Journeys Unexpected

Denial and Isolation Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance These are the five basic stages of grief. The five stages listed do not necessarily happen in that particular order, but most people will traverse each one. I bring this up because of my recent trip to Florida to visit my dad in the hospital. The grief I feel is at his having a terminal illness, Multiple Myeloma. There is no cure, but it can be treated. I feel the need to write my grief to help myself heal, so I hope you will bear with me. When I first heard that my dad was in the hospital, I was okay. Tabitha was getting him the medical attention he finally deserved. Something was wrong and the doctors at Bay Medical were determined to find out the root cause of everything. He had pneumonia, and was not doing great. He had multiple breaks and fractures in his spine that were discovered. He was anemic. His calcium and protein levels were high. All of these things added up to the doctors looking into Multiple Myeloma. W...

I am currently four weeks into the Fall semester at Boise State University. The first two weeks were spent in Florida with my family. I wish it was to say that it was for fun... My dad went into the hospital and when things weren't looking too good, I was on the next flight out of Boise. Four plane rides later I got to Florida. We were able to surprise him though, so that was a major bonus. :) Daddy's idea: Gators (Minnie) vs Seminoles (Tabitha) with the Tater (Me) as referee! This trip was much different than the one I made there in 2006. I had never met my dad's other three kids, so that trip was more of a getting-to-know-you kind of trip, and I hadn't seen my dad since 1982 - I was only four years old so I had no memories of him, only pictures. I love this guy! The trip I made this year had lots of good points though. I got to spend more time with my sisters, and daddy called us the "Three Musketeers" because of our giggly shenanigans. :) We had...

It's been an eventful summer so far! Back in June, Larry and I went to his parents' house and stayed for a week. We only had to come back because he had a doctor appointment, otherwise we would have stayed another few days. This is my wonderful mother-in-law drinking from the hose! Even Patches loves vacation! See that big smile? We spent the 4th of July at my sister-in-law's home, playing Wii Bowling. Just waiting for some firework action! One of the many fireworks we did. I went with my SIL to get this cutie; this is the trip back. I went with my sister-in-law to pick up her granddaughter and a few days later to take her home. I really enjoyed the trip, even though it was 4 hours each way! It was just really nice to get time to spend with her, getting to know each other better. I love my husband's family and am so grateful to be part of it! The morning of the trip to take little missy back home, we found out that La...

For what it's worth, I'm loving my life. I managed to scrape by the one class that gave me nightmares of having to retake by the skin of my teeth this semester. My overall GPA is currently 3.6 and I'm very pleased with that. I have been able to work almost every day since I went on summer break. There are still two more days left, but I probably won't get a call since I'm a substitute, and subs aren't generally needed the last week of school. My last two semesters will go by quickly, I have no doubt. I got some bad news though the last couple of weeks: I'm almost at my maximum number of allowed credits for federal financial aid. I have completed 44 credits, and am only allowed 48.99. I tried explaining that I'm doing a dual program of Master's Degree and teaching certificate (so I can USE said degree), but it doesn't matter. The people at financial aid said that teaching certificate requirements are not funded by federal aid unless you get it ...

I should be doing homework, as there are still two weeks left in the Spring 2015 semester, but I have lost my motivation. My hubby went to see a neurologist last week and we were told he is in need of being on a gluten-free, dairy-free (casein-free) diet. Sooo, I'm doing some research into that. I will be on it as well, because I am diabetic and really shouldn't be eating most of what I do to begin with. It will be a slow change, while we use up what we have in the freezer, cupboards, etc. and make the change gradually. I hope this will help us both to truly embrace the new lifestyle. I'm reading a book recommended by the neurologist, titled "Grain Brain". You can check it out on Amazon here . It's been quite interesting to learn how gluten affects the brain, not just the gut. Many ailments have been cured by going gluten-free: ADHD, diabetes, depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and more. I recommend it. Anyway, I'm struggling in one class this semest...