July and October reports...and in December, the end of this era

[kaoden39]

I've heard such weird things about Kaiser. Why do you have to call then hear back, in order to get your migraine medication? Seems to be a weird way for them to do things.


*************
I cleared off the "extra" desk (my old desk that I grew tired of and replaced before getting rid of it) and then my aunt (mom's sister) called. So I figure that's enough cleaning, LOL.

I called for an appointment, but because I have been diagnosed as having migraines rather than have me see a DR I had a phone appointment. He prescribed Vicodin for this migraine and a migraine medicine for next time. If it is not better by morning I have to go get a shot. I like the phone appointment system.

 

[kaoden39]

Your trip looks great to me! I would love to do BBB sometime but alas I am to old to be a Princess, I am more Maleficent or Ursala. I used to want an Ursala tattoo.

 

[bumbershoot]

I like the phone appointment system.

Oh, well good! I was reading it as being a difficult thing for you. I'm glad I was wrong!

 

[bumbershoot]

Michele, I hope you are feeling better!




There, I booked our trip-bookend nights. Used a hotels.com free night on one, and Hilton rewards on the other. First night in we'll stay at the Convention Center Hilton again; we did that in December '07, I believe. It was a decent place with good coffee (my first time seeing the keurigs, or keurig-like coffeemakers), and this time we aren't getting up at the crack of dawn. Then we'll close out out trip at a Hilton Suites over near the highway...seemed like an interesting place, though maybe in an uninteresting area. If we're parked-out, there's a pool, etc.

We're flying down on Virgin America, where the only bummer is paying for all checked bags. We're hoping to start flying them more, though, to start earning status. Flying home, however, on United. And on that flight, since we're flying with Robert, we could bring SIX checked bags and not pay for any of them.



Last week I pre-ordered Photopass Plus. I'm crossing fingers and toes that it gets here in time! You're supposed to order it with more lead time.

 

[kaoden39]

No, I thought it was easier. I could have never left my house and just sent Scotty to go get my medicine for me.


In theory I am better. It is down to a low roar now. Vicodin is kicking my rear end.


We stayed at the Hilton Suites in 2003. It was one of our best trips. The room was nice and it was quiet place too which is really nice. The Anaheim Angels stadium is in the neighborhood.

 

[bumbershoot]

I keep forgetting that other people have husbands who don't travel for work and are actually available for getting things like prescriptions!

glad it's at a low roar. I'm impressed that vicodin works for you. When I've had it, it barely cuts the pain and then makes me ANGRY. That's a bad combo, LOL.

Glad to know someone has stayed there!

 

[kaoden39]

It really depends on me how my body reacts to vicodin. It normally wires me and this time it is knocking me out. Strange really.


Yeah, it was a good stay. Good enough that my oldest Kacy always refers to it as that nice hotel. We had a corner suite which was nice, we had two different small balconies.

 

[bumbershoot]

I almost booked that corner suite! But I didn't want to make us CRY to leave, LOL.


Just found that the WW meeting site I figured we'd go to (twice during this trip!) is just down the road from Trader Joes at the Village at Orange. And I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but before TJs was on our radar at all, we started off our first big Disneyland trip at the Village at Orange, trying to get Robert's swimsuit exchanged! Oh man, good times. I'll tell the story if I never told it/if we've all forgotten it from that '07 trip report. Anyway, when we first drove into the TJ parking lot and I saw where we were, I had this huge flashback of the swimsuit story...

 

[bumbershoot]

I'll tell the story anyway. Gives me something to do other than dust and sweep and otherwise prepare for Robert to get home tomorrow. Also gives me something to do other than cough and blow my nose. Don't even feel sick anymore, but I guess the battleground where this cold virus was fought still has its own cleaning to do.


Back for the '07 trip, it coincided (or we made it coincide?) with my HS reunion in San Jose. We drove down, visited with my dad, went to the reunion. IN preparation for this, I ordered Robert some swimsuits from JCPenney. It was towards the end of the season so they were on clearance, and there weren't many choices. We got this one suit that for some reason was called "surfer girl", but there wasn't any apparent reason for this so it wasn't something we paid much attention to. We got the suits, they seemed good and they fit.

After spending time with my dad, we moved to our hotel in San Jose for the reunion, and later one night, we all went swimming. DH was in the pool and then got out, and I saw a problem. When in the water, a print came out on the swim shorts. A "surfer girl". IF you consider surfer girls to look more like "mud flap" girls in that nekkid sitting almost-playboy-esque pose.



This would NOT do for Disneyland! We imagined DH getting kicked out of the pool. As immediately as we could, we got in touch with JC Penney. They did NOT believe us. There was nothing on their site and there were no reviews, so they just kept describing the suit to us. No no no no. Finally they indicated they would help us, but the problem was that we were on the move! I remember having to go to a mall in east SJ that used to have an ice skating rink, to try to deal with the problem in person, and I can't remember what the deal was, but they couldn't help us. They still barely believed us. We had to leave town to get to Anaheim, and we had a very hurried call just before we hit some section of the road that didn't look very cellphone friendly.

They ended up rushing whatever suits they still had in his size to the JCP at the mall where Trader Joes is now, so we had to get out there early in our Disneyland stay.

We somehow found the place (it was '07 and we were at a different place with money and technology, and for some reason this process was extremely difficult...not to mention E was only 3!) and found the bowels of JCPenney, and this time I brought the suit AND a cup of water and was prepared to pour the water on the suit to SHOW them what it did when exposed to water. They had heard all about our trials and tribulations, and were prepared to believe us, so I didn't have to do the show and tell. I wish I had, though.

Shortly after, we checked the website, and by that time they did show the "surfer girl" in a little picture. Still looked nothing like a "surfer", but oh well.




So I think it was the trip that E and I took after a reunion in AZ, when he got so sick and I needed to get to Trader Joe's to get supplies and vitamins and whatnot, and I got directions and drove in and was amazed that it was the same mall! It's the swimsuit mall.

 

[kaoden39]

I didn't think about the WW meetings. YOu know for kicks while you are there you all could go exercise with RS.


Oh what a hassle that all was. I am betting you weren't the only complaint. They wouldn't put that on their website otherwise. I can see somebody like a teenage boy thinking that was a "Hot" idea. How emabarassing. I love Trader Joe's and Fresh and Easy.

 

[bumbershoot]

The exercise thing did cross my mind last night!

 

[bumbershoot]

My things to do list.



Stop coughing.

Continue cleaning up.

Finish laundry.

Gather sunscreen.

Figure out what I'm taking. What Eamon's taking. What Robert's taking.

Figure out if/when to do Surf's Up.

Think about those pancakes, french toast, and huevos rancheros on the Steakhouse 55 menu that have me thinking about Steakhouse 55.

Gather the little things together, including the photopass plus voucher that came today, woo!

Donate more of E's old clothes tomorrow.

Mail some things tomorrow.

Finish E's costume. Eep!

 

[bumbershoot]

Ugh. If I have to not exercise one more day I"m going to go bananas. And I'm going to end up with sciatica. And I'm going to be bored out of my skull. Turns out I'd gotten quite used to exercising! This coughing isn't fun at all. It MUST be done by tomorrow!

 

[MommyLove]

OMG, it goes to 11!! That is so awesome. I must have one.

I hope your trip is super magical. Lots of days, that's fantastic! We're going from Dec 28 - Jan 7. Ya, a lot of days and yes, that hotel charge does add up fast!

Sure hope your cough clears up in time!

 

[kaoden39]

Molly, you should. Richard has a great class, E can do it too. I think that it is still $12 a person to exercise and Richard is always fun and the more the merrier! Here is a link to RS schedule for October.


I hope your cough goes away!


What did you end up getting for E's costume? I know he is going to be a pirate.

 

[bumbershoot]

OMG, it goes to 11!! That is so awesome. I must have one.

I hope your trip is super magical. Lots of days, that's fantastic! We're going from Dec 28 - Jan 7. Ya, a lot of days and yes, that hotel charge does add up fast!

Sure hope your cough clears up in time!

Isn't it hilarious that it goes to 11? It's so subtle, or maybe it's just unexpected. I mean, who expects to have a Spinal Tap moment with Buzz merchandise?

Thank you!

Molly, you should. Richard has a great class, E can do it too. I think that it is still $12 a person to exercise and Richard is always fun and the more the merrier! Here is a link to RS schedule for October.


I hope your cough goes away!


What did you end up getting for E's costume? I know he is going to be a pirate.

We have some random things to be put together (after coloring them with brown RIT dye) into a sort of piratey costume, but not like the captain of a ship...more like a down on his luck first mate or even a cabin boy (which sounds icky to me, but then I've watched far too much Saturday Night Live in my life to be able to say "cabin boy" without going to a bad place in my head), but also with the pirate singers in mind. I dunno, I'm not sure if it'll work, but if HE thinks it works, that's what is important.

I'll definitely check out that link! How fun would that be? Kids can go too? Cool!


*************

Took MIL to her appt and a lab visit today,and got to watch the difference in everything with her when she has enough food in her system vs not. She was one way for over 2 hours, bright, sparkly, happy (tired, but OK)...then suddenly she was NOT OK. It was very very weird. I mean, she looked like she had lapsed into Alzheimers or extreme old age or something, she just looked gone, and she got pale and wasn't talking... I noticed it immediately (the physician's assistant was looking right at her and didn't see it right away) and made her start eating her sandwich, even though we were in the doctor's office. She ate half of her little sandwich and the lights were turned back on in her head. It was THAT fast, both ways. Really really weird.

And I'm just remembering that now I KNOW she's taking her metformin, and that might be making a big difference in how she's dealing with her food... Augh this trip is just at the worst time! But her other son NEEDS to know how to help out, and this will be GOOD for him and her and everyone.

Since the cardiologist had just checked her out for the cruise (and deemed her OK), he brought it up (no one had yet). And in conversation with her later, she actually wants to go! She's not frightened of it at all. So there we are. Of course we'll talk to the neurologist and everyone, make sure they have their input, but the important thing is HER level of concern to start with.



Robert's home, and that's good, and we're right down to the wire of getting things ready for the trip!

 

[kaoden39]

Yes, kids can exercise, mine did. The oldest was thirteen at the time. Kids exercising is a big deal to Richard.


That's odd about your MIL. I am glad you witnessed it so that you have something you can tell your BIL so he knows what to look for. I say play be ear on the cruise.


Have fun with the crunch things.

 

[nancy drew]

Hi Molly,

I haven't been around much at all as I tend to go into a post-trip depression and don't really want to think about Disney much at all. But then I miss it, or am planning another trip, or something, and I come back .

I'm sorry to hear about everything that is going on with your MIL. I mean, it is awesome that she seems to be doing well right now but stressful that she has ongoing issues. Please know that even if I'm not posting here I am thinking of you guys, and your trip/life reports are one thing that keeps me coming back to Dis!!!!!

I hope you guys have an amazing trip!

Nancy

 

[bumbershoot]

Aw Nancy, I'm sorry you get post-trip-depression. ***hugs*** (the hugging emoticon always disappears right when I need it)




Robert visited with his mom today, and realized there are two other chunks of memory that she is missing. She told him to take care of me and his mother in law. And asked him why her daughter had broken up with her last boyfriend. Robert never had a MIL, since my mom died before we met...and my SIL's last boyfriend died from an MRSA infection. And she had forgotten the whole huge saga of Eamon's arrival (but he discovered that during her first hospital stay this month). So there are big holes; not big important things *for her*, but pretty big for other people! And she has memory from long ago as well as short term...it's really weird, where those "holes" are. OK, it's interesting when you think of it as a "patient"...it's sad and depressing and scary and sad again when it's a human, especially a human you know, especially a human that is loved by those around you.

Le sigh.

We had a phone conference with my BIL to make sure he knows what to do, what's going on, etc.


We actually leave tomorrow evening, and have all the transportation stuff settled. Whew.

 

[kaoden39]

Molly, maybe her memory will recover. I am sure that BIL will take good care of his mom. Have fun and relax. You need it after everything you have been going through.