Good morning, everyone!!
I've tried to get on the blog site to no avail, had to get Leslie to do it for me. She says I'm technically challenged.
Visit to Dr. was pleasant and surprising....I can go back to tennis after Oct. 3 which is the 4 month mark!!!! Plan to start with foam balls at first as that will put less stress and pull on the back muscles. I had to promise to take it slowly and I will as I have no desire to "undo" anything. It has been a long time since I've been able to play tennis without leg pain so I will behave myself. The bone stimulator is a thing of the past, too. I was under the impression that using the bone stimulator would go on for several more months. See Dr. Walpert again in 6 months but she is very optimistic that all will continue to do well.
Awesome daughter is still waiting for the decision on the new ED at VistaCare. Regional VP had told her that he wanted to make his decision by Monday or Tuesday. No word yesterday so maybe she'll find out today. She has handled this well with only a few nights of dreams, etc about the situation.
I will make a few more posts to let everyone know how the tennis goes. Fall league play is at half way mark so I will not attempt that this season. If all goes well I may try a senior match or two later this season but more than likely I won't play matches until Jan. season.
Again, thanks to everyone for their prayers and good wishes for my recovery.

Good morning to all. I thought it was time to report in as it has been a long time.
I am now brace free and have been doing exercises 3 times/week to rebuild muscle strength in my back. Haven't been sent to Physical therapy yet and don't know for sure that I will be.
Am doing all the "stuff" that I want to except lifting heavy stuff and playing tennis.
It was great that my recovery has coincided with the big tennis tournaments and I was able to get a daily dose of tennis. Now I will have to be content withh "cheerleading" for my league team.
I see Dr. Walpert this week and hope that she has encouraging news for me as far as tennis is concerned.
The enbroidery business is going well...it's time to be thinking about the cute Christmas designs on sweatshirts, etc.
Awesome Daughter is still the Interim Director of VistaCare. She has applied for the position and should know something by the end of the month. She has done a magnificant job of juggling all those responsibilities.
It has been 3 1/2 months since surgery. I am much indebted to all the prayers and good wishes that came my way. Thank you very much.

Sunday, September 20th

This picture was taken at our first football party on Sept 12...thats John Callahan with her!!

Wow...it's been a really longtime since I have made a post, I suppose that is because all is really great!! Mom is rockin'....loves the way she feels and is just waiting for the word that she can start to play tennis again! I feel sure she will make a post later today now that I finally figured out how to get back on this thing, it kept telling me that my password didn't match!

For me...staying ever so busy. Since July 22 I have been Interim Executive Director over our Athens and Lawrenceville offices while still holding down my nurse manager duties. Needless to say it has been quite the challenge and I have applied for the position permanently, all the interviews are behind me and now it's just a matter of waiting for upper management to make a decision. If I am not offered the position I will be okay with that as I just look at it for an opportunity to grow and learn, even through the interim position and the interview process for such a position.

Hope everyone out there is doing well....look to hear from Mom later today!

MJ reporting in

I decided that it was time I made a post on the blog. I am doing great and feel very fortunate that I have not had any problems. (The hemoglobin is up to 11.0 now). Energy level is up and I get antsy quite often. Thank goodness for my sewing projects and tennis tournaments on TV. (I still follow Andy Roddick who gave Roger F the match of the season at Wimbledon). Am also keeping up with John Isner a former GA player.

I am extremely proud of "Awesome Daughter" with her new responsibilities at VistaCare. She seems to be doing well and not too terribly stressed....but I still want her to get back to her tennis.

Today was another milestone...went to grocery without the brace. It was the first time I have driven without the brace and it felt weird but I did fine. Hope to be able to start some exercises once I get out of the brace completely. ( Am weaning off the brace day to day...today was 3 hrs in and 3 hrs out and it progresses every day.) Tennis is a long way off so I'll have to be content with being a cheerleader when the team starts league play in Sept.

Many thanks to all the folks that have called , brought me books to read and most of all the prayers and wishes for a good recovery.

Big News at 260!!!

Today marked the day that Mom starts weaning herself from her back brace!!! Neither of us can believe that the time has flown by so quickly....I am sure having absolutely no set backs helped with the time flying like it has. Even though she is coming out of the brace Mom still has a lot of healing to do....but you wouldn't know it to see her, to talk to her or to see her move about!!!



Mom is back to being completely independent except for maybe picking up something that weighs a bit much. She is shopping, sewing, socializing, reading, cleaning, being the oh so awesome Laundry Fairy, cooking and even partying with us young ones!!! It will still be several months before she will be able to swing a tennis racquet but that too will be here before we both know it!!!



The other big news here at 260 belongs to me (one awesome daughter). One week ago today I was named Interim Executive Director over the VistaCare Athens site and the Lawrenceville site (which happens to be our sister site), on top of that I am also still performing my nurse manager duties. At this point I am thanking the good Lord above for my super organization skills...plus the great team of folks that I have working under me. There is a lot of "cleaning" up to do behind our former Executive Director and it won't happen over night but I am determined to turn things around even if the position is "interim". It is not my intention to become the permanent ED as in my 4+ years with VistaCare I have seen 3 different directors get thrown out on their heads and 1 who left on their on accord. It seems to be quite the expendable position and I don't want to take the chance of being a notch on their bedpost. Of course, these thoughts may change as anything is possible. I do absolutely LOVE my nurse manager position and feel very affective in the position. So, for now I will do my best to wear many hats and just hope for the best outcome for the company, my employees and myself.

Hope that everyone out there is doing well. I apologize for the lack of posts but with Mom doing so awesome I didn't feel it was necessary to repeat myself just to post a blog!!!

And yes, we here at 260 are looking forward to Georgia Football and a great party or two as last season Mom just wasn't up for the partying, for some reason I think this football season is going to be very different!!!

It's been a week since the last entry!!!

As Mom continues to heal more with everyday that passes the news to post becomes less and less....she has a tad over 2 weeks until she gets to come out of the brace (neither of us can believe how the time has flown by). We have had virtually no set backs.

Mom is "almost" completely independent now, about the only thing that she still can't do is lift anything too heavy or play tennis...other than these two things she is back to living her life. She has been to several social events the past couple of weeks, she can go shopping alone now, she is sewing, doing embroidery, reading, cooking and to me the best thing of all....the Laundry Fairy has returned fulltime!!!

Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers....we would have never gotten through this time without each and every one of you!!!

Its Scary to go shopping with MJ now...

Just a short blog here....Mom wanted to go to Belks today so off we went. I was at the MAC make-up counter restocking when she walked up to me and said she was going "over there"...I said "Okay, I will meet you in the shoe department"....WELL......40 minutes later after walking all over the store looking for her my MAC guy finally spotted her for me!!! I told her that I was going to put a GPS on her the next time we went shopping!! Just one small example of how well she is doing!!!!

PS Mom did get a free MAC lipstick out of the whole deal!!!

Sunday, July 12th

It's been a week or more since I made a post....as Mom continues to get better and better and better, there is less to report other than her "milestones"!

Many milestones have been reached:
1) The Laundry Fairy has returned in full force (yes, this includes ironing and she does do a much better job than any dry cleaner)

2) Cooking: Yes, Mom is back to cooking. Every once in awhile she might need a pot or a pan from a lower shelf so she plans ahead to make sure she has what she needs before I head off to work or anywhere else.

3) Sewing: Both alterations and embroidery

4) Going out at night...just this past Friday night she went to a party with all her tennis friends, I was already in bed when she got home.

5) House Cleaning: Is running her cordless vacuum and dusting, also doing dishes that don't go in the dishwasher...the dishwasher...I empty the bottom shelf and she takes care of the top shelf

6) Mom is able to take Tiki outside but still can't bend over to pick up the presents that Tiki leaves in the yard

7) She is going to the grocery store without me now...first time since late April, early May

Her incision is healed for the most part (all of the scab is gone) and looks really good.

Well...this is the best I can do for an update at this point....she is counting down the days until she can start coming out of her brace and we are at 17 days and counting until that event starts to take place.

Hope everyone is doing well out there...things here at 260 get more normal with each day that passes!!!

The 3rd & 4th of July!!!

As you can all see from the pictures we have been having some fun here at 260 the past few days!! Sharla got into town Thursday evening and from that point on fun was had by everybody for the next 2 days!

Friday night Buddy & Donna joined us for burgers on the deck...we had a really great time!

Saturday I spent the day cooking and guests started arriving at 5pm. We had a great Happy Hour and then it was on to a great meal of my "famous" ribs.

You can see for yourself that Mom looks fabulous and is doing really, really, really good!! She certainly did her best to keep up with us youngsters this weekend!!

This morning (Sunday) I got up early to cook for "Breakfast at Wimbledon", Kendra came over and I served she and Mom strawberries and cream, then a breakfast of fresh sausage, fresh country ham, biscuits and eggs! Roger and Andy are still going at it and as I type this the score is 14-15 in the 5th set!!

We hope that everyone had a glorious holiday....it sure was a lot of fun around here!!!

A Great time with a Great Friend!

Tonight Mom and I had a great time with Donna Williams, a friend of mine that I met some 17 years ago. She came over with dinner already prepped and we had an awesome meal of pork loin shis-ka-bobs complete with a spinach salad. The weather was nice enough for us to enjoy our meal on the deck tonight!!!

Mom is doing great!!! As you can see from the above picture, we all think she looks 10 years younger compared to how she looked before surgery!!!

Mom is wearing her brace faithfully and looking very forward to when she can start coming out of it a month from now! I don't have a lot of stuff to report other than we are once again enjoying life here at 260 Mallard Pointe Way and it is my feeling that once Mom completely recovers we all better "watch out"...I am thinking I might have to put a GPS on her....she is going to be hard to stop and that is okay...she deserves it and I like I said in an earlier post that I can only hope that I have her drive and determination at 71 years old.

We hope that everyone has an awesome 4th of July!! We are looking forward to Sharlas visit as she is scheduled to come into town Thursday evening. I am off work until Monday and plan on spending a lot of my time between here, the pool and the deck. God has given me an awesome consolation prize for not being able to go to the beach by taking away the humidity and we are loving it here at 260 as it makes for awesome evenings on our deck, a sanctuary that I worked very hard to create!!

Almost a regular kind of Saturday!!!

It's been a couple of days since I have written...as Mom continues to recover and get better and better with everyday that passes I am sure that my blog installments will slow to every couple of days or so.

Today was almost like a regular Saturday around here....I slept till 11am and when I got up and came upstairs I found a note on the counter that Mom had gone to meet a Ms Anne and Margaret for coffee at Paneras. On a real true regular Saturday Mom typically plays tennis and then goes to breakfast with her tennis buds.

Mom and I spent the afternoon running errands, the grocery store, Lowes and Office Depot...will probably hit Belks tomorrow. Everyday I am seeing more of the Mom before pain coming out...she wears her brace every where and even today got praise from the check out attendants at Publix!!!

Yesterday she made the trip by herself to the hair stylist and all went really well!!

We are going to have to still be careful about Moms activity level because she does get tired and did take a short nap this afternoon to get over the outing today.

Thank you to all of you that are coming to visit and calling....Mom loves having the company especially during the week when I am at work.

This coming week will bring us the July 4th holiday....I am only working on Monday and Tuesday and then taking the rest of the week off....hope to spend some good pool time and read a couple of books!!! Sharla is suppose to be coming to hang with us, getting in Thursday evening and that will be a treat for Mom and I like it always is!

Hope that all of you are having a great weekend and staying cool with these hot temps we are having!!!

Mama Jane vs Michael Jackson vs Farrah Fawcett

As I sit to type this the country is mourning the passing of "the" pop star of our time along with the passing of Farrah Fawcett....2 icons that I personally grew up with in the 70's. BUT...I have MUCH more important news to tell......

Mom had her 3 week follow up appointment with Dr Walpert today....the best way to describe the outcome of the appointment is to say that the brilliant neurosurgeon was absolutely "speechless" at how well Mom is doing and how far she has come in a mere 3 weeks. Some quotes from Dr Walpert "You don't even look like the same person that walked into this office before surgery".....when we told her that Mom had not even used the walker at all her response was "WOW" and we got the same response when Mom told her she had not taken any pain medication in almost 10 days! The prescription that Mom was given today for her ongoing recovery is as follows:

1) Mom is free to drive...she practiced today by driving to the mailbox. She even has an appointment tomorrow to see her hair stylist!!!!
2) Mom can do "light" housekeeping...using Aunt Judiths favorite toy from her visit (the cordless vacuum), laundry using her grabber, she can take Tiki out also.
3) Dr Walpert also gave her permission to do "some" bending over...for example...to shave her legs (thank you to Donna when she wasn't able to do this for herself)....but not too much, too often.
4) The back brace stays on during waking hours until 8 weeks from the day of surgery which takes us all the way to July 29th.
5) Starting on July 29th she will start "weaning" herself from the brace....1 hr on, 1 hr off the first day, 2 hours on, 2 hours off the 2nd day and so on and so forth.
6) The embroidery business is completely open again, as well as the other machine that does alterations.
7) Lifting anything too heavy is still a restriction.....I will have to watch her because just tonight I caught her lifting a stack of dishes out of the cabinet! Thank goodness I have the 4 legged kids to watch her when I am not here.
8) IRONING!!! Mom can iron!!! Thank the good Lord...I only had one dry cleaning bill and when I paid it, I thought to myself...I can't afford for this to continue! (And they didn't even do as good a job as Mom can do) She did a little bit the other day and did fine with it...as long as she takes breaks and doesn't do it for too long at one time.

With all of the above said, we know that the incredible nursing that she got from her sister Judith during that first week has made all the difference in where she is today!!! Mom and I are very, very pleased with how things have gone so far and we anticipate nothing but UP from here...I can ONLY hope that when and if I made it to 71 years old that I have the same will, strength and abilities that Mama Jane has right now!!! She is definately someone to admire for her determination!!!

Moms next appointment with Dr Walpert is 3 months from now on September 24th. There won't be an x-ray to check bone growth until 6 months out, so no Fall tennis for Mom but I am betting she will be raring to go come Winter and Spring tennis!!! Oh yeah, the bone growth stimulator will remain a constant in her life for at least 6 months as well...but that's okay, it's only 30 minutes out of the day and it doesn't hurt!!!

PS Dr Walpert was very impressed with the flair on Moms brace!!

No humidity = Nice evening on the deck

It's Tuesday, June 23rd...tomorrow marks Mom being 3 weeks post op. The humidity left us today and we took advantage of the nice evening and sat on the deck with a couple of cocktails and the 4 legged kids.

Mom is doing great, starting to get really antsy which is going to make the next 5 weeks really hard for her. We have an appointment to see Dr Walpert on Thursday...perhaps Mom will be doing good enough that she might give her a tad of her freedom back...stay tuned for those results.

I did do a blood draw on Mom today as we were both curious about what her hemoglobin was doing....it is up to 10.0 which is still 2 whole points away from normal but we feel that is okay and it will be normal in due time.

So...keep those visits and phone calls coming....Mom will definately benefit from extra activities over the next 5 weeks!

Mama Jane Speaks!!!

Awesome Daughter says that it's time for me to speak up. It's hard to believe that it has been 2 weeks since I came home from the hospital with my foggy brain. Thank goodness the foggy brain is gone and I feel more like myself each day. The brace is cumbersome and it's hard to be "fashionable" when you feel like you are as round as a barrel but Awesome Daughter and my 2nd daughter (Sharla) "blinged" me out to make me feel more fashionable.
Breakfast with the Sat. AM tennis group was fun. It was great to see them and they all thought I looked great. (Guess one does look better when they are pain free). After breakfast I came home and took a short rest before getting ready to go to the reception deal. Again I saw folks at the reception that thought that I looked good and couldn't believe that I am so mobile. Take the cane with me mostly as "security" but really don't use it much.
Today was a great day, the most active one I've had since early May. It feels so good to be able to go out and not worry about the legs tingling and getting numb. I know I'll sleep well tonite.
Wimbledon starts Monday so you folks that know me know that I'll be keeping an eye on that while I sew. It's time for me to learn how to use the monogram system for the embroidery machine.
I must give a great big hug and kiss to Awesome Daughter for all she has done for me...plus keeping me in line.

Headed to a Social Event

The above picture was taken just as Mom was getting ready to leave with Ms Brenda for Greg and Summer Hudsons outdoor casual Wedding Reception at Aunt Bobbis house (Aunt Bobbi is Gregs Mom). They are there now and I sure do hope they are having a good time despite the heat outside!!!

I think that Mom looks great!!! This surgery has made her look 10 years younger...amazing things happen when all the pain goes away that one has been experiencing for a really long time! If you ask me, it is amazing for someone that is 71 years old!!! WOW!!! It was 2 weeks ago this afternoon that we brought Mom home from the hospital!!!

Mom also had a great time getting to go to breakfast with her tennis buddies this morning, she said it was really good to see all of them!

Hope that everyone is holding up in this heat okay and having a great weekend!

Moms 1st outing since the surgery...

Yes...that is what I said...Moms first outing since surgery!!! After work I came home and fetched her and off we went to Target!!! She did incredible...walking around that store like nobodys business!!! It was good practice for her two outings coming up tomorrow!!!

Thanks to Aunt Bobbi for coming to visit today and walking around outside with Mom!!! I am so sorry that I have to miss the reception but a committment I made to help with a blood pressure clinic is getting in my way...you know I love you!!!

Not much else to tell....Mom will make her own post after her outings tomorrow, it should be interesting as to what she will have to say!!!

Oh yeah...getting to park in Handicap Parking is really kinda cool!!!

Giving out of steam....

With the above title, I am talking about myself....it just hit me this morning when I was attempting to get ready for work. My ever so supporting boss told me to take the day to rest (thank you Gail), so I did and am ready for what already promises to be a very busy day at work tomorrow!

Mom is doing great, loving having visitors. Yesterday Ms Brenda brought lunch over and they enjoyed a nice visit. Last evening Susan Houser (office manager at the MD office of physicians Mom worked closely with her entire career) brought us a yummy dinner from DePalma's (our favorite Italian Restaurant here in Athens) besides dropping off food, we had a nice visit with Susan as well.

Today one of Moms tennis buddies (Vicki Green) came to visit her and brought her a gorgeous hanging basket...I currently have it sitting out where it can get some of the rain that we are having right now.

The weather forecast for tomorrow and the weekend is telling us it is going to be 100 degrees, I am thinking that is even too hot to walk to the mailbox, Mom and I just might have a movie marathon! I do have to go and help a co-worker Saturday AM with a blood pressure clinic at an assisted living facility AND Mom has her first two outings since the surgery planned...breakfast at the Waffle House with her tennis buddies and a wedding reception, all on Saturday!!! Thank you so much to Ms Anne and Ms Brenda for coming to pick her up for these events!

Two Weeks Post-op tomorrow!!!

Wow! Time sure does fly!! I hope it feels that way for Mom as we still have a long road ahead of us but I am happy to report that at two weeks post op things are really going good. This day marks the second day that we have been without any "extra" folks at the house. Aunt Judith went home on Saturday and Sharla went home Sunday evening. Mom is doing better than great...she is staying by herself during the day while I am at work and Tiki is at daycare....she has been sending me "status reports" at least once a day in my email at work and I typically check on her by phone once or twice. With that being said, I am working regular hours. And yes, Aunt Judith...Mom is carrying her cell phone with her at all times, tucked safely in the brace that does not yet have a name.

Mom is spending her days reading, sitting on the deck, playing with a new embroidery program that she purchased before the surgery and yes, napping. In the evenings we take a little walk (tonight she walked all the way to the mailboxes) and I do chores like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, watering the plants, filling the bird feeders and taking care of the indoor animals (although tonight she fed both of them and lowered their bowls to the floor with her special "grabber").

We are still waiting for people to send us ideas for naming her now flaired out brace..come on people...please play the game...the brace needs a name!!

Thank you to the folks that are calling and visiting during the day....Mom is truly a lady of leisure and all the phone calls and visits you folks are making are appreciated more than you could know.

Oh yeah...Mom is only taking pain medicine at bedtime now and she is starting to sleep a little better!!! She turns in early and reads....I am so proud of her and how she is handling all of this. I only have to remind her about the "no-no's" every once in awhile.

Intricate Details of the Flair

If you come to visit please make sure that you use one of the colorful Sharpie's that we bought so that everyone can sign the brace!! Mom can hardly wait to wear her new "flair" to see Dr Walpert on the 25th, we will be sure to take a Sharpie with us on that visit, so leave room for the Rock Star MD to sign her name!!!

Name Mama Janes Back Brace!!! Part II

Here is Mom modeling the finished product...we think it's just too cute and happy looking, the brace definately has some flair now. The one thing missing is a name...yes, we need a name for the brace, so please post your ideas for a name for it and Mom will choose one after we get several ideas and of course, the winning name will be posted here...hopefully with a picture of you and MJ in her brace!!

Mom is really doing good, looks good, just wishes she was sleeping a little better at night....I told her she needed more mental stimulation and she halfway agreed with me. This morning we went for a walk and when I say we I mean Mom, Sharla, Tiki, myself and Sophie. She walked further this morning than she has yet, we ALMOST went all the way to the mailboxes!!! Her appetite is back as well, we had a yummy dinner of steak and scallops last night with the left overs for lunch today!!

Now that Mom is up and about and actually quite independent for someone who is not allowed to bend over, twist or lift anything heavier than a half gallon of milk she welcomes visitors. I will be working and she will be here alone during the day and will need some human contact to help get her through the next 6 weeks or so. I will only be 4 miles down the road and can come home if she needs something but I am sure she would love to see lots of her friends, all of you that have been so good to us during this adventure.