Flying, flying, flying!

Christopher, Denise and Arianna decided to go with me to the airport, which is about 2 hours drive from their house....even though I had a rental car. I was sooooo grateful they were there, because United Airlines made me take out several pounds worth of belongings or pay $200. I had called the night before and the United representative I spoke with said it wouldn't be a problem with the weight since my connections were with SAS Airline, and they allow 70 lbs. per bag. Hmmmmm.....So, I went and bought a carry-on bag and put some things in there, and Denise took the rest of them back to their house where I'll pick it up some day!!! It was very very difficult to leave...knowing it will be quite a while before I see them or anyone in the U.S. for quite a while....

First, my flight from Atlanta to Chicago (yes, I knowwww, I was going backwards!) was delayed due to thunder storms in Chicago.....over an hour and a half. Because that would cause me to miss my next two flights I went to the United desk at a flight leaving in a few minutes at the gate right next to the one I was supposed to take and asked if I could get on that flight.....They put me on standby, and thankfully, at the verrrrry last minute, they were able to get me on!!!  Off we went...over the storm!!!  There was a young man sitting next to me who had never flown before. He reminded me how beautiful it is up there!!!

When I landed in Chicago, I arrived only a few minutes later than my original flight would have been!  Chicago O'Hare Airport is huuuuuuuge. I had to find my way from Terminal 1 to the International terminal...Terminal 5. It was quite a trek across the airport, under tunnels and on the train....but I made it and got on my flight which was on time! From Chicago, I flew to Copenhagen. It's about an eight hour flight....There was no one in the seat next to me, so I was able to get a few hours of sleep!

I landed in Copehagen on time.......got to the gate with plenty of time. So, I went and got a cup of coffee from Starbucks and walked around for a few minutes while I was waiting. When I went back to the gate all of the information was off the board, which I knew could be a problem.....Hmmmm....so I went back to the flight information board and checked-they had moved the gate my plane was leaving from!  Of course, it was on the other side of the terminal!  Soooooo, rushing off again I went!  I got there in the nick of time...for the bus to take us to the little plane!

When I landed I went to the baggage claim area, where I discovered that my luggage was lost!  I had a feeling that would happen because of all the delays and the flight changes. Over the years I've learned to bring what I don't want to lose on board the plane with me......so I thought if I lost it, it was all replaceable......Soooo, I filed a report with SAS Airlines and went out to meet Andrew!  It was sooooo good to see him!

Home Sweet Home!!!  Last night we went to the Doria Cafe for dinner......I was so exhausted, I was able to sleep alllllll night.....what a blessing!

This morning we walked around downtown where there are venders all over selling their wares. We also went to the grocery store together, went to a store in another town and bought a little Weber so we can barbecue (had chicken and bbq'ed veggies for dinner!).

While driving through town the drawbridge went up for a little boat going down the canal!

We walked across another canal later in the evening and saw a Mommy duck and her eleven babies!

Around 1700hrs I received a call from SAS Airlines....they found my luggage!  When I returned their call, their office was already closed. So, I will have to wait till tomorrow to set up a time for them to deliver it.

I discovered it stays light till around 2200hrs here.......what a wonderful relaxing day!

Georgia......Sweet Georgia!

Monday, May 28th I finished moving everything in to the Board and Care for Tullio.  I hope he will be comfortable there. Around 1400hrs Monday, I was able to meet with the Chief of the San Jose Fire Department, William McDonald. What a nice, kind man. He and I talked for over a half hour. He had wanted to meet with me to thank me for my 33 years of service to the Fire Department and wish me well. What a special thing it was for him to take so much time out of his day to meet with me!

Yesterday morning I left CA for Georgia. I woke up around 0430 to head out.......it was soooo sooooo hard to leave Jackie, Allen, Dillon, Kevin and Amanda......and allllll my wonderful friends.  Be still my heart...this is so difficult!

I drove my rental car in and dropped it off at SJC, and caught the American Airlines flight to Chicago. From there I baaaarely made my connection flight to Atlanta where I rented a car and drove 2 hours to Christopher and Denise's house. When I drove up they were in the driveway waiting for me....Arianna showed me how she has learned how to ride her bicycle!!!

That evening we just "hung out" at the house with all the pets:

The next morning I put on my new sandals and we headed out to Lane Packing where we picked fresh strawberries and Arianna played on the playground!

That evening we went out for dinner at El Tapatio Restaurant where we had some delicious food, and sopapillas for dessert!

Tomorrow afternoon I will be leaving again to make my trek overseas. I will be flying back to Chicago, then to Copenhagen, then finally to Schiphol. It was the least expensive flight combination I could find at the time....

Emotionally exhausting day....

Today I got up at 0630hrs.....went over to Tullio's apartment at the Atria Chateau Gardens to move all of his belongings out.

He really loved living there. The people that work there are very friendly, they serve good healthy food, and he had plenty of space in his studio apartment. His health has deteriorated to the point where they can't care for him there any longer.

Last night I had posted his dresser on Craigslist.com under "free stuff". I received a lot of replies. I've always made a point of starting with the 1st person to respond to my ad and going in order. The person I called came by at 1000hrs. There was a book on a shelf in Tullio's room that contained Argentina's National Poem "Martin Fierro"). The man who picked up the furniture mentioned that that was his last name also!  Soooooo, I gave him the book....he really seemed to like that!  There were quite a few items he ended up taking (Tullio's dresser, nightstand, small fridge, and his microwave). Tullio won't have room in the Board and Care home.....so it was nice to find a new home for his belongings.

Jackie came to his apartment in the early afternoon. We loaded up some of his things and brought them to her storage locker....we ended up making two trips. Then we brought some things back to her condo.

Later on, Jackie and Allen went back to the apartment and transported Tullio's desk, computer and some of his clothes to the board and care home while I took care of Dillon. I will have to make one more trip over there to get everything arranged and comfortable for him. He will be moving in on Monday.

Sold the RAV4!

Last night Dillon and I had fun playing with the balloons Lisa So. brought me at work! He's so hard to photograph sometimes-he's always on the go!

This morning Allen drove me over to the airport where I rented a car so that I would have something to drive till I leave on Tuesday....Afterwards I took my car over to the Delta Queen car wash. It had been probably 20 years since I'd gone there....I forgot how fun it was!!!  When you drop your car off, you  go through a cute store to pay for your wash, and whatever items you picked up on the way!!!

Boo Hoo....well, this was one of the last steps towards moving out of the country....selling the last car!
It was my 2000 Toyota RAV4...loved that car....low maintenance, good gas mileage, easy to park and comfortable commute car!  Maria and her daughter Amanda met me at Jackie and Allen's condo to buy it from me. It was nice selling it to a friend!

After we were done with the car I went over to Tullio's apartment to start packing his belongings. There's more in there than I thought. I had forgotten about all his books and things......I don't know what we're going to do with all of it....

My "Heart Hotel"....

A woman I know......Janet Childs (who is the Director for Education at the Centre for Living With Dying).....has this story that she loves to tell. It's about a woman who would talk about the people she loved and how when they were no longer in her life for one reason or another they would always hold a special place in her "Heart Hotel".

Today, I thought of that story many times as I was saying "Farewell" to sooooo many people I've worked with over the years.

I worked as a Dispatcher for over 33 years.......they had a nice send off for me at work today. I sure worked with some wonderful wonderful people. It was a day full of tears of joy and sorrow...I will miss them all!

Today I made a decision to move Tullio to the facility in South San Jose. He will be very close to Kaiser San Jose there. The woman that runs it seems very caring and knowledgable. It just "feels right"....I pray that I'm choosing the right place for him.

Tomorrow I will call moving companies and get his things moved over to his new place.

My last days as a dispatcher....

Can it be?!?!?!  Is tomorrow reallllllllly my last day at work with San Jose Fire Department?!?!?  WOW-where did the last 33 1/2 years go!??!?!

Yesterday Sunny came up to work to visit with her baby girl Peyton!!!  What a cutie pie (Mom annnnnd baby...LOL!)

Sooooo....yesterday when I got to work the 911 phones were down. Luckily the techs were able to bring them back up before dayshift started!

Later in the day CAD crashed!!!  So, we used a white board, the one laptop that had a functioning status keeping program on it at FD02 and paper to write down 911 events.....we always make it work!  M&M's help too!!!!!  I suuuuuure am going to miss the people I work with...what a great team we make!

Today Tracy and Sally brought all kinds of goodies to eat!  Lots of cheese, crackers and fruit......they are sooooo sweet!

This afternoon Liz and Dale came by!!!!!!!!!!!  I was soooooo happy to see them!  Yesterday on my way "home" I was thinking about Liz and how I hadn't had the chance to give her a hug before leaving.......and then there they were!  God is good!

For the past couple of days I've been visiting Board and Care homes for Tullio.  We need to find him a new place to live because his condition is deteriorating. He is having difficulty swallowing and breathing, so he needs his food pureed and he will be sent home with home O2. We need to make sure they have a Hospice waiver so that if his condition gets worse we won't have to move him again...

The first one I looked at is in North San Jose off Berryessa. It's a small, newly remodeled home. There is an RN working there during the day.  It was a nice facility, but the people working there didn't seem very experienced with the home care environment.

The second one was off The Alameda. It's a larger facility, accommodating 30 patients. The owner/RN is very nice, very knowledgable and seems to run a nice place. The one problem that might not work for him there is that most of the patients there have Alzheimer's. Tullio is still "with it".....so that might make him depressed if there's no one to talk with....

The one I looked at after work today was in South San Jose, right off the freeway. They have six patients living there. The woman that runs it has been doing it for eight years. It sounds like she has experienced all kinds of issues and problems, and has no problem with "end of life" issues.

Sooooo, I have to make a decision tonight, so that we can start working on moving him this weekend. He will probably be released in the next few days.  In all of the facilities he would have to share a room.  He unfortunately didn't save much money....so I want to make sure he gets the best care for what he can afford. Tullio told me he'd like to be in a home environment rather than a large facility, so I'm trying to find somewhere safe, quiet, and comfortable....

Tonight I will be saying lots of prayers and hope that anyone reading this will pray with me.  Also, please pray for Jackie and Allen......

Time to hit the hay!  It's my "late day" tomorrow, I don't start till 0630 (instead of 0530)....get to sleep in!

The "Good-bye Process"

Andrew has a saying that he uses when he is describing me leaving a friend's house or a party....he calls it the "Good-bye Process".  He always gives me time to say good-bye to people when leaving...because I don't want to miss anyone one my way out!  Sooooooo, here I am leaving the country and wanting to say Good-bye or "till we meet again" to as many people as I can.  I'm trying so hard not to leave anyone out!  It's starting to get painful though.......

 Last night after work I went over the Dan and Michelle's. We went out for pizza at Amici's. While we were watching the lunar eclipse from the pizza place....that was pretty cool to see!  It was sooooo nice to spend time with them. I am going to miss them a lot, especially the girls...

Today after work I had several errands to run. First, I went up to Pleasanton Kaiser and picked up the orthotics for my shoes. Then I had an appointment at 1545hrs. with the dermatologist (have a rash on my arm now from the antibiotics I'm taking for the rash on my face!). After that I stopped at the bank to pick up some cash to pay back Ingrid. She had left a check for the alarm company representative when he went by a couple of days ago to fix the alarm.  I stopped by Ingrid's office to say "farewell" and give her a big hug!!!  What a wonderful woman!  Then I went to the Pleasanton Post Office to pick up last week's mail, and my last stop in Pleasanton was at the Starbuck's where I met Veronica for coffee!  I got my new favorite, a "light" mocha frappuccino! I sure will miss Veronica....she's been a very special person in my life as well as my children's lives!

It's getting very difficult now that I'm so close to leaving.
It's very surreal to think I only have a few more days to work...there are people that I have worked with for so many years that I may never see again after I leave.......that hurts my heart!  I'm so excited when I think about spending time in Europe, but going through this "Good-bye Process" is painful!

I got back to San Jose today around 1830hrs. Allen took Nick, Dillon and I out to dinner at TGI's for sushi. What a delicious, enjoyable meal!

Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to go to Minnesota, Washington or Texas before I leave the U.S. I'm hoping to come back in the fall to see my extended family.  I am going to be stopping in Georgia before I leave to see Christopher, Denise and Arianna.