Happy 1 Month Birthday Harlee Hoo

Our darling Harlee is one month old today! Happy Birthday beautiful girl from Mima & Daddy Daddy!

Stormy Sunday

I woke up this morning with scads of energy. I remember telling Dr Haslam once "I just want to be me again!" Well it's coming. I feel more like me every day and I am so thankful for each day that I have my health. I have been making the most of it and working in the yard, walking, stretching everyday. My plastic surgeon Dr. Klomp told me the more I use the muscles on my right side the easier time I am gonna have in the reconstruction surgery so I am trying my best to stretch those muscles. Besides, after being cooped up in the 5th wheel in Colorado in the freezing cold, the sunny outdoors feels like pure heaven.

We went out and got Chinese food last night and I was ready to go Honky Tonking but Big Dad didn't feel so good so we came home and watched Crazy Heart (good movie) and then I crashed. I think Cliff stayed up and played video games for awhile. Went out this morning and had my coffee and juice at the patio table, then raked some leaves. I had mowed the yard yesterday and trimmed the yard and one small palm tree so I just had some misc gardening to do. Then I walked 2 miles and came back and put the water on the grass. I probably should have waited cause it is clouding up and looks a lot like rain but in Nevada you never can be sure, so, I opted to water.

Then I came in and made Big Daddy a loaf of banana bread, It's in the oven baking right now and can't wait to try it.

Saturday Morning Coming Down

I went to bed early last night cause I was tired but Big Daddy went out and had a few beers at the River and tells me he has a "headache" this morning. I fixed breakfast for everyone; biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, and then Tony showed up after riding horses with his Grandpa and I made him breakfast burritos. I think I have cooked all I am gonna cook today. Prime Rib at the River sounds like a good dinner to me. This is the way I like it my boys fat and happy.

Big Daddy Returns

This rotation seemed like years to Cliff and I both. It makes you really understand the theroy of relativity LOL. When I drove away from Grand Junction he just stood and watched me drive away it was so sad. Then I wasn't even to the state line (30 miles) when he text me and said "I miss you already". I told him it made me feel like I should be shot for desertion. Like a weakling who can't hang under terrible circumstances, like a big ole puss, and I plead guilty to all charges. I was so glad to get out of there I could hardly stand it. It was 2 more days before he could leave and when I woke up on Thursday morning he was sitting on the couch in the family room and about scared me to death. I thought it was Tony at first and then I smelled the frac oil and knew it was him. I abut kissed the hair off his head. We talked for a little bit and then he took a shower and went to bed. Thankfully our bedroom is really dark so he was able to crash right out. He said he was gonna sleep about 2 hours (I thought it might be longer since he had been up for over 24 hours at that point). I needed to get my port-a-cath flushed so I ran to St George and did that and got us a pizza and when I got back he was still asleep, so I went for an hour walk with Sharon and he was still asleep. He finally woke up about 3 o'clock and it has been heaven ever since!!!

Terrible Tragedy

Strange. I got home Monday night and went to the market and grabbed a newspaper while I was there and started reading about our latest local scandal. Seems they never end. Anyway, I was telling Cliff during our nightly phone txting session that one of our City Councilman, Donna Fairchild was accused of submitting a falsified travel voucher and they were talking about kicking her off the City Council. We kind of laughed at the drama as it is a local election year and looked like the current mayor was taking major advantage of the situation calling press conferences etc to "expose" the situation , nothing unusual since Ms Fairchild was running against the mayor for the office of mayor in the up coming election. Anyway we talked about how ridicules politics are in that the smallest issue (the voucher was for $94.00 and was never actually paid) is so blown out of proportion. Even if she was guilty (as it turns out she was) then there are legal ways to deal with the issue and those should be followed and let the politics stay where they were. Anyway after we tossed that around we went to bed.

I woke up the next morning to Charlee Ann calling me and telling me that Donna Fairchild had shot her husband in the head in the middle of the night then shot herself. I was flabbergasted. I mean all over $94.00 and some loss of prestige. It is so sad that someone would put something like this as more important than their life. And to take the life of her husband, who by the way was one of the nicest people I have ever met, is an absolute tragedy. There is just way too much pressure on people these days and our value system is too out of whack and understanding and forgiveness in the face of justice is a lost idea. I am sad for the Fairchilds. Sad that we as a community have gone the way of Nasty National Politics. I keep thinking we are better than that and I keep getting disappointed. Guess I am a terminal Pollyanna

Home Again

I got home Monday night about 5:00 and was so happy to be home. I had been so sick with a respiratory aliment the whole time I was in Colorado that I was just miserable. I finally went to the Doctor and got some antibiotics and started feeling better but really felt better once I was home and in the warm weather. I felt so sorry for Cliff that I had to leave him in Colorado. He was sad but wanted me to come home so that maybe I would get well. He hates Colorado even more than I do if that's possible so it was hard to leave him there but I really needed to get out of there and get better.

Just as I came out of the Gorge there it was, one of those beautiful desert sunsets that just take your breath away. I love the desert, I love it, and home never looked so good. Funny how places affect me so much. I don't know if it's the energy of the earth in a certain place, or the collective energy of the people in an area, but whatever it is I am sure sensitive to energy. I love the energy of the desert it is so open and clean. I LOVE IT!

Feeling Even Better

Can you believe that Harlee is laughing like that and is only about 2 weeks old in this picture

Woke up feeling even better today than yesterday. It is suppose to be a sunny day (Wheeee) cold but sunny I can take it's that foggy dreary mess I can't stand.

Cliff an I watched the movie SALT last night. Wow what a great movie. Angelina Jolie is the only woman I know that looks better the older she gets. What a beautiful soul. We watched Inception the night before and it has an interesting premise but is so complex you have to totally focus on it to keep track of everything so you can't really say you enjoyed it, just that it was very interesting. Kind of reminded me of Shutter Island but even deeper and more complex issues of the mind.

My sweet baby has to drive semi's off a mountain today that is so dangerous that they pulled the trucks up with bulldozers cause even chained up they couldn't drive them off the mountain. How scary. Just hoping they make it off safe . Early would be nice too. Maybe we can catch dinner with Greg and Rhonda. I miss them they are as big of dick heads as we are HA!

Also only 6 more days till we get to go home YEAH!

Felling Better

Well the day after we got here I got sick as a dog and have done nothing but lay on the couch, watch TV, and cough. Cliff's dad and bother Brent came over and got the water thawed out a couple days after we got here so I have had water. I don't know why I bitch so much. Our 5th wheel is really nice with a big slide out, full bath including small tub and queen size bed, 36" flat screen HDTV, built in stereo, nice kitchen with lots of storage and decorated cowboy to the teeth. I mean what else could a girl want, it's as comfortable as anything. Not to mention the most handsome young cowboy any girl could ask for walks thru the door every night. Hell Ya! Cliff and I both feel the same way ; it's not home and it's Colorado LOL

I guess just feeling so rotten got me in a bad mood. I had caught a cold when Teddi had Harlee and thought I was over it when we came over for this rotation but the second day we were here I woke up with an ear ache and sore throat and I just kept fighting it thinking I would kick it every day. Finally yesterday it moved down to my chest and I knew I better see a doc before I ended up with pneumonia. So I called my sister-in-law who is a pharmacy tech and asked her if there was an urgent care facility in town (I had googled it and couldn't find anything) and she gave me the phone number.

I went over to the clinic and waited an hour to see the doc. Now this place is an outreach for the community hospital and acts as medical center for Mesa State College students so I assumed the prices would be reasonable. I saw the doc who looked at my throat and ears and said yup they are red! She then gave me prescriptions for cough medicine, antibiotic, and nasal spray.When I went to check out they told me it would be $195.00. I about passed out. My oncologist only charges $165.00 for an office call and my surgeon charges $135.00. These are specialists not some trashy little clinic. I said you must be kidding. Nope the woman said that's the charge. I asked her how in the world they could justify charging$195.00 for an office call when they didn't even so much as take a medical history? She said that she didn't set the prices but there was a shortage of Dr's in Colorado. I said, " first, a doctor shortage is no excuse to gouge the sick people you have coming to you for help. The fact that you are booked solid should be reward enough. I mean it's not like supply and demand should apply to medical services. It's not like I am buying a donut and can choose to pass if it's too expensive, I am sick, I need your help! Second, you probably have a doctor shortage in Colorado because no one would want to live in this cold, backwards, ultra expensive place." I was so pissed. She said they would take payments if I couldn't afford to pay the entire amount. I said , "It's not a matter of an inability to pay , it's a lack of motivation to pay due to the fact I feel like I am being raped." I then assured her I would pay her in full so she need not be bothered with my presence again. I could not believe it, an office call to a regular Dr at home is around $65.00. I mean everything in this state is double what it is in Nevada and Nevada is suppose to have the highest medical costs in the USA. So then I went and got my prescriptions filled and it was another $119.00. Cliff said later I should have just gone home it would have been cheaper. I told him I thought about it but figured it would still be cheaper to just go here. Guess I found out . Don't get me started on medical care in this country, there is nothing that makes me madder. And why they think this ass backwards place is such a desirable place to be is beyond me. No wonder Cliff couldn't wait to get out of here. AHHHHH it makes me crazy. I paid $3.25 for a gallon on 2% milk that would have been about a dollar cheaper at home an $3.19 for a loaf of bread that I get at home 3 loaves for $5.00 OK I guess I am done with my Colorado hate speech.

It was a pretty nice day so I went to the laundromat and did laundry. I stripped the bed washed blankets and all, towels, rugs, everything. You know how when you have been sick you feel like everything needs a good scrub. Then came home cleaned everything with bleach and now this place sparkles. It has now turned off cold and is starting to snow. My poor baby will be working late tonight and will probably not be home till about 8 but when he gets here I am gonna have a nice hot Sheppard's Pie waiting for him for dinner. That man deserves it, he is so good to me. I have looked like Hell warmed over for the last 4 or 5 days an everyday he texts me and tells me he loves and misses me. Sigh.....................................

Back in Colorado

We made it back to Colorado yesterday and the trip was pretty uneventful. I drove the Durango (Amanda said we should call it "The Soldier" cause it just keeps marching on with 257,000 miles) anyway the soldier made it without a hickup. When we got here it was -5 degrees and the water in the 5th wheel was frozen solid. So here we are with no water. Good thing Cliff's Mom and Dad are next door and are kind and generous enough to let us go over there for all water related needs. I can go pee here but that's all and then no water to wash my hands. I didn't feel like walking over next door to wash my hands so I opened a bottle of Budweiser and washed my hands with that. Smelled wonderful. HA It's suppose to be up to 40 in Friday and Cliff thinks he can get it thawed then. So until then..........

Alecia came over and spent the night with us last night and is coming over again tonight and we are gonna watch movies. I had to buy a cord to hook the TV to the laptop and now we should be ready. Anyway I took the girls to lunch this morning (I just had a latte) then met Cliff and Lane and Cliff and I split a Smashburger for lunch. Then I went and got a few groceries so I'd have something for Cliff's lunch. I really can't cook without water (oh darn lol) but he still has to eat on the mountain.

Cliff's crew goes out to location tomorrow and I hate it. The place they are working is above Parachute and is up the side of a steep mountain and there is so much snow that they had to pull the semi's up there with bulldozers. It has been -25 so it's burrrrr. Anyway I guess it is what it is but I still hate it.

True Grit

Just got back from seeing True Grit. We both enjoyed it and thought the acting magnificent but still liked the original better. Mostly because the story line was a bit different. Anyway it's a good see.

Getting ready to go back to Colorado and neither one of us is looking forward to it. Just gets to be a grind and we want to be home. It's worse for Cliff cause he's gone more than I am. I am home for a month and then gone for two weeks and with him it's the opposite. Guess we just need to count our lucky stars and not whine. I really am not looking forward to the cold. It makes my bones ache even worse than just the Femera and it's miserable but not a miserable as being away from Cliff so on we go.

Seems like we barely got to see the grand kids this time round and we both really miss them. Everyone is busy and life rolls on.

Gabrielle's 3rd Birthday

We had our Gabrielle's 3rd birthday party yesterday , 1 day early. Her birthday is actually today the 9th. We had a lot of fun. Teddi & Donnie came out and brought Olivia and Harlee, Amanda Reber brought Daniel, Gabby's best friend, Kelly brought her boys Vinnie & Vito, Darci brought her two kids, Ali and Alonzo, and of course Tony Boy. We had face painting by Grandpa and the kids ran around outside and had a ball. We barbecued hot dogs and had Mima's potato salad, then Princess Birthday cake and ice cream. Yum Yum. It was really fun mostly for me cause I had all my grand children here except Baron Von Munchhausen (Toby's cat). Maybe some day Baron will closer HAHA.

My two big girls posing for Mima on Cheesey's birthday

Daddy Daddy and Harlee. Daddy Daddy loves those babies cause he gets to snuggle and kiss them then send them home!!

Teddi and baby Harlee

Grandpa and his 3 baby girls on Gorda Cheese's Happy Birthday

I had to get my face painted before the girls would let Cliff paint them. He wanted to paint butterfly faces but they wanted a lady bug and a snail!

Sweet Gorda and her beautiful Mama

My girls again

Baby sister opening her presents

The Princess cake and party table

Friday Night Lights

Well my sweetheart and I had a hot date tonight. We went to the Eureka and had the seafood buffet. It wasn't very good, which disappointed us, as last time we went it had been wonderful. Then we went over to the Virgin River and had a few drinks, played the penny slots and listened to the band. It was funny cause when we went in Cliff said he hoped anyone was playing except Randy Anderson Band an sure enough, it was Randy Anderson , who has gotten progressively worse over the last 20 years. With that said, he still packs the house which doesn't surprise me as most people wouldn't know good entertainment if it bit them in the ass.

So needless to say Cliff spent the entire evening mimicking Randy. You couldn't understand one word Randy sang as he slurs his words worse than if he'd had a stroke. Cliff is soooooooooooooooooooo funny and could sing out of the side if his mouth and sounded just like Randy. He can impersonate anyone exactly like whatever they sound like. I laughed myself sick. This is a photo above is of his best "Randy Anderson". HAHA
Donating to the Cause

Daddy's Home

My sweet baby rolled in this morning about 10:00 am and boy was I glad to see him. He had been in North Dakota for 10 days and it sucks for him and it sucks for me. So happy he is here, happy it's relatively warm, glad, glad, glad.

The Doctors

I had two doctors appointments today. Went and had a screening mammogram at the ungodly hour of 6:30 am Nevada time in St George then had 2 hours to kill till my next doctors appointment. I went and had breakfast at Village Inn and was soo bad and had strawberry crepes.. They were great. Then I went over to Target and shopped for Gabby a birthday present. It took me forever to decide but I finally got her a really cute outfit with sparkly pink shoes with pink polka dot trim and jeans with hearts and pink and red stitching, a pink and white polka dot sweater and a white tee shirt.

Then I went to see Doctor Hyde, my radiation doctor. He examined me and gave me the green light for reconstruction surgery. My surgery is scheduled for Feb 16th and I am scared. I mean I am not really scared just tired of being in pain and so the thought of more pain by my own choice is unsettling. But I don't want to keep wearing my boobus cause that's part of whats so painful so I guess I just have to cowgirl up and get on with it. Anyway my baby is coming home tomorrow so that always makes everything all better!!