Ethan’s Journey

I was up and out early for my mammogram. The past two years I have run into someone I used to go to high school with. This year she didn’t show up. Boo! I might have to reach out to her. She was going on an awesome trip last year and ai was looking forward to hearing about it. Oh well!  Avery texted me last night to share she burned the roof of her mouth and had stalactites on the roof of her mouth.  I guess she ate hot pizza….but it was fresh out of the oven scalloped potato’s. She said it was pretty sore, raw and red.   This morning I asked her how her mouth was, she shared that now she was coming down with a cold after last weeks flu debacle. Poor Avery. I did give her a “Mom’s Medicine Bag” filled with medications for this ailment or that ailment. She has already been able to utilize it. Paul has every second of the weekend planned out to get as many chores done as possible. He had to rent some equipment to finish an outside project. I am feeling tired today. I decide...

I was excited to hear that potentially this weekend the coating for the barndominium is going in. Yay!!!!! Once that has cured (it takes about a week or so) we can officially start moving things into the garage over there.  This is exciting because I will get to park in the garage again this winter. It has been several years. Not that I drive that much in the winter but it will be nice not to have to trudge through the snow and brush it off every time I need to go somewhere. Plus….Ethan will be able to start organizing things in there and get things in order. All baby steps to his independence. Moe has been driving me nuts with wanting to be outside. I think he misses his extravagant lake life of sunbathing and watching outdoor life. We went for two walks around the field to help me get some relief from his neediness.  He will undoubtedly settle down once we get the fireplace going. He does LOVE napping in front of the fire. I received a little gift from nature today outside. ...

I decided I needed to go to the cardiologist. With my family history and me not getting any younger, I figured I should establish a cardiologist.  I made an appointment at 2:00 and was told to arrive at 1:40. I arrived at 1:40 thinking I would have new patient paperwork. I did not.  Luckily I brought my computer and was able to continue working to keep me entertained and busy for 40 minutes. At 2:20 I was finally called. I guess 40 minutes is not terrible in the grand scheme of things. I met the new doctor, got an EKG, blood pressure and all the good stuff. Nothing is at all concerning. Yay! Also, good because I wasn’t expecting issues. I really liked the doctor. I felt like he listened, gave me options and let me decide how I wanted to proceed.  I left with a list of things, first up to get lab work done, than a baseline echo, and a ct scan of my heart looking for calcification.  All things to gather information to make sure I set myself up for success and protect m...

This morning I witnessed the bus stopped for the children across the street from our house. A white car sped past the bus as the stop sign on the bus was extended and the red lights were flashing.  The person in the white car could NOT have been even looking at the bus for several seconds to not notice.  Thankfully no one was injured. But what the heck? Is saving 30 seconds of your drive worth a kids life? Unbelievable! I stewed about it for longer than I should have. Is this what getting old is like? Having anger towards this idiot driver for the rest of the day?  After work I was able to get outside with my mini chainsaw and cut up some bigger sticks, place them in paper bags and put them in the garage for when we need kindling this winter for the wood burning stove. I have several bags of sticks, but never feel like I have enough. I am excited to have a fire again. It has been chilly in the mornings. We aren’t ready yet to start it. The chimney needs a good sweep and w...

My brother and I had coffee this morning. Ethan joined us (but doesn’t drink coffee). We were laughing and chatting about things. Brian got a tour of Ethan’s barndominium. More wedding photos were shared today from the surprise wedding at the Halloween party. Such a cool and fun idea! I will share more below! Diane and Andy’s Halloween party’s are fun because there is an area to sit outside by the fire, stay in the garage with the heater, or go in the house with all the food. There is usually soups, several crockpots going, dips, chips, mummy themed desserts, Frankenstein rice crispy treats….so many yummy things to choose from! Today I did some meal prep, made some snacks for the air fryer for the boys, had a surprise and welcomed visit from my Mom and Gene. My Mom has been working really hard on her physical therapy and her mobility is improving!!!!! Yay Mom! We went to a friend’s house for the Bill’s game. They won!  There were so many yummy snacks. I was stuffed when I came home...

Back in August, Diane and I went for a walk at camp. She told me about how she and Andy had talked a lot about things and that they wanted to do a surprise wedding at their annual Halloween party.  What a cool idea!  They had already sent out invitations to the Halloween party and wanted people to come dressed in thrift store formal. That could be whatever you wanted it to be. Then Diane went on to asked me to be the officiant. Holy crap! YES! What an honor. I went to the town and applied for a one day license so that I could legally marry Andy and Diane.  It was one big secret! As Diane announced, the excitement swirled and twirled in the room.  Diane had said to keep the ceremony to about 5 minutes. I researched and wrote the ceremony. Not even Andy or Diane knew what I was going to say. My Aunt and Uncle were so surprised! It was so heartwarming to watch. Andy and Diane had the perfect wedding for them. They enjoy this party every year. They love Halloween. How fu...

Ethan had us dying this morning talking about the night guy at his job that he deals with. His description of the guy was so vivid.  Ethan- “His teeth look like tree roots covered in sewage.” Paul - “ugh….imagine what that guy’s breath is like.” Patti- “ no thanks….to be fair that is how he takes care of his body in places people can see….imagine the places people can’t see.” 🤮 This is a good before 7 am conversation in our house. Paul was irritating me. I sent him a clear text yesterday asking him to do a specific task. When I followed up to see if he had done said task, he told me that my text said I WAS GOING TO DO IT!!!!!! Nope…it sure didn’t say that. I read the text aloud. He said “oh….woops.” Patti-  “Why don’t you just do what your wife says? Your life would be less naggy.” We discussed the task and how it would not be appropriate for me to complete. He even agreed it would not be appropriate. Good times first thing in the Di Iulio house! We talked to Ethan a little b...

Today was a leisurely day. I watched a documentary (per Sarah’s suggestion) that is about 10 years old about sexual crimes on college campuses across the United States and how they are under reported because the schools want to fudge their numbers to make themselves look better. It was infuriating to watch, and I am glad I watched. It is called The Hunting Ground. When I first searched for it on Roku, many actual deer hunting shows popped up. Who is watching deer hunting? There is really something for everyone on TV. I thought of how I would react if my child was treated the way some of girls were treated. I would be furious. I would likely put my everything to legally make the college leaders lives harder. I would probably get myself killed for being such a daily pain in the butt. My day got a little more exciting as it got further and further along in the day. More calls, more emails and a couple offers. Throw in a visit to the dentist…for a jaw issue…..it was jam packed.  I am c...

Paul was getting ready for work this morning and was in just his underwear. He had a large 4 -5 inch rip along the seem where the underwear was coming unattached from the waist band. He was slightly bent over, causing skin to be exposed in the gap. I walked over to him and gave a good tug and about ripped those underwear in half. “It looks like those ones have a hole in them.” I said in a monotone voice His bare butt hanging out he said “oh come on!” “YOU oh come on….those underwear are past their expiration date. Why would you even put those on?” I asked. He removed and replaced them and said….”I will just put these in the dirty clothes.” He was joking. “THROW THEM OUT!” I said.  I do excessively rip any socks or underwear with holes in them because both he and Ethan will continue to wear them and fish them out of the garbage if I don’t make them completely unwearable! Moe is having an adjustment period from not camping. He does like being outside all day. I would even let him sta...

Back to work today. It was a nice day, steadily busy with minimal headaches. I felt tired though. 4 days off and I can’t handle a full workday. Ha! I did some meal prep tonight, not a big batch but enough for dinner and a few extra lunches. I finished another portion of preparing the camper for its winter slumber. I have one more task and I will be done! Jiminy was a little bit clingy today. He would have been happy if I just sat on the couch snuggling him and letting him lick my arm all day. He was so happy when Ethan got home and they snuggled.  Everyone needs a cuddly little lap dog. They just make your heart soften. Paul has started up bowling again. He had bowling this evening. He started the evening off by leaving his ball and shoes at home. He was a bit annoyed with himself. Tomorrow I have a hot dinner date….but not with Paul. Sarah and I are going out to eat and do a little browsing together. This means we will walk around a store, chatting and laughing at things. Avery se...

I had the day to myself. I gots lots done around my house. Tons of laundry. The dogs make up most of my laundry. Their blankets, potty pads and dog beds. Moe got a bath. He was due. He smelled like a dog after camping and laying in the dirt all weekend. I made some snacks for the boys. Turkey Reuben spring rolls. Yum. They are so crunchy in the air fryer. I have a new found love for Rice paper.  My next adventure is pizza spring rolls. I picked up some tomato’s at the farm stand and blended them. I put them in ice cube trays so I can add them to pasta, chili or whatever else I make that requires a tomato taste. It makes me feel healthier. We went to a friend’s house for dinner and to watch the bills game. They made beef on wreck. Yum. I brought the apple pie I made. Today is Ferguson’s 15 th birthday. I would love to say he is a perfect dog. I will say he is imperfectly perfect. He used to bite everyone, he still bullies Moe every day. He is a feisty little curmudgeon. He loves his...

We woke up this morning and jetted out of the campground a day early. It was supposed to start raining and be kinda yucky so we just left.  I took advantage of the time by cleaning out the camper and getting it ready for a nice winter slumber. I have my cabinets emptied, drinks are mostly out,  my pots and pans are in Rubbermaid containers just in case mice get into the camper. Yuck! Bedding has been stripped, pillows removed, garbages emptied. I even washed the refrigerator shelves. I am tired.  Luckily we didn’t see anymore seizures from Jiminy. He did vomit twice yesteryear and again this morning. After the 3 rd vomit I gave him some medication to combat nausea. He did much better after that. I took the remainder of the day to put things away, catch up on laundry and more.  Paul and Ethan started moving shelving into his barn. He was given lots of shelves from when my mom moved. He will be able to utilize his storage. Avery and Kendall popped over because they nee...

we slept IN today. I was up earliest at 9:30 am. This never happens. Paul woke up about a half hour later. He decided to go home and do a few things while I stayed camping. It is a 20 minute drive. I had coffee outside and then let Jiminy outside. He was right behind me as I walked over to the community fire pit. I turned around to see if he was right there…and he wasn’t.  My eyes scanned our campsite as I called for him. Then I saw him under the camper rolling around. I knew exactly what was happened by and sprinted fast as lightening to him. He was having a seizure. There was no rhyme or reason to him having a seizure unless he bounced his head off of something. I wasn’t watching and don’t quite know what triggered it. I called Paul to bring Jiminy’s seizure medication back with him. We discussed the urgency and decided to take a “wait and see” approach.  Jiminy recovered but was quite tired. He earned himself to be in the papoose at all times with me.  He walked down t...

I had my coffee outside under a tree. It was pleasant in the sunshine. I sat in my outdoor chair which Moe tied to a tree and chewing on his bone. I took the dogs for a walk just to get them outside and moving around. My friends and I went to the local cemetery. This cemetery was beautiful and housed some very old gravestones. With the trees starting to change color against the landscaping of the cemetery it was easy to enjoy the colors against the blue sky. The illuminati was on a Doctor’s gravesite. We made our way up the hill towards the tower. The tower has a spiral staircase that was quite tricky to navigate as it was narrow, didn’t have a railing the entire way up and very dark. We finally made it to the tippy top. There may have been some bad words as we kept climbing. This is the Tower.👆 We came home around 4:00 ish. We had some snacks, started a fire 🔥 and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.  Our friend’s shared chili with everyone. I am pleased how well Moe is doing with...

I often compare sitting with Ethan in the hospital for months to being in prison. I was afraid to go anywhere. I was afraid of bringing diseases back to Ethan. I was afraid something was going to happen when I stepped away.  I remember being at the rehab center and Ethan was separated from me doing his therapy and how weird that felt. I remember walking outside and feeling the sunshine on my skin for the first time in months. The positives that came out of a crappy situation are tremendous. I didn’t realize it at the time. But really relishing in the little things we take for granted. Today I saw an adolescent deer grazing on apples under the apple tree in the back yard. I totally enjoyed the moment. These moments are gifts. We just have to look for them and enjoy the moment. My sister in-law had me cracking up this morning. She found that Amazon keeps tabs on your buying history and maps out the personality of your purchases. She shared that her profile says: She prioritizes runni...

​Paul and his crew finished applying a layer of tar to the driveway today. Our house and yard smelled like fresh driveway sealer the entire day. It looks great! Ethan was tied up after work. He asked me if I could pick up his medications for him. I got to say hello to the wonderful pharmacy staff that helps us each month.  It was a quiet evening as Paul was gone and it was just Ethan and myself. I took a walk outside in the dark this evening. It was a dark night with the stars shining. The air was comfortable. So pretty. Moe decided he should sleep in our bed tonight. It doesn’t happen often, but tonight I caved.

​We are in the in between phase of fighting off turning on the heat and freezing to death. The house sat between 62-66 degrees at various times throughout the day. When it started feeling cold I did a couple sets of my physical therapy exercises to warm up. Being stubborn is really stupid and annoying. I only blame myself for this, ha ha. Ethan has plans after work tomorrow and he got the text to pick up his prescriptions about 15 minutes prior to closing. He asked if I could pick up his medications for him. I absolutely can and will. 2 years ago, Ethan would have chosen his plans over the prescriptions and not had the thought to ask for help. This is progress.  We are still seeing progress from him. I love watching him grow. He is setting things up for himself and making things happen. I am sitting back and watching to see, quietly and loudly cheering him on.  This week Ethan had to make a decision about accent color specks for his epoxy floor. He made his decision. He asked ...

​Paul asked me to help him prepare the driveway to be sealed. My assigned task was to trim flowers around an island in the driveway and move rocks (small hand sized rocks) away from the from the edge of the driveway. He totally knows better and knows that I excel at other things. I laughed when he said that was what he needed help with. I gave him the old “we’ll see if I can do that.” I wanted to give him grim hope in case my back was uncooperative. I started working on it after work. I probably completed 85% of the job. FAR more than I ever expected. Physical therapy is such a game changer. I couldn’t have done that two years ago. I stopped when it started to bother me and made myself useful by having dinner ready. Seems like a fair trade. Paul noticed the camper was sitting a bit odd. He found that there was something wrong with a brace blah blah blah and the axel. I wasn’t paying that close attention to the fine details. I asked if it was significant enough to cancel the trip. He sa...

​This morning I was able to book tickets for girls weekend (5 days) in Florida in March. It’s one of those 5 day weekends. Phew! I have a few trips to look forward to once the weather gets cold and crappy. Avery and Kendall came over to have a day fire and enjoy the fall air. We had the dogs out, Ethan joined us and I threw together a half assed lunch. We all enjoyed the half ass lunch of frozen pizza and frozen breaded chicken. We had some tunes on and we had a 30 second sprinkle that resolved so fast.  I was able to get a few more bags of sticks cut and stored for our kindling wood this winter.  Paul brought the camper home and will be moving it in a day or so to Ethan’s driveway. We are sealing our driveway this week. I say “We”.  I am not overly involved in this. I do have to trim some plants around one portion of the driveway, but that is the extent of my role. We prepare for one last camping trip of the season. We are getting our money’s worth out of this camper. I ...