Scary story

So, here's an interesting and scary story. I caught a ride to work on the courtesy van at Honda today, while my car was being worked on. This driver has been giving me rides to/from work for years, since long before we moved to our new location in 2011. I mentioned that my sister was going to be driving my wife's car, so I needed the ride. After a minute of thinking about how long I'd known him, and what a nice guy he is, I decided to tell him about Kristan. Then he told me that he had lost his wife nine months ago. We expressed our condolences to each other. I asked him what happened, wondering if his situation was similar at all. He said it was completely unexpected. She was in good health, but had developed a very bad cough, presumably from a nasty cold. She kept meaning to go see her doctor. She finally called to make an appointment, but they couldn't get her into the office until Tuesday after the weekend. He came home from work on Monday, to find she had passed away in bed. He said her doctor offered one possible explanation, that her cough may have been so violent, that it caused a heart attack. I came away wondering if seeing the doctor sooner would've made a difference, and revisiting some thoughts that have occurred to me many times in the past, that we all need to be really proactive, about getting seen by the doc, when we think it's important. Kristan was really good about helping me with that in the past, and I'm going to have to be really careful in the future. I was reminded of what happened to the Muppets creator Jim Henson. So, let's all be careful out there!

What a celebration

The "Celebration of Kristan's life" on Sunday went really well. I don't know how to thank everyone who helped put it together. The house was beautiful, and there was lots of really delicious food for everyone in the basement. I confess I was pretty overwhelmed by all the caring people who came, and all the flowers, cards, and notes from those who couldn't make it. I was so very appreciative to see the people who traveled from out-of-state. It was so nice to have the house filled up with family for a few days. Everyone seemed really happy to see the photos from earlier in her life. A lot of people expressed their surprise at how quickly the photo collages were assembled, and what an amazing collection of wonderful photos we had, from those earlier times. I tried so hard, not to let myself get choked up, as I told the stories of some of the photos. Looking back, and recounting those stories, I was repeatedly reminded of the many good times we shared over the past 30 years. I was also reminded of our wedding day, as I found myself trying to spend time with everyone, and realizing that meant I could only spend a short time with any one person. I was really glad I asked my nephew to take pictures, as I am afraid I won't remember everything and everyone from that day. I haven't pulled those pictures out of the camera I loaned him, so I'll just share this one pic I took, of some of the flowers lined up on the kitchen counter today. Looking at them reminds me of how much love and caring attention I was feeling all day.

Almost ready

Thanks to a lot of hard work by a few wonderful people, we have photos of Kristan's earlier and better days up, in most of the rooms around the house, except the upstairs where our visitors will be staying. I even figured out how to publish a slideshow to the new Apple TV gadget I got in December, so we'll have that running on the TV in my office, with some of the more recent digital photos we've taken. I have a funny feeling that more people than I first thought, will be coming. We even have family and friends flying out from California. It's comforting to know that several people are bringing food, dessert, french roast coffee, and even a 32-cup coffee maker.

Celebration of Kristan's life

We will be having a "celebration of Kristan's life" reception at the house on Sunday between 2 and 5 PM. It will be very informal. We will have pictures of her, from earlier and happier times, on display around the house, for people to wander around and discover. A few people are bringing food.

It's over for her

I don't know how to say this, but I feel like I must get this awful news out right away. I got a call Sunday night at 10pm from the hospital, saying that Kristan was unresponsive, and they were trying to resuscitate her, and I'd better get in there, so I grabbed her brother, who has been visiting, and by the time we got here, she had passed away. We hadn't made any end-of-life plans, so I'm pretty lost right now, but figuring it out as I go. I brought Mandy in, because I thought I'd always regret it, if she didn't get a chance to try to understand that she's saying goodbye. -- at Presbyterian St Luke's Hospital

Cool and overcast

Another cool overcast day at Denver City Park... perfect for a nice walk.

Visitor, impending discharge to SNF

Kristan's brother is here visiting this weekend. I'm trying to teach him a few tricks about his new phone. The hospital is getting more serious about booting her out on Monday, or at least next week sometime. They are continuing to have her practice sitting upright for a while each day. The case manager has put calls in, to four Skilled Nursing Facilities. Naturally, the one we were told is best, doesn't have any beds available. It was the only one that had dialysis available in the same facility. I guess I'm slightly relieved, because it's quite a way North of Denver, and would've been an even longer drive to visit. — at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center Denver.

She seems better

Kristan seems to be getting a little better every day, even if she doesn't *feel* a little better every day. The wound continues to heal. The regenerating tissue is doing a good job of beginning to cover the bone that was exposed in the 12/6 surgery. Mandy is "styling" in her new coat tonight. — at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center Denver.

City Park

This could be our coldest walk at Denver city park, at 9°F. No question about Mandy coming with us; she stayed warm and toasty in her bed in the backseat of the car. The families out sledding by the museum didn't seem as crazy as they did at first glance, after seeing their rosy cheeks and huge smiles.

Rose Parade 2015

Another late night, and I'm glad to be able to sleep in on the holiday, and enjoy the Rose Parade, especially the Cal Poly float entry! Happy New Year to you!