My Day In The Philippines.......

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

I've got that sexy Demi Moore voice this morning......you know; kinda scratchy, raspy....deep.

And its not from a cold or allergies this time.....it's from

Pitney Bowes.

Yep, that's right.  Yesterday.......I had the misfortune to have to call Pitney Bowes.  All I needed was a box and label to return their equipment back to them in.  That's it.  Nothing major.....

After speaking with no less than 7 departments......in 3 separate calls to the Philippines......on hold for no less than 20 minutes each department and listening to Filipino folk music during each of those 20 minutes.....I

SCREAMED........

A BLOOD CURDLING......

LOUD.....

HARD......

TOP OF  MY LUNGS....

SCREAM

Bayani then transferred me to Wisconsin.

Broken-Hip-Charlie - Day 10

Friday, May 25, 2012

DAY 10

BROKEN-HIP-CHARLIE

It's been a loooooong 10 days......

As most of you know, my Charlie (Chuck) fell 10 days ago at home while staining some shutters and broke his hip, but what most of you don't know is the miracle that happened immediately afterwards.....

I was in Brenham, Texas when he fell; some 5 hours away.  Because we live in the country, there was no one around to help him or hear him call out for help.  He figures he layed in the road about 30 minutes before a truck finally made its way down our short, dead-end road.  The guy driving the truck claimed to be an exterminator in the area who was lost and had forgotton where the house he was suppose to exterminate was located.  He stopped and offered to help Charlie by calling a neighbor down the road who was home.  Our neighbors, Troy and Becky, hurried down and, with the help of the mystery exterminator, helped Charlie into his wheelchair and rushed him to the hospital.

Ready for the miracle??

In our part of the world, everyone knows everyone.....we know the exterminators in our area and the exterminators know their way around the lake.  Our neighbors had never seen this guy before; he had no identification on him; and how is it he didn't remember whose house he was suppose to be going to?  As quickly as he came; he was gone......never heard from again.

Had he not come along when he did, Charlie could and most likely would have layed out in the road for a long, long time.  Our mystery exterminator angel is the miracle of this story......and our neighbors, Troy and Becky, are the hero's.

And as for Charlie post-10 days-broken-hip?  He has turned a wide corner......

His pain is now under control......

He is getting stronger each and every day.......

His rehab is going beautifully.....and the 3 alarms currently attached to him, his bed and the pillow due to his insistence (stubborness) on getting up by himself without calling the nurse, will hopefully soon be removed.

It's going to be a long road ahead........but not near as long as it would have been without our exterminator-angel.

Dear Lele, The Egg's Are Still Warm!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

"Dear Lele,


The egg's are are still warm!  I put the egg's in too fussy (fuzzy) sacks and undr a lamp.  We are on day 11.  I (heart) u!  I hade fun.  Love Freckle Face  P.S. Brie  4-30-12"

The above note was written by our youngest granddaughter, Brie, and is now taped above Chuck's bed in his hospital room.  Several weeks ago, just before all the challenges of the last few weeks had started,  she, her sister Bella and their Dad (Chuck's son) Troy came for a fun-filled 24 hours at the lake.  We played hard that day.....Brie roller skated around the square of our little town, Mt. Vernon, hanging onto the back of her Grandpa's wheelchair.......

We doodled around the lake in the boat.......

We used the golf cart as a ski boat pulling Brie around the neighborhood in her roller skates with Grandpa's extension cord acting as a ski rope.....

But the highlight.....the very best part....was when Bella, Brie and I visited my friend Rita's farm and played with her 2-week old triplet baby goats.....chased the rooster around the yard.....petted the rabbits.....and the girls each took an egg from underneath a chicken home with them.

Brie was especially attached to her egg......she remembered Rita telling her that it takes 21 days for a chicken to hatch from the egg.....and that it had to be kept warm, safe and secure.  We made it a nice soft little bed when we got home, placed blankets around it so it wouldn't crack.....and she carted it off to her house in Dallas.  The egg is now almost ready......she and her best friend next door, have placed a warm light over the egg and are patiently waiting......waiting.....waiting.

As I read her note yesterday for the first time, it dawned on me that throughout the struggles we all encounter in our lives, whether it be losing a parent, a dear friend of many years, a broken hip.......or just the normal every day stuff we all face, we are safe....warm....protected in our Father's incubator arms.....arms that beg to hold us....comfort us....love us.  We just have to ask....

And soon, we won't just feel His arms around us, we'll look Him in the eyes.....and thank Him for these challenging times......

My Guy Is Going To Be Just Fine.....

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Well, I know after the bug splat blog last night, you're probably thinking Liz is about tapped out....at the end of her rope......throwing in the towel......crying uncle....

But nope......I simply look at this picture I took of Chuck the other day (pre-broken hip) cleaning my Jeep window at the gas station and its a reminder that those bug splats can be easily removed with a little water (prayer), a little elbow grease (faith) and the right tools (the Word).

Soooooo......since I have all the above items working in my favor, I'm goooooooood folks.........

And since I'm trying to look beyond the crisis' occurring in my life right now, thought I'd share some of the more entertaining things going on.....

NURSE: "Mr. Etheridge, do you wear dentures?"
CHUCK: "No, I had lasik surgery about 10 years ago."

Okkkkkkkk.......

(Did I ever mention he's hard of hearing??)

And he was absolutely tickled pink to learn he and the surgeon uesd the same power tools while "talking shop" on the way to surgery last night.....

And some (I'm not one to name names, but it was the pastor) have actually accused him of breaking his hip to get out of "Coffee Bar Duty" at church Sunday. And who'd blame him; last week, his first week at coffee bar duty, he inadvertently made a new drink called "coff-tea"; a mixture of coffee and tea.  Not sure what affect this will have on attendance from this point forward......

My guy is going to be just fine......

(isn't he cute!?)

Some Days You're The Bug......

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Have you ever simply felt like the 

smashed bug on the windshield?

I have.

In the course of the last two weeks,

I said good-bye to my Mom.....

I said good-bye to my hospice patient......

I said good-bye to my dear friend, Norm Williams.......

And yesterday.....yesterday my Hubby fell and broke his hip.......

Yep, smashed bug on the windshield pretty much describes it.

Speechless and Thankful

Sunday, May 6, 2012

You know, I have never been known for a lack of words.........

But today......today I'm speechless.  I'm speechless because I am so touched by the many people who attended my Mom's funeral yesterday.......people who knew and loved her dearly; people who worked with her over the years and neighbors who lived next to her.

But the people who attended that left me speechless were the ones who didn't know Mom.  They came out of respect for Chuck and I.  Many of our neighbors from the lake drove 2 hours each way to attend Mom's funeral; friends from our old neighborhood in Dallas that we moved from almost 10 years ago came; our CPA was there; and the son of one of my Meals on Wheels clients in E. Texas honored me with his presence;  most having never met my Mom.

Every one in attendance yesterday will never know just how much you touched my heart.....to the point of being speechless.

And for Liz; this is a first.

Thank you.......

Thank You from the bottom of my heart for honoring my mother with your presence.....

and honoring me with your friendship.

For those who weren't able to attend the funeral, I would love for you to know my Mom the way we knew her......Check out Mom's Video Below (click on link):

http://vimeo.com/40773316

Thank You Just Isn't Enough.......

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

There are no words.......

I can't tell you how much your kind words and condolences have meant to my family on the death of our Mom.  Your prayers have encouraged and sustained us during this difficult time and I woke this morning with an incredible since of "peace" like I haven't felt in a long, long time.  I can take a deep breath again.  I know many of you have prayed specifically for peace and to you I say, THANK YOU......we do have peace which is a blessing.  Although our family is grieving, we put our hope and trust in the Lord knowing our Mom is in out-of-this-world hands right now.

Thank you so much for caring for us.  Every email, comment, phone call, text has meant so much.  I've read each one and I ask that you forgive me for not being able to reply back to each of you.  But please know I do appreciate your kindness so very much.

On that note, we did complete the funeral preparations today and for those who asked, here are the final arrangements:

Mom will be reminisced about at: 

Restland Memorial Park in Dallas 

13005 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 

in the Main Chapel 

on Saturday, May 5 at 3:30 pm.  

"For the true believer, 

death is the greatest healing."