Beginning of DeWayne's Vanderbilt Journey

Well, today was the beginning of DeWayne's Vanderbilt Transplant Center's Journey. DeWayne has been listed at UAB for the last 1-1/2 years. Which he had his first kidney transplant at UAB back in 1999. That kidney worked great lacking one month being twelve years. We never had any complaints at all about their program. We still don't. The reason we're pursuing a transplant at Vanderbilt now is their wait time is considerably less than UAB. UAB has a wait time of 6-8 years and Vanderbilt is 3-5 years. If they approve DeWayne and place him on the list, then we will be able to transfer his time from UAB to Vanderbilt which will put him higher on the list. The fact that he's had a previous transplant will also put him higher on the list because once you've had a transplant you're harder to match due to antibodies. It seems like a very overwhelming process, but they've made it much easier. So, hopefully we'll hear something soon.

The Amazement of Awards Shows

DeWayne had a couple of friends (Brad and Andy) over Sunday night. They were playing this game they play all the time called World of Tanks. Which was a great thing last night....because that meant I could watch the Golden Globes without hearing him complain about having to watch an awards show. In general, I don't think men like awards shows. Which doesn't really make sense to me because of all the beautiful actresses. We as women like to say we watch the awards shows for all of the gorgeous dresses....well truthfully all I have to say is Bradley Cooper was looking really pretty last night.

Do you Zumba?

How many of you have tried Zumba?? Ever since we got our Playstation fixed I have been wanting to try Zumba on it. We also love the Singstar brand. Well, we found Singstar Dance last week. So, I thought I would try that and if I liked that...then I would try to find Zumba for PS3. Well, I love the Singstar. But, I thought I would try to learn some basic steps first. So, I found some instructional videos on You Tube. Wow, it just furthered my view of how little rhythm I have. But, I WILL NOT be defeated. I want to try something that doesn't feel like a workout.

Wishing for Love all through the Year

Well, the Holidays have come and gone. They crept up on me again this year. It seems the older I get, the quicker the year goes by. Before long, it will be time to celebrate Valentine's Day. I do so love the holidays but Valentine's isn't one of my favorites. I love the decorations but not the particular day. Don't get me wrong....anyone that knows me, knows that DeWayne is my life. But, I hate the fact that so many people take this one time and maybe their anniversary every year to let the love of their life know how they feel.  D you know how I know that DeWayne loves me beyond measure? It's not because he tells me ten times a day. It's because of the little things. Just last night for instance....he was eating pistachios and he LOVES pistachios. I love them too, but it's difficult for me to open them. So, DeWayne surprised me with bringing me a handful of shelled pistachios. That's just one of the examples of his love for me. I just wish people in general would show their love for one another every day of the year like DeWayne and I do.

I've been a little lost

It's been four months since I've written here on the blog. Life just seems to take over so quickly with my work schedule, trying to supplement our income with Ebay, DeWayne's doctor appointments and all of the other things that crop up on a daily basis.

My mom retired this last week and that's been some adjustment for all of us. We moved in with my mom in 2006 to help take care of my brother that was paralyzed due to a staph infection. He passed away in 2007 but we continued to live here with her. Every time we talked about moving out and getting an apartment, she never seemed to like the idea of that. She had been used to having someone live with her for the last few years and I think she was scared to be living by herself. When DeWayne went back on dialysis last June, we had decided this year we were going to move out and get a place of our own. When they deliver his dialysis supplies, it's between 40-60 boxes of fluid and other supplies. So, that has taken over the living room. But, since she decided to retire this month, it looks like the moving out will be placed on hold. At least until she can get a little bit more settled financially. It's a good thing we all get along.

DeWayne's health is doing fair. With the summer, it's so easy for him to get dehydrated. So, we have to watch his fluid balance closer. We're waiting to hear back from UAB about his bladder surgery. They had wanted to plan it for this summer. The urologist there told us he would have to have the bladder augmentation surgery before they would put him on the active kidney transplant list. So, it's just a waiting game.

Fun UAB Day

Well hello bright and wonderful Tuesday!! I am wearing down quick. We were up at 7:30 this morning. We were getting ready for our drive to Birmingham. Dewayne had to see the urologist to be cleared of any spinal cord injuries causing the advanced renal failure. So, now we're just waiting to see the doctor now.

Levi Strauss Day

February 26th is celebrated as Levi Strauss Day. This is the day in 1847 that the Bavarian Government gave permission to the Strauss family to emigrate from Germany to America. One member of that family was Levi Strauss. He, along with his mother and two sisters set sail for New York. Once there, they joined his two brothers. He joined the dry goods business his two brothers had started. Once the Gold Rush news hit New York, Levi picked up and moved out west to open up a branch of the family business in 1853. About twenty years later, he partnered up with another immigrant by the name of  Jacob Davis. He was a tailor from Reno, Nevada. They joined their forces and families to create the blue jean. Those of us who would rather wear a t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans...we owe our comfort to the Bavarian Government who gave us this talent 165 years ago.