The phone rang around 8am this morning. It was Jo’s uncles girlfriend. Jo’s grandmother passed away around 7:30am this morning. They said she went peacefully, after throwing up twice in a row (which probably took what little bit of energy she had left). In the room when she passed; Jo’s mom, Jo’s dad, aunt Brenda, Pop (Jo’s grandfather) and Jo’s cousin Lee, which was the first grand-baby. Lee said that when she passed, she had a tear in her eye.

A part of us is relieved that she’s no longer in pain and suffering from the cancer (3 different cancers that took over her body) and the other part wishes she didn’t have to go. I guess that’s normal though because I remember feeling like that about my loved ones passing too.

The day his grandmother called us in one by one to say her final goodbyes (that was last Thursday), she told me to take care of “her” Jody. I told Jo I was so happy we made it there in time to say our goodbyes before the morphine took over. Jo said he was happy too and he said “thank you” for nagging him so much about moving here. I knew this is where he wanted to be too but I think it took actually getting here for him to really realize it.

Anyway. Nan was as good as gold, as everyone keeps telling me and I even witnessed myself. She was definitely loved and will most definitely be missed but she’s in a better place.

Earlier today I was trying to come up with ideas as to what I will get my dad for his birthday in February. Oddly enough, I wound up catching an episode of “Who wants to be a millionaire”, where a girl from Statesboro, Georgia was on. For those of you who aren’t in Georgia, Statesboro is home of the Georgia Southern Eagles (my favorite football team). Suddenly it dawned on me; what do you buy a man who loves football? Super Bowl tickets of course! He would surely love something like that. I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t want to watch the top two football teams playing in the final NFL game?

How about a list?

Since moving to Newfoundland, sometimes I find myself feeling a little selfish. When they called us up to Jo’s grandmother’s side earlier today, I kept thinking about my own grandmother too. I want to be there for Nan (Jo’s grandmother) just as much as my own but sometimes I feel so guilty. I know I cannot be there for my grandmother right now, like I am Jo’s but it also worries me that I may not be able to at all.

I guess that is the price you pay when you marry someone who’s family is thousands of miles away from your own…

Do you remember the entry I wrote the other day, when I mentioned that miracles do not happen for Jo and I? Well, I am about to eat my words.

My mother in law called a few minutes ago. She was asking about dates, wanting to know when she could possibly expect us. Well, I have not said a word about the cats and had (as mentioned several times in the last few days) planned to find an alternative for them. Well, apparently Jo was wrong about his mom being allergic to cats. It isn’t his mother, it was his grandmother who already passed away (not Nan).

Anyway. So she asked Jo if she could talk to me, so we talked for a few minutes and the last thing she told me was “don’t come without your babies” and it put the biggest smile on my face. You guys have no idea how much this woman means to me. She is so sweet, so caring, so giving and so loving. I would have never asked to bring my babies with me, as much as I love them. I always feel like I burden people when I try to do that. Like when we had to stay with my dad for a couple of months earlier this year. It isn’t that I do not love my cats, believe me I do but I also know that not everyone is going to love them as much as I do and will not be willing to tolerate them.

Karen has no idea how wonderful she made me feel and how much this means to me.

I will not have to leave Jynx and Bella behind!

Many of us know of someone who has battled with an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Some may be our friends, while others are our relatives. I have fallen witness to both. Just recently one of my relatives was sent to rehab, where we hope she is able to fight off this addiction and move onto more positive things. That is often a difficult task, especially for those who seem to have lost all hope of anything good in life.

Cliffside Malibu is a drug and alcohol treatment center that provides extended care to adults struggling with things like; addiction to drugs and / or alcohol, eating disorders and even depression. They combine key components like detox, individual and group therapy and even alternative medicine to help patients find the road to recovery. Patients can enjoy beautiful ocean views, which I think would provide patients with wonderful relaxation. Patients can even participate in things like; surfing, hiking and even horseback riding.

Recovering from drug or alcohol addiction isn’t easy but the benefits of living addiction-free will certainly outweigh the downside of being an addict, which can sometimes lead to death. Cliffside Malibu can help and even offers aftercare programs, since the recovery process never really ends - it is a continuous battle but it is a battle that is well worth the fight.

Want to do something extra special for your little ones this holiday season? How about a video call with Santa? Santas Video Calls will be launching soon. They are looking for beta testers to try it out and provide them with feedback. For those who become beta testers, you will receive free calls from Santa to the children you nominate. Not only will they be talking to “Santa” but they will get to see him too. Isn’t that just the cutest idea?

My nephews get excited just looking at holiday decor, I can only imagine how excited they would be to see and talk to Santa.

As many of you already know, I have a close relative currently being treated for their drug and alcohol addictions. She has been struggling with herself and these addictions for several years and finally our family had to step in. Not only to save her but to also to make sure she didn’t continue to harm the relationship she has with her children. It wasn’t an easy choice for her to make but with love and support from our family and a great rehab program, she’s improving so much every single day.

For those of you who are struggling with your own addictions or have loved ones struggling with their own addictions, Drugrehab.net can help. As one of the oldest and most established drug rehab companies in the United States, this California Drug Rehab Center has 76% of their graduates choose to remain drug free after rehab. This is a Narconon® drug rehabilitation program which consists of 4 phases to treat addiction. In phase 1, patients begin drug free withdrawal. This means that instead of using medication, patients will be given a specific nutritional compound which will help the patient physically. During this time, the patient is under 24 hour a day supervision by a Withdrawal Specialist. During phase 1, patients also go through a communication course and a detoxification program. In phase 2, patients learn more on communication and how to improve their learning skills. Phase 3 helps patients with self issues - going through an “ups and downs” course, personal values course, changing conditions course and a course on finding a way to happiness. During phase 4, patients undergo a final review and follow-up program.

The road to recover isn’t always easy. Long term drug rehab is often required but in the end, it’s well worth it. Throughout my life, there have been a couple of my relatives who needed the help of drug rehab to help them fight off their addictions. All have been successful and I truly hope the relative I have in rehab right now is just as successful.

Those struggling with addictions need to know that there is hope and there are people who care. Drugrehab.net can help.

I just phoned my mom to do my every-other-day check up on my grandmother. Tammy answered the phone, so she and I talked for about 20 minutes before my mom took over. While talking to Tammy she was explaining to me that her hands are full - she is taking care of my grandmother when the nurses aren’t there and now, she is taking care of my mom. My mom has managed to burn her calf and now it’s really infected.

I asked Tammy how she managed to burn herself on her calf. You are not going to believe this..

My mom burned her calf while ironing the sofa. Yes, ironing the sofa. My mom is known for ironing strange things - placemats, her drawers (lol, sorry mom) and even her socks. The sofa, however, is new to me.

She’s going to have it looked at tomorrow, so hopefully that infection starts to heal up soon. My grandmother is doing OK but isn’t much better. As Tammy said, she’s in her own little world right now. She doesn’t know who anyone is, where she’s at or anything like that. She talks out of her head a lot. Her vitals are improving though, so at least that’s a plus.

You might recall me mentioning that one of my close relatives recently went to drug rehab. Well, I wanted to update all of you on that situation. She is doing wonderfully well. She still has a long road ahead of her and has many changes she will have to make to her life after she is discharged but things are definitely looking up. Her kids have been sending her letters and photos, which I think has been helping a lot. Those kids are her world, which is what really helped her take this step towards recovery. They are going to be having a family day soon, so some of my relatives are going to go spend the day with her. I think that will also help her realize that those who stepped in (sort of like an intervention) meant no harm and only did so to save her from herself. I think she, even when they first stepped in, she understands it was because they (or we) love her.

I was very happy hear so many positive things about her recovery. I really look forward to visiting her when we make it back to Georgia. She was such a role model for me and my youngest sister growing up. She made a few bad choices but thankfully she has seen the light, so to speak.

Jo’s grandmother is in the hospital again. They still believe she has some kind of infection. Jo gave her a call earlier today and spoke to her. She seemed to be feeling much better but they’re going to keep her until at least Friday, just to monitor her. They believe the hospital discharged her too soon (you know how that goes).

My grandmother is doing a bit better as well. She came home this past Friday and other than some bloody urine from a kidney infection, she’s improving. Her blood pressure is still stable and her breathing is starting to stabilize too.

I sure wish I could be with both of them right now. It’s awful being so far away and feeling completely helpless. The best we can offer is a phone calls to say hello, we love them and gifts or flowers. My mom offered her own idea for a solution; move back closer to “home” (Georgia) or move closer to our second home (Newfoundland). I agree.

With my husband and I being so far away from our families, it would be really neat to have something like a video phone. Especially for talking to my nephews because they’re always doing something silly and their theatrics just aren’t the same when you’re just “hearing” them. It’s way more fun to watch the animations for things like - Trent singing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “I’m a little teapot”, you know? Video Phone’s would be awesome for that. Plus, I’m sure my nephews would enjoy talking us into participating (like they always do in person, haha). We’re basically watching my nephews grow up through pictures. If we used something like a video phone, at least we’d get the pictures in something more “real time”!

I would really like to get my hands on the Packet8 Tango VTA464, which has features like; 100 number phone book, no learning curves, crisp, colorful images, full motion video, 2 and even 3 way video conferencing and the ability to customize your background / wallpaper. And that’s just naming a few! With the Tango, you use a regular analog home phone, along with an existing high-speed internet connection to deliver your full motion video. All with delay free audio.

My husband and I have been using a VoIP service for a few months now. I enjoy that the calls are a lot more clear and I especially love how much we’re saving. VoIP, for us, has definitely been a lot less expensive than what we had previously (just a regular home telephone). If we had been using a regular home phone, we would be racking up some outrageous long distance charges. My family lives in Georgia and my husband’s live in Newfoundland, we’re in Alberta, Canada. I can only imagine how much we’d be spending each month otherwise. Actually, I’d rather not think about that.

If I get my way, I will never go back to having a regular home telephone.

Not only did I get to see Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink came on right behind it! How strange, but I am not complaining. Clueless is coming on in a little less than two hours. I cannot recall the last time I got to see that, so I may cave in and watch it. My husband is already objecting to that but he will be too involved with WoW to care that I am watching it, when it actually comes on. Haha!

Speaking of Jo. He has another session of physiotherapy tomorrow. He has been really sore most of the weekend and into today. We had plans to do eat out tonight but those fell through when he was too sore to even get dressed. One of the exercises they have him do involves the therapist placing their hands around Jo’s love handles (I bet he is cursing me silently, lol) and having him lean back until it hurts. He is barely able to lean back even a fourth of an inch before pain shoots through his back. I really hope this therapy is going to work. So far it has done nothing more but keep him in bed most of the day everyday.

I also wanted to make a quick note that I got an update on my grandmother. She is still with Hospice but has improved slightly since the last time I was updated. Though she is still very weak, her blood pressure has stabilized and (excuse me) her bowel movements have gone back to normal. They did warn though that if she began to have clots with her BM’s again, they might not be able to stop it. We are going to remain positive though!

First of all, I woke up with a terrible sore throat and have been congested most of the day. I think it’s cold, but it could also be partially due to the weather (cold, rainy and windy). I did buy something for it but unfortunately it is a nighttime remedy, so I am trying to hold off on taking it until bedtime.

Second, my grandmother has been taken to a Hospice Care facility. She has been there since late last night and we are unsure if she will ever come back “home”. After having 15 bowel movements last night, all of which had blood clots in them, the Hospice nurse felt this was the best decision. I am hoping that it is not a permanent stay but if it is, I know she is in great hands and will be taken care of. My mom lives about 20 miles from the facility, my sister and aunt live about 4 miles from it - there will always be someone there with her. This has really started to make me consider flying home. I am absolutely terrified about this but since Jo is unable to travel there and back by car/truck/bus, this is really the only option for us. It makes me queasy to think about but I know it is definitely something I have to consider at this point.

I am fixing to call my mom right now and get an update on my grandmother’s condition.

PS; I will be announcing the winner of the handbag contest later on tonight. Be sure to check back later for that.

One of the last times I spoke with my sister Nikki (the youngest), she told me that she and her husband (then boyfriend) had thought about having a child together. It kind of made me chuckle because she has 3 boys, he has twin boys. If they had another child, all they would need is a housekeeper and they’d be like the Brady Bunch. Anyway. They would both love to have a little girl.

I think this was brought on when they were moving into their new house. She had containers filled with maternity clothes from when she was pregnant and even found some baby clothes, still with the tags on them. She started to reminisce.

They’re still talking about one day having a little girl but she now says it will be several years down the road. I have a feeling by that time, they will have changed their minds about it entirely. Haha!