Monday, April 28, 2008

Bampa Update

All is well... just a slow-go, which is par for the course. Still no driving and can't really read without getting a terrible headache but the eye looks good with an A-ttached retina (that's how the doctors say it... enuciating the "a" in attached as opposed to the "de" in detached retina. Sorry for the technicality.)

Well, it looks like it's a ghost town here at Steph's Other Space. I suppose that's par for the course too. The posts have been few and far between, admittedly without much "umph" to boot. Where's a Saban Dance when you need one?

Much overdue... *Updated!

It's been so long since I last posted that I even had to log into Blogger... that never seems to happen! Anyway, this won't be one of those monstrously long posts where I empty out my bookmark links as I've got lots on my "to do" list this morning but there were a few things I wanted to post ASAP.

First, Mr. Plumberboy will now be referred to as Bampa. That's what the grand-younguns call him and I see no reason why that name poses a security threat. Good luck googling "Bampa" and finding us. (That's just an observation, not an invitation.) Anyway, Bampa is recuperating at home after surgery for his retinal detachment. He's having a good bit of pain and is a little discouraged by the slow progress but it appears to us that he is experiencing the normal postoperative course. Regrettably, doctors at this particular practice have a habit of giving patients unrealistic expectations and demoralization quickly ensues. However, through our own series of unfortunate events, we feel we're in a unique position to try and counter that! He goes to the doctor again this morning so I'll try to give you an update later today.

Second (and this will have to be a bit choppy because I'm up against the preschool clock!) but I wanted to post a few links to update my faithful readers on the Burgess Family (of Rick And Bubba fame). In case you weren't listening to the show this morning, Rick discussed his son Brody (aka Taz) being baptized in their family pool* over the weekend (the article says the baptism will happen in May but in actuality it happened over this weekend.) How marvelous! How wonderful! What a testament to their unshakable faith in Jesus, who has overcome this world! I stand in awe of God's Grace and Mercy on this family and their willingness to let God use them... whatever their lot! I wish I had more time but for now all I can do it lay out the links for you to visit. I pray you will take the time... you'll be blessed!

*UPDATE: Turns out that first link about Rick & Bubba is actually the 4th video installment in a 4-part interview with Rick Burgess. You can watch all four installments at that linked website.

Another update from WHNT-TV out of Huntsville

An older article about Bronner and the Burgess' family's legacy

Monday, April 21, 2008

Right back atcha, Rob!

Just got this via email about 15 minutes ago but I simply had to post it before I head off to type, then sleep. May God bless Siran Stacy and his family!

For Jen...

All you've ever wanted to know about rickrolling.

Mr. Plumberboy Update (how's that for service?!?!)

*Please keep in mind that this information refers to my father-in-law, henceforth referred to as Mr. Plumberboy, and not my husband, Plumberboy. We have found that grade school-aged children tend to call parents by their child's name, except with the appropriate Mister or Miss in front of it. Using the same logic, I suppose I could refer to him as "Hey, Plumberboy's Dad" but that seems entirely too much to type everytime. I will work on a new code name for Mr. Plumberboy. Until then, here's the aforementioned update:

He does in fact have a detached retina. Surgery is scheduled for 7 AM tomorrow morning. It appears that he will need a vitrectomy with a fluid-gas exchange so he'll be face-down for the following 24 to 48 hours. I'm currently debating whether or not I need to go up there. Mrs. Plumberboy says no but I feel bad sitting around here, knowing she's up there alone. What to do... what to do?

In case you are new to this country and have not quite learned our "lingo," let me take this opportunity to help you with one particular phrase, "That sucks." Read below...

Mr. Plumberboy to Mrs. Plumberboy: "Honey, just think... in a couple of days we'll be on our way to vacation in Palm Beach."
Doctor: "Uh, no. You'll be face-down recovering from surgery and trying to regrow your eyeball."
Mr. Plumberboy to all within earshot" "That sucks!"

Still Standing...

No, that's not a picture of our family. It's a picture of the cast from CBS' Still Standing show. It reruns on Lifetime, which kind of gets on my nerves because I'd rather watch The Nanny or Golden Girls. But it's better than Will & Grace. Okay, where was I going with this post? Yes, that's right. I wanted to let you, o' reader, know that our house is in fact still standing. We survived the 5-kid-3-dog day that was last Friday. It wasn't bad at all... they entertained each other (with some credit going to the Nintendo Gamecube) and only ate minimal amounts of food. And the dogs weren't bad, either. They laid around all day, per usual. They didn't fetch. They didn't sit on command. They did bark incessantly at visitors and passersby alike but for the most part they stayed out of the way.

Then we were off to visit our friends on their newly purchased farm. Yes, a farm. Horses and all. No livestock but two horses and a pony. And a dog. And 14 acres. That's a farm in my book. It was a beautiful weekend weatherwise and the kids even got to ride a horse. No, I do not have pictures as our camera currently resides with my in-laws in Calera. I told Plumberboy we needed to buy a disposable camera for our trip but he did not want to spend the money take the time to stop at the store. So we don't have any pictures of the momentous occasion. Why was that a momentous occasion? Because this is Ricky Bobby we're talking about. The same kid who doesn't want to go to Disney World because he is scared of the rides, including The Teacups. Crabman eagerly rode first and you know how the rest of that story goes. *Anything you can do, I can do better...* (imagine me singing that in perfect tune)

Okay, now to the latest crazy chaos in our family. Lest you think I make these things up in some sort of lame manifestation of Munchausen syndrome (oh but I wish!)... I assure you these things really happen to us and/or our loved ones. (Run! Run for your lives!) It seems as though my father-in-law (I guess--according to 1st grade logic-- that would make him Mr. Plumberboy ) may have a detached retina. We know that, at the very least, something significant is going on with his retinas and that he most likely has a severe tear or an all-out detachment. We are hoping it's something the docs can *relatively* easily repair with a laser versus door #2, which holds a fluid-gas exchange vitrectomy . (Feel free to throw up...I almost did after Plumberboy's first vitrectomy. However, it was old hat after the 2nd! I could basically perform one for my father-in-law at this point.) Anyway, I'm anxiously awaiting to hear their report from the specialist. My heart goes out to them (and my sons as this is obviously a hereditary condition.) I'll try to post more about this later...

Okay, lastly are some very random links that I would once again love to expound upon but I just don't have the time. I do want to get them out of my bookmarks folder though.

1. An explanation as to why Keith Richards looks so old and nasty.

2. Most of you probably read about that utterly lost Yale student (working very hard to not use degrading terminology) already but here's an update in case you haven't heard the whole story. This guy called her out before Yale even released their statement. Mommas, don't let your kids grow up to be Yalies. Whatta way to blow $120 grand (yearly tuition x 4 years... God forbid 5!) Why are so many "smart" people actually really, really dumb?!?!?

3. Who says this sort of thing only happens in the SEC? I certainly wouldn't know anything about inscribing "Roll Tide" on a rival's wet cement or the sorts.

4. This photoshopped picture originally accompanied this article. Looks like The AP was duped. I'm just glad to see that no one would actually employ a model that looks like that. However, I do wish I could be a fly on the wall in 100 years when our grandkids psychoanalyze our generation for thinking anything like this was beautiful and/or fashionable.

5. Nice to read things like this. My hometown just started a red-light-traffic-camera, errr, system and we can already personally attest to "discrepancies." My husband's company (which is located about an hour away) got a warning ticket in the mail for a truck they don't even own! The attached picture showed the city personnel didn't bother double-checking the license plate number. Can you imagine the ridiculously wasteful amount of time they would have to spend if that had been a real ticket? I'm all about law and order (if you know me, you know that!) but this is completely ridiculous.

6. Tell me something I didn't know.

7. I would like to watch this tonight if at all possible. So sue me... I {heart} The Beatles.

Have a great day and check back here later today for updates on my father-in-law.

Friday, April 18, 2008

My household today= 5 kids, 3 dogs...

... all BOYS. Will post more later if house still standing.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Condi for Pres (or at least VP... hop to it, McCain!)

The only reason this wasn't posted sooner is I didn't have the time to find it online but mad props to my dad for emailing with this link. He didn't even know I was looking for it but you know great minds think alike! Love ya Condi, mean it!

PS: I have a truckload of links I want to eventually post here about all sorts of things (you know, random things) but I think this is our busiest time of year. And judging by the amount of posts (read: lack thereof) on other people's blogs, it's busy for everyone else too. Just a random tidbit til we meet again, it sleeted here in Bama yesterday afternoon. Ca-razy.

Friday, April 11, 2008

WARNING! Friday Night Lights Spoiler

I'm not sure if it's the result of an experimental surgery using shark cartilage in Mexico or adult-harvested stem cells but Jason Street definitely learns to walk again. Pop goes my heart:

The 4-1-1

Hi all... it's been a whole week since I last posted but I'm sure it must seem like much, much longer for all you dear readers. In honor of todays date, the 11th of April, I shall give you a quick rundown of all things in Steph's Other Space (at least until it's time to go get Crabman from preschool.)

The funeral: The funeral and all associated activities were actually quite uplifting. Of course it was a difficult time for many family members (as is totally normal and to be expected) but overall we really enjoyed our time with Plumberboy's family. GG's funeral mass was a perfect representation of who she was here on earth and her church family did an absolutely wonderful job of ministering to our family. It was also so very good to see our family members that live far, far away (New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New Texas... sorry I got carried away) but it serves as a sad reminder that many of today's families are so spread out. I want to upload some pictures but duh! I left my camera at my in-laws. And to think I coulda had a V8.

Easter: I know, I know... Easter was weeks ago! Still, this is a more traditional time of year for Easter and I never really did comment about our Easter, which is afterall my favorite Holiday. Easter was at our house this year so I did more hosting than picture-taking but you can check out my sister's pics here. While you're there, check this video out to see my kids breakdancing. Good stuff with kudos to Stacy for all her fancy media presentations. And while Easter is an overwhelmingly joyous occasion for me, it was unfortunately slightly tainted last Easter by a series of unfortunate events. (I posted about this on my myspace blog at the time but I'll recap here as a cautionary tale.) Last Easter, upon settling into my seat at church, I glanced down at my hands and quickly noticed that the diamond was missing from my engagement ring. The service was just starting so I couldn't really talk with Plumberboy about it or even stress about it on the outside the way I was on the inside. After church we all participated in one whale of an Easter hunt in the parking lot, our backyard, and even our trashcans... to no avail. Long story short, we never found the diamond but did find out the next morning that our ALFA insurance agent had allowed my ring to go grossly under-insured for most of our marriage. We had to replace it ourselves, which was a nightmare unto itself. Eventually Plumberboy did a most excellent job picking out a new diamond all by himself (sort of) and I love my ring even more than before. But obviously you can't replace the sentimental value of something like that so I still cling to the ridiculous hope that someday I'll happen upon it. Anyway, the lesson to be learned from all of this is that most people have not insured their jewelry against loss or damage, only theft. Believe me, it's a real kick in the teeth when you're already down so be sure to check your policies today!

Sweet kiddos: Our little niece Meredith is doing great. We saw her this weekend and she looks really, really good. Crosby is doing unbelievably fantastic as well. I love reading his mom's journal entries... so touching and transparent. Hopefully you're making the time to read them too. Also, little Emily from Emily's blog seems to be headed in the right direction. If you haven't been keeping up, my friend Emily has helped the Mandell family raise over $25,000 in like a week. That's right...that's a 25 followed by not one, not two, but three zeros! Go Emilys!

Dogs: I think I would like to get a boxer so let me know if you know of a female boxer looking for a good home. Or email me for directions to my house and then just drop it off on the front doorstep so that Plumberboy can't say no. Don't worry... he doesn't read this blog.

Misc: I hope Roger makes it into The Biggest Loser finals and am optimistic he will. However, I'm sure he must appear quite cocky to many viewers who will vote for Mark instead. Regardless, I have really enjoyed this season and am amazed at the transformations. My sister-in-law's husband is currently undergoing his own transformation so I know there really are nonsurgical ways to lose weight so Biggest Loser is not a complete scam. And on a semi-related NBC note, ER has officially gotten trashy and stupid. I think I'm done watching. Okay, what else? My brain is mush. We're so far behind with everything... housework, yardwork, laundry, typing. I'm so overwhelmed I don't know where to begin. And we're tired-- veddy, veddy tired. Here's a bunch of links to things I find highly interesting so knock yourself out here (hilarious!), here (tell me something I didn't know!), and here. I'm sure I've got some more randomness stashed away on my desktop but I'm seriously pushing the time limits for a Crabman-free jaunt through Walmart. Ta ta for now!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Well, I didn't intend to post again...

I did not want to post any more this week and possibly take anything away from the momentous occasion that was GG's passing but I have no doubt at all that she would give her blessing to a post such as this. I just wanted to point my meager handful of readers over to my friend Emily's blogs (yes, blogs as in the plural) so that you can also share in these special times. Start by reading this post and then read the follow-ups here and here. I'm not asking you to donate anything other than prayers of intercession for their family and IF you can help in any way (seriously in any way, no matter how small) then let Emily know or let me know and I'll put you in touch with her. I hope all of this humbly points back to God Our Father to show that He provides for us in death AND in life (and anything in between!) AWESOME!

Jesus said "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

PS: Don't forget to keep reading about Crosby's journey. To God be the glory! (My apologies for not doing a better job of keeping y'all updated... hopefully you were reading on your own?)

Movin' On Up...

Congrats to Grammaw on her promotion last night! She "got the call" a little before midnight last night and was surrounded by her five children. Below is an excerpt of an email from my mother-in-law (Grammaw's oldest child):

Mom has gone home to be with the Lord..a glorious homecoming I'm sure. God has been good to us all in the fact that we've all been here with her the entire past week and were able to be with her at her last breath. It happened at 11:50pm but official time (once hospice nurse came) is 1:18am. Her suffering is over, she was an amazing lady, but we already knew that. We waited an hour or so before we called the RN so we could have time with her and even had a drink to toast her, reminiscing about different things. Her sister Helen "went home" ahead of her late Wed night. Thank you again for all your prayers and thoughts..this is not an easy time but just knowing she is free of pain and home with her Lord is comforting.
I haven't mentioned this before but Grammaw's sister, Helen, was her only living sibling and slipped into a coma about the same time as Grammaw. They had just spoken on the phone a few days before that all happened and according to those who were there, they giggled like schoolgirls. Helen lived hundreds of miles away and was not aware of anything going on here with Grammaw. STRANGE! Stacy, do you think that will be us?!?! ;) And I'm so glad our Nana could be with her siblings during all of this. I think it was a most special time for all of them and Grammaw's final gift to her kids. She hung in there like a champ.

Also, one last thing... one of her sons reported seeing something similar to headlights from a passing car just as Grammaw's body expired last night. I have personally heard "pagans" within the medical community report similar experiences (with some flippancy, which I always found odd.) Anyway, please don't ever think for a minute that this life is it and whatever you do, please don't leave this world without Jesus! We're thanking God today that Grammaw didn't!



When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:44-45

Best wishes to you all and hopefully I'll be able to post again sometime next week. (Don't abandon Steph's Other Space in the meantime... we're hoping to have some normalcy in our house again soon!)

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Direct TV anyone? Anyone?

This is "boss" as Plumberboy would say. (Boss means "awesome" in Deerfoot speak.) You know you can't wait to see more of Smash kissing up to a Bama recruiter. Boss to the max.

Disjointed Thoughts

I'll be impressed if any of you (besides my immediate family) are still checking this blog. I know, I know...my posts have been few and far between for several weeks now and that doesn't look to change anytime soon. It's spring, which means soccer (3 times a week!) and Ricky Bobby's school's annual festival fundraiser (I'm in charge of advertising!) and of course the laborious painting of the brick at our house. Anyway, I am looking forward to a leisurely summer (ha!) when I can sit at home and perhaps even post more frequently. I have so many thoughts I would like to put into writing before November. Until then, look for more posts full of disjointed thoughts.

1. Grammaw is still physically with us here on earth. She is essentially defying every medical odd out there and the family has officially started calling her The Energizer Bunny. Spirits are good within the family but overall the physical and emotional stress coupled with all the uncertainty about plans is taking its toll. That's all I have to say about that.

2. Ricky Bobby rocked his soccer game last night. It was fun... and quite unexpected! I felt so bad for him at practice the night before because he just didn't seem to be on the "same playing field" as the others but I was pleasantly surprised (and obviously wrong) last night. Good for him!

3. Plumberboy, in perhaps the most disgusting romantic gesture ever during our long relationship, drank sour milk for me last Saturday. After inspecting the milk carton dates, I poured my morning cup of SlimFast and quickly noticed an odd taste. I thought it was just my imagination/paranoia over a close call with the expiration date when I noticed Plumberboy was spewing out his own breakfast around the corner. He hollered out something about "nasty sour milk" right as I swallowed my third spoonful of SlimFast. Since this is me we're talking about, I started freaking out about drinking rotten milk and the possible violent upchucking that would ensue. (I mean, seriously, is there is a worse way to go than food poisoning?!?!) So in an effort to make me feel better about having consumed a considerable amount of sour milk, Plumberboy chugged a mouthful straight from the carton. Neither of us ever got sick but I think he regretted his chivalrous actions for the next hour as he had to live with the lingering taste of sour milk in his mouth.

4. My phone is ringing off the hook with PTA stuff and it's very hard to concentrate on this post so I shall end it here. I see things all the time that I would love to link to but that takes time and energy, neither of which are in abundance around here. I implore those of you who follow all things random (and search the internet for Garfield images) to stick with me as I will eventually get back to more entertaining and/or thought-provoking posts in the future. Until then, I found this random little nugget a while back. It's related to a link I posted in the very beginning of Steph's Other Space but that initial link has since expired. However, I promise this one is infinitely more entertaining. That's how they do it in Eugene, fool!

Until I post again...