I'm So Excited!

This has been the real first week of planning for the Africa trip this summer. First of all, my passport photo was rejected because, although I felt I looked really good, apparently my facial bruises were way too evident in the picture. The letter stated that "facial decorations are not allowed unless worn all the time." Seriously? Someone thought those were decorations? But not wanting to waste a moment, I raced to CVS, took another photo and mailed it in immediately.

And this next paragraph is dedicated to Brenda, my nephew's wife who from now on is officially my niece (by my declaration). She has worked so hard on this trip and certainly isn't through yet, but has impressed me immeasurably. We're going to meet up in Amsterdam and then fly together to Kilimanjaro (I had to check the map to ensure the airport wasn't near the Mount). At that point we'll be picked up by a tour for a four-day, three-night safari through the Serengeti. And just viewing the pictures of where we'll be staying makes my tummy flip every time I look at them. And they will take us directly to Bunda where Charles, Karen, and John live. Based on the work Brenda has done so far, I can safely say I never could have attempted this on my own. God bless her!

And now the only downside of my week... I tutored Alaeldin (pronounced Aladeen) yesterday and had a long conversation with his dad afterwards. I explained to him, again, that this is my first experience with autism and I just can't be sure that he's learning anything because he doesn't seem to remember anything from week to week. And then the dad asked, "Well, what should we do?" My heart literally hurt when he said it because the expression on his face was filled with despair. And at that moment I realized that he and his wife are as lost as I am. I do know that Alaeldin knows his multiplication tables through the fives, so by golly I can, at the very least, teach him the rest. We left it with he will talk to the teacher and maybe we will try 30 minute sessions two or three times a week during the summer.

Well, I seem to have be rambling, so will stop now and see you next week. Bye.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

 I'm not gonna lie... this was our first stop after landing in Seattle (per my request). We bought some cookies and chocolate and although everyone did not participate, those who did were happier.

It was a 4-hour drive to our destination on Lake Chelan and it's been a long time since I was in such a beautiful place. I could have stayed for a month! There were 27 wineries in the area and we didn't even attempt to hit them all, but with the help of Yelp and Trip Advisor, I'm certain that we definitely got to all the best ones. Sipping on wine while viewing snow-capped mountains was my favorite part of the trip, especially on the sunny days. However one winery was so totally different that I couldn't help but love it. It was called Karma and was basically a cave built into the side of a mountain. I enjoyed a champagne flight of three different champagnes and they were all full-sized. I definitely got my money's worth, but I was pretty worthless afterwards. It was just so cool!

This was a trip that one of my Katy friends got as a time share from a man in her Sunday school class. I really didn't want to go after New York and with Africa on the horizon, but it was just too cheap to pass up. And now I hope to go back some day in September when the grapevines and apple orchards are all ready for harvest. It's gonna happen!

And on the home front, I had a dog sitter staying at the house and was so surprised when I received a text one morning that Simon had killed a rat in the backyard. What??? My little strange bird, Simon? She said Glory wasn't even interested in it and I would have pegged Glory as the hunter. Apparently I was very wrong. Anyway, the best part of this story is that I wasn't there to deal with it. Hallelujah!
 

Washington Wineries

Tuesday I had an appointment to get my passport for Africa this summer and will laugh for many years (hopefully) because my face was still bruised. No amount of makeup hid it all and sadly, the photo is NOT attractive. But it's done and I'll just live with it for the next 10 years.

Friday, three friends and I flew to Seattle to begin a week's vacation in Washington's wine country. When we made these plans in the fall all four of us foolishly thought it would be spring here, but how wrong we were. We saw snow on our way here and many of the surrounding mountains are snow-capped. Regardless, it's still beautiful country.

Yesterday we went on a day trip, starting with tasting in a winery, followed by a couple of hours in a casino where I'm excited to report, I won $210! Then we stopped by the Grand Coulee Dam and toured their facilities. It was a long day, but very productive.

This morning we rested and then went to a big Easter brunch in Chelan, the nearby town. Afterwards we came back to the condo, took a long walk beside the lake, and then came back for games. Tomorrow we have another day trip and may hit a few more wineries. This is definitely my kind of vacation!

What a Difference a Week Makes (kinda)

Continuing where I left off... I spoke to a nurse in my doctor's office Monday morning and she told me to go to the ER immediately. So I did and they did a CAT scan and there was no bleeding in the brain. The doctor said I probably had a mild concussion and to expect a one to two week healing process (I'm now on day 10). She also said that the headaches were caused by the blood from my forehead draining down into my face... sooo attractive! So I felt better immediately and the headaches aren't nearly as bad now as they were, mainly just a nuisance. So by Wednesday I was feeling pretty good and needed to get out of the house, starting with the grocery store. Then Thursday I got a pedicure and a haircut. Even though I carefully put on special makeup, the blue still showed through on my face and everyone I saw asked what happened when I thought I looked great.

I looked even better yesterday and went to the clubhouse to play Trivia last night. Imagine my surprise when everyone I saw was actually shocked and one woman even told me I looked like a Smurf! So at this point I feel good, but look bad. And I just don't care anymore. Tomorrow I'll be back in my old routine and really looking forward to it. The only bad thing is I have to have a passport picture made on Tuesday, so that might end up being a real joke. And you know what? I don't care!

And She's Down Again!

It's not my pleasure to report that I fell once again due to my own stupidity. I take Trazadone to help me sleep and it's the best miracle drug I've ever found... not addictive and I sleep better than I ever have in my adult life. The bad news is that one is good but two are terrible. I accidentally took two on Tuesday night because I forgot I took the first one. I realized my mistake immediately, but just assumed I'd sleep even better than normal. But not so... I remember getting up to go to the bathroom and the next thing I'm aware of is waking up on the floor. I had hit my forehead and had a pretty bad headache, but made it back to bed and continued to sleep restlessly. When I got up the next morning I had quite a bump on my head. I didn't feel great but took the dogs out for a short walk, then stayed on the couch the rest of the day. When I was ready to walk the dogs in the evening I looked in the mirror for the first time since morning and had two huge shiners. Dammit!

The next morning the bruising and swelling had moved down my face to the bottom of my nose. And it's only gotten worse since then. Based on Dr. Google, I'm pretty sure I have a concussion, but everything I read stated that the only cure is rest.  I did call my doctor but couldn't get in until the 11th and figured I'd be fine by then so didn't make an appointment. In the days since I've realized that was a mistake because I continue to have headaches daily and am more tired each day. So tomorrow I'll call the doctor again, speak to a nurse, and try to get in sooner. So we'll see, but in the meantime, I'm happy on my couch thanks to Netflix, Amazon books, and wonderful friends who have been to the grocery store for me as well as stopping in to visit. I really think they just want to see how bad I look. Can't say as I blame 'em.