progress

It is now Friday and I saw mom two days ago and I took with me her husband. It was a hard visit for him seeing that he hasn't seen her in about two and half months (maybe longer). So in a way it was progress... Later that day I decided to call him to se how he was doing, I was being nice. I understand that seeing a loved in that condition can be hard and I wanted to make sure he was okay. So I did and sure enough he was having a hard time. I cant imagine how hard this is for him....

In other news...
I have a job interview with the Orange County YMCA for a Youth Development Program Director position. I am very excited and feel really good about this....my friend Shelly told yesterday that she has never seen me happier then when I was working at the Y. (at least with work..being happy) So that interview will take place this coming Tuesday!!!!

And tomorrow I am helping to shoot my first wedding!!! So exicted that I get to be a part of a big day with my camera and really try to work on my art!!!! Yeah!!!

mom update...(angie)

It has been a while since I posted anything new about my mom....not alot has changed. She is doing well and getting acclimated to her new surroundings. She is still very restless during the day...she rarely sits or rests. But when it is time to go to bed at night..my mom sleeps and sleeps well. As the disease progresses I see less and less of the mom I used to know. She is still super independent (or at least likes to think she is) Every once and a while, she says or does something that reminds me that it is my mom...something she does that brings me back to memories I have of my childhood growing up with this amazing woman.

This has been perhaps the hardest thing I have had to endure in my life..I am thankful everyday that I am close by and that I can still spend time with her. She may not recognize me or know who I am, but I believe that she still knows that she is deeply loved!

I am reading a few good books right now that are helping me to better understand what is happening to my mom..
"Dancing with Rose...by Lauren Kessler"
The 36 hour day
Preventing Alzhiemer's (Thank you Rob, for this great book)

I will be posting more later...as I am going to see mom today....and I am taking her husband (my step-dad) with me!

Trip to the land of eternal sunshine and heat...also known as Arizona!

A few weeks back Ryan and I headed out to Arizona...with us we brought along our amazing and wonderful niece Megan. Megan was coming along with us to see her cousin Alexis (Alex, Ally) whom she had not seen all summer. We told Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Paul and Aunt Cassy that we were bringing Megan and it was going to be a surprise for Ally...and surprise it was. What a great time those two had that weekend.
Ryan and I also had a great time in Arizona..despite the heat (111 degrees..yikes) The time we got to spend with our family out there was priceless...we played cards, we ate....we visited with all the family out there and then it was time to go. Where had the time gone..we had just arrived and now we were packing the car up and heading home.
Our times in Arizona never seem like they are long enough...there is always so much to do and so many family members to see..its hard being so far away from family. But we do enjoy the times we get to spend out there.

Funny note...when we arrived mom and dad came out to greet us at the car and to our surprise we saw a dad that we did not recognize...Dad had grown a beard! He looks so good....just took us by surprise at first!! Dad ...you look great!!!!

Another thing.....I got to experience one of my first Monsoon storms...it was late at night and Megan and I stayed up watching the lighting light up the sky! It was so amazing...an ever present reminder of how AMAZING our GOD truely is!!!

Bear....

Well...yesterday Ryan and I brought home a new addition. His name is Bear..or least it was while he was in our care. You see..Ryan and I both suffer from dog allergies and we thought we were being smart by getting a Lhasa Apso - Poodle mix..they are supposed to be hypo-allergenic. They probably are to most people..but to me...they arent. In fact, my allergies got really bad and within 6 hours of owning the dog I knew that he had to go back. This was a heart breaking realization for me....I have waited so long for this puppy...and now to be allergic to him....ITS JUST NOT FAIR!!!
So we took him back this morning...puffy eyes, swollen throat and all...Bear is back with his buddies at the pet store...I am heart broken and I miss him dearly already..I didnt realize jsut how attached I was to him.

The reason for us getting a puppy was to bring a little joy into our lives....as mom's disease progresses...we needed something that would bring us endless amounts of joy and happiness...and he did all that...just also brought out the worst of my allergies!!! STUPID ALLERGIES!!!!

A brief history...

As many of you know, my mom has Alzheimers...or an Alzheimer's type dementia. She was diagnosed about 3 years ago and has been in steady decline since then. This disease has affected her vision, her skin sensitivity and her ability to do daily common tasks that we do so easy....bathing, eating, dressing, walking...
Most recently my mom went to live in a nursing home in Yorba Linda. She was there for four months while we tried to get her meds adjusted just right...nothing was working. The meds would begin to work and then she would go downhill once again. We finally met the right doctor who specializes in cases like my mom...he got her on the right meds. (Praise God they are still working) Because the meds were working we decided that it was time to move mom from the nursing home into a Residential Care Facility. Many of you are wondering...why not just bring her home...that is a complicated answer. Just know that her husband could not care for her any longer in her house.....and does not want a home health nurse in his home either. Ryan and I would love to have mom at home with us, but we live in a small apartment and realize that it just wouldn't be healthy for us. So we moved her into a Residential Care Facility at the end of July.
What a great move...mom did great...but the adjustment period has been one of the toughest times of my life. Mom has had several falls, one requiring a trip to the ER ...she is doing better now.
At this time I am waiting for God to take her home..there is no other way to put it. I want her to be happy and cared for and in the arms of her loving heavenly Father....
I created this blog as a way to post my thoughts...but also to keep you (friends and family) up to date in the ongoing trails that I am facing! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!!!