Happy New Year!!! And Our Ireland Story...

I love this photo of the Fireworks over Disney!

Hey Ya'll,

Happy New Year Everyone!!

****After writing this post, I realized that it turned out to be the story of how my Grand Parents died and how it effected me, so if you don't want to read it, I totally understand.  However, some of what happened in Ireland is comical!  At least I can laugh about it now!!  LOL **** 

****And it is partially a Debbie Downer post too I'm afriad.****

I am home.....alone, but that is ok.  I am fine being alone, it is just the way that I am home alone that is a bit worrisome.  Walt is upset with me for some reason that he has yet to discuss with me.  I got a bit upset last night, when it became apparent that he was still miffed at me (it apparently started before Christmas), so of course I let my imagination run wild, and asked him if he was leaving me too!  I say too, because he knows that both of my parents are in delicate physical condition, and could pass on at any time.  So to think that I could lose both of my parents and him too, was just too much for me to even think about last night!!

We were both supposed to go stay a night or two with his Sister's and Mother, in a Townhouse at Lake Tahoe this weekend.  Well, I found out yesterday that only he was going.  He neglected to tell me this.  So this kind of sent up a red flag to me.  So when I realized that something was still wrong last night, it really worried me.  He is being nice and friendly, but not quite the same.  So I do worry.  I don't know what I would do if he wanted to leave me.  I am not sure if I would want to.  I have nothing without him.  No way to support myself, no where to go to, not even SSI or SDI.  So I am just hopeful that it is all my imagination.

I am sure that it is just my imagination, and I am thinking the worst....!  Walt is very comforting and has always been there for me in the worst of times.  He got me through losing the last of my Grandparents about 11-12 years ago.  And he knows that I will need him even more when my parents pass on.  I will not be able to call anyone to inform them, I cannot do it.  He said that he will do it, and Kat said that she would help too.

When my Brother called to advise me that my Grandmother called died.  Walt and I were in a Restaurant, and had just ordered our food.  Right after my Brother gave me the news, I passed the phone over to Walt and he finished talking with him, while I just sat there with tears streaming down my face!  I couldn't stop them or control them in any way.  So when the waitress came over with our food, Walt asked her for a LOT of napkins!!  So I ate as best I could, and blew my Nose almost continually.  People were looking at us like Walt must have told me he wanted a Divorce or something!!  I'm sure that's what they thought, and felt sorry for me!

And to make things even worse....we had already made plans to eat Dinner with Walt's parents for that night.  So after going home, and crying most of the afternoon, I felt that I would be able to meet with my In-Laws for Dinner (I figured that I had cried myself out).  I did ok, until Walt told them that my Grandmother had died that day.  Then I broke down and started to cry again!!  But, I managed to get myself under control after a while, and a trip to the ladies room.  And it wasn't like her death was a surprise, we knew that she could go at any time!  But she was like the glue that held our family together, and life just hasn't been the same since her passing!

My Grandparents had been together for about 70+ years.  They were from the South and grew up very poor.  They married very young so that they could begin their lives together.  She was a bit under 14 and he was only 15 yrs old!  So they had spent their whole lives together!!  We knew that once she was gone, that my Grandfather wouldn't last long.  However, he actually lasted a little bit longer than we thought, but most of it was with Alzheimer's and Dementia (about a year).

A year after her Death, Walt and I took Kat and Russ to Ireland for a 2 week Bus Tour (the first and last one we have gone on, not that we had a bad experience).  We had about 5 days left on the Tour there, (the Bus Tour was over Christmas/New Years), when my Grandfather passed.  Christa called me to tell me herself.  I was asleep, as it was about 1 am in Ireland....and I was alone, as Walt was downstairs in the Pub of the Restaurant, with the Tour Guide and Bus Driver (I don't know how he could drink so much at night, and be totally sober, and the smoothest driver we had ever seen the next morning!) having some drinks.  But he came up to our room shortly after.  When I told him, he said that we would do our best to get back home in time for the Funeral!

With Christa doing all the foot work here in the States, getting the proper information needed, and having it faxed to our Hotel, and Walt dealing with the Airline on our end, (luckily the Tour Guide and Bus Driver was nice enough to drive Walt back and forth from the Hotel to the Airport, etc) so he could prove a Death in the family, so they would change our Airplane seats for the day before we were originally to leave, and without charging us for the change!!

We wish now that we had just waited for our actual day to leave, as we would have made it back in time anyway!  We can say now that we wished we had waited, because we now know what we would have missed!!  The flights leaving Dublin, flew out non-stop from Dublin to the East Coast of USA every other day (which was the day that we were originally scheduled to fly out on).  The opposite day, the flight left Dublin, and flew across the small Country, to land in (I am almost positive) Shannon to drop off some, and pick up more passengers.

Which in itself was fine.  The problem was that when we were checking in at Dublin, we of course had to go through Customs....which was very embarrassing!!  Russ didn't know any better, and only took one pair of shoes with him (which he was wearing), and kept them on the whole flight over there which was a very long time....think about it, we left from San Francisco, then changed planes on the East Coast, then flew to Dublin.....so like I said, he never took his BOOTS off the whole time, and they were very moist, and SMELLY the whole trip, as they never had a chance to completely dry out between wearings!  We (in fact everyone on the tour) was very sad for poor Kat, who had to share a room with him the whole time!! LOL

So anyway, (sorry, got off on a tangent again!), during check in, they decided that they needed to check through ALL of our luggage!!  After I had so carefully packed it (at least mine and Walt's!!  I wasn't going to touch Russ's).  When they got to Russ's, we ALL (Kat included), said YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS ONE!!!  Of course they did, thinking we were hiding something.  But they figured out pretty fast that we weren't hiding anything....but the smell!!  But they had to at least pretend to look, since they made us open it up!! LOL  We tried to warn them!

But!  Like I said, that would have been all fine and dandy, it was after all, after 911, and they had to be more careful!  But because we only flew across Ireland, and was staying on the same plane, you would think that they would allow the current passengers to just stay on board!  But NO!!!! We had to deplane, taking all of our carry on stuff, etc, and go through Customs AGAIN!!  But this time, we only had to declare what we had, they didn't bother to check inside....now that I think about it, they were probably warned not to!!  So then we had to re-board, etc all over again.

And....even then, it probably wouldn't have been too bad, but we had someone that boarded in Shannon with a BABY right behind us, that cried most of the trip!!  And even that wasn't the worst.  We were seated in 4 of the 5 center aisle seats, and very near a toilet.  And there was something wrong with it.  You could smell fumes or something from it.  Walt stayed in the back of the plane most of the flight, so that I could lay across our 2 seats most of the way (and to get away from the smell, and flirt with the cute Stewardess too).

I had the worst Headache and Backache, that I could not get rid of no matter how many pain killers I took!!  And believe me, I took a lot!  It is a miracle that I didn't over dose on that flight, since I was taking both Vicoden and Tylenol 3's, on top of extra strength Tylenol's!!!  And it was a VERY LONG FLIGHT!  About 11 hours I think (or was that the whole flight time from Ireland to San Francisco???  It's been too many years and I am too old to remember anymore).

We landed on the East Coast, and of course had to deplane, as we of course had to go through Customs yet AGAIN (for the 3rd time now in one day!!).  So we deplaned, collected all of our luggage, then we had to go to this humongous area with many lines full of passengers, needing to go through Customs!!  We almost didn't make it through in time to make it to our last fight of the day which was to take us to San Francisco.  But at least we were on a different Airplane, and this flight didn't smell, so my Headache started to let up.  By the time we were in San Francisco, we were really glad that we had chartered a Limo to drive us through the San Francisco traffic back to Sacramento!!

It was a REALLY long day, and to have to have driven the last several hours, would have killed Walt!  So at least we got to stretch out in the Stretch Limo, and the Limo driver was nice enough to pull off the freeway and let us order a pizza to eat while riding home!!  By then, pizza sounded fantastic!  One thing we decided after that day, was that we would NEVER take a flight to Europe that wasn't a non-stop flight unless absolutely necessary!!  LOL  We had taken a non-stop flight from San Francisco to London, and returned via Paris to San Francisco on a prior trip.  And although long, you don't have to go through Customs so many times, and....no plane changes!! 

So we made it home in time for the Funeral, and once home, I also got a call from the State of California offering me a job!  So I had to get my Finger prints, and photo for my State ID, etc on the day of the Funeral.  So I left, right after the Funeral, went downtown Sacramento for that, then drove back for the Wake....What a day!!

*********
A side story here, I am sure that if you are still reading, you can at least get a chuckle out of my long story!!  While we were in (I think, like I said, my memory isn't great anymore) Galway, Ireland, we were there for 2-3 nights.  And the first night that we were there, they had several other Tour Buses staying there too, so the Hotel had a big Holiday Dinner for all of us, with  a Show, music and dancing, etc.  There was several Buses of elderly people as well (even to me, they were elderly!), but let me tell you....

Well, I realized that I was coming down with the Cold that one of the other passengers had when the tour started.  So after Dinner, the kids and I went to bed, leaving Walt to have some drinks with the Tour Guide and Bus Driver....well, of course I couldn't sleep well with Walt not in bed.  So about Midnight, I got up, put my clothes on and went to see what he was up too!  I could hear the laughter and music going on downstairs.  I tried to look over the banister to see him.  I saw a lot of the elderly still up and having rip roaring good time!!  Most of it was going on in the Pub by this time.  I didn't want to embarrass him, so I went back to our room, put my pj's back on, and went back to sleep.  I woke up again at about 1 am, and he still wasn't in bed.  So I put my clothes back on, again and did the same thing as before.

I still couldn't embarrass him, so I went back to our room and back to bed again.  And again I woke up, this time at about 2 am, and of course, he still wasn't in bed.  This time, I swore I was going to go down there and make a huge scene and get him back up into bed.  But of course, nice me, I just couldn't do it.

But I was furious!!  He finally came to bed around 2:30-3 am.  He knew I was pissed!  And of course, he had to tell the Tour Guide and Bus Driver the next morning, before I got downstairs for the days tour.  And of course, so did the WHOLE bus load of passengers!!  So for the rest of the trip until the last day, they would ask Walt if I was still pissed at him!!  LOL

When I got the call from Christa, of course Walt told the Tour Guide and Bus Driver (you got it, they were fast friends during the trip!) the next morning, and by the time that we boarded the bus for the next days tour, and continuing on to the next stop.  The whole bus load knew of my Grandfathers passing.  We were to spend a couple of nights in Sligo before we drove back to Dublin.  And usually, the Tour Guide would move us around throughout the bus so that no one was stuck in just one seat, but under the circumstances,  they gave us the last 4 seats the last few days so that I could have some privacy to cry without everyone watching.

Plus I am sure that they didn't want me to bring anyone down.  I tried to not be overly upset, but like with my Grandmother, I couldn't stop crying for awhile.  But by then, everyone was very friendly and everyone felt really bad that I was having to go through this, especially being so far away from the family.  Lucky for me I had Walt.  He has been my rock for so long now, I don't know what I would do without him!  And even though he has a Life Ins policy, I would rather him be here with me, than to have the money.... 
********

So, now that I have totally bored everyone to death that actually read the whole thing, I want to apologize and say that I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve!!  And I hope that next year is the best one yet!!  Till next time....

Aloha My Friends  :) 

Shopping Day In Hawaii :)

Hey Ya'll,

First off, I want to start out by sending good thoughts to Etta James!  She is the singer of my all time favorite song, "At Last".  She recorded "At Last" in the 60's, and was considered a Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, Soul, Jazz, and some say....Rock & Roll Singer.  But, of her many great songs, "At Last" is the one that will always make me want to get up and dance to, with my husband!!  It just calls to me.  I read tonight that she has Terminal Leukemia, and suffers from Dementia.  Although she battled Drug Addiction throughout her life, she never gave up the fight, and I will always remember her beautiful voice, even long after she is gone. 

Now, on to some funny (at least now I can say funny) things that happened in Hawaii.  On the second day we were there, we drove to Walmart to buy me a Foam Mattress pad, plus supplies.  We decided that in order to help cut costs, and since we had a full Kitchen, we would eat Breakfast and Lunch in the room, and try to not eat out more than once a day.  And yes, I said a Mattress Pad!  Marriott's is always saying how great their beds are, but let me tell you, my Back and Hips disagrees with them!!  And of course, they will not provide even a thin egg crate foam pad to help out.  So we decided it was worth it to buy one for ourselves, since we were to be there for 2 weeks!

We drove to the closest Walmart, expecting it to not be a problem finding a pad there.  We got really lucky in finding a parking place immediately, since someone was pulling out!  But that was to be the only lucky part of that trip!!  I have NEVER seen a store as packed as it was!!  We could barely move our shopping cart, the aisles were so clogged!!  But after asking a Sales Associate about the Pads (since we didn't see any where they should have been), she said that no, they were completely out!  So we bought me an inexpensive pillow (yes, I even had trouble with their hard pillows!!), some water shoes for Walt, and some non perishable food items, laundry detergent, paper towels, and toilet paper (the paper products at the Resort was....let me just say, that we preferred to buy our own!! LOL) we left that Walmart as soon as we could, meaning we were there for way over an hour!!  Luckily, as busy as they were, we didn't have to wait at all to check out!

So on our way back to the Resort, we went to Target and Costco.  Had we only known how bad the rush was at Walmart, we would have never gone to there!  At Costco, we bought a case of soda for each of us, some fruit, snacks, and a swimsuit for Walt (since I forgot to pack his).  We looked for the Mattress Pad at Costco too, and they didn't have one either!!  So we finished the shopping trip by buying what we considered perishable items at Target.  And after almost giving up, we found Mattress Pads there, so we decided to spend the $100 and buy one, then drove back to the Resort.  All of this took about 3-4 hours!!

So after this, we decided to NEVER go back to Walmart there in Hawaii again....After that day, we went to Target and Costco for any additional items needed.  LOL  Luckily, at the Resort, we borrowed one of the rolling carts that you can transport your luggage on to your rooms (that they keep down in the parking garage for guests use), to load up our goods to take to our Suite, otherwise, it would have taken several trips!!  After getting back and unloading everything, and putting the 2 inch Mattress Pad on the bed, we decided to crash for the rest of the day.  We were exhausted!!

So, it seems like everytime that we left the Resort even just to do a little bit of shopping, etc, it would take at least several hours....so the days seemed to fly by way too fast.  I will leave with a few more photos below that I took during the trip.  I hope that you enjoy them.  Till next time.....

Aloha My Friends  :)

This was one of 3 pools at our Resort.  This pool was the one in front of our wing of Suites.

And another view of the same pool.

This is a partial view of a 2nd pool at our Resort.  This was the "quiet" pool, meaning adult only pool.  

And a partial view of the 3rd pool.  This one had a slide for the kids.  Other wise, a loud pool full of kids!!  LOL

The Koi Pond

A view of the Lagoon in front of our Resort.  There were 3 or 4 Lagoons on the whole property.  We were lucky and had a Lagoon just for our Resort, meaning it wasn't shared by another Resort on the property.  

And believe it or not....we found a wild Mongoose!!

Christmas At Our Hawaiian Resort

I took this photo during one of the nights that we were there.  I wanted to take photos of a Sunset, and this was one of them!  I loved the way the Sun sent beams up into the Sky, behind the Clouds!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, my parents aren't doing well....but I wanted to do something to brighten up my blog, hoping to lift my spirits.  So....I changed my blog layout....yet again!!  I hope that you like it.  I changed it from the obvious Christmas look to one with Bears and Snow.  I am also going to keep this post short, as I just don't have it in me to post much right now, but I promise that I will post more later.

So here goes....being in Hawaii at Christmas time is really strange.  As everyone knows that it is Christmas, but it is so....WARM!  But they do try to at least bring some Christmas cheer in, by adding Christmas Lights and Christmas Trees, etc.  We were out shopping during our time there, and I couldn't get over how many females were walking around in the Winter Boots!  Like Uggs, etc!  I guess they figured that, it is Winter somewhere, so by God, they were going to wear their Winter Boots!  As it is the only time they can wear them and not look totally ridiculous!!  Although....being in Hawaii and wearing Winter Boots is a bit ridiculous if you ask me!! LOL  Oh, and while they were wearing their Winter Boots, they were wearing their Summer Shorts and T-Shirts!!  LOL  Go figure!

Today I rode the Bike an hour (each way) to watch the movie Breaking Dawn: Part 1, before it leaves the Theaters!  I was supposed to see it while in Sacramento, but our Daughter Kat (who loves the Twilight movies) worked the whole time we were there, and I didn't have the heart to remind her that she was going to go with me, as she wouldn't have had much sleep that night! 

I am going to end this now, I will be calling my parents tomorrow to get an update on them.  My Dad was supposed to go back to his Doctor today, to find out the results of his latest tests.  I am hoping that it isn't the worst....Of course, knowing him, even if it is, he will probably hide it from all of us as long as he can.  Just so we don't have to suffer too long worrying about him.  It's his way.  So till next time....here are a few photos I took of some of the Christmas decorations at our Resort.  I hope that you like them.

Aloha My Friends  :)

This was the entrance to our Resort with Poinsettias surrounding it.

This was the wing of the Resort that our Suite was in.  Our Suite was in the left hand side of the wing that was a bit shorter, and our Suite was the 3rd from the top.

This is part of the main area where there were many couches, and chairs that you could sit in to view the gorgeous Christmas Tree!

And this is the same room, looking in the opposite direction.  If you enlarge the photo and look at the far end, you can see one of the most gorgeous Sunsets in the background!!

A closeup of the Christmas Tree.  I swear that I didn't intend for the photo to come out this way....but, the angle of the photo makes the Christmas Tree look like it is hanging from the Chandelier!!  What do you think??

And last but not least, a photo of some of the twinkling lights around the Palm Trees!  So pretty.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Hey Ya'll,

I hope that everyone is/will have a great Christmas today.  We spent most of yesterday at my parents house, and had a really good time.  My whole immediate family was there, and my parents were really happy to see us all.  We had a really nice Christma dinner, but in the back of our minds, was the fact of knowing that this may very well be the last Christmas we spend with my parents....

My Mom's Doctor told her that she has a Bone Disease in the Head, and that she needs treatment, or she will go Deaf, as it involves the Bones above and around the Ears.  She has to either take a pill every day for the next 6 months, or an Infusion that will make her sick and/or give her bad Headaches for a couple of weeks.  Does this sound like Chemo to you?

My Dad's Doctor told him that he isn't doing well at all, and is running a lot of tests.  Mom said that it doesn't look good for him.  All along we thought that my Mom would go first, but my Dad may actually be worst off right now.  So please have good thoughts for my parents.

Merry Christmas,
Aloha My Friends

MERRY CHRISTMAS To All....

Hey Ya'll,

Well this is going to be an even shorter post than originally planned.  This is my 4th attempt of writing this post!!  Since we are away from home, I am on our Tablet, and it is not cooperating with me!!!!  And the worst is that I cannot upload any of my photos to my post unless I am on my Computer at home....(sigh)

We will have 2 Christmas Dinners this year.  One tomorrow with my family and the second on Christmas with Walt's kids and Carolyn (my SISTER, Walt's ex-wife).

So...again, like I said in a prior post, my wish is that everyone has the Best Holiday Season this year (just in case I forget my passwrd again, and I m unable to access my blog again). LOL

I feel naked, unable to even change the font color, let alone adding photos!!!  So, if this ends up being my last post until we return home.  Merry Christmas everyone!!  Till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Tommorows Surgery, And Day One In Hawaii!

This is a view of the Lagoon in front of our Resort.  The Ko Olina Resort has 4 separate Lagoon's!!  But I believe ours was the best one!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, tomorrow is Walt's Vein Surgery.  He is having it done with a Local Anesthetic, instead of under General Anesthesia, but he still needs someone to be there with him, and to drive him home.  Of course I would have been there for him even if I wasn't needed!  The procedure is supposed to only take a short time.  When Carolyn, Walt's ex-wife had her Vein Surgery this Summer, she was even able to meet us for Lunch afterwards!  But still, if you will, keep good thoughts for him that there are no complications.

Now for getting started with our Vacation to Hawaii.  I will break it up into several posts as there is so much to say.....This trip, we decided to use the time we had banked from our Timeshare, and stay at the Marriott's Ko Olina Resort on the West side of Oahu.  We were so glad that we did.  The weather on the West side was so much nicer than any other area of the Island.  It didn't start to get sprinkily (sp) or rainy, until the last 3-4 days of the trip.  Which really helped keeping it dry, and the humidity way down!!  In fact, the humidity was the least I have ever had it there!

Before the trip, I wanted to try to do something about my Facial hair....sorry you younger gals, but unfortunately, as you age, you start to grow hair where you really don't want it....like on your Face!!!  So I bought a Facial removal cream at Costco, made by Olay.  Luckily for once, I followed directions and did a test on my forearm, to see if I would have a reaction.  I was only to test using the cream that would be placed directly on the skin, below the actual removal cream, which was supposed to help protect the skin.  Well....I had a fairly bad skin reaction to it!  It took about 4 days for it to disappear.  Imagine what I would have looked like, had I actually used it on my Face???

Now, the other thing that I wanted to do before leaving, was to put color in my Hair.  I haven't colored my Hair in almost 2 years.  Even then, I only used the wash in kind, that disappears in 24 washes.  And of course, you would think that after having the reaction to the Facial hair remover cream, that I would have done the test with it too???  Well, since I had used it in the past, of course I didn't.  Well, it caused my Scalp to break out really bad....I looked like I had a really bad case of Dandruff!!  You could see big patches of scales.  Luckily it started to clear up fairly quickly.  Within 2-3 days, it just looked like regular Dandruff, and it stopped itching.

All this before we had even left town!!  I also wanted to go with nice looking Nails and Toes, so I went and got a Pedicure with Gel, and a Manicure with Acrylic Nails.  I really liked them.  I wasn't sure that I would.  But even Walt liked them, so for now, I think that I will keep them.  I just went back today to get my Nails redone.  But this time, I had them shorten them even more.  They think that everyone likes their Nails super long.  But unfortunately, I can't type well if my Nails are much longer than an 1/8th of an inch!  And they had done the first set at somewhere between 1/4 -3/8th's of an inch.  I loved the look, but typing was horrible!  I guess that it was a good thing that I couldn't blog, it would have taken me forever to try to type it out!!  LOL

So, we left home on Thursday after Walt worked a half day.  We drove down to Sacramento, then left our Truck at our Daughter's house and took a small Limo to Oakland, where our flight was to depart from the next morning.

When we arrived in Oakland at the Hotel that we were staying at for the night, our friend Aggie picked us up and we went to a really nice family style Italian Restaurant.  I ordered a half order of Spaghetti, and I still only ate about half of it!!  I would have taken the left overs to our room, but we didn't have a microwave to heat them up the next morning anyway.  But we had a great time, and had a really nice visit with Aggie!  Walt really misses working with her, but she is really happy being "retired" and taking care of her Grand Kids!!

So the next morning, Friday, we took the Hotel shuttle over to the Airport to take off for Hawaii!!  We were lucky enough to get a great rate on First Class tickets, so we were able to fly fairly comfortably.  Walt really has trouble flying long distances (for that matter, any distance) in Coach class.  Even in First Class, his legs still wanted to stick out in the aisle!!  LOL  And before we knew it, the flight landed in Hawaii.

The worst part of that day, was getting on the stupid Highway going West, from the Car Rental company.  We rented a car from a company that wasn't directly on the Airport site, like we normally do, so it took us almost a half hour just to get on the Highway going the right direction!  Luckily for us, Walt took our GPS with us, so when we realized that the Highway wasn't going to be as easy to get onto as we had anticipated, we stopped and he got out the handy dandy GPS, and it eventually got us on the right track!!  We used it from then on!  LOL

Of course, I knew that once we were on the H-1 heading West, all we had to do was to continue driving West and it would end up at our Resort.  The Resort....ahh!  It was truly beautiful.  The photos on their website did not give a false impression.  It was even more beautiful in person.  And our Suite....we didn't want to leave.  It was perfect.

We had an end unit, so we only had someone on the one side of us.  And because of this, it gave us 2 separate Lanais!!  The main one was the whole width of our Living Room, and was large enough to have a table with 2 chairs and a chaise lounge with ottoman.  The smaller Lanai only had a table with the 2 chairs.  If we had the end Suite with the full 2 Bedrooms, instead of just the One Bedroom, we would have had 3 Lanais!!  As the 2nd bedroom had it's own Lanai as well....If any of our Children had been able to come with us, we would have opted for the 2 bedroom Suite for 1 week.  But since they couldn't get away, we chose the 1 Bedroom Suite for 2 weeks!!  And we are glad we had the extra time.  But it would have been nice to have them with us too.

So, now that I have made this a whole book just to describe getting to, and the day of arrival in Hawaii, I will leave for now.  I have things to get done, before I go to bed.  I have to get up early to take Walt to the Surgery Center in the morning.  So I am going to leave you with photos of our Suite and the views from it.  I will put more photos on later with other postings....we literally took thousands of photos between us, but I will try to keep my blog down to just a few hundred!! (kidding)  I hope that this doesn't over whelm you!  Till next time, if I don't get another post in before Christmas, I hope that ya'll have the best Christmas ever!!

Aloha My Friends :)

This was the area on our floor, that you could go relax in if you wanted to.

This was the Entry Foyer into our Suite.

And this was the view into the main living area of the Kitchen, Dining Room and Living Room from the Entry Foyer.

The full Kitchen.  The Laundry (room) was in the Kitchen behind the doors on the left side.  It was a God send!

And looking towards the Kitchen from the Living Room.  The Laundry (room) was behind the doors next to the Fridge.

And the Living Room, with the main Lanai through the drapes.

The main Lanai.

The view from the main Lanai.  We could see one of the Pools, the Mountains, the Ocean and a couple of the other Ko Olina Resorts.  

A closer look at the Ocean from the Lanai.

The Hallway with a small Desk leading from the Living Room to the Bedroom.

Looking into the Bedroom (and it's small Lanai), then on into the 2 Bathrooms!

Looking from the center Bathroom, with the large Bathtub into the Bedroom.

Looking from the Bedroom into the center Bathroom with the louvers open.

And last but not lease, a view into the main Bathroom.  It had a large Shower which we loved.  Since we both prefer to take showers!!

We're Back! :(

Trust me, the Resort looked this beautiful!!  The photo didn't lie!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well,  I thought that I would be able to post while we were in Hawaii, but....I forgot my password (it is automatically generated on my computer at home so I don't have to remember!), and no matter how many variations I tried, of what I was sure that it was.....well, it wasn't!!  So alas, I was not able to post while gone.

We had a great time though, and I have so much to post about.  But right now we are tired.  We just got home today, so I will try to post more asap!!  Between us, we took thousands of photos, and Walt uploaded them each day from our Camera's memory, so I am not sure how soon I will have access to them on my Computer, but as soon as I do, and I can start to look at them, I will begin posting them, assuming of course they turn out!  LOL

On a serious note, Walt has his Vein Surgery on Tuesday morning, and then I have to drive him back to the Surgeon the next morning, for a follow up.  Then we will be driving back down to Sacramento (hopefully) on Thursday for Christmas.  So if I don't get another chance to post more before then, I hope that EVERYONE has a great Christmas!!  Till the next time....

Aloha My Friends  :)

We're On Our Way Tomorrow!!

We're On Our Way!!

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it is now after 1 am, and we leave Nevada for the Northern West Coast of California for the first leg of our Hawaiian vacation in less than 11 hours!!  Walt was going to work until about noon, then pick me up on our way out, but he has decided that he may just leave a little earlier, so that we can enjoy Lunch on our way out of town.  Especially since we won't be eating until Dinner with our friend Aggie!!

As for being able to blog while we are gone....I'm not sure if it will be possible yet.  I think I will be able to, but...I can't promise.  LOL  Normally we would take our Lap Top with us to keep in contact with the world with.  But we ended up replacing it with a Tablet instead.  I have never used a Tablet, so I am not sure how much I will be able to do with it yet.  I believe I will be able to post some on the blog, but I doubt that I will be able to post any photos until after we return home.... :)

So we drive to California tomorrow, have Dinner with Aggie tomorrow night, then fly out on Friday morning!  We will be returning in mid December, so just in case I am not able to post, please bear with me.  If that is the case, I will post as soon as I can.  We both have new Camera's, so I am just hoping that SOME of the photos turn out!!  LOL

Today, I went and had a Manicure/Pedicure done.  I am glad now that I changed my appointment from 1 pm to 11:30 am.  I arrived at 11:15 and I still didn't get out until just about 2:30!!  I rode the Bike to the appointment and it was COLD!!  This was the coldest daytime temperature that we have had since last Winter.  It wouldn't have been bad if I didn't have to get out in it, and especially if I didn't have to ride the Bike!  It was only in the low 40's but we had high winds all day!  In fact, the wind is still blowing!!  So the wind chill was pretty low!  It felt like it was freezing....

Anyway, I had the Pedicure done in Gels for the first time.  So far I like them, we will see how long they last.  And my Manicure was originally going to be Gels too, but when I found out that they only applied the Gel over your own Nails, without extending them....I decided on doing the Manicure with Acrylics.  This is because all week long, everything was going wrong with my Nails and I had to file most of them down to almost nothing, so since I wanted some length, I chose to try the Acrylics.  And for a festive look, I had them done kind of in the Pink and White look, but the tips look like they were dipped in glitter.  Which makes me feel younger, or at least like I am a woman....then I look in the mirror, and realize that I am NOT the 98 lb Teenager anymore!!  LOL  I am a Middle Aged, over weight woman, with Rosacea (and while I was younger, I NEVER had problems with my skin!!).

Anyway, I guess I better go, I still have lots to do, and I want to go to bed early tonight so that I can get up a bit earlier tomorrow than I normally do, since I have "stuff" still to do before we leave.  Like last second packing of items we still needed to use tonight, and in the morning, etc.  Plus we need (or I should say that I need) to drain all the tanks, and get the RV ready for us to be away....so, till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)



This is where we will be sitting on Friday morning!

Whew!! I Finally Got Them All In!!! LOL

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it is now after midnight, and after working most of the day, I finally got all of my Follower's Blogs info in my new Blog Layout!  At least I hope that I got them all in!  I Follow so many Blog's that my Eyes are blurry!  So if you would like to make sure that I didn't miss yours, check out my Blog on the right side column, under "My Blogging Friends".  They are listed time wise, so you know when you posted last.  If you don't see your Blog in there, let me know and I will make sure that it gets in immediately!!  Like I said, I Follow so many, and right now....my Brain is in a FOG!  I may have missed a few!  LOL

So Walt and I are getting ready for our trip to Hawaii, and Walt is taking the Computer that he has use of from work, so that he can actually do some work while away....We figured that we could use it to at least check e-mails, and to use it to up load our photos until we get back....well, that isn't going to happen!  We had our own Lap Top Computer that we have taken on trips in the past, but gave it to our oldest Daughter Christa and our Grand Kids for their use, as she Home Schools them.

We had been planning on buying a new Lap Top Computer anyway, so we gave it to her a few months ago.  Well, now we HAVE to buy either a new Lap Top, or possibly a Tablet to take with us.  So now we are scrambling, looking at ads for sales on them.  We know that the stores are running sales from now through Christmas, but we need it this week, in fact, we need it before Wednesday!!  So we will go out shopping tomorrow, and possibly buy one then.  Even if we do, I will probably still go out on Monday (Cyber Monday) to see if we could get a better deal than we already got!  Who knows?  We shall see.

Anyway, not too much happening now, at least now that I have finally finished my Blog!!  LOL  So I am going to go make myself something for Dinner, since I haven't eaten in hours!!!  LOL  More to come later, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends  :)

What Do You Think Of My New Christmas Layout??

Hey Ya'll,

Well, I did it again!  Since I consider Fall to be over once Thanksgiving has come and gone, I have changed my new Layout to reflect Christmas!  Unfortunately, I had to revert back to a 2 column format instead of the 3 column I have had the last time.  Once I tried the 3 column, I decided that I liked it much better!!  But the Layout that I liked best is in 2 columns so....we will have to deal with it for a few weeks!!

And the next thing that I am NOT looking forward to, is having to input my Followers all over again!!  I had only got up through the H's for the last change as it is, and now I have to start all over again!!  So please bear with me as I will do my best to get them all in within the next week before we leave on Vacation!

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday!  We went to one of the local Casino Buffets here in town and they had a really good spread of food.  Much better than we expected in fact.  I ate ok, I didn't over eat like I used to.  But Walt....well, he ate so much that he couldn't sleep!  He went to bed, but was up and down with Stomach problems, that he finally got up for a while.  He managed to go to bed for good about 3:30 am!!  And he knows better than to eat that much.  He can't even eat a normal meal after about 5-6 pm without having problems!  Oh well....live and learn! LOL

The biggest problem with yesterday was that Walt invited one of his co-workers to Dinner with us and we had a good time.  Unfortunately, they talked work most of the time....we ended up sitting there at the table for almost 5 HOURS!!!  I am very sure that the wait staff was happy to see us leave!  LOL  We were there for so long, that I was tempted to go get some more Chicken or Turkey to eat!!

Today, Walt and I went for a walk after we returned from eating Lunch out.  Then, because no one was at the laundry room, we decided that I would go ahead and do the laundry today instead of waiting for Monday.  This way, I only have to wash a few loads on Monday or Tuesday.  I already have most of Walt's clothes picked out and put aside to fold and pack.  I am just waiting for Monday so that I have the RV to myself, and I will be able to fold, etc without Walt and I getting into each others way!!  Then I only have a few items left on my list to accomplish before we leave on our VACATION!!  Yea!

Anyway, I guess I will go for now.  I will start putting my Follower's back in tomorrow, if all goes as planned.....till next time....

Aloha My Friends!!

Happy Thanksgiving To All!!

Now isn't this a pretty sight???

Hey Ya'll,

Well, today is Thanksgiving, at least it is somewhere, at any rate!!  Since I am up so late, technically it is here too, but it will be over 12 hours before we celebrate it. LOL  But until then...we can always think (dream) about what feast is to become!

But anyway, my hope is that everyone has the best Thanksgiving ever!  And if you are one of the newly Banded, don't panic, you can still enjoy most of your favorites, just be careful, and chew, chew, chew, and wait in between bites!  I was Banded on Nov 19th, 2009 and I ate a small amount of each of my favorite foods on that Thanksgiving!!

Of course, I was one of the naughty ones, and started eating "mushies" the day after Surgery!  We were out of town, staying in a Hotel near the Hospital that my Surgery was performed in, and believe it or not....they didn't offer Soup in their Menu that could be ordered to the room!  Not even Oatmeal (except at Breakfast), so I was forced to eat Tuna Casserole for Dinner, in the Restaurant (yes, I was eating Lunch and Dinner the day after Surgery in a Restaurant), and I had the BEST Egg and Cheese Omelet for Breakfast!  So if you are really new to being Banded, you may want to follow what your Surgeon says....I was lucky and didn't have any problems.

This past week I have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to stay ahead of the game in getting ready for our vacation to Hawaii....which is in 7 days!  Normally I am so far behind, that I am up packing until the wee hours of the morning that we are to leave!!  So far, I have everything done like getting the Cash, Traveler's Checks, buying the last of our Christmas presents etc, that I wanted to do, and had originally planned on doing next week.

So next week, all I have to do is do all the laundry, pack the clothes, make sure all the Bills are paid that will be due before we return, defrost the Refrigerator/Freezer (the small RV Fridge/Freezer needs defrosting at least once every other week, if not every week!!), shave.....and I plan on coloring my hair with a wash in color.  Since it has been almost 2 years since I did, my hair is totally natural and getting REALLY gray!!  LOL  I also have made an appointment to get a Mani/Pedi done in Gels.  This is about the only time that my nails looks decent!  And I have never had them done in Gels before, so this should be interesting....

This vacation, I intend to stay on top of everything and not be panicking on Thursday when we leave for California which is the beginning of our trip!  So I guess I will go for now, still have lots to do!!  But I want to leave with some photos of my latest Afghan that I just finished for my Mother In Law for Christmas.  We are giving it to her tomorrow, since we won't see her at Christmas time.  The colors didn't turn out well in the photo.  The colors are an Off White, a soft Baby Yellow, and a soft Mint Green, but the Green looks more Blue in the photo....it is really hard to get the colors to come out right when taking the photos in our RV as the lighting isn't the best....but here it is!  Oh, and the last photo will be me tomorrow after Dinner!!  LOL  So, I hope that ya'll have a great Thanksgiving, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends  :)

One Of THOSE Days!! :(

I keep picturing myself here in this hammock reading a good book, and doing nothing.....

Hey Ya'll,

Have you ever just had one of those days, were you were so tired, that all you wanted to do was sleep, and was in so much pain, that it feels like someone beat you up during the night???  Well that's how I feel today....my Neck, upper Back, left Shoulder, left Forearm, left Wrist and Hand, feels like I want to have Surgery to replace them!!  Basically I feel like a Mac Truck just ran me over!!  LOL

And to top it off, Walt wanted me up earlier than he normally wakes me up on the weekend, and I just couldn't get up, so I went back to bed after.....well you get the picture I'm sure.  So in hopes that it would make me want to get up, he turns the heat on in the Bedroom!  Usually this will work, as I hate sleeping when it is too warm.  But because of how I am feeling....I slept right through it.

Unfortunately the heat just plugged up my Sinuses giving me a headache as well!  So now I am up, and have been for a couple of hours.  But I feel like S***, hurt all over and am just a Bear today!!  Oh, and I forgot to mention that Walt heated up a meal that I purchased for the 2 of us to eat, and because I wouldn't get up, he decided to punish me and eat it all!!  Knowing that it would piss me off, then he gets upset at me, because I am upset!  But today, I could care less, because I feel like.....crap!

Anyway, I have been working my hands off trying to finish my MIL's Afghan, that we are wanting to give to her on Thanksgiving (since she won't be here for Christmas)!  I believe that I may be able to get it finished, if I continue to work at it like I have been.  So far, it is a bit over 2/3's done.  So if I can work another 10-12 inches plus the border, and of course, weave in all the ends (of which there are a lot!), then it will be finished!!  So hopefully by Monday night, I will have it finished.....I hope so, then I will have more time to get things done for the vacation, instead of having to wait until the last minute.

But!!  I can say that most of our Christmas shopping is done!  Over the years, we have made an agreement with most of the adults in our family, that we wouldn't buy for each other, just for the kids.  Now of course, we do still buy/make gifts for our Parents, my Uncle, our Children/Grandchildren and of course my Brother and Sister's Children.  So....we have pretty much got it all done!  We have a few trinkets to purchase in Hawaii, but other than that....our Christmas shopping is done!  And I would like to say thank you to my Daughter Christa, for giving us the tips on what the Grand Kids really want, so we could buy them online in advance!!

So....we are now in the homestretch, counting down the days until we leave for Hawaii.  We only have 13 days.....only 13 days!  Where did all the time go??  I have so much to do in order to get ready.  I am hoping to be able to start packing by next Weekend at the latest.  The unfortunate part is that I COULD start to pre-pack, but we have no place to put the clothes, nor do we have the floor space to keep the luggage!  That is my biggest problem.  I could start to pack, but I have no where to put the packed items in the meantime.  Remember, we are living in a 5th Wheel RV!!!!  So to say that I am becoming stressed, well....that would be an understatement! LOL  So, till next time.....

Aloha My Friends  :)

We Got It!!

Here is a photo of the small Limo we will be driven in.

Hey Ya'll,

Well, after negotiating back and forth a few times, we easily came to an agreement with our Limousine Company of choice, for them to drive us round trip from Sacrament to the Bay Area and back, for our trip to Hawaii.....We originally wanted to take a Stretch Limousine, but we decided that we didn't want to pay the high price they were wanting for it.  The owner of the Limo Company determined that since it was just Walt and I going this trip, we would be able to fit both of us, all of our Luggage, and my Walker, into the smaller Toyota Camry Hybrid they have.  So we have decided to go with it.  This way, they can do all the driving and we can relax during the 2nd half of our trip from home to the Bay Area Hotel, and back.

Once we are there, our friend Aggie who had moved to the Bay Area, will pick us up and we will go to a nice Italian Restaurant for Dinner.  Aggie is a great friend and one of the sweetest people you could ever want to know.  Walt used to work with her, and he really misses there time together!  But she retired and is now working part time taking care of her 2 grand children!  So...we get a chance to have Dinner with Aggie and get caught up!  Of course, we still have to contact Kat and let her know that our Truck will be parked in front of her house for 2 weeks, and Aggie to let her know that we will not have our Truck with us, and will need her to pick us up for Dinner!!  LOL  Just 2 more details to have to remember to deal with.... :)  So what else is new???

The Hotel we are staying at near the Airport, provides a free shuttle between the Hotel and the Airport so luckily, we do not need our Truck there.  And after thinking about it, we decided that although the Hotel provides us free parking for the 2 weeks, we didn't want to leave our Truck at the Hotel, out in the open that long.  So we will leave our Truck at Kat's house while we are gone.  So, the owner of the Limo Company agreed to drive us round trip for the same price that we paid (for a Stretch Limo) years ago.  And this price includes the Tip to the driver.  However, we will probably tip him extra on top of it anyway!

So, except for deciding exactly what we want to do while in Hawaii, all my research is done!  I have us booked in First Class seats (I got a great deal....), and I have our Rental Car on hold.  Since we both have new Camera's, we will probably spend a lot more time driving around the Island than we originally planned.  Usually we want to go and just "relax".  Basically do a whole lot of nothing!  I do want to get some nice photos, and I know that Walt does, but I also hope that we are not going every single day!  I would like some rest too.  Especially since I will be spending 2 days of our trip doing laundry!! 

To save from having to take additional luggage, and clothes for the 2 weeks.  I am packing for 1 week, then I will wash all of our clothes for the second week.  Then I will wash them again, the day before we leave for home, so that I don't have to do laundry as soon as we get home!!  Luckily, we have a 1 Bedroom Suite with a separate Living Room, full Kitchen/Dining area with full size Washer and Dryer!

But after extensive research, I have found a ton of places worth going to, both for a fee and many are free, that would be great places to take beautiful photos at.  Some of them are lush Gardens.  We will probably do at least one hike, maybe more.  One of the hikes ends at a small Waterfall, with Gardens all the way up to the Waterfall.  But like I said, I would like to have some days off, where I am not doing laundry or running around on my feet a lot!!  So....we shall see.  We have purchased enough memory for our Camera's, in order to easily get us through the vacation.  At my highest resolution of 16 mp, I have about 6385 photos that I can take, and Walt has about 20,000 (I am using one of the extra Memory sticks and Walt will use up to 3 of them, plus what came with the Camera's)!!  So I think that we are set! LOL

Well, I guess I should go.  I need to try to get my MIL's Afghan done by Thanksgiving!  I am not sure if I will get it done, but I am hopeful.  I would have had it done in time, but I stopped to do all the research!!  Anyway, till next time....

Aloha My Friends :)

Here is a photo of one of our Resorts Pools at night....doesn't it look so inviting??

Time Is Flying By...Walt's Surgery Is Approved!

Only 16 days until Hawaii!!

Hey Ya'll,

Again, I am sorry that I haven't posted in a while.  It's been almost a week!  But I have been researching my Brains out for our trip to Hawaii!  You would think after visiting Hawaii (8) times that we wouldn't have anything left to see....but that is NOT the case!  LOL  The main difference this time, is that we have new Cameras, so we want to go on hikes, etc where we can take some (hopefully) beautiful photos!!  Neither one of us has taken more than a couple photos with our Camera's as yet, so we are hoping that our photos turn out at least decent!

I have also been researching the Airline's, as well as the Transportation Safety Administration's websites, to make sure what we CAN and CAN'T, take on board the flight!  With the rules changing daily (it seems)....Funny story (NOT!), my Niece, her 9 yr old Son, and her significant other, flew back to New Jersey last month to visit with her Father whom she hasn't seen in years, in fact so long, her Dad has never seen her son.  None of them had flown before, and didn't know the "rules".   So she packed large "normal" sized containers of shampoo, etc and had them in her Carry-On bag.

She had her significant other carry it for her, so she could keep her eye on her Son through Security (he is extremely ADHD).  They almost didn't allow the significant other through Security!  The Security people acted like he was a criminal or something.  My Niece just had no clue that they couldn't carry these "normal" sized products with them.  Luckily, they got through, after Security confiscated the items in question....I'm sure she will NEVER make that mistake again!!  LOL

But I digress, to save time and not have to carry way too much on Board with us this trip, I am leaving my Bi-Pap Machine home.  I haven't been using it, and I know I should, so I figure whats another few weeks to start using it again.  Anyway, I am supposed to use it every night, because I have not only Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea, I also have.... Central Sleep Apnea!  My Pulmonologist Doctor said that Central Sleep Apnea is very rare, only about 5% of OSA patients have CSA.  And that most patients that do have it, are either the Elderly, or someone with Neurological problems, etc.  Well, I am another year older now, and I feel old....but I am only 56! LOL

The difference between OSA and CSA, is that with OSA, the Throat collapses down during sleep causing loud snoring, etc.  Usually with weight loss, it can be cured (most of the time).  But with CSA, it is the Brain that is at fault.  It is a Neurological condition, where the Brain forgets to send the signal to BREATH!  During the day, it isn't a problem, because we are awake, and we know to breath.  But at night during sleep....if the Brain doesn't send the signal to breath....well, depending on how long you go before taking a breath (assuming you do!), it can mean anything from just gasping for breath (not a pleasant thing to have to deal with, it is like being suffocated), to a Stroke, Brain damage, a Heart Attack or the worst case scenario...Sudden Death!

I haven't told Walt (he will know now though, since he reads my Blog!), but I have had a few nights lately where I woke up all night gasping for breath again!  Part of it is due to my gaining weight back, hence the OSA acting up again, but the other reason is beyond my control (the CSA), hence why the Machine is necessary!!  I know....slap my hand for not doing what is right!  But I hate having to sleep with a Machine!  If it were just me, it wouldn't be so bad, but obviously I sleep with Walt, and if I am unable to get a good seal on the Mask quickly, then I can't get comfortable with it at all, not to mention that it is louder since it is leaking air, and I worry that Walt won't be able to sleep well!!  When this would happen, I just gave up and took it off for the night!

Anyhoo!  Back to our trip to Hawaii.  I am trying to not over pack us this trip like I usually do!  We will be gone over 2 weeks total, but our Hotel Suite has a full sized Washer and Dryer in the unit, so I can pack us for (1) week instead of the (2) weeks.  I will just need to do laundry between weeks, then again just before we go home so that I don't have to do laundry as soon as we get home!  I will only have to Iron/Steam Walt's work shirts when we get home.  But we will still have so much S***, that we will take at least (1) large piece of luggage each, if not (1) medium sized one too!  Luckily, we are allowed to check in 2 pieces each, if necessary for free!

Another thing that I have been researching the last couple of days, was the cost of taking a Limousine from Sacramento to the Bay Area and back, after our trip, leaving our Truck at our Daughter's house.  Walt will be working a half day, the day we leave for the Bay Area, then driving from Nevada....The last (2) times we took a vacation that left out of the Bay Area, we took a Limousine (mostly because we had to be at the Airport early in the morning, and they were willing to pick us up at an ungodly hour!) and it only cost us $300 round trip!  So we figured, maybe it would be worth it to see if it was worth the cost this time too!

The lowest price I was quoted was....get this, 67% higher!!  Now I realize that several years have passed, but this still seems a bit high!  So I told the owner of the Limo Company that we have used in the past (which gave us the best quote as well), that we weren't expecting such a high quote, and that we would probably just drive ourselves.  He was so desperate to get the job, that he asked me exactly how many pieces of luggage we were taking, so he could better judge if we could use a smaller vehicle, thus a lower quote.

He also asked me what was the maximum amount we were willing to pay.  So I replied tonight giving him a better estimate of our luggage requirements, and what we were willing to pay.  Which I am sure he is laughing about!  Either that or seriously trying to find a way to do it for that price!  We told him basically $50 higher than we paid the last time, but that price was to include the gratuity (so in essence, it would be for the same price)!  So I am expecting him to reply tomorrow saying thanks but no thanks, he doesn't need the job THAT BAD!!  LOL  We shall see....you never know in these times.  Maybe we will get lucky??

I can't believe this, I just checked my emails, and I have another response from the Limo Company, saying that the highest amount we were willing to pay wasn't a ridiculous amount, and to contact him.  Of course, this would be for a smaller vehicle, not a Stretch Limo.  But then we would be able to relax the second half of the trip to the Bay Area and let someone else worry about the traffic!  So now it is in our court to decide if we want to continue the negotiations.  I am hoping that Walt will do this, I really hate to haggle price!  Plus, at this point, I am just the go between anyway.  Walt and the owner (if we so choose to continue) will have to come to the final agreement!  I will keep you posted....Cross your Fingers and Toes!

Anyway!  Walt has had horrible looking Varicose Veins in his lower Legs.  They look horrible just to look at (not to mention they look super painful).  But in the past, he has always stressed that they didn't hurt, they just looked bad.  Well, Carolyn (Walt's ex-wife) recently had both of her Legs taken care of, due to very painful Varicose Veins.  So "we" talked Walt into going back to the Doctor, to see what she thought (our new Doctor).  She gave him a referral to a Specialist.

The Specialist said that technically they aren't going to kill him, but that he feels that a lot of the problems that Walt has been having has been because of them.  At least in his worst Leg.  So the Doctor sent in a request for Surgery approval, and we found out today that it was granted!!  The Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, December 20th.  Right after we return from Hawaii!  I am glad....I was concerned with us having to sit on a plane for 5-5 1/2 hours each way, that it would be scheduled before we leave!  All we would need is for him to get a Blood Clot from sitting so long!  In fact, it is probably something we should be aware of anyway....especially since his Veins aren't in the best of conditions!

So, last Friday, Russ and Carolyn came and took me to purchase my new, much smaller Office Chair!  Russ was more than happy to do this, as he was getting my much nicer and bigger/plusher Office Chair!  LOL  So while Russ was putting my Chair together, Carolyn and I went shopping!  Normally I could have put the Chair together myself (I think...), but getting it home on the Gold Wing....well that was another matter. LOL

Not to mention that we didn't have room for both Chairs here, until Russ could have picked it up!  So, I have a new Chair.  It is nice, but not anywhere near as nice as my old Chair was.  But it fits in my small Office so much better!  In fact, so long as I am not reclined back in it, we can actually close the Bathroom door in my Office Bathroom without having to move my Chair way out of the way!  If only it had a higher back to it, it would be much more acceptable.  I'm used to being able to rest my Neck/Head on the Chair, and this Chairs back comes about 6-8 inches short of being able to do that, so my Neck and Shoulders have started to bother me again. :(

So, other than that...not too much is new here, including my weight!  Oh, I forgot, I spoke with my Mom about her last Doctor appointment, and her Doctor is having her go through all kinds of new Tests.  One of them is going to either be an MRI or CT (she can't remember).  She believes that they are looking for Bone Cancer or something....I sure hope it's not that.  Because if it is anything like that, it is too far along to be able to do much for her except give her major pain drugs.  At least maybe then, she won't be in so much pain!

So on that note....till next time.

Aloha My Friends  :)