TGIF: Walking the walk and some other stuff too.

The Cocoa-nater needs exercise daily. 

She really loves it; but like everyone else, she's getting old. She's going to be 70 in September and for a boxer that is ancient. So our walks are starting to be a battle of wits. Meaning my wits are being battled. She loves the beginning of our walks, but the last 10-15 minutes looks a bit precarious for me; I don't know if I can carry 55lbs!  I've even shortened our walks, but those last few houses she keeps looking at me: "Did someone move OUR house mama? It seems so far away now."

*heavy panting*

***

I'm looking into getting lasik surgery. I had a consult a few weeks ago and another coming this week. 

I'll make my decision soon. I'm sick and tired of wearing glasses. The Coach asked me what bothers me so much with wearing glasses. 

Me: "Well, they get dirty all the time and with my OCD I'm constantly cleaning them....and then my hair gets caught in the hinges and I'm losing precious hair." 

Him: "So, you're going to have a laser surgery so you don't lose any more hair?"

Me: "Pretty much." 

Plus, I'd like to be able to see. all.the.time.

(Contacts worked for a few years, but that ship has sailed away with my age!)

At my appointment they dilated my eyes and then sent me away.TO.drive. I couldn't see very well, but I took a photo of my ginormous pupils to share with my people before I drove into a ditch drove home.  Ya know, for old times sake and all. Just in case. 

I must have forgotten to brush may hair on this day. It's hard to remember everything.

Has anyone had lasik surgery and you can still read this post???

***

Fathers day was a few weeks ago. (really? That long ago?)

I just want to let you all know that our girls are alive and well!! Remember when my posts were all about the funny ways they would try to drive me crazy? Well, I'm guessing they are doing that to other people now since I don't see them as much. 

I love my people!!!

I hope you're all getting the necessary exercise, seeing well and get to hug some super sweet people here and there. Honestly, the hugging of people is better if you KNOW those actual people. 

Hugging strangers is frowned upon. Well, I read that somewhere. 

Damn restraining orders.

Enjoy your Independence weekend!!!

XOXO

Bob Barker, is that YOU?

My Mom was not a big TV watcher; as in, she didn't watch a variety of shows.  

 I didn't really know that until recently. I haven't lived with my Mom since I was 15 years old, so spending so much time with her recently was eye-opening.

The Price Is Right was her only go-to daytime show. (she's been laid off the past year and had settled into a routine) We stopped what we were doing at 11am to watch The Price is Right. 

I had many flashbacks of spending the summers with my Grandma and we stopped everything when her 'stories' {soap operas} came on TV. 

Did you know that Bob Barker had retired? Well, now you do.

Bob was replaced by Drew Carey, that funny guy who used to be really large and now is just regular-sized, but super cute and funny. 

It was most inconvenient when we were in the hospital because you'd not see a Dr. until 11am.

Never failed....they wouldn't show up until Mom was watching her show. She and I would exchange knowing looks that meant: How dare they?

Quick, everyone avoid the camera!  Circa 1990. Terrible picture of Suz, Mom and Mark, but it's the only one that exists after 1980. 

The only other show she really enjoyed was QVC.

I know. That's not really a show, it's shopping. My Mom's favorite sport was shopping.

I've never been a TV shopping kind of girl, but let me tell you, I was tempted to purchase SO many things that I DIDN'T know that I wanted or needed in my life....those TV selling people are that good. 

And my Mom knew them all by name. ALL of them. Cracked me up. She could watch that show anytime, even if it was a rerun.

I'm not a big shopper, but I appeased her by watching and kept my wallet in the other room. Those salespeople are that good.

So, imagine my surprise when I was going through my Brother Marks wallet and found that he had a QVC shopping card.

Mark passed away in 1990; I had NO idea that QVC even existed that long ago!

I shared that tidbit with my Aunt Trisha and she also wondered if I was really related to the two of them! 

I'm starting to wonder if Mark was right when he told me that I was found at the local park, I thought he was just being mean. 

TGIF~Like sands through the hourglass....so was this past week.

Time is just a slip, slip, slipping away. All week long I had thoughts to blog about, but didn't find the time to sit and write type them down.

While we were all still in GA after Mom passed we packed up *most* of her apartment. The girls boxed up things they would like to have, as did I. A lot of the furniture LoLo wanted to keep for her future place; Linds is still looking at a few years of dorm life.
This past weekend Lolo, her BF and her BF's brother drove up there in one of our work trucks and (with the help of my Aunt and Uncle) loaded it all up and drove back home.

I went up to our shop on Monday to pick up my boxes and see where they were going to 'store' my Mom's furniture until Lolo could use it.

*sigh*

Seeing all my Mom's beloved items there in the corner of our warehouse was almost too much.

Unpacking the boxes over the next few days proved to be too much for my fragile heart.

Seeing her stuff as well as some of my Brother's stuff....made me feel like an orphan.

So, I had myself a good old fashioned pity party.

Of course, in the midst of my pity party I found a few things to laugh about. 

(My mother and brother both had a love for QVC....I'll share that little nugget soon, because I'm unsure if we were really related.)

I'm getting through it. Gosh darn That grief.....she is an evil Mo'Fo. 

So, without making this a dull, down in the dumps post I want to share something that I did for my Mom as a birthday gift back in April. 

Mom has had this huge cabinet forever. Or at least back to around 1988. 

For the last 5 years or so, she's wanted to paint it. But that was a big undertaking.

I figured since I was there hanging out with her, I might as well take on the challenge between Dr's appointments. It took me about 4 days total. The color is not nearly as periwinkle as it shows; more of a soft blue with a black top. 

Mom loved it so much. I only wish she was able to enjoy it longer.

 Lolo wanted it something bad, and since it's really more country than our house, I thought it would be great for her next place. 

I know that my Mom would be SO pleased that the girls and I will be using her beloved items in our homes. The cabinet, tables, her beloved Johnson Bros dishes, silverware, stainless pots/pans etc.

Oh, and her milk glass collection? I practically had to shank Lolo for that!

Wishing you all a sweet weekend with your favorite people. 

Me? I'm cleaning out my garden and sorting through some of my favorite peoples stuff. 

XOXO

TGIF~Laughing is way better than crying

I'm going to try and get back into my blogging routine. *TRY*

Did you know that I really blogged for my Mom? 

With her living in GA and my living in FL it was a great way to keep her updated. 

Mom making Thanksgiving gravy...geeze, now I have to figure out how to do this!

She loved reading my words and of course enjoyed all of your comments as well. Hopefully she has a good internet connection and can continue enjoying my nonsense.

Mom watching the 'after Thanksgiving football' game where someone would surely be injured.

So....being a silly person who comes from a silly family, there were a few silly moments in the last days of turmoil.

***

We made the decision to move my Mom to hospice on Tuesday June 9th. I thought I was going to have to shank her oncologist as he was still wanting to do more procedures to/on her; but I knew better. She was out of her mind in pain. {everyone NEEDS an advocate!}

It took a few hours, but we finally got her into a beautiful hospice facility. The head nurse on duty there told us that sometimes it helps if you 'tell' your person that it's ok to let go; to give up, to move on.

My Aunt Trisha went outside to make some phone calls and I had a few minutes with my Mom. 

I told her all the important stuff and said that it was ok if she was ready to 'leave us'. (she was heavily sedated)

Trisha came back in and I told her that I had the 'talk'.

Trisha said:  "Coach and the girls won't be here until late tonight; don't you want them to be able to see her?" 

Me: "Oh, Mom, erase, erase....I take it back, never mind!!" 

***

Again....she was always working to feed the rest of us!

My mom passed away very early on Thursday morning. My Aunt had spent the night with her at the hospice facility and came home later that morning. (I was with her the night before)

That afternoon, my Aunt Trisha was bent over with her head in the freezer looking for something, when she heard behind her my voice saying: "Do you know where my Mom is?"

She turned around with a shocked face, wondering if I'd lost my marbles....then realized it was Lindsay looking for me.

We had a good chuckle about that.

***

Suz, Aunt Trisha, Bev/mom and Linds-Thanksgiving 2013

The next evening, we went to visit my Cuz Patrick at his home and to give him the 'news'. We were having a lovely family moment on Patrick's front porch when all of a sudden SIRI (iPhone lady) spoke loudly from my Aunts Purse: "Beverly, I don't understand what you're saying."

We all broke out into laughter at the timing of this. (Aunt Trisha had my Mom's phone in her purse and apparently was inadvertently pushing SiRi's button)

***

Thanksgiving 2014....seriously, when she was here, she was in the kitchen!

I'm getting through this. 

Day by day. 

I really want to thank all of you for your kind words, comments, emails, text messages. I'm really feeling the love. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends (virtual and down the street) as well as my people. My people are the best people. 

I keep telling everyone that I'm doing well. And I really am. I'll miss my Mom forever and ever....but honestly we were in such a good place. I have NO regrets regarding our relationship. We loved each other (warts and all) and I know that I did everything I could possibly do to help her fight this horrid disease. My Mother was my BIGGEST cheerleader. 

Plus, I'll see her again one day. Until then, she can soak up the joy of my brother Mark.