I'm Baaaaaack

Well, It's been a while, but I'm back. I actually tried to log in to my blog a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn't remember my darn password and got aggravated and decided to try again another day.
It's been awhile and that's not because I was so busy or off doing exciting things all this time (...although I did do some exciting things and I was busy part of the time hahahahah)
In April my brother David had to have surgery to repair his Mitral Valve in his heart. He had been feeling pretty lousy for a long time, but I think we all assumed it was due to him being over 60,  overweight and not in the best health as a result of those things. While they were factors...it turns out that the heart issues were one of the main issues. The Dr. told him the damage was "not new" there's a possibility that it's been an issue for a long time, but it got to the point that the right heart could no longer compensate for the left side.(at least that's how I interpreted what he told us) He had been experiencing A Fib and shortness of breath and over the last year it continued to get worse and worse. Exercise was what we all thought he needed....but the last thing he was going to be able to actually do. Fortunately his team of cardiologists finally ordered the right test and realized that the irregular heart beat was only one part of the problem and the damaged valve was the BIG problem. Once he got the diagnosis it was a waiting game (about 2 weeks) until he could get in and have the procedure done.He was ready to get on with it. after a few stops and starts...he finally got it done on April 18th. Bridget and I spent  the day waiting for updates. She was there ALL day from 6am on...I arrived a couple of hours later. I have to say...what could have been a very long 5-6 hours really wasn't too bad. The staff gave Bridget hourly updates...they were doing 3 procedures...and we were updated after each one. Bridget knew some people working that day who happened by...so we chatted with them, I had a friend who passed by, a lady from Our Lady of Lourdes stopped by (she was such a nice, calming  break in the day too) and we just talked and laughed and I tried my best to keep her (and myself) distracted. I think it worked. We were both busy sending out text messages to family and friends...and Bridget was fielding phone calls. One guy tried to call several times, but she wasn't "up" for talking to him just yet...so he tried to get around us and  called the desk...hahah and claimed he was David's brother. The volunteer came over and asked" does he have a brother _______?" NO...but I had to give the guy credit for trying. hahaha
When the doctor came out he told us it had been a difficult case. He was happy with the way things had gone, but emphasized it had been difficult. I remember looking at Bridget and thinking..."So what does this mean exactly...is this good news...or is he trying to tell us something?" Neither of us could really tell.
Eventually we got in to see him in the ❤  Cardiac ICU and he was heavily sedated and on a respirator...all according to plan. We didn't hang around much longer...because...there wasn't much to do.we both went home and got a good night's sleep.
Due to some complications with pneumonia...they ended up keeping him sedated and on the respirator fora full week. That was hard.When they got him to where he was "awake"...at times he just looked like he desperately wanted to say something to us....and of course he couldn't. They kept him sedated as much as they safely could...because he was coughing...but without the medication he would have been in a LOT of pain...and actually it probably helped him heal a little more. If he had been awake...he would have been encouraged to get up and get walking. When they finally did decide it was safe to get him off the respirator...he was understandably very groggy, uncomfortable...and probably had a hell of a hangover....however...it was hard for us...and especially Bridget, because we were SO HAPPY...and he was to put it nicely a pain in the ass. BUT....when the Dr saw him...he couldn't believe it. He said "Im impressed!  Considering what you've been through .....I'm impressed!" Each day he looked better and better...but it was a slow process. He had some swelling and inflammation around the heart...pericarditis, but not enough to warrant draining it

this sign cracked me up-trust me...he wasn't that happy about taking it...but it did help

.Also had a swollen painful foot...determined to be gout. So there were lots of ups and downs...but he finally got to go home with a bag full of paperwork, three pages of prescriptions, etc.Since then he's made a couple of trips back to the hospital...the inflammation was causing pain and making him nervous...but last trip the Dr. said "You've got more of a chance of getting sick coming back here than you do at home." All test show the heart is working well and now it's just a matter of time till everything heals completely. It's definitely been a bit of a roller coaster ride...but he seems to be getting better. He LOOKS a lot better...and I was happy to know that a friend who ran into him somewhere talked to John after wards and said "WOW, we saw David...he looks great!"....so it's not just me.
Well...that's mainly what's kept me busy....so next time I'll tell you what fun things I've been up to.  😉

Trying to remember the time in December

That's not how the song really goes....but I needed something to get me started. 😼 After our stay in Kure Beach...
 .a group of us headed over to Bald Head Island for the week.

 Since it was December...before Christmas, there weren't many people around. It's a slow time of year to be heading to the beach/island, etc. It was cold!!!!!!!! But it was nice to have the place mostly to ourselves...actually think it was better that way. As the place grows and more houses get built, I think the original owners probably greet the new development with mixed emotions.

It is only accessible by ferry...

so you have to plan ahead, with shopping, supplies etc. Of course the house we stayed in was quite nice and had just about everything we needed., but we had lots of groceries and beer and wine to bring with us. Since the ferry and trams were relatively empty...it was a breeze! On a crowded Spring Break or summer day...I don't know how much fun it would be. Probably lots of waiting in line! (John would go nuts hahahah)

It was  a fun experience going on the ferry, and heading to the island. Luckily our group was organized. Also Martha and Tony and others had been there before so they knew the routine. That was helpful.

Once we got to our house we got to work getting our supplies sorted out. When you travel with Tony..it's like having  a personal chef....add to the mix Wim, Andy and John and we were set for the week. Cathy brought along a few treats. My big contribution....I brought along the ingredients to make a batch of Oatmeal cookies with cranberries and white chocolate chips for dessert one night. Ian joined us for a couple of nights since he was off. As I mentioned there was not much going on...so it was a lot of relaxing, reading, talking and playing board games.
 We went down to the beach each day.

steps and walkway were buried

Cathy and Maris were looking for "treasures" and interesting driftwood.

found this tiny castle all by itself way at the end of the beach....deserted, windy and cold down there....all by itself

looking down the beach -coming up over the dune

 I just went along for the walk. Martha went golfing with the guys. We ventured out in the golf cart each day to check out the island and check things out. There was a sea turtle center and store, and a  few shops were open. Good for souvenirs and seeing what was on sale. Enjoyed getting a cup of specialty coffee each day too. :) Martha, Maris, Cathy and I took a walk each day...nice loop around through the woods,

 past the market, etc. We were lucky the weather cooperated! It was great without a lot of people around. Each time we stopped in for our daily coffee...all I could think was that in the summer it would be a madhouse....since they also sold ice cream. I"m sure the regulars love it...the kids feel right at home and can run around and play, ride bikes, etc without having to worry about cars (on service vehicles and golf carts) or anything really. I am curious what it's like in season....because like every where else...it's growing bigger all the time.

nice view from our house at different times of the day

One morning a fishing boat was not too far offshore....the guys got excited and decided to try to catch a fish....one small problem...no gear to do it. They rigged some kind of line or two and hoped they might get something (the fish were probably not impressed) They were unsuccessful but Wim sure had fun trying!

lots of birds..........

cool clouds one afternoon....like kites with tails

We had a nice relaxing week. We enjoyed our time with Martha and Tony and Tony's sisters and their spouses. It was a fun group to "hang out" with. They were okay with not doing anything....or deciding to hop on the golf cart at a moments notice, or "take a quick walk"....good travel companions!
 Thanks to Martha and Tony for asking us to join them....while Martha, Andy, John and I all celebrated our December birthdays!

I haven't forgotten

It's been a while and there's no particular reason...I just haven't taken the time to write anything lately. I've been a little busy...but then again not really...I think sometimes it just feels like I have a lot going on.
After our trip to NC the holidays came around quickly. It was pretty quiet here. We went over to Brenna and Josh's house for Christmas dinner. My brother Mark joined us. Josh's dad Noah, was in town too.

 We had a nice relaxing afternoon and dinner and at the end of the meal...Josh surprised us all by proposing to Brenna!

She was really taken by surprise...I don't know how he managed to keep it a secret from her! So THAT was exciting and it was a perfect end to our Christmas Day. I happened to have a bottle of champagne on hand...hahaha( I had brought for dinner but wasn't sure I wanted to open it) so we had a toast to the newly engaged couple!
we had planned to have a Holiday Open House a couple of days after Christmas...just to have a chance to visit with friends and family who we didn't see before the holidays because we were out of town. Initially I had to talk John into it...but we all had a good time and he was glad we planned it. Almost everyone we invited stopped by and we enjoyed some food and fun.

Plans for Brenna and Josh's wedding are moving right along. We decided to have an engagement party in February.

It just so happened that John's sister Sandy and his brother Bill had plans to come down in early February...so it all came together nicely. It was great having Bill and Kathie, Sandy and Ken here to join the celebration. It was the first time in a number of years that all of John's siblings were all in one place at the same time. We have seen everyone over the years...they just haven't all been together at one time, so that was great.

The weather was fantastic...so that was great too!

this table has held many feasts!

The day of the party it was sunny and cool...not cold, not hot...really just right. We all enjoyed talking and eating out on the porch and around the pool. We got to meet a lot of Brenna and Josh's friends and it was like a preview of the wedding! Nice day!

friends

The family- Brenna's-Uncle Bill, Aunt Lucy,Aunt Kathie,Aunt Sandy,cousin Debbie

Mark,Brenna,Heather, Kristian,Sandy and Josh

always have to get a group shot around the pool...no one fell in!

Kathie, Ken and Lucy

During the few days the family was in town we got together with the family down in Grant and had a couple of dinners out with everyone.We all agreed it was a great visit.

End of the year celebrations

After our trip to Tennessee in September we attended  a few other events before we finished out 2017. We enjoyed being a part of the celebration of our friend Chandler and his wife Kait's wedding in early November.

 The ceremony was at the beach and then there was a nice party back at her parent's house. It was a beautiful (not too hot...a little cool, but not bad) evening. The families were gathered and it was a fun time. Chandler and Kait both had big smiles on their faces all night.
Thanksgiving was pretty quiet...just John, Brenna, my brother Mark and I. Josh had gone up to see his mother. My  other brothers had other plans....so it was just the four of us.
Other events in December included a trip to Disney with my friend Gayle. We had fun taking in the rides and shows and holiday decorations at the different parks and sampling some of the treats at the Food and Wine Fest at EPCOT .

next up was a Pot luck Holiday lunch at work...something I always enjoy!

another December highlight...I happened to catch this amazing sunset after a stop at the Dry Cleaners after work...just beautiful!

Later in  December John and I had plans to go to NorthCarolina to meet up with Martha and Tony and other family to celebrate Martha's 60th birthday. Martha was trying to keep things low key...but that's hard to do in a big family. hahahah In the end..Elizabeth, Jon, Meredith and her boyfriend Adam came. Tony's sister Maris, and Wim came from Maui, his sister Cathy and her husband Andy came from western NC; and of course my nephew lives in Kure Beach where we all gathered. We were celebrating his graduation from University of North Carolina-Wilmington

 and Martha's milestone birthday....and Christmas was right around the corner...so there were lots of reasons to have a party.We stayed at the house next door to my nephew's and it was so nice having everyone all in one place

.It was also great to stay with Elizabeth who came with bags of food and coffee and paper goods. We teased her...but it certainly was nice not to have to go shopping for anything!!!!!!

 At night we played some board games together, we watched football, cooked out and caught up on everyone's latest news. It was nice!

Part of the motivation for this gathering as I mentioned was the graduation...something Martha has encouraged ever since he graduated from High School. For years he's taken classes here and there, inching towards his 4 year degree.(..in Physics! no less) And all along Martha has said "I just want you to get your degree." So that was well worth the wait.
Another reason we felt compelled to get together is because Martha was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago. She has done well all these years going through the trials of chemo and working and keeping herself in great shape all these seven years since. In July, shortly before our cruise to Alaska, she found out that there were signs that the cancer was back. It was a huge disappointment to all of us, especially her, because she had done so well all these years. It was tough emotionally, but she told us while we were on the cruise.  She started with the prescribed chemo shortly after they got home from the cruise in early August. The bottom line is this...this development was not completely unexpected...but...damn it...we certainly had all hoped it was gone for goo years ago! So far things seem to be going as the doctors hoped they would...but it is a reminder that we just can't take anything for granted. So when we heard Martha would be in NC for her birthday...we all wanted to be there to join in the fun.

our brother Mark had hoped to come...in the end he couldn't make it...but he sent these to Martha

 It was reassuring to see her looking so well...and feeling positive. The party was a blast...good friends, good music, great food and drinks and family to enjoy it all with. My kind of holiday!
Naturally, while we were in town we had to check out some of the local sights

 and try some local spots.

we were tourists...we didn't care...."Can you please take our picture?"

We had a delicious breakfast and then made a pit stop at a local donut shop for some tasty donuts then made our way back to the house.
We helped get things organized for the party.

 Martha, Cathy, Maris and I took a nice walk around the neighborhood. It was a good place for walking and/or riding the bikes. Lots of back streets to check out. Similar in many ways to our hometown. However... It was much cooler than Florida...and I didn't pack quite right for the weather. Originally we thought it was going to be really cold...then the forecast changed and it seemed that it might actually be more mild...well...it was neither...hahaha. I had enough warm clothes to get by...but the coat I took out of my luggage....would  have come in handy!

lots of cooks in the kitchen

blurry shots...but you get the idea.

                     The party was a lot of fun and a nice celebration for Martha .It was great
having so many of the family members (ours and Tony's) there to participate. We ate, drank, listened to some fun music. Some of the friends  played card/drinking(?) game, there were s'mores down by the firepit,( for the hardier souls,hahaha) and a good time for all.
The next day some folks were heading home...and some of us were heading to a house a the beach (a different beach). More on that next time.😉