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

Dorine! Coming out of lurkdom again to speak to you about nursing school. My daughter graduated with a BSN and became an RN nearly 2 years ago and she is doing FABULOUSLY. She did all her own research and found an in-state college, with a good reputation, where you could get a BSN in 4 years, and went there. Apparently some colleges have a "pre-nursing" program where you get a 4 year degree and then go to nursing school for another 2 years. What the heck???? Now she has a bunch of letters after her name, because she continues getting certifications and such, and told me the other day it looks like she's going to make $80,000 this year. AT 25 YEARS OLD. :faint: She started out as an ER nurse and now she's working in neuro/trauma ICU at a level 1 trauma center. There are so many paths to go on with nursing!

I will say this: getting a nursing degree is expensive (fees-labs-uniforms-all sorts of stuff), and it has to pretty much engulf your life for those years. But wow, the payoff!

Glad your dad's better, consider what having a kitchen in his apartment will mean for his safety, congratulations to V, congratulations on maintaining your health, congratulations for paying off your car!
 
Good to hear your plans are working out for your dad. It will be great for him and so wonderful for your whole family to have him so close to do things with. Just think of all the times you can just bring him to your house for the day just to spend time with him. My dad still drives, but not very often. He did make it out for Easter and we had such a nice time. He does have trouble going up and down stairs, but other than that he does really well with just a cane.

I bet you are freaking out after the bombing in Manchester. I don't know how you do it with your girls going over there. I know it's a trip of a lifetime, but so scary in these times. My husband used to say when we retired he would like to go back to Europe. He was in the service in Germany and would have loved to travel back there. Of course now he's changed his mind. His sister and her husband went to Israel with a tour group a few years ago, but said it was scary at times and wouldn't do it again. I've never really had a desire to leave the country so I think we'll stick with travelling to Florida.

I imagine you're getting the house ready for Victoria's graduation. I bet it's a lot easier after doing so much to your house last year. My 2 oldest are 13 months apart and getting ready for the second was so nice. There's always a lot of prep though. What did you decide to do with your bathroom or are you holding off while you pay down your debt? That is really impressive how much you've paid off in such a short time.

My granddaughter's soccer game had to be cancelled Monday due to soggy fields. Looks like we're going to have some nice weather for the game tonight though. The weather looks nice for the next few days now so I hope you enjoy it.
 
Love the update and pictures. Your sewing room looks so bright and cheery. The Mother's Day pizza was so sweet - better than a store bought gift any day! Paying off debt is the best feeling - more fun than spending sometimes.

Good luck to you as you navigate the options for your Dad. Option #1 sounds a lot like where my Mom lived. We moved her to my town when she was 90. My step-father was in a nursing home and she was living in a town 75 miles away with no family or close friends. After an adjustment period, she settled into the new life style and did so well. She had 3 very happy years there. It was considered independent living so no continuation of care. There were onsight managers that lived there but any extra help had to be arranged and paid for by the resident. It was so nice to have her here. I was a regular visitor, participated in activities and had lunch there once or twice a week (also good homemade food!). Sadly, after a series of falls and other challenges, we made the hard decision to move her to assisted living. She was only there 3 mos. and is now in a long term care nursing home which was affiliated with the assisted living place and right across the parking lot. Each situation is different but looking back, I think we made the right decision and as things change, you again make the best decision you can. Best of luck to you and your family!
 
D, first of all, :bday:

Glad to hear you are moving your Dad closer. You both will be much happier. Congrats to V on her graduation!! I'm sure she is excited about her trip.

Shannon just got back from spending a week in London. She had a great time. I really want to go back sometime soon.

I'm currently working on my 2nd cold since the end of April. I started the first one while we were at Disney...


T
 


I have been so out of the loop again but am finally caught up. So glad to hear that things are falling into place with your dad. We've been trying to get my in laws to come up with a plan while they are still relatively young and healthy but...well.. I could write a book. I know from my grandparents being in subsidized senior housing that it takes a lot of planning and waiting and well, they have no idea what they are in for! But we try nevertheless.

congrats on the almost graduation. I know you'll be on pins and needles for the summer but I'm sure she will have an amazing time. I'm so sorry Allison had to quit her job. Her boss sounds like a jerk. Well in the end he will be the one suffering because a good hard worker is tough to find these days!! Good for her if she decides on nursing. I wish I had the stomach for it but I don't. Nurses really are truly amazing people. My daughter seems to not be grossed out by too much, maybe she'll decide when she is older. And geez like the person above said making $80k at 25 years old!! Wow!!!

Congrats on paying off the car! If you do have the FB group for budget, please let me know. Despite you emailing me the budget template, sadly I've done very little with it. I did take a look at our spending and was horrified, especially at the food "budget" so I really, really need to get a handle on it. Then again I feel like we're hemmoraging money with this darn puppy and her allergies, sickness and rx food! We could have easily purchased annual Disney passes for our family of 4 with all we've spent. Still trying to decide if she's worth it (kidding)!!
 
Hi everyone!!!

When I ended this TR - I didn't honestly think I would fall off of the face of the earth - but it appears that I have. :(

Life just kind of consumed me and I lost track of time. :hug:

I thought I would do a quick update, though it probably won't be that quick....

Where do I start?

OK - let's start with the kids....

Allison is doing very well! She found a great job at the end of May... She is working as a Resident Assistant in a memory care unit at a local nursing home. She LOVES it!!!! It's very rewarding for her and also very sad at times... She sometimes comes home, and begs me not to forget her. She loves the people, she loves the job and she loves the company she works for - they pay her very well and she has the option of picking up extra hours with bonuses... Which is excellent for her budget! She is working hard to finish paying off her student loans from beauty school, and it looks like she will have them paid off a few months early. She has decided to go back to school to get her RN degree - but she plans to get her LPN first, so she can work her way through college. Her and Gus are still dating, and it seems to be going well... I stay out of it mostly. Allison has also started eating Paleo with me, the is doing very well with it, and seeing great progress with both her health and her psoriasis.

Victoria has been a very busy girl!!!! She graduated at the beginning of June... We had her grad party at our house in mid-June... She continued to work like a maniac up until the night before she left. At the end of June, she flew to the Netherlands for her summer trip... 3 days later, she flew to Rome for a week... Then back to the Netherlands and the next morning they drove 14 hours to France - which is where she is currently. She is having a great time... All of the kids just love her... Although - she is having a lot of issues with sunburn - she has had two quite bad burn episodes since she has been there - one in Rome and one in France. She isn't nearly as home sick as Allison was (yet), and I don't anticipate that at all for her. Here are a few pictures of V and her recent events...

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Dad is doing pretty well... His health is slowly failing, but overall still remaining independent. Josh and I have made the tough decision to move him closer to us... As with anything big in life - there are pros and cons... In the end, we all agree that the pros outweigh the cons and it's time to make this big move. This has been a very confusing and intricate process, the big move date is quickly approaching - we have about 3 weeks. This is my last weekend at home for awhile - as for the next several weeks, I will be up at dad's getting his apartment organized, sorted and packed up. He is and is not looking forward to the move. I just hope - by having us closer and involved in his daily life, it will make the move a bit easier on him. :lovestruc

Josh - not much to update there... At the beginning of June, he went on his annual fishing trip with his dad, they had a great time! He is still working at the hospital, though he continues to look for greener pastures elsewhere.

Me - this might get a little long...

First things first... Our family graduated from Financial Peace University in June! We were so excited - we have made awesome progress this year on paying off all of our debt, we still have a lot to go - but we are making headway and I am proud of us!

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We just returned from our annual trip to the lake... For the most part - it was just Josh and I up there, but Allison did make it up for a few days and we were able to do our annual canoe trip while she was there. We all had a great time, it was beautiful and so relaxing!

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Somehow - through all of this mess and life-change, I've also managed to take care of me. At the end of May - sad and frustrated with my year-long stall/gain, I decided it was time to "start over"... Rather than continue to look at how much I had slid backwards over the last year - I got mad and said "enough was enough", and I decided to start right then and there from that point and move froward. I looked hard at what worked so well for me in the past - and decided to quit messing around... I committed to 100% Paleo, throwing in some Intermittent Fasting (www.leangains.com) and going back to my 30 Day Shred work outs combined with my heavy lifting. And I can honestly say, FINALLY, it's working!!! Through everything going on in our lives - I've totally committed to this - and have not cheated myself once... I feel great and so happy to be moving in the right direction again! I think the hardest part was just committing to giving up the sugar and the grains - slowly over the last year, I was letting more and more of them into my life and really denying to myself how much there really was... It was very difficult to have that conversation with myself and be honest. So, here's my latest progress picture - from yesterday... I have no idea how much I have lost, but I am wearing the same pair of shorts in both pictures - I am back to wearing all of my old clothes comfortably, but if I were to guess - I think I am still about 10-15 lbs from my lowest weight in January 2016.

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(Yes, on top of everything else, we did do a quick budget friendly re-do of our bathroom for V's grad party)

The Boys - they are doing great! They had a blast at the lake... Cooper is an absolute nut who LOVES the water - he is a total reincarnation of a 7 y/o boy! :lmao: All day, every day, he would jump off of the dock for no reason (never had to throw a toy), he would swim back into shore and jump off again... All. Day. Long. For 11 days... He was in his glory! And Max just followed along - sometimes he would jump and sometimes he would just swim out to Cooper. They had a grand ol' time. They are now home and recovering. LOL

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So, that is about all!

What does the future look like... Well, it's looking like our official "debt free" date will be sometime in the spring of 2018 :woohoo: - at this time, we are planning to be in Europe sometime at the end of May/beginning of June next year... It is my hope to be in Disney sometime in October 2018 - which means, once I get dad settled and V home, I should be able to begin another PTR. It's been incredibly difficult to not have a trip to plan, and I miss all of you so terribly much... I know nothing about this Oct trip - I have no idea who is coming, if anyone is coming, or if I am meeting anyone there? At this time, I just want to go. LOL

I've been relatively good about staying active on FB - so I've managed to keep up with several of you there, at least a little bit. I do miss you all - I've read all of your posts and it means the world that you all continue to check in occasionally. :hug: I hope all of your are doing well, sending prayers and pixie dust out to all of you. :grouphug:

D~
 
HELLO!!! :wave2: I am so happy for an update. I missed you!! Think of you often. Everyone is looking wonderful. Congrats to V for graduating and she looks like she is having an amazing trip. Alison, way to go! Glad she is finding her hearts desire. Being an RN is a lot of work, but it is so rewarding. (That is what my daughter is going to school for). The boys are cute as ever. So glad to here your day is doing well, and that he will be closer to you. Glad Josh is doing well too! As for you, you look AMAZING. You are such an inspiration for us all to do better, eat better and to love Disney more ~ LOL
So happy to hear that you working off that debt. What a huge accomplishment and relief to know that you did it. :cheer2:
We are all doing well here. We are awaiting a new little bundle in a few weeks ~ another girl! No trips for us this year. Mom will be having a procedure with her kidney. It will be a series of procedures over a time, but she is doing well and no issues.
Again, it was great to "see" you again! Hope everything goes well with your dad's move, V has a safe trip and everyone stays well. :love:
 


She has decided to go back to school to get her RN degree - but she plans to get her LPN first, so she can work her way through college.
I am so happy for Allison. She is such a loving person and this career path sounds perfect for her. Once she earns her RN she will have a good income, too. That must be something of a relief for both of you to know that she has found something that makes her happy. :)

She isn't nearly as home sick as Allison was (yet), and I don't anticipate that at all for her.
It's nice that Victoria is having such a good time. She was probably better prepared for the realities of being away from home than Allison was. It is a trip of a lifetime and she is a very lucky girl. :)

Josh and I have made the tough decision to move him closer to us..
That will be nice to have him closer so that you don't have the long travel times that you had before. :)

At the beginning of June, he went on his annual fishing trip with his dad, they had a great time!
The annual fishing trips sound like they would be a good time.

we have made awesome progress this year on paying off all of our debt,
Congratulations! You must feel great to have paid the debt down so quickly. It does get easier as the kids become financially independent.

We just returned from our annual trip to the lake.
The lake trip looks very relaxing. We used to go to the lake until my grandmother passed away. The time spent at her lake house was always my favorite part of the year. I think if two of our three kids hadn't moved out of state we might have tried to rent a lake house for a week every summer.

I feel great and so happy to be moving in the right direction again! I think the hardest part was just committing to giving up the sugar and the grains - slowly over the last year, I was letting more and more of them into my life and really denying to myself how much there really was... It was very difficult to have that conversation with myself and be honest.
It is hard to give up grains and sugars but the reward of feeling better is worth it. I would read about all your "slips" and felt bad that you had lost all that progress. I hope it comes easier for you now. :)

They are now home and recovering. LOL
I bet Max needed some extra recovery after all that swimming. :)

at this time, we are planning to be in Europe sometime at the end of May/beginning of June next year... It is my hope to be in Disney sometime in October 2018 -
Your May trip to Europe will be wonderful. I bet you can't wait to have your turn. :) And finally, it will be nice when you can have a Disney trip report again. I miss them. :)

There isn't too much new with us. I'm still working full time. We are still making good use of our annual pass. We took a short trip to WDW over the 4 day 4th of July holiday and it was nice - hot but nice. Disney fireworks spoil you for all other fireworks. ;)
 
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I was just thinking about you the other day. I'm glad you are all doing well.
I'm glad Allison found a job she likes and is going back to school. She'll make a good nurse. My mom was in a memory unit of a nursing home the last year of her life. The people that worked there were so caring and loving.
It sounds like V. is enjoying her trip to Europe. I think she was more prepared for the trip than Allison was. Sorry she got so sunburned. It must be hard for her since she's so fair.
Congrats on losing the weight you wanted to. You look really good in those pictures. Copper must be a handful but a lot of fun. I can just picture him jumping off the dock just because it's there and he can.
I'm glad you can start planning a couple of trips Europe in May sounds nice. We'll be going to Disney in September or October of 2018.
Not to much is going on here. I worked days for a month and am now back to my regular schedule. I walked 2 5k's. I was supposed to do a Harry Potter one at the end of the month but it filled up too fast. My daughter's doing it and I'm a volunteer because as my daughter said I'm good at yelling and telling peole what to do. I am doing a couple more in August and September.
Liz
 
What a pleasant surprise to see a mail in my inbox telling me you had posted on the DIS. It is so nice hearing about what you have been up to.

How great that Allison i doing well and that she loves her new work place.

It looks like Victoria is having a great time in Europe so far.

I'm glad to hear your dad is doing well even if his health is slowly failing. Crossing my fingers that the move will go well and that he will like his new home.

How great that your financial stuff is going so well.

How great that "starting over" with your food, weight loss and exercise is working so well for you now. Keep up the good work. I'm here cheering on you :hug;

Sounds like both you and the boys had a great time at the lake.

How exciting that you are going to Disney again some time in 2018. I do hope you make a post either here in this thread or on Facebook when your new PTR has started so I can follow it. Now that you're not on the DIS I'm not logging into the DIS either.


Ulf and I are now preparing for our big trip this summer. There is a lot to be done before we can leave Tromsø.

We have also started to look at what it would cost and how to get to Greenland and Iceland in one trip and we are looking into Hawaii for a separately trip. For now it looks like Greenland and Iceland will happen in 2018 and Hawaii in 2019. In 2020 we are going to Seattle, Washington and Alaska. This trip in 2020 we already decided to go on in 2015. The reason we are going to Seattle and Alaska in 2020 is because in 2020 Geocaching is having a 20 years anniversary.
 
I'm so glad to see you here again. Love to see your life updates. I'm not quite taking care of me yet, but it has been on my mind. I started walking everyday and now I need some cardio too. Glad to see you are committed to your health. I'm starting to see the importance of choosing a healthy life. You are looking amazing
 
Thanks for the heads up on the update! I've been missing the TR's. I was following several but seems everyone is busy with real life and not posting TR updates!!! Summer is the time to be outside enjoying the weather and not on the computer, so I totally understand.

I forgot that your Dad and Brother lived close together. How is your Brother handling everything. I know that must be tough for both of them. I hope your Dad gets moved soon and everything goes smoothly!

I have an AP that I haven't activated yet (bought it with the 13 month offer). I'll be activating it with our trip this November, so I'll have a bit left next year--maybe I can plan a trip that coincides with yours! Always fun to plan a trip (even if nothing is firmed up!!!)
 
Wow Dorine - your last post surprised me - I can't believe I was so far behind! I am so touched by your Dad's move, and by Allison's decision to become a nurse. I will be emailing you soon, as your last post really stirred up all that we went through with Mom. It will all work out Dorine, just give it time.

I can't believe it's your turn next year to go to Europe. That is on my bucket list. I have never been! Never enough time, and never enough vacation days to go. It sounds like V is having an amazing time. And then maybe Disney?

I hope to stay caught up until a PTR surprises us!!
 
It's been so long since I have done replies... My computer was acting up yesterday, I am still amazed that I was able to get my update done. Today it's much better. :)

HELLO!!! : I am so happy for an update. I missed you!! Think of you often. Everyone is looking wonderful. Congrats to V for graduating and she looks like she is having an amazing trip. Alison, way to go! Glad she is finding her hearts desire. Being an RN is a lot of work, but it is so rewarding. (That is what my daughter is going to school for). The boys are cute as ever. So glad to here your day is doing well, and that he will be closer to you. Glad Josh is doing well too! As for you, you look AMAZING. You are such an inspiration for us all to do better, eat better and to love Disney more ~ LOL
So happy to hear that you working off that debt. What a huge accomplishment and relief to know that you did it. :cheer2:
We are all doing well here. We are awaiting a new little bundle in a few weeks ~ another girl! No trips for us this year. Mom will be having a procedure with her kidney. It will be a series of procedures over a time, but she is doing well and no issues.
Again, it was great to "see" you again! Hope everything goes well with your dad's move, V has a safe trip and everyone stays well.

Thank you... I think of all of you often too... I cannot wait to get back on the Dis, and start planning again. :lovestruc

V is having a blast! She asked me the other day if she could go to art school in Europe... I have a feeling that girl might be going back for a much longer trip. :scratchin

Me too! Allison struggled so hard with what she wants to do... I think this is a good fit for her - she is so compassionate and giving.

Thanks! It has truly been a very tough year for me... So many stresses on top of my healthy living... I really just had to dig my heals in and become a little/lot stubborn with myself and those around me. Trust me, for V's grad party - we had 45 cupcakes just sitting here, and 2 dozen left over when everyone left - it took all of my strength and willpower not to eat them all... In the end - I had NONE. That was pretty impressive!

Sending prayers and pixie dust out to your mom... I hope her procedures go well and she recovers quickly! :lovestruc

Thanks for stopping by - I miss you! :)

I am so happy for Allison. She is such a loving person and this career path sounds perfect for her. Once she earns her RN she will have a good income, too. That must be something of a relief for both of you to know that she has found something that makes her happy.

It's nice that Victoria is having such a good time. She was probably better prepared for the realities of being away from home than Allison was. It is a trip of a lifetime and she is a very lucky girl.

That will be nice to have him closer so that you don't have the long travel times that you had before.

The annual fishing trips sound like they would be a good time.

Congratulations! You must feel great to have paid the debt down so quickly. It does get easier as the kids become financially independent.

The lake trip looks very relaxing. We used to go to the lake until my grandmother passed away. The time spent at her lake house was always my favorite part of the year. I think if two of our three kids hadn't moved out of state we might have tried to rent a lake house for a week every summer.

It is hard to give up grains and sugars but the reward of feeling better is worth it. I would read about all your "slips" and felt bad that you had lost all that progress. I hope it comes easier for you now.

I bet Max needed some extra recovery after all that swimming.

Your May trip to Europe will be wonderful. I bet you can't wait to have your turn. And finally, it will be nice when you can have a Disney trip report again. I miss them.

There isn't too much new with us. I'm still working full time. We are still making good use of our annual pass. We took a short trip to WDW over the 4 day 4th of July holiday and it was nice - hot but nice. Disney fireworks spoil you for all other fireworks.

Hi Sue!!! It's great to see you! :lovestruc

Yes - it is kind of a relief to everyone that she has chosen this career path... She really is so good at it and so caring... Plus - I told her that her experience will come in handy when I get old. :lmao:

V is having a great time... I guess I never realized how attached Allison was to me until she left last year - I didn't think she would have any problems either. I think V learned from watching Allison's trip... So did everyone else - which is why V's trip is a bit shorter and she is go-go-go the entire time... She doesn't have much down time to think about home. Though she does facetime me every single day - both of my girls did, but I am surprised that V does as much...

There are so many good things with having dad near us... It's almost countless. Just getting him here though - and getting all of his services/medical needs to match up has been a web of mess... I still don't know how I am going to do it all? Just trying to take one day at a time and breathe. Once we get him down here - it will be so much easier to fill in what we need or what we missed.

The debt is going away little by little... It's really fun - these days - to have so much extra in our budget to play with - our debt snow ball is huge and only getting bigger. We have paid off so much this year and it's just such a relief! :)

We enjoy our time at the lake very much... We don't do many family vacations - with all 4 of us - but this is one we never miss. :lovestruc

Yes - it has been a super tough year for me with my health... I continued to try everything and it seemed like nothing was working for me - it was very frustrating and defeating to me. I was beginning to think that it just wasn't in the cards for me anymore... Then I got mad and the rest is history. LOL I just really had to stop looking at how far I had come - how far I had slid back, and really just start over... Thinking of it as a new journey - rather than an extension of the old. It's one giant mind game. LOL

MM is still recovering and not quite himself... He spends so much time in the water at the lake - and with so much hair - every year he develops a "fungus" in his ears because they never completely dry out... So, he is on meds for that and just a little grumpy about the whole situation... He is getting better though. :lovestruc

We are looking forward to our trip to Europe... We are trying hard to keep this one a little bit "budget friendly" - as we will just have paid off our debt... I anticipate our next trips over to be a bit more exciting - this first one will mostly just be to see BMTL. :D Looking forward to Disney again too... I've missed it. Though there have been SO many changes... :scratchin

Glad to hear that you are getting good use out of your AP... I hope to be a yearly AP holder in the coming years. ::yes:: I sure enjoyed mine while I had it - and wish I could have used it more, but oh well.

How are you liking your kitchen??? It turned out so lovely - I bet it's still wonderful! :lovestruc

Thanks for stopping by Sue - as always, it's great to see you! :hug:

I was just thinking about you the other day. I'm glad you are all doing well.
I'm glad Allison found a job she likes and is going back to school. She'll make a good nurse. My mom was in a memory unit of a nursing home the last year of her life. The people that worked there were so caring and loving.
It sounds like V. is enjoying her trip to Europe. I think she was more prepared for the trip than Allison was. Sorry she got so sunburned. It must be hard for her since she's so fair.
Congrats on losing the weight you wanted to. You look really good in those pictures. Copper must be a handful but a lot of fun. I can just picture him jumping off the dock just because it's there and he can.
I'm glad you can start planning a couple of trips Europe in May sounds nice. We'll be going to Disney in September or October of 2018.
Not to much is going on here. I worked days for a month and am now back to my regular schedule. I walked 2 5k's. I was supposed to do a Harry Potter one at the end of the month but it filled up too fast. My daughter's doing it and I'm a volunteer because as my daughter said I'm good at yelling and telling peole what to do. I am doing a couple more in August and September.
Liz

Hi Liz!!! I think of all of you often and wonder how you are doing. :lovestruc

Allison truly loves what she does... She has been absolutely heartbroken a few times already - they lost a patient last week who Allison really enjoyed, so that was really tough for her. She has so much compassion though and she is so personable - I feel like this is a good career choice for her.

V is having a great time. Yes - both of my girls have the "Geurts skin" - lots of red-heads on that side of the family... Though the girls didn't get the red hair - they got the red-headed-fair-skin... They burn, they don't tan... So, sometimes even reapplying sunscreen over and over does little for them.

Thank you - I still have the intention of getting to my original goal size... I am excited to be making progress in that direction again! :woohoo:

Cooper is a nut... There are no other words LOL! He would just be laying there nicely on the deck - relaxing... All of a sudden, he'd get up, run down the dock and jump in. LOL It was great fun with him there. ::yes::

Sounds like you have been busy! I love the idea of a HP themed walk/run!!! How cool would that be? I bet it will be a lot of fun! LOL on what your daughter said - I think we could all do that job very well. :lmao:

Thanks for stopping by - it's great to see you!

Don't post often, but read always. What a nice surprise to see an update!

Hi there! Welcome!!! I am happy to hear that you've been reading along. :lovestruc I hope to get back to TR writing in the fall - I sure do miss it. :lovestruc Thanks for stopping by! :)

What a pleasant surprise to see a mail in my inbox telling me you had posted on the DIS. It is so nice hearing about what you have been up to.

How great that Allison i doing well and that she loves her new work place.

It looks like Victoria is having a great time in Europe so far.

I'm glad to hear your dad is doing well even if his health is slowly failing. Crossing my fingers that the move will go well and that he will like his new home.

How great that your financial stuff is going so well.

How great that "starting over" with your food, weight loss and exercise is working so well for you now. Keep up the good work. I'm here cheering on you

Sounds like both you and the boys had a great time at the lake.

How exciting that you are going to Disney again some time in 2018. I do hope you make a post either here in this thread or on Facebook when your new PTR has started so I can follow it. Now that you're not on the DIS I'm not logging into the DIS either.


Ulf and I are now preparing for our big trip this summer. There is a lot to be done before we can leave Tromsø.

We have also started to look at what it would cost and how to get to Greenland and Iceland in one trip and we are looking into Hawaii for a separately trip. For now it looks like Greenland and Iceland will happen in 2018 and Hawaii in 2019. In 2020 we are going to Seattle, Washington and Alaska. This trip in 2020 we already decided to go on in 2015. The reason we are going to Seattle and Alaska in 2020 is because in 2020 Geocaching is having a 20 years anniversary.

HI there!!! It's great to see you too! I've missed you all so much! :) I've done a relatively good job of keeping up updates on FB - so glad I get to connect with you there.

I flipped over your calendar the other day (we were at the lake for the first 11 days of July) and thought of you and wondered if you were enjoying the weather? I love the houses on the July calendar - they are just so perfect and pretty!

I will definitely post here when I start my new PTR... I am hoping with my time away, I don't lose too many of my Dis friends. :lovestruc

WOW!!!! You guys have a LOT of great trips coming up!!! I've followed you around the world, I think. LOL I cannot wait to hear all about these trips too! And Hawaii... Swoon!!! Jealous! One day!!! You guys are going to have so much fun! :woohoo:

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you are doing well! How's the new car??? Are you getting used to it? Have you found a new place to live yet??? I'd love an update! :hug:

It's great to "hear" from you, and I'm glad things are going so well!

Awwwh - thank you!!! It's great to see all of you here again... I've missed you all! :hug:

I'm so glad to see you here again. Love to see your life updates. I'm not quite taking care of me yet, but it has been on my mind. I started walking everyday and now I need some cardio too. Glad to see you are committed to your health. I'm starting to see the importance of choosing a healthy life. You are looking amazing

Hey!!! Thanks for stopping by!!! I am glad we can keep up a little bit on FB too - that helps! At least we don't lose the connection completely. :hug:

Congrats on making life healthy for yourself - it's an endless battle, I think. Keep on, keepin on my friend!!! We can do this!!! :hug:

Thanks for the heads up on the update! I've been missing the TR's. I was following several but seems everyone is busy with real life and not posting TR updates!!! Summer is the time to be outside enjoying the weather and not on the computer, so I totally understand.

I forgot that your Dad and Brother lived close together. How is your Brother handling everything. I know that must be tough for both of them. I hope your Dad gets moved soon and everything goes smoothly!

I have an AP that I haven't activated yet (bought it with the 13 month offer). I'll be activating it with our trip this November, so I'll have a bit left next year--maybe I can plan a trip that coincides with yours! Always fun to plan a trip (even if nothing is firmed up!!!)

Ha - yah - it's been hard to get back here during these last weeks... Life has been crazy for me and I feel like it's probably that way for many!

Yes - well Jonathan doesn't really understand anything about Dad moving. We have a plan to allow them to spend time together as frequently as possible... It looks like Jonathan will now be spending about one weekend a month at our house... Allison has so graciously given up her bed so Jonathan has a place to sleep here - and she will take the couch. We are going to try this out for several months... The only time I really see an issue is during the winter months with weather - we may have to work around that a little bit. But we have a plan. They may not see each other as often - but they will see each other for longer. I guess - in the end, I can only do things as best as I can (which is something I am really struggling with right now) - I wish I could do better by both of them. Growing up - I never looked out this far in my life to see what this reality would be for all of us... Our family life has never been an easy one, and this time is no exception to that. I just have to do the best I can by them and hope it all works out. :lovestruc

So excited for your AP! Yes - that would be awesome to finally be able to meet you!!! Hopefully it all works out! ::yes:: I'll keep you all updated! I am hoping to have dates firmed up by fall this year - so we should have plenty of time to connect our dates if they overlap. :)

Wow Dorine - your last post surprised me - I can't believe I was so far behind! I am so touched by your Dad's move, and by Allison's decision to become a nurse. I will be emailing you soon, as your last post really stirred up all that we went through with Mom. It will all work out Dorine, just give it time.

I can't believe it's your turn next year to go to Europe. That is on my bucket list. I have never been! Never enough time, and never enough vacation days to go. It sounds like V is having an amazing time. And then maybe Disney?

I hope to stay caught up until a PTR surprises us!!

Hi Carol! You are not far behind at all. LOL It's me who is behind. ::yes::

It's been really tough moving dad... I cannot believe the paperwork, and just everything that has to fall into place... So many little things that have to be "just right" or his care won't be covered or he won't have the meds/oxygen... Just all of it. It's very stressful - and I am a bit panicky that it all falls on my shoulders. And the physicality of the move is the least of my worries. Another month from now and the worst of it should be over. I have kept him on all of the waiting lists from this spring - so, if he gets here and he doesn't like this apartment - then we can go out and look together... Which might not be the worst thing anyways - it will give him an opportunity to see that I did choose the best possible option for him. Sigh.

Yes - it's our turn to go over next year... We are planning to be there for about 10 days - most of which will be at BMTL's new house - we may take 3 days in the middle to go explore elsewhere, but we really need this trip to be as budget friendly as possible - as we will JUST have our debt paid off, and I don't want to veer off track as soon as we are free... We'll see. :) I am just excited to see them, and spend time with the kids! :lovestruc

Yes - maybe Disney... It's going to depend a lot on our Europe trip... and how the budget for that looks. But eventually I will go back and sooner rather than later. :scratchin

Hahaha! Me too! LOL Glad we can keep up on FB - that helps a lot! :lovestruc Take care Carol - it's always great seeing you here! :lovestruc

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WOW!!! I can't believe I actually completed my first set of replies in months! I also hope to go back and reply to the earlier ones I missed - so many of you wrote such touching things, which I haven't responded to yet. I will do my best. :hug:

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Sending prayers and pixie dust out to all! :lovestruc

D~
 
HI there!!! It's great to see you too! I've missed you all so much! :) I've done a relatively good job of keeping up updates on FB - so glad I get to connect with you there.

I flipped over your calendar the other day (we were at the lake for the first 11 days of July) and thought of you and wondered if you were enjoying the weather? I love the houses on the July calendar - they are just so perfect and pretty!

I will definitely post here when I start my new PTR... I am hoping with my time away, I don't lose too many of my Dis friends. :lovestruc

WOW!!!! You guys have a LOT of great trips coming up!!! I've followed you around the world, I think. LOL I cannot wait to hear all about these trips too! And Hawaii... Swoon!!! Jealous! One day!!! You guys are going to have so much fun! :woohoo:

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you are doing well! How's the new car??? Are you getting used to it? Have you found a new place to live yet??? I'd love an update! :hug:


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 :rotfl: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:
 
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 :rotfl2:Hope things continue to go well for you!
 
MM is still recovering and not quite himself... He spends so much time in the water at the lake - and with so much hair - every year he develops a "fungus" in his ears because they never completely dry out... So, he is on meds for that and just a little grumpy about the whole situation... He is getting better though. :lovestruc
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!
 
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.
 

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