No News is Good News

Before I get started, I had to post this picture of Audrey, Ozzy and Henry. If we could only teach Ozzy to wave.....

That's right. No news is good news. Lauren is doing very well as most of you already know. She has been walking without crutches since about mid January and ditched the boot about 2 weeks ago. And driving. Driving was key. She says she has pain all the time but we are hoping as her therapy and healing continues, the pain will lessen. It must not be too bad since she is currently enjoying her spring break on a Mexican cruise with 40 other Pepperdine students! My caretaker duties are over. No more driving Lauren back and forth to school, library, therapy, grocery store, etc. No more doing her laundry even though she has about 30 steps to her washer and dryer. Stairs are not her friend, especially carrying a big basket of laundry. Oh well. Time for some fun.

We have been lucky to have had lots of visitors the past month or so. Michaelene, Ron and Bonnie and Karla all ventured to SoCal this winter. Took a couple of road trips to Vegas with Karla and Ron and Bon. I love Vegas. Everything about it. The noise, the lights, the cocktails, the people. Crazy shit. If that weren't enough, then me and Rick snuck out last week for another 2 nights. I'm relatively certain that we got the Vegas bug out of our system. You never know, there's always next week.

It's very odd to still be here without a reason. All we want is to be home. When we had to sign a lease until mid March we thought that would be perfect. Lauren would be better and we could do a bit of exploring out here. And we have. But we would be so gone if it were not for Audrey and Henry. Getting close to them has been the biggest upside to a shit situation. Truly, it's what's gotten us through. It will be so awful to say goodbye to them which is why we will be back very soon. Flights to LA are cheap and, this is a big and, Justin and Jeanne are building a guest house! Perhaps they may regret it someday since Rick and I plan on spending quite a bit of time there. I really love it here as long as I know I don't live here. I am a midwestern girl at heart. Give me Chicago's grey skies anytime. I'm sure I'll choke on those words come November.

Move out date is March 15th. We're taking our time to travel back home with stops at the Grand Canyon, Colleen's place in NM, Memphis and finally Cadiz. No fun in Cadiz though. The house is going up for sale. We intended to sell it when Rick retired, it's just going to happen a little sooner. Done with that. House, boat, done. We're popping in long enough to get the sign in the ground then we're off to sweet home Chicago. Hopefully home by March 24th. Just in time for spring. Perfect.

If you click on the picture below you can share some of the memories we have made here. It's been swell. So long SoCal.

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Happy December

This is the sunset from the dog beach I take Ozzy to. Weird being here for the holiday season. Christmas ads on TV, decorations about the town, 80 degrees yesterday and sunsets like this one. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. But how gorgeous is this sunset?!

Lauren got a great check up with Dr. Doom and Gloom, er, Virkus last week. She has been given the go ahead to start walking. Of course it's a process and little by little she is applying more weight on her foot each day. Doc said it would probably take about 3 weeks to completely rid herself of the crutches and she has to continue to wear the boot for 6 weeks. In the days leading up to the crucial appointment with Virkus, we were all anxious. If we went into his office last Wednesday and he started his "Doom and Gloom" routine, I think I may have slapped him. We have followed all medical advice to the tee for 4 1/2 months now and none of us were in the mood for negativity. It went exactly the opposite. Virkus came and greeted us in the lobby with a big smile. That was a first. The smile, that is. Lauren already had Xrays at that point but right away he said he needed more. "Those weren't enough." He was so pleased with how the heel has healed. (That sounds funny.) I would say he was just shy of pounding his chest in victory! Another bonus was getting to see the nurse, Patty. Patty has been Lauren's bff through all of this. Not only always answering Lauren's calls but in the beginning when things were really rough, Patty would phone Lauren every single day. Patty has a daughter a year younger than Lauren who is a swimmer at Michigan State University. Lauren's injury really struck a chord with her. Quite frankly, it should with everyone. Please don't ever jump into a lake etc. Not from a boat, a cliff or a damned rope swing.

The Jeep is en route to California as I write. It should arrive sometime tomorrow provided the truck carrying it isn't toppled by these crazy Santa Ana winds. It will be so much easier here with two cars. We are not a one car family. That's just ridiculous. The goal is to get Lauren driving ASAP. There will have to be some driving lessons just so she can get used to using that foot again. Not sure how that will go or where I will take her to practice. All the roads here are very curvy and hilly and not intended for "practice." The dog beach has an enormous parking lot and there is never more than four cars, including mine, parked in it. Perhaps we'll go there.

Lauren's birthday and Thanksgiving were so much fun. We celebrated with Lauren, her roommate Jenny and her friend and fellow grad student Matthew at Duke's in Malibu. Not a good idea to pack at 11:30pm for 9am flight after that. We all got home to the HG with such worthless shit in our suitcases. What seemed like a great idea the night before made absolutely no sense when those suitcases were opened. For example, I had plenty of bras and underwear, my Ditka sweater for Hanie's debut last Sunday and one pair of jeans. For six days. I swear I had more clothes at home but anything I left behind in the HG, I left for a reason. I really don't like those clothes. Turns out Lauren's suitcase was much like mine. We have vowed no more drunk packing! It was her birthday. I feel like that should be a sufficient excuse.

Debbie, Denise and my mother made the most fabulous Thanksgiving feast. I didn't do a thing. I brought wine. I didn't cook anything and I didn't wash one single dish. Denise packed up a leftover bag that we enjoyed the entire weekend. Boy, do I owe my sisters. They have stepped up so much with my mom and the holidays since I've been away. Sisters ROCK. End of story.

And the nights with my girls Karla, Mikey and Sue. I need rehab.

Happy Birthday Lauren

Today Lauren is 23. Wow. I was 23 when I had her. Crazy. Crazy to think that 23 years have gone by so fast. And this last year has been a real doozy. Here's wishing my daughter a very happy day and a better year this year.

All that being said and out of the way, we did get some good news yesterday. After a series of circumstances that had us questioning the blood clot diagnosis, we contacted Lauren's doctor at USC who set us up for an appointment with an internist at USC yesterday afternoon. We picked up all her records, scans, etc. from the hospital she was in last week and headed down to USC. The doctor carefully went over all of her records and scans and did not believe there was a clot. He sent her down for another ultrasound and it was confirmed. NO CLOT. That means no coumadin. Yay! That coumadin is a very serious drug and we are all relieved to know that she does not need it. A good and competent doctor is invaluable. Lesson learned. The hard way.

Tomorrow we are going home to the HG for the holiday weekend. I am beyond excited to see my friends and family. The entire weekend has been carefully planned out including a birthday celebration for Lauren on Friday night. And my entire family is going to Debbie's for Turkey day. It isn't often that the whole Ubriaco clan is together. Even Bob and his clan will be in attendance, except for Allison. Getting to see all my beautiful nieces (minus Allison) is a definite bonus. Chicago here we come!

One Very Long Road

There was a bit of a setback this week. After a trip to the emergency room and another hospital stay, only 3 days, we learned that Lauren has developed a blood clot in her right calf. While this is very serious and a side effect we thought we were long past, we are glad to have discovered it when we did. With an impending flight home to Chicago for Thanksgiving, things could have gone quite differently. Risk factors for blood clots include recent surgeries, open fractures, recent air travel, immobility and birth control pills. All of which pertain to Lauren. Even her nurse in Chicago was shocked that this would occur so long after surgery. The result is a regiment of Lovanox (an injected anticoagulant drug) and coumadin (an oral anticoagulant) for at least 3 months. Coumadin is a very serious drug. The simplest kitchen accident can cause a coumadin patient to bleed to death. Honestly? How much more must she endure? And us as worried parents? I am certain that this is my penance for all the unscrupulous things I have done in my life. I only wish my daughter did not have to suffer for my indiscretions. Rick, Lauren and I all understand this could have been worse. She could have had a head injury or a spinal cord injury. And I always try to look at the glass as being half full, but enough already. When will the screams from across the lake stop haunting me? And when will my daughter walk again?

I May Have Scared Him

Today, as Lauren and I were leaving physical therapy, there in the courtyard of the plaza walking toward us, was Bruce Jenner! Lauren and I quickly looked at each other and said, "BRUCE?!" Sure enough. When we were moving to Calabasas I told Rick that him and Bruce should hook up. I seriously think they could hang. As you can see I wore my best outfit. After all, I was just zipping in to pick up Lauren then back home to pay bills, etc. If I had known I'd run into Bruce I may have opted to actually wash my hair rather than toss on my trusty Bears hat. And jacket. It is game day though. Right away we approached Bruce and asked for a photo. He was very nice and after Lauren took this one of me, I took one of Bruce and her. He even told Lauren that he would come over to her so she didn't have to crutch. I told him I was a fan long before the Kardashian show, way back from his Olympic days. He jokingly replied, "Oh, you're old enough to remember that?" Oh yeah. I certainly remember him on the Wheaties box, which probably meant all my brothers wanted to be him. I can be a little loud and aggressive, just a little, and I think at first he was a bit hesitant. Could I be some psycho stalker? And if you notice in the picture his fists are clenched. Well, not clenched, but definitely not open. Now I'm not a behavioral analyst but I think that speaks volumes. There you have it. My first celebrity sighting just a mile from our humble little apartment. No doubt there will be more but when? Where? And will I be wearing something cute? Odds are even on that one.

Unexpected Item in Bagging Area

Please remove item.

We have all used the self check outs at our grocery store. I actually prefer them because I think I can do it faster and more efficiently. I know, I think that about everything. But seriously. You're checking out, everything is going smoothly and quickly, when you get the dreaded warning, "Unexpected item in bagging area. Please remove item." When you remove the item the warning does not clear from the screen and after waiting five minutes, the attending cashier is looking at you like you're some kind of idiot while she casually makes her way over to your machine to clear the warning. My question is: Is it really that unexpected? You are buying groceries, you scan your milk and BAM, there's the warning. Is it so unexpected to put your milk in the bagging area? Where the fuck should I put it? I'd like to shove it right down Mr. Jewel/Osco/Albertsons/Sav-On's throat. And while I'm on the subject, the coupons that print out after your purchase are completely worthless. You may get a "Save $10 on your next purchase of $120 or more. Expires in 4 seconds. Or it could be "Save 50 cents on your next purchase of Jif peanut butter" in the save a third world nation size. For Pete's sake, save a tree and quit printing out all those worthless coupons. And hire a computer programmer who does not think that putting your milk in the bagging area is so off the chart!

That's my rant for the day.

Happy Birthday to the Big Guy

That's right. It's official. I am now married to the Medicare man. Freaky. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Rick's 60th birthday at the racetrack. Where did 5 years go? Today we will celebrate but everyday I celebrate my good fortune for having found him. He is the only thing that keeps me semi-grounded in this crazy world. So, to the love of my life, may this be your best birthday yet and may you have enough birthdays left to "piss on my grave!"