Life as is . . .

Wow -- so I have to say that this has been exhausting and I have not even done the transplant yet. The problem lies in the fact that my mom is technically not supposed to be alone, but at the same time she cannot technically go anywhere. So, I have to wait until my dad and Nikole get home at 5:30 or 6 every night before I can go do anything or run any errands (which include training for this half marathon). For example, yesterday, I woke up at 6:30 to help my little sis get ready for school and then walked her to the bus stop. Now - walking to the bus stop is no easy task during the winter in PA -- it is like below freezing temperatures and we are standing there for 20 minutes, because unlike myself, my little sister is early for everything!!! So, after she got on the bus, I came inside to do devotionals and work on grad school until the cleaning lady arrived. Once the cleaning lady arrived, she took over my post as "watchdog" over my mom while she cleaned and I went to the YMCA to run. On the way home, I tried to stop at the jewelry store only to find out that they do not open until 10:00 am. I am still trying to get there to get the new ring that John bought me for Christmas sized. I got back from running, showered, got ready and we headed towards the hospital. We decided to have brunch at Craker Barrel because obviously going out to eat is NOT included in the "not going anywhere or being around people" clause that the doctor states. After our wonderful bruch, we headed to Baltimore. We stopped at Bank of America on the way so that I could cash a check - only to find that I had forgotten my ID in my dad's car from when I went to the gym the night before:) So, ring and bank had to stay on my list of things to do the following day. Finished the drive to John Hopkins, sat in a room for 4-5 hours while my mom and I talked, worked on grad school, and attempted to relax in a room the size of our car with a hard plastic seat to sit on - my butt goes numb EVERY day!
On the way home, I planned on stopping back by the Y to run in a see Nikki swim at her swim meet, but we were unable to make it on time so we just headed home. Once home, dinner had to be made. Now here I am going to say something that is going to shock you - but it is true. At this point in the day, my mother has MORE energy that I do. Like why am I more tired than a person undergoing intense chemo? Am I a really super tired person or is my mom a really super energetic person or is a combination of the two -- I would love to hear some thoughts on that . . .

So, I actually sat down to relax while my mother cooked dinner because I just couldn't do it anymore. After dinner, I went to the grocery store to get stuff for my dad while we are gone, picked Nikole up at the restaurant where she was having dinner with her friends, attempted to go back to the jewelry store only to find that they were closed again, and then returned home to tidy up the kitchen, put the groceries away, and keep working on the laundry. I sat down to watch tv for about 30 minutes, then headed to bed and tried to write to John a little bit before passing out.

Now - this same thing has to happen every day except that usually, I have to go run in the evening too because the cleaning lady is not here to relieve me. And I have to say - it is exhausting!!! I am almost excited for Friday to come because I will have to lay there for a few days and let my sister keep up the stamina for the daily activities!!!

Well, today, I just got back from getting coffee and having the car cleaned so my mom does not have to breathe in the dog hair from the back seat as her immune system weakens and now I am going to do my devotionals again and then prepare to head back to the jewelry store and bank before heading back to the hospital. I hope that at least today, I can keep up with my mom.