Better knees and an engagement!

What a week!  It started out with bum knees and a bum car.  It's ending with an engagement and a weekend home alone!  Never much of a dull moment around here!

Chester is doing awesome.  He is running!!!  Some of you may be thinking.... wow~ a dog that runs.  big deal.....  But it IS a big deal!  This is Chester we are talking about.  Last Tues, when I took him to the vet, he literally was having a hard time walking at all.  Now he is running!  Chester has had a rough life, prior to coming to live with us, so it's pretty important to us that we do what we can for his comfort.  He's probably 10 or 11 years old, has been shot, lived more than a year on his own when his people moved and left him behind, has bad arthritis, and his vision is going due to cataracts.  However, he is an awesome, awesome, sweet as can be dog. Therefore, we are beyond happy that Chester can, and does, run!  He'll go back to the vet next week for some blood work, to make sure that he can take this med long-term.  I sure hope so.  He deserves to be able to run!!!!

My knee is also doing better!  Whoot!  The med that the doc gave me is doing a lot as far as my pain and mobility goes.  I'm not running like Chester is!  But, I am able to walk through a store without holding on to the cart for dear life, hoping that my knee doesn't lock up on me.  The pain is much better, too.  Looks like Chester and I are both headed in the right direction as far as our arthritis goes!

As far as my car, well, a new tire later it is doing fine.  (Still no heat in the blasted thing, but since it is now safe to drive, no problem!)  Enough said about the darn car.  Hopefully it will be replaced sooner rather than later!

For the really big news!  Amy and Chris got engaged this week!  Whooo!!  Amy will now not be going to live in Ames starting in Feb to work for the DNR.  No Amazon Amy roaming the woods of the midwest, looking for forgien fauna!  She will now be staying in Iowa City until they both move to Des Moines in August. The company that Chris did his internship for last year has offered him a full time job starting in August. 

So, another wedding to plan!  Our first adventure in that direction is on Feb 11th.  Amy has an appointment in Cedar Rapids that day to look at wedding dresses.  Looks like the whole gang will be heading that way to share in that event.  Well, all of the female gang anyway!  Last I heard, that is going to include about 10 people!  I sure hope they are prepared for us in Cedar Rapids!  Then, we will spend the night in Iowa City that night.  Last time we stayed in Iowa City was when we were shopping for Eric and Candice's wedding.  Whew.  Sure am looking forward to the start of the wedding activities for Chris and Amy!!!!  Congrats guys!


My mom is having some issues.  Many years ago she had a bad bout with her Sciatic nerve.  That layed her up for a while then.  After that, she could kind of tell when things started to feel funky as far as that nerve, so she'd do the exercises that she'd learned to fend the worst off.  This past Thurs. she woke up to find that she was having lots of pain in her legs and a hard time walking.  A trip to the dr and blood tests and an ultrasound turned up not much of anything.  She is beginning to think that it's the Sciatic nerve again.  Only this time, it's affecting both legs.  (Is that possible?)  For those of you who don't know my mom, she walks a good 3 miles a day, does line dancing, and is a very active 75 year old.  For her to now hardly be able to walk around the house is a huge change!  She did finally get some anti-immflamitories from the dr. yesterday, so hopefully they will help.  Praying that she is back to normal soon!!  I did tell her that we'd rent her a scooter if she needed it for the wedding gown shopping expedition!


I am home alone this weekend.  The boys are at their dad's and with Bruce in PA, that leaves me and the critters here by ourselves!  I haven't been home alone in a long while.  I'm not sure I like it so much anymore!  For a little while it's ok.  Good even.  But awfully quiet when it lasts for more than a few hours!  Fortunately, I have lots and lots to do around here.  And I get to take a mini road trip to Burlington after bit with Peg! 

So, things are looking up around here.  As far as knees and cars and weddings go!  We'll whip my mom back into the swing of things soon.  Gotta have her dance ready for the wedding!!!!!


Thanks much for stopping by and have an awesome week!