Evastin

Good morning!

Happy Thursday! Last night was a tougher night for my house. Darlene has monthly eye appointments that are always stressful for her and I. In 2009 she began to lose vision in her left eye. She began to see spots missing in her vision. Unfortunately she did lose 90% vision in her left eye. She now has only some peripheral vision, but not good enough to read from or watch TV. She also had a stroke in 2012. She was only 28 at that time. In 2014 we began another journey of eye appointments because her right eye was having the same signs that her left eye had once shown. On a monthly basis, Darlene and I head to a Doctors office for her to be examined, photos taken, and eventually a shot of Evastin to her eye. Yup. A needle in her eye. This shot is supposed to slow and cease inflammation which causes scar tissue from forming. If the meds fail, Darlene could be completely blind before she even gets to turn 32. I can't even begin to tell you how scary that is
for her. It's super scary for me, so I cannot begin to imagine how she feels. She really is just so brave. She gets these shots, and you think, if you had to, you could do it. But as an on looker, it always looks so much more simple than it really is. These shots usually wear her out. She's not really all that functional for the remainder of the day. I pray every morning that we have the best Doctors, and specialists, and that God heals Darlene. I like to take my drive into work and plead with God. Thank Him for blessing us, and thank Him for health insurance, Doctors, nurses. I'm not perfect. I'm not a model Christian, but I absolutely believe that God works. I pray that He heals Darlene every morning. She deserves at least 1 good eye to see grow. Besides, I shouldn't be relied upon to do hair for Proms when she gets older, I'll never be forgiven haha.

Today will also be a day that I drop my car off at my mechanic. The last time I had my brakes done he told me that I would also need to have my rotors replaced the next time I came in. Since I am getting paid for my courier work on Friday, I am going to take the SUV in to get worked on. Better to pay for it when you have extra money, then to HAVE to pay for it when you may not. Just my opinion. Brakes, rotors, crank shaft, oil change, and maybe a serpentine belt. Preventative maintenance is the name of this game this week. I would much rather take care of it now, then have to bring it in when it breaks. I have gotten really lucky **knocking on wood** and have not had to have any major repairs done. I did have to have the catalytic converter replaced, however, I was still under warranty so it cost me nothing. I have a really reliable mechanic. I trust him, and I think he does honest work. For that, I will continue to use him and refer him when I know
people need work done. Being 1 car down is never fun, but I would rather choose it and be prepared then have to scramble.

I did some courier work yesterday for the flower shop. Every now and again they will call me with 15 or so orders to complete in town. I pick them up when I can. I would rather have the money on the side, then not. Since I knew I was making an extra $90, I purchased some Big Surf tickets on Groupon. Typically over the Summer you pay $30 a ticket to get in. That's pretty steep in my opinion, but this week on Groupon they are 50% off which means $15 a ticket. That's a great deal especially since  loves to go. I picked up 4 tickets so we could take her this Summer with a friend. Nice weekend reward. It also means that we won't have to pay regular admission later which is awesome. If I see museum passes or a cool event or outing I do try to pick them up if they are affordable. Even though Darlene and I have locked the budget down, it doesn't mean that I want the entire house to catch cabin fever. So, I would rather sacrifice some extra money that could
have gone to a vacation or the house fund to ensure that we have a weekend of good fun.

My upbringing was very different from Darlene. My parents took my sister and I on a major road trip every Summer. I had a set of Grandparents in Arkansas and a set in West Virginia. We would travel from California out to both locations. My Dad would take an entire month off to take us. It was very memorable for me. I've seen most of the USA thanks to all the traveling we did. I want the same for . Although I cant see us piling into a car and driving across the country. We have made a trip or 2 to Las Vegas. For us, it's only a 4 hour drive. I almost went crazy. I clearly do not have the patience that my parents had. It's not  fault. I'm just one to want to be on the road when we get on the road. wants to stop at every stop. Pause the radio every 30 seconds with a new question, or asking if we are there yet after 20 minutes in the car. Oh man, my parents were patient people. They also had high expectations for me. My sister is a great woman, very kind hearted, and sweet. She is 4.5 years older than I am, and has a learning disability. I have been the oldest youngest (if that makes sense) since I can remember. My parents trust me with their affairs, and I am the kid who gets called when something goes wrong. It does not bother me in any way shape or form. But it does mean lots of pressure for me. This means as a kid I was responsible at an early age. I was expected to make my bed, clean my room, brush my teeth, brush my hair, and handle daily chores without having to being asked. I have the same expectations for. She's so smart, but sometimes kids don't like to do those things, and its hard being the only enforcer since Darlene's upbringing was much more free than mine. She was allowed to go over to a friends house without notification, was allowed to have a dirty room. Her and I differ very much in those aspects. At times we clash as parents with  but we find the medium and hope that  turns out to be a smart and successful adult. I don't want her to grow up too fast like I did. Its tough because as a parent, you want to do everything right. Which is impossible; but we are doing our best to raise a smart little girl.

We push forward as we get to the end of the week. Friday brings just as many plans. Fingers crossed that my car is finished by Friday or Saturday. I'm sure it will be. Friday will be payday for the courier work, and also a day that Darlene and I play in a tournament in Maricopa. Harrah's is a casino that is about 45 minutes away from where we live. We like to go on Fridays because the offer us $10 in comps that can be stored on our players cards. This means that when we go to Las Vegas in May we should have around $200 to spend on whatever we want. This could mean a fancy dinner, a buffet pass, even shopping. Either way, we are down for the comps since they can do so much. They can even pay for a room upgrade. Not to mention we get to play in a poker tournament. A good one too. The only unfortunate thing is their location. They are the only casino out here that links to Casinos in other cities. We can travel almost anywhere with Harrahs, unlike the Gila
River Casinos. They are worth the drive, but the drive is hefty!

I hope that you are having a fantastic week.

Lou