Day#3-5

During vacation it's easy to forget what was done when. That is the reason for this blog and I'm already 3 days behind and wondering where to begin.
Easter Sunday we all walked downtown together and were reminded why it's nice to have someone cook most of our meals for us at the house. We had some great food as we do every day.

The younger boys no longer think Maury is mysterious.  They love playing games with him.

 

 The electronics always come out after pool time. Sawyer is sitting at the bottom of the steps to Wil and my bedroom.

Grilling our Mahi Mahi

 

Maury and Monica enjoying our daily appetizer before dinner - freshly made guacamole and salsa

 

Another new favorite breakfast

 

Cuddle time is always a must

Jeremiah just can't get enough Maury time

 

Matt and Monica enjoying some pool time with the kids

 

Brennan gets more out of the pool then anyone else

 

Auntie Melissa playing cards with Sawyer

 

Isaiah, seldom caught on camera, is still suffering from his burn he got the 1st day in the pool.

 

Just can't say enough about our great cook, Leo

 

 

 

 

Our day trip to Las Animas

 

 

On the bus going back to the villa (before it was packed with other passengers)

Day #2 in Puerto Vallarta

It's hard to believe but Wil and I slept until 8:00 this morning! The kids were shocked. Our cook, Leo and her family made an awesome breakfast of French Toast, fresh fruit and yogurt.

From 10-1:00, Wil, Matt, Maury and Isaiah went on a food tour by Vallarta Eats. Our house sits up quite high above downtown, which means lots of steps down, which is easy but the coming back up is tough.

 

On the food tour, they visited 10 different street side food stands.

 

Pool time with Auntie Melissa

 

Pool time with Papaw and Daddy

 

 Our daily Dinner Appetizer served poolside

 

 Our dinner was delicious fish (marlin) enchiladas, rice, and salad.

 

Uncle Maury teaching Brennan how to play cards.

The city comes alive at bedtime.  So now at 10 PM we hear more talking and music then we did all evening.

Mexico Day 1 with family

Our departure had a rocky start but it's so good to be together with all our children and grandchildren, enjoying this Mexico vacation together. This summer Wil and I will have our 40th anniversary, so this seemed like a good year to make this trip happen.



Pool time for the kids. Isaiah ended up getting burned.
Exhausted!


The view from our Living and Dining Room


Sawyer and Jeremiah didn't waste time getting to know Uncle Maury.



The meal that our cook fixed for us tonight. Along with fresh salsa, guacamole and chips before the meal. We pay her for the grocery's and tip her for 2 meals a day.

Kitchen

View from our dining area.

We love this house and the view. The city is quite alive and active since it's Holy Week.
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Left knee again

Yesterday I had Arthroscopic knee surgery. I was determined that I wasn't going to cry in recovery like I did the last time. News alert! One has no control what they do when coming out of anesthesia. As I start to wake up, I hear the nurse telling someone that, " she keeps thrashing around on the cart", and I hear myself moaning and wow does it ever hurt! I try to open my eyes but everything in the room moves. The anesthesiologist comes over and orders more pain killer in the IV. After I got back to my out patient room they gave me an oral pain killer and about an hour later I was a bit nauseous but pain free. Wil took me home and all afternoon I was pain free with taking my pain killers every 4 hours. I was thinking, this healing process was going to be a breeze. By the way, it's really nice to have your own private Nurse. By 9:30, everything changed. Whatever numbness there was, no longer is!

In 2011 I had surgery to repair torn meniscus after I couldn't straighten out my leg. During that recovery time, I missed the last step on our outside basement stairway, wile carrying a box and fell smack onto the Knee that I had surgery on. I was relieved that the pain was short lived.

Since the last surgery I have had 3 cortisone injections and a round of Synvisc. In August I started with more pain an so after an X-ray and an MRI, they saw more meniscus damage and loose bodies. Thus another surgery. After Dr. Rao got into the knee yesterday, he discovered that the injury came from that fall. I had damage under the knee cap and the femur bone under the knee. That is also where the loose chips came from and the meniscus tear. Needless to say. I hope I'm more careful this time around.

I hope for a speedy recovery. Today it hurts.


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Vitreous Floaters:

Friday evening I started with flashes in my right hour, about an hour later I started with spots.  I was told that I needed to seek medical treatment.  Of course it's a weekend and on top of that, it's a holiday weekend.  I ended up in the ER and saw a very helpful Doctor who put me on the phone with a Opthalmology Doctor.  That Doctor saw me in his office Saturday morning and did a thorough exam.  It appears to be only the Vitreous detachment.  While I'm very grateful that there isn't a tear, I'm very frustrated with the amount of floaters that I see when I'm looking at anything with a white background.  I'm to call the Doctor if any of my vision gets blocks with a curtain like film.

I was very grateful that Matt was able to take me to the Eye Doctor on Saturday morning, since Wil had to take Isaiah to Ohare airport.  Matt had planned to go help at the food pantry but he changed service project, to helping his mother. 
  (a helpful article)

One of the most common complaints patients make in any Opthalmology practice today is of seeing spots in their vision. The spots are often described as "ants", "a bug that I tried to swat away", or as little thin lines that float by. Usually they are more visible in brighter lights or against bright or white backgrounds. This phenomenon is called Vitreous Floaters or simply Floaters. What is a Vitreous Floater? In answering that it is first important to know what the vitreous is. The eye is 80% filled with a gel like substance called the vitreous. This substance, the vitreous, supports the integrity and helps to stabilize the eye itself. As we age that gel like substance thins, liquefies and can break off into clumps or strands in various parts of the eye. These clumps are what is referred to as vitreous floaters. When these floating clumps move around the eye, usually with eye movement, they cast shadows on the retina and are then seen as spots or floaters.
Floaters by themselves are not harmful, but as with any new symptom or changes to your vision, you should have an eye exam to verify that these particular symptoms are just floaters. There are times where spots in your vision can be a sign of a more serious matter. This is especially true for people who are myopic (Near Sighted), diabetic or who may have suffered trauma to the eye or head. As the degeneration of the vitreous progresses (whether from time or health or injury) in some people it can pull away from the retina and in the process lift or detach a part of the retina. This can cause flashing or pinpricks of light, a shower of spots or the appearance of a waving flag or a curtain to suddenly occur. These symptoms can be a sign of a Retinal Detachment and it is important that an Eye Care professional is seen immediately for a dilated eye exam to both the affected and non-affected eye. A retinal detachment if left untreated can result in blindness.
In the case of vitreous floaters there is generally no treatment that is necessary. The Floaters with time will gradually sink below the line of sight or the person who has the complaint will grow so accustomed to them that they are ignored and no longer a nuisance. In severe cases, however, there are several treatments available. A Vitrectomy in which the vitreous is removed and replaced with a salt solution and Laser Treatments are a few of the procedures performed. The risk to benefit ratio of these procedures should always be considered and discussed before undergoing any treatments.

Thankful

This morning I was cutting my baked turkey, and when I started to make my gravy, my mind went back to a year ago.

A year ago, I burned my arm pretty bad in the process of making gravy. Although that was painful, it wasn't nearly as painful as watching my Father dying of Cancer.  Last year we had a quiet Thanksgiving meal at my parents place with us siblings while my Father in a Hospital Bed in the Living Room.  The next two weeks are almost a blurr anymore.  So many tears, so little sleep, so many painful moments, so much sibling bonding time, and so many precious memories that I will treasure for a life time. We prayed, laughed and shared together.  None of our differences mattered.

A year ago, Wil and I were still mourning the loss of both of his parents from a year earlier.  It just felt like loosing 3 parents in 1 1/2 years, was too much. 

We miss Daudy, Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Henry a lot.  Today I'm thankful for tears and many good memories of them. 
Today I'm very grateful for my dear 86 year old mother, Grandma Polly. She is still a hard working woman, a giver, and a Cancer Survivor.

I'm also thankful for my husband, children(that includes the spouses), grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews and all of my extended family. 

There have been a lot of new things for me to adjust to, this past year.  Maybe by next year, I can say that I'm thankful for that as well.

Lazy Day

This was a lazy day. I did lots of reading and was quite hungry before we finally ate around 4:30 in the afternoon. We ended up at a Smoke House. It was dreary day when no one seemed to have the ability to make a decision.









-where we are staying-

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Maine

Today we drove to Maine. So much to see and so much driving. We had a good driver.

York Harbor



Nubble Light House



Maine Diner, as seen on, Diners, Drive in and Dives




National Wildlife Reservation












Kennebunk Beach








Sue and David-both celebrated their 60th birthdays, this year.








Stalking the Bush residents




We ate at The Lobster Shack for dinner. Awesome setting, but we didn't get there until after dark.
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Beachy sibling vacation

With only 3 siblings in the Alvin and Barbara Beachy family, it makes it quite easy to go on vacation together. This is the 1st one that the 5 of us have taken together.

We had gorgeous scenery while traveling to New Hampshire.









Yesterday we went to Fells Garden and had some good food.

















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