A White Christmas

When we woke up at 5:50 AM Christmas morning, (thanks to a phone call from Payton telling us to hurry and come over) we went outside and found it snowing!  It was so quiet and beautiful and we were one of the first cars to make tracks on the street.  It was indeed a very Merry Christmas.

We celebrated 87 years of life for Chester R. Young on Sunday, December 23rd.  We gathered at the Ratliff's and shared a meal of Chicken spaghetti, salad and garlic toast.  Then, of course, we lit the candles on his cake and all sang Happy Birthday.  Wish we would have gotten more pictures, but there is one below taken by Stacey.  Daddy said he could only remember having one other birthday party when he was 28 yrs. old.

We had our family Christmas the same night since Shannon, Kory and kids were in Lubbock.  I got tickled at Mother because she was so impatient to get to the opening of presents!!  She was very much like a young child.  After the kids passed out the presents, the chaos began.  The last present to Mother and Daddy, was a framed 20"x30" photograph of the 2008 family gathering in Grapevine.  They had gotten the photo enlarged and never framed.  So Linda, Vicki and I went together to get it framed so they could hang it above the mantle.  Mother and Daddy were very pleased. 

Christmas Eve we attended the Candlelight service at Southcrest Baptist Church.  The singing was wonderful, especially the special music by their soloist and the violin solo.  But of course, the magical portion was lighting the candles for Jesus while singing Silent night.  I don't believe Mother and Daddy had ever been to a candlelight service before, and they seemed to enjoy it, especially Daddy.

After having homemade vegetable beef soup, we got busy making cookies to leave for Santa.  And while we were doing that, Santa Claus actually called and spoke with the boys!!  It was so nice of him to take time to call them.

Mother and Daddy came back over to Amber & Jason's about noon on Christmas Day.  We had a traditional meal with ham, potatoes, green beans, etc. (We sure seem to eat a lot!!!)  Then we broke out the cards and played Canasta for several hours.  Oh my, I think Daddy really enjoyed this as it had been many many years since he had played cards with anyone.   We will have to do this again.

2012 is almost over.  Time to take down the decorations and start over for a brand new year.  HAPPY NEW YEAR  2-0-1-3 !!!




 

...in the storm shelter...

Not much to post this time as I have been hiding out in the "storm shelter" !!  I have not been down to Mother and Daddy's house in over a week, and have not talked to them on the phone.  Life this week has been back to normal as in B.M.  (before Move).  Bob, Jason, and Nic have been down there to check on them, so I know they are alright.  Also understand that both Vicki and Linda have had the pleasure to talk to Mother on the phone and that she was not very nice to either one.  So it appears the storm in still in the area.  I will probably stay "underground" for a few more days to avoid a tornado!!

Christmas is only one week from today.  We are having a party for Daddy's 87th birthday on Sunday at Amber's house.  I am praying with all my might the Mother will behave herself.  Then of course, on Monday, Christmas Eve, we will go to the church's candlelight service and then bake Gingerbread cookies to leave for Santa.  Then the big day, Christmas!!  

Praying for all the families in Connecticut that have lost children and loved ones in the terrible shooting. 

Large Hail and damaging wind................

Still storming here.....and getting worse!!

I invited Mother and Daddy to come to a Christmas luncheon at my office building.  It's a pot luck type of thing.  At first Mother said she could not come because no one brought her "party dresses" from Dallas!! LOL.  After explaining that it was very casual --- jeans, etc.  she said they could come.  Then Friday morning she woke up Daddy at 4 AM and told him she was NOT going and began complaining about being in Lubbock.  When I delivered their morning paper, she yelled at me too.  I told her she should be ashamed as she was keeping Daddy from having a nice lunch.  Eventually they decided to come, but after eating she began harrassing me and Daddy about moving her (in front of everyone there).  So we abuptly got up and left.

Being the good daughter, I stopped over this morning to find Daddy raking the dirt in the front yard.  I'm sure he was just getting out of the house away from her.  I went in to talk to her and told her I had an extra Christmas tree if she would let me put it up.  She said it really isn't Christmas.  I told her it might seem more like Christmas if she had some decorations and a tree.  So I went home, gathered up a small tree, lights, red balls, tree skirt, small table, garland for the mantle and a wreath for the front door.  I put it all together and she seemed to be pleased.  There is a picture of the tree below.

Daddy then invited me to go to lunch at their favorite place, Golden Corral.  Although that it my least favorite place to eat, I went along.  Well, guess what..?????  Before it was over, she begins in on me ....saying none of us daughters came to see her when she was sick, .......all the way to yelling about moving her to Lubbock, etc, etc.  I got up and waited outside for them to finish eating.  She (and I ) screamed at each other all the way home....I told her she was the meanest old woman I have ever known, and she literally told me to take the Christmas tree and shove it up my ______!!  Daddy told her they were keeping the tree up, because he wanted it.

Well,  we'll see who wins that battle......I would bet $1000 that I will have my decorations back today.  I cannot understand how he lives with her.

Sorry to be so explicit....but just needed to vent.  Like the title says....there was large hail and damaging winds.

Oh, I did also get Mother in to see our family doctor and went with them on Tuesday.  The doctor was very concerned about her excessive swelling in her legs, ankles and feet.  He needs to run more tests to check for heart problems, vitamin deficiency, blood work, possible congestive heart failure, etc.  But will wait until after Jan 1st when their new medicare Ins. is effective.  Spent 2-3 hours x 2 days trying to find her some compression stockings (  the right color and size) Don't know if she will even put them on.  Of course she had to complain to the doctor about moving.  He asked her "what would you do if your husband had a heart attack or stroke and couldn't take care of you?"  She said she could live alone or call her friends.  The doctor just rolled his eyes!!  I almost laughed.

Stormy weather????

It's really not stormy weather, it's been unseasonably warm, in the low to mid 80's here in Lubbock.  But it's stormin' most of the time at the Young's house.  Mother seems to be on a rampage most of the time, and takes it out on Daddy because he moved her to Lubbock.  She told Daddy that I (Nancy) has been planning for years to get her out of Dallas, so that I could get all of her furniture for myself!!  Then today, she accused Daddy of putting something in her coffee to make her sick.  And also keeping her from going to the doctor, so she would die!!  Oh my, oh my.......

Thank you to Jason and Amber.  Jason brought over some fencing material, and repaired their double gate on the east end of the house.  Daddy was very appreciative.  Daddy worked hard too, and took out all the bushes and vegetation out of the front flower bed, including the rock edging.  Apparently they do not like the "desert/western look" that many have in Lubbock!  At some point they will learn that in Lubbock, if it is green you should let it grow.  Our average for rainfall in one year is usually only 10",  so there is not a lot of lush greenness here!!  This is NOT Dallas.

Nic spent a week at the Dallas house by himself, tackling the hoard in the garage.  He made tremendous progress, even though it was only one side of the garage.  He got to know the neighbors, who graciously fed him, let him wash clothes, and Dot who brought him chocolate cake.  After a week of toiling, he had to come home to refresh.

We have been trying to find ways to keep Mother and Daddy from going to bed at 6 PM.  But so far, they haven't been interested in the grandkids basketball games.  We will keep trying.  They did come for breakfast at our house Sunday morning.

We have been worried about Vicki.  She was in the hospital with pneumonia and is still feeling weak and bad.  Hoping she can get better really soon. 

Guess I'll go and watch the "Pickers" on TV.  They travel around and find old stuff to buy and sell.  Wish they were in Dallas.  I know a good place they could hunt....

.....learning to dance in the rain.......and without an umbrella too!!

Thanksgiving 2012

The turkey and ham were roasted, dressing done and lots of side dishes, such as baked beans (made by Mother and Daddy), pink salad, 7-cup salad, good ole sweet potatoe casserole, green bean casserole, cheesey potatoes and mashed potatoes, yummy rolls with butter, and of course cranberry sauce.  And of course, lots of pumpkin and pecan pies, pumpkin bread and chocolate cake.  Whew.....what a feast!!  And I'm sure I've forgotten something. 

There were 20 of us, representing 6 different families.  And it all started with Mother and Daddy. We were missing Vicki and family, and Sheri and Chris and kids. 

We have had a lot to be thankful for this year.  We still have Mother and Daddy with us, and even closer than before.  Phoenix became officially adopted in January of this year.  We are especially thankful that the last MRI done just a week ago showed that Landry's brain tumor had shrunk.  There have been many challenges also this year,  but I believe we have all learned how to "dance in the rain" and be happy that God has blessed us with such a great family.  Well.....there are a few in the family we're not sure about......butttttttt..... (just kidding!!!)

It's time now to get ready for Christmas.  Wow, how did it get here so quick?? 

Update on the Dallas house:  Linda and Dave brought another pickup load to Mother and Daddy on Wednesday.  And Nic drove to Dallas yesterday, Saturday.  He plans to stay for 2 weeks and work on getting more packing done.  Said he will mainly work on the garage.  That is the biggest job of all the entire house.  Wish him luck and safety while he's there.

Here's a few pictures af Thankgiving Day.  The basket of cell phones was Shannon's idea ---no electronics during dinner! 

 

Happy Birthday to Nana!!!

On November 17th, 1927 a baby girl was born to Claude and Opal Nailon.  She was born at home and they named her Delores Claudine.  She would be their only child...and a spoiled rotten little girl she was and still is!

Despite her pleas that she didn't want to do anything for her birthday, we planned a small family surprise brunch in honor of her 85th birthday.  We decorated the table in red and white and served Ham and Egg strata, bacon cups, cinnamon muffins, fresh fruit with a creamy dip, Cranberry apple juice, and coffee.  And Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing.  Guest were Mother and Daddy, Stacey, Lexi, Amber and myself. 

It was a relaxed time of eating and visiting.  We then handed Mother a basket full of cards, mostly handmade from her great grandkids, grandkids, and us girls.  She couldn't believe all the cards she got!  For gifts, she received a framed marker board from Amber, a lighted makeup mirror from me, and a Kohl's gift card from Linda. 

From Vicki, she received a beautiful necklace with colored stones and money for a day at the hairdressers and nail salon.  She thoroughly enjoyed her beauty day on Friday.  Pictures are below. 

She said it was her best birthday ever!!

Settling in

We all traveled to Dallas last Friday for another work weekend.  November 9th was Kayl's 11th Birthday so we all went to Medieval Times to celebrate.  Wow, what a great show.  The costumes, lighting and correography was just fantastic.  And the food was very good too.  We cheered for the Red knight but the Black and white knight won the tournament.  It was an expensive outing, but worth seeing. 

We were up-and-at-em early Saturday morning and all met at the "old" house.  We each got busy in our own little area and got quite a bit of packing done.  Amber and the boys had fun finding old clothes to model -- especially polyester pant suits and Daddy's old leisure suits.  Photos are below.  They kept us laughing.  Nic decided to tackle the garage and despite hours and hours,  only made a small dent. 

At one point, someone noted that there may be stuff in the attic.  But no one wanted to stick their head up there to look.  So Bob decided he would do it and ended up falling off the ladder onto the concrete garage floor.  We spent the next 4 and 1/2 hours at the ER at Doctor's Hospital.  He had a huge knot on the back of his head and had a CT which was normal -- no brain bleed.  His worst injury was to the right forearm where he tore off a big piece of skin.  It's still oozing today.  Rhonda (our "other sister") showed up at the ER to keep us company and kept us laughing.  We all realize that this incident could have been very very much worse.  We are thankful he is Ok.

Sunday morning we rented a 6'x12' Uhaul covered trailer and packed it in the cold rain.  We managed to bring their bed, washer & dryer, computer, some furniture and lots of boxes.  We pulled into Lubbock about 9:30 P.M. and we were all exhausted!  Our friend, Jan, brought Dusty home and he was glad to see us. 

Mother and Daddy have spent the week looking in the boxes and unpacking.  I think they feel better having a small portion of their belongings.  Mother said sleeping in her own bed was "Heaven"!! 

Mother is unhappy about her hair situation.  She cannot find a hairdresser to do her hair like Pat did in Dallas.  We are trying a new one in the morning so we will see.

We have a busy week ahead with Mother's Birthday and Thanksgiving.

Here are the crazy pictures .....Payton in green and Amber in blue!!

November.....already??

I can't believe it is only 2 weeks till Thanksgiving!!  We had some family discussion, but it looks like we will still meet at the "new" house for the big feast and family celebration.  I am really looking forward to making memories.  It has been several years since we have all been together in one place.  We will miss our sister, Vicki and son Chris. 

We spent 4 days in Dallas last week packing Mother and Daddy's house.  Bob, Nic and I and Dusty, the dog, actually stayed at the house.  Linda and David came over to help also.  Whew, it is an enormous job and we only made a dent!!  We mainly worked on the den, kitchen and formal living/dining rooms.  Just when we were feeling pretty good about making progress, we went into the bedrooms or bathrooms and felt very overwhelmed.  There is just so much stuff to deal with.  The second day we were there, I woke up and cried.  Then I was angry.  How can anyone let their house get so bad??  On the other hand, I would think, OMG, they really didn't know how to even begin to get the house clean.  Having watched the reality show "Hoarders" I agree that there is some type of mental disorder that keeps people from throwing out and cleaning up stuff.  Their stuff becomes more important than anything else, including their family.

This proved to be true, when we got back to Lubbock and went over to see Mother and Daddy.  Mother was livid that we had been in her house!!  She kept Daddy up until 4AM one morning ranting and raving about it.  We brought back a few items for them, and we also brought back a dog covered with fleas!!!!   Yuk.

We will be traveling back to Dallas on Friday (without the dog)  to work some more on the house.  Amber, Jason and the boys are coming also, and the plan is to pull a trailer back with some of their furniture.  We'll just have to see how that will work. 

I had worked hard to find a new doctor for both Mother and Daddy and had appointments for them both on Thursday, Nov. 8th.  I called AARP Medicare Advantage to make a change of address.  Well, their plan is limited to providers in the DFW metroplex area only, and will not pay for ANY doctors outside of that area.  They cannot cancel the plan until Nov.  30th and then will have to get a new plan for Lubbock.  This is ridiculous, as they both need to be under the care of a doctor for diabetes, stroke, hypertension, myasthenia gravis, etc.  Government bureaucracy stinks!!  (And with Obamacare ---it's only going to get much worse,  in my opinion)

Are we having FUN yet???????????????????

**Disclaimer - the views expressed are my views only and may or may not reflect the views of the rest of the family  :) :) :) ***

Happy Halloween!!

It's Halloween -- time for ghosts and goblins to trick or treat for candy.  It has been a busy week in Lubbock.  Daddy took Mother to her new hairdresser on Thursday after we had lunch at a local cafe called Rooftop.  They enjoyed the banana pudding that comes with the lunch special. My sister,Linda was in Shallowater for daughter Stacey's birthday.  I'm off work every Friday, so went and picked up Linda to spend the day with Mother and Daddy.  We did a little scrapbooking with Mother watching.  Nic fixed us all Tortilla soup in the crockpot and Amber and the boys came over to eat with us. Saturday I got a break and spent the entire day at a scrapbooking retreat.  It was fun and good for me to get away.  Then Saturday night, Amber invited us to her house for pizza and pumpkin carving time.  I took pictures but don't have a way to post them right now.  Mother and Daddy loved watching the carving and impressed with the intricate pumpkin designs they did.

Sunday, we drove over to Stacey and Perry's house in Shallowater for taco lunch.  They built a house a year or so ago and it is beautiful.  Mother and Daddy were impressed  after hearing so much about it.  We did have issues with Daddy's driving.  Mother yells at him if he drives over 40 -- and he was driving on a 70 mph highway.  We were leading and he wouldn't keep up, missed the turn, etc.    AAAARRRRGGGGGGGGGHHH!

Poor Daddy woke up with a swollen face Tues morning.  Went to the dentist and he has an infected tooth.  Got antibiotics.  

Bob, Nic and I are in Dallas at the "old" house this morning.  Our intent is to get some packing and cleaning done.  We stayed up till 1:30 AM  .  All I can say is "oh my, oh my.......we need lots of prayers and stamina.  Linda and David are bringing 100 moving boxes this morning.  Who would write "bad" on a light bulb with a marker, and then keep it???  Found many of these......Need to go.....coffee is waiting.

They're here!!

With the lure of getting to see Landry in Abilene, Mother, Daddy and Nic loaded the car and headed to Lubbock on Sunday morning.  There was some resistance early Sunday from Mother, and from Tiger, the cat (hid behind the dryer and had to be pried out with a stick with Mother yelling not to hurt her!!).  They arrived in Abilene and spent a couple of hours before finishing the "lonnnnggg" trip.  Mother said that was the longest trip she's ever been on.  About 5 miles from Lubbock, she was desperately needing to urinate, so they stopped at a baseball field in hopes the bathrooms would be unlocked.  Of course they weren't, so Nic just took the portable commode out of the car and as Mother said, "I just peed right there in public"!! 

Bob and I, and Amber, Jason and the boys were all at the new house waiting for them to arrive.  There were fresh yellow mums on the table and a big pot of goulash for supper, along with Phoenix's leftover birthday cake.  

Mother, Daddy and Jenny (the dog) all seemed to love the house and how big it was.  Tiger was freaked out and did not come out of her travel carrier for 2 days!!  We all went to bed tired and happy.  

Monday morning, Daddy went out on the front porch to find the morning paper, a small teakettle (for boiling water for instant coffee--yuk!) and a small can of green chilies.  He was confused about the chilies until a short time later, his "personal chef" (Nic) showed up to fix them his special - "green chili cheese scrambled eggs" for their breakfast.  When I went over at lunch, Daddy told me that they had been drinking coffee out on the patio, and Mother said she would trade the new house even for the Dallas house.  While I was there Daddy told her "This is our new house and we now live here!!"  Although she was very confused, she did not seem mad or angry, just could not figure out the details.  She actually seemed excited that this was their new house.  Wow, what a relief that she didn't get mad and have a stroke!  Monday evening we watched Payton in a tennis match, then took them to eat at Fazoli's (fast food Italian) followed by a short time at our house watching Monday night football.  (Their TV will only pick up religious and Spanish channels).

At lunch today, however, we experienced a different attitude.  Mother was mad, angry and threw what I call a "hissey fit".  She still loves the house, but we should have asked her if she wanted to move, we are bossing her around, spending all of her money, etc. etc.  And of course, it was all MY fault because my only motive was to boss her and tell her what to do.  Well, she pushed my buttons and I am sorry to say I somewhat yelled back at her.  I realize that was the wrong thing to do, but it happened.  Stacey, Perry and the kids visited this evening and said she was fine. 

Tomorrow is a new day!!  She will be happy because Daddy said he is taking her to Kohl's and the Dollar stores to shop.  That always makes her happy.....makes me happy too!! 

Thanks for everyone's support and prayers.  The story continues.....

We did it. We did it! The fat lady sings.

We did it.  We did it.  Watch the video below for my song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBCw4_XgouA

Closing on the house was Wednesday in Dallas with Daddy and Thursday here in Lubbock.  Big thank you to Linda and David for getting Daddy to the closing and keeping Mother at home on such very short notice.  We have the keys and getting it ready to be occupied.

Since we won't be able to bring their furniture from Dallas for a couple of weeks, we emptied Nic's storage unit yesterday so they can use his furniture, dishes, pots and pans, etc. temporarily.  Today we will move a bed, TV and refrigerator.

Talked to Daddy in his regular Thursday call.  The closer it gets the more worried he is.  I can understand why.  Mother doesn't have a clue about what's going to happen.  I wish she knew, but it is better this way.  I have faith that once she gets here, and we are all around her she will be OK.  It may take a while though.  She is very stubborn.  Just hope she blames it all on me, instead of on Daddy.  I will be the scapegoat.  She just doesn't realize that we have done this because we love them both and want them to have help. 

Nic has a plane ticket to fly to Dallas tomorrow.  He will help Daddy pack up the car and get Mother, the dog, and the cat loaded in and drive them to Lubbock.  I am confident that Nic can pull this off...he's very low key and matter of fact. 

As I type, Landry is finishing her last radiation treatment in Houston.  She has been a little trooper this week.  Many prayers have gone up that this will be the last treatment she needs and that her brain tumor and cancer will be zapped and never return.  We love you Landry, Campbell, Shannon and Kory.

Need to go for now.  Spending the day at our "new" house getting it ready.  Say some big prayers that this all goes down without a meltdown by Mother!! 

Nancy aka "the singing fat lady"!!!!

The fat lady will sing

A while back I sent a family email entitled "It's not over till the fat lady sings".  This was just after we had gotten a denial of Dad's loan from the mortgage company just 4 days prior to the closing date!  Well we now have closing set for the "new" house on Tuesday in Lubbock, and Wednesday in Dallas.  We are planning on having Mother and Daddy here in Lubbock by this time next week.  The plan is to fly Nic to Dallas and he will drive them in their car, with the dog and cat, back to Lubbock.  And this fat lady will sing!!!!!

A great big thank you to Payton, Kayl, Phoenix and Nic for cleaning up all those "beans" in the front yard and also the vines in the back yard.  That was a big job.  I meant to take a picture, but got involved and didn't.  Nic and I have still spent many hours painting and cleaning and still have a few more rooms to go.  My old fat body is letting me know too, sore legs and back!!  Wish I were 30 again :)  :)

In my weekly call from Dad on Thursday, I told him that Thanksgiving this year will be at his house.  He was very surprised and at the same time pleased and excited!!  It has been a long time since that has happened.  The entire family will be here and we will all bring a dish to make this the best Thanksgiving ever!!  Memories waiting to happen.

Vicki and I were remembering back in the 50's when everyone would go to Grandma Lusk's house for Sunday dinners.  There must have been 50+ people show up in that small 2 bedroom house.  She would just spread out all the food and people would fill their plates and eat anywhere they could find, including the front yard.  We kids always had so much fun with our cousins, just running around and playing.  The women mostly stayed in the kitchen tending to the food and washing dishes.  The men would gather and tell tales and smoke.  The good ole days, for sure. 

Going to the Texas Tech game with Amber and the boys today.  Don't think they will win, playing the #5 team, West Virginia. 

Taking requests for songs for the fat lady..........!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday Calls from Dad

Every Thursday around 10:30 to 11:00 AM I get a call from Dad.  This is when my Mother goes to the beauty shop each week to get her hair done and he can talk freely.  I always enjoy the update and our discussions about everything.  I believe I have talked more to Dad during the last couple of months than in my entire life!  The past 2 weeks have been pretty quiet at their house, as the "real Chester" was home.  But today, Dad said she started the day asking if Chester went out the front door.  Dad tried to explain he was there and had not left!  Our discussion then turned toward the status of the "new" house and the MOVE!!  I gave him the news that the real estate appraiser had come on Tuesday and we are very hopeful that we will have a closing date next week.  Wouldn't that be great?  

So then we started talking about the actual move itself.  It's very difficult to tell someone that after all these years of buying and accumulating "stuff", he doesn't need to bring it all with him to Lubbock.  For instance, he said he has about 10-15 nice winter coats that are hanging on a wire/chain in their garage.  I told him he should pick out 2 or 3 that are his favorites to bring with him and sell/donate the others.  "But they are all my favorites and are  good nice coats".  Me:  "Yes but you will never wear all 15 coats"  ...So I finally said, "if you only bring 2-3, then if you see a new one to buy, you can buy a new one."  This same train of thought carried on about tools, lawn sprinklers, dishes, towels,clothes, shoes, etc. etc.  I also tried to convince/reason with him that it is going to be sooooooo much easier to live in the new house, because there will not be so much clutter.  They will be able to wash dishes and put up the clean dishes instead of leaving them on the counter because there is no room in the cupboard.  Don't know if I got through to him or not, but will keep trying.  I love my Dad so much, and Mother too.  We just want them to have an easier life with less clutter and stress.  Time will tell..............

I just changed some of the setting for Comments.  So hopefully you can leave comments now. ---Nancy

Blue Monday

We are all feeling sad and "blue" tonite with the news that Landry's tumor has grown.  Cannot find many words to say...

Nic and I have spent much time getting the "new" house ready for Mother and Daddy.  We have mostly been painting.  The game room had a red wall, and one bedroom had green and blue walls.  Then we undertook re-painting all of the kitchen cabinets...major job.  We have almost completed them and even painted the inside of the cabinets (they were buttercup yellow!).  Now they are all "decorator white" and look so much better.  Called the mortgage co. today to make sure there are no "glitches".  Just still waiting for the FHA appraiser and a closing date.

The last picture shows the color of the cabinets before we started painting.  

The beginning...

The beginning of a new chapter, and yet in a way this is most likely the ending chapter.  I decided to begin a blog on my parents, Chester and Claudene Young.  My Dad is 86 with a birthday in December, and Mother is 84 with a birthday in November.  They currently live in Dallas in the same house since 1961.  They have been married for over 69 years and are still in love with each other and hold hands while in the backseat of our car!!  But this year has brought changes, changes that are not good.  In March my Mother fell at I-Hop and suffered a head injury which left her confused.  Then in May she had a stroke which for a while left her unable to speak and walk.  She has eventually began to talk with slurred speech and can walk a very small distance.  The heartbreaking part is that she now has severe dementia, most likely Alzheimers.  (Her mother had Alzheimers for 20+ years).  At times she no longer recognizes my Dad and calls wanting us to contact her "1st husband, Chester"  and tell him to come home.  (There has only been one husband) Chester is sitting next to her by the phone.  At other times she claims there is another woman that has the same house as hers, with the same furniture, plants, pictures, etc.  When my oldest sister visited for a week, she ranted and raved asking why that woman was there saying she was her daughter.  It is so very sad for us all, but especially for my Dad when he can't convince her who he is.  In a way, they have both lost each other......Mother believes Dad has run off with another woman....and Dad can't convince her he is Chester.

So, it is very difficult for my Dad to care for Mother and he has finally accepted our offer of help.  They are moving to Lubbock, just 6 houses down from our house.  We have had a rough time obtaining financing for a new house though.  Even though they have a perfect credit score and own 2 other houses, their "liquid" assets weren't enough.  So I am a co-borrowing for the time being.  We are waiting for an appraisal on the "new" house and hopefully will be able to close within 2 weeks.  Then will be the most difficult task of all.  We must figure out a way to move them here with all their belongings.  They have accumulated a LOT of stuff in their 69 years.  Besides that we aren't telling Mother that she's actually moving, because she will fight us.  We don't want to do it that way, but it's the only way to get her here and get Dad the help he needs so desparately.  Dad has been under so much stress emotionally and has lost 20 lbs in the last 6 mos. 

So, I have started this blog to document this new beginning for them.  Only God knows how long they will have together.  I believe that God told me to step up and do everything I can to help their last years be better.  I want them to be around their family and enjoy birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, anniversaries and just ther every day simple joys of having someone around that cares.  I go into this with an open mind, because I know it is going to be difficult and at times I will want to scream, cry, cuss ....or all of the above.  I hope that other family members will step up and help regularly and for sure, when I need a break.  Only God knows the outcome, but I believe he will bless us during this time.  Prayers are welcome!