Happy Boxing Day!
Today (while I lounge in my pajamas past noon after eating fudge for breakfast) seems like the perfect day for a Christmas recap.
A few days before Christmas we got snow. Snow seems to be happening more regularly in my little corner of the USA, but it is still this weird combo of a surprise, a treat and debilitating nuisance. This round came with bone chilling temperatures that are definitely not common in the Seattle area. The snow was followed by an ice storm! In all of my life Seattle has never had an ice storm. The whole thing made it a real b*tch to finish up last minute Christmas shopping, get groceries and to even take the dogs out for their potty time.
And just as the cold, snow and ice set in my husband went and got appendicitis. 🫤 We headed to the ER at 2am December 22nd. The hospital waiting room looked remarkably empty, but once we got into the ER unit things were cluster.
All 20 rooms were full. So husband was placed on a stretcher in a space that is hard to describe (but here goes nothing).
Imagine 20 hospital rooms lining the outside walls of a LARGE square room. The inside of the square has about 60+ cubicle desks, each with a computer where various hospital employees are working, chatting with one another, answering phones, etc. Bright over head fluorescent lights illuminate the entire space. A ten foot pathway divides the cubicles from the ER rooms. Docs, nurses, janitorial staff and patient families are constantly moving through this pathway. There is random hospital machinery in the path beeping, blinking and clanking. Supplies are being delivered. Soiled sheets, masks and gloves are going into garbage bins in this pathway. There is an automatic double glass door opening and closing that leads outside. This is where all of the ambulance patients are brought into the hospital. So each time the doors open bitterly cold winds blow into the unit…. Well, husband’s stretcher was in this pathway, pressed against a cubicle wall, right next to the double glass doors that went outside! He was there from 2am until 11pm!!!!
I stayed from 2am til 8am. Then came back for a couple hours at lunch. At some stage they made his diagnosis and gave him pain drugs. But there was no bed to had in the hospital. So hubs was just forced to wait. I had words with a couple of hospital employees asking why they couldn’t at least move him away from the outside doors, but it never happened.
His surgery was the morning of the 23rd (ice storm day). So I couldn’t get out of the house to visit him. The 24th he came home at about 1:30pm. Luckily the town had melted.
Then it was time to prep for Christmas again!
Christmas Eve was a combo of running errands, prepping food and wrapping presents. Hubs was pretty out of it after the appendix removal. We turned in pretty early to give Santa plenty of time to work his magic.
And the magic arrived!
After Santa gifts I put the final touches on our holiday decor to prepare for our lunch guest. The past couple years I have done kind of a blue coastal Christmas thing. It has a snowflakes meet the ocean vibe.
Our only lunch guest was my almost 98 year old grandmother. Things have been weird since the appearance of covid and my mom’s simultaneous cancer diagnosis. Mom is too sick to leave the house and dad doesn’t leave her side except for errands. This was also grandma’s first return to a holiday meal. She is remarkably with it and independent. She still lives on her own! I did pick her up and bring her over to our house though.
After exchanging gifts with grandma, we sat down to lunch. The menu included roast turkey (I did a breast and a couple legs vs a whole bird), stuffing, a potato casserole situation, green beans and cranberry sauce. To drink we had ginger beer and Riesling. For dessert I served apple pie and homemade rum fudge.
After lunch grandma and I went to my folk’s house. (Hub’s belly was aching too much post appendectomy to join). Our visit with my parents was surprisingly pleasant. Mom generally has a really hard time being out of bed, but yesterday she was pretty perky. We opened gifts and spent about 2 hours visiting.
After seeing the parents, it was time to head home for hubby and pooch time. We always open our gifts to one another Christmas evening.
In addition to family gifts, I also opened a couple of gifts from my Hive Family. I haven’t gotten my Secret Santa gift yet, but I’d did get Christmas treats from my Vegas buddies @summertooth and @silverd510.
I am excited to see you both back in Vegas in March!
Despite some crazy, it was a pretty good Christmas. It was great to be with family for the holidays again. I hope those of you who celebrate also had a pleasant day. ❤️💚
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I bet you are exhausted after all this yet have the feeling of accomplishment.
I had a challenging day on Friday the 23rd of getting my Roommate to her 5th Radiation treatment for a troublesome and painful tumor next to her spine. Summoning every shred of driving skill, vehicle preparation, and planning alternative routes to the hospital. (Plus a little prayer.) We were a little late but thankfully the staff was able to accommodate.
Great to see your Mom and grandma in good spirits.
A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and the family @dfinney 🎄❄️
Oh gosh. The 23rd was the worst day, and I know you guys got hit harder with all of the snow, ice and wind than we did! On the 23rd I was crawling on hands and knees just to let the pups out to potty. You are brave to have hit the roads! Your friend is so lucky to have you. Medical stuff is so overwhelming (even more so when you are the sick person.) You friend is so lucky to have you at her side.
She had already missed a treatment due to a previous snow fall earlier in the week when we weren't prepared fully. I was determined not to let it happen again. If she missed this one another opportunity won't come until the 28th at the earliest. We know that with Cancer, the earlier the treatment tends to yield better results even if it tips the odds a little. Having good winter tires paid off.
WOW! So much going on and yet such a beautiful time! Treasure all of these times together and store them up to bring out each year! Despite the appendix altercation, it sounds like it was a lovely time of love, sharing and family!
Take care ! Merry Christmas, @dfinney!🤗💜🎄 !LADY
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I think the ER visit is turning into a family tradition. Hubs was in the ER post thanksgiving 2021, then this thanksgiving his cousin (who came to our place for the holiday) ended up in the ER the night before. Now hubs was back again in the lead up to Christmas! I think these Australians have faulty wiring! 😄
That could be, lol!😂. Maybe they need more sunshine!
Hopefully, this will end your ER tradition for years to come! Take care sis!🤗💜🤗
That’s great that grandma still gets around. Glad you had a good day after the hospital stint.
My grandma is going to outlive us all. Today she was going to go put air in her tires!
Wow.......
I thought we had it bad up here......
I hope the hubby recovers quickly, sounds like the boys need to get him some good slurpies, it will make him feel much better Lol!😇😁
Doggy kisses fix everything @dfinney !🤗
Lets all hope 2023 is a bit smoother sailing!!!
Merry Christmas!!!🤗
Doggie kisses are a total cure all! Hubs is still tender in the belly, but ventured out of the house on his own today. So, he looks to be on the mend.
What a wonderful time with so much going on! These occasions you spent together are precious as you recall them every year. Despite the incident involving the appendix, it sounds like everyone had a wonderful time with family, love, and sharing.
I hope Phil is doing better. Regards to your mom! That photo of three generations is so precious!
Merry Christmas @dfinney!
Philip is doing better. Still a bit tender in his belly, I think in a week or two he will be back to 100%.
Seeing the fam at Xmas this year was really special. 2020 was covid and mom was still in the hospital. Last year I was sick. So this was our first Xmas since 2019, before everything changed so much. I was glad to have it cause you never know how many Christmases we have left to share. ❤️
It must be exhausting, @dfinney !
I'll pray for you, Philip for a quicker recovery, your Mom and grandma... and yes, your dad too
I'm glad you had a get-together this Christmas, and I hope you have many more.
!LUV
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That's so warming. It's nice to have a wonderful get together, after all the going on. Moments like this so precious !
Very precious indeed. I am very thankful for the family time this Christmas.
Merry Christmas from my ends 😍
Happy New Year from my middles? 😄
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