Spring?

 Sign of Spring? What A Tease!!!

 On the way to my office last week I noticed some sure signs of spring these were growing near the sidewalk on campus!

 

...today we were reminded that it is still Winter for one more day!!! Only in New England though can you see the sun come out while it is still snowing! Is there such thing as a snowbow?

Dad had a good week. A good sign :) He goes back up to 1A status on Friday! This means if a heart becomes available he is at the tipity top of the list. He will remain at the 1A status for 29 days. So here's hoping a new heart comes in and it is as physically fit as they want it to be.  It's both exciting and scary at the same time to know that you are "on-call" waiting for the phone to ring.

Dad has an appointment on Thursday and the day after his appointment if all systems are go they will move him up to 1A. If anything is off, level wise I don't know if it will delay the start of going to the top. Here's to hoping that all the pieces fall into place and he will be moving on up...to a delux room in the Shapiro Tower at Brigham and Women's!

He had a very busy weekend this past weekend as did we all. The Catholic Men's conference was at the DCU on Saturday and he had to provide the music. So Mike Curry came by and packed up all of Dad's stuff to bring down to the DCU.  It's kind of a lot of stuff, so thanks Mike.

I wasn't home to pack it all up because I was helping prepare for a St. Patrick's Day party. It is amazing what a small group of people can do in 48 hours. We had a great crew of people and everything was perfect. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun along with some REALLY good food :)

This was our table and behind us my Aunt Irene and my cousins Steven and Lee, joined us at the next table. My cousins came all the way from Alaska! They are visiting their Mom and she wanted them to come to the party too. It was nice to see them.

The McInerney School of Irish Dance had a large group of Irish step dancers who were truly amazing. Some of them are even competing in a World competition that will be held this year in Boston!

The set up for the party was fun, the decorating was great but at the end... it's a little bit like taking down Christmas decorations after Christmas is over, kinda sad to put it all away until next year.

We had fun even taking down the decorations! I told you it's a great group! I know this looks like I am beating up the green guy and winning. Truth be told...this guy was killing me! We could not get the air out of them to put them back into storage. It had a safety tab that you had to squeeze to get the air out. Long story short, it took 6 of us about a half hour to deflate the suckers!

I also got to have dinner with "The Pack" as we call ourselves (its a movie reference) We have been friends since as long as I can remember. These girls and I have been through thick and thin together. It's so great to be able to still hang out with the friends you grew up with. Dad does the same thing with his buddies from his old neighborhood. They meet up usually once a month for dinner. I feel like these guys never change. They all have looked the same for most of my life and I am hoping my friends and I share the same fate and stay as young as they have.

Sunday was St. Patrick's Day and Joe and Lauren came home from New Jersey for a visit. Joe couldn't believe how much Julie had changed since the last time he saw her. It was her first St. Patrick's Day. So we had to take an Auntie and Julie picture to remember it. I wanted to put the crown on her but I didn't want it to scratch her so I wore it instead to commemorate the occasion.  Kylie and Lilly were also wearing their "green." They really don't understand St. Patrick's Day, so for them it was an excuse to wear green together.

I am hoping we have seen the last of the snow. The weather people like to keep telling us that Worcester has had over 100 inches of snow this season. The 5th snowiest season in it's history! I don't care...I just want all "over 100" inches to MELT! Tomorrow is the official first day of spring. Puxatony Phil is going to be out of work soon. How wrong one little groundhog can be.  This year he doesn't see his shadow and we have a winter that breaks records...last winter, he saw his shadow and we also had a winter that broke records...but because we had NO SNOW! Sorry Phil, you have made a lot of  New Englanders angry with your false prediction this year.

So onward and upward we hope to move by the end of the week. We need your good thoughts and prayers more than ever now. Thanks to everyone for all of the amazing support and great things you have all done for Dad and our family. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends.

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Movin On Up...

March 22 Dad goes back up to 1A Status for 30 days!


Dad got a phone call today after I left for school. Mom sent me a text while I was in class that Dad is moving back up to 1A status on March 22!  Buckle your seat belts sports fans...we are hopefully going in!  What this means is that from March 22 to April 22 Dad is on the top of the list for a heart. So we need your prayers more than ever.

We had another miserable snow storm this past week. I was off from school and work Thursday and Friday due to the weather. I did work at the Y though on Thursday. It was crowded there due to the fact that hardly any snow was falling at 5 a.m.! This storm was an epic FAIL on the meteorologists part. Thursday was suppose to be bad into Friday. Instead it was ALL day Friday. MISERABLE!
So we shoveled, Mr. Warren plowed,shoveled, Mr. Warren plowed, shoveled, and then Brendan snow blowed so we could get to the basement and walk around a bit.

Winter please go away! I saw this little Gem on the internet on Friday! Pretty much sums it up!

On Saturday, (bright and early thanks to daylight savings time beginning) I met Brendan and a group of   Shrewsbury Call Firefighters at the Town Hall in Shrewsbury. Now I just have to mention that I was the first one there, because it never happens!!! The Shrewsbury Call Firefighters got together and under the direction of Bobby "Bubba" Warren organized a VERY successful can and bottle drive. All the proceeds went to Dad's Medical Fund.

Brendan and I worked along side these guys who gave up their whole Saturday to help out. They worked tirelessly to make this a success. I would like to thank Mr. Bob Warren ( for plowing me out of my driveway! and ) for organizing the event and letting us use his trucks to transport all of the cans and bottles to the redemption center. His whole family helped us out too! His Dad was there, working right along side us all day. I cannot believe how many cans and bottles we were able to collect! People driving by saw the sign and went home to grab their cans and bottles. One woman who was walking her dog came back with a carload of cans and bottles after she saw the sign!

The fire truck even stopped by for a bit to see how we were all doing and offer their support. 

Jimmy Bernie and Mr. Warren taking a much needed break after being on their feet for 6 hours straight! They worked until every last can and bottle was loaded onto the truck!

Sunday was another busy day. I ran a road race, The Celtic 5k. My first 5k of the 2013 season! My friend Stacey and I ran together. I have to say it was a frustrating race because there were 3,000 runners who registered for the race. I was dodging people left and right. At one point I remember mentioning to Stacey that I was running "angry" and not liking it! My time wasn't my best, I did manage less than 10 minute miles, but the dodging and weaving slowed us down. I finished and have my t-shirt to wear on St. Patty's Day!

 Here's a picture of Stacey and I after the race. It was a bright and sunny day. Good day for a race :)

Sunday also marked Julie's 3 Month birthday :) It's hard to believe she is 3 months old already. She is cute as a button and her sisters love her to pieces!

Brendan, Kerry, The girls and Auntie Peggy came over for dinner on Sunday after the St. Patricks Day parade. Lilly and Kylie loved the parade.  Lilly was very happy she got to eat her lollipop from the parade, hiding it from Kylie of course.

So we are moving onward and upward soon. Please keep the prayers coming. They are making a world of difference. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people praying for Dad. We have quite the cheering section. Thanks to everyone for everything that you have done and continue to do. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of family and friends who are supporting us every step of the way!

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Spring Is Coming...or so they tell us.

Sorry to all my faithful followers.

 I am working a different schedule this week because of spring break and I was unable to update the blog yesterday. Tonight I have a little more time so I can update you. Dad had another appointment at Brigham and Women's on Tuesday. He received a good report other than his blood pressure is still elevated. The again increased his BP meds.

There had been a discussion when Dad was in the hospital in December and January. Because he had the LVAD surgery, he is eligible for 29 days at the top of the list. The 29 days will be in a row and if a heart becomes available, he is on the tip top of the list to get it. He would again be 1A status. We were told by several ICU nurses ( off the record ) that a good time to pick is the spring. It is sad to think but with spring comes proms, graduations and it's awful, but accidents.  It is good to be on the the top of the list then because donations increase.

Dad asked if he should move up or wait since he was doing so well. They again suggested that when you feel well is the best time to do it. While you are strong and healthy is the way they want you to go into surgery. They would rather you go in with everything to fight with. It's a little scary to think that when his 29 days are activated that at any minute any time of day or night we could be heading into Boston for a new heart.

The girls came over to visit on Friday night. They were watching nursery rhymes on Dad's phone with him and were amazed! Kerry mentioned that they didn't have a nursery rhyme CD or DVD so I bought them one at the dollar store this week.

Kylie's favorite was "Humpty Dumpty" who she calls "Humpy Dumpy" She made us play it over and over and Lilly just laughed and laughed.








Grammy and Julie sang some songs too. Julie just smiled and smiled and she is already "talking". She babbles away, it is so very cute! If she is talking at three months you know she's my niece!

The Girls also had a chance to feed Cleveland

They love to drop in his food and watch him swim to the top to eat. Kylie has a hard time not wanting to grab him! She puts he hands right above the water to point at him. I have to remind her to not touch Cleveland but to watch him!
                       

Dad and Kylie did "homework" in a little notebook Dad had. She sat there for almost 20 minutes just "writing" in her book telling Papa what she was writing.

Lilly decided to dance instead in Julie's Boppy pillow which she referred to as her "tutu." I kept calling her four-four because it was so big, she didn't quite understand :)

I will leave you all with a little story:

Today Dad, Mom and I Facetimed with the girls. Kylie had on a cute shirt with a monkey on it and we told her how cute it was. I saw Lilly's shirt and said, "Lil, how cool you have a purple peace sign on your shirt." She said, "no it's not, it's a steering wheel." Brendan tried to explain that it was a peace sign, but she was pretty sure of herself and again told everyone it was a steering wheel. So it's a steering wheel! I have to say it does look like a steering wheel now that I see it. Maybe that's where the person who invented the peace symbol stole the idea from! 

Well we are preparing for ANOTHER winter storm. I have to be to work at 5:00 a.m. so I am signing off until next Tuesday. I will be back to my normal schedule so the blog will be updated Tuesday night. 

Thanks to everyone who still continues to support us and help us along the way. This is a very loooonnnggg journey but one that is worth the trip!

Until next week,

Laurie

Blog will be updated Wednesday This week

It is Spring Break week and I am behind. Please excuse my lateness but I will update everyone on Dad's appointment on tomorrow's blog post

Winter is still Winning!

 Another Winter Scene

This is our Chapel at Assumption. It's the same chapel that has been on campus since Dad came here. It  has been added to in the back and we have a new roof, but, with the snow covering it the chapel seems almost timeless. The trees were dusted in snow and it was a pretty winter scene. 

This winter scene was not so pretty! It's a jeep that because it is the color of a firetruck thinks it can park in the fire lane! SO YOU CAN PARK IN A SNOWBANK... Still doesn't make you a FIRETRUCK!!!

Dad had a good week this week. He got to hang out with the kiddos on Thursday while Mom and "The Aunts" went to see Celtic Woman at the Hanover for Mom's birthday :) I was very glad Brendan, Kerry and the kids invited Dad over. The kids, (especially Kylie, Papa is her favorite)...are always glad to see Dad. He is always very happy to see them too. While he was there they "Facetimed"me at work.

Kylie had to be convinced that as long as Papa held the phone Auntie Laurie could see her. When she holds it all I see is up her nose and her left eye! She brought her baby I got her for Christmas over to say hi too :)

Dad's VNA Nurse came today. She is so wonderful. She is a wealth of information and knowledge and knows how to ask for things when Dad needs them. She is taking her 94 year old Mom on a cruise next week and is very excited. She told us about insurance that she bought for her Mom in case something happens on the cruise she can be airlifted out of there and taken to the nearest hospital. She told us to call AAA and check on policies for next April when Joey and Lauren get married. She is confident I will be able to find a plan that will airlift us out in case of an emergency.

 We will miss her but are very happy that she is well enough to take a vacation. She had a very scary bout of pneumonia this winter and was very sick. We are happy she is healthy again and are truly lucky to have such a caring person looking after Dad. She gave us her cell number right from the beginning and told us never to hesitate to call. She would rather have us call with a question than worry all night. I hope she has a fab. time on vacation, she deserves it!

We had a health fair at school on Friday. It was very fun! I am looking forward to going again next year. I learned I can squeeze 74 pounds with my right hand, I am in the super stretchy category for the sit and reach, I am a normal BMI, I have 20/20 vision, I can hula hoop 174 times in a minute, I can defend myself in a hostile situation...and THAT I HATE ACUPUNCTURE!  So to those people who say you cannot feel the needles...you LIE! I don't mind needles at all. I had allergy shots once a week for 14 years. I don't care when they take blood and a tetnus shot is a walk in the park. This was not real fun. I felt every needle, had a headache after and now have a good size red welt where the needle was in front...and that was FRIDAY. 

Note to self...do not try this again!

The chapel still looks pretty but not like it did when it was snowing. I am lucky to work at a place that keeps up it's grounds so nicely and has some beautiful buildings.

Thank You to everyone who is still continuing to support Dad and us on this long journey. Thanks for the calls, the txts, the cards, the food, the visits and everything you have done and continue to do. 

The Shrewsbury Call Fire Department is having a can and bottle drive March 9th. Save your bottles and cans and I will have more information posted on next weeks blog.

Thanks Again,

Until Next Tuesday,

Laurie

Snow is Melllllllllting.......

THE BERG!

 This is the snow pile that is in our driveway. Last weekend this thing was as tall as my neighbors house and we couldn't get out of the back doors very easily. Brendan came over and snowblowed a bit so we could at least get around the pile, which left us with...the Berg!

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday Mom

We celebrated three days this past week for Valentine's Day, Auntie Madaline's Birthday and Mom's and Mason's Birthday.  Mom has just turned 29 and Brendan and Kerry had a special birthday dinner tonight at their house.

At Mom's Birthday dinner Dad and Kylie Facetimed so I could be at the dinner too :) Kylie loves to use facetime on the phone and wants to get up really close so you get to see mostly her nose and eyes. Dad got her to stand back a bit so I could see her whole face!

Dad's Bloodwork came back and indicated that his Blood is too thick. So they started him on Shots :(

He has to give himself these twice a day for almost a week. Doesn't seem like too much fun but if it works it will be very good.

We said goodbye to a good family friend this week. Anna Mastro and the whole Mastro family have been friends of ours since before I was born. She was such a sweet lady who was always giving. Whether it be her time or her baking she was a wonderful person who will be dearly missed. 

Dad was able to play for the funeral mass, first one since the LVAD. It was a nice touch to have him play and I know Anna would have loved it!

We celebrated my cousin Mason's 1st birthday on Sunday! He and Mom share the same birthday. He was so cute and enjoyed his party and his cake very much!

We were informed by the visiting nurse today that flu season is officially over! Well they haven't taken down the signs around Assumption's Campus yet. I especially like the picture of the kid picking his nose as a "flu fighter"...at least it makes you notice the poster!

Dad had a pretty good week. No appointment until the first week of March. Worcester and the VNA has been monitoring his BP and Bloodwork which saves from heading into Boston. Hopefully they can get his blood thickness down so that clots won't be such a worry. The shots are suppose to be faster acting than oral meds so I hope they do their job and do it quick.

Thanks to everyone who is still praying, calling, sending cards, texting, e-mailing, dropping by, bringing food, and just general checking up on Dad and us. We are very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!

I will leave you this image. A gem of a photo that my cousin took on our vacation last summer. We call it "Chuck Norris' Grandmother!"

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Is Winter Over Yet ????

There's a Prius in there... No Really, It's behind the 4 wheel drive Subaru!!!

 This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning! Luckily we did not lose power and Brendan was working during the storm so if we had an emergency at least we knew he could get the Fire Department to us ASAP.






This was the worst storm for us in ages. I could not get the snowblower out of the basement. Brendan later came by and it took the two of us to get it into his truck. The self propelled part of the snowblower... no longer self propels! We are very lucky to have such great neighbors who helped us out! After I fell into a drift up to my neck and couldn't get out I figured this would be a good time to ask for the help that everyone has offered.  My neighbor Kevin came over with his snowblower and dug out the doors for us and made a good dent. Then Mr. Warren's crew came with their plows to plow us out.  The unfortunate part was the Plows got stuck in our driveway and had to be pulled out :( I came to the conclusion that if the 1/2 ton dump truck gets stuck in our driveway there is no way in H. E. double hockey sticks, that the Prius is moving! We ended up getting the 4 wheel drive out ok... the Prius my neighbors ended up just pushing! Note to Self.... Self, next storm garage the Prius!

The Girls came over on Sunday so Brendan and Kerry could have a movie date :) Lilly loves to feed my fish, Cleveland. Kylie decided she wanted to feed him this time too. I moved his bowl down to the floor so they both could see his eating his food. Lilly kept saying "come on Cleveland, come on eat your food." Kylie just kept pointing her finger dangerously close to the water calling him        "Disfish.... Dis Auntie Laurie, Dis Disfish." So Cleveland now has a nickname!

 While Lilly, Kylie, Grammy and I were busy. Papa and Julie first compared hair styles... They concluded Julie has more hair. All that hair talk made them both very tired!

Dad seems to be doing well this week. We played Trivial Pursuit during the storm weekend several times. We also played another Trivia game called "Smart Ass" This was right up his alley. Mom is working hard on her trivia skills. She needs to watch T.V. more and study an Atlas before we play next time!

 Kylie waited until Lilly was distracted with the blocks...Then she "kidnapped" the baby Lilly was playing with and went to hide in the playhouse I made out of Lilly's car seat box. Very sneaky :)

Lilly still managed to make a very tall pile of blocks despite the kidnapping of her baby doll!

The two of them decided to have a pillow fight and forgot all about what they were fighting over. They must have giggled for a straight half hour while they were playing with the pillows!

John took me back to work to get my car which I left in the garage during the storm. When I went back to pick it up I noticed the green ivy growing along the sides of the garage. the snow still managed to come inside a bit, but, it was a nice contrast to see something green and alive in all that vast icy frozen tundra of a landscape!

The visiting nurse came today and was very impressed at how good Dad looked. She was happy with his progress and was certain he was not putting on any fluid, which is a good sign. His BP can now be measured in Worcester so he can go once a week to have that monitored. He went last Monday and they want him to go again this week to make sure it is being maintained. 

So no news is good news on the Palumbo front. We are all looking forward to spring and not having to worry about falling or slipping, especially in the driveway! 

Thank You to all who continue to support us along the way. We are so grateful to all of you who have done so much to help us out. Thanks for checking up on us during the storm to see if we were ok and if  we needed a generator ( we do have one thankfully ). Thanks for the calls, texts, emails, letters, meals, shoveling help, snowblowing, plowing, pulling me out of a snowdrift and essentially anything else we have needed thus far. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!

Until Next Tuesday,

Laurie

Clinic Went Better Than Expected!!!!

 This weeks post is brought to you by Pierre...Assumption's Greyhound Mascot 

This past week I was lucky enough that a few of my students, who film a sports show brought in the Assumption Mascot costume. Well who would not want to put on their college mascot costume and cross it off their bucket list? So here I am in the Pierre getup in my studio. I love my job!

Dad ended last week not feeling so hot. He was short of breath and had trouble with the stairs. They made some med adjustments again and he is in the bathroom about 5 times an hour but t least its getting rid of the fluid.

He also got the OK to have his blood pressure checked in Worcester! This is huge! Now he won't have to go to Boston to just have his BP checked! The thing is with the LVAD Dad doesn't have a blood pressure like you or I. His has to be checked via a dopler BP machine. The LVAD takes away the ability to detect a pulse and BP. The dopler uses sound waves to detect BP. It is very strange to hear it when they do it and it almost sounds like an fetal ultrasound.

Auntie Janet took Dad and Mom in to Boston early this morning to clinic. His BP is still to high so they adjusted the meds AGAIN. They said his fluid levels looked good though so at least the diuretics are working! They told him he doesn't have to come back for a MONTH! I think this is way too long to not go get checked but they are really good about calling back and answering any questions in case something comes up.

The kids came over to play last weekend. Kylie was having a really great hair day so I thought I would document it in the Blog!

She is happy as a clam eating her snack and not a care in the world. I am going to show this to her when she is a teenager and not a hair can be out of place...She'll probably hate us later, but, at least now she can be silly and laugh with us.

Dad Started playing the 4:00 Mass on Saturday's again last week. So all who want to hear him play he is back, and as he said "he didn't miss a beat!"

I will leave you with a picture of a few of my students. There are a few kids who always make the job more enjoyable and the extra time we spent filming their project this week has been very fun and a lot of laughs!

So until next week,

Stay Classy My Faithful Blog Readers.

As always thank all of you for all that you have done and all that you continue to do for us! We could never make it day to day, and week to week without all of your support.

Laurie