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Monday, January 24, 2011

A Tub Half Full


FRIDAY:

Gained at least 100 lbs. since my Gigi had her stroke. It ain't water weight neither. It's all fudge weight. Well, fudge and chocolate covered cinnamon bears.


Poked my MIL's eyes out at lunch today when she kept quoting Dr. Oz. about the evils of sugar.


"You know, you're only supposed to eat 6 teaspoons of sugar a day! And Dr. Oz says we consume THREE times that much."


HOW. DOES. HE. KNOW. THAT? Inquiring minds want to know. Does he have a hidden camera in my car?


Obviously his Gigi never had a stroke!


Gigi was out of it today and I was sure they was coming for to carry her home. She's still not speaking and didn't seem to know who I was, but she cried when I hugged her goodbye and told her I lubbed her.


SATURDAY:

You know what I hate (even more than JoAnn Fabrics' company policies)?


Sitting in a lukewarm bath!!!!


I absolutely hate sitting in a lukewarm bath! Especially after I've added six pots of boiling water. And after I realize the conditioner is in the other bathroom. And the towels are on my twins bedroom floor.


AARG!


I especially hate lukewarm baths after my Gigi has a stroke. And after I attend the funeral of a six-year-old boy.


After funerals and strokes I need a HOT bath! WITH conditioner!


You get me?


You know what else I hate? Using washcloths to cover my luke-warm nooks and crannies as I run to the other bathroom to grab the conditioner. And then to cautiously make my way to the top of the stairs to yell down to my hub.


"Can you PLEASE turn the water heater up? PLEASE! PLEASE! Pretty PLEASE! And can somebody bring. me. a. gosh. darn. towel!?"


"It doesn't matter how much you turn the water heater up, it only holds so much water and if it's out, it's out!!" My hub yelled back.


"PALEEEEEEEEAZZZZE!" I begged. "I haven't conditioned yet!"


"IF IT'S OUT, IT'S OUT!" He hollered. But it sounded more like, "I HATE YOUR GUTS AND I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT YOUR CONDITIONING NEEDS!


Doesn't he realize that people are dying left and right and having strokes and I need to CONDITION!?


See my uncle Marty died yesterday. (I'm headed down to Mt. Carmel on Saturday for the funeral and I'm thinking of staying at the Thunderbird Motel so I can try out the ho-made pie.)


Even though my uncle Marty's death is a blessings, since he's been in a care center for years battling the debilitating effects of both Diabetes and Parkinson's, it still makes me a bit verklempt to think on it. His quality of life hit rock bottom after he had both of his legs amputated and his wife wouldn't bring him his gol darn camera--she said she was afraid he would drop it, but those of us who are married know she was trying to drive him insane, as that's what all good wives do when we care for our hubs.


Anyways, my mind can't help but rewind to the days when Uncle Marty had the use of both legs and his camera. In those days we ran 5k races together in Los Angeles and afterwards he'd give me orange juice bars. I was 16 at the time and spending the summer in Irvine. Uncle Marty and Aunt Elaine would pick me up and take me to Disneyland when I got homesick. They even drove me to Mt. Carmel once and let me listen to Michael Jackson all the way. Then they drove me to Orderville and helped me spray paint a big heart in Mike Norton's driveway after he asked me on a date. Then Mike Norton jumped in his car and chased us all over Orderville while my Uncle Marty and Aunt Elaine giggled like school girls.


Thankfully I got to got to church with Marty and Elaine in August at his care center.



And then we ate Chili Relleno together in his room.



(Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, I just noticed that poster behind him says RUN L.A. Told ya!)


Anyways, aloha oe Uncle Marty. Thanks for the memories.


Btw, Gigi is talking now. And smiling a crooked smile.


SUNDAY:

Guess what I did today? I lost my fudge weight. Now I've just gotta lose those darn chocolate covered cinnamon bears.


I also had a hot bath. Piping hot!


I mean, it was only half full, but I'm not the type of girl to see a half-full tub as a half-empty tub.


I'm the type of girl who understands that a water heater can only hold so much and when it's out, it's out. You just gotta be patient. And wait. Until it refills.


There is plenty of hot water to go around. If you're patient. And anyway there are starving children in Africa who don't even get to condition in luke-warm water, so you just gotta quit your gripin' and be ye therefore grateful for the little hot water you get!


Gigi looks so much better and brighter today. She's talking and telling stories and laughing. And my Laurel advisor, Marie has been her nurse for three days now, and she says she's never seen anyone recover quicklyer from a stroke.


That's my Gigi!


It's actually been fun going to the hospital and being surrounded by family--kinda cool to know that at any given moment I have somewhere to go where someone I lub will be sitting there doing nothing.


And I can go sit there and do nothing with them.


Now thats a tub half-full!



16 comments:

Tina Su - Think Simple Now said...

Reading that made me day. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. :)

Okay, I'm gonna stop procrastinating and get back to work now.

Tina Su - Think Simple Now said...

Yikes.. the typos in my comment. I meant to say, "Made my day!"

Welcome to the Garden of Egan said...

I'm so happy that Gigi is doing better!!!

I'm also glad to know that you have some fudge weight and some chocolate cinnamon bear weight, cuz I hate "weighting" alone!

About the lukewarm water. We must be twins cuz I am just like that! For reals!!!

I'm excited that you get to have some ho made pie. I hope you take a pix of it. Please drive careful.
I know that your Uncle Marty is so proud of the way you have turned out.
Being a dummy is the bestest ever!

Leslie said...

I just love reading your post....I just laughed right out on the part about the conditioner and running out the bathroom to other bathroom....this is a life of a very talented person.

Becca said...

Today is one of those days when I wish I knew you in the real world, because it feels a little impersonal to tell you this in a comment. But hey, that's what we do, right? So here it is: I love the way you can put the laughter with the tears. You do this emotion thing awfully well. Thanks. And I hope that soon, Gigi feels joyful. Like Gigis should.

Anonymous said...

Nothing like chocolate covered cinnamon bears to heal the soul.

Sorry about the hard days. I hear ya. I've seen an unusually high number of deaths in my family and friends. I just hope Gigi keeps doing better!

Barbaloot said...

Seeing your family and doing nothing with them is one of the best kinds of therapy. I hope your Gigi continues to heal quicklyer than anyone and that the funeral for your Uncle goes well.

The Mom said...

Sorry to hear about your Gigi. (((HUG))))

Martha said...

At least you have a bathtub to soak in. We put all showers in this new house. So I haven't had a bath in 6 months. I'm ok with it though.

I just faxed in some paperwork for our subdivision. What a joke. The things they require are so dumb. I think they make it so hard because they are hoping you will just give up and not subdivide. But, we are going through with it and it will be worth it so I can have a new house with a bath tub! We'll make sure to get an extra big solar water heater so as to not run out.

Sandi said...

3 cheers for Gigi! I bet if you shared the chocolate cinnamon bears with her she would get better even faster!
Oh my, I love your Uncle Marty stories- he sounded like a blast, especially the part about giggling like a school girl, haha.
Sounds like you need a bigger water heater!

I am LoW said...

Oh my, he looks way too young. :( And lost both legs. :( As a mom of a child with diabetes.... :-(

robin said...

I'm so glad to hear that Gigi is doing better. It sounds like you could have given my talk in Stake Conference on Sunday on adversity.

But life is funny and can change on a dime. One moment you can be hurting so bad and the next something changes and you realize how blessed you are and the pain is turned to joy.

By the way, chocolate covered cinnamon bears??? eww!!! Milky way bars are my vice.

Aubrey Anne said...

Wow, you've had a bit of a rollercoaster! I'm so glad something is looking up for you. I love your blog and hope things keep getting better for you. xo

Unknown said...

Uhhhhhh . . . HOT TUB TIME!!!!! You can't condition in it but it is 104 degrees and like a cheap pizza from Little Caesars . . . hot and ready!! Just call me!!!!!

Marie Carlisle said...

So when Gigi was ready to move out of the hospital and start rehab I was pretty sad...in a happy way. I got pretty close to her and your family in those 3 days. I gave her and your mom and aunt a hug and said I was sad and feel like they are my family. Gigi said "you are part of the family". I am not supposed to be sad when my patient is getting better! I got some of my black raspberry vanilla lotion and smothered it all over her and told her to keep it, because I was sad. I am so messed up!

Dolly said...

LOVE your writing! I needed the boost to just get me to throw myself into the work for the day.