I Can't Sleep

I haven't posted much to the blog in awhile, and I have to admit, there won't be much posting to come in the near future. I have a lot going on right now and updating the blog isn't even on the radar for the to-do list.

So, what's going on? And why can't I sleep? Where should I start?

We sold the Ferndale house. Yay! And while that is a good thing, the sale has not been an easy one. We agreed to an offer that leaves us with writing a check at closing just to make it happen. Not ideal, but it gets us out of that house and able to move on. Then we got the inspection report, and we had to replace the siding in order to get the appraisal to pass. Another check to write for a house we will no longer own or live in. (Sigh) And we have yet to receive the final appraisal report, so there may still be some things to do. We should find out later today. Please keep your fingers crossed for good news! We are scheduled to close no later than September 17th, and all parties are interested in moving that date up if possible. I'm not sure I will believe it until I sign on the dotted line. There have been so many setbacks in selling this house.

We bought a house in Olympia. Yay! Oh my, I just realized that I haven't yet posted the details. Here is the listing online if you'd like to take a look. We are scheduled to close on this purchase on September 28th. We had the inspection on Saturday and will likely ask for a few repairs or allowances to make the repairs ourselves. Nothing major, but things we are not willing to let go. So now I have a move to coordinate, with belongings coming from our storage unit mostly, but of course we have some things at Ernie's parents' house too. Thankfully, I don't have an entire house to pack!

In the midst of real estate transactions, my mom is having brain surgery. Yikes! She has a benign tumor affecting the hearing center in her brain. She has had trouble with her hearing for years and just recently was able to get a diagnosis. I will accompany her to her pre-operative appointments this week, and will transport her to and from Swedish Medical Center in Seattle next week. After she returns home, she will be very limited in her activities. I am working on coordinating meals and visits for her recovery, and Ernie and I will fill in the gaps. Prayers for a successful surgery and quick recovery are appreciated.

And at work, I'm coming up on a big deadline, with lots left to finish.

So put all of this together and I wake up many nights around 3AM, unable to turn off my brain and go back to sleep. I've made many to-do lists, I've scheduled out everything that I can, but there are just so many variables that I can't plan for. And it's the variables that keep me up at night.

In Loving Memory

Ernie's grandma Betty passed away on October 15, 2009. She entered the hospital with chest pains early on Wednesday, October 7th. We spent nine days on an emotional roller coaster, wondering if she would recover and return home. Instead, God called her home. We were very saddened by her passing, but also rejoiced that she was pain-free in heaven with her Savior. We are moving from grieving to enjoying memories of her. Her obituary follows:

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Betty Levada McCready Dickason, 78, a life-long resident of Centralia, died Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, at St. Peter Hospital, Olympia.

She was born Feb. 15, 1931, at a family-owned gas station on the outskirts of Pe Ell, Washington, to Jesse and Eugenia McCready. The family moved to Centralia soon after her birth. She was a 1949 graduate of Centralia High School.

She met her husband-to-be, Ernest (Ernie) Dickason when they were working in a cannery in Centralia in the summer of 1950. They were married after his return to Centralia from service in Korea in April, 1952.

Betty owned and operated a home day care for almost 30 years. She was a founding member of the Sacagawea Guild of Children’s Orthopedic Hospital. She is ordained as a deacon in the Presbyterian Church, USA. She was a long time member of the First Presbyterian Church, Centralia, and was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Chehalis, at the time of her death.

She loved to knit, crochet and do other handcrafts. She made and donated over 100 pairs of booties, plus hats and other baby items to the Centralia Providence gift shop for sale to benefit the hospital.

She and her husband were concession managers for Twin Cities Youth Football and they managed the Centralia Presbyterian Church’s “Snack Shack” at the Southwest Washington Fair for many years. They enjoyed camping and fishing.

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A memorial service was held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis on Sunday, October 18, 2009. A graveside service was held on Monday, October 19, 2009.

We want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers for us and the rest of the Dickason & McCready families during this difficult time. Please continue to pray for Ernie's grandpa as he adjusts to his new normal.

Wishing for a Wrong Number

This morning at about 1:40, the phone rang at Ernie's parents' house. Whenever the phone rings in the middle of the night I hope that it's a wrong number. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this time. Ernie's grandpa called to let us know that Grandma was being taken to St. Peter's Hospital in Olympia because she was having chest pain. (St. Peter's Hospital is 30 minutes away.)

They were able to put in two stents. This afternoon we got word that she was having trouble stabilizing, that her oxygen levels and blood pressure were all over the place. She was also having panic attacks, which really wasn't helping. We decided at that time that we wanted to go visit. We were lucky that my mom was available to watch the girls while we made the trip. By the time we got there, things had stabilized and we had a good visit. She is still in ICU and by no means out of the woods, but we are hopeful that she will recover.

A bit of back story: Eleven years ago Grandma was in the very same hospital with heart problems. The doctors couldn't say if she would recover. They decided to do a procedure, that they weren't sure she would survive. The doctor said that if she survived the procedure she would have two or three more good years with us. Since then she's had more than a few scares with her health. We used to joke that she must have nine lives, but I think she has more than that.

Please pray for our family. Please pray for the doctors and hospital staff who are taking care of Grandma. Please pray for Grandma that she will recover to have a good quality of life. Please pray for Papa who is watching his wife in pain. Please pray for Ernie's Aunt Jean and Uncle Scott who are standing vigil overnight so that Grandma won't be alone. We are so grateful for their sacrifice (and the sacrifice of their kids as well). Please pray for Ernie's Aunt Betsy who is in Denver with her husband Nels (who is in the hospital with a spinal injury) and feels torn. Please pray for the family and friends who are worried for Grandma.