Karen’s Place

It’s 10:00 on Friday night.  Here I sit in my friend Laura’s hospital room once again.  I wouldn’t wish what she’s going through on even my worst enemy.  Her daughter - my Goddaughter, Sammi and I called each other at the exact same time this afternoon.  Me to ask her to do me a favor, she to tell me she had just dialed 911 for her Mom.

I met them at the ER to find Laura had just had a spray of nitro in the ambulance and her heart pain was down from an 8 to a 5 and she could hardly breath.  Just changing clothes took all the energy from her.  When the doctor examined her he listened to her lungs then her heart and asked her to breath deep.  She did.  Then he asked her again with more insistence, she again took a breath.  Then he demanded it, I looked at him and told him she was breathing as deeply as possible I could see it on her face.  We found out a little later he could hear fluid around her heart and in her lungs.  Their initial thought was that she was in the beginning stages of Congestive Heart Failure.  Tests results have now shown she does not have CHF, but there was a great possibility that she had a blood clot either in her lungs or in her heart.  When Sam and I returned after a little break Laura was down having a CT scan to look for the clot.  As of now, we don’t have the results so we are waiting.  We did find out she also has an infection of some sort as well.  Her white count which should be around 5,000 is at 11,000 so she’s on some IV antibiotics on top of everything else.

So, right now we are playing a waiting game on test results and doctor visits.  I can’t even count how many times in the past year she has been in the hospital, she and Sammi have handled it so well.  We were joking with the nurse earlier that we think she’s been in every CCU room on this floor.  Sadly, that’s probably not an exaggeration.

Let’s see, anything else new?  Nope don’t think so.  Quiet weekend planned now with my favorite house guest staying with me at least for tonight.  Currently she’s crashed in the recliner next to her Mom’s bed.  I know I should take her home but I just can’t make myself leave until her test results are back…

Does this look right to you???

Thank you for shopping at http://www.WolfCamera.com. 
 
   Here is your order confirmation: 
   ******************************************* 
 Order #        Order date 11/27/08 
 ——————————————-
 Sold To KAREN 
         
 Ship To, KAREN 
          
  Merchandise   Freight                      Total 
  ———–   ——-                      —– 
       $60.00      6.95                     $66.95 
 
 Item                          Qty     Price  Status 
 —————————————————————————-
 MEMSDOFFER08                    1     60.00  Ships when components are
available 
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 —————————————————————————-
 100190107                       3            In stock and reserved 
 SANDISK 2GB SD EXTREME III MEMORY CARD
 —————————————————————————-

I ordered the three 4 gig cards as advertised and they send me a receipt for 2 gig cards??? Talk about false advertising! When I contacted Customer Services, oddly they couldn’t help me, they said it would take 3 – 4 business days to get back with me. Well the cards will already be shipped by then. This is ridiculous!!!

I’ve been fortunate to see a lot of concerts recently.  Unfortunately all the shows have fallen in the month of November.  The shows gave me a chance to see the inside of our brand new Sprint Center.  It’s gorgeous!

Check out this picture:

This place is so cool!  They have an actual Quick Trip store inside the building!  Want a slushie and donut to munch on while you’re watching the concert?  Head up the Isle to the QT!

There’s also a full bar inside.  Not in an enclosed room, but right out in the middle of the walkway!

It’s crazy! But not just these amenities, the acoustics are much better here than any other concert hall I’ve been to.  Speaking of, the last concert I had on the books was this past Saturday.  I saw Rick Springfield.  Yes he’s still around and as cute as ever.  We saw him at our Midland Theatre (also in the heart of the Power and Light district).  We had seats in the lower level, but way at the back.  I was still very pleased with our seats we could see perfect.  Perfect until an 8 foot man and his 7 1/2 foot woman came and sat directly in front of me and my friend Samantha! Ugh!  I’m 5′2″ tall and Sam is shorter than me so to have Mr. and Mrs. Giant taking seats in front of us was extremely disappointing to say the least.  Worst than that, we’re pretty sure these weren’t their actual seats.

Rick has a routine of walking through the audience during his performances, Saturday was no different.  As soon as it became clear he was headed into the seats my friend Kim rushed the stage, after about 30 seconds of thinking about it I followed after her.  Security didn’t even look twice at us.  We ended up literally in front of the stage, probably second row.  I was totally kicking myself for not having my camera.  Closest thing I had was my cell phone.  I snapped a few pictures with it, but they turned out crappy.

I had a nice visit with my parents last weekend.  They were on their way south for the winter (kind of like the birds) and stopped by my sisters house for a short visit.  It was a great visit, we missed our Abby though (my niece) she was kidnapped by one of her cousins.  Funniest part of the visit, in my opinion was when we were all reminiscing about the old days at our lake house.  Danny described in detail the day my Dad bought a new motor for the little aluminum fishing boat.  I was amazed this man who can’t remember what he did yesterday remembered everything about that event.  When I commented, my Mom says “A man never forgets his first boat motor!”.  Yeah, you had to be there, trust me it was funny.

So, Thanksgiving is Thursday as well as Abby’s birthday party and my goddaughter’s 14th birthday.  These kids are getting so grown up! Man oh man!  Saturday we are having a huge girl’s night out.  Not sure how that’s going to go, we should have at least 7 of us.  We are invading our new regular favorite hang out, PBR Big Sky bar where are friends are playing.  We haven’t seen them in 5 or 6 weeks so I’m sure they think we’ve deserted us.  Yep, I’m sure they spend all their time thinking about us ha ha.  I’m sure there will be pictures to come.

Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  If you are traveling, please be safe and if you’re driving - watch for deer!

Hi Everyone!  Just a quick post to direct you toward my Guestbook page.  On my old blog over on MSN spaces, there was a guestbook where people could use HTML.  Wordpress doesn’t allow for HTML in their comments, so I added the Guestbook.  Should you want to leave any embeded pics or notes you can feel free to do it here.  Just click the ‘post’ button and you can get started.  There are only two required fields: your name and where you’re from.  The rest is optional.

Have a good one!

Wow, I have so much to write about and none of it relates to the other.  This will be another one of my very interesting, all over the place blogs…

Okay, first let’s start with my trip.  We had such a great time, it all went so smoothly.  We flew on Delta and I have to admit I had some concerns; a co-worker had just come back from a vacation a few days earlier flying the same airline with nothing but horror stories.  We actually had pretty good luck.  In fact, on our flight from KC to Cincinnati (where we would only have a 30 min lay-over) we were bumped up about 5 rows allowing us to get off the plane and run to the next gate all that much quicker.  Here’s the cool thing – when we arrived to get our rental car (a very inexpensive $15/day compact car ordered through Priceline), I was trying to make jokes with the agent.  She says do you have your ID?  I said yep, do you need my first born? She says no and gives me a deadpan stare.  I said good cuz I don’t have a first born, but I’ll give you hers (pointing to my friend).  More deadpan stares.  Okay, note to self this ladies having a bad day no more jokes…So she starts calling on the radio for our compact car she gets no response (guess we weren’t the only ones afraid of her that day), she calls for about 5 minutes.  Then finishes the paperwork and tells us where our car is.  We hike the 3 1/2 miles with all our luggage through the parking lot to where our car was parked and realize she has directed us to a 2008 Toyota 4-Runner.  WHAT???  I look at the paperwork again, cuz surely she wrote down the wrong lot number.  I was supposed to get a little Ford or something.  Nope it said my car would be in “B-4” okay that was “B”, 1, 2, 3 holy cow! okay let’s look at the receipt.  Yep, that’s our vehicle all right.  Sweet!  So for 5 days, we got to drive an ‘08 4-Runner for $15 a day.  Our guess, all because that lady was having a bad day.  Might I say it was so much fun to drive too?  Parking however, a completely different story!

We took pictures before we even left the rental car lot, we were so excited!

The rest of the long weekend went as planned.  We visited my friend’s pub Thurs through Saturday night.  We made a LOT of new friends.  Okay, well one new friend and a lot of new acquaintances.  One thing about North Carolina is the people are so friendly.  Our first night at the pub it was so crowded that a gal and her friend asked if they could join us at our table and of course we agreed, and by the end of the night we had probably 6 people there.  I’ve stayed in contact with that gal since I’ve been home and she’s looking forward to me spending my birthday down there.  I think she has my party already planned. 

 Here’s Tricia and me Friday night at the pub

 This is my friend Paddy

As you know from my previous entry, Saturday morning we drove down to South Carolina.  I’d found out from the Chamber of Commerce in Myrtle Beach there was a ranch that had a private beach in which you could ride horses.  How could we pass that up?  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  We headed out early in the morning for the two hour drive.  It was just beautiful!  I didn’t realize how many cotton fields there were down there.  Take a look at this -

Our trip ended with a lazy Sunday exploring a little bit of the town of Fayetteville.  Tricia found this really pretty park I wish we had a place like this near my house, I’d be there all the time.

Each time I visit North Carolina, it gets harder and harder to come home.  Not just because of my friends, but as I’ve said before I just feel at home there.  Tricia kept trying to talk me into checking the want ads while I was there.  I think she’s trying to get rid of me.  ha ha.  Seriously though, my company does have an office in Charlotte, if it wouldn’t be so hard for my house to sell right now and if I thought I could transfer I would really consider it.

So Friday night was Halloween.  What better way to celebrate than to watch a live production of Rocky Horror Picture Show.  I’m sure I’m dating myself by saying you could find me midnights my entire 15th year at the movie theatre seeing Rocky Horror.  For those who aren’t familiar, it’s too difficult to explain.  I was a little unsure a live performance could do the movie justice or that anyone could hold a candle to Tim Curry as Frank N Furter.  I had nothing to worry about, it was stellar!  The boy who did Tim Curry’s role couldn’t have even been born in the hay day of the movie yet he had the part down pat.  If he continues to pursue acting, he’ll go far I have no doubt.  For those who aren’t familiar, the character is a transvestite and therefore spends the entire movie/play in fishnet hose and high heels.  I have to share what the actor put in his bio listed in the program:

Doogin Brown (Frank-N-Furter)  I have a purpose now – a quest of sorts.  When this show concludes, I will sell my worldly possessions, buy a sturdy iron rod, and scour the globe until I find the man who invented high heels.  I will walk up to him and say, “I am a harbinger of karmic retribution,” and then I will beat that man with my iron rod to within an inch of his life to exact a karmic penance for every blister, every sprained ankle and twisted knee of every person who has ever had to wear a pair of high heels.  And when this colossal, earth-shaking epic beatdown has run its course, I will drop the iron rod and I will say, “Now you understand our pain.”  Doogin has worked for a bunch of theaters in Kansas City; Eubank Productions is one of his favorites.

When I read that, I thought you know? Men love a woman in high heels, maybe they aught to wear them for a while like this young man and they’ll feel differently.

Yesterday I took my Goddaughter to see Broadway’s Lion King which is touring through here.  The Lion King was and still is her very favorite Disney movie even though we had an arrangement that she wasn’t to get any more birthday or Christmas presents until she is 16 years old (because of the cruise we went on a couple years ago), I had to get tickets.  This show deserved every single Tony award it has received, if you have the opportunity to see it you must, and if possible get get seats in the orchestra level.  There are many times during the show where the characters come down through the isles singing and dancing.  I just can’t put into words how amazing it really was.  At the end the man who played zazu stopped and told everyone they were selling posters autographed by the entire cast with all the money going to the Red Cross, of course we had to get one!  Problem was we weren’t sure where they were.  Sammi headed downstairs while I waited upstairs in line at the merchandise booth.  She came back after about 10 minutes with poster in hand, I jumped out of line to join her where she informed me she received her signed poster from none other than the man who played Timon and also got to meet Simba and a few others.  I was so happy for her, she was over the moon!  You guys know how I am with Youtube clips, here’s a clip from The Tony awards and The Lion King.  It’s not the same cast we had, but you get the idea of the costumes.  Take note of the gigantic elephant, that’s what walked right past us.  Truly awesome!

I’m back from my vacation…until I can sit down and write, here’s a little video showing our day trip to South Carolina.  It was everything I wanted it to be.
I have to say though, my Aunt was 110% correct, it took me 3 days to be able to move again!  It was all worth it though. 

Okay, just have to drop a note to share…I just booked a two (hopefully two and a half) hour horseback ride on the beach in South Carolina. I hope it lives up to everything I want it to be.

Nancy, I am SO going to take you with me one day! No questions asked! If it weren’t for you letting me ride Roxy when I was little I would never have developed a love for horses.

I’ll post some pictures Sunday.

I posted the below on my MySpace today.  I think it bares repeating:

Today I watched as one of my closest friends buried her third sibling in 5 years. Including her father who died first, she has now lost over half her family. This sister was one year younger than me. All three siblings had the same hereditary lung disease and at any time the remaining four could be diagnosed, how scary.

We only have one life to live. I know that sounds trite, and talk about a cliche’ but it’s true. We need to live life to the fullest. If we’re lucky enough to live to a ripe old age, do we want to look back and think ‘man I didn’t nap enough’ or ‘dang, i sure wish i’d spent more time watching television.’ I know I don’t. I want to create memories that can never be forgotten. I think I have a pretty good start, thanks in good part to my friends. My first trip to Las Vegas, seeing the Grand Canyon (everyone needs to see the Grand Canyon once), riding quads through Valley of Fire State Park at high speed, swimming with dolphins and resurrecting my friendship with Kim and all the bells and whistles that have come along with it, Yea, that’s a pretty good start.

My list may be very different if I were to of had children, but that just wasn’t in the cards this go around. Maybe in the next life.

My friend Tricia and I are headed to North Carolina very soon. Since we are going to be there for several days/nights we want to spend one of our days out on the coast. I haven’t shared this thought with her yet, but I’d really like to go to South Carolina since I haven’t been there yet. Google maps says it about 2 or 2 and a half ours from where we’ll be. That’s to Myrtle Beach that is, I’m concerned since it’s off season there won’t really be anything to do. I hope I’m wrong. If anything, it’ll be time staring at the Ocean, anytime gazing at that blue water is never time wasted in my book! Ahhh, I’m counting the hours/days/weeks!

Wow I really haven’t written much this summer, I suppose that’s because really there hasn’t been much new going on.

Let’s see, I really hate my new job.  That sucks!  So far the director of my department has yet to come through on any of the promises he made me while recruiting me for the position.  I’m stuck there until November, then I can transfer out-granted there is/are positions available within the office that tickle my fancy.  I’m still doing side work for my old department, I know I should dump it all back on my old boss but we are going through an extremely important audit and I just can’t do that to her.  The only upside to the job, other than actually having one (I always remind myself it could be worse, I may be jobless) is that I get to work from home on Thursdays.  That is so nice.  We’re working on getting to be able to work from home two days a week, which would be so nice.

I really haven’t done anything new this summer.  I’m going back to North Carolina in a few weeks that will be so fun.  This time I’m not going to fly solo (literally and figuratively); I’m taking my friend Tricia with me.  Tricia is a single mom to four daughters and hasn’t had a vacation since before her oldest, who is 16 years old was born.  I think she may be looking forward to more than me if that’s possible.  Tricia works for the school district, so we had to plan this little vacation for when the kids were out of school, needless to say our options were very limited.  Luck was really in our favor as round-trip airline tickets were barely $200 and that was only booking like six weeks in advance.  Yay!  Then I found out that was my friend Paddy’s birthday weekend, his 40th birthday.  How cool is that?  We’ve been invited to a big blow out at his pub.  Then there’s my friend Bill, Paddy’s music partner; Bill is the concertmaster for the symphony.  Opening night of the symphony will take place while we’re there and we’ve been invited to that as well.  I’ve only heard Bill’s pub music and on a rare occasion, one or two classical pieces; it will be great to see an entire performance – although I do have a fear of falling asleep.  I will for sure be upping my caffeine intake prior to the concert.

So we’ll be there for a five day weekend and with Fayetteville not being far from the coast, we for sure have a trip to the beach planned.  I realize we can’t go swimming in October, but it will be a great drive (with the help of my trusty GPS) and no matter what anytime you get to see the ocean it’s a good day.

Let’s see anything else new??  Tuesday was beautiful outside.  When I got home from work I let the dog out and she was as frisky as a puppy, she just wanted to play and play.  How could I not pack her up in the car and take her to the lake for a romp and swim.  I’m so lucky I can take her off leash wherever we go she has so much fun and can swim wherever she wants without being tied to a leash.  You know I had to take some pictures:

I love this picture, I think she’s completely airborne!

She climbed down a pretty steep cliff to get here, she was determined!

She’s got a strange look on her face, but really she was all smiles!

One last thought, remember October is breast cancer awareness month.  Coming from someone who lost a Grandmother to breast cancer, please remember to have your mammograms, also don’t forget if you’re girls are even a little dense you should ask your doctor if a sonogram may be in order instead.