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Tag Archives: Kids

Improving? Not so Much.

28 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Cancer, Family, Leukemia, Photography

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Tags

Alabama, CML, Doctor, health, Kids, Leukemia, Million Dollar Band, Oncologist, Parents, Sick, University of Alabama

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I started back on my CML meds last Monday and to be honest I think my breathing has gotten a little worse. I’ve started climbing the steps at work a little more and trying to maintain at least 10,000 steps in a day. I spoke at length to my oncologist last Monday the day I started back on my Sprycell and he told me that the majority of the people who end up with water retention will do better at a lower dosage.  I’m now at 80 mg instead of the 100mg that I was once on.

I’ve decided not to just sit at home waiting to see if my lungs will fill back up with fluid.  I don’t really feel like getting out and doing anything but I feel that I’ve at least got to try  and get what little exercise that I can get.  I think it could only help matters if I get off the couch and do something.

Yesterday, my wife and I met our son at the university where my daughters are attending.  They’re both in the band, one plays the sax and the other is a band manager.  Yesterday was their parent preview show.  It was awesome seeing my daughter’s perform. I got to meet one of their roommates and enjoyed going out to dinner afterwards.  As usual it was hard for us to leave after visiting with them.

Today I went to my parents house to check on them as well as my bees.  It’s been at least two months since I’ve done either one.  The bee yard was grown up with weeds and it took everything I had to use my weedeater to chop down the weeds just so I could get to the beehive.  After about an hour of cleaning up I went and sat with my parents for a couple of hours.

It was hard to leave my parents. They are both getting up in age and their health is not as good as it used to be.  My mom had to have more surgery a couple of weeks ago on her diaphragm due to finding a hole where her colon and her intestine were coming through.  The doctors seem to think that this was caused by the accident they had back in February.

The above picture is of the band managers.  The young lady is my daughter.  What a  trooper.

Negativity Gets You Nowhere!

26 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Cancer, Depression, Photography

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Tags

Anniversary, Beach, Condo, Doctor, Down, Family, Heat, Humidity, Kids, Sand, Steakhouse, Sunset, Vacation, Water, Waves

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I’ve been down on myself the last few weeks. I thought being on vacation would snap me out of it but the whole time I was gone I kept thinking of the time lost that I would have when I returned back to work.  The exciting news that I got from my doctor while I was away seemed to have helped but now that I have my doubts about the results I just can’t help but feel down again.

The heat has a lot to do with it I feel because I wanted to do something with my kids today being that they were home and not working but everytime I went outside I was just drained from the heat and humidity.  Plus, with all this humidity, it makes it difficult for me to breath.  The next two days the rain chances has increased to 70% so maybe after the storms roll in here at least it will cool things off a bit.

This coming Thursday, June 29th, I will have been married for 25 years.  I have already made reservations for Saturday at a place called Perry’s Steakhouse.  It’s a bit pricey but my wife is worth it.  Putting up with me and all my ailments; she deserves more than a pricey steak and a night on the town.  She’s going to flip when she sees the prices on the menu though. But maybe the flowers that I have ordered that will be sitting on the table when we arrive will take away some of the shock.  We don’t usually go out on the town like this.  It’s usually places like Logan’s steakhouse where you pay $12 to $15 for a steak or go to Cracker Barrel.  Those places are more to our taste.  If I get out of Perry’s for less than $200 I’ll be lucky.

July 4th is coming up in a week and I have that day off which means a three day weekend.  If I can just make it through this week.  So you see, I have a couple of things to look forward too.  With this in mind maybe I can get out of this slump that I’m in and I can have a brighter outlook.  It’s going to take me some time for me to build up more vacation time but at least my doctor’s appointments are down to a minimum right now.  That’s another thing that has me upset is the fact that right now if I have a family emergency I can’t do anything about it.  I can’t take off right now if I had too.  Tomorrow, if I’m not wrong, I should have 10 hours built up.  That’s not much but it’s a start.

I hope everyone has a great week ahead.

 

 

Vacation to Walt Disney World Parks

19 Sunday Jun 2016

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

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Tags

Crowds, Epcot, Florida, Fort Wilderness Cabins and Campgrounds, Graduation, High Price Foods, Kids, Long Lines, Orlando, Vacation, Walt Disney World

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My first day back to work from a week long vacation is tomorrow and I should be going to bed but as luck would have it I’m waiting for a video to render on my computer.  Once that’s done I’ll eventually go on to bed.

The family and I  drove the ten hours back from Orlando on Friday.  We spent four days there and I must say we had a pretty good time.  Because of some breathing issues I had to cut my days a little short the last two days we were there.

We drove down on Sunday and if you’ve been following the news that’s when Orlando had the nightclub shooting which killed those 49 people.  Security was beefed up a bit and it took longer to get in so I’m told. And of course, we also learned of the tragic death of the two year old boy that got drug into the water and died.  Orlando had a trying week last week.

Like I said earlier, we had a pretty good time.  The lines were long, temps were high, food prices were high, some of the patrons were rude and the security was tight.  Nearly every ride my wife went on broke down at least twice during the ride.  Fast Trac was the only ride that offered another ride without having to start back at the beginning.

This trip was a graduation gift to my three kids.  Our son graduated from college and my two daughters graduated high school.  Taking three kids means that you have three opinions at which time caused problems within itself.  They either all wanted to do something different or just one wanted to something different.  I tried to stay neutral because this was their trip and I wanted to do what they wanted to do.  By Thursday afternoon I was tired of all the bickering I went back to the cabins so they would work it out themselves with me interfering.

We did encounter a couple of problems.  With the alligator incident Disney decided to close down all the beachfront activities which included the boat that left out of Fort Wilderness where we were staying.  If you stayed at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds the only transportation to the Magic Kingdom was to take the boat.  When the boy was attacked the transportation department didn’t realize this and stranded many guests.  Of course, you could hop a bus and go to another resort and catch another bus to Disney but that would take a lot of time and most likely they would lose their “Fastpass” time slot.  Communication between transportation and the resorts were non existent during this time and neither knew the answers to the questions being asked.  On Thursday I had a backstage pass to the steam locomotives and had to call many people just to get a ride from the campgrounds to the Magic Kingdom.  I made it just in time not to be late.

Most of the problems we had were personal and had to deal with it our own way.  When I say personal I mean being raised differently I guess.  An example;  When standing in line for a ride I would always give the person in front of me their “personal space”.  Meaning, I don’t want people breathing down my neck when we stopped or not bumping into me every time I stopped. Cutting in line.  We actually had adults send their kids in front of us and cut in line and once they were in place the adults would come up and join them.  I watched them do this several times by several different families.  Maybe that’s what they do in their countries but I have a problem with it.  Dress, or should I say lack of.  I saw teen girls wearing outfits that should only be worn in the presence of their own mother and no one else.  And another thing.  Just because you own the outfit doesn’t mean that you should wear it in public.  My kids are nearly grown and they were even embarrassed by them.

Well, the video is finished so I guess I’ll take my meds and go to bed.  All in all a good trip and would do it again if I had the money.  Next year will be a nice relaxing trip to the beach which is a lot closer and a lot less crowded.  I just hope my kids can work around their schedules and go with us.  They’re getting to the age now where they may not can go with us.

365 Day Photo Challenge 355/365 “Another Good Day, Sort of”

20 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

365 Day Photo Challenge, Alabama, Cabin Fever, College, Cycling, Kidney Stones, Kids, Pain, Pain Free, Pain Meds

I have had all my kids here for the past few days.  My son left earlier this afternoon to go back to school to play at a basketball playoff game but he’ll be back tomorrow night.  Anyway, I got up early and cooked breakfast for everyone and spent the remainder of the day relaxing and spending time with the family.

All in all a pretty good day without much pain.  I did get out for a little while with the wife when cabin fever kicked in and I couldn’t stand being inside any longer. You got to remember I’ve been cooped up in this house since Tuesday of last week with the exception of the half an hour I spent attempting to go to work.  It felt good just being outside if only for a little while.

I share a lot on here and maybe a little too much.  That is why I won’t go into detail as to what I’m going to say next.  I stayed in the bathroom for nearly two hours tonight.  Everything finally passed and I felt like I gave birth to twins.  I’ll find it hard to walk in the morning.  I guess all the meds are making me dry up.  Even with that I think I’ve shared too much.  Oh well.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 349/365 “‘Tis the Season but I’m Not Feeling it”

14 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

365 Day Photo Challenge, Christmas, CML, College, Kids, Leukemia, Medications, Twins

I go through this every year.  It’s nearly Christmas and I’m just not in the mood for it.  It’s not that I’m depressed; it’s more of disappointment that I can’t afford to more for my kids.  The older they get the more expensive their needs or wants get and we can’t afford to get everything they ask for.

This year my wife and I discussed the fact that the girls will be going off to college next year so we’re going to make sure that we help them with things like laptops and other necessities for college.  With that said, that will be two of everything.  One of the things that we will be trying to get them within the next few months is a car.  This brings up another problem.  The girls haven’t decided on where they want to go to school.  Each one has stated that they want to go to separate schools and if they do go to different schools then we’re going to have a huge problem.  We can only afford one car.  I want the girls to make their own decision on where they want to go to school but in reality they will have to go to the same school or else one will be walking.

And of course I’m somewhat concerned about my CML levels going up the way they have.  I’ve been back to the oncologist and they’ve done more blood work to determine what the next step will be as far as the medications that I will be on, being that the ones that I’m on isn’t working anymore.  I’m hoping to hear back from him this week.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 303/365 “She Misses Her Girls”

29 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

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Tags

365 Day Photo Challenge, Cats, Dedication, Friendship, Girls, Kids, Twins

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I know I’ve posted this picture before but this one fits tonight’s topic so well.  Every time my girls leave the house, whether it’s going to school, to church or just going out to the store with their mom, Sophie will either sit by the door or sit on the back of the couch looking outside waiting on her girls to come home.  Most of the day while the girls are away at school both of our cats will stay on the foot of my bed but when it gets close to the time for the girls to get home Sophie will take her place on the back of the couch and wait for her girls to come home.  Once the girls are home she stays by their side until they go to bed.  I’ve never owned a cat that was so dedicated to any of my kids as she is.  The other cat is just happy that we feed him and keep his food dish completely ful.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 302/365 “Today’s Ramblings”

28 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

365 Day Photo Challenge, Church, Dutch Oven, Fall Festival, Halloween, Kids, Outdoor Cooking, Twin girls

Had a rough day at work but I won’t go there.  The good news is that my son is home from college for a few days and I’m going to enjoy his time with us.  Tonight we’re watching the World Series which we always like to do since he was a little boy.  The cats seem to even enjoy his company since they won’t leave his side since he’s been home.

The girls went to a church fall festival tonight dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2.  They looked adorable when they left the house.  I believe they would have won the costume contest if it wasn’t for the judges being related to them.

Two more days until the weekend and Halloween.  I’ve been asked to go to a local state park and do some Dutch Oven cooking for a small group.  This park does a huge trick or treating.  It’s been estimated at over 30,000 kids come to this park just for this.  My kids are excited about going and seeing all the excitement.  It’s supposed to rain about the time the trick or treating starts so I’m hoping all the kids have fun.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 297/365 “Remembering Old Times”

23 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

365 Day Photo Challenge, Band, Graduation, Hero, Kids, Old Times, Thieves

Tonight my girls were gone to a football game and my wife was up the hall grading papers as she normally does this time every evening and I was following the football game via a twitter account.  I got to thinking how it was when I was in the band at their age and things that happen after I graduated.

The year after I graduated high school I remember driving back to the school after a football game to pick up my younger brothers who were in the band during this time.  I pulled up to the school to find some other teenagers already there.  I had assumed they were there to pick up someone but after a few minutes after I arrived I found out they were up to no good.  They were there to steal gas and batteries and I had interrupted them.  They came up to my car and wanted to know what I was doing there and I told them that I was there to pick up my brothers.  They encouraged me to leave and let them get on with their business.  I didn’t hesitate to do so.  I didn’t go home, I went to the nearest neighbors and called the sheriff’s department.  They were there within minutes but the thieves had already took off.  I went to the store across the street and called 911 and talked to the dispatcher and gave her the description of the vehicle. The thieves were caught with all the extra gas cans full of gas along with the several batteries that they had taken that night.

When the band busses pulled up in the school parking lot the sheriff department was still there asking questions.  They had already apprehended the thieves and were bringing them back to be identified.  All the kids on the bus wanted to know what was going on and of course me being the hero of the night I couldn’t wait to tell my story.  After I got home my dad reminded me that these boys wouldn’t stay in jail long and after they got out they may come to hunt me down.  After my discussion with my dad, I didn’t feel like a hero much anymore.

I never heard anything else from those boys.  I was a hero for the rest of the season but I was always looking over my shoulder.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 292/365 “Family Time”

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

365 Day Photo Challenge, Botanical Gardens, Cloudless Day, Couple, Flower Gardens, Husband & Wife, Kids, Roses, Walk in the Woods

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After yesterday’s long day cooking at the Founder’s Day Celebration, today was spent relaxing; well, for the most part.  My daughter’s had signed up to volunteer at the Botanical Gardens helping with their Fall plant sale and my wife and I decided to go along and take a walk among the flowers and plants.  It was such a gorgeous day, a little cool in the shade but beautiful nonetheless.

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As you can see there wasn’t a cloud in the ski as we walked in the flower gardens.  I brought along my camera and took tons of pictures of all the roses that were blooming.  This was the first time in months that my wife and I has had an opportunity to take a walk anywhere without the kids tagging along.  Better get used to it I guess.  College days are just around the corner.

“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 272/365 “Another One College Bound”

28 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Photography

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

365 Day Photo Challenge, Alabama, College, College Bound, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers

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I say that with very mixed emotions.  I have twin 17 year old daughters and both of them have been looking into colleges lately, more this past week than ever.  I am not ready for them to go off to college.  They are my babies and I’m not ready for them to grow up much less go off to college.  I

When my son went off to college I was ok with it.  My wife, however, was not.  Although the school is not but 45 miles away he was not coming home but a few weekends out of the year.  My son and I had spent a lot of time together camping and doing other activities with the scouts so I I figured I’d have problems with him going away.

I’ts going to be different with me with my girls.  We don’t do a lot of things together because dad isn’t cool.  We don’t have anything in common and we don’t watch the same television shows.  It kind of reminds me of the commonality of my wife and I.  Anyway, when they go off to school they will be missed a lot.  I’m not sure how I’m going to handle it.  Just going to take it one day at a time.

“Life Goes On!”

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