happy heart day

H
  A
    P
      P
        Y

VALENTINE'S 

D
  A
     Y

!!!!!!!!!!

❤💛💜💝💓💗❤
             ❥

december 20th

It's only been a month ... that's not so bad, given what all has happened in the last 30ish days.

Rick decided that he hadn't been to the hospital in awhile and thought it would be fun to be there over Christmas.  Yeah, no.

So, ho ho ho.  Oh ...

Rick was in need of some attention ... so he had us take him to the ER.  He likes the nurses there.  He likes nurses everywhere, actually.

We hadn't had our Christmas card photos taken this year ... seemed like a good time to get this done.  Yes?

Christmas dinner is all taken care of ...

And we'll be using our finest silver.

Oh vey.

Ho ho ho, NO!

.

it's been awhile ...

... and so much has happened to our little Kahle klan, most of it heartbreaking.

I doubt the details are as important as the fact that the Kahles are recovering and pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and moving on.  That truly is the most important part.

It's November now, the month that the Wedding of the Year was due to take place.  It will not be.  There's no more Ben ... in fact, was there ever a Ben?  Well, there was ... but not the Ben that we all wanted and hoped for and yes, even loved.  That Ben no longer exists.

There's still an Elizabeth ... and she's recovering.  She was hit (read: blindsided) the hardest by the cancellation of the wedding.  But she's in her own apartment now and starting a new life in Frisco, Texas.

There's still a Kris ... and she was hit hard, financially.  The apartment she signed her name to still exists along with a second one that she is downsizing to.  The invisible Ben never moved into the original apartment and the very visible Elizabeth now occupies the smaller one.  Nothing occupies my wallet anymore.

And there's still a Rick.  He sat back, watched it all unfold and just shook his head.  He's still shaking his head.  And his piggy bank.

But ... you know what?  We're just fine.  Elizabeth was shown a tremendous amount of love through all of this and so were we.  Our house is coming along fine and soon the holidays will be here.  I found my Christmas decor and I'm bound and determined to put it all up, all over the place.  I love me some Christmas decorations and I'm gonna smear them all around our house!

Ho Ho Ho!   Wait, Gobble Gobble!  Gotta get some turkey in me first.

Anyone seen my platter?

.

valentine's day

I knew Rick had gotten me a gift for Valentine's Day because he has zero sense of secrecy.  The email came to MY email (I didn't open it, I promise) and then the box came and he left if sitting by the front door.  I didn't open that, either.  I really didn't want to.  Have you seen Rick's gifts?  Ahem.

But knowing that a gift was coming to me, I had to get him something, too.  I'd actually hoped that this year, with the purchase of a new house and with surgery constantly hanging over our heads, that we could skip the gifts.  I've seen Rick's gifts.  We could definitely skip them.

As February 14th neared, I guess I had in my head that we were going to skip the gifts ... and suddenly, on the 13th, I had no gift.  WHY HAD I FORGOTTEN THE GIFT????

But I actually did have one for him.  Something I bought for our new house, that I knew Rick would like, suddenly came to mind.  It was sitting in the backseat of my car just zooming around and around ... and just like that, it became a Valentine's Day gift!

Wanna see what it is/was?

This.       Except not this.

Nor this.  Nope, not that, either.  

The tank that I gave Rick was missing one important item.

These.

And this ...

This one's awesome ... wish the tank had this in it.

Or this one ...

Or this one.

Nope, Rick's new tank only had these.

These are kinda pretty.  But Rick needed a more manly tank ... so he got a lot of these: 

Still none of these, though:

Maybe for Christmas.  First I have to gift him some water. 

That'll be his Easter gift.

.

packing ... packing .... and packing

Before I share with you all of the mean and cruel things Rick has said to me since I packed up his office ... let me tell you all of the mean and cruel things that car dealer said to me when I took my little black car in for a check up.

Said car was making a noise not unlike a dog barking.  A FREAKIN'  LITERAL DOG barking.  I would step on the gas and hear WOOF!  I would come to a stop and hear woof!  Step on the gas, WOOF!  Come to a stop, woof!  It would drive you batty!!!!  It was driving me batty, not to mention the dog.  I think he was darn tired of woofing everytime I stopped and started.

So, off to the dealer we went (the car is still under warranty.)  The dealer, either because he didn't trust me or because that's the new norm, jumped in my car and asked me to duplicate the noise.  I was terribly afraid the noise wouldn't happen because that's the kind of luck I have ... but alas, my doggy started barking his head off.  Woof, Woof, Bark, Bark!

The dealer was amused.  He'd never heard that before.

And because he was so amused, he turned around and peeked into my backseat. 

"What's in the box?" he asked.

"Oh, just my daughter's Christmas gift that she couldn't fit in her suitcase when she left to go back home to Hawaii.

"May I see?"

I was beginning to feel challenged.  But my dog was still barking, so I knew I was going to win this case.  I got out of the front seat of my car and headed to the backseat.

"See, just this."  And I showed him the hoverboard that Santa had carried down the chimney for my dear, darling daughter.

Mr. Car Dealer took the hoverboard, held it on his lap and we drove off again.  No dog barked.  No noise was heard.  No feeling of accomplishment nor pride was gleaming on my face.  Only embarrassment.

"You mean I just brought my car to the shop because my hoverboard was making a noise?"

"Seems so," he said.

I'll never return to that dealer again.  I can't.  I just can't.  I know I was the lunch topic that day at the Nissan dealer.

----------------

Now where did my doggy go?  He was here just a minute ago ...

.

january 8th

I'm 8 days into the new year and so far I've kept all of my New Year's Resolutions!  Yea, me!

Here was the first one ...

Yep, kept that resolution real good.  Everyone'll want me to cook for them after this gourmet meal!

I learned how to set a table!  The most important item goes just to the left of the salad fork.

I learned how to bury my husband ... I didn't have a shovel so I could only hide him here.

I learned how to make my house warm.  Yep, I'm a redneck at heart.

I learned how to send text messages.  I'm real good at it, too.

I learned how to decorate my friends...

Meet Tamara.  Not sure she likes being decorated, though.

Here's another terrific text message I sent.  I'm getting so good at this!

Didn't what?

And finally ... I learned what my husband wants of me.  He made it clear on this gift bag that concealed my Christmas gift.

I wonder what he means?

I learned so much more in 2017 but some things weren't fit to print.  Well, they were, but perhaps they were legitimate lessons ... legitimate learnings?  Good stuff?  Either way, welcome to 2018!  I hope you have figured out half as much as I have this past year ...

And if not?  Well, you're in good company.

With me.

.

this kid ...

this kid ... is da bomb.

She's the one in the middle.  Upper middle.  I don't have any sons.

So, Rick is in pain.  Rick is in P A I N.  PPPPPPPPAIN!!!  Nothing new for him, though.  He lives in pain and he just grits his teeth and bears it.  Poor guy.  

Every couple of years the pain is so extreme that we have to take him to the Emergency Room and beg them to admit him ... praying for the surgery, any surgery, that will ease his pain.  We made that trip in November (right before Thanksgiving) and we made that trip again last Thursday night.

Let me back up and say that Rick has been trying to get in to see a new spine doctor.  He wants NO MORE SURGERIES and he wants NO MORE REHAB/nursing homes.  So, he took it upon himself to find a new doctor that might give him some relief.  Oddly enough, he picked a doctor that is reknown in our area and, of course, impossible to get in the see.  Remember, this man is in extreme pain right now ... so being told that there were no more appointments in December was a big disappointment.  But he preferred to wait it out and just grin and bear it, again.

Fast forward to Thursday night when I took him to the ER.  I was prepared to beg for an admission to the hospital and also prepared to beg for the surgery that would relieve his pain, if only temporarily.  Rick hates the ER but agreed to go because he couldn't stand the pain any longer.  Tears are common for this trooper.  Seriously.  And that's how I knew he was serious.

So, once inside and checked into our ER bedroom, Rick tells his story and wouldn’t you know it … the ER doctor knows the guy Rick has been trying to get an appointment with.  She offered to call him on her cell phone, reached him, and moved his appointment up to the very next day, Friday.  THIS, the Kahle family has decided is an absolute miracle.

And the ER sent us home that night with explicit instructions as to how to get our appointment the next day.  Ask for Ashley, Ashley knows the story.  Etc., etc.  

Since nothing ever goes as planned and since nothing is ever easy, we couldn't get the appointment the next day that we were promised.  I put THIS KID on it.  I was too frustrated.

This kid did it.

Elizabeth grabbed the reigns; demanded to speak to Ashley or someone else just as competent and wouldn't stop until Ashley was found and Ashley was reminded and Ashley relented.  And ... she got him in.  

The very day, Liz took Rick in ... and the nice doctor there said he wanted to try something new with Rick that he felt sure would work.  Fingers crossed.  Elizabeth got all of the info and it seems that Rick will have an object (some sort of monitor and pain medicine squirter) placed onto his spine and he’ll have a remote.  The jist of it is that this object will kill the pain and Rick can control the dosage until the nerve endings are fried/dead and no more pain is felt.  The pain’ll still be there, but he won’t feel it.  There’s also a battery in this pack-thing, but it will only lose 5% in 15 years, at which time, they can opt to replace the unit or let it go, slightly lessened in intensity.  He'll be 80 at the time so who cares?

The good part is … Rick will have a trial first.  A simulator-thingy will be placed on top of his spine on Monday.  It will very nearly mimic the results he’ll have after he goes under the knife and it’s permanent.  He’s excited about that.  We’re all excited about that.  Then, after Christmas, if all goes as planned and it works, he’ll get the real thing.  Not sure what kind of recovery we're facing but we're all still in favor of this thing.  And Rick is a new man.  He has something to live for!  

Wanna know something funny?  This funky object-thingy will be able to give MRI results, as needed, anywhere in his body.  Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it, but hey.

So, that’s it.  Here’s to some pain relief on Monday Dec. 18^th!  And hats off to the gal above that got the ball rolling.

Now, if I could just kick my cold.  Maybe I can get a cold-killing-object-thingy placed on MY spine!

.

epic failz

I was putting together a calendar, yesterday, for my dear, darling husband as one of his Christmas gifts this year.  I spent several hours pouring pooring stressing over which photographs to include and finally decided on about 60 that I felt depicted our past year pretty well.  Never mind that they all began to look alike after awhile ...

Once done, I couldn't help but marvel at how some of my finer work had managed to get included into the final project.

Just what Rick always wanted on his calendar, I'm sure ...

That there is 409 sitting atop our table.  Glad I took a picture of it.

This is our cat.  She had no head.

Anyone want a banana?

Food I thought my dear, darling daughter would like ...

(no one else would)

My dear, darling husband ... who was never proud of this look.

Glad he didn't keep this look for very long.

Yeah, this needs to be in all calendars.  Typos in an ad for a family night.

A beach with no people.  Also needs to be in all calendars.

And ... our Christmas tree this year.  No ornaments, no lights.  And an attempt at throwing a Santa hat atop it in lieu of an angel.

My husband already knows I'm lazy; let's not rub it in.

So there you have it.  Two hours worth of work yesterday and THESE epic photos are what I have to show for it.

I think I'll go buy him some socks.  He'll need them when he takes my gift out to trash the next morning ...

.

Since last checking in, my dear, darling, daughter Elizabeth has been dragging me all over creation completing tasks that she has been unable to do while cooped up on a ship for 18 weeks.  18 LONG weeks, as she tells everyone who'll listen.  And d,d,d Elizabeth has missed quite a few things while being gone.  Most notably, Chipotle.  It's hard to believe, but that child went a whole eighteen weeks without Chipotle.  I'm sure Chipotle noticed.  I'm sure they were considering filing Chapter 11 over it.  Maybe 13.  Maybe both.

Besides Chipotle, I've also eaten a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal that d,d,d E prepared, as well as a gluten-free fish and quinoa meal just last night that she put her brain to.  The Thanksgiving meal?  Well, I've had better.  This one would've been better, too, if we hadn't forgotten the mashed potatoes.  The fish last night?  Well, a glutenful crusting would've been nice.  But fish?  All plain and alone?  Huh uh.  And you may keep the quinoa.  Please keep the quinoa.

We've seen Reba McIntire in concert, we'll be seeing Celtic Thunder soon and, of course, her favorite, Cirque du Soleil.  She's drug me along to Christmas Light Display after Christmas Light Display.  Can't get her to put lights on OUR tree, though. 

Tonight is a holiday concert at our church.  We'll go.  Wouldn't want her to miss that.  (Actually I'm singing in it ... so I wish she WOULD miss it.)  I'm sure we'll find a gluten-free bakery after that.

If you drive by my house in the next five weeks, you will not see Rick's car in the driveway.  Nope.  That car has travelled to as many events with d,d,d E.  I can't tell if it WANTS to go or it if just likes that it's finally getting some action.  Rick doesn't drive it much anymore.

And finally, d,d,d E has a little jaunt planned to Miami now.  It's always somewhere.  If she drags me along, I swear I'll drop from exhaustion.  I'm not 26 and I don't climb steamship stairs for a living.

I'm ready for that long winter's nap, Santa ...


ho, ho, yawn.

.

d. d. daughter ...

... is at it again.   Home for three whole days now she came with plans to spend every waking moment with her dear ol' mom and dad ...

And then off she goes to see the world.  She claims she'll be back in time for Christmas ... or not, depending on how the wind changes or how much money she has in her knapsack.  Napsack?  I never knew how to spell that word.  Actually never needed to, either.

Alas, she bought herself a ticket to Belfast.  That would be Belfast in NORTHERN IRELAND.  That would be in a troubled part of the world.  And that would be stupid, not only because of the destination but because she's going alone.  But stupidity is her middle name.

So, here her mom and dad sit ... pondering whether to put out the decorations or not, whether to haul all of those boxes down all of those stairs or not, whether to cook the big ol' goose or not.

The goose won.  Christmas or no Christmas, daughter or no daughter, we's a-eatin' and a feastin'.  Ain't gonna let Northern Ireland stop us from that!!

AND ... it won't have to be GLUTEN FREE!    Whee!

☆

...

.....

........

...........

.

.

recapping

Our trip was short and sweet so there's not much to recap ... but here goes.

When you go to Hawaii ... watch out for Nene's.  They are allowed to cross when they see this sign.

I took this picture of this gorgeous golf course.  I didn't notice the storm coming in.  I also don't see the restaurant we ate at.  

A)  I was totally in the wrong spot for our dinner that night.

B) I didn't care, because the view was beautiful.

C)  It was my birthday and I was allowed to do whatever I wanted.

We eventually did find the restaurant we were looking for ... but it was nowhere near here.

It was nowhere near here, either.

But it IS a gorgeous shot, thank you very much.

This pretty sight was our view from our hotel room.  

Not too shabby.

Rick liked it, too.

We enjoyed this view while dining on our fine Hawaiian cuisine.

McHamburgers and McFries.

Yea, Hawaii!

And while we were "home" in our high-rise digs, my dear, darling daughter was "home" in her own digs.

Meet, The Pride of America ... my daughter's home away from home.

Behind all of that barbed wire, security guards, police and passenger-check-in stuff ...

lies a tiny twin bed and a tiny Barbie-sized closet that my daughter calls "home" ...

for three more days anyway.

;)

still in hawaii

So, exactly why did Rick and I head to Hawaii?  And for only four days?

We had to.

This fortune was in my fortune cookie about a week before and I always take fortune cookies very seriously.  Especially when it comes in TWO DIFFERENT COOKIES!  The gods really wanted me to take a vacation, I guess.

So, I complied.  And I made Rick comply, too.  After all, why rile up the fortune gods?

Thought I'd show you some of the fun things we learned in Hawaii ...

I learned that when floors are wet, you must dance.  And it must be a hoe-down.

If necessary, though, you can sit down while you dance.  I prefer this slip 'n' slide move myself.

It's hard to dance, though, when your feet are not allowed.  

Maybe that rule is only for purple feet.

This foot didn't dance.  But it did find itself some sand.

... and some water.  It hadn't seen an ocean in a very long time.

No feet here, but Peter Pan was discovered in Hawaii, too.

Did my hair ever calm down?

Nope.  Sure glad the 'comb over' is back in style...

And that's our lesson for today.

Not sure what we learned ... but we learned it good.

.