Milestones

My son, Manny, bought a brand new 2014 car this week.

It came as no surprise because he had been talking about buying one for quite sometime. Not long after passing his drivers licenses, it was about a week later that he had gone with his father and friend to shop for a car. He found one and it looks like he made a good choice. Compact, economical, sporty and he fits it well. He came over for a visit and to pick up a Fed X package he had been tracking containing his brand new laptop! In his short years on this earth, he has completed many "firsts" in his young life as have all my children. Now comes the worries about other crazy drivers, distractions and fear that all mothers go through, which our children will never understand until they have children of their own. We talked about his next step in the Air Force and he stated that he has been "extended" again until August but now he has to move out on his own and find an apartment with a buddy of his. The AF will give him per Diem monies that will cover some of the cost of his rent. He will need it if he to meet the monthly payments on his car. He seemed worried about something but didn't want to talk about it at the time. As he looked through my food pantry at home, he declared that he was hungry. I told him there wasn't much in the house but there is an "Inn-n-Out" down the street from us. Besides, I wanted to ride in his cool looking car. It handled very well and he seemed very comfortable to drive in it. He showed me all its features and was very proud of what he had worked and saved so hard for. He was a little anxious to get back on the road and left after dropping me off at home. We said our goodbyes and wished him well on his drive back to Fairfield. I'm very proud of my son and all his accomplishments.

A year and 2 apartments later.....

My home was sold for way under the asking price and all I had left to show for it was $32,000.00! Most of it went to pay off debts, bills and loans. I guess I should count my blessings that it didn't foreclose, my health is stable and my kids still love me. I've been away for quite awhile and I missed writing. So much has happened in the time spent away from being online. So far the drama in my life has NOT gone away and I am still very much in the thick of it all and trying to take a step back and separate myself from my children's, (young adults) problems. I moved into a small one bedroom apartment and supposedly, I am only supposed to have one other person, my mentally challenged daughter, Pua, living with me. My 16 year old son, Manny has been delayed with going to the Honolulu Job Corp due to improper paperwork and has caused him to be in limbo. In the meantime his new residence is the living room (uncomfortable) futon where he has been observing life living with the women folk. My oldest daughter Nani has temporarily taken up residence in my apartment. She was in a car accident a few days ago after coming home from a party and doesn't really remember what happened. She was sleeping in the back seat and luckily she was buckled up and I'm sure it would have been worse or tragic if she were not. She does remember the driver looking in on her and the other passenger and running from the scene. The police caught and jailed the driver that morning. Wouldn't you think that if you run from the scene of an accident and the car is registered to YOU, don't you think that the Police would find you? I swear, young people and their nonsense thinking.

Burglarized

My good friend Sarah whom we helped move some weeks ago into her rental house in Vallejo was burglarized one week after moving in! She called upon myself and a few of her friends to help her re-move into a gated apartment complex over the weekend. Darrell picked me up and we drove over the Bay bridge together to keep each other company on the long drive over. We met up with Sarah, Norma and Sarah's mother who were helping her box up items that should have been packed before we arrived. After giving me the keys to the 30 foot U-haul rental truck, I was designated driver since everyone else was too afraid to drive it and I had a better handle on driving large vehicles. Darrell and I immediately proceeded to load the large items and were joined by the everyone packing it onto the truck. Five hours later, we were done with 80 percent of the house and ready to move it into her new apartment. Maneuvering the large truck into the complex was fairly easy and the only hazard was the carport overhang which I did not want to damage. With Darrell as my escort, he guided me in the blind spots. We quickly unloaded everything in under three hours. Perspiring, exhausted and hungry, we took a quick break. As Sarah's diligence in setting up her apartment to a normalcy grew urgent, so did our departure from moving the rest of her belongings. Darkness swiftly descended upon us and it was time to take the truck back. With all of the unloading completed, our weary bones tired and ready to make the long journey home. Thoughts of a long hot shower and a nice glass of wine quickly snapped back to reality as we advised our dear friend to call 1-800-MOVERS the next time she needs a hand.

Painful this morning

as I wake up to my right hand in claw like position. To stretch my fingers caused me to wince and grimace at the pain. What the hell is going on? Since the lowering of my prednisone, I have been experiencing excruciating pain in my upper body region.
I received a phone call at 6:30am and it was my daughter Nani asking if I could come and pick her up at 7am. I asked, "Why can't you get a ride home?" She replied, "He doesn't have a car". After giving me directions to her location, I hung up the phone, clearly annoyed at the fact that I have to get up . I took my medication and made my way there. The directions were fairly easy and I picked her up outside of an apartment complex. As she climbed into the truck, she could sense that I was upset. It was a silent 20 minute ride home. Because freakin PG&E are doing some type of street work and I was not able to park in my driveway. I had to look for parking elsewhere. Luckily, the parking goddess was with me and I was able to find a space big enough for my truck to fit into on another street. Maneuvering parallel parking was more difficult than I thought. Because of my right hand still in pain, it took me close to 10 minutes to finally park her. Nani asked if I was OK. I replied, "No, my hand hurts and I'm not able to park this truck because of it". She apologized profusely and feeling very guilty, she asked if there was anything she could do. I stubbornly replied, "No" and we started to walk home. I told her to walk ahead of me because I was going to be a little slower. As she walked away with a quick stride, I could sense her remorse. Afterwards, I felt guilty for putting that on her and wanted her to know that I'm not well. Watching her walk away, I saw an image of myself at her age, strong and independent.
*************** Addendum ******************************
Before Nani went to work, she apologized to me for not thinking about my RA and for causing me pain and I apologized to her for snapping at her and telling her that the RA is not her fault. We hugged and gave each other the traditional kiss on the forehead to let each other know, we're ok.