Happy New Year 2013, Resolutions and Goals Oh My!

I went to bed last night thinking of what my resolutions would be this year.  It's tough being as how there are so many things that I need improving on.  Bear with me  as I go through the list.

1) Better bladder control:  This is a biggie.  As I have gotten older I have discovered just how important bladder control is.  I am not at the stage that when I laugh I have an "issue" but it is not far away.  During the night when I have to get up to pee I have to race to the toilet because for some reason my body is so relaxed that it is hard to make it on time.  I am fine laying flat but in the upright position gravity seems to be most powerful that time of night.  Likewise if I have left work (and I have emptied my bladder just before leaving mind you) the MINUTE I get home it's a race to the john.  My goal this year is to manipulate those pesky kegels at least 10 times a day and to invest in "Poise" products just in case my kegel muscles are so atrophied that it won't do any good. 

2) Be a goddess:  This is so happening.  I am so pumped about Medifast.  Many many thanks to my awesome nurse practitioner Aimee Guidry RN, ANP who convinced me that I have a healthy thin person inside of me.  This weight loss will create additional problems that I can foresee.  The weight loss is creating world class under-arm-dingle-dangles (or bat wings) that it will take about 15 grand for me to have surgically removed.  I could start to lift weights to take care of some of the problem but that seems like  a lot of trouble.  I am also concerned that men will be so awestruck at the new me that they will start to follow me and I will have to break hearts everywhere. What is a goddess to do? I will practice being demure, shy and averting my eyes as not to inspire lust.  I will also not wear mini-skirts and 5" heels and tube tops. 

3) Control my mouth:  This is a toughie given that I work in the ER and everyday in every way people come in who just make me want to roll my eyes and pop off with a sarcastic comment.  With the new health care initiative we cannot be sarcastic, we cannot roll our eyes, we cannot tell you just how stupid you are because if you aren't happy we don't get paid. So if you come strolling into the ER and you have a bevy of cats following you like they are following a shrimp fisherman I cannot suggest that you bathe for fear you will give me a bad report.  I am learning by the hardest and I am doing it.  It exhausts me.  I have been blessed by a good group of regular patients who depend on my honesty and do not get offended when I tell them what they need to do to get well.  It's the ones that BEG for  one-liners that just kill me.  I am practicing the teeth-gritted-together grin.  It serves a purpose of keeping my mouth shut and providing a socially acceptable facial expression that is non-committal.  They cannot control what I am saying to myself in my head so I have to be happy with that.  BTW you DO NOT have roaches in your liver.  YOU HAVE CIRRHOSIS.  It is a colonoscopy not a COLONOPOLIS.

4) Shave my legs:  Boy I just hate doing that.  It takes time and it irritates my skin on my legs.  I looked at my legs at work the other night and realized that the 1" hair just has to go.  It is time for my annual GYN exam anyway and I usually shave around that time so my doctor doesn't think he is doing a pelvic on a gorilla.  Also to meet goal 2 I will have to take better care of myself.  To meet this goal I will a) have to move to Europe where it is considered in vogue to have hairy legs or b) to suck it up and once a week run my lady Bic over the 50 remaining hairs that I have.

5) Stop the expletives:  I admit it, I have a mouth like a sailor and I don't want my grandchildren to start repeating what I say.  It is so hard coming up with something that carries the same "oomph" as "bite me you jackass".  My worse offending word is F***.  My mother would be rolling in her grave if she knew how many times a day I say that.   In keeping with goal 2 a goddess should never use that word. Gosh, shoot, goodness are all acceptable words.  I am going to have to wean myself and possibly wash my mouth out with soap.... can you imagine just how fucking awful that would be.

Okay that is it for the new year.  If you are a reader please leave me a comment at the end of this blog to let me know what resolutions that you are striving for because as they say misery loves company. 

Christmas at the Higginbotham's. Very Late Entry.

We had Christmas at our home after the holiday.  My children and my granddaughter Allison, Taunte Jill, Stan and I celebrated a gastronomical event that I spent 2 days making.  I had a blast. Christmas dinner is the only meal I really spend time cooking and I love the "sameness" of the menu.  I learned this year the the sweet potato casserole was back in vogue as it is now a pregnancy "super food" according to my daughter.  I sent almost the whole thing home with her.  The only hitch was that I over cooked the meat.  $170 of rib roast and I cooked it about 20 minutes to long.  Oh well.  If I was perfect I wouldn't be so very lovable. I decorated the table cleaned the crystal and we chowed down.  Afterwards we opened the stockings and the few presents that I had purchased.  I cannot stand a bare tree skirt.  Something has to be sitting on it and under the tree.  I took our family on a cruise again this year and that was their Christmas gift but I still had to have stocking stuffers and very few other little things.  I know that this year I wasn't as "into" it as I normally am.  Part of the problem is that we went on a cruise over Thanksgiving and that is my prime decorating time.  When I got home Jill and I put up the tree, got the lights on and put a few items around but I wasn't feeling the spirit.  I had to work the next few days and then I got sick and was down for the count for about 5 days.  I just didn't get up the energy to put everything out.  Next year will be different.  I will have two grand babies to enthrall with my decorations and things that move and sing.  I will start the middle of November and open all the boxes, put out all the nativity scenes, put batteries in all the animals that sing and it will look like a wonderland! This year Allison, carried by her great Taunte Jill was shown the few singing animals that I had out.  I have to say that she seemed fascinated and did not cry ( that is because she is very appreciative of all things Christmas) this bodes well for future years of visual delights!

I spent two weeks prior to our holiday baking cookies for gifts and attempting my mother's fudge recipe.  How hard can it be to combine 3 cups of sugar, 3/4 cups of Hershey's cocoa and milk.  You stir it till it boils,  then let it boil unattended for about 30 minutes .  All that is easy, the tough part is watching the temperature and getting it to the "soft ball" stage at about 234 degrees.  You let it sit and then after it cools you stir it till it loses it's gloss.  What ever that means.  All I know is that between one stir and the next you pass from fudge straight to cement. I wasted a lot of sugar to bring the memory of my mother's fudge to the table.  I expected my children to swoon in appreciation. Not so much.  They are into creamy fudge and I like the kind that has a grainy quality. 

It is important to me to continue with traditions.  I want Allison and future baby Garrard to be excited to come to grandma's house.  I will raise them  on their Great-grandma Ina's fudge and not let them get ruined by that creamy stuff.  I want to live long enough to pass things on to them that I hold dear to my heart.  I want my traditions to mingle with those that their parents will start so that they will hold the best of both inside their hearts.  I look forward to telling them about the baby that was born in a manger in Bethlehem.  I want them to grow knowing that Jesus is the reason that we celebrate the Christmas season. 

 To all of you from the Higginbothams, Harts, Garrards, and Forbes we wish you a very merry belated Christmas and a Happy New Year.

November 2012 Cruise with Family and Friends

We went on another cruise instead of me buying Christmas presents this year.  It is very easy for me because I have nothing to wrap.  My travel companions this time besides the kids and their spouses were Kay McGuire, Jill Forbes, Janet and Reno Leblanc, and of course Stan.  We went on NCL's Star through the same countries that we visited the last time and had a wonderful time.  Vacations are a time to relax, catch up with each other, and to do new things. For me personally,  having been on a diet for several weeks it was going to be a total cheat week of gastronomical delight.  The kids traveled separately from us and left later.  Shane played a joke on me and texted me from Becky's phone saying that they were an hour and a half out. It was nearly time for the boat to leave.  I was in a panic and went directly to the desk, got escorted back to the offices where I was introduced to an officer who listened to my tale through my tears.  I told him that if my kids were not on this boat that I was getting off.  "No, no, no Madam, how far out are they?" I would have greatly appreciated just how handsome he was if I hadn't been so upset.  I couldn't reach Becky, Josh or Shane.  Finally Shane calls and the phone is broken up but I hear him say 7th and Atrium.  I realize that they are on the boat.  The lovely desk lady and the handsome officer were happily smiling and I was still in tears.  I go out to the Atrium and there they are.  I was torn between wanting to rip their heads off   or hugging them.  Shane bought me a shot of tequila and all was right with my world.  The best trip for me was in Cozumel  at the Salsa-Salsa venue.  We learned to cook 7 different kind of salsas and 2 different kinds of margaritas. I was pretty well plastered by the time we started to cook but the event was still a success.   In Belize we all went on the snorkeling trip and really had a good time.  The food was excellent.  I was in heaven just eating the butter and the dinner rolls.  I have learned that as I have gotten older that I cannot tolerate alcohol because it makes me swell.  By the end of the first day my ankles looked like logs, of course the more alcohol that I drank the less I cared.   I spent time in the casino giving money back to the cruise line and shopped in all the stores.  I  took over 2 hundred pictures with my new "best ever" camera,  I read 3 books,  and I ate all the butter that I wanted, and I was with the people that I love the most.   What more could a vacation offer!!

Again I Am Blessed

I am so very blessed in my family. I never realized that I wanted to be a grandma until I found out about Allsion River Hart my first grandchild. I was so thrilled from the very bottom of my heart and realized that that is what I am supposed to be: a Grandma.  My sisters all have multiple grandchildren and I have just Allison who I was sure was very lonely being by herself with no cousins.  I hadn't given up on Becky but she is very very goal directed and difficult to nag about reproductive things. One day the middle of October she had come into work for me so that I could stay home a few hours and rest.  We had been a little short staffed.  Becky looked different to me.  She didn't look like she had gained weight but she looked

"fuller"( believe me I have paid over and over for that description) I can't really explain it but she looked different.  When she left I looked at the remaining nurses and asked if they didn't think she looked "fuller" they assumed I meant a weight gain.... I couldn't explain it but said I bet she is pregnant.  Heather said "Wouldn't she have told you if she was?" Nope.  Rebekah can keep a secret better than anyone I know.  And I knew better than to ask.  The next night she and Shane were taking Stan and I out to dinner for her birthday with Frances, Benny, Josh, Sydni,  and Tante Jill.  We were at Charlie G's and prior to eating the manager stood on a chair to take pictures of the table.  Instead of telling us to say "cheese"  he says " okay ready, BECKY"S PREGNANT".  I wasn't sure what I heard was right but then looked at Stan and he was crying, looked at Frances and she had her hand over her mouth and she was elated.  It only took a second or two but it finally registered that Becky was going to have a baby.  Her due date is May 7.  I am so very thrilled.  I cannot wait to be able to hold my second grandchild.  This is the continuation, the future, my mom's genes passing to the next generation.  I have been thinking about my mom a lot since I found out and know that she would be so proud of her youngest granddaughter and all of her success.  I know that she would have loved to see little Allison and her cousin to be.  When I hold both of these gifts that God has given to me I will tell them about the people whose strength, sorrows,  joy,  and  love that has been the steel that has forged this family.  I will share myself and my memories so that they will be able to know those who came before.  Being a Grandma is about sharing not only kisses, stories, cookies, love and smiles.... but it is about sharing history.  It is about being able to say " this is where you came from..........." I am blessed.  Thank you God.

Vote: This is the Most Important Election of My Life

I have never failed to vote in a presidential election.  My mom used to tell me that it was important that we go to the polls and cast a vote so that we can participate in the election of our president.  The first president I voted for was Nixon.  Look how that turned out.  With current Presidential shenanigans it amazes me that Nixon was impeached.  Nixon lied and he was impeached and resigned.  Clinton abused his position and had sexual encounters with Monica and LIED about it(ohh I forgot he didn't have sex he just got a blow job).  He lied about having a personal relationship with her.  Our current POTUS promised the most "transparent" administration ever.  He hadn't finished the first year before he lied and lied and lied again.  For those you with selective and incredibly short memories  remember Obamacare??  The meetings were supposed to be open so that we could see what was happening.  He promised.  He lied.  During his campaign he said that Bush was unpatriotic because of the 4 trillion dollar debt that he incurred.  Well Mr. PRESIDENT does the amount 16 trillion mean anything to you?  That represents a 36.4 percent increase since Obama's inauguration.  Way to go!! So far our POTUS is a liar and unpatriotic. Obama spent 20 years in a church with Rev Wright but failed to realize that his friend was decidedly anti-American.  Some of Obama's friends are unashamed  past members of US terrorist organisations,  communists and socialists. The majority of his close advisers are anti-capitalists and believe that we should "share the wealth". In his own words his mentor(def: trusted councilor or guide) Frank Marshall Davis made a great impact on him and was like a father. Frank Marshall Davis was a communist.  Obama believes that those that work should support those that don't.  He obviously believes in huge Government and that said government should supply food, shelter, education, health care and everything but apparently jobs. The most ridiculous thing ever is the "Obama phones" that an acquaintance told me is "free and I got 3 of them".  When I commented " you know that I paid for those phones"  I was told "girl, get out of here, Obama paid for this".  That would be the mentality that this POTUS is encouraging.  This same mentality may get him elected again.  Free shit. There are those people that are lazy and they don't want to work. The government nanny state is right up their alley.   I believe that there are more people who really want to work and those people are unable to find a job.  We have a POTUS that has done all he could to kill small businesses.  He does not respect initiative.  Remember "You did not build that" reminding people that we owe everything to Mr. Obama and the government because we didn't do anything alone.  The collective, socialist WE.   I have got news for you.  I am BETTER than the person that sits home  on his or her lazy ass and collects government benefits.  I am EQUAL to the person who wants to contribute and to work but cannot find a job because of this administration, it's taxes, and its over the top regulations.  This president and his health care program are trampling the rights of the church in attempting to force church related businesses to offer birth control when they are fundamentally against that option. If he is successful then what other religious rights will he stop.  He is treading on ground that the Constitution says he has to stay off of and it doesn't make a difference.  He does just want he wants and the majority of the press lives in his pocket and they just smile and write what a WONDERFUL leader we have.  He let the "Fast and Furious" congressional investigation go for over a year while his friend Atty General Eric Holder ducked, dodged and refused to provide requested documents.  Finally  protecting himself and his friend he declared "executive privilege" and called a halt to congressional fact finding.   Most recently we have the Benghazi debacle where four Americans were killed knowing that their country deserted them.  POTUS is refusing to answer any questions and of course the investigation will take place AFTER the election. Then if he wins he will claim executive privilege again.  Odd thing that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has dropped off the map.  She has only been seen rarely on ANY of the news since the incident.  The last time was when she took blame for the incident.  I wonder how much Clinton extracted from the power brokers to lay her neck on the line.  Now to be sure Obama did say that the buck stops with him. He let those men die when help was an hour away.  Shame on him.    If that is the case then he needs to come clean.  But he won't.  He never has and he never will... it is always someones fault but his own. He is a spoiled child in many aspects.  He will never be able to accept fault and he loves just hobnobbing with the celebrity group.  In fact shortly after our men were murdered he was in Vegas, on the View and other TV programs blaming the attack on a video(that we all knew wasn't true the first day) and denying the terrorist aspect even though it happened on 9/11.  I am insulted that he thinks we are stupid.  I am also insulted that he can lie and expect votes.  His renewable energy goal is laudable except that he allowed contracts to go to political cronies and they were not successful and several have filed bankruptcy while absconding with our tax money.  He  has nearly halted oil, coal and gas exploration in our country on federal land. He wants to increase taxes for the very wealthy to help with  the deficit.  ARE YOU SERIOUS.  The amount that we would get wouldn't be a drop in the national debt bucket.  However it would directly affect the economy.  Kennedy and Regan understood that concept but it is beyond Obama's understanding.  It would also go against his socialist leanings.  Our current President has said over and over that with the killing of Usama bin Laden that al- Qaeda is crippled.  He is clueless or living in an alternate world.  They are stronger than ever.  Denying their existence doesn't make it so.  

This President has nearly changed the course of this wonderful country.  He has increased our indebtedness to the point that I am not sure we can recover.  Every time he gets on the air and promises more benefits I want to scream WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM.  Our countries indebtedness is the talk of the world  so I want to thank you Mr. President, even they know it's not Bush's fault.  You are an embarrassment. 

Before anyone calls me a racist(because you know if you don't want Obama you are a racist!) let me tell you that I loved Herman Cain.  Last time I looked he was black.  The big difference between the two was that Cain is proud of our country, he is not a socialist, and he believes that the smaller government the better. 

I can only pray that Obama will not be elected. I do not respect him, trust him or want him leading my country. His actions the last two weeks on TV are not Presidential.  We do not vote for revenge Mr. Obama we vote, as Romney has stated,  for the love of our country.  I pray that tomorrow night when I go to bed, I will know that the Obama reign has come to an end.

VOTE FOR ROMNEY

Happy 31st Birthday Rebekah!!

 

 

It was 31 years ago that you came into my life and each day I have watched you grow into this wonderful woman.  I remember getting up that morning at about 5am with some stomach pain and realizing that I was in labor I woke your dad up.  We went to St. Joseph's Hospital in Bryan, Texas at 7am and you were worn at 1215pm.  You were 20 and 1/2 inches long and weighed 10lbs 9ozs and you entered the world with a lusty cry.  You were independent as a toddler and would insist on "I do it byself mommy( not a typo... it  was always byself and not myself). Your will was awesome even at that age and it has carried you through your life when faced with difficulty. You never let anything stand in your way and used stumbling blocks as stepping stones to reach your goals.  You are so steadfast in your loyalty to family and friends.  Rebekah I love you more than the stars in the sky, more than zebras, and more than all the grass.  Happy birthday my sweet baby girl!!!

love,
Mama

Linda Guidry 9/30/2012 RIP

Today is a sad day for a number of us here in southern Louisiana.  We are all just  a little less than we were when we went to bed.  Our dear and wonderful friend Linda Guidry, LPN died this afternoon surrounded by her family.   Linda the wife of Blackie, the mother to Alvin, Emily, Camella, Susie, and Matthew,  and the Grandmother(Ahnee) to a host of grandchildren has gone to be with Jesus after a short illness.  I can't explain to those who don't know her how much her death affects those who knew her and loved her.  She was a fixture at St. Martin Hospital and you would be hard pressed to find a worker or a patient that didn't know her. She   was a wonderful nurse and a fierce protector to her patients.  When my friend Jill and I went to visit her in the hospital last week we found her sitting up in bed struggling to breathe and to find a comfortable spot.  I got off at midnight and called Jill and off we went. Linda, Jill and I worked the same schedule for years at different areas of the hospital and we knew that she would be awake. What they say is  once a night nurse, always a night nurse, and in the wee hours of the morning we are often awake even if we are off. As she was struggling her thought was "what do we do to our patients" between breaths she was letting us know that we don't do enough for our elderly patients who are unable to care for themselves.  " We have to make sure we give them water more than every hour, we have to make sure that they are comfortable, we have to help them better".  I was in awe that in her struggles that she was focused on how to care for those who couldn't care for themselves and depend on nurses for comfort. I promise Linda that I will remember everything that you said that night.  Every time I will deal with a recalcitrant patient  I will remember and care for him or her as if I was caring for you.

Linda would occasionally work in the ER with me and a long time ago when we both had bottle reddish hair( we did love our red hair) a patient that I was helping her with looked at both of us and said "ya'll must be twins" ( and she was serious). I looked at Linda who was 50 lbs less, 4 inches shorter and who looks NOTHING like me and we both said yes.  Then I added the comment - but she was born first!  The patient stated " I knew it,  you look exactly alike."  From then on whenever we greeted each other it was "hey sister".  For years whenever I would give a butt shot I would say "okay get ready ...big shot" as I would hit them with the needle.  Linda did this as well.  One evening she went into the room of a particularly large woman and explained she would be giving her an injection in her rump.  She then wiped off the area and said "Okay get ready, one, two, three, BIG BUTT."  She went back to the inpatient side refusing to come back until after the patient left.  We have laughed over this for years.

Linda and I love our "bling".  When you realize that we are always at work and rarely have opportunity to wear our "sparklies" we decided that the saying "less is more" did not apply to us and that 'more is more and BETTER was our mantra!!" We would always have something shiny on.  I nearly broke our hearts when they sent a memo stating that the  dress code was going to be enforced.  Lots of bling is not listed for the dress code of a  professionally dressed nurse.  We could wear watches, a tasteful ring( and not on at least 3 fingers.... can you believe THAT???!!!)and non dangling earrings.  It has been a struggle for both of us to find shiny things that fit within that description and still remain true to the more is more mantra.

My current ED manager Denise told me the other day that Linda taught her to be a nurse.  She was a brand new RN years ago when she first came to "the Gary" as our hospital was then called.  Linda took her in hand and helped her find her way.  Linda as a LPN was a better nurse than most RN's that I have worked with over the years. She had incredible instincts and a wonderful sense of humor that never left her.  Whenever I had an IV on a baby I would call Linda.  She was the best.  Make no mistake.  If you worked with Linda you had to work and if you didn't work she had no patience for you.  No matter that she had a temper that was awesome to see, she was at heart a peacemaker.  I can still hear her say to me when I was dealing with a co-worker problem " now sister, just let that go...let that roll off your back".  She read her bible at work and was a source of spiritual insight.  She was an active member of New Beginnings Church and her family  provide the music ministry.  Susie and her husband Rene Armentor, and Blackie are up there each Sunday singing to the Lord and providing incredible blessings to all the members.

I could go on and on listing all the wonderful memories that I have of Linda, the arguments that we have had( we are both pretty strong willed), the way she would "pass" you a pair of eyes that made you realize you screwed up.  I could tell you all the times that she prayed for me when I had cancer.  I could tell you all the times that she provided me with her faith when mine was nearly gone.  I could tell you about ALL the patients that benefited from her care.  I could go on and on about her sense of humor.  I could do all these things but you still wouldn't understand the impact that she had on me.   I will miss you so much "sister".  You have left a legacy of love in your children and grandchildren.  "Ahnee" will not be forgotten.

Tonight I am wearing my sparklies....