Funny how a simple visit to the doctor for a cold can turn into receiving a new heart within a week.
A friend's husband from church went to the Dr last Friday (I think) about a cold that he couldn't seem to get better from. They ended up hospitalizing him due to a blood pressure concern... leading to bypass surgery, which he did not respond well to... which lead to him being rushed to a hospital in St Louis to be put on a heart and lung machine. It finally came down to an immediate need for a heart transplant.
The amazing thing is... a heart became available immediately, and it was a match. They completed the surgery today and we found out tonight that everything went well. They'll wake him up tomorrow and begin watching for any possible complications like rejection, stroke, pneumonia, etc.
Anyway.... it's what I've been thinking about a lot the last couple of days... What if this happened to me? What if it happened to Laurie? How would we be financially? What would life be like afterwards? How would I change after something like this?
Ok.... I have to go to bed. I'm tired from all work and no play.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Rainy day bloggin'
What a difference a few hours can make... yesterday it was 90, humid, hot, windy (VERY windy) and now just a few hours later, it's cold, cloudy, wet, slight breeze. If I could have a day in between that would be great!!
I can't complain, though... it's been a good spring for planting and such. A little too hot the last few days for this time of year for several annuals, though. And the wind... WOW... some of the gust had to have been over 50 MPH.
Feeling less stressed about getting everything done now, but I still have plenty to keep me busy over the next week. I have to have all of the annuals/tropicals done by May 31... My first goal is always by Memorial Day (going to miss that one)... but, that's ok. One year I was still planting annuals late June for someone (but, that wasn't all my fault).
Here are a few more pictures of arrangements I've done this past week. They need a couple of weeks to start filling out more... they always look so thin when they're first planted. I did a few more conainers at this same residence on Thursday of this week... was to have finished everything, but the wind kind of cut me back on what I could accomplish. More pictures to come in the next week or so.
Here comes the rain again... glad I'm inside and not outside :)
Kids are doing so well with their swimming lessons... Why we didn't do this earlier I have no idea. As much as Laurie and I love to be in/near water it was killing us knowing the kids didn't know how to swim. Andrew has come so far in putting his head under the water... but, he complains after swimming that his neck hurts. We figured it out that it's because when he's swimming his trying to hold his head above the water rather than putting his face down into the water. He's doing better, but he's got a ways to go still. We think he just has very sensitive eyes... he's always hated getting water in them and really rubs them when he does. Savannah... she'll dunk her head under with no problem at all. She's already talking about wanting to be on a swim team soon... Laurie LOVED that idea... she has some very good memories of her swimming days as a coach and lifeguard.
Ok... need to get some other things done... hopefully the rain will stop soon so I can get some things outside. Won't be able to do any in-ground planting, but can at least possibly do more containers.
I can't complain, though... it's been a good spring for planting and such. A little too hot the last few days for this time of year for several annuals, though. And the wind... WOW... some of the gust had to have been over 50 MPH.
Feeling less stressed about getting everything done now, but I still have plenty to keep me busy over the next week. I have to have all of the annuals/tropicals done by May 31... My first goal is always by Memorial Day (going to miss that one)... but, that's ok. One year I was still planting annuals late June for someone (but, that wasn't all my fault).
Here are a few more pictures of arrangements I've done this past week. They need a couple of weeks to start filling out more... they always look so thin when they're first planted. I did a few more conainers at this same residence on Thursday of this week... was to have finished everything, but the wind kind of cut me back on what I could accomplish. More pictures to come in the next week or so.
Here comes the rain again... glad I'm inside and not outside :)
Kids are doing so well with their swimming lessons... Why we didn't do this earlier I have no idea. As much as Laurie and I love to be in/near water it was killing us knowing the kids didn't know how to swim. Andrew has come so far in putting his head under the water... but, he complains after swimming that his neck hurts. We figured it out that it's because when he's swimming his trying to hold his head above the water rather than putting his face down into the water. He's doing better, but he's got a ways to go still. We think he just has very sensitive eyes... he's always hated getting water in them and really rubs them when he does. Savannah... she'll dunk her head under with no problem at all. She's already talking about wanting to be on a swim team soon... Laurie LOVED that idea... she has some very good memories of her swimming days as a coach and lifeguard.
Ok... need to get some other things done... hopefully the rain will stop soon so I can get some things outside. Won't be able to do any in-ground planting, but can at least possibly do more containers.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Sample Work
Here's part of what I worked on Thursday... petra crotons, variegated ginger, pink futurity canna, alocasia uprights... will be installing a few "fillers" on Friday in the open areas of each bed. I'll show more from this house in the near future. I do several large annual containers, tropical containers (all outside) and also upkeep their landscape. I also do a few other odds-n-ends as requested (usually not gardening related, but... oh well).
Savannah graduated from pre-school today... She was so excited about it. But, Laurie told me the other day that Savannah asked her, "Mommy, why can't I go to pre-school for two years like some of the other kids?" She's going to miss Miss Linda and the other teachers she had. But, she's so excited about Kindergarten... she got registered a few weeks ago. We're still hoping that she'll have the same teacher that Andrew had in K.
Laurie is all done with school... she finished up earlier this week. She's looking forward to being a stay-at-home mom from now thru mid-August. She's taught summer school the last two years, which took up her evenings a couple nights a week for about six weeks. She's got the kid's summers all planned out for them... they both are taking swimming lessons, Savannah has dance classes, Andrew has soccer, we'll have a family pass for the pools, and... I think Andrew has a science class of some type and Savannah has an art class.
Hopefully I'll have my planting done soon so I can begin enjoying the evenings with the kids and Laurie... I'm working late every night right now. But, probably only for another week.
So busy... no time to blog
It's been CRAZY the last two weeks... I haven't had much time to do anything except work. but, I think I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just a few more days of intense annual and tropical planting and then projects begin and daily maintenance of beds & containers. I can then begin to market my interior business more again. I haven't had any time to do that lately at all.
I'll be sharing pictures of what I've been doing soon... people ask a lot, "Just what do you do?" That's always a good question... so I'll show everyone on here in the next few days.
Off to work...
I'll be sharing pictures of what I've been doing soon... people ask a lot, "Just what do you do?" That's always a good question... so I'll show everyone on here in the next few days.
Off to work...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
30-Hours In A Day Needed
I sent Laurie voicemail this week asking her to PLEASE start praying to God for 30-hour days... I REALLY needed it this past week. I was (and still am a little) SO stressed out about getting everything done for work.
This past Tuesday all of my tropical plants (I still don't know exactly how many, but A LOT!) came into the garden center that I'm working out of, and I became overwhelmed, to say the least. I ordered more than last year and had to do more myself in getting them organized, delivered, unwrapped, verified and ready to go for planting. I was delivering until about 1 a.m. Tuesday night and then still brought home a 17' U-Haul truck load home with me to be delivered Wednesday-Saturday. Actually, I still have several plants sitting out along the sidewalk on the northside of our house to be delivered Monday-Wednesday. I haven't lost any yet, so that's what's important. By this coming Saturday (May 19) all plants should be at their location and either planted or ready to be planted by the first of the next week.
I didn't get as much for myself this year... except two coconut trees and (of course) some bananas). Oh wait... that doesn't include the annuals and perennials that we planted last weekend... designer salmon geraniums across the front of the yard in groups of three, low-grow phlox (for Laurie... she's been asking for some tucked in here and there in the front for about five years), lavender in front, snow-in-summer by the pond and a few other little things.
I'm doing my first post from my new laptop computer... After getting done with work last night I stopped by Circuit City and got a HP laptop... LOVE IT!! I've spent the afternoon today loading software (Office 2003) and downloading the updates. We won't switch to Office 2007 until it becomes available thru ISU this next school year. I'm trying to avoid having to buy any software... most can be used on up to three computers. We'll see how it all works out. I'm hoping to at least have all of my "My Documents" transferred over tonight and all of my accounting items transferred over. I want to be able to start using my laptop for email and all business related items ASAP. I just hope and pray I don't have any problems transferring over all of my information.
This past Tuesday all of my tropical plants (I still don't know exactly how many, but A LOT!) came into the garden center that I'm working out of, and I became overwhelmed, to say the least. I ordered more than last year and had to do more myself in getting them organized, delivered, unwrapped, verified and ready to go for planting. I was delivering until about 1 a.m. Tuesday night and then still brought home a 17' U-Haul truck load home with me to be delivered Wednesday-Saturday. Actually, I still have several plants sitting out along the sidewalk on the northside of our house to be delivered Monday-Wednesday. I haven't lost any yet, so that's what's important. By this coming Saturday (May 19) all plants should be at their location and either planted or ready to be planted by the first of the next week.
I didn't get as much for myself this year... except two coconut trees and (of course) some bananas). Oh wait... that doesn't include the annuals and perennials that we planted last weekend... designer salmon geraniums across the front of the yard in groups of three, low-grow phlox (for Laurie... she's been asking for some tucked in here and there in the front for about five years), lavender in front, snow-in-summer by the pond and a few other little things.
I'm doing my first post from my new laptop computer... After getting done with work last night I stopped by Circuit City and got a HP laptop... LOVE IT!! I've spent the afternoon today loading software (Office 2003) and downloading the updates. We won't switch to Office 2007 until it becomes available thru ISU this next school year. I'm trying to avoid having to buy any software... most can be used on up to three computers. We'll see how it all works out. I'm hoping to at least have all of my "My Documents" transferred over tonight and all of my accounting items transferred over. I want to be able to start using my laptop for email and all business related items ASAP. I just hope and pray I don't have any problems transferring over all of my information.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Banana joy :-)
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