Homeward Bound
As I left the hospital, I gave Dad a big, not too tight, squeeze and followed the nurse down the hall. At 7am, the doctor came in, pulled the drain out of Dad's chest and gave him his walking papers. He will be released sometime this afternoon. Throughout it all, I haven't been that emotional. At times, I felt concern and shock when I first saw him in ICU but not the distress as when Mom was sick.
I'm not sure why? Wasn't Dad's quadruple bypass every bit as serious as Mom's battle with cancer? A friend said the difference is the weight of primary caretaker didn't fall on my shoulder's with Dad like it did with Mom.
Thank God for Pam. You can really see how much she loves Dad in the little ways she cares for him. She jumps up to straighten his pillow, rubs lotion on his legs and feet and tenderly caresses his forehead and cheek. Throughout the weekend she repeatedly said, "He has to be okay because he's my soul mate." I'm so glad Dad has her. As I followed the nurse to the exit of the hospital, the tears came like a flood. It's so hard saying goodbye.
We live so far away that we're lucky to see each other even once a year. Thanks to mobiles, we talk every day which helps. With him happy in the Smokies and me content as an Okie, I guess cells will have to do for now.
I caught a taxi from the hospital to the airport. It couldn't have been much over 10 miles away but it ended up costing $40.00. The 1-way ticket home only cost $110.00. Isn't that crazy? Dad says I really should get out more, but I don't know if I can afford it.
I made it to the airport in plenty of time so I hit a few airport stores after I checked in with a real live ticket agent. I found a great tote bag that I think I'll use as a purse for $12.00. It's that popular giraffe print with pink straps and trim. I love it. My kids are crazy for Webkinz so I picked up a snake for Little Man and a Lemur (I thought was a monkey) for Baby Girl. They'll love it.
At security, they weren't real happy that my license was expired. I pulled out every card in my wallet in attempts to prove who I was. Reluctantly they sent me on. Like a pro, I placed my stuff including my shoes and jackets into a bin and confidently strolled through without a hitch.
All along the concourse, they had rocking chairs of all shapes and sizes facing the windows definitely adding to the Smokey Mountain feel. During my time here, most of the people I met spoke with that strong southern drawl. It's like they either added vowels to all their words or at least hung on to the ones there as long as possible. The funniest words were those with the long i sound; Right, Nice, and Like. For me, the accent seemed so out of place in the ICU unit. All the doctors and nurses sounded like Dolly Parton, it was hard to take them seriously.
Off the subject, did you see the wreck at Talledega this weekend? On the way to Dallas Friday morning, the guy sitting behind me on the plane was going to that race. Man, did he get his money's worth!
On the plane to Memphis, we bounced around a little more than I like due to turbulence. It got me to thinking about the many flights I took as a child on Skyways (Scareways). Skyways was a little 2 engine commuter plane I'd fly to see Dad during school vacations. When I'd board their plane, I'd wave and say "Hi" to the pilots sitting in the cockpit. Before going to my seat, they'd usually give me a wings pin. There wasn't a door separating the pilots from the main cabin. If I remember right, there weren't stewardesses but instead during the flight, you could see and talk to the pilots at the front of the plane. A couple of times, the pilots invited me to sit in the cockpit and pretend to fly the plane. My how things have changed.
One particular time I flew on Scareways, I looked out my window somewhere over Arkansas and I could see the propeller sitting still. The engine had gone out. Meanwhile in Memphis, the plane was of course extremely late. Dad says that several times he asked the agents at the counter what's going on, why is the plane so late but they never gave him a straight answer only it's been delayed. Dad watched as planes were directed to other runways and emergency vehicles made their way to the runway directly in front of him.
On one engine, it took forever for us to get to Memphis. Looking back, I bet it was a much longer wait for Dad watching all the emergency crews on the runway. If it were my kids, I'd have lost my mind. He says off in the distance, he finally saw our little plane flying on one engine slowly heading for the runway. Obviously, it would have been bad if the other engine went out but evidently landing can be tough on one engine. It was dark when we made our approach to Memphis. I always loved landing at night to see all the runway lights from above but that was nothing compared to it coupled with the lights from the emergency vehicles as well. It was awesome. They told us to assume a crash position bending our head to our legs. Although I could touch my nose to my legs better than anyone on the plane, I was more interested in looking out the window to watch all the action and lights on the ground. Failing to see the danger, I refused to duck for cover.
On Skyways, they don't pull up to the breezeway connecting to the airport but you take stairs down from the plane and walk outside to the doors of the airport. I was always excited to look up into the big airport windows and see Dad waving. He laughs remembering that night. All the adults exited the plane holding their chest noticeably shaken from the experience while I bounced off with a big grin happily skipping and swinging my purse in circles above my head. Oh, to be a kid.
Today's flight to Memphis was no where that exciting but I did catch a glimpse of the Memphis Pyramid, the skyline of downtown and a huge fleet of Fed Ex cargo planes. Once on the ground, I was too slow out of my seat as passengers took up all the aisle. Only on a plane will people not think twice about sticking their butt right in your face as they search under seats and overhead for their belongings. I hope no one has gas.
In the airport, the first song I heard was Otis Reddings "Try A Little Tenderness." Yep, this is definitely Memphis. I had some time to kill between flights so I decided to find a restaurant and maybe check out some of their stores. The first restaurant I came to was of course a barbecue restaurant so I stopped for a sandwich. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, my favorite. The cashier asked if I wanted slaw on my sandwich. Hubby is disgusted when I eat that combination. I'm sure it's a Southern thang, if you haven't tried it, you should. It's great! As I ate my sandwich and watched people pass by, two words plopped into my mind . . . SWINE FLU! I hope you can't get it from Barbecue sandwiches.
After lunch, I shopped. The Elvis store had a great Elvis purse but it was too expensive about the cost of my taxi ride to the airport this morning. Next, I went to the Sun store named for the famous Sun Studio in downtown Memphis where all the greats recorded. Why Ohio claims to be the birthplace of Rock n Roll I have no idea, there's no denying, it all started here in Memphis. If you are ever in Memphis, be sure to take the Sun Studio tour, it's incredible! Sun store in the airport had a great Johnny Cash t-shirt, all black of course. Cool shirt but more than I wanted to spend.
At the gate waiting for the plane, the airport announcer warned that the Homeland Security Threat was elevated to Orange, I wonder what that means? The next time I fly will be the first of June. Hubby and I along with two other couples, are going to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. My best friend is one of the couples, we've been friends since 3rd grade. We planned the trip months ago. We were somewhat concerned with all the media attention on the gun fights from the drug wars. Now that's calmed down, the Pig Flu has broke out and once again all travel to Mexico is discouraged. While still waiting for my plane, she text me saying maybe we should cancel the trip. I text back halfway joking saying how cute we'd look in our bikini's and face mask and what could possible happen next, an earthquake? She's never seen the ocean before, not to jinx us but maybe she's not meant to. Before I turned off my cell, she text me back saying, "OMG, a 6.0 earthquake hit Acapulco!" I'm not sure if she's serious or not. I'm confident if we make it to Mexico in June, I'll have one hell of a story to tell on my blog.
I made it home sweet home. Flying in, there's no Smokey Mountains or great Pyramid, but boy does it look good. The wind was blowing too strong for the breezeway so they had us take the stairs off the plane like Scareways. Hubby and kiddo's greeted me with hugs and kisses just beyond security. I'm home. . .
I'm not sure why? Wasn't Dad's quadruple bypass every bit as serious as Mom's battle with cancer? A friend said the difference is the weight of primary caretaker didn't fall on my shoulder's with Dad like it did with Mom.
Thank God for Pam. You can really see how much she loves Dad in the little ways she cares for him. She jumps up to straighten his pillow, rubs lotion on his legs and feet and tenderly caresses his forehead and cheek. Throughout the weekend she repeatedly said, "He has to be okay because he's my soul mate." I'm so glad Dad has her. As I followed the nurse to the exit of the hospital, the tears came like a flood. It's so hard saying goodbye.
We live so far away that we're lucky to see each other even once a year. Thanks to mobiles, we talk every day which helps. With him happy in the Smokies and me content as an Okie, I guess cells will have to do for now.
I caught a taxi from the hospital to the airport. It couldn't have been much over 10 miles away but it ended up costing $40.00. The 1-way ticket home only cost $110.00. Isn't that crazy? Dad says I really should get out more, but I don't know if I can afford it.
I made it to the airport in plenty of time so I hit a few airport stores after I checked in with a real live ticket agent. I found a great tote bag that I think I'll use as a purse for $12.00. It's that popular giraffe print with pink straps and trim. I love it. My kids are crazy for Webkinz so I picked up a snake for Little Man and a Lemur (I thought was a monkey) for Baby Girl. They'll love it.
At security, they weren't real happy that my license was expired. I pulled out every card in my wallet in attempts to prove who I was. Reluctantly they sent me on. Like a pro, I placed my stuff including my shoes and jackets into a bin and confidently strolled through without a hitch.
All along the concourse, they had rocking chairs of all shapes and sizes facing the windows definitely adding to the Smokey Mountain feel. During my time here, most of the people I met spoke with that strong southern drawl. It's like they either added vowels to all their words or at least hung on to the ones there as long as possible. The funniest words were those with the long i sound; Right, Nice, and Like. For me, the accent seemed so out of place in the ICU unit. All the doctors and nurses sounded like Dolly Parton, it was hard to take them seriously.
Off the subject, did you see the wreck at Talledega this weekend? On the way to Dallas Friday morning, the guy sitting behind me on the plane was going to that race. Man, did he get his money's worth!
On the plane to Memphis, we bounced around a little more than I like due to turbulence. It got me to thinking about the many flights I took as a child on Skyways (Scareways). Skyways was a little 2 engine commuter plane I'd fly to see Dad during school vacations. When I'd board their plane, I'd wave and say "Hi" to the pilots sitting in the cockpit. Before going to my seat, they'd usually give me a wings pin. There wasn't a door separating the pilots from the main cabin. If I remember right, there weren't stewardesses but instead during the flight, you could see and talk to the pilots at the front of the plane. A couple of times, the pilots invited me to sit in the cockpit and pretend to fly the plane. My how things have changed.
One particular time I flew on Scareways, I looked out my window somewhere over Arkansas and I could see the propeller sitting still. The engine had gone out. Meanwhile in Memphis, the plane was of course extremely late. Dad says that several times he asked the agents at the counter what's going on, why is the plane so late but they never gave him a straight answer only it's been delayed. Dad watched as planes were directed to other runways and emergency vehicles made their way to the runway directly in front of him.
On one engine, it took forever for us to get to Memphis. Looking back, I bet it was a much longer wait for Dad watching all the emergency crews on the runway. If it were my kids, I'd have lost my mind. He says off in the distance, he finally saw our little plane flying on one engine slowly heading for the runway. Obviously, it would have been bad if the other engine went out but evidently landing can be tough on one engine. It was dark when we made our approach to Memphis. I always loved landing at night to see all the runway lights from above but that was nothing compared to it coupled with the lights from the emergency vehicles as well. It was awesome. They told us to assume a crash position bending our head to our legs. Although I could touch my nose to my legs better than anyone on the plane, I was more interested in looking out the window to watch all the action and lights on the ground. Failing to see the danger, I refused to duck for cover.
On Skyways, they don't pull up to the breezeway connecting to the airport but you take stairs down from the plane and walk outside to the doors of the airport. I was always excited to look up into the big airport windows and see Dad waving. He laughs remembering that night. All the adults exited the plane holding their chest noticeably shaken from the experience while I bounced off with a big grin happily skipping and swinging my purse in circles above my head. Oh, to be a kid.
Today's flight to Memphis was no where that exciting but I did catch a glimpse of the Memphis Pyramid, the skyline of downtown and a huge fleet of Fed Ex cargo planes. Once on the ground, I was too slow out of my seat as passengers took up all the aisle. Only on a plane will people not think twice about sticking their butt right in your face as they search under seats and overhead for their belongings. I hope no one has gas.
In the airport, the first song I heard was Otis Reddings "Try A Little Tenderness." Yep, this is definitely Memphis. I had some time to kill between flights so I decided to find a restaurant and maybe check out some of their stores. The first restaurant I came to was of course a barbecue restaurant so I stopped for a sandwich. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, my favorite. The cashier asked if I wanted slaw on my sandwich. Hubby is disgusted when I eat that combination. I'm sure it's a Southern thang, if you haven't tried it, you should. It's great! As I ate my sandwich and watched people pass by, two words plopped into my mind . . . SWINE FLU! I hope you can't get it from Barbecue sandwiches.
After lunch, I shopped. The Elvis store had a great Elvis purse but it was too expensive about the cost of my taxi ride to the airport this morning. Next, I went to the Sun store named for the famous Sun Studio in downtown Memphis where all the greats recorded. Why Ohio claims to be the birthplace of Rock n Roll I have no idea, there's no denying, it all started here in Memphis. If you are ever in Memphis, be sure to take the Sun Studio tour, it's incredible! Sun store in the airport had a great Johnny Cash t-shirt, all black of course. Cool shirt but more than I wanted to spend.
At the gate waiting for the plane, the airport announcer warned that the Homeland Security Threat was elevated to Orange, I wonder what that means? The next time I fly will be the first of June. Hubby and I along with two other couples, are going to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. My best friend is one of the couples, we've been friends since 3rd grade. We planned the trip months ago. We were somewhat concerned with all the media attention on the gun fights from the drug wars. Now that's calmed down, the Pig Flu has broke out and once again all travel to Mexico is discouraged. While still waiting for my plane, she text me saying maybe we should cancel the trip. I text back halfway joking saying how cute we'd look in our bikini's and face mask and what could possible happen next, an earthquake? She's never seen the ocean before, not to jinx us but maybe she's not meant to. Before I turned off my cell, she text me back saying, "OMG, a 6.0 earthquake hit Acapulco!" I'm not sure if she's serious or not. I'm confident if we make it to Mexico in June, I'll have one hell of a story to tell on my blog.
I made it home sweet home. Flying in, there's no Smokey Mountains or great Pyramid, but boy does it look good. The wind was blowing too strong for the breezeway so they had us take the stairs off the plane like Scareways. Hubby and kiddo's greeted me with hugs and kisses just beyond security. I'm home. . .
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