Early Morning Ramblings

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

It is early Tuesday morning, and I am awake with a backache! Lately, I just can't win for losing! I could take the pain medicine the doctor gave me, but I really hate that "hit by a truck" feeling when I wake up. I could use the numbing patch, but I would have to wake Dad up to put it on, and that thing is so cold when you first put it on. However, it does bring 12 hours of blessed relief. So, I am muddling through with muscle relaxers! They just make me sleepy.

I am in the last stages of Cooper's Lady in the Water top. I had to make a modest one after the seamstress doing them just threw them together last week. Dad and I took the stand that she would have a modest top, or they would dance without her. Ginny chose the modest top, but I had to go clear downtown and pay a bundle to get the material. The seamstress didn't want to give me all the scraps from what she did, so I had to even buy the thread. Which doesn't make sense because Ginny paid for everything in the first place. The bad part is, I had already paid a bundle for the first immodest one! Never again.

Cooper made that Joffrey Ballet Summer program. It's a real big deal....only 18 spots for girls her age from across the nation. Dad is sending me with her to NYC for the two weeks she will be in class there.....I told the school I would chaperone 6 girls. I hope I don't regret it. They haven't said if I will be a chaperone or not, but I will be Cooper's. What I will do all day in NYC by myself is a mystery, but I do know the temple is in Manhattan just a few blocks from where we stayed when we went to NY for master classes two years ago. Maybe if my back is better, I can put in some serious time there.

Ethan's visit to MD Anderson revealed that they think that Texas Children's is doing a great job, and they recommend the trial program there. They will only do the trial on him for a year, and then he has to leave the program. Not a good prognosis, but at least it could buy him some time. Elizabeth doesn't want to hand over her son to be a "lab rate" as she says. We talked about maybe it was time that his quality of life be the focal point instead of a cure. All I know is that the next year is going to be the REAL trial for that little family. I just hope and pray I can help her when my phone rings and I hear tears on the other end. I am praying that I will have the strength to help her through this experience. She so wants to do this with dignity. Just how do you prepare someone to lose their precious baby? I have to blink back the tears just thinking about it. She wants me to run interference for her at church to answer some of the questions. She just can't repeat things over and over.....I just can't believe this!

My staff at the church library is growing....they called three more librarians. Two men and a lady. Now I just have to train everyone again. I'll have to fit it in around trips to Austin, Denver, New York, and Nashville. These dance trips are getting expensive.

We are going to Denver to Spring Break. Dad will drive us up there, and then he goes on to San Diego on business. Then he will return to Denver, do some business, and drive us home. We thought it was a great alternative to staying here in Houston while Dad went. The little girls are SO EXCITED to go see Grandma and Grandpa, and Gary and Jean, and Grandpa Flanagan. They want to go back to that museum place with Grandpa Flanagan and see all those things made out of farm tools. I must admit, that was fun. I am looking forward to just leaving the dance studio behind for a couple of weeks.

We have Star Systems competition again this weekend.....must get those costumes packed up again. Between the girls, we have 15 costumes, with all the accessories and jewelry and shoes! It takes a full day to get everything ready to go. Dad is building the new garment rack, so hopefully, it won't break this time. We finally have a great system of keeping things organized, but it doesn't help when one of the parts breaks!

My sewing machine runs great again!!! Guess they filled up the oil reservoir. I told the man they need to put a little gauge on the thing so I know when it needs a refill before the thing freezes up! He just tells me it's not like a car. Well, I see no reason why it couldn't have an oil gauge like a car.....surely there is some scientist somewhere who could figure out how to do it. Since it uses the oil up, there would be no need to drain it like a car, so really you just need a little tube to fill up the spots that need the oil. See, even my simple mind can think this up, so a scientist should think it was a piece of cake! Just think of all the sewing that could be done if it could just be refilled at home and not have to spend a week in the sewing machine hospital. My goodness, my mending might actually get done! I might even be able to make something for myself....or fix Shyla's temple jacket sleeves, or make Britni her skirts. And there's always those pesky pillow cases that my extremely spoiled family love so much. Another idea would be to just figure out how to have the entire bottle of oil just built into the machine so that the refill tube just refilled the bottle, and somehow it spread out to all the parts that think they need a drink. Maybe the solution is to just feed the machine some alcoholic drinks, and then it would be drunk and would realize that it needs the oil.

Well, before this gets any crazier, I think the muscle relaxer is finally kicking in so I am going to try to get some sleep. I think I will just go on the couch because I can hear Dad in the bedroom....someday they will think up a cure for LOUD snoring. Then we can check Dad and Caleb in for it and be done with it. Russell may need to go too, I'll have to ask Shyla.

Well, remember to talk to your Heavenly Father....He is waiting to hear from you.

Love,

Mom