Wednesday, February 18, 2009
As I have stated before, Granny Annie's hasn't been in the best of health for a long time but her death has still come as somewhat of a shock to me (and my family.) When I got to the hospital on that Sunday, we realized how quickly her body was shutting down. The words "48 hours left" were said and I didn't want to believe it. Mom was STUBBORN Irish , but I knew how much she missed my dad and wanted to be with him. Jamie, Kerri Ann & I took turns over the next days staying with her around the clock. Kerri Ann & I were with her holding her hand (Jamie was waiting on her husband to get home from work) when she passed away @ 5:20pm.After we left the hospital, it was off to the Funeral home where thankfully mom had taken care of everything (she preplanned her funeral right after my dad passed in 2003). The next five days are a blur.My In-law came in from Upstate and Maryland,& family from Kentucky, Pennsylvania & Connecticut.Someone had asked me if I had had a "sign" from mom that she arrived. Matter of fact I got two (if you want to look at it that way) the first was on Wednesday afternoon, I was home alone and on the phone walking from the living room into the kitchen when all the sudden it felt like I had walked thru a cloud of cigarette smoke. I could smell it and taste it. (no one has smoked in this house since June. The person I was on the phone with said"its a sign from her" The second "sign" was on Thursday afternoon, we had a private viewing (Jamie & Mike,Kerri & Pete, Andrew and myself) and I wasn't happy with how her hair looked,(one thing mom was all about was her hair, it had to always be just so). I said to my sisters I wasn't happy, they agreed and we talked to the staff about having it fixed before the evening services. I left and went to get a trim on my hair. I get to the salon, hair get washed, Theresa starts to trim my hair and the lights go out. (Here on the Island we were having very high winds that day.) They come back on 60 seconds later, only to go back out a few minutes after that. So after sitting in the dark for about 20 minutes and finding out that the power company said lights wouldn't be back on to 7pm, I told Theresa I needed to get out of there, so she finished my "trim" with 6 of her co workers around me with light from their phones showing the way. I started to laugh and was asked what was so funny, I explained where I had just come from and what I had said and that it was my mother doing( the power failure) that she didn't want my hair to look better then hers. LOL.
Now comes the paperwork and cleaning out her apt. Writing the thank you note for the food and flowers . Although she hadn't been home with me for over a month before she dies, I still expect to hear her open the door and call my name.
Below is the beautiful eulogy that my sister Jamie gave on Friday night.
On Tuesday, I lost one of my favorite people in the whole world: my beloved mother, Annie . But mother doesn’t begin to do her justice. In many ways, she was more than a mom to me and my sisters The past several weeks have been such a hellish mix of hospital rooms and funeral preparations that I really haven’t had a chance to stop and remember all of the joy she brought into my life. If you get past the cheesy A-Z structure, I think you’ll get a glimpse of the incredible woman I came to love.
A for Annie. Quite simply, a great lady.. A is also for Aislinn, the granddaughter she never got to meet. A is also for Annie’s Stationery Store, a place where mom and dad made numerous life long friends.B for Books. Annie spent most her final years reading tons of books. She would read several in a week. 10 days before she passed I asked her if she wanted me to get her book out of the library…she replied, ‘ No, I’ve read them all’. B is for Bulfin; Peter Bulfin. Just knowing Peter was in heaven to greet mom makes me feel so much better.C for Carleigh, her newest grandchild who brought such innocent joy to her life. C is for cracker, preferably Ritz. With peanut butter. Only Skippy. Is it any wonder Saorla’s first word was cracker?
D for Donna, her eldest. She loved you Dee more than you’ll ever know. She always marveled at your strength and was worried about your sensitivity. As my parents always used to say, “Donner, get the front!” D is for Disco lessons in the 70s.E for Eggs, 2 sunny side up, fried in bacon fat with the bacon fat on the eggs or egg salad sandwiches. Either way, Annie loved her some eggs.F for Family and Friends: the two biggest sources of pleasure in her life. F is for Fin, a wonderful family whom my parent cherished. Micheala, Rachael and Connor were my parent’s adoptive grand kids who they adored. F is also for Fianna a joy and wonder – her 2nd grandchild the one who could also make Granny laugh. F is also for St. Francis. My mom was a patient at St. Francis as a child. When I started working at St. Francis last year, she cried because she held St. Francis so dear to her. F is also for five finger discount. I won’t say anymore but Aunt Sally knows what I’m talking about.G for grandchildren, next to a VO and Diet coke (in a pint glass, little ice) nothing would make her face light up more. G is also for Granny, someone who will be missed by 4 loving grandchildren.H for her favorite weekly routine: her Hair appointment with Janet. Her hair was so important that she was in labor with me but wouldn’t go into the hospital until her hair was done. H is also for heaven, a wonderful place where mom is finally reunited with Dad as well as many cherished friends, The C, The Co, Marge B, Rocky Gi, Walter A and so many more. H is for Hunter, her maiden name - a name she was proud of. H is hearing or lack therof.I for Ireland, home of her beloved mother and a place she enjoyed visiting. . I is for the Irish Coffee Pub, a warm wonderful place where she always felt at home and made some wonderful friends.J for St. Jude, for whom she had a devotion throughout her life. J is also for James her beloved husband and partner in life whom she is finally united again with,K for Kerri, her baby. She worried about you Kerri more than any of us. I know she will guide you through life because she never wanted harm to come to you. May you live your life with Mom’s guided hand always showing you the way..L for Love…love for her beloved Jimmy, her children and grandchildren. L is also for Liverwurst, on rye, with mustard. L is for library, although at the end, she apparently had read every book..M for Me, her favorite daughter, or at least I like to think so. M is also for Margie her confidant and cherished friend. M is also for mother, she may not have been June Cleaver, but she was ours and we loved her.N for Nancy and John F, two wonderful friends who stood by mom through her darkest times.O for the Oconee…she always liked a good meal in the diner.
P for Pall Mall. After all, she’s the only person we knew who smoked Pall Mall red for over 50 years. P is also for Pathmark, a place she worked for over 20 years. P is for puzzles…mom loved a good crossword, word jumble or word find.
Q for Quality time with her grandchildren “ also known as anything involving a major meal.R for Road trip. Annie loved a good road trip. Whether it was Kentucky, Ohio or even our cross-country jaunt to Seattle, mom loved to go out and travel.. R is for rheumatic fever, a childhood illness that set the course for the rest of her life.S is for her granddaughter Saorla who judging by the walls in her house, you’d think was the single most photographed human being ever. S is also for Seamus, her only grandson who with the devil in his eye loved his granny more than anything. S is also for Squit, who are, though not related by blood, they are definitely our family. Aunt Sal, Uncle Bill, you brought so much joy and fun to my parents over the years. I only hope that my family will always be part of yours even though she is gone. S is also for Shepherd’s Pie, her favorite dish by far. S is for Scotland, homeland of her beloved father. S is also for sense of humor (When doing a report for a class about her her family's heritage, mom told Jamie to tell her teacher she was Irish with a shot of Scotch.)T for Tea from 7-11 – 2 tea bags, two sweet and lows, not too much milk.U for her Unparalleled sense of style. Whether she was going to the supermarket or a fancy wedding, she always had her ‘ face on’ which included red lipstick and her hair styled once a week.V for her VO and diet coke, her beverage of choice. V is for St. Vincent Ferrer, the school of her childhood, the church where she married. W for Weekends at the S...house. Mom would come for coffee & breakfast on Saturday and Sunday and spend precious time with Saorla, Fianna and Seamus. These visits created moments which will never be forgotten.X for her XL , generous heart.Y for Years of wonderful memories. Y is for parties in our yard going over both sides of the fence, especially 4th of July. Y is for Yellow Roses, her favorite.
Z for her Zest for life. When she was about 9 years old, the doctors told mom she’d never live to be 21. She outlived their expectations by over 51 years. If that’s not Zest for life, I’m not sure what is.
Thanks for the memories, Mom. We’ll miss you tremendously.
Below is the beautiful eulogy that my sister Jamie gave on Friday night.
On Tuesday, I lost one of my favorite people in the whole world: my beloved mother, Annie . But mother doesn’t begin to do her justice. In many ways, she was more than a mom to me and my sisters The past several weeks have been such a hellish mix of hospital rooms and funeral preparations that I really haven’t had a chance to stop and remember all of the joy she brought into my life. If you get past the cheesy A-Z structure, I think you’ll get a glimpse of the incredible woman I came to love.
A for Annie. Quite simply, a great lady.. A is also for Aislinn, the granddaughter she never got to meet. A is also for Annie’s Stationery Store, a place where mom and dad made numerous life long friends.B for Books. Annie spent most her final years reading tons of books. She would read several in a week. 10 days before she passed I asked her if she wanted me to get her book out of the library…she replied, ‘ No, I’ve read them all’. B is for Bulfin; Peter Bulfin. Just knowing Peter was in heaven to greet mom makes me feel so much better.C for Carleigh, her newest grandchild who brought such innocent joy to her life. C is for cracker, preferably Ritz. With peanut butter. Only Skippy. Is it any wonder Saorla’s first word was cracker?
D for Donna, her eldest. She loved you Dee more than you’ll ever know. She always marveled at your strength and was worried about your sensitivity. As my parents always used to say, “Donner, get the front!” D is for Disco lessons in the 70s.E for Eggs, 2 sunny side up, fried in bacon fat with the bacon fat on the eggs or egg salad sandwiches. Either way, Annie loved her some eggs.F for Family and Friends: the two biggest sources of pleasure in her life. F is for Fin, a wonderful family whom my parent cherished. Micheala, Rachael and Connor were my parent’s adoptive grand kids who they adored. F is also for Fianna a joy and wonder – her 2nd grandchild the one who could also make Granny laugh. F is also for St. Francis. My mom was a patient at St. Francis as a child. When I started working at St. Francis last year, she cried because she held St. Francis so dear to her. F is also for five finger discount. I won’t say anymore but Aunt Sally knows what I’m talking about.G for grandchildren, next to a VO and Diet coke (in a pint glass, little ice) nothing would make her face light up more. G is also for Granny, someone who will be missed by 4 loving grandchildren.H for her favorite weekly routine: her Hair appointment with Janet. Her hair was so important that she was in labor with me but wouldn’t go into the hospital until her hair was done. H is also for heaven, a wonderful place where mom is finally reunited with Dad as well as many cherished friends, The C, The Co, Marge B, Rocky Gi, Walter A and so many more. H is for Hunter, her maiden name - a name she was proud of. H is hearing or lack therof.I for Ireland, home of her beloved mother and a place she enjoyed visiting. . I is for the Irish Coffee Pub, a warm wonderful place where she always felt at home and made some wonderful friends.J for St. Jude, for whom she had a devotion throughout her life. J is also for James her beloved husband and partner in life whom she is finally united again with,K for Kerri, her baby. She worried about you Kerri more than any of us. I know she will guide you through life because she never wanted harm to come to you. May you live your life with Mom’s guided hand always showing you the way..L for Love…love for her beloved Jimmy, her children and grandchildren. L is also for Liverwurst, on rye, with mustard. L is for library, although at the end, she apparently had read every book..M for Me, her favorite daughter, or at least I like to think so. M is also for Margie her confidant and cherished friend. M is also for mother, she may not have been June Cleaver, but she was ours and we loved her.N for Nancy and John F, two wonderful friends who stood by mom through her darkest times.O for the Oconee…she always liked a good meal in the diner.
P for Pall Mall. After all, she’s the only person we knew who smoked Pall Mall red for over 50 years. P is also for Pathmark, a place she worked for over 20 years. P is for puzzles…mom loved a good crossword, word jumble or word find.
Q for Quality time with her grandchildren “ also known as anything involving a major meal.R for Road trip. Annie loved a good road trip. Whether it was Kentucky, Ohio or even our cross-country jaunt to Seattle, mom loved to go out and travel.. R is for rheumatic fever, a childhood illness that set the course for the rest of her life.S is for her granddaughter Saorla who judging by the walls in her house, you’d think was the single most photographed human being ever. S is also for Seamus, her only grandson who with the devil in his eye loved his granny more than anything. S is also for Squit, who are, though not related by blood, they are definitely our family. Aunt Sal, Uncle Bill, you brought so much joy and fun to my parents over the years. I only hope that my family will always be part of yours even though she is gone. S is also for Shepherd’s Pie, her favorite dish by far. S is for Scotland, homeland of her beloved father. S is also for sense of humor (When doing a report for a class about her her family's heritage, mom told Jamie to tell her teacher she was Irish with a shot of Scotch.)T for Tea from 7-11 – 2 tea bags, two sweet and lows, not too much milk.U for her Unparalleled sense of style. Whether she was going to the supermarket or a fancy wedding, she always had her ‘ face on’ which included red lipstick and her hair styled once a week.V for her VO and diet coke, her beverage of choice. V is for St. Vincent Ferrer, the school of her childhood, the church where she married. W for Weekends at the S...house. Mom would come for coffee & breakfast on Saturday and Sunday and spend precious time with Saorla, Fianna and Seamus. These visits created moments which will never be forgotten.X for her XL , generous heart.Y for Years of wonderful memories. Y is for parties in our yard going over both sides of the fence, especially 4th of July. Y is for Yellow Roses, her favorite.
Z for her Zest for life. When she was about 9 years old, the doctors told mom she’d never live to be 21. She outlived their expectations by over 51 years. If that’s not Zest for life, I’m not sure what is.
Thanks for the memories, Mom. We’ll miss you tremendously.
As Always Be Good & Be Safe
Labels: daily life, family, thoughts
| posted by Unknown at 2:09 PM
Friday, January 16, 2009
OMG has it been a longggg week. I have never been so glad to see a Friday nite.Granny Annie still isn't home. On Tuesday I received a call that they were releasing her fro the hospital. When Kerri Ann & I got there after work to get her & we were putting on her jeans we couldn't get them to zipper or button close. They had fit her fine when she wore them 5 days earlier being admitted to the hospital. I asked the nurse if they had weighed her during the last five days. I was told her weigh upon admission was 149(her weight @ last dr's appt about 8 weeks ago was 128). Now my mom's weigh fluctuates between 118 & 130. If her weigh goes over that we (her Dr's & family know that she is filling with fluid and that they need to push lasix). I asked for her to be weighted at that moment before we did anything else. We get her on a scale and her weight was 1531/4. She had gone up over 4 pounds in just 5 days and no it could be food. A call was put into her Dr and I made the decision that she was staying till we know what was going on.Wednesday I received a call from her Dr's that they were pushing more lasix, normally she is on 20 mg twice a day and they were going to double that to 40mg twice a day. On Thursday the hospital called to say she was ready to go home but extremely weak and they recommend that she is put into short term rehab to regain her strength . So that is where she was moved to today and hopefully she will be only there a short time like last summer.
Yesterday it was snowing here and I didn't get a chance to go to my WW meeting like I wanted to but I did run there to at least get weighed in and I am so glad I did! I always do well my first week back on program and to tell the truth I wasn't 100% "on program" with all the running back and forth to the hospital but once again when I stepped up on that scale I was down 15 pounds.
\And last but not least a big YOU ROCK goes out to my hubby Andrew. As I have stated before Stew-Be luvs bowling. As long as we have been together he has bowled in one if not two leagues a week. On Wednesday night at his Men's hot shot double league, Andrew shot 12 strike in a row..... a 300. A Perfect Game..
As Always Be Good & Be
Safe
Labels: daily life, family
| posted by Unknown at 6:22 PM
Sunday, January 11, 2009
That time of year again
Once again I took a little bit of time off from my healthy life style during the month of December. If there is one thing I learned this time around is that I need the discipline of a weekly weigh in. I've tried doing it on my on but it isn't the same. On Thursday morning I had planned on going back to my weekly W.W meeting after I took Granny Annie to the Dr's. Of course since we are talking my life things never go as planned. As I was getting ready to take her to the Dr's, she was shaking,had labored breathing, her color was off and she was throwing up so instead of getting her into the car, I sat her down and called an Ambulance. Now of course we know how well that went over with her but I didn't have a choice. After 13hrs in the ER they admitted her . We are still waiting on the results of what is wrong, but they did rule out the normal things, like the flu, pneumonia (both which she received shots for) heart attack and stroke, so right now its a waiting game to find out what is wrong and where we go from here. So I never made it to my meeting till this morning to get weighted in and I don't want to know what I gained (I know I gained by the way my clothing is fitting). I plan on getting back into the healthy life style with my weekly weight ins on Thursday Morning and taking it one step at a time from there.
As Always Be Good & Be Safe
Labels: daily life, Weight lost
| posted by Unknown at 3:55 PM
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Nothing make it feel like Christmas more then a snowfall. Yesterday we got about 4 inch, with more today and forcast of more tomorrow. Andrew's parents stopped by for a visit and are stuck here for a few day due to the road and weather. Andrew got stuck at work till 11pm last nite (de-icing planes) and is working overtime tomorrow too. Thankfully,he starts vacation in a few days and is looking forward to it. Today in the flurries and cold Beavis and Butthead (Andrew & Steve) played a game of horseshoes (henceforth the name Beavis and Butt-head).
As Always Be Good & Be Safe
Labels: daily life
| posted by Unknown at 3:34 PM
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I was awoken today but the pounding on our front door at 5:30 am. Not a good sign by any means. When I looked out the front bedroom window I saw it was the Police Dept. I grabbed my robe, ran down the 12 stairs and flung open the front door. The 30 or forty seconds this took a million things ran thru my head. Andrew had just left for work 30 minutes earlier. The officer was quick to put my fears to rest but asked if everything was OK in the house? Seems a 911 called was placed from our house. Now with Andrew @ work that only left myself or my mom. I quickly checked on her and she was sound asleep. The officer took alook around the property and left after saying "sorry I woke you and have a nice day" Have a nice day? When your day starts like that you know it is only going to go down hill from there. I called Stew-be right away and of course he had his phone shut off. So I walked around the house and checked all the phone to see what the last number was dialed on each(no 911 calls). We have 4 portable phone, plus my mom has here own line but there isn't a phone hooked up to it.(Long story don't ask) Finally got a hold of Stew-be and tried to go back to sleep with no luck. Got showered and dressed and ran for an appointment. When I got out of there and went to stat my car the battery was stone dead (mind ya it was fine the day before had an inspection). Called Stew-be again ranting and rave, ( I have errands to run, work @ 12:30 and a meeting @ 7 I didn't want to miss) while I am on the phone with him and he is trying to calm me down I turned the key again and the car turned over. I drove straight home with the , backed it into the drive way and shut it off. Two minutes later I tried it again and got nothing, no lights no nothing. Strange...I called Stew-be again and told him what happened, of course we got the, "did U leave the lights on, the radio, what did YOU do"? At this point I have had not the most normal of days and his questions just pushed me over the edge and I started to cry, to which Andrew's reply was I'll be right home to fix it for you.Now mind you, he doesn't work around the corner from the house (45 minute drive and he bowls in the city on Tuesday nights and stays in there so he had no intention on coming home) Sure enough, a bit later he came walking thru the front door asking for the keys ( 5 minutes before he arrived I had gone back out to check the car and it was still stone dead) we walked out side, he put the key in and the car came to life! I swear I hate when that happen, and started to tear up and try to tell him that it really was stone dead. He just laughed and said relax, the cables are loose on the battery, he fixed it and left again for work. I went back into the house and needed to figure out how a 911 call was placed from my phone, so after a phone call to the local policed dept, a call to 911 and finally a call to the phone company, turns outs the call was made from my mom's line and that it was a cross wire with a alarm system in the area. Mystery solved, my car was working and I got to go out for my "meeting" which was canceled but had dinner with 3 "new friend" who gave me a wonderful incite to what I will be experiencing when I go to China and bring back our Dream.
In case I didn't say it before my hubby is a the best and I am blessed to have him!
As Always Be Good & Be Safe
Labels: daily life
| posted by Unknown at 10:53 PM
Friday, March 28, 2008
OK so I'm not this old but I can relate. When McKay first got her license I told her that when I first started to drive many moons ago I use to put a $10. Bill into the visor in case I ever ran short for gas money. Now my first car was a 1971 or 72Mercury Marquis and it was a tank (Dad figured I would be safe in it) but that $10.00 almost filled the tank(3/4)Then when I got married in the late 80's I use to put a twenty into the visor same concept and again it worked in a crunch to get me at least three quarters of a tank in the 87 GN. Now a days its not so easy. The other night Andrew and I went to go fill up the mini van, my tank was between E & 1/4. I gave Andrew a Fifty and said fill it up, a few minutes later he came back and said six more dollars. Are you kidding me? This is nuts. Regular gas by us it $3.34 a gal and Diesel (which Andrew uses for his 2003 GMC Sierra) is @ $4.29 a gallon.Gone are the days of saving accounts,putting something away for a rainy day and having a few extra bucks. I keep asking Andrew what we are doing wrong........Any ideas??????
As Always Be Good & Be Safe
Labels: daily life
| posted by Unknown at 3:23 PM
Sunday, October 21, 2007
On Saturday afternoon I received a phone call from Michaela
tell me she was having a pasta party (her field hockey team come over for
dinner) at the house on Sunday night and that her mother wanted to serve them
Ragu.She then asked if I would make a pot of sauce for her? I said of course
(not that I am a good cook but to Irish kids my sauce isn't that bad and it
better then jar sauce) So Sunday morning before we went to Connors football
game, which was a nail biter to the end (his team won in the final minute of the
game with a score of 7to 6) and remain undefeated 7-0, I started my pot of
sauce. We bought it over to the party around 4 and all the girls got there about
5pm.
All the food ready to go:
Penne with red sauce
Penne ALA
Vodka
Swedish Meatballs
Italian Meatballs
Cucumber & Tomato
salad with fresh mozzarella
There was 14 girls around the table and their coach.
It was a nice night, the girls were very polite and all gone by 8pm but boy for girls they sure can eat! LOL Wednesday will be Micheala last field hockey game and she isn't a happy camper. Field Hockey has been her life all thru school. I of course will be at her game on Wednesday afternoon cheering her on one last time.
On another note, today is the 19th wedding anniversary for Andrew's sister and her husband. We both want to wish them a Happy Anniversary, know that we miss you and will see you in November.
As Always Be Good & Be Safe
Labels: daily life
| posted by Unknown at 3:36 PM
Thursday, October 18, 2007
While I was researching adoption a few years back I learned about a group here on the Island for Families with Children from China.When I was sure that China was the way we were going, I joined this group. FCC-LI has been a wealth of information for me. Its where I found my social worker & dossier service.Once I was DTC & had my LID I decided to join in on some of their activities. The first thing I did was go to a Mom's night out. What a blast I had, it was a group of women, most who had their child home from China, a few waiting on their 2nd child and a couple of us who are waiting for their first child. I then volunteered for the Autumn Moon festival and for there Halloween party. We had a beautiful day for the Autumn Moon festival. Rachael came with us and was a big help for the savager hunt handing out all the prizes. At the Halloween party we (Rach, Meredith(rachs friend) & myself) got there early to help set up. I was working the food table while Rachael & Meredith were helping running games and helping the little ones with arts and crafts. Rach & Mer dresses as witches and I along with Jayne (who runs this chapter of the FCC-LI) got dressed as Ketchup & Mustard. It was a great day and the girls both received 7 hour of community service for their help.
Between all this Andrew and I were able to get Upstate for the Columbus Day Holiday weekend with our good friends Steve, Denise and their son Steven. The weather going up was absolutely beautiful. High in the 80's blue Skys with the changing of the leaves in the mountains was great. I luv sitting around the camp fire at night, having a few drinks and just listen to the peace and quiet of the mountains.
I love my work, I find it challenging at times but the joy that I get out of it out ways the stress. My day with them starts at 8:15am when I get Seamus(2) and Saorla, at 8:45 we put Saorla on the bus and drive to my house to get Circan(2) and Tommy(2) 9:30. At 10:30 after all three boys diapers are changed I get everyone into their car seats. We then go to the school to get Fianna(3).The 3 boys in a double stroller is not a problem along as everyone is in a good mood otherwise it gets ugly! LOL. If we are lucky Granny Annie comes with us and I get to run into the school ALONE to get Fianna. Afterwards we run errand and then come home for lunch.If I am really lucky all four (or at least 3) will take a nap and I get 45 minutes of quiet. Andrew came home the other day early from work and got a same glimpse into what my day is like. when all the kids left he looked and me and just said WOW! (and he thought all I did all day was sit around the house and eat Bon Bons and watch soap operas)
As always be good & be safe
Labels: daily life
| posted by Unknown at 10:02 AM
