Wrapping Presents

Over the weekend we put up our tree, and in order to organize the presents, I went ahead and wrapped the bigger items and put them under the tree.

Although the puppies were mildly curious, they left the tree alone and didn't do much until with the wrapped packages.

But they were obviously lulling us into a false sense of security, because yesterday when Mike came home, they had ripped the wrapping off about half of the gifts and had also destroyed a couple of items. Sorry Bob about the slippers that we had you try on -- good thing that wasn't your main present. Luckily, nothing critical was destroyed and Christmas paper can be easily replaced. I guess for us this year Santa will be very busy on Christmas Eve.

Looking for Ducks

Before I head back to work after a week of relaxation, we decided to take the dogs and Bob to the Dog Park. We piled them all into the Explorer (the theory was that the dogs could ride in the "Back Back" and Bob would have room to sit in the back seat. Of course, instead, Bob became a convenient stepping stone for Holly and Emma on their path to getting in the Front seat with Mama and Papa to assist in the drive over.

The dogs are always eager to get to the park and today was no exception. Emma makes sure that you know her eagerness with her little concerned whimpers expressing that you aren't driving fast enough. And at every chance she gets, Holly decides that if she stands on the center console the car will magically end up at the dog park. On most rides when we are in the Taurus, Glory ends up perched on the back deck behind the rear seat. But in the Explorer she had the whole Cargo area to herself on the ride over and was thrilled. Of course the big dogs took the smallest space and tried to trample Bob.....

It rained Friday and Saturday, part of the leading storm that ended up causing so much ice damage in Colorado and Nebraska, so the ground was rather saturated and the puppies blessed each of us with some wet, sandy paw prints throughout the afternoon.

After 5-6 rounds around the park with Papa and Bob, it was decided to make the full trek around Silverbell Lake. Although I've been on vacation, I did something stupid to my right knee and so haven't been able to be too active. I chose to wait in the car.

After about 20 minutes, Emma comes running up to the car, soaking wet. Come to find out, she swam to the middle of the lake trying to catch a duck but to no avail. She obviously had the time of her life. Her forrays into the lake previously have been limited to submersible entries near the shore, so this was her first full-fledged feet don't touch swim.

And, great fun was had by all.

Over the River and Thru the Woods....

When Mike's Mom lived with us, our little Glory fell in love with her. Joan basically helped raise her from a 5-wk old tiny puppy to her full-grown stature of 17 pounds (she acts like she is much bigger and of course she is our growler). Everytime we visit Joan in Phoenix where she lives with Mike's sister, Barbara, we try to take Glory with us (Joan calls her Perky and I think believes that 'Perky' used to be her dog.). This past weekend we went to visit with Mike's brother Bob for an informal post-Thanksgiving trip.

We also got to visit with Barbara's younger son, David, who has enlisted in the Army through the National Guard and had just finished his first weekend of training. He demonstrated his skills on the keyboard for us, a hobby of his that he would love to make a career someday. Joan actually got out of bed to watch his fingers fly, although she couldn't hear the actual performance. Check out Joan watching the performance, as well as David's fast-flying fingers, and Glory's appreciation of David's composition in the video below. I'm having trouble with the video, but will see if I can load it tomorrow.

Thanks to Barbara and her doctor, we were also able to turn the fun visit into a practical one. We were able to get Joan signed up with a Hospice group who does home health care. She will get a nurse visiting 1-2 times per week to monitor her health, a home health aide at least once per week to help her bathe. This should provide Joan with very close monitoring of her overall health and especially her cardiovascular health, chrondritis, dementia/mental health, and colon condition. Because the nurse will see her regularly, she will be able to monitor her closely for any changes in her condition. Joan will be re-evaluated every 3 months to see if she is still eligible for Hospice care. Some patients have been on Hospice care for more than 2 years. And, the good news is that it is 100% paid for thru Medicare. And, it will give Barbara quite a bit of relief as most doctor's visits should be eliminated.

The Journey Begins

I'm beginning this blog to track our lives, but also to document my journey to becoming a healthier individual. Today marks the second step of many to the road to becoming a healthier, thinner person. I confirmed that my insurance choices for 2008 will allow me to have Lap-Band surgery, which will hopefully result in less of me, but around for longer. The deterioration in my knees has caused me to not to be able to exercise and I have become heavier than I've ever been before. My goals for 2008 are to 1) lose 75-80 pounds and 2) plan a cruise to celebrate entering my fourth decade on this planet.

Here are the steps that I've achieved so far, and with the next steps I need to complete:

1. Attended weight loss surgical seminar - complete


2. Confirmed insurance coverage - complete


3. Next step - set appointment with PCP


4. Next step - set the wheels in motion with weight loss surgeon