No news is good news?

I haven't heard anything today on the condition of my Grandma, so that might be good news, right? At this point, it's just a matter of waiting for the end. Not to be dramatic or whatever, but that's pretty much what it is. Here's a replay. She was found unresponsive a couple weeks ago at home and taken to the hospital. They think she just took too many of her pain pills. After a couple days she was sent to a nursing home for some rehab because she was having trouble walking. Then, she developed a bood clot in her leg and they had to amputate it. So, she was back in the hospital for that. I guess she never really did well after that. Her blood pressure started dropping and she went into kidney failure. She was in ICU with that going on when her lungs started filling with fluid. Her body is just giving up I guess. So a decision was made to send her back to the nursing home and make her as comfortable as possible. I know that she had said she didn't want to be kept alive by machines, so I think she kinda made the choice to just let it end. I talked to her yesterday and she sounded okay. She told me how much she loved me. It was a typical short and sweet conversation that I have been having with her my entire life. I guess she's never really liked to talk on the phone, especially now. Usually, it goes something like this:

Me: Hi, Grandma.

G'Ma (in a typical Wisconsin accent): Hello, Nicooole. How are yooou?

Me: Oh, pretty good. What about you?

G'Ma: Well, my knees are aching a lot lately and I just am in so much pain. Please pray for me. How are the kids?

Me: They're great. Audrey's getting ready to start school and...

G'Ma: Oh, good. Okay, well give them all kisses and hugs for me. Bye, bye now.

Me (speaking very rapidly): Okay,loveyouandhopeyoustartfeeling....

G'Ma: *click*

I'm really not exaggerating. You know how sometimes you dread calling the older members of your family because you aren't sure what to say to them? I never had that problem because she never stays on the phone longer than 3 minutes. I will miss those abrupt calls. I will also miss all the neat things that she makes for my kids. She always sews and knits (or crochets-- I don't know the difference). Some are really cool and some are a little less than fashionable, but can always be made to look fabulous with an explanation of "Grandma made it." The kids usually love them none the less.

These were really sweet dresses she made for them when Katie was a baby. She loved doing stuff like that.

My dad is there with her, which is good. We were planning to go camping this weekend, but decided to postpone so we wouldn't be out of touch. I think we're going to kick around here a little, hit the State Fair for some fun. They have a neat kid's area that the girls still talk about from last year. Audrey remembers every detail. That kid has a memory! Most things are free or very cheap, so it's a nice thing to do with the kids without breaking the bank. They can jump in the bouncy castle, play on the cool playground, dig in the sandbox for quarters and dimes, paint a ceramic figure, get their hair and faces painted, and even make their own ice cream sundaes. Then there are the carnival rides of course. Audrey LOVES rides. She has been riding roller coasters since she was tiny. By herself with her arms in the air. LOVES them. Katie, not so much. We'll see with time which camp Sam aligns himself with. I'm gonna guess he and Audrey will be base jumpers in the future. As much as he likes to climb things and fling himself off of the furniture.

I'm not sure about the future of this computer. I keep getting these stupid warnings about trojans and blah, blah. I already pay for virus protection and have run scans telling me everything is fine. Now, this windows system is telling me that I have critical system warnings! and beware! But if I buy their anti-virus stuff for only $60, they will take care of it. I think it's a scam to get me to buy their software. But they make it truly annoying because about every 20 seconds, a little window pops up in my way warning me about impending doom. Make it stop!! I can't figure out how to make it quit. If I scream really loudly, maybe it will go away.

Went for a nice long run the other night. It felt so good. I just kept running. I stopped for a little bit and walked, then started running again. I went over 4 miles total. Am a little sore after, but it's a good sore and I felt so much better afterward. It really clears my head. It's just me and my strong legs, open lungs, beating heart and my thoughts. Oh, and the mosquitos. They were there too. I can chant (just keep running, running, just keep running...), sing, pray, cry, talk to myself, whatever. I think if everyone went for a run, we could solve the world's problems! I haven't been running as much lately because (enter any excuse here) and I can tell because I have been putting weight back on. It's time to stop making excuses and get back into action! I always feel better after. I can walk, run, whatever. It doesn't matter and no one cares if I go fast or slow or somewhere in between. Like my friend Sheri says, "running is MY thing. No one can take it away from me. It's just for me." Or something like that!

Vince and I are happy campers lately. Football season is upon us! Don't get me started about Brett Favre. My boys are looking good! Patrick Crayton is going to start and is considered their #2 receiver. YAY!! Go Pat, go Pat, it's your birthday! Vince is hoping the Redskins do better than they are predicted to. I am hoping for that too, just because I have to live with him and it's not pretty when the Redskins aren't playing well. Trust me, we all want to pray for Washington to do well this season.

I'm gonna go so that we can make it to the fair sometime this year. Keep praying for my Grandma and I will keep you posted on how things are going.