The Best Things in Texas

There are some really great things in Texas I have discovered (other than Dad and the Sullivans). One of them is the cowboys and the boots they wear. Real Texan men wear Wranglers, cowboy hats and boots. They also drive diesel trucks. I make this comment because I have fallen in love with......Lucchese boots! Today I purchased my third pair. Yep, third pair. Prior to today I had bought Luccheses on other visits to San Antonio. Hollywood has taken to wearing them quite a bit lately. Today's find was really yesterday's find - I found them yesterday and had to really think about it hard since Dan had told me not to buy any more boots. Well, after three phone calls telling him how much I really loved these, he agreed that I worked hard and deserved to have them. So much for my voice of reason. I went back today and had Albert (Alberto), the Tejano saleman retrieve my boots. He had hidden them back behind a bunch of other boots yesterday in case I decided to come back and buy them. Lucchese makes the very best boots and it is crazy how comfortable they are. These are brown distressed leathers and apparently all the rage right now (or so they say). I just know they feel great.

My second find of the day and one of the best things in Texas is El Pollo Loco!!! Muy bueno.

Dad'll be home Saturday

Dad should be coming home early Saturday morning. He walked outside today and I believe he was scheduled to take a shower later this evening. He made us all leave the hospital this afternoon. I think he's cogitating on the meaning of life. I know he'll be raring to go in the a.m.

I am a Walrus?

Here is Dad in the hospital doing fine. See? I told y'all. He is doing fabulous. I got a particular kick out of him Wednesday morning though. A nurse had come by to put a yellow band on his wrist because the hospital auditors would be coming by to check on things. A yellow band is put on patients over the age of 65 because they are considered a "fall risk." When the nurse told Dad he was a fall risk, he asked her seriously, "I am a walrus?" As you can see, he is eating good.

He also walked around the hospital floor this afternoon after Dr. Garrison took his massive drains out. Dr. Garrison was Dad's surgeon and is talented AND nice. He took the bandages off Dad's chest and exposed a serious incision area - at least 10" long. Once Dad's "strings" were unattached, he had me get him a wheelchair - not to sit in but rather to use like a walker. He took off down the hall, hardly waiting for me and the nurse. One of the nurse's down the hall yelled "we've got a runner!"

Everyone here is so nice and you can tell that they really enjoy what they do. They are not overly stressed and it is really comforting. Here is Dad's respiratory therapist, Lisa. She made him work very hard with his breathing - she wants to make sure he does not get pneumonia.

Dad has had a few visitors. Joe and Jeanne Sullivan have been in quite a bit as has David Savage (mail gatherer extraordinaire).

We're hoping to get him home on Saturday or Sunday.

Side Trip to Texas

I am in San Antonio looking after my Dad. Hollywood just so happens to be in FL with G-Man and Dad, enjoying her well-deserved spring break. G-Man will be returning with her this weekend to Virginia. My little sidetrip was not planned but came to fruition on Monday evening when Dad called me with the results of his angiogram. He was NOT (as he planned) going home with a different medicine prescription but rather he was staying at the hospital overnight and he was going to have open heart surgery the next day. So yesterday he had quadruple bypass, which unbeknownst to me happens to be a very common surgery. It may be common, but it is major. His surgery lasted 3 hours and fortunately they were able to do it "off-pump," without putting him on a heart/lung bypass machine. They were able to get him off the ventilator within 6 hours. And incredibly they had him into a chair several times today and he actually strolled the halls late this afternoon. He almost looks no worse for the wear although he has had some serious aching in his shoulders, caused by the retractors during surgery. I spent the night at the hospital in his room last night and he rested comfortably thanks to a shot or two of morphine. He had his surgery at TexSAn Heart Hospital, a heart speciality hospital with some of the best surgeons in the country. We are blest that his daughter-in-law, Susan is a critical care cardiac nurse in San Antonio and knows many folks on staff at TexSAn. She has been a godsend.

Meet Some Folks From Work

Stop Discrimination

I have the privilege of working with some very intelligent and genuinely nice individuals. I am introducing you to two of them today. I'll try and get to them all over time.

Here is Kay - one of my very favorite people at X Bank, where we work. I'll call it X Bank to protect the innocent (and myself as well). I think great things about Kay because she beautiful - blonde, blue eyes, perfect skin - but mostly because inside she is a great lady - very smart, deeply caring, and she has that sophisticated edge about her. Kay is in Sales and she lives in the beautiful city of Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband and her pre-school aged son. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech and she has been with us a little over a year. I always enjoy my visits to Charlottesville and Kay and I never lack for interesting discussions.

Now meet our Social Secretary - Lexi. (Not really - she is a Treasury Services Analyst) Lexi is young and fun-loving and her youthful enthusiasm has spread to our whole group. Lexi is engaged to be married and we love to hear stories about her intended. Lexi is bright (and pretty) and she is building a successful career at X Bank. She has her MBA from VCU and she is a karaoke master. Lexi has been partially yet significantly responsible for us winning some great new business recently.

TomTom is Not Always Right

While in Blacksburg I used my TomTom to find the AmeriSuites listed on my GPS. It is almost always right, but here is what I found where the hotel was supposed to be.It was the Virginia Tech Sheep Center! I thought the babies were so cute so I got out and took a picture of them. The first picture is of the sweet babies. In the second photo you can see that "Mom" has spotted me and is beelining it over to investigate. I thought that would be a good time to leave.

On the other side of the street was a building under construction which I assume will be the FUTURE AmeriSuites. What do you think?

Hollywood is Torn

Yesterday and last night Hollywood visited the campus of Virginia Tech. She has been accepted there and wanted to learn more about their Corps of Cadets. The VTCC is a military school within the larger university and they have a great reputation. So...she had the opportunity to "Spend the Night with the Corps." Here she is with her hostess, Ashley.

Virginia Tech is a beautiful school. I took a picture of the memorial in front of Burruss Hall, remembering those who died last April 16th. It is a long way from home though, and it takes 6 hours to get there from our home.

They really like their Hokies in Blacksburg. You see these guys all over town.

So after a successful visit, Hollywood is very torn about which school to attend. She plans on thinking it over through the weekend. Her other choice is VMI. They folks at VMI have been extremely welcoming and have made her feel like she belongs there. I have my opinion but I'm trying hard not to sway hers but keep your fingers crossed.

Soccer All Day Long

Today was a soccer tournament for the varsity teams for the area TCIS schools. Hollywood's team brought home the prize after beating out 3 other teams.

The girls played really smart. They have some talented girls on the team - one of ours brought home the team MVP award.

Here is Hollywood getting ready to eat dirt. She hit the ground a good 4 times today and has the gravel skid wounds to prove it. She will not be a happy camper tomorrow.

A Not So Serious Athlete in the Family

Well, it is varsity! Here is Hollywood at her first soccer game of the season. I took several "action" shots but because I did not know how to operate the zoom lense on her camera, I had to ditch them all because you could barely see the players. I did manage to get a few other shots off the field. Congratulations to the Lady Crusaders - they beat Churchland 9-2.

A Serious Athlete in the Family

Miss M, one of my nieces, is going to go to James Madison University in the fall and she will be going on a field hockey scholarship. She played on the best team in the city and they won all of their contests. She was also voted onto the All-State Team. This is a photograph of her on National Signing Day.

London Pics

Here we are in the Tube. The London underground system is very efficient and fairly easy to navigate. You can get to just about anywhere in the Tube.

The Londoners are protective of their visitors. So much so that they have taken to marking on the street which way you should look as you cross the street. "Look Right" or "Look Left" is painted (thankfully) on practically every single street you cross.

Moms in London

I get to make a check mark today. That is I get to check one thing off my "bucket list." I am sitting in London at this very moment - something I have dreamed about for a long time. I have always wanted to go to Europe and what better place to start than London. It has exceeded my expectations. Much more sophisticated and metropolitan than I imagined. I love the smart look of Brits - they really appreciate fashion.

Getting here was a real treat. Because my sister, The Old Stewardess works for the airlines, we were able to go in First Class. That is definitely the way to go on a transatlantic flight. I had my very own cubby hole with a bed and a video screen.

Did the Hop-On Hop-Off bus today. Will do more tomorrow. The Old Stewardess and I were gabbing so much on the bus that we totally missed Buckingham Palace! I will post pictures later!

God Save the Queen!