Friday, August 12, 2011

For Sarah!

Randy making faces at the cat

Randy and Pattie at the Skirball
Randy and Pattie at the Huntington














Here are some pictures of Randy and Pattie and a few of Christa for your consideration.  Nice to talk to you, Sarah!

Randy
Pattie at Noah's Ark

Randy and his friend, the best man at our wedding, Joel


Pattie

Randy

Randy pointing a skunk at Joel

Pattie



Trey and Christa the night they got engaged

Randy and Pattie's Mom, Evelyn

Randy and our God-son, Josh

Randy with our god-children Corina and Josh

Pattie with a bunch of stuff from her sister in Tucson

Pattie in her David Meister Dress

Another dress purchase

Pattie and Christa with friends at Christa's Shower

Pattie with her sisters and Mom

Christa with her shower cake
Christa and Pattie with Grandma Evelyn
Our cat, Amber Lynn Kromrey
Pattie with her friend, Sonia

Sunday, August 7, 2011

More Updates

I took one of the groomsmen, Alex, to the dressmaker with me to get measured for his vest for the wedding.  I picked up Pru's dress and left Ummi's there for her so she could try it on before she took it home. I also picked up my dress for Alexandria's wedding (the purple designer $500 dress I got at Bloomingdale's for about $50) and the rehearsal dress I got at Norstrom's. 

Since I was there, I asked if she had started my dress yet.  She hadn't so I had her re-measure me.  I had lost 4 inches off my waist, 6 inches off my ribcage, 2 inches off my bust and 6 inches off my hips. WOOT!  I'm so happy that my hard work has been paying off.  Can't wait to find out the test results for my diabetes A1C!

Alex and I headed over to the house I'm renting in San Pedro for the girl's the night before and for Christa's wedding night with Trey.  Wanted to make sure I knew where it was in relation to the venue (about 5 minutes away right across from Point Fermin and down the street from the Korean Bell) and to see if it would be suitable for an after-rehearsal party.  Unfortunately, it's not.  Looks like we'll be having a party in my back yard.  It's a little far from the venue, but at least I know it will hold everyone comfortably.

The kittens are getting so BIG!  Seven weeks yesterday.  They should all be gone by next Saturday!  The house will seem so empty without them.  But, I will be glad to have some peace in the house again with the cats.  The mother cat has just caused so many problems with my other kitties.  Amber's great attitude has really changed and I haven't seen Trixie in days.  I'm sure because of all the drama the Mom-Cat caused.


I forgot to mention that Christa had a corset back put into her wedding dress.  Apparently, it is the style to have the skin show through the corset lacings.  We had never heard of that!  I feel so back-woods now.  If it weren't for a post on Wedding Bee I would have never known.  We were going to take if back to the seamstress to have a "modesty panel" installed when Christa changed her mind.  She said, "I wanna be BOLD!"  So she will be, LOL.  I'm not 100% sure how feel about it, but I'm just going to go with it.

Randy's brother and sister-in-law are going to make it to the wedding!  Yay!  So excited to see them again! We have all our A-list RSVPs back and are waiting on the B-list. Looks like we stayed within our 135 target!  Christa still has a few people from work (so do I) that we might invite if we get a few more regrets.

I'm starting to work on the Out of Town bags.  I purchased sunglasses, t-shirts that have California Logos on them, first aid kits etc. for the tote bags.  I'm working on a cute little card for them and labels.  I also want to print up labels for the bottled water.  Found a great template! (Wedding Water Bottle Lables) Also, from my friends on the Bee!

Christa's last day at Long Beach JetBlue is tonight.  She is still trying to work out if she can delay her flight on Tuesday to Wednesday so she can finish out Ikea on Tuesday.  If not, tomorrow is her last day at Ikea.  She was originally told that she would be flying out on Wednesday by JetBlue personnel and they changed it last Friday.  They also told her then that she would have to be in class on Saturday, August 13th.  WHAT?!  She was planning on flying out Saturday morning to get to her Bachelorette Party and flying back Sunday.  Now it looks as if the girls will be having the party without the bride!  So SAD!!!  My heart really aches for her.  She's had so many things come up at the last minute.

Moving, getting transfers in place, not getting RSVPs, having the rehearsal party up in the air, not getting the bar info until the last second, freaking out about her dress, not having one of the bridesmaids get the alterations done, figuring out hair and make up.  She's having a rough month!

We went out to dinner with her at Hoff's Hut after she got off work last night.  It was nice to connect with her one last time before she goes off to start her new life.  We're lucky that she's only 45 minutes away via plane and that we still have free flight benefits!


Saturday, August 6, 2011

It's all happening too FAST!

It's day T-minus 34.  Christa and Trey have moved to Hayward, just outside of Oakland.  They are back in Long Beach until the 9th when Christa flies to Florida for training.  Trey is moving into the apartment with the cats on the 10th and starting his new job on the 14th.

We made it through the bridal shower!  Very nice time.  Toilet paper bride, the Panty Poem and the Household Goods Love Story were played.  Lots of nice gifts.  Great food and great fellowship.













I'm going to look at the house I rented in San Pedro today to see if it's acceptable for the rehearsal dinner.  Trey's family wants to make the rehearsal lunch only for the bridal party so I thought it would be nice to include everyone at a party where we can get to know one another in a more casual setting with a taco cart.  Should be fun!

I'm also picking up the altered dresses today for myself for Alex's wedding and for the rehearsal.  As well as the bride's maids dresses.  Connie finally got her dress to the tailor in Hawaii as well.  And Alejandro, one of the ushers,  is coming with me today to get measured for his fuchsia vest. He's really excited. Or maybe not, LOL.

I'll try to update this evening, but the morning's just gotten away from me and I need to get a lot done.


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Changing times of my life.

In the last few weeks there have been many changes in my life and more to come in the next few months and years.

Christa, my daughter is getting married in SIXTY DAYS!!!  How did that happen? LOL  But even before that, she will be moving to the San Fransisco/Oakland Area.  Trey, her fiance got a job at the Oakland Airport and will start on August 15th.  About 3 weeks before the wedding.  Christa's prospects are to either move in with me until after the wedding and then find a job in the area or, if one of jobs she's applied for come through, move up at the same time as Trey or maybe even before.

She is up for the same job Trey landed at the San Fransisco Airport.  She flies out on Thursday for a "Meet and Greet" there.  She is also up for a promotion with Ikea in Paso Robles or Palo Alto.  I forget which, but close to Oakland.  They found a couple of places in Hayward they are looking at, but don't want to put down a deposit until they are sure where she is working.  They may actually opt for the SFO side of the bay.

Little Krysta thought she was moving back to Cali, but after just a week, has realized that her life is really now in Michigan and the opportunities for schooling are also much better there.  We will truly miss having her around, but are very proud of the difficult decision she is making to better her future.

I have been diagnosed with Diabetes since September of last year.  I have been monitoring my diet and losing about 3 pounds a month.  I am down 3 dress sizes. I started a program at work called Calories In, Calories Out.  I feel better and have more stamina, but seem to be losing the weight about the same.  I'm not going to stop though!  It's really helped me correct some major mistakes I have in the way I move.  So I am able to move for longer periods of time.  It makes me wonder if I had gotten help earlier if I would have led a more active life.

The kittens are finally out of my closet!  I made the mom take them into the living room. She's moved them 3 times since then, but still in the living room.  They are acting like kittens now instead of the "veal" they were in my closet.  Very cute. But they will probably be the things that change the fastest.  Growing, playing, eating then moving away in early August.  My sister is taking the Mother Cat and at least one of the kittens.  People are fighting over the girls and one of the boys is sort-of taken.  The white one is promised to a guy at Christa's work, but he can't make up his mind if he really is ready for that responsibility.

I'm getting a new student in September.  Her name is Monica.  She'll be with us from September 26ish to December 15thish.  I've corresponded with her via e-mail and FaceBook.  She seems very nice.  She will be doing her Clinical at our clinic.  She may be bringing a cat with her as well.

My mom really likes her place.  The people there really treat her well and she is very happy.  But I see her slipping away.  She still has more good days than bad, but even on the good days so many memories are just plain gone.  I do foresee many changes with her in the next few months and years.  Most of them NOT good.

Randy is doing so much better with his kidney pain and that is truly a blessing.  But now that he's stopped taking his pain meds for that, he's really noticed how painful his rheumatoid has gotten.  The unusual humidity this summer is not helping either.  His joints are swollen.

I'm hoping that with my blood clots and his restricts we will still be able to go out and do things now that we will have a little more time for that.  I hope that we will be able to enjoy our empty-nest and fill it with outings, dates, vacations etc.

We had a great time with our friend, Joel last weekend.  We love Joel!  He makes us get out and do the things we want to do but never make time for. 

We went to the Skirball Center for their Houdini Exhibit and looked over the whole place.  The guys really enjoyed the Noah's Ark exhibit.  It's made for kids and is interactive.  But the guys thought it was the best part of the museum.  The animals were made out of unusual items like the purse-bird crane, the house-key Yak, the ceiling vent zebra, the pasta sheep - you get the idea.

We were done by 2:00 and were hungry so we drove off down Sepulveda in search of a restaurant and realized we were right next to the Getty.  We decided to eat at the sit-down restaurant there.  It was very nice.  Beautiful views and great food.

They had a wonderful photo exhibit on Cuba.  We also looked around a bunch of the galleries.  We've all been there several times and enjoyed just poking around.  There was a big concert there and one of my co-worker's girlfriend was there for it and spotted me, but didn't say hi.  She apparently told my coworker who texted me "Are you at the Getty?"  Not stalkerish at all, LOL.  We didn't stay, it was already so crowded!  There was a back up for well over a mile to get in.

To round out our cultural experience, we went to the Paramount Swap Meet on Sunday.  Then we ate at a Brazilian place called Amazon Churrascaria.  It had nice ambiance and they bring out meat on swords to serve. We have one in Long Beach called Greenfield's which I like better.  But the meat was great except for the garlic steak which was only o.k.  Randy had the quail and they both tried the alligator.  Not my cup of tea.  Oh yeah, they also only had Pepsi products. YUCK!

We got Joel on the Amtrak right on time and I am enjoying my new purse purchased for $10.  Real leather.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Fourth of July

We had an amazing Fourth of July!  Great food, great company, great fireworks.

I've been having Diana, Corina's sister come and help me get my house in order for the last two weeks.  So, we cleaned and organized for two days before the Fourth.  And then I started prepping all the food.  Marinated about 10 pounds of tri-tip and 5 pounds of steak, and 10 pounds of chicken, 5 of lemon pepper and 5 of Italian.  We also had about 40 burgers. I made a fruit salad with watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, raspberries and strawberries.  Rounded it out with salad, bread, tortillas, chips and dips.  Oh and for dessert cookies, cakes and Pru brought a pie from Polly's - Ban-Berry.  A huge hit.

We got my mom around 2 and she had the best time.  Christa and Trey were here for about an hour and a half; between Christa's jobs at Ikea and Jet Blue.  Grandma was very glad to see them.  We had a good time chatting about all the changes coming up. More about that later in the post.

Both April and her mom, Wanda, brought Gabriel Jr. over for my mom to see.  What a good baby he is!  April had him at the beach party Christa had for her birthday and everyone just loved passing him around and he was eating up all the attention.  Never got fussy or cried.  A truly good baby!

The kids came over from across the street and had fun with some building pads that Randy drug out. We also got out the canned whipped cream and squirted it into their mouths to see who could eat it without losing it or using their hands.  Harold had a little mishap with that, LOL!

The fireworks were truly awesome this year.  While I don't buy the "illegal in California" types, my neighbors have no such qualms and we got a 360 degree view of some really beautiful displays.  My mom enjoyed them very much and could talk of nothing else for the next several days.

It was great to see Little Krysta again.  She flew in from Michigan the day before.  She is moving back to Cali to be near family and friends again.  But her mom and little brother are still in Michigan.  Not to mention the college and work friends she made there.  It's hard to make these kind of decisions at 20.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Randy's LAST Kidney Stones Graphic Pix , Medical Descriptions

From the last procedure! Inside Randy
Great news today!  Randy went in for his ESWL (Extracorporial Shock Wave Lithotripsy) today at the Reagan Surgery Center.  He brought his x-rays that showed the 2 mm and 3 mm stones that have been lodged in his kidney for basically 3 years.  They were what was left over after his last procedure and after the ones over the past 2 years. He wanted to wait until after his colonoscopy so it's been about 6 weeks since his laser lithotripsy..
Before they were shards!

About 2 weeks ago, he had a small stone that passed without too much incident.  Then for about a week, he's been uncomfortable and could feel a fairly large stone traveling and then right at the top of his bladder for about 2 days and yesterday, he passed it!  He was able to retrieve it to take to the doctor.  Here are the pix:







Pretty gross, right?

Well, I walked Randy to his appointment.  The surgery center is right across the street from my work.  I left my number and Christa's number with them as Christa was picking him up for me.

They took him back. Got him ready.  Gave him the meds to make him sleepy.  Started the scope and .... No kidney stones!  They were gone. Completely.  No sign!  The doctor help up the one in the plastic bag to the x-ray.  The profile matched!  After all that time they picked the day before the surgery to come out.  Randy didn't get the procedure as he no longer needed it!

Thanks to all our family and friends who kept him in their prayers!  We feel truly blessed today!!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Mother of the Bride's Dress picked! Father's day weekend.


I finally picked out my Mother of the Bride's dress! This is the general style, but the color and fabric will be a little different. I also had them take the dress my mom wore at my wedding as a template for her dress. In a different color and length.

It was so good to see Frances again! She is just the BEST. I'm having my dress for Alexandria's wedding (2 weeks before ours) and my rehearsal dinner dress taken up at the shoulders. Pru went with us and she's getting the dress they got at Macy's altered to fit and Ummi will take hers in on Monday.

Christa brought her wedding dress in and they are going to put in a corset back as well as shorten it to fit her outrageous heels. They are also going to put in a way to bustle up the train. Looks VERY pretty!

They also have the vests that Christa wants for ushers!  A bit of a contentious bone when I had bought a set of patterned pink vests after consulting her only to be told the groom didn't like them after they arrived.  My real problem with that was he was very fast to say he didn't like them, but not willing to help find replacements.  I was going to stand my ground on that one until Frances came up the exact ones Christa liked.  Crisis averted.

I picked my mom up from her SNF and got her ready.  Put on make up and curled her hair.  The girls met me there, but we decided to take 2 cars to make everyone more comfortable.  My mom is pretty good with everything except getting into and out of the car.  She has the strength and ability, but the concepts are gone.  We have to show her every time how to scoot back first then bring her legs in to get into the car and how to hold on to our necks to help lift her out.  She can walk with her walker, but gets tired easily and prefers her chair.

When we go to Frances' whom should we meet, but my friend Corina and her daughter, Alexandria.  They were bringing a straggling bridesmaid to get measured.  It was a great time hanging out with each other as we planned our daughters' weddings!

After, Christa, Pru, Grandma and I went to lunch at Polly's.  My mom is so funny now.  Whenever we go out to eat, I have to remind her to not say anything about the prices and to find something she can eat on the menu without complaining.  She usually likes the chicken pie, but she doesn't want it today.  The girls decide what they want and I know what I want.  I show her several things on the breakfast menu since she doesn't seem to want lunch items.  I point out her favorite soup.  Nothing is good.  Christa tried to help and shows her a few things; she shakes her head.  I say I'm really surprised that you don't want the chicken pie.  She says, "They have chicken pie?  That sounds great!"  We all stifle laughs.  The waitress comes and takes our order.  She doesn't want anything to drink. Not even water.  I order a water and a coffee for her.  When the coffee comes, she adds 4 creamers and 2 sugars.  Tastes it and says she needs more.  One more creamer and 3 more sugars later and she loves it.  We had a good time eating with each other.

Randy has to work this weekend so I took him to see the Green Lantern in 3D for Father's Day.  I give it a C+.  I really had hoped it would have had better 3D effects.  It just wasn't that great.  But there was a lot of eye-candy.

I also got him a cover for his Nook which he loved.  Unfortunately, they messed up the rest of the order and sent Kindle accessories.  But it was still cheaper than just the cover would have been at Barnes and Noble.  And he can still use the light and the ear buds, so not a total loss!