Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Change

I think I have mentioned in this blog many times how I don't do well with change these days. Routine is what I need but lately a lot of things have been changing. So far, I've not done too bad -- a bad day here and there but for the most part, not too awful.

My doctor once told me that she felt that it wasn't change affecting me as much as it was the "unknown" -- not knowing what was going to happen. If the change was planned I did better. I hope this makes sense.

I guess there will be a true test in a couple of months when my husband retires. May 3rd is his last day of working for Uncle Sam. He certainly deserves it....he has worked there for forty years and it is the only job he has ever had. It will be difficult adjusting to that change....both for him and me.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

On the Go

I told you last week we went to Nashville for a women's basketball game. Well, this week I went with the team to Arkansas for a game with the University of Arkansas. We flew over one night and returned the next night after the game. It was a long day but we won and that is a good thing. Next weekend I am off to Little Rock Arkansas for the women's SEC basketball tournament. I get really tired on these trips and I'm not real good company. Luckily, I have friends that drag me along and don't care if I can carry on a decent conversation! The weekend after that Ralph and I will be going to Augusta where I have a speech to give at an Alzheimer's conference. Those trips are harder on me because I actually have to do things, and it brings the realization of this disease out more. I talk about it with others and there always seems to be great conversation -- that's a good thing I guess.

I've gone back and looked at some recent posts and I realize that there are alot of mistakes in them. I guess I need to figure out how to use spell check on this blog, but I also realize that when I have written these posts, I have been extrememly tired. My brain doesn't work so well when I'm tired.

Thanks, Roger, for your comments. I look forward to meeting you in a few weeks.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Snow and cold

Ralph and I went on a bus trip this past weekend to Nashville to watch the UGA Women's Basketball team play Vanderbilt. I kept watching the weather all last week and Nashville and the lower Tennessee area was suppose to get a lot of freezing rain and snow. I was a little concerned going over the mountains to get to Nashville, but in talking with the bus company they said it was the driver's call on whether to go or not, so I figured that if the bus driver thought he could do it he would. And he did, the weather wasn't as bad as predicted I don't think but it was cold -- 11 degrees in Nashville. And, there was snow on the ground. It was nice to see snow.....I miss it sometimes living in the south. And, of course, all of you know that I miss ice skating even more!

The best part of the weekend is that we won the basketball game. We needed win. Now I have to rest for a few days. That took a lot out of me!

Friday, February 17, 2006

The Week

It's been a busy week and this weekend we are going to Nashville to watch a women's basketball game. There was a game last night and our team lost in a heartbreaker. I do enjoy going to the games but sometimes they can be rough on me. If I'm not rested it is hard and the noise is overwhelming sometimes. Last night I forgot my ear plugs so it was particularly hard. And, what made is worse is that we lost.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Life and Death

Last night I went to a memorial service for a man who had taken his life at the early age of 48. He was married to a friend of mine. It was so sad. They have a son that is just a couple of years older than my son and he is due to be married this summer. What a shame his father will not be by his side. At the service they played a Travis Tritt song that was dedicated to the sone -- I think the name of it was "I See Me" and the song was about a man describing his son and the son not having fallen far from the apple tree.

I think about my son and my husband. They are a lot a like and then they aren't. I worry about not being with my son on his wedding day -- at least maybe not mentally. And it bothers me -- so we have to be sure to cherish the time we do have with our family.

My heart goes out to my firend and her family.

Monday, February 13, 2006

People and Things

My memory is getting so much worse. I have been losing lots of things around the house. I just can't seem to remember where I put things and I'll put things in very weird places. It's so frustrating. Yesterday, I was re-organizing all of my scrapbooking stuff and kept losing track of things. I combined a lot of things to cut down on the clutter and then couldn't remember doing it.

And, I'm not recognizing people. I know some people look at me like I should know them and they don't say anything. I rationalize it by telling myself that because I am wearing my hair longer that people don't recognize me -- therefore they don't say anything -- but I have a strong feeling it is the other way around -- they are looking at me, realize I don't recognize them and then don't say anything. It's that stare they give me, that tells me that I should know who they are.

How frustrating.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Dreams

I have had a very hard time sleeping these past few months. Not exactly sure why -- but I find myself a few steps behind everyone during the day from being tired. Besides that I have had weird dreams when I do sleep. In the mornings I can usually figure out why I had the dream, but certainly not the meaning of it. Last night I dreamed that I was in a cage on display at a circus type event and underneath it said "Has Alzheimer's Disease". I hope people didn't pay a lot to see that!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Friends....

are great to have. I know I have written in this blog about how important friends are in my life -- now more than ever. But, I worry about not being a good enough friend back. Several friends I have are carrying big burdens of their own and I don't feel like I am there for them the way they have been for me. What am I doing about it? Not much right now. Some of their burdens I can't carry with them right now for various reasons, but it doesn't mean that I'm not there with them and appreciating what they are going through. I've tried to help the best I can, but I'm not sure that is good enough. I'm going to have to change that. To all of my friends out there -- thank you -- I do appreciate you!