Here is some history. Ten years ago tonight when the world was worried about Y2K problems, Jeri and I were out in the desert at Quartsite Arizona. We watched the moon come up over the East mountains and had the satellite dish connected and we were watching all of the 'goings on' around the world. Much to our delight it was a wonderful warm night and not many people where we were so we drove through the town and it was really placid, there were no cars on the road and it seemed to me that most people were cooped up afraid of the great catastrophe. I had the generator running and had the computer turned on and lo and behold things went along just as they had and we had great night in the Arizona desert.
Now back to current events. Jeri had a fairly good therapy session today; she told a pharmacist that she thought that they were giving her to much blood pressure medicine so they decided that she would refuse the pill before she goes to bed and it seemed to work pretty well. Jeri is not one to just lie in bed and not be aware of what she is taking and why.
Most of the day was spent strolling around the facility saying Happy New Year to all of the people she knows and she knows a grundle.
This morning there was no new snow, well maybe a flake or two, but not enough to count. I kind of took my time getting to the facility because I knew today is shower day and got there just as her helpers opened the door, now I think that is good timing.
My wish is that all of you who read this don't do anything foolish tonight and that you have a wonderful year during 2010.

When I went out to get into my vehicle this morning there were 4 or 5 inches of snow on the ground and it was cold on my feet, as some of you know I wear sandals because of the callous on my left foot and my feet did get wet and that meant that some coldness got on my feet but that was OK with me because it my socks are wet all day then it softens the callous so it is easier to trim.
Jeri had an episode this morning like she did yesterday and that was when she tried to get up she gets dizzy and blacks out, when she got back to he room they took her blood pressure and it was 98 over 80, which is not a good thing. Some one said maybe it is the pacer not working but Jeri said I think I may be taking too much blood pressure medication, while this was going on a pharmacist came to the nurses station and the nurse was talking to him and he thought Jeri might have the answer, and he made the comment that Thalidomide also has a propensity to lower the blood pressure. He suggested that he talk to the doctor and see if it was OK to lower the dose of blood pressure meds.
When this conversation was over the transportation people came to pick her up and take her to dialysis and she had a fairly good session; it seems to me that the personnel at Liberty, that is the dialysis place, has got the hang of what needs to be done so she doesn't have the problems she used to have, which is a good thing.
It has snowed off and on, mostly on all day today and it was snowing rather profusely when I was coming home. I think that there is at least seven inches on the lawns. I hope this is over really soon.
Oh, I got a call from the repair shop, the name is Center Collision Repair, and informed me my pickup will be ready to pickup:) tomorrow. All Y'all have a really good night.

Jeri had a great session with the therapists this morning, she walked around the block, no I don't mean a city block I mean the block that is by the therapy room, which is more than she has walked in a very long time. Jeri can even tell that she is getting stronger.
Lee picked us up about eleven and took us out to Mountain Medical where Jeri had an Ultra Sound on her arms so 'they' could tell which arm is the better on to install a Fistula, which are ports for dialysis treatment. After the Ultra Sound was finished she met with a PA and then with Dr. Whitten. Dr. Whitten told her why it is better to have a fistula than the kind of hook-up that she is now using and that it will keep the infections down and it makes a better port for the dialysis machine. She is going to have it done on January 8th at the Saint Marks Hospital; I got the idea he didn't like IMC at all. Starting today she can not have in shot or other thing punched into her left arm; that is the one that the fistula will be embedded in. The Doctor gave her a prescription and some instructions to give to the crew at SDCH, which she did.
It snowed almost all day long but the freeway was not icy but we saw a couple of wrecks as we went to 5300 South and then returned to Bountiful. After we got back to the facility Lee helped Jeri get into her room and onto her bed; the trek took at least two hours and maybe more. I don't know what we would do with Lee to take us and Jayci letting us use her car, which is excellent for Jeri and the wheelchair, we will be forever grateful for the help our family has, and will, give us while our sojourn her on this earth.
It took me several minutes to get the car warm enough to melt the ice on the windows and the wipers so they could wipe the moisture off the windows and I just kind of moysed home because the road were not with out some snow and most of the drivers are not very concerned about how fast or slow they drive; 'they' are saying we are going to get a bigger storm tomorrow. I hope they are as wrong on the forecast as the one that come today was supposed to be her tonight and tomorrow.

It was really cold this morning and there was frost on the windshield that took several minutes do melt, and the forecast is for snow on Wednesday but then you already know this stuff if you watch or listen to the news.
Jeri had a really good morning, she walked over 400 feet once again with only a couple of very short rests and then she finished off over an hour doing other things for her therapy.
However, she didn't have a good day at dialysis, they tried to take more fluid than she could tolerate and she got cramps in her legs, which has an effect that lasts several hours. It is my hope that she will be bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow morning.
Last week I got a call from Center Collision Repaire telling me that my pickup would be finished on the 28th, which is today so I drive out to their place and I am told by a snippy young woman that just because they say it will be done in a week doen't mean a certain day, and I informed her with some sarcasm that they didn't say a week they said on the 28th. When things were all said and done the facts are that it might be done this coming Thursday but I shouldn't come to get it unless I call and they tell me it is ready. Up to this point I had a great regard for Gieco but am not some impressed now.

Just as I was ready to leave tonight, Jeri's Visiting Teacher and her husband came calling and she brought Jeri a bowl of pudding; so I stayed until they left and that was almost seven o'clock. The husband said that when she is ready to come home the men in the neighborhood would build a ramp if she needed it; that would be very helpful
Jeri had a marvelous day; she walked over 400 feet with just three short stops to rest and she did it rather quickly considering how long it has been since she walked that long and she felt good at the end of the walk. After the walk she rested for awhile and then we strolled around the facility and when I say strolled I mean we do it rather slowly so we can see who is doing what and where, and no it is not being a Peeping Tom, however, there is a lot of things going on.
When Jeri got her noon meal I moysed on down to the cafeteria and purchased a really excellent meal and it only cost be $3.25; you can't eat at home that cheap.
I don't know when she will be able to come home but if she continues to improve like she has the last few week I think she may be able to come home by the end of January, now that is just me but the therapist said he can see a very strong improvement in her strength, which is a good sign also but time will tell.
So once again I ask for those prayers to keep coming.

Today was a very different Saturday than most Saturdays in our lives. Jeri told me that Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday were shower days. Thursday I arrived at the hospital shortly after eight and I had to walk the halls for what seemed a long time while she and the nurses aid finished the job, so today I just kind of fooled around and got to the facility shortly after eight-thirty and Jeri was all through with her shower many minutes ago; it appears to me that I just can't get that right. :)
She ate her breakfast and I read the paper and then she reposed on the bed for awhile and then we got her ready for a session on the dialysis, she didn't go yesterday because it was Christmas, I threw that in for you that have a very short memory. We had to be there by 10:45 am and we were there in plenty of time. She didn't use the facility's bus for transport so I took her in our rental and when got there Lee and Cliff were there to share the time with us. She was hooked up to the machine and then she just sits back and let the blood get it self rid of the liquid in her body as well as clean the blood from other things, and I don't really know what that is but then I don't need to know.
Lee and Cliff stayed and visited with her and I went to KFC and had a meal and then came back and we talked some more and the the Higbees' left, and shortly after that Mike came to visit for a while and then she was disconnected from the machine and we went back to the facility but we stopped at KFC and bought Jeri a meal because she had missed lunch because of being away at that time, and besides that she likes outside food better than the food 'they' feed her.
When we got back she had a hard time getting warm so I got some hot blankets and swaddled her so she would be warm and it worked, and she asked an aid to fetched her a heater and he did, and she felt much warmer. We took a stroll around the first floor to see what had happened while we were gone but it did seem that there was much going on.
I stayed until the brought Jeri her dinner and then I fetched for her and got her settled and then I kissed her good night and told her I loved her and I came home and ate dinner.

I asked Jeri this morning how she was feeling and her response was, "I had a really good night and I am feeling great this morning." We talked and I read the paper and we watched a little and I do mean a little TV this morning and then about eleven-thirty we started getting ready to leave the facility for the Higbees' and arrived there shortly after twelve and some of the younger guys got Jeri out of the car, by the way we used the rental we have, and then into the house and settled her into the premier chair of the room and then we waited for everyone else to arrive. They all arrived by the appointed time and then we started to get down to the main reason we were together; that was to get caught-up on what was going on each others' lives.
Sometime during mid afternoon the gifts were presented and there were more than enough, well that is my thought but I think some might not agree. :) Josh and Katie left early because they were headed for Las Vegas for the night and then on to California to visits Katie's family for a week or so.
Some time around five Jeri and I decided it was time to go home so we started to do our thing and then the young helped us to take our stash to the car and then Jeri got in the car and we were on our way home. Jeri said she had a really good day and I could see, from the look on her face, that she really did have a good day and my day was excellent and I enjoyed visiting with my offspring, and I have a grundle of offspring but not all of them live close enough for all of them to be with us.
When we got back to the hospital Jeri was ready to lie on the bed and rest from her labors; it is really good for her to be up and about, it is almost as good as the therapy she does everyday, however, there was no therapy today becouse of the holiday.
I hope all of you had as good a day as we did! I hope ya'all have a really good New Year and you got everything you wanted today that would be good for you. I know I did!!