursing, the executive director and the regional clinical operations nurse were in the office. oh well, as my husband says, you never have to worry about what is on my mind. have a great week.

Sometimes you just have to flip...

okay, the one person that will appreciate this comment is beck. i went rhonda fitz on somebody at work. for those of you who do not know who rhonda fitz is, she is the reason i met beck. in one night, i met beck at the csc, cussed out rhonda, packed everything i had in a fitted sheet, threw it down the hall and moved in with beck. the rest is history.

anyway, i went to work yesterday. i was not in the greatest mood. i did not have a great holiday, it was very stressful and i was ready to go back to work. okay here is the story! we have a resident at the snf who is a high risk elopement, demented as a betsy bug and sleeps with a fork wrapped up in a sock. needless to say, do you think we need to have her real close to then nurse's desk? so i make the suggestion to move this lady to a room that is across from the nurse's desk, away from the doors and she is off of the back hall. sounds realistic and logical to me. so when i leave work on wednesday, i let the charge nurse know that our executive director has said this resident needs to be moved - tonight. so i go into work on yesterday and the lady has not been moved. so i simply asked if the resident did not get moved because the room was not clean. this unit manager, we will call her nurse eyeballs, because she cuts her eyes at people all the time. nurse eyeballs proceeds to go into a tyrade that i can't make room moves at night, i need to get with nursing staff to make any moves and yada yada yada. eyeballs then proceeds to scream for the nurse, we will call her nurse wratchet, hope this spelling is correct, but you get the picture. eyeballs screams, yes i said screamed, did you know that she is moving...just another promise she is supposed to be on another unit!" nurse wratchet screams at me why is resident moving. so as if i need to explain anything to her, i begin to explain the rationale behind moving the resident. remember i make the decisions on room changes. she looks at me down her nose and over her stinking little glasses and screams, "what is that going to solve?" at this point i am fit to be tied. i turn and look at both of these "nurses" - i think they are both a disgrace to the nursing profession - and say "first of all i am not in the problem solving business...i manage chaos...furthermore, i do not question the clinical decisions that you make everyday as you care for your residents; therefore, you will not question my decisions as the director of social services...do i make myself clear?" nurse wratchet proceeds to say, well you don't have to fly off the handle to which i replied you don't have to ask so many damn questions. as i am walking down the hall some other smart ass employee says, well ginny just got her first dose of judy, this would be nurse wratchet. i did not turn around or miss a beat - i said judy just got her first dose of ginny. needless to say nurse wratchet or nurse eyeballs did not have anything to say to me today. this was the first of two major catastrophies that happened yesterday. i will blog on that issue tomorrow. i think i will change the name of my blog to the life and times of a nursing home social worker. again, why could i not be rich instead of so good looking? this is what my father always asked!

It is not my job....

I am so tired of hearing people say, 'it's not my job!" You know I wander if Jesus ever thought that it was not his job to do something. I work in the helping profession of healthcare. If people would stop and think, most people do not go to the hospital or nursing home because they do not have anything better to do. The people who are in the hospitals or nursing homes are sick...less than better health. They are ill, don't have the privacy of their home, have not had a bath or at least a good bath in several days and the list goes on. I am not here to say that I take care of every patient and every need they have. Nor am I saying that I am perfect but for crying out loud!!!! I have cleaned toilets, wiped tailends, fed, washed dentures and many other unmentionables. When I was in college, these things were not listed in social work 101. But let us make one thing very clear, you will not hear me say is "That is not my job!"

Just an update

I had a minute to update my blog. Not much has been going on here in our little world. Jamie has just turned 15 and I have had 5 teenage girls at my house overnight. Yes I think I have officially lost my mind. The kids are out for the holidays, which I am so happy. Jacob is such a pickle in the morning, and I am so sick of Jamie's algebra teacher I could scream. We do not have any big plans for Christmas. But we are going to the Beau Rivage - I think that is how you spell it - on NYE. We were supposed to go to Gatlinburg on December 2 to a friend's wedding. Nothing went right. We ended up not going. We have not been anywhere that has just been the two of us in a very long time. As I said, nothing comical or dramatic has happened. I will update later with another bassakward tale. love to all.

Stormy Weather...

It took me over an hour and a half to get to work this morning because of the weather. Now people up north drive all day every day in snow. But you let it rain in Alabama, and the world comes to a screeching halt...literally. However, more important than how long it took me to get to work is the issue that the schools let out early because of bad weather. When I was in school, I clearly remember getting into the hallway with a book over my head to protect me from the potential of flying glass that lined those hallways - the windows. Now, the school system is so scared of being held liable for something, they put our children on the mobile disasters waiting to happen - buses - cheese wagons - whatever you want to call it - and send our children home in the weather. I don't understand it. Oh and by the way, did I mention that those storms never came today. Have a great one!

Telepathy....

Okay every once in a while, your kids work together. Stephen called me tonight on the way home tonight. He said he was in WalMart buying stuff for supper. As he walked around the corner, what was calling his name? Christmas Tree Little Debbie cakes. So he bought a box. Yes I said "a box." Anyway, when he got home, he said that the front of the house looked different. Upon closer inspection, the kids - Jamie and Jacob - had gotten the Christmas tree out of the back room, put it together and decorated it. Did I mention that they are both still breathing? I was totally shocked! These are the same two kids who cannot ride in the backseat to school in the morning without having a major meltdown. Thank God for small miracles!

My first day....

Well, I have survived my first day as Director of Social Services. Doesn't that title sound important? Oh my goodness!!!! It has been three years since I have been in the nursing home, and boy does it feel good to be back. These residents are just "proud to be here." They are not worried about what clothes the other one has on. They don't care that the food on their plate is not color balanced. They are just happy to have a warm bed to sleep in, hot food on their plates and some amount of independence. I have been accustomed to working in the more "glamourous nursing homes"...is that an oxy moron? Anyway, I don't know that I will ever go back to that side. There are young and old in this facility. There are all sorts of socio economic levels. This is what social work is all about. Meeting a person where they are in life and traveling the rest of the way with them. I have alot of cleaning up to do in the office and just in record keeping in general. But it is going to be a joy to get there. The great thing about my job is it gives me a reality check...everyday!

People Amaze Me Part 2....

Just when you think you have seen it all, something else comes up. As you know, I have changed jobs...again. I have finally decided that nursing homes is where I belong. Anyway, I have worked at MCE for about 6 months. I have done nothing to any of these folks to make them be disgruntled, except maybe because they have had to cover my units when I was in the hospital. Anyway, when I came back to work from the last hospital stay, I was put on "desk duty." Thursday, I was in my office on "desk duty", and I thought I heard, "except Ginny." I was not sure so I did not pay it much attention. In a few minutes, a nurse that I work with, came to my office and said, "do you want me to order you something from Sal's?" I declined because I do not know what kind of food they have. Anyway, she went on to say, "OK, I was just checking...everybody else ordered chinese." Do you see my point? This goes back to "except Ginny." It just amazes me because all of these women claim to be Christians, but yet they treat people like second class citizens. Oh and did I mention, that no one in the office spoke to me all week except for the other social worker, Margaret. Oh well, I guess I just need to let it go. Two wrongs, don't make a right. Love to all.

People amaze me...

For those of you who have read my recent blog you know that I have been "under the weather" so to speak. Well I return to work today to be told by my boss, "We think you need to be on desk duty this week so you don't make yourself sick again." MAKE myself sick again. Is there some kind of sick joy out there to being laid up in a hospital, eating less than desirable food, having needles gouged in your arm while they "look" for a vein, and listening to everybody else's alarms go off on the floor. I wanted to smack her. Oh well, enough of that. Good night.

Come on 2007....

Okay, I have to be the most negligent blogger ever. But I have decided that I am going to do better at blogging. It is a good way for my friends and family to keep up with our day to day lives, but it is also good therapy. Here goes...

I have decided that 2006 has not been a good year. Well I guess it actually started in December. As many of you know, Stephen's dad was diagnosed with cancer in December. I began my adventure with kidney stones in February. Stephen's dad died in March. More kidney stones in April and May. Left DHR, otherwise known as hell, in May. Had a serious situation with Jamie in May. Started a new job at Medical Center East in May. Got pneumonia in June. Made it through July and August without too many bumps. End of September begins the latest...

On September 27, I am driving down Highway 78 and I black out. Yes I said black out. Some how I managed not to flip my truck and ended up in the Food World parking lot. EMS came and got me and took me to Trinity Medical Center - used to be Montclair. My heart is going crazy, blood pressure is sky rocketing and my blood sugar is over 500. Should I mention that I had just had the ^%&^^%*& scared out of me . Anyway, they thought I had had a MI - heart attack. They admit me to the hospital. On Thursday, I go through my first and hopefully last arteriorgram. The outcome was at the tender age of 31 I have "mild coronary artery disease" - thanks diabetes. The cardiologist said it was not enough to worry about at this time - easy for you to say. They dismiss me from the hospital on Saturday. Don't understand why since I was still tachycardic as well as blood pressure still high. Went back to work on Monday. Get on MICU, get cold, clammy, sweaty, tachycardic, blood pressure - get the picture? Needless to say they put me back in the hospital - October 2 - 6. During this hospitalization, they come to the conclusion that I have H. Pylorei, high blood pressure and hyperthyroidism. Did I mention I have gained 32 pounds since July? Let me just tell those of you who are not 30 yet - it goes down hill - slap down hill. So I have to go on this suicide concoction of antibiotics that actually made me feel worse than when I blacked out and had a tube run up my leg to my heart. So I get out of the hospital on October 6. I won't even go into the war that my doctor and I got into. He basically told me I was a fat ass drug addict. I'll share more later. I go back to work on October 8 only to be written up, or as Medical Center East calls it, "positively redirected" because I had excessive absences. Oh I'm sorry I was a patient in your hospital. HELLO! Anyway, drama continues with "orientation reunion." This was a waste of time. This is where the newest employees of MCE come together to talk about their first six months of employment. Oh my - don't you know that I had an earful for them.

Then we go to Maw Maw's house, and wouldn't you know it - a kidney stone hit from hell. I got to pay a visit to the largest hospital in Georgiana, AL. I did not care what hospital big or small as long as they made the pain go away. Meanwhile back at the ranch, I have decided that I do not like "hospital social work." It is not social work. It is cattle herding. Regardless of whether the patient is medically ready or even socially ready - abuse cases - they have to go if the insurance company says so. I don't get to do social work every day. I only get to clean the shit off the fan after it has hit the fan. As luck would have it, word of mouth made it to a nursing home administrator that there was a disgruntled social worker in the community who loved the nursing home and wanted to go back. I was offered a job as the Director of Social Services at a nursing home in Birmingham, as well as the opportunity to train for the administrator's job. It did not hurt that it was a $10K pay raise. So I turned my notice in. Well guess what? Yep you guessed it I just got out of the hospital again. Monday, October 30, I was readmitted to the hospital with DKA - diabectic ketoacidosis and GI bleed. While in the hospital they found that my right kidney "looked funny." Yes this is comforting. Upon further investigation, it was found that this was medulary calcidosis - I think I spelled it right. This is basically that I have had so many kidney stones in such a short period of time that it has made calcifications on my kidney. Oh did I mention I have five kidney stones in my right kidney as we speak? The good news is though that I am not in kidney failure or anywhere close to it. Most of you are probably thinking why do I even bother getting out of bed. Some days I wander the same thing. But as long as I can go I am going to go. If nothing else maybe this can be comic relief that Murphy's Law still exists. Until the next drama, good night.

The Bass Infirmary...

I just hope I spelled infirmary right!!!! Anyway, can I tell ya'll just how sick I am. Sick, sick, sicker than a dog. Okay enough drama. You see I got sick Tuesday night after cutting grass. I thought oh just a little bit of dirt up the ole sinuses, blow it out with some saline and everything will be fine. Oh no!! Nothing is ever simple for Virginia!!! I go on to work Wednesday, go in late on Thursday - yes this is at the new job - and Friday morning forget it! Can't talk, can't move, don't want to talk and don't want to move! So I suffer through Friday. Jamie and her friends come over to watch movies while Stephen takes Jacob to see "Cars". I must admit the teenagers were good. Stephen leaves Saturday afternoon to go to his mother's house - with the children. I am at home to be miserable - at my own request. I ask Big Aud to come out to the house and stay with me, but she is cooking. So I get up in my workout pants, nasty Relay for Life shirt and dress shoes and go to my mom's house. (It was the only pair of shoes I could find with no effort.) I spend the night at mom's house. Sunday my sister, Skinny Lib, comes to visit. I tell her bye because I am fixing to somehow take my nasty sick butt to the doctor. She says, "Oh but no! I will take you!" We get to the clinic and the drama begins.

Why is it that every time I go to the doctor they have to give me an IV? I drink all the time. I am diabetic. Part of being diabetic is being thirsty all the time hence the reason you drink all the time. Dr. Hamer says, "You are dry...you have fluid behind your right ear drum...a river behind your left ear drum and your heart is racing...oh by the way, have you ever wheezed...well it is back with a vengence...your sinuses are screwed up...I can't see through them!" Nice to see you too doc! So they start an IV - only after three attempts, pump me full of fludis, run Rocephin through the IV and gives me a RX for Endal, coug syrup with a kick, and Zythromax. (For those of you who know me very well, it is usually no less than about 10 sticks to get an IV.) Then my sister says, "Can she go back to work?" His response, "Gosh dang no...she can't go back on the floor sick as she is!" So now here I go back home to call my new boss of all of three weeks to say, "Hey, I have the crud...I can't come back to work till Wednesday." But you know what? God blessed me with this wonderful boss - unlike others I have had - and she said, "OK, get better...we will handle it!" I say, "Am I going to get in trouble?" She says. "Why for being sick?...get well." Oh for the small blessings in life.

Okay it is almost 24 hours later, I still feel like crap. I cough nothing comes up, my chest hurts, and I can't get my breath. OK now I know how CHF patients feel. I don't know who is the worst patient, nurses, social workers or men. It is definately a toss up.

On a happier note, my nephew, Bill, has finally gotten a job and an apartment in Lousiana. He will be at least within an hour of Hannah. I selfishly want things to work out to where we can all be one big happy family, but I the common sense side of me wants Hannah to know her mom and dad. Keep them in your prayers. Another Bass Akward tale later! Love to all!

Thank God for family reunions, Part 2

For those of us with kids, you will find this story amazing! God does have mercy on us as parents when we have long trips. For several weeks, Stephen and I had been planning a trip to Dothan, AL. Every year, Stephen's mother's side of the family has a cook out at his cousin's, Glenda, house. So this year, was no different. Our weekend agenda was the family cook out, go to Dothan and see Micheal and Tammy and go to Panama City Beach.

We had to be in Ozark, where Glenda lives, at 10:30 am on Saturday. This would mean that the Bass family would have to be out of the door at 6:30AM. For those of you who have known me for a long time - this ain't happening. There is no way that I can get myself and two kids up and dressed and out of the door for a 6 hour trip at this time of the morning.

So we decided to go to Prattville and spend the night, adn then get up Saturday morning to go to Ozark. This worked beautifully. So we get to the hotel in Prattville. Very nice and accomadating. All the kids wanted to do was to go swimming - it had an indoor pool. Okay, fact number one. See I can't understand why women get so upset every summer because their swimsuit does not fit right. MINE HAS NEVER FIT RIGHT! Therefore, it is no surprise to me each summer when I look down to find that intertube around my waist. The kids had fun in the pool, and then every guest of Country Inn and Suites, got to see me almost do a belly flop into the hot tub. Yes, I said belly flop. No one bothered to tell me there were two steps into the hot tub. So as I am "gracefully" trying to get my big behind in the hot tub, I step off of what I thought was the only step, and near about kill myself! So once all that was over, we went back to the room - to sleep.

Well we got to the family reunion. It was great! This is just about the only time that we get to see Maw Maw's side of the family unless someone dies. You all know that it is the truth. We cooked out hamburgers and swam and all that good stuff! We left Glenda's, Stephen's cousin, about two. Tami and Micheal, our friends in Dothan, had a wedding on Saturday morning and visitation Saturday night. So we did not try to do anything with them on Saturday. Sunday we went to their house and cooked out steak and potatoes. Oh my goodness those were the biggest, most tender perfectly cooked steaks I have ever put in my mouth. It was so great to get to spend some time with them. I just wish we had not had to leave. We get to see Micheal more often since he married Tami, but I just hate that it is so far away.

On the way back home, we decided to stop through Grimes, Alabama. This is a very small little town, but it is where Stephen's grandparents are buried - both sets. He tells me Big Mama stories. She died when Stephen was real young. It is a beautiful place. The cemetary is beside a church. There is a huge oak tree there that has to be over 100 years old. As you know Stephen's dad died in March. He and the kids are still having problems - I am too. Anyway, we sat down under the oak tree and talked about the "good times." It was a beautiful day. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was not too hot or windy. It was the most peaceful place. After we left the cemetary, we went to Aunt Sara's house. This is Paw Paw's only living sibling. She is 80 years old. She was so surprised to see us. I think that was the highlight of the trip. We were glad to see everybody, but sitting under the oak tree is what the kids will remember. Finally, life in south Alabama is just a little slower than it is here. It sure was nice to be there - that is at a slow pace.

Thank God for family reunions

yes, i said thank God for family reunions. we will be away this weekend to a family reunion. after surviving a few hours having our cheeks pinched and told how to raise our children, we are leaving for the beach. also, a couple that we are good friends with will be going with us. I am so ready for a vacation even if it is over a weekend. we are in prattville right now and just got through swimming. kids are tired and parents are happy. i will write more after we get back. i hope i am not cooked like a lobster. lots of love.

Free at last....

Good Lord in heaven!!!! It is so nice to be loved and wanted! Can you believe after 2 years, I actually sat down and ate my lunch! My GI tract probably thought they had been transplanted. I had my first day at Medical Center East today. It was soooooooooooooooooo different than DHR. I was actually welcomed with a smile, told that as long as you get in 8 hours "it will all wash" and someone actually was concerned that I may have gotten left upstairs. My husband said this was a cush job compared to where I came from. I am so happy. I left work today with enough energy to mop my kitchen floor, eat supper and help Jamie study for her science semester test!!!!!!! Tomorrow is a new day and thank God for it! Love to all!

I'm Back

ok, how long has it been since i posted? a very long time. things have been so crazy around here. just as things started to settle down, i resigned from DHR, my dad left for montana, jacob lost a front tooth and stephen has bid on a new job at blue cross. the only person that has any walking around sense right now is jamie. good lord! anyway, i start work monday at medical center east as a medical social worker. this is what i love. this is what i have done all of my social work life except for that part at dhr - otherwise known as the department of hell! i will be working ont he dialysis unit and medical intensive care. i think it will be a very eye opening experience to work on the dialysis unit considering that i have diabetes and jamie only has one kidney.

jacob lost one of his front teeth - only after it turned brown and lost the blood supply. he is so not into pain. he is having a hard time with paw paw's death and then my dad, papa, left for montana for four months. he is ready for school to be out so he can get just as dirty as he wants to.

stephen has bid on a job at blue cross that would be a very sweet promotion - to the tune of my salary. yes i would keep working because when i am at home i realize how dirty my house is. it is hard to believe he has been at bcbs for 8 years. it must really be nice to work for "the caring company". i think i have made a good move to medical center east. they have recently merged with st. vincent's hospital. this is a good merger because it is now a christian based hospital. children and family comes first. pay is good and more opportunity for promotion.

my sister has lost 123 pounds at last count. the doctors wanted her to have lost 156 pounds by august. i am sure that she will meet that goal. i wish i could lose just 40 pounds.

i am disappointed in that the insulin pump that i had been so excited about is not going to be approved by the fda any time soon. so i am going to have to go back to the doctor and find another one. my diabetes is pretty brittle right now. i can't wait any longer. but when it is ready i know that God will make a way.

i think i have covered everything that has been going on - some of what has been going on i will not discuss over a blog. but those of you who have a clue what i am talking about can call. those of you who don't can still call. love to all.

Round 1 with more to come

Most of my blogs have been about my kids. Well, this one is about me. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am 30 years old and I feel as if I am 60. I have recently gotten out of the hospital with my fourth round of kidney stones since February of this year. I have never missed so much work. Since February, I have had two surgeries for kidney stones, passed one, put in the hospital for another one and my father in law died. To add to that, my daughter is 14, thinks she knows everything and has gotten a mouth on her. My dad is leaving next week for Montana, my sister will soon be smaller than me, I can't keep anything on my stomach, my house looks like a hurricane came through it, oh no, that was Jacob, and my husband is snoring at 2:30 in the am while I am up blogging. What is wrong with this picture? There are many more blogs to come this weekend. I am just getting started. And did I mention that this is race weekend?

Firsts

Wow! Easter was great, but oh so stressful!!!! This is our first Easter without Paw Paw! It was so weird. Stephen preached Sunday, I sang at church - I know that is strange. This was the first time we had been back to the church since the funeral. I think it finally hit little Jacob that Paw is gone. He just cried and cried - for hours. I took him to the cemetary so he could talk to Paw. The things he said were so sweet and innocent but so sad. He said, "I don't mean to talk bad about God, but it is not fair that he took PawPaw so soon." Then he asked me, "How do you keep loving someone who is not here anymore?" Okay I am a social worker, but it is so different when it is your child, all you can do is cry. Or at least that was all I could do! There are a few things that I think children should never have to hear - death, cancer, DHR - this is to name a few. He seems to be doing better today, but it is from day to day. Everybody is doing better - but good grief it is so hard! Write more later - love to all.

Jacob's First Love

We have started going to a different church. A friend of mine, Sharon Smith, goes there also. She has a daughter, Savannah, who is 7 or 8. Sunday night we were coming home from church and Jacob was real quiet - clue number 1. I asked Jacob if something was bothering him. He had no reply. As a mother you know when something is up with your kids. Again, I asked him if he was okay. In a minute he says, "ok I admit it...I hugged Savannah...I have a crush on her." I thought Stephen would run off the road. We laughed until we cried.

This same little girl reminded me that Sunday was Potluck Sunday. She then told me that they always ran out of bananna pudding. In a minute, again she said "we always run out of bananna pudding." I said, "Savannah, do you want me to bring some bananna pudding?" She said, "Oh no I just hope we don't run out of bananna pudding - well okay just bring alot of it." Have a great weekend. Love to all!

The Joy of God...

I have heard what the singing in heaven is going to be like. Stephen and I had the great privilege of attending the Gaither Homecoming concert last night. It was the most awesome event I have been to in a long time. It was a little different than the concerts before. George Younce, Anthony Burger , Jake Hess, David Phelps and Mark Lowry were not there. George, Jake and Anthony have gone on to heaven. Mark Lowry has had a motorcycle wreck and David Phelps has gone out on a solo tour. But there was some young talent there that were on fire for God. The Issacs, The Booth Brothers, Signature Sound. I say all of this to say that the Holy Spirit was in the BJCC last night. It was so nice to be in a placewhere there was no smoking or drinking. It was awesome! God is so in charge. Love to all, gin