Thursday - November 30

 Posted by Mark:

Pat had a great night.   She slept on the coach but the sitting slightly up position seemed to do the trick.

However today she was very sleepy and groggy.  I think it's because she had little sleep Tuesday night and no real naps on Wednesday.

Home Health Care nurse was here this afternoon.  She took the big bulky bandages off.  That felt good. She looked at the incision.  Incision was 'glued' instead of sutures.  Amazing what they can do these days.

Late afternoon she had her first shower after the surgery.   We put "press and seal" on the shoulder which that kept all the water off.   The handheld shower was a great way to do it also.

Physical Therapy lady called and will be here tomorrow at 10 (or so).

Will watch a couple of Hallmark movies and call it a day.

Wednesday - November 29

 Posted by Mark:

Morning update:

Pat had a much better night.  The sling with the pillow is very bulky and cumbersome, but it sure seems to be helping.

She was up at 1:00 a.m. and 5:45.  After the second time she decided to try the couch.  We both ended up not moving much until 8 a.m.  

3 of her fingers are still numb from the nerve block, but it used to be 4 so that's some progress.  Her arm near the incision area is starting to feel like it is being "stretched".

Lydia dropped off some Panera goodies for breakfast.  She is also bringing over our Dinner later today.

The day is off to a good start.

Final Update:

Slow afternoon.  Nap for Pat.  Dinner from Lydia was excellent.  Cheesy chicken broccoli casserole.  We have plenty left over for another meal.  Her 3 fingers are still numb.

Other family news:

Connor has decided to go to Junior college at Danville Junior College.  They offered him a Full Tuition books and fees scholarship to play Golf.   They play 6 weeks in the spring and 6 weeks in the fall.

Luke and Maeve are helping decorate their Christmas tree.

Maeve also lost another tooth.  I think that is 3 teeth in 3 weeks.  Tooth Fairy is busy.

 Home Health Care nurse called and plans to be here between 1:30 - 2 tomorrow.

Until Tomorrow.

Tuesday - November 28

 Posted by Mark:

Update #1

Pat did not have a good night.  Couldn't find a comfortable position. Bed position raised, bed position flat, recliner, laying on coach, etc.  Her right fingers still feel 'Weird'.

Hospital nurse checked in this morning.  She recommended we stay on top of the pain meds, Tylenol, and 3 hours later ibuprofen. She said to give the fingers another 24 hours to improve and she would also talk to the Anesthesiologist.

The home health care nurse called last night to let us know that she will be here at 11 a.m.

Then we got a call from David a physical therapist to let us know that he will be here at noon..

Thus I have been busy making sure that Flo and the shed look their best.  It will never match Pat's best, but Mark's best will have to do.

Stay tuned. 

Final Update

The nurse did not show up at 11, but David did at 12.   He had a lot of very good hints for Pat.  Once he got her to relax the arm good, he did a couple of exercises with her.  He was pleased with what he saw.  She has one to do starting tomorrow 3 times a day.  She is to let the arm hang down as she bends over and let it swing like a pendulum.

He added a large pillow type device to the sling to keep the arm away from the body.   That really helped Pat ease the pain.  By late afternoon her pain level was a 2 out of 10.

The nurse, Mairim, came at 1:20. Her prior call was in LaBelle, FL so she misjudged the time for travel.  She did a lot of paperwork and review of the schedule. She went over with us the protocol that Dr. Mehalik has for all of his shoulder patients.  Wish we would have had a copy of it.  Very clear and detailed.  She will be back Thursday to take outer bandage off.  Then Pat can shower.

Someone from Physical Therapy will come Friday.  They will be back 2 times next week.

Late afternoon Lydia came over to be with Pat.  I needed to pick up a Walmart order that I placed earlier today for pickup after 3.   The pickup site was extremely busy, but after noticing that people after me were getting an order, I starting asking the help.  Finally got a gentleman that was willing to go back inside and ask questions.   Turns out "computer glitch".  They knew I was there but did not have location.  Rather than have someone go down the row and ask for my name, they decided to wait until someone came looking.....   Needless to say my review won't be as positive as it usually is.

Lydia and Pat had a good long time to catch up on each others activities and news..

Dinner was a Sante Fe salad from Publix with chicken strips added from Chic-fil-A.

Hoping for a good night for Pat.

Surgery Day - November 27

 Update #1

Arrived at surgery center at 7 AM. Registration was fairly quick. Scanned her license  and insurance cards once again.  Took her into surgery prep at 7:40. They called me back to her at 7:20.  She told me she was to be in surgery prep for 1.5 hours then surgery for one hour and then recovery for one hour. They were only using two rooms and four other patients ahead of her today. They said the day after holidays is slower and things don’t always move too fast.

   At 9:25 the anesthesiologist came in to start his process and I was sent back out to the surgery waiting room. Writing this at 10 o’clock, and she still shows status as surgery prep. Just waiting for an operating room to become available.  

Update #2

Pat went into the operating room at 10:50.  

Update # 3

I received a text at 11:19 that the procedure had begun. Dr. had said it would take about 45 minutes. Obviously, nothing moves very fast in the hospital. But I guess that is good, because we certainly don’t want any mistakes.

11:57 got a phone call from Dr. Mehalik.  He said he had just finished and that everything went as he expected. He said she did just fine and the shoulder replacement went smoothly. He indicated that I would be getting a phone call in about an hour from the nurses.

Update # 4

Got home at 2:10.  Pat is very groggy.  They gave her a nerve block which deadens that area.  It will take from 4 to 18 hours to go away.   She is to ice the shoulder 30 minutes then nothing for 30 minutes while awake for the next 72 hours.   Right now has no pain, but the numbness in her right fingers feels "weird".      Stay tuned.

Last Update.

Pat is doing Ok.  She has a sore throat from the tube that was put down her throat during surgery.  She Hates sore throats.   Still has the numbness in her hand.  Probably will be that way until the nerve block wears off.

Pat gets credit for the picture:   When we entered the Surgery Center she immediately noticed the Christmas tree and made sure I added it tonight.  I would have gone the whole time and not noticed it...

Sunday - November 26

 Posted by Mark:

Before I describe our day, I'll lay out the plans for tomorrow.

We are to be at Lee Health Center - Coconut Point, Estero, FL by 7-7:15 a.m. about 40 minutes away. They have 2 surgeries before Pat starting at 5:30 a.m.

Surgery is to  only take 45 minutes.

We should be back home in time for me to put out a Blog status by noon EST tomorrow.

Our day today:  We both had a great nights sleep.  I did not get up until 7:25 which for me is WAAAYY late.

Did a shower for Pat with the Gel treatment.

After breakfast we did a livestream of Port Clinton Immaculate Conception at 10:30.  While watching  the mass, 2 ladies knocked on our day to inform us that we had a flat tire.

I called Jim to borrow his car so he brought it over and helped me jack up the car and get the tire off.

90 minutes later I was back with the repaired tire.  Had a small puncture in the tread, but whatever caused it was not there.  They fixed and balanced the tire.  

Tire back on and car looks ready to go EARLY tomorrow.

Mid afternoon Lydia stopped by to give Pat an Iced Latte that Jim had made.  Pat said it Really Hit the spot.  

Supper tonight was finishing up the leftovers from Pei Wei and a Publix salad.

Pat had to take a second shower tonight with a surgical scrub applied all over her body for 3 minutes before rinsing it off.   Will do the same thing tomorrow.

Saturday - November 25

 Pat had a good night sleeping. It seems once she gets her arm in a good spot then things go well.

Pat did her first day of three daily showers.  She has to put on an antibiotic gel, leave it on for three minutes and then shower it off.   This is to help keep germs away from the surgery area.

I was hungry for Hardee’s biscuits and gravy so I made a drive-through run, brought her a cinnamon raisin biscuit also. 

After breakfast, we decided to go for a drive to mainly get out of the house. We took the back roads to the forum shopping area did a drive-through at Starbucks for Pat, then drove past Home Depot to see if they had any impatiens out. They did not. Then I ran into Dollar tree to buy a couple of birthday cards that we needed

We came home the back way, and we were surprised to see at least three new developments underway. Either homes or apartments not sure which.

Pretty lazy afternoon.  Went for a walk around 3 o’clock. It was actually a bit warmer today than they predicted, but still very nice out.  

At 4:10 I left for the airport to pick up Jim and Lydia. We then stop by Pei Wei and they brought dinner for Pat and I this evening.   Orange chicken for Pat and beef and broccoli for me.   It was delish!

Another Hallmark movie for Pat and I'll find something on Netflix with a bit more action.

Friday - November 24

 Last night was a good one for Pat.  That always helps to get the day off to a good start.

A real slow down day for us.  Mainly looking ahead to Monday.

Did some laundry, finished putting out all the Critters we have on our lot during the winter.  Both did some reading,  games on the iPad using left hand for Pat, and watching a movie or two.

Had a few showers this afternoon.

Brady gave us some Christmas ideas that were Black Friday specials, so did some quick online shopping.  Add us to the Millions that did that today.

Also had a good visit with Liam and Connor as they were coming home from shopping in Peoria.

Thanksgiving 2023

Happy Thanksgiving to All.   We do have a lot to be thankful for.

This will be a Thanksgiving we probably won't ever forget, but even without family together it was a good day.

Pat was able to shower without a sling or brace.  She said letting the arm fall straight down felt good.  Getting the sling back on does mean going thru some pain.

Our weather was cooler. High of 76.   Put away more clothes we brought back from North Carolina.

At 11:45 I picked up our two Turkey dinners from Cracker Barrel.  They had a very organized process.  Drive around back, tent set up with people to get your name and order description, they brought it out and placed it in my trunk.  The meal itself was very good also.  Pat had leftovers, I did not  😋

I watched a movie and Pat napped and watched a Hallmark movie, then we took a walk later in the afternoon.

Wednesday - November 22

 Posted by Mark:

A very productive day.  Pat had a comfortable night of sleep, but had a time getting back to sleep at 3 a.m.  It wasn't due to pain, but one of those nights where you try to solve all the world problems.

We were up and out early at 7:20 to get to Gulf Coast Medical Center at 7:45.  This place is huge, very busy.  Registration took 20 minutes due to "you are not in our system".  Wonder how many times recently we have had her ID and Insurance cards scanned  😀

After registration, an Aide walked us to the lab area.  Thankfully or we would have been lost.

Lab work and EKG were an uneventful process.   Pat also asked that I tell you the hospital was very well decorated for Christmas.  I never notice those things.

The lobby also had a 'Scooters" coffee place so that was our final stop before heading out.

On our way home we stopped at Walmart for her prescriptions ordered yesterday.  That took a bit as the pharmacist did not want to fill a tramadol and Oxycodone at the same time.  I assured him we understood the drug use before surgery and drug use after surgery.  50% of Dr. Mehalik's surgery patients get by after surgery with Tylenol, and we are hoping Pat is in the group.

Home to do laundry and other household chores.

Coconut Point Hospital called to confirm her surgery at 7:15 Monday morning.  Sounds like we're all set.

Late this afternoon we went downtown to have Pat's nails trimmed and the polish removed for the surgery.  It interferes with the oxygen level readings on her fingertips.

We brought home Nachos Supreme from the Lodge and a quick stop at Publix for Cereal, Milk, and Beer.   The Publix downtown is small, but when I went in all of the grocery carts were in use.  

Pat is very grateful for all the thoughts and prayers.

Turkey time tomorrow.

Tuesday - November 21

 Posted by Mark:

WE HAVE A SURGERY DATE 😀

Results of Pat’s visit with Doctor.

Met with Dr. Mehalik this afternoon.  He reviewed the CT scan pictures with us to describe options.  If you want any reasonable mobility the only real option is Shoulder Replacement.  There are multiple Shoulder Replacement options.  Due to the damage to the rotator cuff, the procedure best option is a:  Reverse Shoulder Replacement.  

 It will be done Monday morning at 7 a.m. at Lee Health Memorial Coconut Point in Estero, FL.

It will be outpatient surgery and should take only 45 minutes.  He squeezed her in because he likes to do shoulder replacements within 3 weeks of the injury.  He sees this type of fracture with older people 3 – 4 times a month.  Pat really liked Dr. Mehalik.

They also gave her a new stiffer sling to replace the brace and smaller sling.

We were there about 2.5 hours.  Met with X-ray tech, Assistant, Dr. Mehalik, Michael the PA who covered all the surgery logistics and then with the Medical devices staff for the sling.

Tomorrow we head to Gulf Coast Hospital at 8 a.m. for blood work, urine sample, and EKG.

All the work must be done with results by 4 p.m. tomorrow due to Thanksgiving weekend. Thank goodness Pat is in good health otherwise or they would not schedule surgery until they saw all the results.   They are all betting on the results being A-OK.

Recovery and Rehabilitation should be completed in 3 months. The shoulder will never back to 100%, but she should be able to maintain her active lifestyle.   He said “just don’t expect it to not remind you at times that you were injured”.

 

Other activities today:

Haircut for Pat this morning.  Always makes a lady feel refreshed!

I did more grocery shopping and filled car with gas while waiting for Pat.

Lunch at Culvers,  car wash, then off to the Doctor.

 

 

Monday - November 20

Posted by Mark:

Pat was bothered more today by the shoulder. She had a rough night then today pain would happen and she could never figure out what position was good vs. bad.  If the elbow is not just in the right position - In her words "Holy Cow".   Her language is more PG than mine would be.

She did get to shower today in the shed.  That went pretty well.

While she was resting I went for takeout at Hardees for my biscuit and gravy fix and brought home two biscuits for tomorrow morning.

I also did a Publix run later in the day.    As they all say,  "don't grocery shop when hungry".  I went for 6 items and came home with many more and a bill of $106.00.  

Had a salad and salmon for supper.

Tomorrow she has a haircut at 11:30, then the doctor at 1:30. 

Stay Tuned.

Sunday - November 19

 Posted by Mark:

We are home sweet home!  Pat did okay, but described her shoulder as "misbehaving" more today. You never seem to know what movement is going to cause her to go "thru the roof".   When we got to Flo she was going to open a overhead cabinet door, but just putting the good arm over her head made the other shoulder become extremely painful.   One more activity she won't be doing.

Tonight I decided we need more plastic silverware and paper plates.   I hate doing dishes.....  (And all I did was heat up leftovers 😎

I did get a handheld shower nozzle installed in our She Shed shower.  We will use it tomorrow morning.

I hope to get everything unpacked and stored away tomorrow.  We are both looking forward to her Doctor Appointment 1:30 on Tuesday.

        Blair at her End of Season Cheerleading Banquet

Saturday - November 18

 Posted by Mark:

A very good day of travel for Pat.  She says the shoulder "behaved very well" with only occasional moments of "OUCH".   

We left Michael's at 7:40 a.m. and drove 478 Miles to Jacksonville, FL, arriving at 5 p.m.

Stopped for lunch at Wendy's in Waynesville, GA.

Cracker Barrel tonight for dinner as it was a block away.

We are both very tired.

Some Grandparent brags about sports from yesterday and today.

Last night Brady's Patton High School played their crosstown rival and a much bigger school - Freedom.  We did not attend the game to avoid Pat being in a crowd, but Michael was keeping the phone texts hot with scoring thru out the game.

Patton had never beaten Freedom in the 15-17 years they have been playing each other.  Patton was down by as much as 16 points thru the game.  They came back and were down by 3 with 1 minute 37 seconds to play.   Patton then tied the score at 60 - 60.  Then tied up again at 62 - 62.  

Brady was fouled twice and made all 4 free throws in the final 19 seconds to allow Patton to beat Freedom 66 - 62,   

This afternoon Blair was cheering on the Salem 5th grade football team.  There were undefeated coming into the final Burke County playoff game against Oak Hill.  They were victorious with a final score of 38 - 22.   Needless to say, Blair was very excited when she called to give us the results.

If all goes well tomorrow we will be home on Flo mid afternoon.

Friday - November 17

 Posted by Mark:

Main agenda item today was to get everything packed in the car to leave tomorrow morning for Fort Myers.   After many trips we are pretty well set.

Amazon delivered two "Post surgery & Rehab V Neck Dual Access Snap Shirt".   A nurse at the Valdese hospital recommended them.  They snap up the side so you can easily unsnap one side, put them on and only snap up the parts not interfering with the brace.  Pat is wearing one tonight.  We are headed to my Sister Theresa and Brother-in-law Mike's home here on Lake James for dinner.

Brady has a basketball game tonight but we decided to avoid the crowds for multiple reasons.  Hate to miss seeing him play but risk is too great.

Pat was to have spent this week with some of her Monday night friends at the Biltmore.  They have been very good about sending her photos of their activities.

Excellent dinner with Theresa and Mike.  Homemade soup, Asian salad, and homemade blue berry pie and lots of gabbing to go along with the meal.

Tomorrow we hit the road south. 

Thursday - November 16

  Posted by Mark:

A gorgeous day in North Carolina.   Pat wanted a shower and hair shampoo today so Brooke suggested we use their main shower in the Cottage that has a separate hand nozzle.   Had to cover the shoulder brace with a garbage bag.  The brace is not to come off for any reason. Under the brace is a cotton arm band that is the main item to keep dry.   The brace itself is plastic and many Velcro straps.

The hand shower worked great so I will get one for the She Shed in Florida.   She was very happy!  Little things mean a lot sometimes  😁

When we were done here is the view from the Cottage Bedroom today:

We had lunch in the cottage basement as the cleaning folks were in the main house.   After lunch, to avoid the stairs, we went outside to the garage then up the driveway to the door off of our bedroom.  The walk outside on this beautiful day was a treat.

Tonight we went over to see Philip, Annette, Luke, and Maeve for my (Mark) birthday dinner.  Annette made meatloaf, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy.   My sister Theresa brought over a homemade blue berry pie.  It even had the brown paper wrap around the pie just like my mother used to do.   Everything was delicious.

Philip took me down to the shop to see his latest project for a friend.  2 nativity managers for each of the friend's daughters.   

Philip says you can never have enough clamps

We planned two rounds of Euchre.  Pat used a domino board to hold her cards.  She and Philip won first round, Annette and I won 2nd round.

Saying our goodbye to Maeve and Luke.

All in all, a good day.

Wednesday - November 15

 Posted by Mark:

Another day of twist and turns in our plans.  

After multiple phone calls to Primary Care doctor in Florida and Orthopedic clinic we went from having a 11/27 appointment with a doctor we did not know to a 11/21 appointment with the doctor highly recommended by our primary care doctor and others.

Thus our plans are to leave on Saturday morning to head back to Fort Myers. That will give us plenty of time to get back before our appointment on Tuesday.   We're not sure how well Pat can travel so we can be flexible.

We will miss Thanksgiving with our family but she will hopefully get a surgery date that much sooner.

Tuesday - November 14

Posted by Mark:

Full and productive day, that did not always go in the direction we expected.

First stop of the day was Lunch in Valdese, NC at 100 Main restaurant.  Great reviews and we totally agree.  Pat had Club sandwich and carrot apple soup. I had the Sammy Pork sandwich.  Excellent.  Decided we need to come here again.

On to EmergOrtho office to meet with the PA Shane Tolbert.  After X-rays he talked thru options.

Option one for seniors that are not active is:  Do nothing, let it heal.  Plus - no surgery, minus - will always have pain when you lift the arm on that side.

Option two - Shoulder replacement.  

If we do surgery, wherever we do it you need to stay in the area in case there are complications.  Thus his recommendation was:  go to Florida for your surgery and rehab.  Waiting is not different than starting with Option One.   People that choose option one can always move to Option two - surgery.

He did order a CT scan for us as the eventual surgeon will want to see the details of the damage.  We went to Valdese Hospital to get the scan and results are on a CD for anyone to view. 

Since Pat adds photos frequently I decided to add a photo of her shoulder. 

 

Monday - November 13

 After a visit to the Ortho clinic and multiple phone calls we do have an appointment tomorrowat 1:30 in Valdese with the EmergOrtho staff.    The tramadol is helping with the pain but also makes her sleep alot.  

Hopefully we will know more about next steps tomorrow night.

Stay Tuned!

Sunday - November 12

 This post is coming to you from Mark.  This is your first clue that something is amiss.

We went for a walk this beautiful afternoon.  As we were coming back on the trail there was one steep part.  We had done it going up on our way out.  It has alot of leaves on the ground and was a bit damp.

Pat was leading the way and going down the hill slipped just a bit. She sped up to catch her footing, that caused her to start running down the hill.  All I could see was her picking up "steam" and I knew "this is not good".  At the bottom of the hill she fell down hard.  

Her right shoulder was hurting.  We were able to walk back home as long as she kept her right arm in close to her waist.   The local urgent care is a 24 x 7 by appointment service run by a retired Emergency Room Doctor.  It does have an X-ray machine so we called and made an appointment.

Diagnosis from the x-ray was:  Fractured Shoulder.    The Humeral Shaft drove up into the Proximal Humerus and shattered it.  For us lay people the bone in her arm drove up into the ice cream cone at the shoulder and broke it.   

It is the right shoulder.   In 2010 she had the left shoulder repaired when we were hit by a car in St. Petersburg, FL.

We will try for an appointment with Orthopedic doctor in Morganton.  Pat has seen him before in 2020.

Hopefully tomorrow night we will have more of an update.

Saturday - November 11

 H A P P Y   V E T E R A N S   D A Y!

 

We are so proud of Ryan and all who have served our country

 to keep us safe and free!

A rainy, chilly Saturday - Brady was off to BB practice, I got the laundry going, Mark checked out the pontoon (part still hasn't come in) and Blair worked on a craft project (mermaid garden) that JoAnn gave her yesterday.

Working on mermaid garden

Finished garden

 

Stash of latest craft projects

Blair and Maeve love to be crafty!

Anne and Liam went to the ISU vs Iowa hockey game last night at the Coral Ridge mall ice rink.   Iowa won 7-4. 

Lunch and then left for the game at 2 loaded down with blankets, garbage bag (to put down on wet seats)?    

Ready for the game

Unfortunately, the game was to start at 3:15 (6th game of the day in the playoffs), but they were running late, so our Tigers didn't start till 4:30.

We left at halftime as we had reservations to eat turkey dinner at the camp.   Not sure of the final score but Tigers were winning 8-6 when we left. 

Our cheerleader

Grandpa and Blair leaving at halftime

Delicious dinner - turkey and so many fixins!    We had a big table of our kids, grandkids, Judy and Dave, Mike and Theresa.    We didn't stay too long - everyone tired and cold (especially Mark and me after sitting on the cold concrete at the game.)   We had a blanket to sit on and one to cover with, but still....a damp, chilly day (no wind fortunately)!

 

Friday - November 10

 Rainy Friday but much needed so the locals are happy!    Many "no burn" signs around as it would be so dangerous.   Nice to sleep in a bit and not to have to be "out the door" so early.    Brady was gone around 8:30 for practice and lunch with friends and then a physics class at Western Piedmont,

Blair, Mark and I left at 10:30 for Black Mountain and met our friends and across-the-street-neighbors at Cypress Trail at the Black Mountain Bistro.    JoAnn and Buddy live near Candler (close to Asheville).    It was so good to see them and we had a great visit and awesome lunch.    Really like this place and everyone left happy with good bye hugs.   Buddy and JoAnn leave in 2 weeks for a big cruise to Antarctica.    Sounds like quite the adventure.    They'll be arriving at CT on December 30th.

Mark, Blair, Pat, Buddy, JoAnn

We drove around Givens Highland Farms (where we plan to settle after we're done being nomads).  Lots of new construction going on!   Stopped at Ingles and got a few things, plus Starbuck treats for Blair and Grandma.

Rained all the way home.....good day to hunker down!   Grandpa took a nap and Blair gave Grandma a facial using all her skin care products!   She is REALLY into this and made a video of us!

My skin-care consultant

Always glowing!

On a rainy afternoon, our cozy, pretty view from indoors

Brady made pizza tonight - we each put on our favorite toppings!   And along with a bottle of awesome red wine that Mike and Theresa gave Mark for his birthday made for a really good Friday night dinner.

It'a all about the crust

Anne is on her way to Iowa City for Family Weekend with Liam.    Connor is on his way to Appleton, WI for a hockey tournament.  

  Our kiddos and friends arrive home tomorrow late afternoon from the Abacos!    Mark and I will be watching the Salem Tigers football game in the afternoon especially the cheerleaders??    The Tigers are undefeated!  

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday - November 9

 Mark took Blair to school - she has a field day so will be helping the Pre-K thru 1st graders.    There are three 5th grades at Salem Elementary with approximately 25 students in each class.   Next year, she'll be at Liberty Middle School (6-8).    Mark got a haircut which was a new experience.   He's used to having an appointment (Bloomington, Fort Myers, Port Clinton, etc.)     This place in Morganton (Sane's Barber Shop) does walk-ins only.    He got there around 8 after dropping off Blair and there were 12 ahead of him (they open at 6:30).    They have 6 barber chairs, but only 2 working with a few more coming later.   He waited 50 minutes and was finally called.   Oh well....one more thing to cross off the list and then to pick up part for pontoon, only to find out the guy had not ordered it???   He said he would get to it today!   Onto Concord to pick up his new hearing aid.   He didn't get back to Morganton till after 4.    

I had a leisurely morning.....read, played some games on my I-pad, went for a walk, browsed the internet for some Christmas ideas and then the go go go began.... picked Blair up at 2:45 and then to gymnastics from 3:30-4:30; then dance (lyrical) from 5-6.   Her 6-7 cheer practice was cancelled. Mark joined us at Southern Swag Dance Studio parking lot.   I went onto Brady's scrimmage (2 games) at Patton High School.   They lost the first game 49-35 (against a class 4A school - Patton is 2A) but won 2nd game 53-29.   Mark and Blair picked up a pizza and brought to game - no concessions tonight.

On home....big day!    So fun to watch Brady back in action on the bb court.

So while we were watching the Patton Panthers play, Drew and Tessa were at Soldier Field watching the Carolina Panthers play the Chicago Bears (football)

Brooke and Michael in Hope Town, Bahamas

 Congrats to Connor - MVP for the CCHS golf season - he shares this title with his buddy, Luke Brady.

Downtown Morganton is all decked out for the holidays.    They've been decorating the light poles with wreaths and red bows, the big tree on the courthouse square and 3 huge stars (we remember these from last year) - very festive!

Big change coming in the weather tomorrow with 20+ degrees cooler and rain!  It hit 83 today!   No school (Veteran's Day)!   YEAH!!!!!

Wednesday - November 8

 Gorgeous fall day in the upper 70's (wish we could bottle up this wonderful weather)!   Blair woke up at 6:20 her usual chipper self!    She's a happy girl (even in the early morning)!   Mark and I took her to school and then drove downtown for breakfast at The Grind (our favorite coffee shop in Morganton).   We shared a Western omelet, fresh fruit and sourdugh toast - excellent and just the right amount.

Stopped at AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts for a battery maintainer and then drove to New Dimensions, (Luke and Maeve's school).   It's in a diffferent part of town and we had never been.    The charter school is housed in the former Shadowline (women's lingerie) factory which is no longer in Morganton.

Back home and on with the day.   Brady had a later start to his day at Western Piedmont Community College.   He left at 10:15 and we were off with the backpack and water for a good hike (1 1/2 hours).    Stopped briefly to visit Mike and Theresa and on home.

We had lunch, Mark did a garbage run and then had 1 1/2 hours to sit and relax a bit before we were off to get Blair and resume her Wednesday routine.

First stop was her piano lesson from 3:30-4 at Faith Presbyterian Church and we went to Toasted and Rolled for some unique ice cream (rolled).

Mixing the cream and peanut butter on a very cold metal surface (11 degreees)

Pouring Blair's chocolate cream to make a dirt 'n worm concoction (gummies and crushed oreos)

Spreading out the ice cream and then rolling up

Tah dah...my finished peanut butter blast

Mark had a rocky road sundae

Mark and I enjoyed this new method of ice cream!    And of course, it's a favorite of Blair's

Then we took Blair to her 2-hour dance classes (hip hop and jazz).    Mark and I went to CVS where we had appointments for our RSV shots.  Stopped at Chick fil A for a light supper and then waited in the car for her to finish up reading on our Ipads.    Stopped at Bojangles to get her supper-to-go and on home at 7:45.    Visited with Brady and ready to call it a day!

Tuesday - November 7

 HAPPY  BIRTHDAY  MARK

Grandpa and his girls

A fun day celebrating the patriarch of our family!   He's the best hubby, dad, grandpa and role model!   Soooo proud of him !!!

No school for Blair today - election day and/or teacher workshop?    She slept in....

Bummer to hear that Luke is home today with a sore throat and not feeling well. Maeve went off to school.

Mark worked on the pontoon engine issue and figured out the problem (we think?  we hope?) and a part (battery selector switch) has been ordered from the marina store.    

 Went to Morganton and had lunch at The Town Tavern with Bob and Judy (Brooke 's parents) and Mike and Theresa (Mark's sister).   We missed Dave and Judy (Annette's parents) who were home with Luke.    Stopped at Dollar Tree and Jersey Mike's - Blair and I picked up a few things.

At Town Tavern

Mark, Theresa, Mike, Bob

Pat, Blair, Judy

On home and Blair helped prepare Grandpa's favorite dessert!

Betty Ctocker doing her thing

and then entertaining us with her musical talent...

 

Attempting "Happy Birthday"

More Carolina beauty

Today Connor went on a bus trip with classmates to Springfield...

Empower Illinois

Front row!

Tonight we had a little party for the birthday boy - Dave and Maeve, Theresa, Bob and Judy, Brady and Blair.  Missing Judy, Luke and Mike.    Chocolate lava cake (in the crockpot) was the dessert with Blue Bell ice cream

Siblings

Mark really appreciated the cards, phone calls, texts, e-mails and gifts from family and friends!   

 

 

 

Monday - November 6

 Lovin' this spectacular NC weather!    We were up early and out the door at 7 AM with Blair.   Her busy schedule and routine are ready for another week.   Although this week, she's off tomorrow and Friday!

Back home, visited with Allie and Owen, said good bye to Brady as he was off till 7ish or later tonight.   Allie and Owen packed up their car and then the hugs good bye - oh....so much fun being together this weekend!    They drove to Asheville for their flight to Punta Gorda.   

Bye bye dear friends 

I did several loads of laundry and Mark dealt with boat battery issues.

Miss Maeve has some loose teeth going on......so, a few days ago, she lost her front tooth 

and then today...

another one....

all she wants for Christmas is her 2 front teeth!😁

While I was off to town to pick up Blair, Mark, Mike and Theresa dealt with the boats ending up towing the pontoon back to Michael's dock.    What an ordeal and still not sure about the batteries and why they are not fully charging?

Blair and I were going to "toasted and rolled" after school (an ice cream shop that has rolled ice crream???)    But, they are closed Mondays, so....another time. 

Enjoyed listening to Blair practice her piano tunes - all Christmas.   She did a very good job!    Brady got home after basketall practice at 7:45 - long day for him.

Sunday - November 5

 Brady went to 9:00 Mass with us at St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton.    Father Ken is under the weather so Father Bidner from the Charlotte diocesean seminarians filled in.    He was telling us that the Charlotte diocese currently has 54 seminarians preparing for ordination to the priesthood.   That's an impressive number with the severe shortage of priests around the country.

The dinner/auction gala last night that Brady volunteered at was a big success!

Stopped at Ingles for a few things and on home.    Made a plan to have Allie and Owen see Mike and Theresa's home and then all of us took the pontoon for a nice ride and lunch at the Camp.  

Some pretty color

 Who should we see upon arriving, but Dave, Judy, Luke and Maeve having lunch.    Had a picture taken of all of us before they left for home.

Owen, Allie, Maeve, Dave, Shmoo, Mark, Pat, Theresa, Mike, Luke

Blair's friend Luna and her Dad brought Blair to the camp, said our good byes and they headed back home to Charlotte.   

Mike amongst the beautiful red berry trees at the camp

Pretty purple berries

 It was such a spectacular day so we were all looking forward to riding back to Michael's in the pontoon, BUT......it would not start!    ugh.....argh...Dave came to our rescue in Philip's van and gave us a ride back to Michael's.   Mike and Theresa went back home.

Michael's power boat wouldn't start either (Mark, Owen and Brady were on a mission).  Hopefully tomorrow, both boats will be up and running after a good charge.

Sat on the porch this beautiful evening chatting, enjoying our wine/scotch and Blair was doing her aqua beads.   Then we watched the movie "Here Comes the Boom" - good!!!   Had some delicious oven stew (thank you Brooke) and Asian salad for dinner

Tonight's sunset

Pink fluffy clouds looked like cotton candy

Pat and Allie

Friends since 1966

Owen, Allie, Pat, Mark

Owen, Blair, Allie

Blair said her good byes to Allie and Owen and off to dreamland.   Back to school tomorow and a busy week ahead for this girlie.

We've had so much fun with Allie and Owen and the weekend flew by.....they leave in the morning for Asheville and then fly back to FL.

Enjoy your week and hope it's warm and sunny like predicted here in NC.