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Friday, July 10th, 2009
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12:16 am - Stuff!
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So Craig got the job, the better-paying one at that, in Antarctica, although he remains skeptical -- he's absolutely convinced that something will go wrong when he has to have his physical. I'm like: "Gift Horse, stop looking in the mouth of it!"
Oh, the cleaning. How I dread the cleaning. And the moving. I hate moving, but I have no emotional attachment to the house whatsoever, and I'm glad that I'll have a space that's mine again. Of course, the problem will be finding a place that accepts cats, because I'm not going anywhere without them. If worse comes to worst, we can afford to keep the house -- Craig will be making more in a week than I do in a month -- but I just want to start over again.
In other news, Peanut's baby shower is coming up. We went to Babies R Us and I spent fifty bucks on duckie-related merchandise. Craig pointed out, perhaps correctly, that Johnny and Serena probably had the foresight to put duckies on the registry simply because they knew that's what I'd buy. ;)
current mood:  lazy
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| Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
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1:34 am - Being an Adult Sucks
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Craig had a second interview today, for the job he really wants, and I really want him to get it too, and not just because he'll be out of the country for six months. Of course, I thought that if all goes well, he'd leave in October, and that turned out to be incorrect -- he'd leave in August. As in, six weeks from now. That doesn't give us much time to clean the house, sell it, and find me a place to live. We have a lot of stuff.
I'm down to part-time at work, which doesn't make me happy because now I have to find a second job, and I dun wanna. I've managed to put it off a couple weeks, because my skin is still peeling and it's not particularly attractive. Just when I thought I had a financial plan, it goes to pot. That sucks.
My mind is wandering back to Ren Fest. Machel and I are already plotting for Aubrey's trip this year, and I still have 3D on the backburner, although I'm annoyed that I won't be able to save as much as quickly as I had hoped in order to follow through with my increasingly grandiose plans. Oh well.
Of course, next week is Harry Potter, so that'll be fun. Kelly is hosting the Third Annual Drunk Day on Tuesday, beginning promptly at 9 a.m. and ending at five, so we can all take a nap, eat dinner, and generally sober up before heading out for the midnight release. I spoke to my father yesterday, checking in from Georgia and now headed home, and he decided that he wants to got the midnight movie as well. I was about to say then we'd have one grown-up in our group, but we all know that's not the case. ;)
And then Peanut's baby shower is coming up on the 19th. Just the excuse I need to buy some duckies! YAY!
current mood:  blah
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| Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
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2:24 am - Down the Shore
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So we spent the weekend in New Jersey. Craig and I flew out Friday morning and met Johnny and Serena (and Peanut) in Chicago, and we all flew to Newark together, thanks to my mad planning skillz.
At the hotel, we found Dad sitting in a shaded area next to the minivan, where he was going over his recently collected fossils. He laughed when I said he looked like a vagrant. He had a decent trip to Nova Scotia -- his plan was to be at a certain place on 22 June, because that was Mom's birthday, but when he showed up the day before, the winds on the water were over 100 mph, and none of the boats were going out. The next day, when the wind died down to 75 mph, the boat's captain said "Let's go!" and away they went. So the boat and crew went out just for Dad, and then the captain refused to take any money for it, although Dad gave a hundred dollars (and Mom's obituary) to the captain's wife with the request that they donate it in Mom's name, and that plan seemed to meet with approval.
So, back in New Jersey, we met up with two aunts, two uncles, and two cousins, and we all went out to eat. Johnny and Serena gave Dad a late Father's Day gift -- a shirt that said "Of all the names I've been called, I like GRANDPA the best." I was seated next to my cousin Allison, so I spent the most time chatting with her.
Saturday was the Great Cemetery Crawl, because we went to two graves in two states. Craig and I began our day trying to find a florist, utilising the GPS system in our rental car (I named the GPS lady "Lucille" although we also called her a few less friendly names during the course of the weekend) and I got a spring bouquet with pink roses and sunflowers, because sunflowers were Mom's favourites and we had made a point to get them for the funeral in March. Then we headed out to Morristown, my mother's birthplace. The New Jersey cemetery was where my mother's mom was buried, and as it turned out, Mom was not the only one who would receive an unsanctioned burial -- Aunt Sue pointed out how the big tombstone with the family name also had about five other unmarked cremains depositaries. (Later, I took a picture with the urn on top, so I knew exactly where Mom had gone.) Dad talked a little, and Aunt Sue and I put down our flowers, and then we all stood in a semi-circle for a moment of silence that lasted uncomfortably long.
It's one thing to have a traditional funeral Mass, and I was fortunate in that many of my friends sat with me at the time. But that was four months ago, and since then I've pretty much kept my mourning to myself. But this time, I was surrounded by family, including Mom's surviving sister and brother, and I was trying not to look at anyone because I can't stand to see people cry, or else the floodgates will open. Finally, Uncle Dave turned and lit a cigarette, and the rest of us were able to move along. Then Dad left the group and I grabbed his arm and we walked a little way, because he was crying openly, and I've never seen him cry so much.
I took one rose out the bouquet, and off we went to Pennsylvania, to the grave of my mother's father, who had been two months old when the family left Austria for America. My mother's brother Michael is also buried there. We met a few more relatives, and Aunt Sue put down another bouquet along with my rose. Once again I took a picture, although I think this was the first time someone was buried there without getting a marker.
After that we went out to eat again, because we're big on eating. ;) And then several of us stopped at the liquor store, because we're big on drinking (hey, Irish AND Austrian!), and we met up again at Aunt Sue's place. The drinking may have begun immediately. Then there's Serena, who's six weeks away from her due date, so when she sits down, that's where she stays; therefore, she decided to amuse her by exercising her Dog Whisperer powers to train Allison's dog to sit, using grape Nerds. We were further excited to know that the doggie treats which Allison had purchased were MADE BY JOHNNY. He checked the packaging, and sure enough, it came from his plant in Nebraska. Much later, we got lost because we angered Lucille the GPS Lady. I'm glad that by the time the settlers came to Kansas, they realised that a grid pattern would made much more sense when it comes to travel.
On Sunday, we went down the shore, as Serena had never seen the ocean. Lucille was less touchy by then, but we still replaced her with Allison, who received the honourary title of GPS Goddess. We went back to Point Pleasant, which is where Mom and I had gone for Barlibash only two years ago, less than two months before she got sick. Craig chose to hang out on the boardwalk, drinking beer in the air conditioning, while the rest of us went onto the beach. Then Johnny and Serena went walking along the water, and Allison and I chatted. We also got sunburned. Oh, so sunburned.
That night, we had dinner at Aunt Sue's, and we watched a Christmas video she had found. I must have been five, Johnny three, and Allison two. My mother looked so young; she was younger than I am now. Johnny and I kept pointing out things from the background, like wall hangings and toys, that we remembered. Mom was shown opening a present of a robe, and God, she wore that robe for years and years.
We've always been our own little island here in Kansas, so it's easy to forget that we have relatives, and I came out of the weekend really wishing I could spend more time with my cousins. It's funny how we grew up differently and yet are still so alike.
Monday was the traveling day. Dad is on his way to North Carolina as I write this. Lucille the GPS Lady got the rest of us back to Newark airport, and we were sad to turn her in. Johnny pointed out that the next time we all get together, it'll probably be to celebrate Peanut's birth, which will hopefully take place about 8 August. Then we parted ways, and that's when the excitement began. Everything had been fine, according to the big screens, when we sat down to lunch, but an hour later, the flight to Wichita had been canceled. Apparently there was no plane. And the next flight was in the morning. (This was about three in the afternoon, when we learned all this.) I was about to get on the phone with my AAA travel agent, because I was NOT about the spend the night in O'Hare, without my luggage and with a sunburn, but we were able to score two seats on a different airline, only we had to run to catch it. I was just glad to be headed home.
Now, I have quite the burn. Allison and Serena got it too (and Craig, upon seeing Serena, asked if Peanut was also sunburned) but I have the unique ability to burn, and then two days later, the burn is worse. Traveling on Monday was uncomfortable but do-able. Tuesday, I called in sick for the first time in all my time at Family Video. (I've called in for car trouble, and for Mom, but never sick.) Craig took me to a clinic, where the nice doctor prescribed me 800 mg of ibuprofen and steroids. I've never been on steroids before. I felt awesome by Tuesday night, although I was wearing a sheet -- in fact, I had said that I could come to work provided it was Topless Tuesday, but apparently that's not condoned in the handbook.
Anyway, I went to work tonight, uncomfortable but okay. As I was leaving, Craig was having a phone interview with the Antarctica people -- they had left a message on Monday, just as we were landing in Chicago. We'll know the answer to that by the end of next week. There's also a possibility of a move within Kansas. Everything's just up in the air, which makes me nervous, because if Craig's going to Antarctica, we have to decide quickly if we're going to sell the house, and I think it'll take a month of concentrated work to get everything in order. I'd fully expect to have to take a leave of absence.
Well, I'm going to spritz some more vinegar on my shoulders and back. It feels great but smell awful -- even the cats are avoiding me. And maybe I'll eat some M&Ms.
current mood:  contemplative
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| Monday, June 15th, 2009
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3:38 am - If This Seems a Little Loopy...
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...It's because I'm on Lortabs.
I had two wisdom teeth romoved on Friday. One of them was really bad, and had been giving me a low-grade headache for, oh, a year now, and now it's gone and I'm grateful. The other tooth wasn't giving me problems, but when I went to the dentist last month, they said it had a cavity, so I might as well get that one taken out too. And it put up quite a fight. I'm glad they gave me two prescriptions, one for Motrin and one for Lortabs. I spent the rest of Friday splitting up blood and being unconscious. It was awesome.
On Saturday, we all met in Lawrence -- Dad was at the fossil lab at KU, so the rest of us (Johnny, Serena, Peanut, Craig, and me) met him there. There was a weird moment when we were driving by the Natural History Museum, looking for a parking place, when Craig suddenly said, "For a second, I thought I saw your mom." I said that would be great -- it hadn't even occurred to me that Mom would haunt the museum. I would have totally suggested it to her, too: Why haunt a house when you can haunt a museum? Anyway, once we were inside, Craig, Johnny, Serena (and Peanut) spent a few minutes wandering around, while I sat in the lab and thought drug-induced thoughts. Although in one of my more lucid moments I gave Dad an 8X10 framed photograph of him and Mom -- they wore their square-dancing outfits, and they looked so cute that I made them stand on the deck so I could take a picture. I had gone to Walgreens to get copies made, just a couple 5X7s (which I framed and sent off to both Johnny and Aunt Sue), and the girl said, "Hey, you can get an 8X10 for fifty more cents." So I said I'd try it, although I wasn't sure how it would look getting blown up that much. It turned out better than I could have imagined, so I thought it was a sign that I should give it to Dad.
Then we all jumped into the minivan and headed for Kansas City to see a Royals game. Dad and I used to go once a year, but we hadn't been able to since I moved to Wichita. We had nice upper-deck seats. I'm only supposed to eat soft food, so they teased that all I would be able to eat was nacho cheese, but I cheated a bit by having a "soft" pretzel, a few french fries, and some of Serena's cotton candy. We had food before the game began, and then Johnny and I went on another food run during the fifth inning. I went again at the top of the seventh, with the excuse that I needed more water, when I really wanted to pop into a gift shop. Johnny said he wanted to come with me, and when I suggested that we maybe check out a shop, he said, "I was curious about that too!" Great minds think alike. We ended up having to go to a different level, to the big gift shop, because I wanted to buy something for Peanut. We ended up with an absolutely adorable onesie (is that how it's spelled?) which showed teddy bears in Royals uniforms. Of course, it was a 6-9 month size, so we said that Peanut would have to wear it to an early game next year for it to still fit. ;)
Then we got Dad a new Royals shirt, and we gave it to him as an early Father's Day present. He put it right on.
We were pleased that the Royals were kind enough to actually win this game, because they've been sucking it lately. More importantly, everyone was able to get together and have a good time.
We're all meeting again next weekend, for the New Jersey trip; Craig and I are flying out of Wichita, and we're meeting Johnny and Serena in Chicago, and then the four of us will fly together to Newark, where we will meet Dad. I've made all the arrangements and I've given as much advice as possible to Serena, who of course is not only seven months pregnant, but will also be flying for the first time. And this trip means she's double the number of states she's been to, considering she'll set foot in Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (because that's where the cemetery is). So, it'll be an exciting trip for all.
Okay, time to take another Lortab and pass out. It'll be great.
current mood: sleepy
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| Saturday, June 6th, 2009
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2:51 am - Rumours and Stuff!
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I know you're all dying to hear more about Peanut (just wait until the kid is actually born!) so I'm going to pass on the rumour that Johnny and Serena may have chosen a girl's name. Granted, they won't know the sex until the baby is actually born. I'd heard about Gwendolyn, which my father hated but I liked. Dad has now informed me that they're considering "Alora" which means "Light of God". I'm still wrapping my brain around it, but it's growing on me.
Of course, Serena is carrying low, which my learned colleagues say means it's a boy. That figures. They have a possible name, and I have a princess to spoil, and signs still point to a boy. Actually, Johnny told me a while ago that he was actually considering naming the kid after Dad which I think is a lovely gesture anyway, but is even more remarkable considering that Dad and Johnny have had a bit of a rocky relationship.
Is there anyone out there who can make me a "Peanut" icon?
And for those of you on Facebook, come over and take my "How Well Do You Know Katherine?" quiz, mostly because I had a lot of fun making it. ;)
current mood:  cheerful
current music: "Hum, ha, dringo bell"
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| Friday, May 1st, 2009
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12:15 am - Busy Busy Busy
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It's been both calm and busy lately. Craig and I attended the Great Plains Ren Fest here in Wichita a couple weekends ago, and we had a good time, and then last Saturday I drove two hours to attend the first get-together of the Great Bend Ren Fest. The weather didn't cooperate so much, but it was an excuse to wear my new eBay dress and hoopskirt, so I was pleased. A couple of the gentlemen dressed up, and a couple high school girls wore the long skirts, but I was by far the most dressy. Even at the Wichita one, only a couple of the court members were more dressed up than me. I also noticed that there were no fortune tellers.
I have high hopes for the Great Bend faire, which will open next June. It's very exciting to join something at the ground level, and I do come with some cred, simply because I've worked at Kansas City. I don't know if I'll get roped into performing, as I'd prefer to sit in the shade of a tent and read cards, but we'll see. The high-schoolers are dying to perform. Some people from the community even showed up at the meet-and-greet just to see if they could help sew banners or run the ticket booth or whatever, and everyone was very enthusiastic. It was lovely to see everyone be so positive.
I have some ideas about the next round of dresses (a.k.a. the "3D" project, as it will be the third project and involve at least three dresses) but otherwise I think I'll be able to put Ren Fest on the back burner for a while. I'm almost done with the cross-stitch for Peanut's birth announcement, and then I have another to get done by the end of July. Then I can spend August through November working on Damn Dress Dos.
Dad went to KATS camp last weekend (Kansas Association of Teachers of Science) which my parents have attended for, well, ever. The Eppich collection is always a bit hit at the rock rally, as my parents held the belief that if you didn't pull the fossil out of the ground yourself, it's cheating. :) Back when Dad submitted the paperwork to lead a presentation, he put Mom's name as a co-presenter, even though by then everyone knew that Mom would not be able to attend. Dad told me tonight that he expected Sunday to be the hardest day for him, as he would be doing the presentation without Mom, but it turned out to be easy compared to Saturday night, because at the big dinner, KATS presented an award to Lois Eppich for outstanding achievement. It was a surprise to Dad, who of course accepted it, and he said he got a couple lines into a speech before getting really emotional, but it's just as well; he told me that about half the room was in tears by the time he was done.
Dad is going to Nova Scotia in the third week of June, and then New Jersey after that, as he will spread some of Mom's ashes at her mother's (and grandmother's) grave. I've never actually been out to Grandma's grave, so I think I might join him. We've gotten quite a bit of ash-spreading advice (considering that it's somewhat illegal), mostly that we should take care to check wind direction immediately beforehand. FEEL FREE TO SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CREMAINS. Okay, so I opened up the urn to see what was actually inside, because I know for certain that Mom would have done the same thing. Hell, if she felt comfortable storing cow's eyes in the fridge and not properly labeling the container with a warning, then I'm certainly okay with pulling the lid of that urn. Actually, I had been concerned that the urn was sealed, and the only way to check was to see if the lid came off. Craig was horrified that I looked inside, but really, it was just a few pounds' of grey, sandy ash in a sealed plastic bag. (And how did I know it was sandy? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I poked the bag. DON'T JUDGE ME.) I just hope that Dad's car isn't searched as he crosses back into the United States.
In other news, Craig is almost done with school, and he's got all these Microsoft certifications which all sound impressive even though I have no idea what they actually entail. So there's a possibility that we could move. Theoretically, we could go anywhere -- back East, out West, to Texas (which he would like, because he's from Texas), and he even found a very intriguing job listing in Antarctica, in which case he would be gone for a year. I said go for it. Can you imagine? -- just me and the cats and REN FEST DRESSES GALORE. I did put my foot down, however, when he mentioned Iraq. No way, no how.
Okay, enough rambling for now. :)
current mood: content
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| Saturday, April 18th, 2009
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2:04 am - Ah, Thunderstorms
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I'm off from work this weekend, which is nice, although I'll be running around so I don't know how much rest I'll get. Tomorrow is the local renaissance festival, and it'll be my first time at that. I've never made it before, even though it's in the same city as I am (as opposed to Kansas City, which is four hours away), and even though it takes place in both the spring and autumn (because that autumn weekend overlaps with KC, and given the choice, I'd rather make money at KC). Of course, it looks like it's going to rain, which has prevented me from going in the past. I'll wear the blue dress, because it matches Craig's kilt the best, and if he decides he doesn't want to go, I'll wear my new eBay dress. Either way, I have a new hoopskirt and I want to break it in.
On Sunday, I'll head out West for Aubrey's birthday party. I have quite the load of presents for her, because I never got the Christmas gifts mailed, but that didn't stop me from buying yet another item this week.
And next Saturday, I'm going to Great Bend, which is about two hours from me, to attend the first get-together of what will hopefully become the Great Bend Renaissance Festival, scheduled to take place in June 2010. I'm interested in gettng involved in a ren fest from the ground up, so to speak. If I don't wear the new dress tomorrow, then I'll wear it next Saturday, although it might be wise to wear the Damn Dress, as pictures will be taken. I've had my picture taken many times at Ren Fest, so much so that when I took Aubrey last year, I warned her that because we were dressed up, it was very likely that we would be photographed (and I was right). I buy "Renaissance" magazine because I fully expect to see myself on one of the pages someday. Especially with the Damn Dress.
Anyway, my godfather lives in Great Bend, so I can visit with him too. My godfather is CRAZY, and I mean that most affectionately. To give an example: He was best man at my parents' wedding, and he wore a cowboy hat. IN NEW JERSEY. It caused quite the sensation. So I'm sure he'll barely blink when I show up on his front step wearing a renaissance dress. ;)
current mood: chipper
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| Saturday, April 4th, 2009
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3:45 am - Cat's in the Cradle
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Faramir has welcomed the new eBay Ren Fest dress by lying upon it. I'm a little surprised that Max isn't draped across it as well. :)
current mood: amused
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| Sunday, March 29th, 2009
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3:22 am - Various and Sundry
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I talked to Aubrey the other day, and she excitedly asked me if I was going to take her to Ren Fest again this year. I was very pleased, because last year we were only there for about half a day, and at first she didn't quite get it, but once she grasped the concept she seemed to have a good time. I had to remind her that it wouldn't be until September, which means school would be out, all of summer vacation would take place, and school would be back in session before we could go. Didn't seem to faze her. This year, I think, we're going to drive up the night before and stay in a hotel. The round-trip just about killed me last year.
I think I'll see if she likes Mom's pink-and-green outfit. Of course it has sentimental value, but it's just not my style and I doubt I'll ever wear it. I might wait until next year to give it to her, though, just so she can get more mileage out of her current dress.
I haven't worked on Damn Dress Dos at all. I did a lot on a birth-announcement cross-stitch for Peanut while I hung out with Mom, but it's been difficult to pick up since then. It was a kit that I had made for our friend's first child, and I had it matted and framed, and it turned out beautifully, so it was an easy choice. Of course, that same friend is pregnant again, and due a couple weeks before Serena, so now I'm obligated to make a cross-stitch for the new baby, too. I haven't even started on that one. So Damn Dress Dos definitely won't be done this year.
I still look at the first Damn Dress, and I think, "That line could be straighter," or "Those pearls aren't even," or "I could fix that tiny, tiny imperfection that only I can see," but I've managed to leave it alone. See? I'm not an addict -- I can quit whenever I want! ;)
On the other hand, I've been lurking on eBay again. I haven't bought anything from eBay for two years. I totally don't need another dress, and I TOTALLY WANT ONE. Dad gave me a hundred-dollar bill that he had found in Mom's dresser; actually, he found several, and we think they were bonuses that she had hidden away for a rainy day. I'm sure she would not be at all shocked if I spent it on a new dress. :)
I got three plants from Mom's funeral, and I am pleased to report that they are ALL alive. I think it's a combination of dumb luck and the fact that the cats seem perplexed by them and therefore leave them alone. I named them Chase, Brandstetter, and Fennessy, as those are all family names on my mother's side. Craig didn't seem at all surprised that I named the plants. I'm going to attempt a flower garden this year, although I'm glad I didn't try to get started already because we just had several inches of snow dumped on us Friday night. Oh well.
current mood: calm
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| Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
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4:14 am
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I've kinda disappeared for a while, and I think that will continue for a time, but I did want to put up Mom's obituary. I keep thinking I'll write about what's been going on for the last couple weeks, because it's all be somewhat surreal; I'm sure I'll get around to it sooner or later.
Lois K. Eppich
Lois Kathleen Eppich, 56, of Seneca, KS, succumbed to cancer on Friday morning, February 27, 2009 at Life Care Center in Seneca.
Lois was born on June 22, 1952, the daughter of Edward and Althea Chase Brandstetter, in Morristown, NJ. Lois graduated from Morris Regional High School in 1970. She attended Morris County Community College before transferring to Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS, where she graduated in December, 1974, with a BS in Elementary Education. While attending Fort Hays she met her future husband. She married John Eppich on December 27, 1975 at St. Jude Church in Budd Lake, NJ.
From 1974 to 1988 while raising her children Katherine and Johnny, she taught in Goodland, KS, Amoret, MO, and Cunningham, KS school districts. She also substituted in Mullinville and Greensburg school districts. Most importantly careerwise, in 1980 she returned to school and began her love affair with teaching science. She would eventually receive a Masters degree in Earth Science from Mississippi State University in 2003.
She began teaching at Sts. Peter & Paul School in 1988. While at Sts. Peter and Paul, she was the Kansas Soil Conservation District’s Teacher of the Year in 2006 and the Kansas Geological Foundation’s Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the year for 2007.
She attended numerous government-sponsored workshops, including programs at the Ames Research Center in California, at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Institute of Astrophysics in Massachusetts, a chemistry program in Colorado, an Oregon workshop in teaching middle school science, and a study-at-sea program with the U.S. Navy on board the USS Pathfinder.
She was a member of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, the Seneca Square Dance Club, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Kansas Earth Science Teachers Association (KESTA), the Delta Kappa Gamma Society of women educators, the Kansas Association of Teachers of Science (KATS), and the Kansas & Missouri Paleontological Society. She also volunteered in the fossil prep lab at Kansas State University’s Natural History Museum.
Lois loved to explore. She and her husband spent their summers traveling and camping. They visited every US state except Alaska, and traveled to six Canadian provinces, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe. While traveling Lois would collect rocks, minerals and fossils which she would later share with her students and youth organizations.
She is survived by her husband John of the home; her daughter Katherine Moore of Wichita; her son Johnny Eppich of Pawnee City, NE; a sister, Susan Hurly of New Jersey; and a brother, David Brandstetter of North Carolina. Johnny and Serena Macasio are expecting Lois’s first grandchild in August.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Michael Brandstetter.
A rosary will be prayed at 10 AM Wednesday, March 4, at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Seneca, KS, with Mass of Christian Burial following at 11 AM. Inurnment will be in New Jersey at a later date.
Memorials may be left in Lois’s memory to Sts. Peter & Paul School or www.caringbridge.org.
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| Saturday, February 28th, 2009
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6:08 pm - Mom's Sewing Room
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I spent most of this afternoon going through Mom's sewing room. Initially I went looking for Mom's two Ren Fest dresses; I found one but not the other, so the search is on. There was also a lot of stuff in there that had been in my room, before it was converted into the guest room, so I'll grant that a significant amount of stuff was my responsibility anyway. When I told Dad that I'd like to look through the fabric, he said that Mom wanted me to have it anyway. Besides, this house in its entirety will become a huge shrine to my mother unless Johnny or I decide to make any changes ourselves.
I knew that Mom was a bit of a pack rat (God knows that's where I got it from) but I had no idea that she had ADHD. There are unfinished needlepoints, several patterns in bags with the fabric for which they were apparently intended, and dozens and dozens of crocheted pieces for mystery projects. And the yarn. God, the yarn. I always thought Mom was the normal one in the family; I didn't realise that she was into yarn like I'm into LotR, duckies, cats, and beading COMBINED. I thought, okay, I have about four bins' worth of yarn to sort, and then Dad wandered in and casually pointed out that there was also yarn in the cabinets downstairs. And the cabinets were packed.
Dad had four bins in the bedroom, which was somewhat organised because Mom had directed the packing herself; it was all her clothes that she couldn't wear once she got sick. Of course, Dad lost the list and had to catalog it again so he can take it to the mission. He said there were 55 pairs of socks, and that doesn't include the stuff that's still in the dressers. Mom didn't buy black high-heels like a normal woman, but apparently she was crazy about socks and yarn.
Mom had made two Ren Fest dresses; one was a purple gown with a black bodice, and the other consisted of a mint-green skirt, pink and green bodice, and white chemise. It was the latter that I found, along with the matching dried-flower headpiece that she had purchased to wear with it. (This is why I'm somewhat perplexed about the disappearance of the purple dress; I can't find the headpiece, either.) She had sewn it all, including the white chemise which will come in quite handily for my purposes. I also appropriated two short-sleeved chemises, which Mom would have worn as tops for her square-dance outfits. They'll be great for wench garb, although they don't show nearly enough cleavage. ;) There was also a long petticoat, not a square-dancing one, so I don't know when she would have ever used it.
Mom's obituary isn't up yet, but will be soon at lauerfuneralhome.com . Dad took it over first thing this morning, as I was still editing it at two a.m. last night. I also spoke to the choir director, so that's done, but we haven't been able to bring ourselves to clean out Mom's room at the nursing home. I figure that would be a job for Serena, since she's the most clear-headed of all of us right now. The room is still festooned with valentines from the grade school kids; Serena suggested, as we hung them up, that we had enough to make the room into a fire hazard. It was times like this that Mom was probably glad she was on morphine.
current mood: amused
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1:03 am - Today wasn't a good day
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Last Friday Mom took a turn for the worst when she started vomiting and running a fever, and that was the first sign of an apparently active stomach flu that has swept through town. By Friday night, her fever was down slightly. Meanwhile, Dad was getting the flu, Johnny was (as it turned out) about to get it, and Serena was hospitalised overnight due to dehydration. I had gotten a call from Dad at five a.m. and immediately headed out, but I was only about an hour down the road when they called to say that things weren't as bad as initially thought.
So, last Friday was the last time she tried to eat. They continued the morphine and some of her medications, but by the time I got there Monday night, some people were guessing that the end would come within two weeks. On Tuesday, I could hold Mom's hand and she would hold it back, and when she looked at me, I felt that she still knew who I was. By the time I left at noon on Tuesday, I felt she had lost all sense of self. She was on oxygen but no fluids, and when I left, it was knowing that the end would probably take place this weekend.
I got a glancing blow of the stomach flu and I was exhausted from all the driving, but I slept pretty well Thursday night, so at eight I was lazily contemplating the errands I intended to run before leaving to go back to my parents'. At eight, my father called to tell me that Mom's fever had spiked. About twenty minutes later, he called again to say that she was gone.
Dad, Johnny, Serena, and I hung out in the nursing home for a little while, as the staff had kindly arranged repositioned her and arranged her hands to hold her rosary. That was when i learned that, unfortunately, she will not be going to KU as we expected; due to her weight gain (thanks to all her steroids and immobility), she now longer fit the criteria. I'm certain she would have been bitterly disappointed, but Dad pointed out that it just means he will be in possession of her ashes at a sooner date than expected. Therefore, we are in the process of arranging the funeral. She had preplanned most of it, but we're still stuck with trying to figure out how many people might be coming to the dinner after church. I have no idea. Could be forty, could be a hundred. Seriously, Mom taught have the town, and she knew all the kids, parents, and grandparents. And, because Mom had taught all his kids, the funeral director gave us the urn as a gift.
I volunteered to talk to the florist, because I have a good relationship with her based on all the years I've called to have something sent to Mom on Mother's Day, her birthday, and my birthday. Johnny asked to come with me. When we arrived, a little black cat greeted us at the door. She was quite friendly. The florist knew we were coming, so she had opened the book to show us pictures, but then she got called to the phone, and the cat promptly jumped up and stood on the book. So we petted her for quite some time. She even let me pick her up. Johnny and I both view black cats as good omens, so it was nice to have a little ray of sunshine in a comparatively dark day.
Otherwise, the evening consisted of Dad and I passing the rough draft of the obituary back and forth. Seriously, an English major should never have to do that; it was like back in the day when I was a beta reader. But, just for the record, I think I'd make an awesome writer of obituaries. We had a bit of time trying to figure out how to include Serena, because although I felt it was important to say that Mom has a grandchild on the way, I didn't want people to get confused and say to me, "So! I hear you're pregnant!" We're also tweaking a little of the phrasing, because Johnny (and rightfully so, I believe) objected to the line that she had "lost her battle with cancer." None of us like the idea that Mom lost anything. I think we're going with "succumbed".
The funeral will be on Wednesday, 4 March, with the rosary at ten in the morning and the funeral following at eleven. And then the dinner with the mystery number of guests.
We're continuing the blog at caringbridge.org ("website name" is loiseppich) for any further details.
So, the Cancer Saga of Eppich Proportions is at an end. Finally. It was excruciating to witness and I wish that I never see it again in any more members of my family or the families of my friends. I know that's impossible, but a girl can dream. It was very comforting, in the three and a half hours of driving up this morning, that I was able to call many friends and they were all willing to stop what they were doing and listen to me jabber. It's wonderful to know that there are so many people who have been sending out good thoughts and prayers for my family at this time.
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| Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
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3:20 am - The Damn Dress
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This is the Damn Dress. Photo by Miss J, taken at Botanica in Wichita in October 2008, the day before I won third place in the finals at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival costume contest. This was also the last time I was photographed with the veil. The beaded headpiece was made by me and I was quite proud of it, because it was very simple yet I've received endless compliments on it. The earrings were made by Miss J. The necklace was purchased from Premiere Jewelry.
The material was a brocade, purchased at Walmart for about $3 a yard. It was constructed by my mother-in-law Sharon over the summer of 2006. The beading began in November 2007, although there were a few fits and starts, and by summer 2008 it was being aggressively beaded by myself and my brother's girlfriend Serena, and it would not have been done in time without her help. In the last two months before Ren Fest, I worked on it for up to six hours a night, and between the two of us, I think we logged about 350 hours of sewing time. Every single bead was hand-sewn. On the front of the bodice, the brown beads with the pearls are actually seed beeds, although on the rest of the dress, I alternated between seeds and bugles. The lining of the sleeves is red, which is why the centered beads on the sleeves are also red. I used thin red leather to attach the sleeves to the body of the dress. The chemise and skirt were purchased on eBay, and the parasol was bought at a local Asian shop.
Serena recently directed me to a site which showed a dress of the exact same pattern, only done in velvet, and they bragged how they had 1100 pearls hand-sewn on it. Their price: $1200. I took a gander at the Damn Dress and I've estimated that I have over 7,000 rice-pearls, 3600 seeds in the bodice alone and another 4500 in the skirt, 3500 bugles, and almost 800 larger, centering beads. This doesn't include all the beads I ripped out when I realised, having completed over a third of the skirt, that I didn't like how the patterns matched up, nor does it account for the beads I removed when I brought up the front of the hem to make up for the difference of not wearing a hoopshirt, as I had originally intended. I spent less than $200 on the entirety of the Damn Dress, from brocade to beads to sewing supplies, although even with all the accessories (parasol, chemise, underskirt, veil, necklace, and the feather fan and shoes which are not shown) I can still safely say this whole costume cost me less than $400 TOTAL. Oh, and my sanity.
current mood:  curious
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| Saturday, July 19th, 2008
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5:27 am - Stuff!
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The Damn Dress has taken over my life. So, I present a pointless, time-wasting Gack Attack courtesy of my bestest friend Anna. Yay!
1. What time did you get up this morning? this morning? Dude, I'm nocturnal. I dragged myself out of bed at three in the afternoon.
2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds, but I wear more pearls.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? WALL-E, with Craig
4. What do you usually have for breakfast? I have breakfast foods all hours of the day. Could be pancakes, could be pizza, could be tea. I live such a thrilling existance!
7. What food do you dislike? liver and onions, but my mother-in-law cooks it well, and since I'm anemic, she's always willing to prepare it for me on the night before I attempt to donate blood.
8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? my mp3 of Beatles songs
9. What kind of car do you drive? Ford Focus. When I got in for the test drive, it had, like, sixteen miles on it. That was last May. Now I have over seventeen thousand miles.
10. Favourite sandwich? turkey and cheese or a fluffer butter
11. What characteristics do you despise? people who complain about their late fees as though we're deliberately not scanning them in. I don't have that kinda time or will. And people who have no control over their children.
12. Favourite item of clothing? not the Damn Dress, I can tell you that. I want to light it on fire.
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? back to Vegas. Seattle was great too. I'd also like to go to New York City someday. And I'd like to see the Smithsonian again, because we went there when I was very young and I'm sure I'd have a better aprreciation for it now.
14. Are you an organised person? At work, yes. I've extremely OCD. At home, I know where everything is, but it's a bit of a whirlwind.
15. Where would you retire to? I have no idea.
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? My 31st was uneventful, but I went skydiving on my 30th birthday, and then there was a big family dinner.
17. What are you going to do when you finish this? work on the Damn Dress, okay? STOP REMINDING ME!
18. Furthest place you are sending this? I'm taking this out of an email and putting it on the internet, so it's going everywhere!
19. When is your birthday? 11 November
20. Morning person or a night person? completely nocturnal, although I can be freakishly chipper early in the day
21. What is your shoe size? about nine, depending on the brand
22. Pets? I don't have pets. I have furbabies with God complexes. I call them Faramir and Maximus.
23. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I got my Lewis Black tickets! YAY!
24. What did you want to be when you were little? a princess!
25. How are you today? fine, thanks, and you?
26. What is your favourite flower? spring flowers, like tulips or daffodils, and of course roses
27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? 7 August! Did I mention the tickets?
28. What are you listening to right now? sweet, sweet silence
29. What was the last thing you ate? ramen noodles, yay!
30. Do you wish on stars? on falling stars, yes
31. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? I don't thing clear is a colour
32. How is the weather right now? fine, I guess. No thunderstorm tonight.
33. Last person you spoke to on the phone? A customer at work
34. Favourite soft drink? Coke
35. Favourite restaurant? I don't think I have a favourite. I like too many different foods to pick out one.
36. What was your favourite toy as a child? Suzy, my doll
37. Summer or Winter? summer
38. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
39. Coffee or tea? tea with sugar
40. When was the last time you cried? I can't recall. It's been a while. Sometimes I start thinking too much about my mother, and I get upset, but I haven't had a full-out sobfest in quite some time.
41. What is under your bed? probably spiders, but I prefer not to think about that
42. What did you do last night? work. My life is work. And the Damn Dress.
43. Salty or sweet? sweet
44. How many keys on your key ring? umm, let's see: car, front door to house, front door to work, restroom at work, bank deposit box aka more work, and a mystery key which may actually be to my parents's house.
45. How many years at your current job? not counting my little foray into the world of Bath and Body Works, I've been with Family Video for five glorious years.
46. Do you make friends easily? I'd say no. My Scorpio instincts are to keep people at a distance, but once I'm convinced of someone's intentions, I'm extremely loyal. I generally get along with people, but I'm not buddy-buddy with everyone.
47. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? oh, yeah. I love fun facts.
current mood: complacent
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| Monday, March 10th, 2008
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4:19 am - Sickness and Stuff
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The Death Flu staged a home invasion this week. I've been sick since Wednesday, with congestion in my chest, gunk in my throat, and a head full of snot. I must look bad too, because customers talked to me slowly. Or maybe that was in my head. I'm not sure. Anyway, I got off lightly compared to Craig, who now has a whisper for a voice and has been lying down most of the weekend. He's not being a baby, like some guys are when they get sick, but I'm sick too so it's all I can do to take care of myself, much less him. At least he went to see a doctor today.
A male co-worker explained to me that guys won't see a doctor unless they're certain they might die, and even then, they'll wait juuuuust a little longer. I think this is an apt statement.
I was ready to snap all week. I was sick, I was exhausted, and I just wanted people to do what I told them to do and shut the fuck up about it. Each day, for the last five days, there was at least one moment when I considered just walking out. Reason prevailed, fortunately.
It's ironic, actually, considering I had just been telling Anna how great I've been feeling lately.
current mood: groggy
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| Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
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1:12 am - More Stuff! Yay!
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Hey, notice how I've been updating daily? And yet still not saying anything of any value???
I'm off for the next three days, which is slightly remarkable, especially because I only asked off for Sunday. Tomorrow I'm going to volunteer at the community theatre. I've never been there before, so I don't quite know what I'll be doing or how helpful I'll actually be, but ya don't know if ya don't try, right?
I miss theatre desperately. I miss it so much it makes my heart hurt. It was my most favourite thing in the world, and it ended when I was twenty. Of course, like anything, I didn't know it was going to end until it was too late. I did well enough; I was almost always a principle. I was the lead female once, and it was fun, but I much preferred character roles. The irony is, I could be so much better now, because emotionally I know what's going on.
But while I can't be onstage, I might make my way backstage. Craig was the one who pointed out that this would be the ideal way to work with costumes. Y'all know how much I love costumes! I volunteered at Topeka Civic Theatre, because I knew the costume mistress, which resulted in me hand-sewing a lot of lace onto "Camelot" dresses. At least it got my name into the program, and scored me some comp tickets. That might be all I get out of whatever I do tomorrow, but at least that's something.
current mood: chipper
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| Friday, February 22nd, 2008
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3:08 am - And another thing...
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Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!
I decided to put this here because it's pretty much what's happening around my house all the time. Plus, we're dealing with an ginger tabby, just a little more flabby than the one in the picture, and a black cat who thinks he's a kitten. The difference here is, after Max attacks, Faramir puts him into a headlock and grooms him. So I guess everyone ends up happy.
current mood: amused
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| Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
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4:31 am - Varied and Sundry
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So I wrote this whole thing out, and I realised that it's rather long, and since I don't know how to do a lj-cut, feel free to scroll down if you feel I'm rambling a bit much. :)
First, the funny! http://www.etiquettehell.com/content/eh_wedding/humor/etitanic.shtml . Key sentence: "We left my husband behind to pay (thank God for credit cards!), called the waiting and worried grandmother on the cell phone and told her the beachhead was established and the tide of battle in our favor, then headed upstairs to the children's department."
Full disclosure: I was a bridezilla. In my defense, I was only a mid-range bridezilla; I wasn't crazy, just a bit of a control freak. I don't recall screaming at anyone.
And on. Tonight at work a male customer (who probably sees me frequently but not on a nightly basis like some people) tentatively asked me if I had lost weight. He asked in the most polite way possible, and of course I announced that he was my new favourite customer. But it disturbed me a little, because only a week or so ago, one of my regulars (who is usually in all the time but had missed me in the last month) stopped dead in his tracks and asked me what was wrong. I didn't know what he meant. He ran his hands down his face, because although he speaks great English, he didn't quite know how to describe that my appearance had changed. I laughed it off then, but when this second customer mentioned it again tonight, I asked Melanie and she agreed that I had lost weight.
I wish I could say YAY! but I really can't. Yes, I could stand to lose three or four or fifty pounds, but my eating habits haven't changed, so I can only assume that any weight loss is stress-related.
Which brings me to last weekend, which I've not reported in on (although my mother mentioned it in her blog, in an entry typed by Yours Truly). Visiting with my aunt and uncle was a lot of fun. My mother stayed up past midnight on Saturday, which is WAY past her bedtime, and Dad was up a little while longer, but Aunt Sue, Uncle David, Johnny, Serena, and I all stayed up until six-thirty in the morning. We tried to get my aunt to give us the dirt on my mother, because in her childhood, she would spill all her secrets for a nickel. We tried to bribe her with many nickels, but she's apparently learned a thing or two. But we all had a great time. I hadn't seen Aunt Sue since my wedding, and I hadn't seen Uncle Dave since 1999. We took lots of pictures.
I was the one in charge of my mother's care on Monday and Tuesday. Serena, who is a CNA, showed me a notebook with all the exercises that Mom is supposed to do, and by the end of her lecture, I was convinced that I didn't follow the directions, I'd never be allowed to take care of my mother again! ;) Anyway, I was at my parents' house for three days and three nights, and I'm not sorry I was there, but it was difficult. My mother cannot move her right arm, and her right leg is nearly useless. And she's gotta be lowering her IQ with all those "Judge" shows that she watches every day. I know that I could feel my own brain turning to mush.
I did learn one thing about my mother. I was giving her a shower (she sits on a bench and can use the nozzle with her left hand) and as I ran my palm over her back to make sure I was washing away all the soap, I realised that she and I have the exact same skin. This seemed strange, because her complexion is different from mine, but the skin on her back felt exactly like the skin on my own. It was a very odd thing. Of course, back when she was first in the hospital, Anna pointed out that Mom and I have the exact same feet, so when she got home, I painted her toenails red to match mine, and sure enough, Anna was right. (Not that I ever doubted her.)
Last Tuesday was a weird day, because I spent the day with Mom, and I finally told her that Dad told me how she knew it was time to talk to a funeral director. I knew she hadn't done it yet, but I explained that if she wants something done, she'll have to talk to me because I think my father will completely fall apart. I don't know if he'll be inconsolable or just silently stunned, but I fully expect him to be a basketcase. (For those who don't know, my father's family consists of Mom, Johnny, and me. He has no other relatives.) This led to a few tears and a bit of hand-holding, but there was also a funny moment when I asked Mom how she thinks we can have a Catholic funeral service when we have no intention of actually interring her ashes.
"Well, we just won't tell anyone," Mom replied.
So y'all heard it right here: My mother is absolutely ready for us to LIE to a PRIEST if necessary!
But Tuesday night was great, because on my way home I stopped in Topeka and had dinner with three of my bestest friends -- Anna, Kelly, and Sunny. It was so much fun. We didn't even do anything except sit around and talk loudly, but so much of my mind is affixed on my mother and it's very therapeutic for me to hear about other people's lives. It was just glorious to have us all sitting around the same table.
And, if you've made it through this long ramble, I'll leave you with a thought, which I found engraved on a ring that I immediately purchased and now always wear: "If God brings to to it, He will bring you through it."
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| Friday, August 24th, 2007
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2:54 am - Holding Court
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Craig and I drove up to see Mom yesterday and she's doing GREAT. Unlike the last time I saw her, she was sitting up, dressed in her own clothes, and no longer had any tubes attached to her. She's in a wheelchair and she seems to be handling it pretty well. She's almost completely gained the use of her arm, and although her leg is taking much longer, she was able to stand up on her own (after looking around to make sure none of the hospital staff was around, because she's not supposed to be over-exerting herself). She's also learning how to use a walker, although she hopes that she'll eventually be able to trade it in for a cane.
She doesn't have the staples out of her head yet. I'd already seen them, but Craig got a little pale when he saw them for the first time. He completely balked when she told him he could touch the staples, but of course I jumped right up to do so. Just like the radiation oncologist said, if she grows her hair out a little longer and styles it a little differently, no one would ever know.
Radiation begins Monday. She got fitted for a plastic mask which they'll use to line of the magic laser beams. A bit of backstory here: For those of you who don't know, my mother is a junior-high science teacher. She has a plastic skeleton in her classroom ("Ezekiel") and over the years, whenever a student breaks a bone, they tie a red string to the skeleton in the same place so the kids can get an idea of which bones are more likely to break, etc. We have now suggested that when she's done with the radiation, she put the mask on Ezekiel.
(Ooh, more backstory! My father got this skeleton for my mother as a gift. It was summertime and she was out of town for a couple weeks, so my father decided that what we should do is bury the skeleton in the garden, except for one arm exposed, and then my father would hide out in the house for several days. Then, I'd go up to the grocery store and muse aloud that my father is missing and my mother left town suddenly. Of course, we didn't follow through because we know that Mom would Not Be Amused. But, again, that's the kinda family I have.)
Anyway, Mom has had no shortage of visitors. Anna and Kelly have gone to see her several times, several teachers from Mom's school came up on Saturday, also the parish priest and a retired Episcopalian priest (pastor? minister?) who is the father of my mother's college roommate and also the lady who administers communion to the sick. She's gotten a lot of cards and a big poster from the students (one of whom wrote "We want you to come back so you can teach us something disgusting"). Larry and Connie, friends of the family, are also there a lot, although my godfather (the best man at my parents' wedding) was unable to make it the other day because he had two flat tires. This is pretty typical, although admittedly not as interesting as the fishing trip in which they lost three boats -- I can't remember the deal with the first boat, but the second sank and the third caught on fire. This is absolutely true.
On Saturday, I'll go up again, and this time I'll bring Megahn, my godfather's oldest daughter, whom I usually refer to as my god-sister just to make it simple. She's the one getting married in October, so we can gossip about wedding plans for the five-hour round trip. Maybe by then Mom will have the staples out. Also, apparently there's a disc floating around somewhere which contains the records of all of Mom's tests. Can't wait to see that slideshow. Plus, they keep teasing me with promises of the before and after MRIs.
They hope to have her home by Labour Day weekend. I'm taking a week off in September to help out. My father's school board voted to give him unlimited sick leave in order to help out, which you have to admit is pretty amazing. Mom is already talking about how maybe she can go to school an afternoon here and there in order to have some activities with her students, although for course that completely depends on how the radiation effects her. The other teachers talked about how they would make a bunch of casseroles and easy-to-cook meals for when she comes home.
So there you have it, as it stands at this immediate moment. Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts as they have been really appreciated. Please keep sending the positive energy so the next two months go smoothly!
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| Sunday, June 24th, 2007
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2:32 pm
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Survived another Barlibash! WOO HOO!
I spent four days with an aching sunburn, then spent one day back and I'm almost completely recovered. Perhaps this means that my skin was actaully rejecting the New Jersey air. Now I'm peeling, which is not terribly attractive, but I'm not in pain anymore so I'm perfectly happy.
While I was gone, the cats dragged their food bowl all around the house. Craig attributed this to their insanity, but I came home, took one look around, and pointed out that maybe the cats are upset because their litter hasn't been changed in two weeks. I know, you're thinking I'm a bad parent, but in my defense, Craig purchased this fancy automatic litterbox because my habit of cleaning the box every couple days wasn't good enough for him. And the new box is cool, when it's working, and so far it's spent more time not working. So I was fairly annoyed when I got back.
Yesterday I drove to Kansas City to attend Becky's wedding, which was very nice, and I have today off before having to return to work tomorrow. So far I've cleaned a fan which I had gotten out of storage, I've made a list for Target, I've started the laundry, and as soon as I'm done here, I'm going shopping. When Craig comes home from work tonight, we're going to the movies. YAY!
current mood: chipper
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