On the Juky fourth weekend me and the family stayed over night at my fathers home – good idea, he had his heart attack(s) the very next morning! Dad had gone down stairs the night before to look for something and came back up to tell us the basement, one of the rooms in the corner of the house, had flooded. Craptacularness!

Most of the items stored in that room were things they had recently gotten back from a flood and fire restoration place, after it had been restored from teh last flood they had! Suckage!

Hubs and I went through the boxes, and were able to just restore the things in dry boxes in another room, as dad caught the leak before a whole lot of things got wet. one thing that did get wet was a queen sized box spring and mattress! Hubs and I lifted it up out of the wet and put it on a wooden pallet. We hoped that it would be OK since it was a brand new mattress and had been covered in manufactures plastic still.

This last weekend when we went down to visit, dad had Micah and my brother disassemble my grandma’s bed so it can be shipped to her up North, and assemble the new bed frame and bring up the mattress for that bed. We had all assumed that since the mattress had been picked up so quickly from the wet, and had the plastic on, it would be OK.

Not so.

I was looking at our insurance papers this afternoon, to see what our coverage would be if something like that happened to us – Dad will have to hire a contractor to dig up the front yard to get a good look at the foundation to see where the water is coming from – After looking at our current insurance, I think it is time for me to start looking up some free insurance quotes. Wait. Can I keep my current insurance AND get another policy? How does that work?

In any case, it will have to wait until August before I start my hunt. Too much to do between now and then, you know?

Five more sleeps.

I’m terrified. In five more days we leave for our week long vacation. Only it might not *Just* be a week. it might be ten days. Or five days. Or maybe Eight days? Nine? Who really knows, eh?

And for me, someone who is in heaven with lists and plans and back up plans and lists for teh back up plans plan B, this is HELL.

My life. My house, is a fulfillment house, when every minute of my day is planned. I wake up at this time and sleep at that time. Breakfast at this time, shopping at this time. Unfortunately, our vacation will be more “Fly by the seat of your pants” than planned.

Of course we have a list of things we would liek to do and see, the zoo, the amusement park, the hot springs, etc, but we haven’t chosen a specific day each activity will happen.

At least we will not get lost, my in laws are sending their GPS unit with us!

Ever since my dad’s heart attack(s) on the fourth of July, I’ve been noticing things all around me. For example I made oven fried potatoes the other night and was shocked to see that I had slathered a full half cup of butter on them for cooking! Not a heart friendly choice!

Now that Heart disease has been found in my family, I need to take a more proactive part in my own health. I need to start watching the types of foods we put into our bodies NOW, before something, like what happened to my father, happens to me, or the boys, or my husband!

Another thing I am noticing is that a LOT of businesses around my town – and it’s not a big town either – have  AED’s, or Automated External Defibrillators. (Here is a link to Philips AED for more information) My dental office has one hanging on their wall near exam rooms 1&2. The little restaurant by the corner store has one on their wall. Even the Post office has one!

I had noticed a few weeks back that there was a billboard in the “big” city nearest us that was also advertising the use of AED’s. It’s reassuring, if you think about it. If my small town has at least three – and I assume that the police station as well as the medical clinic and the Town Office have them too, then the chances of my dad being near one should he have another heart attack are greatly improved.
Not that he WILL have another one! I’ve been talking with him and his wife about the things they are doing to prevent this from happening again,adn both of them are so ..upbeat, so positive about the changes in their life! Dad is walking every day – the cardiac nurse at his check up had to tell him to slow down, that he was pushing too fast! They are eating healthy, not just one out of three meals, but every meal – snacks too! It’s awesome!

In May of 2008 the boys and I went to my dad’s house to build a dog house, and build a dog house we did. Then, we lugged the dog house from dad’s house to our house and put it in the back yard. Look at the picture. I think we did a very good job, if I do say so myself!

Except..maybe..we could have done a better job shingling the roof of the dog house. You know. It’s just not as easy as it looks! It’s not our fault the roof leaks! Seriously. It’s not like we sit around working on manufactured homes and are experts at it! IN FACT! In our defense, shingling the dog house was our very first time attempting anything involving shingles!

SO AHNYWAY. It seems that after a full two weeks of rain, we have an obvious need to learn the proper tricks of the trade, so to say, of the art of shingling…Turns out Smokey does NOT find laying in a puddle of rain water relaxing!

I got home from my dad’s before 5PM today. I’ve been packing up my granny for the past two days. Now that dad had those four heart attacks, his life really needs to be stress free. Granny is high maintenance. She is nearing eighty and has lived with dad for eight years. It’s time for another one of the sibling’s to take a turn watching granny!

AHNYway. Since Friday morning I’ve had zero time online because I have either been at the hospital, at my dad’s packing grandma or sleeping.  I’ve been home and online for about three house now and I have already searched out a few acne treatment reviews,checked my feeds  – oye, 819 feeds to catch up on. I’ve done my facebooking and just now, I found this kick ass make over thingy at InStlye. Or at least I think thats the name of the website LOL. Click here for the make over thingy. It lets you check out a zillion different hair styles, then add make up to complete the “New Look”

I’ve decide that I am going to lighten my hair. Not all the way to blond, but to a soft brown, I think. My BFF goes to the same hairstylist all the time, and the stylist does the most amazing things with color on her hair, so i need to remember to call BFF Kissy and ask her how much her stylist charges for a cut and color!

Opps! Gotta go, we rented the movie Knowing and the opening credits just began to roll across the screen!

I’ve spent quite a few hours in the last three days sitting in the food court at the hospital, people watching. Ive watched expectant mothers, in labour, but not far enough that they can’t still smile and joke, then watched then leave two days later, newborn in tow.

Ive watched – because the hospital my dad is in is the Leading in pediatrics in the province – little boys and girls with masks and portable IV’s, some walking, and some in wheelchairs being taken on walks by gowned, and gloved nurses.

I’ve listened to conversations, watched groups of cying people discussing their family member down the hall dying of cancer. I’ve listened to them listing the pros and cons of hiring  Mesothelioma lawyers.

I’ve watched groups of girls dressed in clothing more suited for a street corner than a hospital, and seen men in suits. I watched one man this afternoon, impeccable suit, briefcase in one hand and a giant pink stuffed dolphin in the other, and wondered about the new baby he was about to meet. He didn’t look old enough to be the grandpa. maybe an uncle?

Who knows? That’s what makes people watching so much fun. You don’t know their stories so you can make up your own!

Wow. Just wow. What a week.

My dad had four – maybe more, the doctor isn’t telling – heart attacks on Saturday. He had three stents – wire like things to keep your arteries open- put in, two in the right artery, one in the left, AND hew as diagnosed with diabetes. Five needles a day!

Hubs, the boys, and I had gone to their place Friday night because out eldest does archery with Grandpa and they had a shoot on Saturday morning. We spent Friday night admiring the kitchen remodels they are in the middle of, and setting up the back forty with the 3D targets for the shoot.

My step mother is stressed to the max.

We, (Me, my brother and hubs) will be heading down Saturday to mud, sand and paint the exposed drywall so that when dad gets home he doesn’t get antsy about getting it done! My stepmother is worried about all the small things – she hasn’t picked out a paint color – no worry we told her, we will prime it with white and the primer will be good enough to protect the drywall until a color has been selected, then we will get the color up for her.

She worried because none of the cabinets have knobs on – she was in the middle of picking some out. No problem, we can pick up a lot of plastic knobs to use until she picks the ones they want to use.

She is worried because Late Friday night they had some leaking in the basement and the carpet needs to come up. No worries, we’ve already got a neighbor who will take it up and out!

She is so worried, about dad, about us kids, about the house – she needs to stop, step back and take care of herself. I love that woman and DO NOT want to be hoverign over HER bedside in the cardiac unit next!