~~October 2016~~Sew, it was the greatest Stitch Experience ever!~~Final Update 3/19/2017!

I tell you what, it takes a special person to work in memory care at a nursing home. We recently had to put my mother-in-law in memory care, and some of the things the nurses there deal with daily....it would break most of us.

I know you'll be happy once V gets home safely! Praying here!

Your trip next year sounds awesome!!! I know you've gotta be excited!
 
Hi D~!

Nice to see an update from you and know that everyone is well. Kudos to Allison for choosing nursing as a career. It can be very hard on your heart but very rewarding as well. I am sure she will do well. V's trip sounds and looks awesome! Someday we will make it over there. We want to do England as well as my DH is a big Coronation Street and Downton fan and would like to see some of the places they are/were filmed at. I'd like to look up some of the places my grandmother grew up around. Such an interesting history to it all. The lake vacation looks very relaxing and I can so visualize Cooper running and diving off the dock! Sounds like the boys had fun there. I am glad you are able to move your dad closer to you to be better able to help him. It may be hard right now, but I am sure it will be better in the long run. Your future trips to Europe and Disney sound great. Can't wait to hear all about them as well!

I am super excited that DH and I are going to WDW this fall! We are still in the midst of planning it and only have a couple of things finalized at this point. I think this is the longest we've had to plan a trip and we really don't have much planned yet, not even what park we are doing each day. DH is pretty much leaving everything up to me and has said that anything goes since this is my birthday trip. Although, he did just snag dinner at CRT on my actual birthday! I am so looking forward to that and doing MNSSHP the same night. I think that is the only reason we were able to get that reservation! We are also excited about enjoying F&W at Epcot while we are there. I need to finish planning so I can book a few more TS meals and book FP in about 3 weeks.
 
Hi Dorine! So nice to see your update. I am an infrequent poster, so much so I forgot how. I enjoyed catching up with your busy life. Good luck with moving your father, it is difficult but you will be so happy you did it I hope you get to start planning another trip. i enjoy reading about your girls, home renovations and general life goals. You accomplish a lot !
 
Luckily for me the weather hasn't been too hot lately. I don't know how much how information you have got from my facebook. I need to get better on writing my updates there in English too. In the middle of June we got snow and I had change the tires on my car to summer tires which meant that if it was snow on the road I couldn't use my car. Luckily the snow melted on the roads right away even if we had 4 inch of snow everywhere else on the ground.
We haven't got any more snow in July, but it has been snowing in the mountains around Tromsø now in July.

I just have to thank geocaching for all our trips the last 7 years. We wouldn't have thought of going all the places we have been if it wasn't for geocaching. We have visited so many places thanks to geocaching. Visiting 48 states in the USA would never had happened if it wasn't for geocaching and our planned trips to Alaska and Hawaii would never happened as well if it wasn't for geocaching. Russia is also a place we never would have gone to if it wasn't for geocaching, just to mention a few places we would never have visited and there are many more places I could tell you about that we never would have visited if it wasn't for geocaching.

I'm doing well. In May I had my car back at the garage to get some parts better adapted to me so it's more comfortably for me driving the car. The car is now working well and I'm getting used to it. The last weeks I have said to Ulf that I think the car has shrunk because we have washed it so much because it doesn't feel like it's taking so much space on the road as I felt it did when I first got it.

I haven't found a new place to live yet. I haven't even sent the application to get help with the finance yet. It's just so tough having to tell all about your life in the application. But I will get it done when we get back from our road trip.

I don't know if I told you this before, but my car place in the garage is really small so I can't use it myself because if I park in my parking space I can't get out of the car. I need a lot of space to get in and out of the car and the cars in the garage are really close to each other. Ulf is driving my car in and out of the garage. There is one parking space in the garage that is almost twice the size of the other parking spaces in the garage. A neighbor of mine has this parking space because he also has a wheelchair accessible car. He had the parking space when I moved in here and I haven't had the need for a big parking space until now since I had a small car before. My neighbor is now moving out so I wrote to the cooperatives board and explained that I need that parking space now because I now have a wheelchair accessible car. I got my wishes and I got a letter saying that I'm granted that parking space. My neighbor is moving out 1st August. So when I get home from our road trip I have to start practicing driving the car in and out of the garage. So far Ulf has done this since I can't get out of the car when my car is parked in the small parking space.
So that will be an improvement from how it is today.

I still have to move since my apartment is too small to move around in it in a wheelchair.

Have a great weekend :hug:

I try to use the "translate" option on many of your posts - though I don't see all of them. Glad you are having decent driving weather now. :)

I am glad that you've been able to explore the world through geocache-ing... That's really cool and you've been able to see so many places that others only dream of seeing. :lovestruc

Happy to hear that your car is fitting you better and it makes it easier to drive. That is awesome! I knew you'd get used to it! ::yes::

That is awesome about the garage! I am so happy to hear that you were able to get a space that's much more user friendly to you! :woohoo: WTG advocating for yourself - I know that can be so hard to do!

Hopefully you are able to find an apartment soon! ::yes::

Thanks!!! I hope you're having a good week!

Loved seeing an update! Glad to hear things are falling in place for you and your family. A RN career seems perfect for your daughter. That field needs compassionate people. I SO appreciate the workers at my mom's nursing home that care and go above and beyond. Glad V is enjoying her European adventure! I'm sure that makes it much easier on you. So stressful getting your Dad moved but once all is said and done, it will be such a relief for you and nice for him to have family close. I moved my Mom here 4 years ago - her situation has slowly declined but at least she's close. I sympathize that you're basically going it alone. I have 2 sisters but sadly it's really up to me to make the hard decisions. You never know if you're making the right decisions but things do have a way of falling into place. Yay for your debt and Yay for getting your health on track! You have a lot to look forward to. My DH and I going to Disney early Dec. and we just booked a river cruise that goes from Amsterdam to Switzerland for Sept. 2018. I'm really excited as getting to Europe has been on my bucket list for a very long time. For me, having these things on the horizon helps me stay focused on eating right/exercising. Guess I want to be happy with how I look in pictures Hope things continue to go well for you!

Thanks! Sometimes life just gets crazy and it's hard to get on here with my schedule... I don't honestly know how I kept up with myself for so many years? LOL

I know how you feel - I feel the same about Dad's care too... But it sure will be nice to have him here so I can monitor it much closer. It's very difficult to do it on my own... Josh is helping a lot and so is Allison - obviously V can't do much at the moment... but all of us are so excited to have him close to us!

Debt pay off is going well... This coming payday is our last "smaller snowball" payment... And then due to paying off so much and our added income over the coming months - our snowball becomes dramatically larger. It will be so nice to have it all gone. :woohoo:

Soooo exciting!!! It is our dream to do a trans-Atlantic cruise that ends in Amsterdam... Then stay there for a few weeks, and fly home. Maybe in a few years? It would be even 1000x better if it was a Disney cruise, but I've never seen one that ends in Amsterdam. :scratchin

I don't blame you - trips are a huge motivation for me too... It's been very difficult this time finding my motivation without having a trip to keep me focused... So, this time, I just really had to do it for me. It wasn't easy, for sure - but it's working, so I am going with it. LOL You've got this though! Great job!

So being a scuba diver, we know about warm water ear issues! So here's the solution (my business partner uses this on herself and her labs): Ear Beer! Mix a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% alcohol. You can add a bit of glycerin to make it easier on the ears. After they get out of the water for the day, pour some in each ear. It kills the bacteria and the alcohol helps dry out the ears! When the water is warm divers are more prone to outer ear infections from the same bacteria. We all use ear beer to avoid any infections! Give it a try--it's cheap and works!

Oooh - this is awesome!!! I am going to try this... We are still trying to figure out his ears. Josh brought home an "ear wash" solution the other day, and it doesn't seem to be doing anything, except that Cooper loves it and has managed to lick a bald spot off of the side of MM's face by his ear. :scratchin Grrr... We need to try this! Thanks so much! :lovestruc

Happy to see an update from you! I am happy to see that you are moving your Dad closer, though I understand the anxiety you are going through. In the long run, it will be the best thing for both of you, and since you plan to bring your brother down to stay, Jack will get to see him too. I really think its best for everyone. Love seeing V's pictures from her trip. Lots going on here - we had to replace the air conditioner this year. We knew it was coming sooner or later, but had hoped to put it off another year, since I just bought a new refrigerator.

Yes - it's been so crazy and scary... I am terrified that I will forget something and then it will be a huge mess. Sigh. I just hope that Dad is happy down here... He will be able to see one of us every single day, between the girls being in town for work... Or me running errands in town... Or taking him out for dinner. There may be one or two days a week where we don't get to town... considering right now - we are lucky if we get to see him once per month - I think this will make a dramatic difference in his life and he'll likely get sick of us. LOL I can only hope - when I get to be to dad's level of care (hopefully I am much older than he is) that my girls will love me enough to move me closer to them... :lovestruc

Yikes - that is a major expense! I hope it didn't hit you too hard... :( Such a bummer! At least you, and your food, are now cool. ::yes::

I tell you what, it takes a special person to work in memory care at a nursing home. We recently had to put my mother-in-law in memory care, and some of the things the nurses there deal with daily....it would break most of us.

I know you'll be happy once V gets home safely! Praying here!

Your trip next year sounds awesome!!! I know you've gotta be excited!

Yes - Allison really, really loves it... Some of the stories she tells us - she has a definite gift of compassion and loving people - sometimes that makes her job very hard on her... but I love that she is there for them. Incredibly proud of her!

Definitely... She is good about calling every day - as Allison was. :lovestruc

We are excited! I am planning for 2 trips... ::yes::

Hi D~!

Nice to see an update from you and know that everyone is well. Kudos to Allison for choosing nursing as a career. It can be very hard on your heart but very rewarding as well. I am sure she will do well. V's trip sounds and looks awesome! Someday we will make it over there. We want to do England as well as my DH is a big Coronation Street and Downton fan and would like to see some of the places they are/were filmed at. I'd like to look up some of the places my grandmother grew up around. Such an interesting history to it all. The lake vacation looks very relaxing and I can so visualize Cooper running and diving off the dock! Sounds like the boys had fun there. I am glad you are able to move your dad closer to you to be better able to help him. It may be hard right now, but I am sure it will be better in the long run. Your future trips to Europe and Disney sound great. Can't wait to hear all about them as well!

I am super excited that DH and I are going to WDW this fall! We are still in the midst of planning it and only have a couple of things finalized at this point. I think this is the longest we've had to plan a trip and we really don't have much planned yet, not even what park we are doing each day. DH is pretty much leaving everything up to me and has said that anything goes since this is my birthday trip. Although, he did just snag dinner at CRT on my actual birthday! I am so looking forward to that and doing MNSSHP the same night. I think that is the only reason we were able to get that reservation! We are also excited about enjoying F&W at Epcot while we are there. I need to finish planning so I can book a few more TS meals and book FP in about 3 weeks.

Hey there!!!! It's great to see you! :lovestruc

Oooh - I should remind V about Downton... I bet she would love to see that area if she can... She only has a few days in London and I know they are jam packed days, because there is so much she wishes to see.

We sure do enjoy our time at the lake. It's always nice to be home though - and mostly just be back in my own kitchen. ::yes:: Then I don't feel quite as intrusive.

We are all looking forward to having dad near us... Secretly, I think he is looking forward to it too - he is just very apprehensive and nervous. Which is to be expected.

That is so exciting!!! :woohoo: It's been a long time coming for you! I am glad that you get to be there for your birthday - how fun! I hope you are able to get all of the FPs and ADRs that you want! Good luck!!!! Stop back and let me know how you all do - k?

Hi Dorine! So nice to see your update. I am an infrequent poster, so much so I forgot how. I enjoyed catching up with your busy life. Good luck with moving your father, it is difficult but you will be so happy you did it I hope you get to start planning another trip. i enjoy reading about your girls, home renovations and general life goals. You accomplish a lot !

Hahaha... I almost forgot how to post too. I feel your pain. LOL

Thank you - it's been so stressful, and a bit terrifying... My biggest fear is that I will forget something, and he won't have the proper care... I just keep telling myself that these Assisted Living places do this all the time, so they should be competent, right? ::yes::

I am working on planning another trip... It's still in the very early stages of planning... Still hoping and planning for fall 2018. ::yes::

Thanks! I hope to be better about being here - especially when I start my new PTR - soon. ::yes::

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello - I enjoy hearing from everyone, whether they post often or not. :lovestruc

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

I know I don't get here often for updates anymore... But I am trying hard to be a little bit better about it. ::yes::

Not much to update at the moment... Just living life. :)

V is back with BMTL... She is glad to be "home"... She was go, go, go for so many weeks - she really needed some down time. You all know how much she needs her sleep. LOL

Allison is working a lot... She has been trying to give her 2 week notice at Great Clips - but she can't quite time it well enough to meet up with her supervisor to actually give her notice. LOL She wants to be able to pick up shifts at the nursing home, but many times she can't because of the conflict of her GC job. :scratchin

Josh is well...

Boys are well... Still dealing with MM's ear... I am going to try Cathy's solution above. ::yes::

I am well - busy! As usual. I have a big week at work this week... I am headed to Dad's this weekend to begin organizing and packing - I am hoping to have the bulk of it done on Saturday - after all, he doesn't have that much stuff. ::yes:: Whatever I don't do this weekend will get done by Josh and I next weekend... Then he moves officially the following week. It's getting close! I really am so excited! I've missed him!

Still working hard - I am anxious to weigh myself for my monthly weigh in next week... I still feel like I am losing - though not as dramatically as I did at first. This is really where the heavy concentration in my life is right now.

I paid a large payment to one of my CCs on Monday... It will be paid off next week - and I cannot wait! :woohoo: This is a huge deal! This was my first CC ever... so it's a bit emotional. ::yes::

I am working on some trip planning. Myrthe and I confirmed trip dates for our Europe trip in 2018... We will be there for 16-17 days, depending on when we can find the cheapest airfare. I am very excited! When we were first talking - I was thinking 10 days... but they were a little upset that we were *only* going to be there for that long - they'd like us there longer... So, I guess we will be there longer. ::yes::

I am also working on a Disney trip... Fall 2018 is looking more and more like a reality. I don't want to say too much more about this, but I am 99% sure that it's a "go"... As soon as I know for sure - I will start another PTR. :woohoo:

As some of you may have noticed - Photobucket has instituted a new 3rd party hosting rule... I am not sure how this will affect my previous PTRs/TRs - it is entirely possible that all of my photos will disappear and it will render my TRs useless... I do know that I won't be able to go back and fix them - so if you ever wanted to read some of my old TRs... Now is the time to do it. Links are in my siggy. ::yes::

OK - gotta run - lots to do today!!! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all! :lovestruc

D~
 


Well, I've finally made it here to try to catch up on the TR. :rotfl: I was hoping to finish it this week but right now I'm only on page 22. I've got a ton to do today and tomorrow before I leave for Mom's so the rest will probably have to wait till I get back from vacation.

I did make it through the O'Hana Stitch meet and greet and that was just awesome! I had an awesome Stitch meet in March where he tried to come home with me but the CM wouldn't let him. I can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

I am also working on a Disney trip... Fall 2018 is looking more and more like a reality. I don't want to say too much more about this, but I am 99% sure that it's a "go"... As soon as I know for sure - I will start another PTR.

This deserves one of these guys. :dancer:And some of these. party:

As some of you may have noticed - Photobucket has instituted a new 3rd party hosting rule... I am not sure how this will affect my previous PTRs/TRs - it is entirely possible that all of my photos will disappear and it will render my TRs useless... I do know that I won't be able to go back and fix them - so if you ever wanted to read some of my old TRs... Now is the time to do it. Links are in my siggy.

Do you currently pay for your Photobucket account? If so, you have until December 2018 before the pictures disappear. I have a paid account so I decided to go ahead and finish my current TR using Photobucket and then switch to a different service for the next one. I have ambitions of going back and fixing the old TRs but it definitely is a daunting task. Right now I'm just researching other hosting sites such as Smugmug, Flickr and Imgur. I also read rumors that many of these sites will be doing what Photobucket has so I'm not sure which one I will use. Right now Photobucket costs $399 a year for 3rd party hosting!
 
It was so nice to get an update from you again to hear what you have been up to :)

I hope you get a lot done at your dads this weekend.

How great that you will pay off one of your credit cards on Monday :woohoo:

How exciting that you have decided the dates for your Europe trip in 2018. I can't wait to hear all about your trip planning.

How great that you have a new Disney trip planned. I can't wait to hear all about it.


Nothing much is going on here. I'm preparing the Europe trip by downloading A LOT of geocaches so we have a huge amount to choose from when we are on our trip.
We also talked about driving around in the USA again in 2020 to find some old geocaches from the year 2000. So I have been looking into that as well to find out which states there still are geocaches from 2000.
 
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LOOOOOOOVE this so much!!!!! :)

I am also working on a Disney trip... Fall 2018 is looking more and more like a reality. I don't want to say too much more about this, but I am 99% sure that it's a "go"... As soon as I know for sure - I will start another PTR. :woohoo:

Woo hoo for having a trip to plan....almost!!!! It really is the worst when there isn't another trip on the horizon, isn't it?!
 


I know this is over a year since you ended your trip report, but I had to comment. I found this when I was looking for a little Disney fix since we won't be going on a trip for quite a while. Your trip report was so interesting, but also inspiring. I am just getting back on the Dave Ramsey plan and am also looking for ways to be healthier. I love all of your life updates. I found them quite motivating!
 

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