typing thru the tears

As many know my mom-in-law has been having some problems and fell and broke her leg. Last Wednesday she was transported to the doctor from the nursing home to get an update on her leg. The plan was for Jerry, Jerry's dad and me to all ride with her in the wheelchair transport to the doctor's office because we knew that the doctor was going to tell her that her leg needs to be amputated from the knee down

We got there a little bit around 10am and knew that the transport would be showing up at 10:30-ish. Jerry's dad, Jerry Sr. wasn't there...Jerry decided that he would go with his mom as she would be upset about the news and I would go find Jerry Sr. (he is known to have car problems at the most inopportune times) I was a little worried but I drove over to the house and noticed the van wasn't really pulled into the drive well. It seemed crooked to me. I knew right at that point that something was not right. I went to the door and started knocking very loud as Jerry Sr is deaf. Buddy the dog was barking his little heart out but no answer. I started knocking harder and decided to try hitting a pole on all the windows around the house so that Jerry Sr. could hear me trying to get a hold of him. 15 minutes pass and no luck...Jerry still on the phone with me and I'm asking him if I should break in when the neighbors notice that I'm having problems. James and Patty, Jerry's parents neighbors who have helped them out the past month helped me break into the house and unlock the door. James and I notice that the bathroom door is closed and can hear the shower running. He opened the door and screamed "Oh my God, Call 911!". Tears and adrenaline flooded into me and I told Jerry that I needed to call 911 and I would call him back. It seemed to take Rescue forever to get there but in all actuality it was about 2-3 minutes. Jerry Sr. was unconscious in the tub, with the water flowing but his head was resting on the side. Patty held him and talked to him as I stayed on the line with both 911 and Jerry. After Rescue arrived I quickly gathered Jerry Sr's wallet and followed him to the nearest hospital. More tearful calls from both Jerry and his sister Melissa as I waited in the ER.

Meanwhile at the doctor's office Jerry's mom, Joyce had learned that her leg indeed did have to be amputated but because of what was going on they would wait on us to schedule it. Jerry rode back with her to the nursing home and took a cab to the hospital.

Waiting rooms.....I've decided I don't really like them. Too much time in them recently. I do want to thank the compassionate strangers in the waiting room that reassured me and passed me tissues. We all got to know each other and I hope their families are well.

Jerry arrives and we go back to see his dad to discover that he has had a massive stroke that effected his entire left half of his brain and that his right side was completely paralyzed. This meant that he would never be able to be breathe, eat on his own. After sitting with him for hours we headed to tell Jerry's mom the update. Ugh...no one should ever have to tell someone that their spouse of 46 years has suffered such a terrible stroke. She was heartbroken.

After a day of family visiting and many decisions back and forth, Jerry's family decided that Jerry Sr wouldn't want to be sitting on life support and not being able to engage in the things he loved: Sports, eatting M&M's, Taking care of the pets, the list goes on. A tough decision. On Friday, late morning they took him off the ventilator. After about 30 minutes to see how he would respond, they moved him over to the Hospice Center into a very comfy room. Jerry and I were impressed by how wonderful the people at Hospice were/are. Truly angels!

Saturday, Jerry Sr is holding on. It was Joyce's birthday and we all prayed that he would hold on until after her birthday so she wouldn't have that memory on her birthday. Jerry and I went up to sit with him during the Jaguar Pre-Season football game. I don't know if it was coincidence or that he knew what was going on but just about kick off time he started to vocalize. It seemed every time the Jags did well he would get excited. Very upsetting for me....we left at halftime, emotionally and physically exhausted. We just wanted to go to bed.

...But we didn't. Neither of us were able to calm down. We both were feeling anxious and never got around to actually going to bed. It's like we knew that something was going to happen. About 1am, Hospice called and told us that Jerry Sr. had taken a turn for the worse. Jerry called his sister Melissa and we scrambled to get out the door to drive through Tropical Storm Fay so that we could be with Jerry Sr. When we arrived, a nurse was holding his hand and said he was still with us.

It was peaceful. I'm so glad that Jerry got to be with him. I thought that I would be hysterical but I wasn't. I'm feel privileged to have stood by Jerry's side as he said goodbye to his father.

Seconds after he passed, Melissa arrived, terribly upset. I understand, I don't know if I could stand seeing my dad pass either.

I think we ended up staying in the room with him for nearly 45 minutes, chatting and crying and even laughing at times. Melissa and her friend, Mary went home and Jerry talked to the nurses about what happened next. I think we got home around 3am and to sleep about 3:30...

It's been a blur of activity since then. Funeral arrangements to make, trying to get Jerry Power of Attorney so he can take care of his mom's finances while she is in the nursing home. Tip on that: Make sure that if you are married that all property is jointly owned or that you have a will stating who gets what. Also if you have a grown child, you might want to put them on your bank accounts. This is especially true if one of the parents has poor health. Between Jerry, Melissa, Mary and myself I think we have it all set.

Services will be held at George H. Hewell and Son Funeral Home at 4747 N. Main Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206. The viewing will be Wednesday August 27th from 6pm until 8pm. The memorial service will be Thursday August 29th at 10am. The family will then travel to Oakey Grove Cemetary in Georgia for the interment ceremony at 2pm. A small reception will follow at Open Door Baptist Church at 3pm.

Thank you to all of you that sent us well wishes and prayers. We appreciate them!

_\,,/

what a week...

Sunday - call from mom-in-law saying she needed to go to the hospital. Admitted with blood sugars of 1130. Broken leg that she didn't even know about.

Monday - Spent the day in the hospital. Trying to stabilize the sugars. Had to set her leg twice. Poor thing.

Tuesday - Waited all day for surgery to add a plate and pins to her leg. I ended up being the "phone girl" in the surgical waiting room because the volunteers left at 5pm. We were there until 8:30pm.

Wednesday - Mom-in-law, came out of surgery good. Had a good morning until they gave her some pain medicine. Confusion started to creep in.

Thursday - Oof..bad day! Mom-in-law was very confused. For a while she thought she was in the post office. She refused to eat and to ignore you would just sing to herself. Heartbreaking.

Friday - I had an interpreting gig all day which was wonderful. My little hands are tired though. Jerry said Mom-in-law was doing TONS better today and was no longer confused just sore. Good news. The nurse said it was probably ICU Psychosis. Hopefully that's all it is.

All the prayers and thoughts have been appreciated. This weekend will be more hospital visits and stuff like that.

Upcoming Monday is my last official day at ILRC. Good people doing great work. I'm excited to start my life as a contract interpreter. Exciting and scary!

TGIF!

One crazy week, SO happy it's Friday!

Have a good one!



Cheers!

So close..but no cigar

I did not pass the state test.

I'm disappointed but the feedback they give you is SO specific that it's a good thing too. It does put a little crimp in the 5 year plan but it's not like it's the first speed bump in my life.

I have to wait a year before I can take it again. That gives me a whole year to improve which makes my decision to just get out there more a good plan for me.

Ugh...disappointment sucks.....

Leap of faith...

Life is crazy how things work out. I needed a push to get out there and just interpret and this week that little push came. I put my two weeks notice in at ILRC. I graduated in May with this degree in Sign Language Interpreting and I guess I was waiting for some gold leaf engraved invitation to be an interpreter. Yeah...doesn't work that way. I have my name out there with a few agencies and hopefully I'll get some gigs here soon. I'm thankful that Jerry is on board with my antics. I'm truly a lucky girl.

Starting July 22nd, I'm officially an interpreter in my eyes. Although I'm still waiting on my state results. Eleven weeks is crazy to wait for something that determines your "worth". I have been using that as a crutch though. "Oh..as soon as I get my results we can talk about what I can do for you". NO Jeanne, just get out there and do it!

So there ya have it. I'm out there and vulnerable. Feels scary and exhilarating!

CL: 5 (shake) (palm facing left)

That means it's all finished! Silent Weekend was a great success! Lots of review, which is always good. New things too! Mostly I learned that I can actually communicate. Something that is always comforting to know!

There were a few unpleasant moments of the weekend. The only thing I'll say about it is, I'm thankful that I don't live for the "drama". @@

Was good to see my classmates. It's hard though because I can see us all drifting apart and it's a little sad. It's life...and I understand. It happened at CMU, former jobs, and I know that it will happen in the future too. I understand that but it doesn't mean I can't be a little sad.

:(

I didn't get the internship. I'm feeling really defeated right now. It doesn't help that I'm still waiting to find out about my state certification. I'm trying to stay positive that I've picked the right path but right now I just want to go to the beach and have a good cry!

*insert clever title here*

Jerry and I had these "colds" in our back. Or so I thought...maybe we both did strain something at the same time. I am 98% better because I haven't been lifting anything for days. Jerry on the other hand is still in terrible pain. That is because he had to lift things for 3 days straight at his conference. I didn't even think about him taking the hanging bag vs. the rolling overnight bag. I should have thought about it..oh well. I gave him a darvocet and he is conked out on the futon with a heat wrap around his shoulder. He should be out for hours.

I'm just glad he is home. I didn't sleep well while he was gone, and every little sound in the house seemed a thousand times louder.

Work is going good. Starting July 1st I'm going back to part time hours so that I can take some interpreting gigs. I'm very excited about that. Now if I my QA results would just hurry up and get here I'd be much happier.

Still waiting on news on the internship. Don't like that I'm competing for it with my classmates. Emily and I decided that no matter what we should start a study group or something to get more signing in. Sounds like a plan.

My car...UGH...I hate it...keeps overheating and stuff. I'm so spoiled about having a car that works that I get frustrated when it doesn't. Maybe I should be come one of those lease people. *shrug*

Life is a Journey...is there a short cut?

Beware: Rambling and confusion approaching!

I used to be so good about keeping up with my blogging. I don't blog for the readers..I blog for me. I love to look back and see what was going on at certain times. So why have I been so lazy about posting lately? .... I guess I'm taking stock of my life....AGAIN. Making sure that I keep to my path and continue on. I'm feeling a little off course. It's not bad though...

I know I'm confusing. I like direct routes. When I can't get to where I want to go directly I get flustered and start rambling. Like now! So this little post is a swift kick to my chakra to get me back in line. (Thank Lloyd for making me remember about Dharma and Greg. I loved that show too!)

I just spent two days issuing amplified telephones for senior citizens. I loved it. It was wonderful to know that some of these people haven't had a decent phone conversation in years and now they will. Nothing better than hearing "Wow...I can hear on this phone!"

So where does that leave me? Pulling out the big atlas of life and making sure that I'm in the right neighborhood, I guess. What is it that they say, "It's not the destination it's the journey"?

Ah well...Thanks for reading (if you made it this far)

4 weeks and counting

It's been four weeks since I took my QA exam. I know they said approximately eight weeks for my results but this is killin' me.

I don't wait very well.

Speaking of waiting, I'm waiting on contacts and my glasses too...

My world consists of a lot of waiting these days. Guess I'm being tested.....

Patience .....

This is odd

I actually have less going on in my life but am more tired the past few days. I don't know why and it's buggin' me. I only work a six hour day and shouldn't be so tired. Last night I was too tired to eat my dinner. The plate was just there in front of me but I only ate about half my broccoli and rice and only one bite of the pork (which didn't taste good to me but Jerry sure liked it). I went to bed a little earlier last night. I'm hoping I just need to catch up on some sleep or something.

It's Official

I go for the state QA exam Friday at 4:00pm. I'm nervous and excited. I switched my schedule around at work so I could have a few hours between to gather my thoughts and stuff.

Wednesday I go for my Information Literacy test (how to use a computer for research) at 4pm. This is required if I want to graduate on the 3rd of May.

Hmm..4pm seems to be the "go time". That's what happens when you take on a part time job I guess.

13 Days

Until Graduation! OMG! Only need to pass my classes and take some silly Computer information test that shows I know how to use a computer for research. (Yeah...can you believe that ). Ooo...and I'm working on scheduling my State QA. Could be this week! I'm nervous and excited about everything!

Week 2

Things kinda started out slow because of some audits and other things that popped up. Today however was/is completely different. Busy doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling. Probably a little overwhelmed but I am confident that it's just a matter of getting my feet wet and making the mistakes that ever new employee does

School is getting close to being done. I get to interpret "Phantom of the Opera" today in class. I'm excited to be a ham and have fun. May 3rd is graduation...I can't believe it. Have a call in to schedule my State QA exam and then I leave it to the interpreting gods to guide my future.

Directions

Where am I going? How long will it take? These are a few of the questions that I've been asking myself this week. I tend to do this around my birthday every year. I guess it's kind of a way for my to check myself that I haven't wandered off. Five more weeks of school and I'm feeling like I should have a job already lined up, but I don't. I have my application in with the school district but they aren't doing any hiring until just before next years school year.

God, I hope I get it.
I hope I get it.
How many people does he need? - Chorus Line

In other random things. An online friend shared a link that cracked me up. I guess the link is really funny to me because I'm so terrible with listening to songs and what they are saying. So clicky here!

Convalescing

This past week has been a rough one. Sore throats, fevers, and now my ears are full and I can't hear very well. I'm doing better then I was a week ago but still not 100%. I'm hoping by midweek I'm doing better.

Tomorrow will be rough but with my Aleve-D Sinus and Cold and some nose spray I'll get through it one way or another. Yes, I had to give all my information to buy this wonderful medicine. Does anyone ever really look at those paper logs of people buying these drugs? They need to come up with a better plan than having me write down all my information and checking it against my Drivers License. And what stops me from going to the dozen stores in my area and buying more of the same type of medicine? Waste of paper..not very green at all!

Remember me saying that if I could find my Method soap that would again stick it to Target? Well as I was wandering around Publix, I found that they now carry the hand soap. HURRAY Publix! Yes..I know this is odd to get so excited about but it's the little things that keep me going.

Another little fun thing was I discovered a fun show on the SciFi channel called Destination Truth. The host Josh Gates is snarky and sarcastic and they really never get any truth. I totally got hooked into a marathon today as I continued to rest.

Blur

My days are blurring into one another. It's not even that busy anymore. I've cut back my intern hours as I'm done with the requirements but want to keep myself in the "hot seat" until the state exam in May. Even the two classes I have on Tuesdays and Thursdays seem like one big clas with a 10 minute break between.

One cool thing I did for myself is that I made myself go look at the lunar eclipse last night. I'm wishing I would have taken pictures but oh well... It was really neat. The red moon made my inner vampire want to come out!

No big plans coming up. Par for the course. Just waiting until spring break for something exciting to happen around here.



I did chop off my hair. That's new, I guess.

Nervous and Excited

Today is the first official day of my internship. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I'm hoping that my mentors don't try to baptise me by fire. I mean, I know I need a little of that.

It's going to be a long day for me as well. I have class tonight and won't get out of there until 9:30pm. Oof...

Randomness

Remember that "mother" who helped her child cheat for Hannah Montana Tickets? Well, that child won't be going to see the concert now. I'm glad they took the prize away. That child's mother should have known better.

I'm feeling a little better about my interpreting. Jerry, my rock, reminded me that if I knew how to do it already I wouldn't be going for an internship. I'd be working as a professional. I love that he guides me when I'm lost.

Monday goodness

Because of my schedule I was fortunate enough not to have to do the grocery shopping on the weekends. I would usually go around late Monday mornings. Last week was Christmas Eve and because I had to wait around for my sister-in-law to pick up her step-child I couldn't get to the strore until 1pm. Nightmare! I ended up only getting what we needed to be able to have something for dinner that night and put off the rest of the shopping until Wednesday. Which by the way was nice and quite, although the store shelves were very bare. So this week I decided to get up early and go.

Before heading to Publix for the usually weekly fare, I thought I should take a ride over to the Middle School where I'm going to have my internship. I had never been there and am supposed to meet with my mentors and the head of Interpreters on Wednesday at 8:30am. So I printed my map from Google and headed out. Piece of cake! Just hope that traffic isn't bad on the road there. Guess I'll see on Wednesday. After circling the parking lot I headed back to Riverside to hit the grocery store.

It was so quiet in there. The cashiers were anxiously waiting for people to come through their lines and the shelves were stocked. I was thankful that I headed out early as I know that around noon when all the businesses let their people go home early the stores will become a madhouse once again.

I hate mornings...but they sure do have their advantages!

VAY-CAY-Shun!

That's right..It's officially my winter break. No more school..no more work (Yup, I quit) so bring on the relaxation and fun!

I got 3 A's and a B this semester. Plus I passed Florida's Quality Assurance Written exam. (With a 93! )

I haven't even thought about Christmas yet. Jerry is off next week so he can help me. (Thanks for volunteering honey!)

85 to pass

I got a 93!

Paying to take a test

So in approximately 4 hours I have the privilege of paying to take an exam. I'm both excited and nervous to take this test. It means I'm definitely starting my Interpreter career which is exciting. The nerves are normal, it's not like I'm sick to my stomach like I was earlier over the finals. In fact, I'm less nervous about this test than most others. I guess because I know I have been slowly accumulating all this knowledge and it's stuck! (thank goodness)

So if you are at a loss of what to do at 6:30pm EST, think of me and send me some good test vibes.

_\,,/

Like a bottle of fine wine

I just maybe a sucker for any man who is an adventurer but Harrison Ford looks quite good in this photo of the next Indian Jones movie. I hope I age that well.

TGIF!

I really like Fridays. I don't go to work on Fridays. I don't have class on Fridays. Most of all I don't have to go to bed early on Fridays. I know it's silly to look forward to these small things but isn't it the small things that make life wonderful?

Freak out!

I'm getting to that point in my semester of classes where I start to stress out about things. I know I shouldn't and I guess I'm writing about it so that I can get a grip on how silly it is to stress about things. I can see my hubby's eyes rolling as he reads this. I know it's not healthy but I'm human. I guess knowing that I'm freaking out is the first step into stopping the freaking out. Right?!? Sure...So here I am...not freaking out about things that are so far away it's just silly to freak out about. Maybe I should freak out about how my English grammar has freaked out

Where'd you go?....

I miss you so
Seems like it's been forever

So why are my blogs so few and far between lately? Honestly, I have no clue. I guess I don't really have much to say about anything. I'm working my little 20 hour job at the relay center. Going to school with my little 4 classes and that's about it. I'm already thinking about Christmas break. Although that scares me a little because that means I only have one semester left...

Yes folks...I'm supposed to be able to test for some kind of creditials in 8 months. YIKES! My professor today put a quote on the board that I am really trying to embrace. "Perfectionism is the highest form of self abuse" So I guess I need to just keep reminding myself that this is truely an art form and that work product is just that....work product. Sure it could be scary if I were interpreting for someone who was going in for some medical procedure and I screw up the interpretation. Sure..yeah...but I'm no where near that and I will be placed with a mentor to help me through all these scary things. For the record, I will doubt I will ever get involved in Legal interpreting..I don't want to be sued. who knows though...I don't want to limit my potential. Ok...now it's just rambling and not a very interesting post so I'll leave you at this point.

Shout out to:
Mike who at 7:30am Friday Morning will be taking a test. I have tons of faith in you and remember to go with your instincts.

Lisa who is in her first week back at school. She's gonna be a kick ass nurse, I just know it!

Scott who really needs to get a flickr account or something those of us who are 1000 miles away can see Roz in her Kiss onesie.

Jerry, who no matter how horrible a housewife I am still loves me.

Dont know why theres no sun up in the sky ...

Stormy weather!

I love this kind of weather, but it makes me just want to veg out and watch TV. I did manage to do some laundry though. The only thing bad about this weather is that we live in the Historical part of the city. This means that our power goes out a lot. Even when it's sunny and beautiful...so I'll just hope that part of this stormy weather doesn't come true.

School news: Going to be a good semester. I'm taking Transiliteration, Voicing, Special Issues in Educational Interpreting and Interpreting Practicum. The best news is that most of my classes are "in class room work" so not many outside projects.

Life news: Not much really going on. Work, school...that's about it. Oh..well.. Jaguar Football. But we didnt' go to the game last night. We gave our tickets to Jerry's sister who is in town for the Labor Day weekend.

Amazing what a difference a day can make.

Found out that I don't have to change my Program at school so that means I won't have to take that math class.

They retracted an error on the company newsletter so that means the question on the test that they make you take to see if you are reading the newsletter was thrown out.

Things are looking up here in Jax.

Schleprock...

As in Bad Luck Schleprock...

There are times when I'm almost convinced that I am Bad Luck Schelprock. Thankfully today's Schleprock storm was just a little one. Nothing that can't be fixed or forgotten.

Schleprock moments today:

• Work drama with a mandatory reading of the company news letter.
• Book store - why don't they ever order enough books?
• Course program - "Not Found" What does that mean? Possibly math
• Mortage company - "what do you mean you don't have my payment...the bank shows you do!"