Mother's Day Trip

24 hours isn't a lot of time to spend with your family; however, having not spent a Mother's Day with my mom since I was in my teens warranted just an occasion.

I have to say that taking a flight on stand-by is a little nerve wracking when you have limited time. Luckily, this trip I was able to get on both of my flights OK, although it looked like it might be a little dicey there on the trip home. In addition, flying on small planes that hold 50 people are somewhat uncomfortable at best - however, can't really complain when I'm able to save some $$ on my trips. The next trip should have me in Dallas the 3rd week of June.

Mom is doing OK for now. The doctor took a second blood test as they apparently weren't sure the first results came back correctly - but they came back the same. Her general health has overall improved; however, the cancer is still trudging on in her body. Mom's right shoulder gives her the most amount of pain; she lays on her side to relieve that pressure so not sure that she sleeps all that well. She is on Oxycodone and morphine pills; says the pain relievers don't work. However, within an hour of taking the Oxycodone, she felt good, little to no pain so it must be working. She's afraid of becoming addicted to the drug; my mantra of "don't chase the pain" doesn't seem to be working really well right now; however, I think she's starting to see the value of that.

We spent my time there pretty much talking which we've typically not had much of a chance to do in many years. I'm not one to talk a whole lot as I think what I have to say isn't all that interesting, so she told me some family stories from when she was in her late teens/early 20s. I have a lot of info I really want to gleen from her, so I'll be recording stories the next time I see her. We also went through a lot of pictures (which I think is a mere fraction of what she has) and some valuables that she has, including an old "IKE" pin that was given to her by my grandfather. It's still in great condition - she had me take that so I can keep it safe somewhere; think I better invest in a safe deposit box soon.

For Mother's Day, mom's friend Eli made some little gift packets for the ladies staying at the facility from Avon samples that she has acquired being a rep. She wanted to get them out of her house into the hands of those that can use them. Eli put them in these nice little colorful plastic wrappers and then into a basket lined with an old lace curtain (or maybe it was a tablecloth). She put a sign on it that said it was from my mom and her "Avon friend." The ladies really appreciated them and mom actually met more residents; she's been there for 5 weeks and hasn't really ventured out to meet anyone besides those that are at her assigned table in the dining room. I always find it very fascinating to learn about the lives of these folks; their tales of the depression and jobs in their early years are interesting to hear.

If you haven't had the chance to send mom a card or letter or call her, I encourage you to please do so. She sees a lot of her local friends, but said she hasn't heard from much family yet. You can send mail to the following address:

Rebecca Allard
c/o Dayspring Assisted Living
6400 Cheyenne Trail #220
Plano, TX 75023-3774

If you need her phone number, feel free to email me and I'll send it to you.

Another Trip

I'm headed down to Dallas to see mom for a quickie Mother's Day trip - leave Saturday afternoon, come back on Sunday evening (hopefully - if a seat is still available or I get to wait until Monday). Not much to report right now; doctor did some blood work last week, but couldn't get solid results, so took more blood on Friday - guess they'll know more this week about what is going on. Mom said they talked about putting her on some mild chemo or doing some small doses of radiation to hopefully help with the pain she feels in her shoulders. I'll report what I learn after this weekend.

It's been a busy week or so - finishing off papers and studying to take finals so I can close out two of my classes; then I'll have 4 certificates to obtain that will show how much closer I am to that degree. I have debated about taking at least one class during the summer semester, but I'm almost afraid to take on anything right now - I'm carrying such a great grade point average that I don't want to put it into jeopardy with all of the distractions. So, I'll probably wait until fall but even then will be kind of a crap shoot. I hate not being able to make a plan - as soon as I get everything put into place, a monkey wrench gets thrown into everything. Patience will just have to preside for now.