Family, Snow At Home, Construction, And Exercise

                                                           January / February 2016

With Tiffany, Blake and Lennox gone for Christmas, we didn't get together with Noah and Maddie until January. Because we are not in our Nest with all our stuff, I didn't have any wrapping paper, tape, and bows for just a few presents. I read that all that Christmas paper and bows just fills our land fills and to be creative when wrapping presents. One suggestion was to wrap with towel, making them gifts as well. My Nana kids looked at me like I was a strange Nana.

This Nana and Papa are so different to their other local grandparents. The suggestion to do this kind of gift wrapping, forgot to mention how difficult it was to wrap on unusual shaped gifts using towels. Oh well, at least I tried to help my little Nana kids understand how we need to take care of our environment!

After 3 weeks, it was time for mom to fly back home. Bye Bye Mom! I wish I hadn't had a terrible cold the whole time she was here, but I was so glad she never picked it up. I gave her Vitamin C the whole time she was here.

Alisha and Maddie invited me out for horderves at the Hang Out one day.

There was a new look to the place. They moved the bar that use to block the ocean views. Smart move, Hang Out!

And put a long bar and a line of TV's on a side wall.

Before we left we put our wish on the wishing wall.

I wonder what Maddie wished for.

I spend  an hour, 1 to 2 times a week filling large pill contents into small pills casings for Malley. She can't swallow the large ones and they large ones contain more ingredients than she need. She takes 7capsules that have to be converted to smaller capsules. Like I said before, a senior dog can take a ton of extra work.

Mallery has enjoyed this area of Gulf Shores. She likes it here better than the State Park Campground. No sand burs here.

Though we have had cooler weather, mostly low fifties, we never get snow, like up north in Boyne City, Michigan. We kept track of the snow fall in our Northern home from this website. On this first large snowfall, we got 10 to 12 inches.

Another map showing 8 to 12 inches in our area.

Our contractor sent us a picture of this snowfall.

I found this picture in a magazine, and said to Joe, "Wouldn't you like to see winter like this again"? Of course "No" was his answer. I always loved winter when it was like this. So quiet and beautiful!

I put the Nana kids in swimming lessons again in January. All three of them really excelled this year.

Our new contractor, Dane, started our kitchen on January 11. Upper cabinets gone!

Lower cabinets gone!

We spent most of January, and February shopping for windows, sliding doors, under cabinet lights, switches, can lights, faucets, and interior door and more. We had the cabinet and flooring picked out before we left. The sliding door was the most difficult, as the displays were in very sad shape.We were not even able to open the slider, because the frames were on a cart that didn't give  support causing the doors to jam which resulted in broken doors. And to top it off, Lowe's and Home depot carry different doors down here.  Hurricanes and hot humid weather verses below zero and heavy snow fall climate we have up north. We never thought about this. Windows and doors should be picked out in your local area! Duh!

Our agreement with our new contractor, was to send us more pictures of his progress. New ceiling and walls in progress.

Joe and I decide we needed some exercise, so we went to the gym on the property. That's Joe back there on a tread mill.

I chose a tread mill up front where I could look out the window.

This was my view. Camera's always give an impression as things are farther away.

Alisha had asked me if I wanted to go with her to Pensacola to get Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging.

This is me showing how much inflammation I have in my body. Nobody can see the pain that fibromyalgia produces in people's bodies.

I did my whole body, but since you must take off all your clothing, the rest of the images are too revealing to show. Of course red and yellow show inflammation.

We had a nice day, so we decided to take our first walk on the beach. The first time we had gone to the beach, the first week of December, we left coughing due to the red tide. Hoping things had improved, we returned in February. This time no coughing.

I put Mallery in her kangaroo pouch and walked up the beach for 20 minutes.

On the way back, Mallery wanted down. To our surprise she took off and walked almost the full length back to the starting point.

She was thoroughly enjoying herself, and kept being drawn to the water.

Mallery has good days and bad days. This was one of her best days we had seen in awhile, with so much energy and walking in a straight line.
In January, I started looking for a Gynecology Surgeon, thinking maybe I would get another opinion on my female problem. This winter has been really rough with sleepless nights. I have been lucky to sleep anywhere from 3 hours to 5 to 6 hour a night. The nights I did sleep well were because because I hadn't sleep well for 2 nights in a row prior. Then there are the nights Mallery wakes us up wanting to go to the bathroom during the night. Once I am woke up, sometime I am unable to get back to sleep. Joe really wanted me to have a surgery here verses Chicago, as the drive is shorter. I found a Doctor I like in Mobile, AL. He is rated high but the hospital not so much. I am scheduled for an abdominal Hysterectomy on March 8 AM. Joe is staying home with Mallery, and my daughter Alisha is coming with me. I ask for prays that Dr Max Rogers, the anesthesiologist, and nurses hands are guide by our Holy Father in Heaven who is Good and Faithful, and that I make a fast and comfortable recovery. After trying for the last 3 years to shrink the fibroid, (which has ranged from the size of a soft ball to a grapefruit) through diet, and stopping hormones, I have decided to end the madness and to get it out. All the Dr.'s that I have talked to recommend Hysterectomy verses Myomectomy (removing just the fibroid). I look forward to being able to take hormones again and to sleep like I use to. I thank you a head of time for your prayers!