The Holidays are upon us!!!

Happy Early Thanksgiving to everyone! We have planned the holidays and it looks like all will work out just great. Both brothers and childred will be there. I am doing the turkey, gravy and mashed potatos and the wine. #1 SIL is doing the vegetable dishes and dressing. #2 SIL is doing the dessert and appitizers. Dad is making the yeast rolls (as always) and the iced tea. I am glad the brother and #2 SIL determined to join us. It will be nice for us all to be together this first holiday after Mom's passing. Her monument is finally in place, and Dad says it is the most outstanding of all there. This is the way it should be. Mom was always the most outstanding anywhere she was. After I get the Turkey in the oven, Hubby, son and I are going out to see it. I want to get an Idea of some flowers for Christmas to put there. We had an inherited cat (Daphne), she was the pet of our best friends parents. Both parents went through long sicknesses and died within a year of one another. Daphne was ignored during this time to the point of having to get water from the shower stall. We took her because we felt so sorry for her having such a sad life the past few years. That was about 4 years ago. Ever since we have had her she has had marking issues, or bad kidneys, couldn't decide. Last weekend she was acting pooky and on Sunday I spent the whole day at the emergency vet one city away. Well they wanted $950.00 just to look at her. I asked for some pain meds and antibotics which they sold me and went home. The next day we took her to our regular vet and she was very sick and not going to live, so we had to put her out of her misery. She was a sweet kitty and I am glad her last years were better than she had ever had. Now I am worried about LambChop, the older Maltese that was diagnosed with diabetes. She can not make it through the night with out having a flood. I took her to the vet first thing the AM to be checked out. Dang, I guess doggie diapers are the next option. 2007 has not been my best year. I look forward to a new beginning. On a happy note, Jake has not done hardley anything outrageous in almost a month! Yeah! The puppy is so sweet and makes me smile. He is a snuggle bug! I will post pictures when I can. Hugs to all!

Cin

When she was 16

My Mom

Biography
Mrs. Norma Yokeley Rhodenhiser, of High Point, N.C. died Sunday September 9, 2007 at Hospice Home of HighPoint.Mrs. Rhodenhiser was born in Davidson County the daughter of D.R. Yokeley and Mary Garrison Yokeley. She wasa member of First Baptist Church and the Keystone Sunday School Class. She was preceded in death by sisters, IlaHester, Evelyn Ashby and Frances Kestler. On September 9, 1949 she married John R. Rhodenhiser, and he survivesof the home.Surviving in addition to her husband are a daughter, Cynthia Bennett and husband Jeff of West End; two sons, JohnRhodenhiser Jr. and wife Tammy of High Point; Michael Rhodenhiser and wife Kaye of Greensboro; grandsons,Ryan Rhodenhiser of Wrightsville Beach; Jonathan Bennett of West End; a granddaughter, Braddock Rhodenhiser ofGreensboro; sisters, Betty Sapp of Wallburg; Lou Rae Crowell of Logansville, Ga.; and brothers, Archie Yokeley and Bobby Yokeley of Wallburg.A memorial service will be 2:00 P.M. Wednesday at First Baptist Church by the Rev. Bruce Hartgrove. Intermentwill be private at Floral Garden Park Cemetery.The family will receive friends after the service in the Fellowship Hall of the church.Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church 405 North Main St. High Point, N.C. 27260 or Wallburg BaptistChurch P.O. Box 595, Wallburg, N.C. 27373.

I'm Baaaaccckkkkk!

Hi All, I had to take a break from blogging for a while. Just too depressed to let out any thoughts or feelings. I still have trouble but am getting better. Every once in a while I have a thought, I should ask Mom something and I catch myself before the thought has finished.

One bright spot though. A guy at work got a puppy, a full blood Maltese. I have a picture in my office of my dogs puppy picture, and he was telling me how they looked just alike. For about a month he was asking advice on puppy-dom and I was giving him advise. Well, on October 9th, exactly one month after Mom passed, he popped his head in my office and asked, "want a puppy?". Dang, I don't need another pet (have 2 dogs and 2 cats already), but I needed a reason to smile and I covetted his puppy from the very start. So, I now have a Maltese puppy. About 2 lbs of White fur, bouncing all around and sweet, sweet and loving. Husband wasn't so sure about another one especially such a tiny one. But a week ago we were sitting by the fire and Marley (the puppy) did something crazy, and hubby said, "he IS a cute little shit", so I am out of the woods on that one. Friday night he, Marley, some how got between the sheet and the comforter and could not figure how to get out. This is about 3 AM. It was so funny, it looked like a mole running all around under the comforter, just a little moving lump, that also had a squeek every once in a while. He has been really good for me, making me laugh and lifting the spirits. LambChop, my original dog, is 14 people years old. She has just been diagnosed with diabetes. Dang, now I have to give her an injection every morning. She is looking a bunch better. She is quite indifferent to the puppy, but Katie the 100lb Black Lab, loves the puppy. I think she is mothering him. Too cute.

Now, just trying to figure out Thanksgiving, and what and where to cook and eat. I love Thanksgiving, it is my favorite holiday. Not financially draining, and relaxed and fun.

Hubby bought new toy. It is a turntable for vinyl records that you can make CD's from the records. So we got out all the old, old stuff and have had a ball listening and making CD's. I had forgotten some of the really good old stuff, like Atlanta Rhythm Section and Lousiana LaRoux.

Hubby plays drums in an old guys band, (most of the guys are in their 40s), but amazingly play some really good new stuff, thank god. Well, hubby has decided that the band is going to set up in our basement and play for New Years. Just 60 people or so. YIKES!!!!!! Life is never dull! Now, what do I feed all these people, besides beer and wine?

I'm Baaaaccckkkkk!

Hospice

Hospice..... What else can you say. My Mom, who did not smoke, got lung cancer. When found they said she had probably had it 3-4 years. So, Drs. in all their wisdom, remove the mother ship from her lung. After removal of the mother ship, all the little satellites decide to procreate. Shit. The Doctors ( I now Hate Drs.) put her through 3 months of Chemo hell. Sick, sick, sick, lost 37 pounds. Damn satellites grew. New treatment, Tarceva, worse that the chemo. Sick to the point of falling, fainting, not ABLE to eat or drink. This goes on for 3 months. Now this has grown to the point of no return. Sick, sick. Now last Saturday, September 1st. she has a stroke. At first she recognised us, then no. Drs. said she could recover from the stroke but it would take a year. She would be dead from the cancer in 2 months at best. DAMN DOCTORS, why didn't the tell us that all this hell was nothing but torture? It was not healing her, it was only making her last months suck, big time. Now, the truth. Today she was moved to Hospice, which is nice, but basically just drugs her up, BIG TIME. Ok she is not in pain, but I would like for her to recognise me enough to say I love her, one more time. This is not going to happen. I have been to work 1 day, Tuesday last week. I am going home, ( staying in a hotel in High Point, NC) on Sunday and work Monday, come back Monday. The Dr. said 5 to 7 days, but is not sure. It would be with me forever if she was alone when the time came. My Mom has never been a perfect Mom. She has done shit she never should have. Ok, who hasn't? Tomorrow, my sister in law, ( the saint!), and I are going to her house to read the paperwork she left concerning her final wishes. Micro Manager to the end. I am soooo sad. Tell whom ever you care about, love, hate, what ever, just do it while you can. I am going to go pray. I hope it will be heard.

Car trouble

In May my sweet hubby took me for a long weekend to the beach for my birthday. Son Jake was to stay with hubby's parents, Jakes grandparents. Well, Jake pulled a fast one on Gramma and Poppie, he left like he was going to the bus stop, but of course, he didn't really do that. The first day, a Thursday, he went and hung out all day with a lady who we call his fairy god mother. She is very wealthy and if he helps her do any little thing she gives him $$. He told her he had missed the bus. She SHOULD have taken him to school right then, oh well, Jake is not her responsibility. The second day, a Friday, he left like going to the bus again and again did not do that. I am unsure what he did all that day. Saturday and Sunday Gramma took him to the park and to the lake and dropped him off to play for the day. When hubby and I return on Sunday around 2PM, while unloading the SUV we drove down, hubby calls to me, "Cin what happened to your car??". I run to the garage and there is my car, a Toyota Camrey, with a smashed front quarter panel. Then we notice that the garage door and track and wall were bashed as well. Hubby decides "someone" tried to seal my car and proceeds to call the Sheriff. I knew immediately that Jake was the culpret. Hubby didn't want to believe it. We and Sheriff railed on Jake and he would not confess. Sheriff took the statements and left. The next day Jake confessed to his dad, saying he was going to back it out to wash it. Yeah, right. Lay out of school, wreck Mom's car, lie about it, Happy Birthday Mom.

Sad

My Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer 6 months ago. She went through surgery to remove the mass, then IV chemo. The Chemo made her so very sick. She was not able to do anything, she didn't even feel up to watching TV. The Chemo didn't work so the Dr. put her on oral Tarceva. The Dr. believes it is working, but she is still so sick. She feels awful all the time, can't eat, doesn't get around well. She has fallen so many times I can't count because she is so weak. Vicious cycle, can't eat so can't get strength back. She is wasting away and it is breaking my heart. Yesterday Hubbys Mom was diagnosed with Breast cancer. How much can one family take? I am afraid for Hubbys Mom. I don't want to see her waste away too. So very sad I just can't say.

A little history

I am 49 years old, married to a wonderful man and have a stepson. Hubby and his first wife adopted stepson. I too was previously married (20 years), in a bad marriage. Ex husband lived his life outside the marriage and dropped in on occasion. Ex expected this to be acceptable. I felt like I ran a boarding house, with an occasional boarder, eat, sleep, do his laundry, then off again to play. So, I escaped that hell. Met a wonderful man and got married 7 years ago. Problem being is stepson. He has problems. Lots and lots of problems. Lets call stepson Jake. Jake causes so much turmoil in our home you just can't know what it is like. Thus, the anxiety and depression. I am on medication for this but it only helps a small amount. This blog will document the wild and craziness that is my life. I will begin with the last big hoohaa that Jake created. We purchased a 2005 Yukon, beautiful, Perfect! The carpet still had the plastic like from the factory, with only 33,000 miles! I fell in love with it and we need a vehicle that can tow a boat. So perfect! We went to the beach in South Carolina for a weeks vacation in new to us vehicle (had it 2 weeks), tow boat, 2 dogs and all the stuff you need for a week at the beach. On Friday of that week Jake wakes us up at 4 AM saying, "our car just got stolen". What? Huh? I am asleep, as is hubby. Hubby jumps out of bed runs outside and sure enough vehicle gone. Seems that Jake had been going out every night to the pool at the complex then going to the car to talk on his cell (we didn't know he had) and watch DVD's in the car. Some drug types with casing the area apparently and watched Jake cavort all night for a few nights. Then on Friday at 4 AM when he was making his nightly prowl, they came up to him with a knife and demanded the keys and off they go. We had to have hubby's dad come and get us and the dogs, and one of hubby’s employees came with a pick up to haul the boat back. Geezz, what a nice vacation. The detectives found the car three days later. So hubby and I have to take a day from work to go and retrieve it. I was literally sick. The ones that stole it had taken it for a trail ride, amongst other things. The thieves 5 of them went to a local grocery store and left the receipt in the car, with the date and time stamp. So the detectives got the security video and know who they all are, just a matter of rounding them up. The beautiful vehicle was so messed up. Filthy, filthy, scratched from the trail ride, seats with burn marks, dash dismantled, console dismantled, just amazing what was done in only 3 days. Today, 3 weeks later we should be able to pick up the repaired vehicle. I have only driven it 3 times. Depressing. Now when We go to bed, I hide all the keys to everything. This is just the last debacle, I will post about all the others later.