Pot Pie

During a high school lunch break in 1995, somehow the topic of conversation turned to what we all had eaten for breakfast. Back then meals were pretty much a fend for yourself type of affair at my house, so my breakfast of choice that day had been a microwave chicken pot pie. It seemed sensible at the time. Timothy thought this was ridiculous and teased me about it. It has been brought up a few times over the years.

If only I had a time machine. I would have blown his little 15 year old mind by telling him in 17 years not only would we be married with two children but he would be eating turkey pot pie for breakfast! As of today, he can no longer make fun of me. :P

I made a yummy turkey pot pie last night with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. It was the first time I made it and I was pretty happy with how it turned out, but I think I have ideas on how to make it better next time. :-)

Too Many Chips!

The lovely Mexican place down the street from work has a great deal for a cheap lunch. I go every couple weeks or so and get chips and salsa and queso for about $3.50. The portions are huge. It may sound like a snack, but trust me.

The problem is they give a huge bags of chips with every order. (I normally get take out) It doesn't matter if I just order salsa, I walk out with a two pound bag of chips that will mostly end up in the trash. I feel guilty about this, but I'm not going to keep eating plain corn chips after the salsa is gone. They give free chips when you dine in, so I suppose they aren't too fussed about it.

So why does it bother me?

How My Cousins Changed the Way I Think

Timothy's cousin Benny lives in Colorado. Before this year I had met him once, briefly, at a funeral with lots of other Nowells that I was meeting for the first time. Through the magic that is the Internet we ended up Facebook friends. Then someone friend requested the other because we have the same last name and I was Facebook friends with his wife Niki too. Little did I know at the time that sending/confirming those friend requests would actually change some of my outlooks on life. I have had the chance to hang out with them and their awesome kids twice this year. In Texas and Colorado.

I now have 2 more strong prayer warriors that I know I can call on any time. Also, there just aren't enough nerds in the world so I'm happy to have expanded that group as well. Niki has especially become one of my closest friends (it's a girl thing) and I'm so happy to have her in my life.

Benny and Niki have a group called Sevens that works with the homeless in Denver. They work with others to provide a meal for their street friends once a week. If you are able, you may consider a donation to help. You can check out the website here.

Since getting to know my Colorado cousins (mostly online) I have a whole new outlook on homeless people. Before I was just scared of them and would avoid eye contact and probably hold tighter to my purse. Now, when I can, I try to help. I will go back into a store I've just come out of and buy a snack for someone. Honestly, it still makes me a little nervous, but it also makes me feel good to help someone.

Yesterday I stopped for gas while I was out with the boys. Normally they will stay in the car while I pay at the pump and fill up. I noticed two men sitting near the dumpster across the parking lot. One of them was very old and frail looking. After getting gas, I took the boys inside and bought hot dogs and water and a couple other items for them. I explained to the kids that the two men didn't have a place to live. They understood and wanted to help. We took the food out to them and told them happy thanksgiving and God bless. They smiled and the younger one waved to the kids as we left.

I believe that helping people without question or judgement is what God would have us to do. Too bad it's not easier to do because the world would probably be a better place.

Tales From the Nursing Home

I went to visit Daddy this afternoon and found him on the floor next to his bed. He falls a lot trying to get himself out of bed without help. They have moved him to a bed that is lower to the floor and there is a mat spread out next to it to help minimize injuries. He wasn't hurt, but as I'm not able to get him up on my own I had to get help.

After he was safely in his chair I took him for a walk through the halls. He was being really uncooperative today and kept putting his feet down and trying to stand up. He also gets really concerned when there is a change to the pattern on the floor like tile changing to carpet. We had to stop and have a discussion about it every time we crossed a threshold. He kicked off his shoes at one point and that was another stop to put them back on. It turns out I don't have any patience today because this was all incredibly frustrating for me. Looking back, it's a bit like trying to push a baby that does not want to be confined to a stroller.

We finally got back to his room and I got him back into bed. Then he would not stop messing with the pillow. It's a very thick pillow and before he had a thin one that he would fold in half. This one was not going to fold, but I wasn't able to communicate that to him. I just wanted him to talk to me but the pillow was more important to him at the moment.

I told him it was time for me to leave. He said, "Well okay. Did you have fun?"

Sigh. "Yeah, Daddy, I had fun."

"Good. So did I." Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Good News

On October 25th Daddy was moved to another temporary psychiatric hospital because he was acting out aggressively again towards the staff of the nursing home. The administrator was incredibly nice about the whole thing. He said he wanted to get Dad's meds sorted out before it got to be too out of control. They promised me that his room would be waiting for him when he was ready to come back. He was moved to Arlington and stayed for 13 days. When I called to check on him a day before he was set to be transferred back to the nursing home the nurse gave me the incredible news that he had started walking again! : D Apparently the doctors were able to find a good combination for his meds and it has really made a big difference. I went to see him at the nursing home last Wednesday which was his first day back. He recognized me right away! I've been back twice since then and he's known me each time. He doesn't know my name, but he knows I'm his daughter. He's walking a little, which is wonderful, but I'm more happy that he knows me again. When it was time to leave the other day I told him to try hard not to forget me again. He said that he sure would try because I'm his favorite person and he doesn't ever want to forget me again. I'm cautiously optimistic, but as of right now - today - I have my Daddy back a little bit.