Update and disasters

As promised, I'm trying to be better at updating you guys with everything that's going on.

I can't believe another week has lapsed - in some ways it feels like hardly anything, but in other ways, it feels like a month.

I took Tuesday off after the scare on the weekend. After all of the excitement and anxiety, I really didn't feel like I was mentally in a good place and called in "sick" on Tuesday. I feel so guilty for missing work, but I think I would've been a puddle of tears had I gone. So much stress!

I saw my dad on Monday and Wednesday this week. Wednesday's visit was a little lighter in the sense that Ernie, the volunteer at the hospital who plays guitar on Wednesdays for the patients, was there. Joe and my mom were with me too, and we had a great visit with my dad. Although my dad's energy is still very low, Darwin and I accompanied Ernie while he played and sang a few of my dad's favourite songs. At one point he was even tapping his hand on the bed rails while we sang. One of the aides came by as we were singing and she started to dance in the hallway and said that she got goosebumps while we sang "Bridge over troubled water" - I think she was being kind. :) The weird thing is later that night Jacob Lusk (on American Idol) sang Bridge over Troubled Water!

Saturday was a partial moving day which turned out to be a disaster.

First off, my sister from Calgary who was supposed to arrive in Winnipeg at 12:30pm, forgot her i.d. and was denied boarding in Calgary which meant that she wasn't going to get into Winnipeg until almost 11pm. The movers that were supposed to show up at 1pm didn't show until 3:45pm. If it weren't for the moving itself, I would've told the movers to leave out of spite when they finally got there, but it wasn't really an option. I used my usual Sophie-negotiation skills and managed to pay only $75 instead of the projected $180. That being said, because they've proven unreliable, I had to try and find another mover today for the remainder of the move next Monday.

We had a wonderful and much needed dinner out with Tony and Andrea, affectionately known as T&A, at a new east Indian restaurant (new for us, but not new to Winnipeg). The food was good and the company was great. Tony and Joe ordered one indian beer each and when they asked for a second Kingfisher, they were told that they didn't have any left. They asked for a Cobra beer (another indian beer) but were told they didn't have any of that either. ??? I guess it's a restaurant, not a bar? :) T&A shared some awesome videos of LoJo (their 6 month old baby). Her name is Lauren Joelle, and she's one of the most precious babies I've ever met. She has a full head of hair which I affectionately call her "ridiculous wig". It's the sweetest thing I've seen in a long time. After dinner we went out to Indigo books (aka STARBUCKS) for tea/coffee and chatting. It was awesome and for a few moments, I felt "normal" again.

My sister from Calgary arrived safely and called me this morning to find out what else needed to be packed at the house. I started going down the list and then asked her why she wasn't asking mom. Apparently, mom "doesn't know what else needs to be packed"???????? It's her house, she's there a few times a week packing stuff up, but she doesn't know what else needs to be packed??

I told my sister I was not going to be going to the hospice or the house today and that she and mom would have to try and figure out what else needs to be done. SO FRUSTRATING!

I caught up on a bit of sleep this morning. My new addiction? A sleeping bag on my pilates mat with my dog by my side (inside the sleeping bag). Very comforting. :)

This afternoon I got some much needed girl time. Although it was for Dena's birthday (April 11th) I think I got as much out of it as she hopefully did. 5 of us got together for pedicures and cheesecake and some girl time. I think it's something we need to do monthly going forward.

Another busy day tomorrow. Personal appointments for me and Joe, a visit to the hospice, and then more packing at the house. I also need to make arrangements for Oyate Tipi to pick up some donated stuff. Oyate Tipi is a non-profit organization that gives items to women and children who are escaping abusive situations. I'd much rather give it to someone that truly needs it than to give it to the salvation army for free so they can in turn sell it back to someone else.

We are hoping that everything gets wrapped up by Thursday so that we don't spend the Easter weekend working on the house.

The final move will be on the 25th, and thankfully my sister has that day off too.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed this week. The offers of yoga, coffee, dinner out, dinner delivered to our place, helping with the move etc is beyond kind. I haven't taken anyone up on their offer - yet :) and it is humbling to know that I have such a strong network of friends. There are no words to express my gratitude for your thoughtfulness and consideration - TRULY.

For now, my "therapy" is as always my baking and cooking. I try to take something to the hospice each week for the nurses, aides, and staff. I am in awe of the entire staff, and have the utmost respect for the nurses. They are the most amazing people - ever.

Email is, for now, the best way to stay in touch. I don't really like to talk much these days, and I especially don't like to talk about everything that's going on, but know that I read your emails, and I listen to your voicemails and I treasure them all.

Try to have a great week everyone, and enjoy some family time over the Easter weekend.

I'll update next week (sooner if there's anything to report).

Much love to all.