The "Writing on Sunday, But Let's Not Make It a Habit", edition.

Sunday morning.  We need to get to Downtown Disney by 10:15 to get the tickets and seated for the Kirk Franklin Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues.  Ok, you're asking, what is Downtown Disney?  It's another  area in the vast space called Walt Disney World.  The world is made up of EPCOT, which I've described; The Magic Kingdom, with the iconic Cinderella Castle; Disney Hollywood Studios, with attractions based on movies and tv shows; Animal Kingdom, a literal safari land; Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, two large water parks, and Downtown Disney, the entertainment and shopping area.  Keep in mind, that I haven't even mentioned the many individual hotel areas....and every hotel area is, in fact,  a separate resort.

We head to the bus stops and the girls join us.  We wait for the bus the Downtown Disney.  Of course buses to every other destination pass by.  Lol. Our bus eventually arrives.  As Downtown comes into view, we realize this, as every other Disney "land", is massive. This place has 2 stops where the bus lets you off.  We also see a hot air balloon ride, a giant theater for Cirque de Soliel, an AMC theater, and the iconic Hollywood Planet sphere.  The bus driver tells us the first stop is the shopping district.  The House of Blues is in "Pleasure Island", the entertainment district, is the second stop, and that's the stop we want. 

We get off the bus.  House of Blues is still a ways off.  Time for me to get my hobble on ;-)  We walk the outer perimeter of Pleasure Island.  As we round the corner to the entrance of the area, we see lots and lots of cars and lots and lots of people.  It was like the Dream Cruise, except the cars were stationary and you could touch them and talk with the owners.  We had just walked into the Downtown Disney Car Show!!  Did I mention it was also hot? Lol. Of course, the House of Blues would be at the furthest end form the bus stop. Lol. Well, at least we had the cars to admire as we walked (hobbled) to our destination. 

We finally arrive and I notice there's a line and we also notice that there are some awesome gospel singers outside the door singing.  Yeah, that's nice, but I'm hot and I'm tired of walking. We head to the ticket window, I give my name and the lady gives me 5 tickets.  We get in line.  The line moves fast.  We enter and of course this place is stair city. :-(  But the stairs are tempered when we are seated.  We are front and center of the stage.  I mean we could not have been any closer. Score!!! 

Our server tells us the mimosas and Bloody Mary's are to our right, the omelet bar is to our left, and the massive buffet is behind us.  Heh, well, our fabulous seats are on the lowest level.  I need to walk up 3 stairs, then 3 more stairs, the finally 3 more stairs (!) to get anywhere.  Brian, bless his heart, brings us some Fresh.Squeezed.Florida.Orange.Juice.  <3.  That stuff is heaven.  I know, I know, my potassium has to be limited. But darn it, I had a small glass of Fresh.Squeezed.Florida.Orange.Juice.  Lol. When we were in Florida when I was pregnant, I couldn't get enough of it ;-)   The buffet was huge and on two levels, and the food was delicious.  I made my way gingerly up the stairs, and eventually found the ramps(yay!!).  I won't go into details, except the selections were standard brunch fare, soul food and creole food.  Did I say the food was delicious?  :-)

While we were eating we were treated to a video of Kirk Franklin telling us about his background and how he hoped we enjoyed the show.  After that a female emcee comes out, encourages us to continue to eat during the show and introduces the group, who is from Tampa.  Three women, two men singing, along with a drummer, a bass guitarist, and a keyboard player.  They did not disappoint. We were in for a treat!

The "Yes, It's Saturday But I Have a Ton Of Disney Details", edition.

No iPod shuffle since I'm not in the chair.  However, this reminds me to get the iPod out of my dialysis bag so I can recharge it. You remember me telling you about the dialysis bag.  The center gave me the bag my first day there.  I now carry my blanket, my iPod,, my iPad, spare headphones, my candy and whatever else I may need. It had a blanket and some information about the center and dialysis, when it was given to me.  When I travel, I need to figure out how I'm going to do dialysis bag for the center I'm visiting.  My plan for the Orlando center was to us my airline carry on bag and purchase a Disney throw at a park.

Disney has no shortage of where to purchase their products. EPCOT has a mega store, Mouse Gear ( get it? ). Well apparently each week they have a "spend this much and buy that for a discounted price".  On Saturday, the bargain was spend $25.00, purchase a tote for $15.00 and spend $40.00, purchase a Mickey Mouse Sorcerers Apprentice watch for $18.00.  Well, I wanted the tote, for my dialysis bag, and Brian wanted the watch, because Brian is a watch addict- lol.  It just so happened that we were purchasing Perry the Platypus t-shirts. ( lol. Don't judge us..just don't. Lol ). Actually I went for the shirt and Brian decided he wanted one also.   ;-\ ( so now we have that married couple wearing the same outfit look)  In addition, I was looking for a Perry the Platypus throw.  I had seen it online, so I assumed it would  be at a Disney store on the Disney premises.  It wasn't.  So I told Brian that since we were going to Downtown Disney the next day, I should find it there, so lets  go ahead and get the watch. <3. 

Moving along...Dinner time was at the Coral Reef restaurant, at The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion.  A single wall faces a  5.7 million gallon salt water tank.  You can see sharks, sea turtles, barracudas and other fishy things swim by as you eat, including divers. Disney, being Disney, has guided diving tours with the fish in the tank.  So yeah, divers also swam past as we ate. Lol. And yes, the food was great.  I had a lobster pasta and a Baileys mouse thing for desert.  Yum. Oh, yum.....

After dinner, Brian pushed me and my wheelchair back to the rental center.  They allowed us to take the wheelchair to where we catch the bus. :-)  We made it back to the hotel and called it a day.  I'd made reservations in April for the five of us to attend the Kirk Franklin Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues at Downtown Disney on Sunday, the next day. It was also Father's Day. I was hoping it would be nice. We were not disappointed. :-)

The "The Dog Knows Where You Want to Go and Stands in That Exact Spot",edition

iPod shuffled to "Ain't No Way", Aretha Franklin. Just sit back and appreciate the voice.  Yes, we do the, "step over and around the dog jig" in our house. Then on that rare occasion someone and the dog got tangled up, the dog acts as if its certainly not her fault, so you better pet her!!

So we're still at the wave pool at the water park.  After the tidal waves, the pool simulates tame waves, the kind you just sort of bob around in. We bob for about 15 minutes, then the gong sounds, the crowd yells, and the tidal  waves start again.  After getting knocked around 3 times, I call it a day and hightail it out before the next wave. I don't want to get knocked on my butt again.  We stayed at the water park about 4 hours.  We all went bak to the hotel to change.  We then headed to EPCOT. The girls took a nap. Lol lol. Old folks with stamina rule. 

The walk from where the bus drops you off to the entrance to EPCOT was brutal for me. We knew going into this, that I would take advantage of the wheelchairs. Complementary wheel chairs are available near the bus stop, but there weren't any when we arrived.  "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", Tears For Fears.  Once pass the gate, the walk to the wheelchair rental was pretty impressive also.  We got a wheelchair and were off!!!  First order of business?  Eat!!  Ok. EPCOT explanation time. 

EPCOT is divided into 2 areas. The first part is Future World.  The Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow - EPCOT ( lol ).  I call it educational part of Disney World. You come out of the rides and attractions with information on ecology, energy consumption, how fly a shuttle, the circle of life, and other topics. The second area is the World Showcase. I can visit Italy, Japan, Canada, France and other countries.  

Back to Eat!  We select France.  OMG. Best lunch decision. The smells, the selection.  I got a huge chicken pesto sandwich on a baguette the size of my head. And the pastries!!  Lol. I got lost in the memory. "Remember What I Told You To Forget", The Tavares. Lol I'd swoon just looking at their album covers.  Now that we ate, we had serious time to kill.  Our dinner reservations were around 7.  

One thing we learned is that Florida is really hot and humid and pushing a wheelchair is no fun.  So I'm doing ok, but Brian is getting worn out.  Fortunately we can just take our time. Disney without kids is pretty nice. :-)   Going on the rides is fine. Some rides I stay in line, on others I am taken to the back of the ride to get on.  The lines were reasonable and at no time were put in front.  After the ride was over, the wheelchair would be waiting for me.  And yes, the giant golf ball is ride...and a history lesson. Lol

Have a great weekend. Signing off with Beyonce, "Me, Myself and I". " I'm gonna be my own best friend.".  

The "The Dog Asked Me To Stop the Thunder, but All I Could Do isComfort Her", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Summer Breeze", The Isley Brothers. I'll take this version and the Seals and Croft version. :-)  OK. It's Cat Cora with a C. The restaurant is Kouzzina.  We had 30 minutes to get from our resort hotel to another Disney resort hotel, the Boardwalk.  We had no idea how to get there using the extensive Disney transportation system.  My kid decided to call a cab. I was skeptical, but the cab arrived very quickly  ( we later found out that cabs were waiting at the check in building! ).

We arrived at the Boardwalk.  It was huge. We had to walk through the hotel to get to the boardwalk.  Heh, yep, there was an actual boardwalk around a lake. The girls went ahead, as I was hobbling along with my cane. So glad I did that zoo walk. I had some semblance of stamina - lol.  A table was waiting for us.  The servers were beyond friendly. Disney holds the standard in customer service. The server explains that Cat is from Mississippi and that the Mediterranean theme food had Mississippi influence, whatever that meant. 

So we order.  "Door To Your Heart", The Dramatics. LJ Reynolds is singing his heart out. And Ron's voice is weaving throughout the song.  The kids are more adventurous than me and Brian.  And one is vegan.  Not vegetarian, vegan. I order pastitsio - Mediterranean lasagna, infused with cinnamon. Everything seemed to have cinnamon. It wasn't sweet, but you could taste it.  I didn't love it, but it was ok. Brian got a steak. Lol. We also got desert.  I'm going to back track. We had a dining plan. With the the dining plan you get one quick service meal per day - includes a drink.  This actually translated to breakfast at the resort's food court. And the breakfast was massive.  One of the offerings included eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuit and pancakes(!). Of course, you could also get Mickey Mouse pancakes. :-).  One  full service meal per day - this includes an entree, drink and desert at a full service restaurant, one snack per day, and a refillable mug at your resort.  

So I've taken you through our first night and morning at Disney World. Saturday, all of us were going to Typhoon Lagoon, the water park!! The day was sunny and warm. We arrived at the water park.  I'm walking with my cane, hither and yon and get to where I need to go.  I rented a little space for our crew with seating and an umbrella and we were off. The girls ( I'm kinda hesitant calling them girls, but they are all my "daughters". <3 " went off to do the water slides and swim with the sharks. Lol. We chuckled about Howard making swimming mandatory. :-D. 

"Lose Control", Missy Elliot. Lol. That came on and I started chair dancing.  So while the girls went to the slides, Brian and I made our way to the lazy river. Lol. We had to stroll the lazy river in order to get to where the inner tubes are. We were not alone.  Anyway, it was a good resistance work out. Lol. Us trying to get into the inner tubes was also a workout, in addition to a comedy show. Lol lol. 

After the lazy river, we head to the wave pool.  We get in and are walking toward deep water when the wave starts.  I'm in knee deep water and the wave knocks me flat on my butt and sweeps me away. WTF - roflmao. I have to do some semblance of body surfing, because the bottom of the pool is rough cement.  If I'm not careful, I'm going scrape my body. :-(   I swept all the way back. Sigh.  I cannot get up off the ground unassisted. Brian and I ask a man nearby got help. He assists with a smile. I get up and we hightail it to chest deep water.  

Ok stopping now to watch the Paula Deen interview on the Today. You really need to read the text of the lawsuit against her. So much more ugly than just using the N word.  

So the Internet connect went out at the dialysis center, just as I trying to publish..of course.

The, "We Drove to Port Huron and Took the Scenic Route", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Blues Away", The Jackson's.  On Saturday, Shawn and I drove to Port Huron. We followed Lake St Clair and the St Clair River. Ended up at Fort Gratiot County Park, just north of Port Huron. Breathtaking day road trip. :-)

Disney World..the flight was scheduled to depart at 3:20 PM. I left dialysis around 10:30. We picked up breakfast sandwiches at Tim Hortons. Went home, ate, finished packing, and took the après dialysis nap.  We left for the airport around 1PM. We checked in, got my wheelchair and got through security.  Arrived at the gate with about 10 minutes to spare. Get on plane.  I took the middle seat. Get out my ipod because, you know, the ipod was made for flying :-). Most uncomfortable flight ever. ;-(   Uneventful flight. We had those seat monitors. Instead of watching TV or movies, I like to track flight stats and progress - air speed, air temp, altitude, etc.  I am a geek, so there. 

We land after an uneventful flight. Oh yeah, lots of kids on the plane.  Imagine that. We make our way to the Disney Magical Express (DME) bus area. Lots of big Disney motor coaches. And the lines and sorting begin. We get directed to the bus for our resort. After about 15 minutes, Rockland Steel introduces himself as our bus driver and off we go. Brian comments that the name sounded like a super hero. I thought it sounded like a porn star. Lol. We're off.  We get a video of Disney on the bus.  I'm tickled because there are a number of childless couples. After about 20 minutes we arrive at the check in building for the resort.  The employees are dressed in tropical shirts, khaki,pants or shorts.  Doors are opened for us.  People are smiling.  We go directly to check in. Get our room assignment and our told, "Welcome to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and have a magical stay".  We're directed to a bus to take us to our building.  The resort has eight separate residence buildings. 

"Gonna Make You Sweat", C+C Music Factory.  Lol. That out to be the state motto of Florida. Ahem, anyway. We get off at our building, Trinidad North. We are pleased to see we are right next to the main building, where the food court, restaurant, shop, pools and all activities are. Asking for an accessible room was a great thing (I like the walk in shower and the bathroom bars). Shawn heads over to her room. She was the last of her crew to arrive. They are in the same building but around the corner from us.  Oh yeah, We get a card at check in. It's your everything card.  Room key, ticket for the parks, ID, key to getting food on the food plan, and room charge card.  It's your Disney World life.

So we kind of settle in, but we have an 8PM dinner reservation at Kat Kora's Kouzzina, at the Boardwalk resort. Sigh. There is no easy way there from where we are...and we have 30 minutes to get there....

Signing off with "Regulate", Warren G.  Smooth jazz rap. Lol. It works. Crooning, "Eastside motel". 

;-D

The "Apparently I Needed to Rest After My Vacation", edition.

iPod shuffled to "You're My Everything", The Temptations. "You're all that matters to me"..  Oh yeah, the trip.  A trip to Disney World is a project - plan, do, review ( now that's what my kid learned in Pre-Kindergarten, and I was sent to expensive training to learn - lol).  So many hotel options and plans. I initially wanted to do a two bedroom suite. I decided the girls ( young ladies ) didn't need to be attached to us, especially if they wanted to hang out late.  Calling Disney is a "magical experience" ( their words ). I needed to reserve 2 rooms, determine the ticket system ( got accesses to all parks, including water parks for the duration of the stay ), and a food plan. You don't have to get a food plan, but I wanted the kids to not to have to worry about excess expenses. Disney can and will get ridiculously expensive.

"Ready or Not", After 7.  Love, love Kevon Edmonds voice. Once the Disney reservations are completed, it's time to make the airline reservations. Always empty flights out of Detroit, but the planes are full returning...and I'm making reservations 3 months in advance!! WTH? Lol. Now Shawn has to relay the details to the friends so they can make their airline reservations. I need their flight details for Disney's Magical Express (DME). Lol.  I find out Disney has a flaw. The idea that one room wold have three people coming from different cities at different times was a difficult concept. The unit of cost at Disney World is the room.  I need to relay the names and flight details to  DME. What is DME?  It's a big ole bus that picks you up at the airport  and delivers you to your Disney Resort hotel, included with your reservations. You get tags for the luggage and the luggage is delivered from the  airport directly to your room. 

Ok ok. All the reservations are complete. We get our DME documents. Shawn has to FedEx the documents to her friends and now we wait for June 14. Oh yeah, my dialysis thing. A week before, I get a call from the clearing house that my original location won't take my insurance. Lol. Somewhere Blue Cross isn't accepted?  Ok. This is Florida. They tell me that a center in Orlando will take me. Now I'm almost 20 miles from Disney.  I don't care, I need to dialyze. Lol. We'd already planned to rent a car. See, Disney World has an Alamo on the premises (when they say World, they mean it -lol).  Of course I didn't get my transient documents until Friday at dialysis, the same day I was leaving. The same thing happened for the Vegas trip. 

"Let Me Ride", Dr Dre. My kid has judged me because I have the explicit version. Hey, I'm grown!!!  Now Disney has cartloads of restaurants. The catch is, you need to make reservations. Shawn confers with her friends -one is a vegan. She makes reservations for her crew. I make reservations for me and Brian.  Believe it or not, some of my selections are full and I'm  booking three months in advance.  And times are nuts!! Who wants dinner at 8:30?  Lol. Bedtime is no later than 11.  Anyway Shawn made reservations for all five of us the first night at Kat Kora's restaurant......at 8 PM. Lol.  Yes, an Iron Chef has a restaurant at Disney World. 

I'll stop here. Monday, I'll start with arriving in Orlando, and the beginning of our "Magical Experience". Hey, those are Disney's words. Lol. :-)    Signing off with "Shame", Jill Scott, featuring Eve and the A Group.  "I'm a queen on a throne, I'm magnificent".  :-D

The, "Pics Or It Didn't Happen", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Bust a Move", Young MC. Party startin' song. "..what comes next, hey bust a move". I've been on the Internet a long time and have picked up phrases such as, "Pics or it didn't happen", which means proof of the event with verifiable photos. Well, we just back from Disney World, and I have photos!! The trip served two purposes. First, Brian and I planned to celebrate our 25th anniversary at Disney World, but that didn't quite work out. :-(  Second, Shawn was offered a big blowout graduation party or a trip to Disney World, with two friends. Apparently the trip option was a no-brainier. :-)

Before I regale you with the trip details, I need to step you through how I was able to go. In March, we had the discussion and decided to go. I still had the chest catheter, was still dealing with low blood pressure issues after dialysis, was still weak, but not nearly as weak as December or January, and was still dependent on the cane. I was grocery shopping with Brian, would have to periodically use the electric scooters. Yeah well, I decided early June was when we'd go. :-)  Shawn selected and conferred with her two friends.  The final dates were June 14 through June 19. 

Once the dates were selected, I had to let my dialysis center know. I notified my nephrologist, my tech, my dietician, my social worker, the head RN, and the front desk. Whew..I did this in March. In addition, the vascular surgeon was on notice that the catheter needed to be out by then - lol. Talk about goal setting!!!  The plan was to leave for Orlando immediately after dialysis,and get a single treatment near Disney  World.  I'd fly in on Wednesday, and go directly to the center for dialysis from the airport.  I just needed everyone on board with MY plan. Lol. (Once a manager, always a manager). 

I made the reservations. Five nights at the Caribbean Beach Resort. A room for me and Brian.  Shawn and her friends somewhere in the same location, but not attached to us. Lol. They are, after all, college grads. One finished her masters in 10 months in an accelerated program (!).  One will start an MD-PhD program next month (!).  And one will start a PhD program in August. Oh, and the friend who lives in Florida who came to visit them, who will, of course, start a PhD program in August also (!).  ---That's a blog for another day, isn't it. Lol.  We flew in from Detroit, one from New York City, and one from Raleigh, NC.

My social worker gives me me the "transient dialysis" paperwork (form). I have call the dialysis center clearing house, let them know when and where I'm going. They give me a reference number and a tentative location.  I have to give the form to the social worker tech ( ok now they are just making up titles ) within 4-6 weeks prior to travel.  "Work to Do", Isley Brothers. I let her know in April. She tells me to hold onto it until May. Of course, she resigned and moved out of state at the end of April. Lol.  My social worker took over.  The plan is coming together......

"The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind), The Dells. Gonna go find Brian when I get home, play this and dance.

 :-).  Also trying to add pics, 'cause it did happen.  Lol lol. 

The "Father's Day", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Flashlight", Parliament. Funk.  Baseline. I'm seeing the party. Lol. " Everybody's  got a little light under the sun...".  I'm a daddy's girl.  My daughter is a daddy's girl. My niece is a daddy's girl.  How do I know this?  For my niece, it went like this. My niece was spending the day with me. She was about 7-8, my kid is 2 years younger. We go to the mall and niece announces her dad gave her some money so she can buy what she wants.  She then pulls out a $100.00 bill.    (O.o)  Who gives a 7 year that?  Lol. A daddy who is crazy about his baby girl.  17 - 18 years later, that is still his baby girl.  :-)  

How does it work for my daughter?  Whenever she pulls the car into the driveway, her father is at the door before she can get out of the car. ( It's hit or miss if he greets me at the door - lol ).  "Baby Stop Running", Bird and the Midnight Falcons. Lol. Group created just for the movie. I need to check to see who the actual artists are.  Daughter and daddy also gang up on Mom ( me ). They bond over that. :-/

Lol. 

My dad and I got in the routine of him calling me everyday once Mom was put in rehab, after his hip surgery. Everyday since February, 2012. The calls took on a whole new dimension once I had kidney failure. During the crisis, I missed only one day, and that was the day I was rushed to he hospital. The next day, while I was in ICU, Brian called Dad so I could speak with him.  I needed to reassure him I was fine, and he didn't need to worry about me, but to just concentrate on Mom. That went over like a rock.  Lol. He saw all through that. As a matter of fact, he kept telling me I didn't sound well for several weeks prior to me being admitted to the hospital.  Even now, he can sense when I've had a rough day at dialysis. Lol.  Sheesh, I'm 56 and still can't hide stuff from Dad.  Lol. 

I remember Brian's reaction when he saw his daughter for the first time. My mom complained that he only let her hold the baby for a few minutes before he took "his" daughter back.  "Keep On Lovin Me", The Whispers. They are second only to the Dramatics. :)  I told my mom that he barely let me hold her or feed her, don't feel bad. Lol. Daddy's girl.  As I write this, I've decided to plan trip out to Vegas to see Dad. I love my daddy. <3

Wishing all the dads a great weekend. :-)

The "I've Completed All of the Pre-transplant Tests" edition.

iPod shuffled to "Runaway Child, Running Wild". What I remember about this song is, in junior high, during lunch. Music would be played.  This song came on and the entire lunchroom sang. Lol. 200-300 kid chorus. Lol. (Please excuse the tortured sentence above).

I mentioned that prior to the NFK Zoo walk, I hadn't been to the zoo with my kid since she was little. I'd always loved going to the zoo. As a child, the public school sent us to the zoo every year through the  8th grade.  You know you're old school if you remember the chimp shows, or riding the train to Africa. The penguin house came later, but it was fun to watch the penguins race around their cold habitat. The reptile house was always creepy in a good way. I didn't care for the bird area, but enjoyed the interpretive garden which came in the 90's. What's an interpretive garden?  The butterfly habitat. :-)

So the story. We had a family outing to the zoo.  The kid had to be about 3-4. She didn't care for the reptile house. As we see animals we talk about them. We get to the rhinoceros and she says, "What's that between his legs?". Oh my. I look over to Brian, except he has managed to disappear. ;-(  Alrighty.   I say to the kid, "That's a tail".  The kid looks and says, "That's not a tail!", in that accusatory kid voice lol. So now mom has to come up with an answer reasonable for a 3 year old. "Think Pat, think". Yeah, because somehow Brian as vanished off the face of the earth.  I say , "Oh that.  That's where he pees from" .  Kid is ," Oh, OK".  Crises averted. Husband magically appears near the zebras.  To this day, I have no idea how he vanished in the side open space, and he's not telling - lol.  When we passed the rhino last week, I smiled and noticed he was more modest...20 years later. Lol. 

My last test was a gyn exam. I was amused being back in an ob-gyn office. Clearly geared toward pregnant women.  When I was asked the purpose of my visit, I replied I clearly wasn't pregnant. Maybe I should have said I thought I was lol lol.  Signing off with "Going in Circles", Friends of Distinction. Volume up..lol. Wish I could sing along, but my sour notes  would disturb every one here. Lol. 

Oh. Trying for a photo of my dialysis chair.

The "I Always Think of a Good Blog Title the Night Before and Forget It In the Morning", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Give Up The Funk", Parliament. How's that for a wake up song?  Lol "We want the fun, Get up off the funk". George Clinton forever!!!  Met up my elementary school folks again.  A few more were added to the mix. One is a Pastor, now in Orlando. We were invited to the church he was visiting.   I don't recall seeing him after junior high, maybe?  I kept thinking about young him and reconciling it with the man preaching in front of me. :-). What I didn't tell him was, when we growing up, he was quite supportive of me when I was getting bullied and essentially gave me the courage to fight back. I'd say that has served me well!  

Thank you Gabriel. :-)

So we get through Christmas. The dialysis center had holiday events for us. They also adjusted the schedule for the holiday, through New Years. Happy New Year!!! I start getting calls to come to earlier times. My scheduled time was 2:15. I've already mentioned that, that time basically made for an nonproductive day. The caveat is I was still pretty weak at this time, so it's not like I had a lot planned anyway. I was just complaining, I guess. Lol. I got called in for  the 10AM slot, which I liked.  Then the 6AM slot, which I liked even better. "I Decided, Part 1", Solange. Come on, you know who Solange is.  You already know how that ended. I've got my permanent 6:10 slot. Happy happy, joy joy!!  

Early January, Dad tells me Mom has been moved to hospice status. She will die soon. She is not expected to last more than six weeks. /Sigh. I am hyper-motivated to get to place where I can at least function better. I let my tech, social worker, nephrologist and vascular surgeon know I need to get to Vegas as soon as possible. I'm trying to recover from surgery. I'm still on a walker. I get tired easily. And dialysis beats the hell out of me three times a week. That being said, my team is working with me to make sure I get out to Las Vegas to see Mommy.  

The social workers start the travel process (arranging dialysis in Las Vegas). Vascular surgeon monitors fistula. The earliest I can go is 2nd week in February. I make the airline  reservations and work on getting stronger. I'm now in my new time slot, my tech is adjusting my treatment.  I am feeling better coming off dialysis.  Dad tells me Mom's caregivers are working hard to keep her up for me to get out there. This is coming together. 

Well no.  Mom died two weeks before I could get out there. 

The "Going to Dialysis 3X a Week is Like a Job and We Look Forward to Friday", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Ruff Ryder's Anthem", DMX, but I'm not in the mood lol. Gonna go find another song....how about "Ain't Leaving Without You", Jaheim. Love the baseline.  Lol. Boppin' in the chair trying desperately to keep the lift arm still.  On that note, the left arm with fistula is doing ok. I've graduated the next size needles.  There are 3 needle sizes..red smallest, green medium, and finally blue, the largest and the permanent needle. Now before you freak out on needle size (I know I did), the size isn't really the "size" of the needle, but  the diameter of the inside of the needle. The flow is increased with each size. This goes along with the maturation of the fistula. Moving too much blood can blow the fistula and we really don't want that. So with my green needle, more blood is flowing because the diameter of the needle is wider.  I'm not sure if I told you that I have a local anesthetic that I apply before leaving for the center. Using the anesthetic, I feel nothing during the stick. Absolutely nothing. :-)  

I'm eventually going to do home dialysis. I have several options. There's peritoneal, which means I'd need minor stomach surgery. The access is through the stomach...the peritoneum. I can also use a home machine..Brian and I would need to learn how to cannulate (stick me). That being said, there are people here who stick themselves!!!  Yes!!  When I first saw that I was like, oh wow, I could never do that. Well, once you get more informed, you realize it's not a bad thing to take control of your care. So I'm headed in that direction. iPod shuffled to "When You Get Right Down To It", Phyllis Hyman.  I had to crank up the volume.  The home dialysis feature makes travel a bit easier..more or less. I don't have to find a center out of town with techs who don't know me. 

Other benefits of home dialysis, is more dialysis.  More dialysis is more toxins being removed.  Slower dialysis which means less chance of my blood pressure dropping too low. Another benefit is the diet is less restrictive, because I'd be dialyzing more often and more better. You know at the start of all of this, I was bombarded with information. I was bombarded with options. At one point it seemed as if I was moving on three trajectories at once....and I was. :-X    I was moving forward with the fistula, I decided I wanted peritoneal dialysis, and I was moving forward with the transplant.  I was seeing a different doctor for each option.  And each doctor was affiliated with a different hospital. :-(  

Once my vascular surgeon said he could to the peritoneal surgery, I put the brakes on that...especially after he said, "If you're going to do peritoneal, why are we wasting our time with the fistula? ".  Lol. At the moment, I stopped the peritoneal track to focus on the fistula. The transplant stuff would continue. I think I made the right decision. I had to make some hard choices.  Believe it or not, the deciding factor is swimming. With peritoneal, I would not be able to swim. The stomach access is too susceptible to infection. 

Ok this is long. Signing off with "Fall in Love, Lady Love", The Dramatics. Oh and for a bonus, I have a published article. I'll explain later.

http://kidneybuzz.com/clearing-the-air-while-sitting-in-the-dialysis-chair

The "Getting Back Into the Swim of Things", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No", Alejandro Sanz. Entirely in Spanish. I need to ask Shawn to translate this. She minored in Spanish, after all. Lol. She had to read novels on Spanish and write papers in Spanish. She also needs to be fluent in a foreign language as a condition of her PhD program. She's a better woman than I. Lol.

Guess what? I went swimming Monday evening. Well, I went to Deep Water Fitness.!! :-).  I've been waiting for this for a long time.  Swimming and exercise, being active. Of course I got winded..I was appropriately appalled about that. The instructor assured me it was natural and expected since I'd been inactive for a while...but still.  I told the instructor I was on dialysis and she tailored the exercises to me  <3.  Gotta let you know that I get winded, but not tired, if that makes sense. Anyway, I'm looking forward to tonight. Swimming!!!  You forgot I used to be lifeguard, didn't you?  I love water. 

:-)

"The Pride (Part 1)", The Isley Brothers. What's up with their songs having parts?  And has anyone heard Part 2 of "The Pride"??  So the second fistula surgery takes me into my birthday and Christmas. Happy Holidays?  Lol. Yeah, we're together.  I plan a renal safe Christmas dinner. I've shopped entirely online. Shawn and Brian put up the tree. I suggested a small token tree, but they insisted on the big one. They also decorated the living room. <3. 

We opened gifts Christmas morning.  I prepare shrimp quiche for breakfast. Brian makes coffee spiked with Kahlua ( I splurge - yum ).  "Smooth", Rob Thomas, with Carlos Santana. This is a crank up the volume. Rob's voice is distinctive and Carlos' guitar needs no explanation....    We chill for a while, then I start dinner. I made vegetarian greens, jalapeño cheese cornbread, corn casserole, and dressing. Brian did the turkey.  In Las Vegas, Dad picked up a meal from Blueberry Hill and spent the day with Mom in the nursing home. I had a little tree sent to her at the nursing home. What a difference the years make. The house used to be filled with friends and family. This year, I was recovering from illness, my mom was slowing wasting away, my dad was with my mom and they were 2000 miles away and there was nothing I could do about it. I. Could barely care for myself. 

Well, that was maudlin, wasn't it?  Dad was just glad to be with Mom.  He called me up and we were able to talk with her.  It would be one of the last times she was able to speak. All this being said, we had a good holiday. Life moves on and change happens and you adapt.  We look forward and make plans. Life is good. :-)

I've attempted to add a few more photos from the Zoo walk, but from my draft perspective I've got blog issues. Good thing I'm not a perfectionist!! Lol lol. Signing off with Michael Jackson, "I Can't Help It".  This song is SO pretty, written Stevie Wonder.  

The "From Walker to Walker", edition.

iPod shuffled to "Go Your Own Way", Fleetwood Mac. So yesterday was the National Kidney Foundation's Zoo Walk. When I registered my team, I entered $100.00 as the goal for the team, Pat's Adventures. I am pleased and humbled to announce that Pat's Adventures raised $405.00, as of June 2, 2013.  :-D  Thank you, thank you, thank you. Did I say thank you?  Thank you!!  :-)

So now you're wondering how the day went, aren't you?  Even if you aren't, I'm gonna tell. Ha!  Registration for event started at 7:30. We wanted to get there when it opened to beat the crowd. We arrived early.  Lol, a lot of people arrived early and registration was open. No lines, though. It ran smoothly.  I received the tickets for my team of (3) walkers. 

As the three of us ( me, Brian and Shawn) headed toward the gate, I hear someone call my name.  It's the lead social worker from my dialysis center. You know, the one with the pep in her step, my AKA soror, the one that "guided" me toward the fistula. I told my assigned social worker I was participating, but not her, so she was delighted to see me. She gave me and Brian purple wristbands. These designated us as "champions", which meant dialysis patients, transplant donors, and caregivers. This allowed us to go to a special tent. I had no idea what that meant at the time. "For The Love of You", The Isley Brothers. This rolls me back to University of Michigan. This entire album rocked. 

The gates finally open and I'm thinking, "time to walk". Well, yeah.  We walked to a staging area with a stage, tents and booths - lol. Oh ok, I see the "Champion's" tent. We go inside. They give me a sling backpack, turkey wraps, Rice Krispie Treats, popcorn and water. Renal safe snacks. :-).  We then head to the really big tent. Fruit, fruit bowls, veggie bowls, bagels, salsa and VIPs, hummus and pita were being offered. At least that's what I saw. In addition sponsors had tables set up with what Shawn called "swag". Bags, pens, pads, key chains, pedometers, and other stuff. Swag.  And lots of water. 

"A Long Walk", Jill Scott. Ok, see my iPod shuffles these song up, honest. A friend suggested that my songs often hit the mark. This one is just too obvious. Lol. So anyway, I go and sit down. While Brian is trying to find me, he finds our friend Mike who came to walk with us. :-).  After the pre-walk show with exercise people and Huel Perkins and the ribbon cutting it's time to walk. 

We get out our phones to take pictures (20 years ago that statement would make no sense lol ). We get our stroll on. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the animals. I hadn't been to the zoo since Shawn was a little girl (I have a story about that, too. Lol). Around the tiger, who was roaring at us, probably wondering why we were there so early, I saw my Wendell! :-)  My longtime friend and partner in dialysis.  Seeing him makes a great day even better.  

We walk and took only a few breaks. The walk was advertised as about a mile, but it was over a mile. So how did I fare?  I had the stamina. I was not winded or tired. BUT...I hurt. My thighs protested mightily toward the end. I finished though. The goal was to do as much as I could. Well I could and did do the entire course. In February, I was using a walker.  By June, I AM a walker!!!!

Got a few photos. A nice couple took photos of my team.  Photo of me, Mike and Wendell, and of course some of the animals.  Again, huge thank you to my sponsors, my walking team, and those who sent moral support and well wishes. Thank you. :-)

Signing off with "You're On My Mind", Detroit's own Kem. Close my eyes, smile and get lost in the song.........