Journey's End

It's wonderful to reflect on such a great trip.  I never thought I'd be able to enjoy such a long one.  I really have though it wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for my wonderful sister Pam.  We have connected and I've found a friend for life.  

Julie came through her surgery with flying colors, as far as I'm concerned, being able to go to her favorite Dicken's fair 2 weeks after.  I'm so glad I was able to share in her beautiful Christmas which I've heard about for years.  

It was wonderful to be at the Pam's family in Vacaville where I celebrated the best Christmas, where everyone got gifts that they loved.  I got to see the wonderful Napa Valley again.  I went to school there and the Hills around are wonderful.  I will get the pictures finished when I return. 

Julie and my road trip was very long and tiring but it was also wonderful to see my son, Jason as well.  Hearst Castle was beautiful but we were jaded by seeing Castles in Europe that were larger.  The tapestries and art work were wonderful.  More pictures will be coming.  It was a harrowing ride up the beautiful coast being Julie's gas tank went form 1/2 full to almost empty in less than 60 miles.  That's rough on highway 1 where there are no gas stations.  We finally found one and the gas price $5.79 a gallon and we didn't even care.

Our last night was in Pacific Grove where we got to see Jennifer and her daughter Ivy who were a lot of fun to be with.  Ivy missed Julie when she left,  Ivy is 2.  Our room in Pacific Grove was wonderful with a gas fireplace that stayed on all night.  We found a great breakfast place and made it with no problems to Stanford and Julie's doctor's follow up after surgery.  The doctor's assistant made Julie feel as though she could have improved more and of course that made Julie feel bad.  I know she's done very well and I'm very proud of her.

Mason and Julie brought me back to Pam's and I said goodbye.  I've had my last night with Pam and we enjoyed Diane who visited.  Pam and I will enjoy a great day together with the ride to SFO this evening.

What a great Journey!!

 

December 25th

It was a wonderful day!!  I didn't sleep well and woke early.  Before leaving Pam called England and talked with my Mother's relatives and I see there's a whole group on my Mother's side that I don't know.  It was really cool since she put them on speaker phone and I can see how much they really enjoy having a family here.  Barbara, our sister had called so we talked with her, wishing her a Merry Christmas From Wisconsin.  She was doing well and we had a nice chat. 

Soon it was time to go to David's, Pam's oldest son.  Pam had cooked a rolled bake and an egg bake and I put together the fruit salad.  Tabatha, Ross's Fiance brought cinnamon rolls made from scratch and were absolutely wonderful.  It was great fun getting to know the family.  Each was different and a lot of fun.  I enjoyed getting to know Tavia and found she has my passion for organic.  David was really an imp and I loved it.  It was so fun being able to joke and have fun with everyone.  Soon we opened presents and it was really great that there wasn't a rush.  The kids opened their gifts first and we all watched and then little by little everyone opened them and we could all admire and see how much each enjoyed what they got.  I've never enjoyed a Christmas more.  I also have never seen a time where everyone loved their presents.  Everyone had taken the time to find exactly what the receiver wanted.  It was really cool  I feel like I've won the lottery and get to claim a whole new family. 

It was almost 2 before I left and only did so because I was tired.  Julie had asked me to come to a party in the afternoon but txt me and wasn't sure when they would get to there. I wanted to wait and go with them so enjoyed coming home and taking a nap.  It felt so good and I really needed it.  I did remember to bring in the dogs so they wouldn't bark.  Waking I knew I needed real protein so made a hamburger.  It was good just to eat solid meat.

Julie finally got to Vallejo about 6 and I left shortly after.  Here was another great party and I had fun talking with everyone.  I arrived back home about 8 and enjoyed the rest of the evening with Pam.  

It's one of the best Holiday's I've ever had.

December 24th

Christmas Eve?  How the time flys.  I can't believe that I've been here for 20 days now and this is my last week.  I'm making the best of it enjoying each and every moment, especially the time I'm getting to spend with my sister Pam.  I'm sure going to miss her.  It was a great day starting with getting to Julie's early.  She had her last presents that she wanted to get so we were off.  At least the store was close and we found everything.  Julie wasn't feeling well, but it was her stomach and not her hip so that was good.  She's continuing to wean off her drugs and still moving a lot.  We stopped at a dollar store to get wrapping stuff so all presents could be wrapped and then back to Julie's.  I left her there to rest and was off to return the first backpack that I got her.  Not the right kind.  I thought I had lost the receipt but found it in the backpack itself.  I was so happy.

I had to go to stop in Pinole.  It took 1/2 hour just to get off the highway and park.  Once in the parking lot there was plenty of parking so I didn't understand the clog getting off the highway.  I went to return Julie's first backpack and found I needed to wait in the line which was at least 20 people deep.  I just pulled out my phone and listened to my book.  It's so nice to just be able to enjoy waiting.  I asked for a different way out of the parking lot and found I could go around the buildings and it was an easy back to the main road though that was still clogged a bit.  The drive back to Vallejo was smooth but as soon as I got near a shopping mall it was stop and go.  I did need to stop by another dollar store for wrappings since I forgot to ask Julie for the boxes that I needed.  

At home I tried taking a nap but the dogs kept barking since they knew I was inside.  I finally got up and was so happy that Pam got home from Sacramento seeing Steve.  She too had issues with traffic.  The world was out shopping.  I ran back to the store for some fruit for Christmas brunch and found it not too bad.  I guess I'm learning how to slip in and out without much fuss.

While I was out Pam had a friend come over and exchanged gifts.  We went to Debi, another friend of Pam's, for dinner.  What a grand meal she had.  Ham, mashed potato's, broccoli, salad, and my favorite, her homemade tamales.   The tamales and sauce were wonderful.  Debi is a great lady and we had a lot of fun.  On the way home Pam dropped off another present and the Christmas delivery's were complete.  It was a nice evening of relaxing.

What a grand Christmas Eve!!

 

.

December 23rd

It was a great day.  It started rather slowly getting some calls in the morning.  I'm very happy that I've accepted a ride from the airport so I'll be bypassing the train.  Pam was also busy talking with Steve's family.  I finally left a little after 10 for Julie's.

I arrived and found she wanted to go for breakfast.  It was the same little house that I thought was the old coffee house.  Their lunch wasn't as good as their breakfast but we had fun.  We were off shopping.  I had decided that I wanted new very light luggage so I can bring all of my stuff home without paying extra.  I found 2 Nautica hard cover cases in bright pink.  I love them and Julie got me one for Christmas.  They were at Ross's which helped making them much cheaper than full priced stores.  I'm thrilled and can hardly wait to start packing.  Julie all of the sudden had enough after getting a lot done but still needing the most important person to shop for, Mason.  I said I'd come back tomorrow.

Mason got Julie a massage at 3 and we arrived back at Julie's just in time.   I came back to Pam's.  It was great missing most of the traffic.  Ross, Pam's son, wanted to take us out to an Indian dinner.  Our dinner with Ross and  his Fiance' was wonderful.  We went to a great place in Benicia and let Ross order.  He ordered everything mild and one hot.  The hot was too hot for me.  The rest was great.  There were a lot of vegetarian dishes.  Cauliflour, Spinch and goat cheese, Beans and lentil's etc.  I've never enjoyed Indian food so much.  The variety was wonderful and having a little of everything made me fill like I ate a lot of different things.  Thank you Ross.  We drove around after seeing the Clover house Christmas lights and also going down by the water and looking at Ross's wedding venue.  It's great.

At home we got an invitation from a friend, Debbie, of Pam's.  We're invited to a Christmas Eve dinner.  I'm so glad I love meeting new people and have fun.

All in all a wonderful day.  Time is flying by.

December 22nd

I had a very nice day.  Julie had txt and said that she and Mason needed some alone time.  I'm so glad that she's happy and makes sure they take care of their relationship.  I had a great day with Pam.

First we had Jazzercise which I really worked and and sure do feel it.  We next went to the antique store where she found the chest or her granddaughter and were pleasantly surprised that it was complete.  It wasn't that heavy and I put it into Pam's car.  What a relief getting it with the excuses they had not fixing and delivering it.   Pam wanted to stop by the Post office but there were so many people there we bypassed it and went on to deliver a couple of gifts for her friends.  It's so cool to see how many friends she has.  I love her different stories about how she met them.  One was at a murder trial they were both on.  

We arrived home to see a flower delivery by the front door.  Pam said it was Barbara, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was for both of us so I knew it was a relative since no one else knew I was in town.  Sure enough it was a gift from our Sister Barbara.  We had a quick lunch and we were both tired so took a wonderful nap.  

I woke in an hour and was out to pick up my touch up powder that Fiona had told me about.  It's the only thing she trusted that I could do to keep the roots of my hair from looking completely awful.  I went to Sally's Beauty and found it quickly but then knew I needed gloves so went next door to the dollar store.  The world was in there but I found them quickly and it wasn't too bad waiting in line.  

At home I showered and did my hair. We decided to go to dinner and to the movies.   We called and thanked Barbara for the flowers and found that Diane would love to come with us so we were off to a great Mexican place in Benicia.  We found it closed but Diane remembered another Mexican place close to the theater.  Sure enough it was very close and our parking angel found us a parking place right out front.  Dinner was great and we were off to the movies with 10 minutes to spare.  We had no idea since all of us left our phones at home.

We saw Exodus Gods & Kings in 3D.  It was action packed but they took a lot of liberties with the bible version which was interesting.  I guess I'm rather a bible buff and would have rather seen a bible version.  We had a good time and the actors were great.  I did like the way they parted the red sea and also how they showed Moses not being the perfect man.  

We ended the day with a couple of tv shows and relaxing.  I can't believe that I'll be traveling home in a week. 

      

December 21st

My day started with a great sleep, not waking up at all.  That's the first in many years.  I even went back to sleep for that little extra luxury.  Julie was off again with Mason going to the Dicken's Faire.  

I still had the coins in the car from cleaning out Julie's hall.  They needed to be counted so that was my morning chore.  I had seen that there was  coin counter at Safeway so off I went.  Now how to get the huge bags into the store?  I got a cart and brought it back to the car.  I was able to lift the 2 heavy bags into it.   At the coin counter, of course, there were some kids getting their coins counted.  Once I started it was rather fun but sure does make a lot of noise.  I was 1/3 the way through when the coin counter just stopped.  I got an attendant to help me, I either I had broken it or it was completely full.  I saw that Pam had called.  Her son, Ross had called and we were going for lunch instead of dinner but I still had time to finish my coin counting so off I went to the next Safeway.  I wondered if I'd break this one too?

I was glad I got the hang of the the coin counter by then and now it was a lot easier.  I did need to get 3 different tags but I was able to get all of them, well I did miss a 50 cent wrapper stuck in the bottom of the cart but it is now done.  I put all of the money and receipts into Julie's lunch box and it's ready to return to her.  I'm glad that's done and Julie has her extra money.

I got back in time for the luncheon and then Ross called and was sick so it was off.  Pam made a great salad and I decided I needed a rest.  I woke at 2 and decided to go to the mall and find a few things that I wanted for Christmas.  I found them quickly bypassing the crowds.  I did need to walk a ways since the parking lots were crammed with everyone shopping.  It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed being outside.  It seemed so unreal to not need a jacket.

I went back out for dinner but enjoyed a great evening of quiet.  Pam went to watch her grandkids and had a great time.  

All in all it was a great day.

 

December 20th

It was a grand day.  I left Pam's at 9:10 and got to Julie's before 10.  Yes, no traffic.  I was so happy.  I got Julie into the car a lot better, though she was upset, since the head of my car was in the street and she didn't want to get hit, I suppose that's because it's her car?  LOL  I did have my flashers on.  

We had a good trip down to the Cow Palace and I was able to pick up the money I wanted from Julie since I wrote her a check.   It was very cool since we were very close to her Dicken's Faire.  Getting Julie close to the entrance took a little doing but soon we were unloading Julie with her walker, and all off the stuff.  I took the car up to the upper lot and parked.  Now, I know which would have been closer, but at the time I was just getting back to Julie. 

She was so great all ready waiting for me and introducing me to everyone.  Julie was in her element.  She had to go the other way so a friend pushed her walker and I went inside and met her where I was to meet her.  Marty came up just as she came by me and he treated us to an eggnog.  We then found Mason and found his dressing room.  From there we went to where Julie and Mason played and it was so fun to see Julie and Mason play.  We didn't have too long before we needed to be at their next gig so I just followed along.  That was pretty much most of the day.  

I took some pictures that I'll add to the end.  I must say I was tired and Julie needed her medicine and sent me after it.  I couldn't find Mason and the guards wouldn't let me go where I wanted to go so I came back to find Jule and Mason there.  Julie then asked me to stay and off she went to get her meds.  I wasn't patient enough and didn't stay put.  I had thought the next gig was over where we were before but I hadn't paid close enough attention to where Julie had told me.  I wondered and wondered until finally txting i found the right theater.  I did get to see Mason's final scene of Pinocchio.  I guess I still need more patience.  If I had waited for Julie I would have been able to see the whole thing.  

I did have a great time and got some pictures at the end of the show.  I was tired and could so see Julie was in her element and so happy.  I'm so happy she had her meds and was able to truly enjoy her Dicken's Faire.  After all of the years she's done it, I was happy I could be part of her wonderful Christmas experience.  

At 4 pm I came on back to Vallejo.  I got a bite to eat and enjoyed a nice quiet evening with Pam.  

It was a grand day!! 

December 19th

What a day!!  It started out great.  I met Pam's ladies at the Good Eat Cafe in downtown Vallejo.  It was wonderful food and we had a lot of fun.  All except the Power going out for a couple of minutes that I gasped and remembered the 4 days I was without Power during Sandy.  It came back on and we got our food.  What a relief and all was back to normal.  I left after I ate but before all were ready to leave.  I was off to Julie's.

Julie was on the phone trying to get her prescription for her pain medicine which she discovered would run out before tomorrow.  I too was on the phone and finally we were both ready to do some Christmas shopping.  Julie did do well though getting in and out of the car was a bit rough.  We stopped at Kohl's first and picked up everything we could find there.  At the check out Julie finally got the call back from the doctors office where they said she had to pick up the prescription in Stanford and of course we were in Alameda.  Needless to say Julie was all up set and I said I'd make the trip.  

I got Julie back to the house and I was off.  It was a long ride down with lots of traffic.  I finally pulled up to the Valet at 5:33 pm and they said Valet closed at 5:30.  I had to drive back to the parking garage and walked back to the hospital.  I went down to the Pharmacy in the basement and found Deepak, who was the director of the Pharmacy.  He didn't have any idea what I was talking about but said he'd help me.  He called the doctors office and asked to talk with the doctor on call.  He then had the idea to go to the nurses station where Julie stayed.  Sure enough the prescription was there.  Deepak took me back to his office and gave me a gift card for Starbucks for all of the trouble I was having.  He was so very kind. Deepak's assistant took me to the Walgreen pharmacy which was located in the Cancer Center, It was a long line but finally got up to the counter to find out that they were out of the medicine.  The assistant said I could go to another Walgreens close by but I asked if they Alameda Walgreens had it since that was where I got it filled for Julie before.  They did have it and they were open until 9 pm.  The lady was so very nice and double checked that the prescription was right, changing Julie's last name and checked in the computer to make sure that she had it filled before.  All was in order.

Now to get back to the car which was quite a ways away.  The attendants said that the shuttle wouldn't  be back by for another 10 minutes but as I started to walk I saw the shuttle coming up the drive.  I knew everything would be alright.  I talked with Julie and of course she was upset but happy I had made progress.  I got back to the garage to find the machine wouldn't take my money.  The attendant said to bring the ticket and the money and he would take it.  I was on my way and my gps said I'd be in Alameda by 8.  Traffic did get sticky and I took a wrong turn so drove around the 101 interchange a bit but got back on track and arrived at the Walgreens by 8:30 pm.  Again I had great people helping me and I soon had my prescription filled and I arrived back a Julie's.  She had a nice slice of turkey with a great side dish all ready for me and I felt such a relief that she had her medicine.

Now for the trip home to Pam's.  I arrived home about 10 and it took another hour or so for me to relax and get ready for bed.  I am so grateful that I have such a great place to relax and be part of.  It felt so good to finally crawl into my bed.

Though tiring it was a good day and I got to spend a lot of time with Julie.   

December 18th

I woke yesterday to discover I'm sleeping well and totally changed time zones.  I had a great sleep and was ready for a wonderful day.  I wondered about Julie since she was already up and found that she hadn't slept well so I decided to come a little later. 

Pam and I went to Mom's grave and it was good to remember her.  Pam has told me a lot about her and I see how much I missed.  I lived with my Dad and Step Mom and didn't get to know my Mom.  I've been so blessed to be here with Pam and really get to know who Mom was.  As a child I stuck to the background since I didn't like strife and did whatever it took to minimize it.  Now, I see, I missed out a lot not being with my Mom. 

I needed to deal with some Real Estate stuff and then I was off to Julie's.  I'm so glad I have my audio books to read on the way.  For some reason there was traffic but, since I listen to books, it's just part of the trip.  Julie had just gotten up and we were both tired.  Julie hadn't gotten much sleep.  She had forgotten to take her pain meds when we went to the nail salon.  Once she was behind the pain it's difficult to get ahead of it.  Julie wants to go to Dicken's Faire on Saturday.  She's doing so well I'm sure she'll do well if she's willing to stay a little loopy taking her pain meds often enough.  She was trying to stretch them out to 5 hours instead of the 3 that was prescribed.

We stayed around her place and worked on her puzzle.  I had some Real Estate stuff to work on too so got that done.  I left about 4 since I wanted to get some Christmas shopping done.  Again traffic was bad but I stopped in Pinole and went to 2 stores and found everything I wanted.  I was going to stop at The Outback for dinner but missed how to get into it.  I went to the next exit and found the Sizzler which was better since they have a line and you eat after ordering.  I was glad since it wouldn't take that long to eat and it was good.

I was glad to get home and relax.  Somehow I was very tired and glad to be home.

December 17th

I had a wonderful day.  I enjoyed a great trip into Julie's with minor delay's here and there.  I found that Julie  also wanted to get a manicure.  I googled and found Vicki's Nail Salon 2 blocks over and 5 blocks down.  We made our appointments for 2 pm and they said they could take both of us.  

I was tried and rested for a bit and then we heated up some Broccoli and added some chicken with it.  The directions said it would take us 17 minutes to walk so we gave it 1/2 hour.  We were off and had a great time walking there.  It was double what Julie walked the day before and I had to walk very fast to keep up with her.  

We arrived 5 minutes early and waited.  We waited for a bit and then they called Julie to start her pedicure and said I could come over and talk with her.  I knew we were in trouble.  They really only had room for one person at a time.  After they finished with Julie then the lady was ready to start on my.  She put on acrylic instead of Gel.  She said I didn't explain it right.  Oh well,  it will last until I get home and Anna can fix them.

We didn't leave until 4:40 pm and it was raining.  Since it had been nice when we left we didn't think we'd be that long.  We started walking in the rain.  We were quite a sight with Julie using the walker.  We did have fun and went over 2 blocks to Lincoln and then up to the hardware store.  There I picked up an umbrella and Julie called Mason who dropped by on his way home to pick us up.  It was nice to get into the warm car and get a lift home.

Julie wanted to me to enjoy her favorite German food at a restaurant not far from her.  We all got ready and were off again.  I was so surprised that Julie just took her cane though she did lean on Mason for the other side, she walked wonderfully.  She said later she's walking better now than she did when she went back to work with her other hip.  She still does have pain and would love it to go away so she doesn't have to take the pills at all.

The food was wonderful with a taste of the potato pancakes and a cabbage roll.  We all had fun and it was a great dinner.  

We got home around 7 and I headed home to Pam's.  It was a great day and I'm so happy I can be here with Julie to see her progress.

December 16th

I felt bad for Pam as I left the house.  She was talking with the hospital, Steve's daughter, and Steve's doctor working on getting him the help that he needs.  The hospital was going to release him for Pam to bring back home but when she asked if he could climb stairs no one had even thought of having him try.  He couldn't even climb one step.

I went on to Julie's though I stopped to eat breakfast since she and Mason had just got up.  I arrived in perfect timing with everyone ready for the day.  Mason had stayed home since he was still not feeling up to par.  Julie wanted a shower so that was the project of the morning.  Her incision was only 6 inches and we covered it with a bandage and totally enclosed it with tape so no water could get in.  It still amazes me how well she is walking and doing things.  I know how wonderful it felt to her and was happy to stay with her and hand her everything she needed and made sure she was safe.

Once done with the shower Julie wanted to walk down to the Indian place for lunch.  We first lowered her walker and she found it worked much better.  I had to walk fast to keep up with her.  We had a great lunch and when Julie and I were walking out I said it sure would be nice to go the hardware store that was one more block.  Julie liked the idea so off we went.  I do love their hardware store.  Julie found everything she needed, batteries, soap plunger, etc. and then Mason found her a cane though it was too high.  It needed to be cut down to the same height as her walker.  I just knew hat they would do that and sure enough.  We bought it and one of the guy's measured it and cut it for her.  It was perfect and now in the house she's using the cane. 

Just as we were walking home it started to sprinkle.  We were very lucky since it started raining very hard again.  We had a great afternoon watching Miracle on 34th Street.  It was in color so that was great.  Julie and I started putting together her puzzle.  Julie stretched over the puzzle too much and after needed to lay down.  She also needed pain meds.  While she rested Mason and I watched White Christmas in color which i hadn't seen, or didn't remember that version either.  It was so great to get into the spirit of Christmas and see the wonderful classics.

I left at 7 and picked up a chicken sandwich on the way to Pam's.  I had talked on the phone with her and she got Steve's doctor to transfer him to a hospital in Sacramento.  They finally decided that he couldn't go home since he lived by himself 2 1/2 miles outside of Sacramento.  Besides the antibiotics, he needs physical therapy to get his strength up.  Pam worked hard getting him the help that he needs.  She was quite exhausted when I got home since she had stayed with him until he was transferred.

Pam and I relaxed and watched some tv.  All in all a great day.  We were both happy Steve is getting the help that he needs.

December 15th

Time in California is just flying by.  Today I spent with my sister and we had a grand time.

 

First we had breakfast and then off to our Jazzercise class.  Steve said that he was leaving so I parked beside him in Pam's spot in the driveway. Jazzercise was fun and I was able to do more than I had even last week.  After class I paid for my weaving class that we were taking at 1 and we rushed home to get lunch and come back for class. We were quite surprised to find that Steve was sleeping. 

 

Our weaving class was awful.  The teacher told us how good she was and then proceeded to not remember anything.  I, of course, had no idea how to do anything but Pam understand and still wasn't able to make much sense of it.  We paid $8 for supplies which consisted of brush the teacher took out of her yard and some left over yarn that she had.  The teacher said her PC wouldn't talk to her printer so we didn't even get any handouts.  I was glad when that was over and we got back home.  We were tired and Steve was still sleeping.

 

We both rested and got up around 5.  Pam made a great dinner.  Steve was up when we got up and said that since I had blocked him in he decided to stay another night.  Steve was sitting in a chair and when it was time to get our food he couldn't get out of the chair.  Both Pam and I were concerned.  After dinner Steve went back to bed.  Pam and I had a great time watching the Christmas Light show and around 10:30 Steve came back out and fell right in the hall while standing.  He got over by the arm chair but still couldn't get him up.  We wanted to call 911 but he argued against it.  Finally at 11 we called Ross, Pam's son, and he came over and he couldn't get him up either.  Then we called 911 and Steve agreed.  They were there in 5 minutes or less.  They were all very good and had him up and took him to the hospital.  Steve is on dialysis and come to find out, he hadn't been doing it like he should.  He had gotten an infection.  While we were waiting we did have a good time but sure we were going to Emergency Hell for laughing and having fun.  I've never seen so few people in an emergency room.  There were only 1 at a time and were seen right away.

 

We finally got back home after 1 and were happy Steve was being taken care of.

December 14th

It sure did feel good not to get up so early and know that Julie would be just fine.  I txt Julie and thought I'd be there at 10.  I miscalculated a bit since I was talking with Pam and Steve.  I also stopped and got a bite to eat on the way.  It's becoming a very easy trip now that I know the way.  Something about repetition that makes things simple and easy.

 

Julie is moving very well and very careful about her pain meds, making sure she's not taking too much but not allowing the pain to become intense either.  I'm so proud of her and the woman she's become.  We watched a different version of my old favorite the "King and I" and since it was the first time for me, I enjoyed it immensely.  It was noon when we finished and time for lunch.  I put together a salad that Julie suggested ingredients for and we had a wonderful lunch.

 

Julie was up for her first walk so off we went.  There was a park just a block over and an open house in between.  It was a 2 bedroom 1 bath very small and mot fixed up listed for $499,000. we were both appalled.  The yard was nice and long in the back but the house was 10 feet from the next door neighbors.  The price of real estate is high in Alameda.  We continued to park and enjoyed sitting for a while and the continued around the block.  On the other side of the block we found another open house and was going to see that house but it was worse than the first and we didn't even want to look at it, so didn't.  Julie did very well and we probably walked about 5 blocks stopping as needed but she's doing very well.

 

At Julie's we watched Happy Gilmore.  I enjoyed since again I hadn't seen it.  At the end Julie was falling asleep so I left her since it 4:30 pm and I wanted her to sleep until Mason got back from Dicken's faire. 

 

I came back to Vallejo and stopped at the Black Bear Diner, where I enjoyed a great meal.  I listened to the book I had been hearing in the car so continued my story.  On my way home I saw that I was almost out of gas.  I thought I had a lot in the morning so didn't get it and all of the sudden I was almost out.  I got great gas only spending $2.63 for it and felt quite happy.  I do love a bargin,

 

I returned home to Pam's and enjoyed a quiet evening until Pam and Steve got there and heard about the great time at David's.  So sorry Julie and I couldn't make it.

 

I'm so glad I can be here to enjoy Julie and be with her as she recovers.

 

 

December 13th

I discovered that I take things to literally.  I didn't sleep well the night before since I thought I'd ove sleep.  Julie had said she gets up between 7 and 8.  I took the hin,t so I thought, that she needed me by then.  The store that I got her banana's at didn't open until 8 so I headed out at 8.  The store was a gourmet food outlet store.  I really liked it but I couldn't find my vanilla carmel or just any kind of carmel tea. 

Arriving at Julie's I found that she was still in bed and didn't really need me until later.  After fixing her breakfast we both went to bed for a rest.  Boy did we sleep.  I woke a couple of hours later stuck in the same position and got up since I didn't want to hurt or wake Julie.  Then I fell asleep in the couch which is not comfortable but I didn't care.  I slept another 2 hours.  Jule woke just a bit before I did so we both caught up on our sleep. 

We woke hungry.  I put on the artichokes and Julie was talking about getting a board for her 1000 piece puzzle.  It was 20 x 27 so I was off to the hardware store to get a piece of plywood.  I had to find parking and going around the block I discovered a Seventh Day Adventist Church.   Interesting since I had been SDA a long time ago.  I found it interesting that while I got my piece cut 31 inches long and it was already 24 inches high so plenty big enough for our puzzle, a man wanted the other piece.  How cool to help someone else out.

 The artichokes came out really good so well worth the money I paid for them.  It's always nice to have food turn out great.  We also had some black bean soup but it didn't have substance. It needed some black beans.  Julie usually had her soup with black beans in it too. 
;
After lunch I dealt with some work issues and Julie watched tv.  Julie did well with her pain meds and felt pretty good.  She wrote every time she took her meds.  I found it strange to see my daughter give herself her shot for blood thinner shot.  She's really good at it.

Since there wasn't much food in Julie's refrigerator so I decided that she needed food.  I got a list and discovered the things Julie wanted.  I also wanted to to the Raley's which is called Nob Hill in Alameda, and discover if they had my carmel tea.  I found all of the things Julie wanted but I could only find vanilla tea which I got.

Julie had wanted to go to a party but was too late when Mason got back to her.  It was probably better to relax and rest another day.  I left for Pam's when Mason got home.  It was good to get back home.  I had a nice salad for dinner and enjoyed relaxing.

All in all a great day.

December 12th

My day started with the rude awakening of the phone.  Michelle was calling me and I thought it was 3 am.  It was actually 6 am and she was without heat.  Somehow we'd used all except the 10 inches that reside in the bottom of the oil tank.  I called Petro and got them to come out and start the furnace and get 200 gallons of oil tomorrow.  I was really thrilled that the price was $2.79 a gallon which is a whole dollar a gallon cheaper than last year.  The technician didn't arrive until 3 pm but was able to get the furnace started, replaced a filter he had issues getting out and also put in a gauge so next time we will be able to know when we need oil.  Of course, I couldn't go back to sleep.

It was another day of txting back and forth to Julie.  She finally got out of the hospital in the afternoon which is a relief.  Mason picked her up and brought her back home.  She is doing well but of course hurting a bit.  She did get some sleep at home and I know was happy to be there.

It finally stopped raining and was nice to see the sun in the afternoon.  I had a great day being able to get outside and enjoying the fresh air.  Steve, Pam's brother came up.  I hadn't met him before.  It's great meeting more extended family.

In the evening I went to Gonzales to eat a great Mexican dinner.  Pam went to a Christmas Party with her Poker friends and I did a little shopping.  I'm glad that I had the gps since it helped me find grocery stores and I enjoyed shopping around.  I somehow got home via gps.  I was surprised that I didn't find my Vanilla Carmel tea but hope to find it today.  I did find some huge artichokes which I'll cook today.  They were 3.99 a piece but beautiful.

It was a good day but I'm very happy to be with Julie today.

December 11th

What a rainy day.  It was pouring down but it let up a bit so we could go to Jazzercise.  It felt good to get out of the house.  I can't believe that it's been a whole week that I've been out here.  It seems like I've been here a long time.  It feels so good to feel at home.

Julie txt me that she thought she'd be coming home but that was false hope.  She still has a draining tube from her incision and they removed the nerve block so she started feeling all of the pain.  She had issues with not getting the pain meds that didn't produce constipation and  also getting to the bathroom in a timely fashion.    Simple issues but very irritating when one is in pain.  They decided to keep her another day so she decided that since the weather was so bad that she didn't want either Mason or myself to be out in it.  When I saw the weather report and how many floods there were and cars under water I was very glad I stayed in doors.

I did have things to do for my deals that are closing soon and leads to update so I did keep busy for the good part of the day. Pam was a jewel and went out and got a vegetarian with chicken pizza.  It was very good and we enjoyed a salad.  Pam's friend Diane came over so we enjoyed company in the evening.

After watching a couple of shows on tv we were awed by the extent of the storm.  Rain out here is worse than snow back east.  

All in all it was a very good day.  It will be wonderful bringing Julie home to her place today. 

December 10th

It was so nice to have a relaxing day.  I was up early for my blog, ate and then I was tired.  Vacation's are nice that way, I went back to sleep and slept for a couple of hours.  I'm sure the night I didn't sleep well before Julie's surgery had caught up with me.  I am so lucky that I have a wonderful sister and comfy place to sleep.

Getting back up I was txting Julie back and forth.  She was up walking doing her therapy but still not sleeping.  

Pam got ready for the storm, getting sand bags at the community center and putting them in front of her garage.  We needed to make a run to the WalMart.  It's down in American Canyon which is actually in Napa.  I got to see places over grown with houses that I hadn't seen since I was a child.  The WalMart is the largest I've ever seen.  I think they grow stores double the size as we have in the east.  The store wasn't too crowded but the people buying were buying out the store so though the line wasn't long it took a long time to get through. 

It was good to get back home and relax. After I got home, Julie told me that Mason wasn't feeling good and didn't go to be with her.   I had to accept that Julie didn't tell me for a reason.  She's grown which is always hard for me to realize especially when I'm with her.  I do know it felt good to just have a down day.  

Pam and I cooked together and had burgers and a salad.  So many new memories.  

The end of another great day.

December 9th

My day started very early.  Mason txt and of course we all saw Julie's in bed surgery prep picture.  I was at Julie & Mason's being updated.  I found that Julie was 1/2 hour late getting into surgery. and it would be 2 hours after surgery before we could see her.

I decided that I was hungry so got on the computer and found a diner, or so I thought.  I followed the gps and found the place listed wasn't there but saw O'le Cafe across the street.  I knew it was the place for me.  I got my food and being crowded, a nice lady was happy for me to sit down.  We started talking and she had a pipe in her basement crack and flood her saved material.  She tried to wash them to no avail, she was quite upset.  After talking a bit, I got her to look at the positive things and discover what was important.  When I left to go to Palo Alto, and she left to go back home we both felt great.  I do love meeting and helping people.  

I found that Julie was still in surgery when I got down close so decided to go to the Mall.  I expected and in door one but it was outdoors.  I got a chocolate drink and found I was tired.  It was to the car since I still had a couple of hours to wait before Jule was out of surgery.  I would get updates from Mason.  They're putting the implant in etc.  She got out of surgery at noon and was doing fine.  

After my rest Mason said to come on over and park.  That was a chore.  The parking is under ground and it feels as you are going up but really going down.  I finally found a spot on L3 so I was way down.  On top Mason was waiting for me and it was so great to have guide to get to the appropriate place.  Richard & Ray Lynn were there and we had fun talking.  I found a place to charge my phone and a nice lady to watch it for me and of course as soon as we got settled in for the wait it was over and there was my precious Julie all talking and doing well.

We went down to D1 and the joint center.  Everyone has hips or knees replaced.  The nurse told Julie she was the youngest in the unit.  We were all happy with all of the new things they have.  The big one for me was the automatic leg pressure regulators to prevents blood clots.  It's so much nicer than the ugly leggings that I had to wear.

We stayed until late with Richard and Ray Lynn leaving first and a half hour later Mason & I left.  I'm so glad all is well with Julie though she's not happy in the hospital.  She wants to come home today but I'm hoping that she will stay another day. 

The drive home was great with no traffic except as I was getting ready to make the turn onto Tennessee I saw at least 30 cop cars going towards Berkley.  As I was telling Pam about it up popped on her screen that all of 80 was blocked with protesters.  I had just made it through.  I'm so grateful.

I did txt back and forth to Julie until she got her pain meds and was falling asleep.  I did see this morning that she had difficulty sleeping but at least we know she'd doing well.

All in all I had a great day and I'm so wonderfully grateful that Julie is doing well!!

 

December 8th

 It was a wonderful day.  I'm having so much fun getting to know Pam.  I can't believe it's taken 60 years to get to know her but I'm sure glad I have a relationship now.

We were off to Jazzercise at the senior center.  Everyone was so nice and one lady knew Marilyn, my Exhusband's sister-in-law.  I found it amazing that one lady used to live in NJ etc.  After running up and down stairs the day before I found it was really a huge workout.  We started in chairs but moved to standing etc.  

After class we went to the dollar store.  I had gotten a hold of Uncle Ethan who turned 91 the 8th and my cousin Larry was taking him down to the Olive Garden which is right in Vallejo not 5 minutes from our place.  I invited us to meet them and have a birthday celebration for Uncle Ethan.  We needed a card which said you don't look a day older.  We found lots of wonderful things at the dollar store.

At home we made lunch and I was off to take a nap.  Getting up I found that Pam hadn't slept yet and I called Larry for a time frame on dinner.  It looked like it would be 5 pm or later so Pam had her nap and I caught up on some tv shows and dealt with some e-mails.  

We were finally off to dinner where Pam & I got seats and then I saw Aunt & Uncle coming up the path and ran out to meet them.  It was wonderful seeing them again and didn't know that it was Uncle Ethan that drove.  I guess 91 is just a frame of mind since he was wonderful.  Aunt Fredi didn't talk as loud but had plenty to say.  I was so grateful to give Bev a hug.  I sure do miss her and of course Larry and I always give each other a hard time so nothing has changed and we had the time of our lives.  Pam fit right in and we all had fun.  Here are the pictures.

 Right to left Front Row - Bev, Uncle Ethan, Aunt Fredi, 

Back Row - Kathy & Larry

Front row Right to left - Uncle Ethan, Aunt Fredi, 

Back Row - Pam, Kathy & Larry

After dinner I went home, picked up a small bag and I was off to Julie's.  She & Mason stayed down in Stanford since she needed to be at the hospital at 5 am.  Her Dad, Richard and Ray Lynn also went down the night before so could be with Julie in the early morning.  Julie decided that it was fine for me to come down after surgery since she had so many people there before.  Mason is being my communication so I know when she's going into surgery and I'll get down to be there when she wakes. 

December 7th

What a great day!!  it started with my lovely sister bringing apple strudel's from her favorite bakery.  A half of one was so wonderful.  I haven't had once since I left California in 1986.

Just as I got ready to go to Julie's she txt and was ready for me.  It amazes me how that works.  The trip was easier and I almost don't need the gps.  I did stop off at Walgreens which I found easily, and picked up a few things I needed.  Julie was on the porch when I arrived but jumped and saying that she was so glad I was here to help her.

She took me to the hall where there was stuff all along the side and said we're going to clear this out.  I didn't have the heart to say that's a huge job but said what do we do first.  We took stuff to the car for goodwill.  I was running up and down to the recycle and garbage and Julie got all of the pennies that she and Mason had collected through the years down to the car.  I drove since Julie had to hold a lot of stuff going to goodwill.

Goodwill was first and we got everything out and left.  Not sure the ladies were happy but there were many others doing the same thing.  Next was the bank and the pennies.  Oops, we forgot it was Sunday and the bank was closed.  Since we were now starved we went to one of Julie's favorite places and shared a Burger and Chili.  Very good!!

The Hardware store was next.  Wow!! I've never seen a hardware store that had literally everything.  From silverware, glass ware to pipes and lumber and  every tool there is.  It was huge and we went through everything.  We were looking for a curtain rod but we didn't find one that would work and Julie liked.  We did get keys so I have a set to get into her place.  

At home we were now half way finished.  I was tired and so was she.  We rested before getting ready for the rest of the chore.  Julie was amazing being able to reorganize and got Mason's clothes that he wears out and the rest all packed away.  It took another 2 hours to do it and I helped by bringing things and taking things away.  We really did finish and I vacuumed the floor.  We really did it.  I didn't think that it would get done but my daughter really did get it all done.  

She's feeling better and I'm sure will be fine for her surgery Tuesday.  

I decided that we all needed a good meal so had Julie point me to the direction of the grocery store.  I went to the goodwill turned left, straight down to the stores.  Safeway was great getting the veggie's and chicken I wanted.  They also had the flavored butter that I wanted to saute chicken with.  I even found my way back to the house without passing it.  I was so proud.  

Mason had arrived home from Ren Faire.  I fixed dinner and Julie and I ate wonderful steamed veggie's and chicken.  It was very good and healthy.  I called Pam to let her know I was on my way.  I am so glad I'm staying with her.  Talking and watching a little tv was a wonderful ending to a great day.

 

 

December 6th

Today was for Julie.  I waited at home until she called which was exactly when I was ready so all worked out perfectly.  I'm so grateful to Pam for letting me use her gps since mine won't update for California.  

I was on my way.  I couldn't get my iPhone to play through the tape player.  Julie had explained it and I still couldn't get it to work. I listened with my speaker but knew I'd get Julie to show me one more time.  It was a smooth ride into Alameda.  I'm so glad I have a gps and it became easier being able to get into the appropriate lane when needed.  It's quite a trick up here.  You could be going to never never land without realizing it.

Julie was on the porch when I arrived and feeling better than she had.  I was so glad.  It was so nice sitting out side and it felt so good to feel warm air.  Soon though there were people down below and a mulch trailer which looked like they were going to take down a tree.  Sure enough a large tree next to Julie's house was being taken down to the roof top.  It was then that I noticed on the other side Julie's huge lemon tree.  Well the tree wasn't huge but the lemons are larger than grapefruit.  I was so amazed I had to take a picture.

 

We went inside when the noise got too much and soon Julie was tired and we decided to take a nap.  I do love those naps though I got hot and opened the windows so it was quite noisy.  I didn't get much sleep but it was a nice rest.  I was glad Julie went to her room and slept well.

Julie got up and we watched some Netflex shows and enjoyed talking.  It was so great being with Julie and spending time with her.  What a wonderful gift of being with her.

Around 8 pm I was tired and knew I needed to travel all the way back to Vallejo so ended my time with Julie.  Mason was on his way home too so knew Julie wouldn't be alone long.  I did find out how to listen to my phone so I can now enjoy my audio books too.  There was only one slow up so the trip went quickly.  

It was great to have Pam at home and I struggled to stay up until 10, well it was really 9:50 and I was off to bed.

The end of another wonderful day.