I will always be happy that Lee and I spent the money to go on R&R to Hawaii. After all we never really had a "proper" honeymoon. We didn't have much time, and certainly no money, and we were 18 years old. What did we know about how wonderful a honeymoon could be? At this time we had been married for 11 years and understood the ups and downs of marriage a whole lot better, and appreciated each other a whole lot more. Our understanding of life seemed to be much more clear after we had experienced a few more years of life and loss, we realized how "fragile" life is. The day before I left NewYork for Hawaii I visited Lee's sister in the hospital. She had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and had undergone a radical mastectomy. A couple years later the cancer had spread and it became imperative for her to undergo another mastectomy. A few years later she subsequently succumbed to cancer. By that time she had gone through surgery for removal of her pituitary gland and surgery to repair a broken hip, she was 49 years old.
Now we return to our "Adventure in Hawaii." It seemed like we never left our hotel room for about 24 hrs. After all we had a lot of time to make up for, in reality, of course, it wasn't really that long. Our hotel was called "The Pagoda Hotel" with a floating restaurant. There was a pond which was filled with hundreds of Koi, a beautiful colorful fish from Japan. They were fascinating to us as we had never experienced anything such as this beautiful display. At feeding time the restaurant help would ring a hand held bell and the Koi would all gather for food, it was impressive!
The afternoon of our first day in Hawaii we rented a car, nothing very fancy. A lot of couples rented dune buggies and all sorts of unique transportation. We were just so happy to be together we didn't care what kind of car we drove. The Island of Oahu is approximately 45 miles around it, so we set out on our adventure. There were beautiful pineapple fields which belong to Dole. I had never eaten FRESH pineapple and it is so absolutely delicious and juicy, we really indulged ourselves. When it was time to return to the states I actually brought 4 pineapples home to the kids.
The weather was absolutely fantastic, sunny with some light trade winds which are normal for February. Being of very fair complexion and never having visited a place where the sun was so intensive I didn't realize that I was doing some serious damage to my skin. I actually sustained 3rd degree burns on my nose and right arm. When I returned to NY I looked like "Rudolph" with a very edematous arm. Luckily, I was able to take care of it without getting infection. Nowadays, so much more is known about skin damage that I would have used a high SPF to protect myself adequately.
That first night in Hawaii we attended a show. In retrospect it wasn't such a big deal and most people nowadays would not even recognize the featured performer's name, but it was marvelous to us. The man was a star on Hawaii 50 called "ZULU." This was really out of character for us to go to a club, but this was a different time and place. There were service men and woman jamming the restaurants and clubs, doing exactly what we were doing. Lee and I sat down at a table filled with other couples, and had a wonderful time. The irony of that evening is that we never exchanged names with a single soul, and yet we had so much fun,and a fantastic experience which I will always remember. I think we attended the 0200 show, IMAGINE!!
One day we spent on the beach which was beautiful. The water in the Pacific is absolutely breath taking. It is so-o-o blue, like nothing we had ever seen before. It was so enchanting and bewitching for the two of us to just walk along the miles and miles of beaches. We picked up shells and mementos and just enjoying being together alone.
My father had been in the Navy during World War 11 so I wanted to take a boat out to see The USS Arizona. The Navy is in charge of that particular memorial and provides a boat to transport sightseeing groups out to the memorial. This site is the burial grounds for 1177 men who went down with the ship. Their bodies were never retrieved and the site became their permanent resting place. It is beyond thought provoking to stand on that memorial, I cannot adequately express the deep sadness and sense of loss I felt standing there watching the reactions of others standing there. Perhaps, some of them were the wives, girlfriends, and/or family members who were tossing their leis out into the water surrounding the memorial. Maybe some of them were hoping to communicate somehow with their lost loved one with just their memories and presence. I actually believe it was one of the most touching and emotional places we have visited, much akin to Arlington National Cemetery.
That night Lee and I attended another club where they had the most beautiful spread of all sorts of enticing foods I had ever seen. At that time in my life I was not very adventurous with trying new foods. My mother had been a plain cook because that is what made my father happy. Consequently, I never had tried shrimp, clams, oriental or other ethnic foods. This buffet included culinary delights which I had never seen, and in some cases was not excited about sampling either. But that night I was so happy, and excited that Lee and I were together, I was willing to try anything and be a little more brave. I mean whats the worst that could happen?? One dish that I tried was actually raw fish and when I realized it, I just swallowed it whole. Lee had already eaten some really different, even "stinky "food in Viet Nam and enjoyed it. He was always "willing to try a new food at least once."
I forgot to mention that this club had another show that night which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was Don Ho, he was a native Hawaiian, and had done shows for many, many years. Again, we sat at a table with a bunch of American troops and we all had a ball. We were all in our own "little private worlds," we had a finite period of time, and we did not squander a minute of it. That five days absolutely flew by as we knew it would. From the start we knew this, and we did not dwell on leaving each other again. Lee and I were so grateful that we had this opportunity to spend some time together. It strengthened our marriage, and enabled us to fall in love all over again on that little sojourn to Hawaii. Both of us took our marriage vows very seriously and stayed true to each other. To be honest, it never entered my mind, besides I was so busy the entire day that I would not have had the energy. There were opportunities, but I just chuckled and replied "no I really don't need company." Lee kept extremely busy in Viet Nam as well of course, although he said there were a lot of extra curricular activities going on. Mostly though the work load kept him and his colleagues very occupied. Lee said there were times when he was on anesthesia call for 36 hrs straight, with no sleep. He said he would look over all of his notes for the various procedures and everything was as it should be. When he tried to recall the cases he had no recollection of them, he was so exhausted. It was there in black and white though, so it was completed.
When it was time for Lee and I to say good-bye, it seemed a little easier than his initial departure. Now I was stronger and much more confident, it was only four more months and we knew we could do it. Ultimately, we both had wonderful memories of that magical week in Hawaii.
Carol
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
New year's is just around the corner
For some reason I lost the finishing couple of paragraghs for this blog. Since it is so-o late, I will not try to piece the rest of it together. AND, Maybe I'll be lucky and find it.
I do remember my last comment though. No matter what happened between you and your husband today or tonight, kiss each other good-night and apologize. Swallow your pride, cause that is what it is. Please don't stay angry, LIFE IS TOO SHORT!!
Carol
I do remember my last comment though. No matter what happened between you and your husband today or tonight, kiss each other good-night and apologize. Swallow your pride, cause that is what it is. Please don't stay angry, LIFE IS TOO SHORT!!
Carol
The New Year was just around the corner, we were half way there!!
The holidays were difficult without Lee, but I tried to be festive and include the children in everything. I took them shopping to help me pick out some goodies that we though Lee would enjoy. One of the days we had the most fun was packing Lee's Christmas box with packages. It was mostly Christmas cookies which the kids loved to help with. The recipe is one I found in a "Better Homes" cookbook when we were first married. Consequently, I have now been making these cookies for over 50years. Our kids still love them and the grandchildren love them also. Plus I recruit the grandchildren every Christmas nowadays to assist me with the frosting and decorating of the cookies. I let them do whatever they wish to do as far as decorating them. They have a lot of fun and eat as many as they decorate. When we prepared the box to send, I packed popcorn around the cookies which is suppose to keep the cookies fresher and also prevent mold. The kids and I tried to send all of Lee's favorites for the holidays. He looked forward to it and so did his buddies.
I forgot to mention earlier that Lee was a great gift giver, and still is to this day. He actually sent me a gift every single month that he was away. For our November anniversary he had had his picture taken in his Army Fatigues. The picture was framed,and I loved it. Our sister-in-law brought the gifts over the morning of our anniversary. First she gave me Lee's picture and then a dozen red roses which he had also ordered for me. As soon as I saw Lee's picture, the tears started to stream down my face. It was kind of bitter sweet, the gifts were wonderful, but I would rather have had Lee.
Back to the gifts which Lee sent each month. One month he sent jade earrings and a jade ring, another month he sent a mikimoto pearl necklace and the pearls are all uniform in size. Friends of our who own a jewelry store say it is very expensive now because of the uniformity in size. But I will never part with it. Both of our daughters wore it around their neck the day they were married. Most of what he sent me was jewelry. He sent the kids things that were indigenous to Viet Nam or the Orient. A bow and arrow to our son and dolls for the girls. We still have everything he sent to us.
One of the perks?? of going to Viet Nam was R&R (rest & relaxation.) Lee and I had decided before he left that we would wait until February which was actually 8 months. The 6 month mark would have been right at Christmas time, there was no way I would leave the kids at that time. Our families thought my trip to Hawaii was a total waste of time and especially money. I was not to be dissuaded, I had started putting money away as soon as Lee left ,to finance my trip. I was going to Hawaii come "Hell or HIGH WATER" I needed to go, I was compelled to go, we needed to be together alone, if only for five days. Lee needed to go, he had seen so much carnage and bloodshed and massive wounds, some of which they knew as expert medical personnel were hopeless, and could not be repaired. Lee never took pictures of the patients, or never asked them their name. All of the info he needed was in their chart.
He has spoken about that since then and said that some of the female nurses became too close to patients, and many of the nurses experienced serious psychological problems because of this. Some of the medical professionals had repercussions from what they witnessed day after day for an entire year. Lee has talked about the young "new grad" nurses who came to Viet Nam totally unprepared for what they would witness, and many of them were just devastated.
Our dear friend OJ ,who had been our sponsor at Wm Beaufort Army Hospital in El Paso became addicted to Morphine. He had started using drugs because he had terrible nightmares, and could not sleep. That addiction lasted until 1983 (15 yrs) at which time he became involved with the law and was placed in a Drug Rehabilitation Program. We are still the closet of friends, he finished the program successfully and was able to work at the Veteran's Hospital to be able to support his family. Our friendship has lasted for over 40 years through good times and bad. They are both wonderful Christian people whom we truly love.
It is time for me to get back on track now. Sometimes I think I have nothing to say and then a whole bunch of thoughts will come flooding to my memory. I guess I definitely have the "Irish Gift of Gab" or what some people refer to as "Blarney"
Earlier< I had spoken about the harrowing trip I had with my brother-in-law to the airport. The night before we had a HUGE, ENORMOUS snow storm. In the morning , my car was literally buried. I had to actually climb up on the roof of the car to start shoveling the snow out from around the car. Luckily, I got up at the crack of dawn in case something like this happened. It took me a long time to get the driveway cleared enough for us to get out. My clothes were soaked from perspiration. I got the kids all dressed, my suitcases, which had been packed for days all packed in the trunk, not the kids though , they sat in the back seat. I also had a suitcase of new clothes for Lee. He had lost considerable weight over there. When he left home he weighed right around 200# and when I saw him he weighed 167#. Lee is easy to buy for, he is always happy and pleased with whatever I pick out for him.
So, after all the shoveling,etc we set out for Lee's brother's house as they were going to take care of our children. I actually wish I would have driven because my broth-in-law was cautious to a fault, and drove so-o slowly. I looked at my watch continuously and was to the point of accepting the fact that I was going to miss my flight. Finally, we arrive at the airport. My dad was standing outside of the airport, I could tell he was angry. "Where the hell have you been.? he said. You're going to miss the flight. I dropped my suitcases, and I really did not care if I ever got them or not. I just ran as fast as I could to the designated terminal. The ladder had been taken away,(remember this is over 35 years ago when passengers were boarding the plane outside) the plane was starting to leave the terminal. All of a sudden, much to my astonishment they rolled the ladder back and escorted me up the stairs, and took me to my designated seat. I was so thankful and so relieved that my eyes just filled with tears which were streaming down my face. This was my maiden voyage on a plane, and of course I could hardly have picked a longer flight, especially when I am flying solo. The man seated next to me looked like he was in his 40's, and he appeared very pleasant. I told him where I was going and that I had never flown before. Turns out that he was a businessman, and of course he flew all of the time. He said "you know that some of us who fly frequently, have a tendency to take it for granted, and we forget about the people who have never flown before." When we arrived in Chicago's O'Hare Airport I was incredulous just at the utter size of this airport, especially when compared to Rochester where I left from. The man next to me asked if I would watch his bags while he went to freshen up, sure I said, I won't be meandering around this huge airport, thats for sure. Then I went to the restroom also just to pull myself together after my hectic start earlier. My seat mate watched my things for me which I appreciated so much. We talked a long time and I told him a lot about Lee and our life, etc. I was filled with excitement, but also very anxious regarding the stories that I had heard. Apparently, the soldiers (our guys) were brought to the airport by bus. Sadly, some of the woman waited fruitlessly for their man to get off of the bus. Some of the soldiers never came and had apparently been killed shortly after making plans for their wives to fly to Hawaii. As we approached the baggage area to look for my bags, someone tapped me on the shouder. It was Lee, and I was so-o-o happy to see him, and be in his arms again. He looked great and had a huge smile on his face. I introduced him to the man sitting next to me on the plane, and like a flash the man disappeared. My first trip had been made so much easier by him, and then I didn't even get to say thank you.
It was a beautiful day in Honolulu, sunny and warm. The weather I had left was still blizzard like conditions and very cold.
Lee hailed a taxi to drive us to "THE PAGODA HOTEL' with a floating restaurant. WOW!! pretty ritzy for us. The taxi driver drove like a maniac and I truly feared for our lives. So my attention was pretty much on our safety and I was praying that we would arrive safely at our hotel. Lee's interest were worlds away from mine, and suffice to say he was in an extremely amorous mood. He told me afterwards he wasn't even aware of the taxi driver.
Time to wrap it up for this evening, it is almost midnight already!!
Next time we take you on the most wonderful 5 days of our lives. We tried to cram every fun thing into those days. Actually, I think we did have an incredible time. We stayed out all hours of the night, we went to bars and shows, things we had never experienced before. It was MAGICAL!!
Regardless of what has happened today, don't forget to kiss your husband goodnight and tell him you love him . Men love this stuff, and you will feel better too Try it!!
I forgot to mention earlier that Lee was a great gift giver, and still is to this day. He actually sent me a gift every single month that he was away. For our November anniversary he had had his picture taken in his Army Fatigues. The picture was framed,and I loved it. Our sister-in-law brought the gifts over the morning of our anniversary. First she gave me Lee's picture and then a dozen red roses which he had also ordered for me. As soon as I saw Lee's picture, the tears started to stream down my face. It was kind of bitter sweet, the gifts were wonderful, but I would rather have had Lee.
Back to the gifts which Lee sent each month. One month he sent jade earrings and a jade ring, another month he sent a mikimoto pearl necklace and the pearls are all uniform in size. Friends of our who own a jewelry store say it is very expensive now because of the uniformity in size. But I will never part with it. Both of our daughters wore it around their neck the day they were married. Most of what he sent me was jewelry. He sent the kids things that were indigenous to Viet Nam or the Orient. A bow and arrow to our son and dolls for the girls. We still have everything he sent to us.
One of the perks?? of going to Viet Nam was R&R (rest & relaxation.) Lee and I had decided before he left that we would wait until February which was actually 8 months. The 6 month mark would have been right at Christmas time, there was no way I would leave the kids at that time. Our families thought my trip to Hawaii was a total waste of time and especially money. I was not to be dissuaded, I had started putting money away as soon as Lee left ,to finance my trip. I was going to Hawaii come "Hell or HIGH WATER" I needed to go, I was compelled to go, we needed to be together alone, if only for five days. Lee needed to go, he had seen so much carnage and bloodshed and massive wounds, some of which they knew as expert medical personnel were hopeless, and could not be repaired. Lee never took pictures of the patients, or never asked them their name. All of the info he needed was in their chart.
He has spoken about that since then and said that some of the female nurses became too close to patients, and many of the nurses experienced serious psychological problems because of this. Some of the medical professionals had repercussions from what they witnessed day after day for an entire year. Lee has talked about the young "new grad" nurses who came to Viet Nam totally unprepared for what they would witness, and many of them were just devastated.
Our dear friend OJ ,who had been our sponsor at Wm Beaufort Army Hospital in El Paso became addicted to Morphine. He had started using drugs because he had terrible nightmares, and could not sleep. That addiction lasted until 1983 (15 yrs) at which time he became involved with the law and was placed in a Drug Rehabilitation Program. We are still the closet of friends, he finished the program successfully and was able to work at the Veteran's Hospital to be able to support his family. Our friendship has lasted for over 40 years through good times and bad. They are both wonderful Christian people whom we truly love.
It is time for me to get back on track now. Sometimes I think I have nothing to say and then a whole bunch of thoughts will come flooding to my memory. I guess I definitely have the "Irish Gift of Gab" or what some people refer to as "Blarney"
Earlier< I had spoken about the harrowing trip I had with my brother-in-law to the airport. The night before we had a HUGE, ENORMOUS snow storm. In the morning , my car was literally buried. I had to actually climb up on the roof of the car to start shoveling the snow out from around the car. Luckily, I got up at the crack of dawn in case something like this happened. It took me a long time to get the driveway cleared enough for us to get out. My clothes were soaked from perspiration. I got the kids all dressed, my suitcases, which had been packed for days all packed in the trunk, not the kids though , they sat in the back seat. I also had a suitcase of new clothes for Lee. He had lost considerable weight over there. When he left home he weighed right around 200# and when I saw him he weighed 167#. Lee is easy to buy for, he is always happy and pleased with whatever I pick out for him.
So, after all the shoveling,etc we set out for Lee's brother's house as they were going to take care of our children. I actually wish I would have driven because my broth-in-law was cautious to a fault, and drove so-o slowly. I looked at my watch continuously and was to the point of accepting the fact that I was going to miss my flight. Finally, we arrive at the airport. My dad was standing outside of the airport, I could tell he was angry. "Where the hell have you been.? he said. You're going to miss the flight. I dropped my suitcases, and I really did not care if I ever got them or not. I just ran as fast as I could to the designated terminal. The ladder had been taken away,(remember this is over 35 years ago when passengers were boarding the plane outside) the plane was starting to leave the terminal. All of a sudden, much to my astonishment they rolled the ladder back and escorted me up the stairs, and took me to my designated seat. I was so thankful and so relieved that my eyes just filled with tears which were streaming down my face. This was my maiden voyage on a plane, and of course I could hardly have picked a longer flight, especially when I am flying solo. The man seated next to me looked like he was in his 40's, and he appeared very pleasant. I told him where I was going and that I had never flown before. Turns out that he was a businessman, and of course he flew all of the time. He said "you know that some of us who fly frequently, have a tendency to take it for granted, and we forget about the people who have never flown before." When we arrived in Chicago's O'Hare Airport I was incredulous just at the utter size of this airport, especially when compared to Rochester where I left from. The man next to me asked if I would watch his bags while he went to freshen up, sure I said, I won't be meandering around this huge airport, thats for sure. Then I went to the restroom also just to pull myself together after my hectic start earlier. My seat mate watched my things for me which I appreciated so much. We talked a long time and I told him a lot about Lee and our life, etc. I was filled with excitement, but also very anxious regarding the stories that I had heard. Apparently, the soldiers (our guys) were brought to the airport by bus. Sadly, some of the woman waited fruitlessly for their man to get off of the bus. Some of the soldiers never came and had apparently been killed shortly after making plans for their wives to fly to Hawaii. As we approached the baggage area to look for my bags, someone tapped me on the shouder. It was Lee, and I was so-o-o happy to see him, and be in his arms again. He looked great and had a huge smile on his face. I introduced him to the man sitting next to me on the plane, and like a flash the man disappeared. My first trip had been made so much easier by him, and then I didn't even get to say thank you.
It was a beautiful day in Honolulu, sunny and warm. The weather I had left was still blizzard like conditions and very cold.
Lee hailed a taxi to drive us to "THE PAGODA HOTEL' with a floating restaurant. WOW!! pretty ritzy for us. The taxi driver drove like a maniac and I truly feared for our lives. So my attention was pretty much on our safety and I was praying that we would arrive safely at our hotel. Lee's interest were worlds away from mine, and suffice to say he was in an extremely amorous mood. He told me afterwards he wasn't even aware of the taxi driver.
Time to wrap it up for this evening, it is almost midnight already!!
Next time we take you on the most wonderful 5 days of our lives. We tried to cram every fun thing into those days. Actually, I think we did have an incredible time. We stayed out all hours of the night, we went to bars and shows, things we had never experienced before. It was MAGICAL!!
Regardless of what has happened today, don't forget to kiss your husband goodnight and tell him you love him . Men love this stuff, and you will feel better too Try it!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
1970 was a year of sadness and waiting
January 1970 started off with the passing of my maternal grandmother. My paternal grandmother had died when I was 4 years old, and I actually do remember her. She was straight from Limerick, Ireland. Her name was Elizabeth Noonan before she married my grandfather. She was in her 30's and unmarried before she emigrated to America. In 1903 she married my grandfather James, she gave birth to 6 boys from 1905 until 1919. By that time she was well into her 40's and my grandfather was in his 50's. Today we would consider that advanced age to be having a family, although delaying parenthood appears to be making a comeback nowadays. When I was born in December 1940 with red hair and bright blue eyes, my grandmother was according to my mother "over the moon." My Irish grandmother sang songs about Ireland and talked about her love for Ireland, but she was never able to return to her home country. One special memory I have about my Irish grandmother is that she was always knitting. She would sit in a large upholstered chair while doing so, and under the cushions she had several bags of candy. She doled it out rather sparingly, but it was always something to look forward to, along with her stories about the "old country." I realize that I did get a little off the track there, however I think some history about my heritage is important.
My grandmother who passed away was my mother's mother. She was an only child born in NYC to a couple who appeared to be a little more refined. My grandmother married a man who was one of 13 children, he was not very refined and was always grouchy. It was really an unlikely union. They had 5 children, my mother being the oldest daughter. I was the first granddaughter and I had a close relationship with "Grama." She never knew it, but she saved my life, many times. When things were especially bad at home I would call her and ask if I could up and stay with her for a couple of days. She never refused. Maybe she understood more than I knew at the time. I loved to go there because she always treated me special. I could choose what we ate for dinner, and she always had dessert too. Maybe that is where I inherited my sweet tooth from. "Grama" was not a very affectionate person, but I always felt safe with her and I knew she loved me. Therefore when she died in Jan 1970 I was heartbroken, and even more upsetting, I could not afford to fly to New York for her funeral. Our baby was only 9 months old, and then a 3 yr old and our son who was 9 yrs old. Lee needed to have his undivided attention on his anesthesia training, and we had no money anyway. After our daughter was born I experienced some depression although we didn't really seem to get it at the time. Actually, I need to back up here for a bit. When Michele was only 6 wks old I injured my back. I had just returned from my 6 wks checkup and I went to set the baby seat down and I felt something give in my back and I fell to the floor. The pain was excruciating and all I could do was crawl or lay on the floor. Luckily, the baby was fine and did not cry and my 3 yr old was next door with our neighbor. I spent about 2 hrs on the floor before Lee returned home from school. It was difficult for him to get me up off the floor as I was in so much pain. During labor I had severe back pain which was worse than the pain of contractions. I truly believe that is when my back was injured. Lee took me to the Army Hospital and they diagnosed it as a ruptured disc. They gave me a shot of Demerol and some muscle relaxants and sent me on my way. After the severe pain subsided I started physical therapy which helped tremendously. In the meantime I was bedridden for about 3 weeks. Our wonderful neighbor would come over and get the 2 little ones, feed them their breakfast and give me my pain medication or whatever I needed. The girls loved Mary and she kept them at her house until Lee came home. When Lee came home he did everything, prepared dinner, fed the kids and got them ready for bed. I was breast feeding so he would bring the baby to me to feed and then he would do the rest. He never once complained about anything and was always very optimistic about my recovery, and about life in general. The depression started with my back injury, then became worse with the loss of my grandmother. In March of 1970 Lee came home home with the "dreaded news" which we had both feared, but knew that it would become a reality. He had received his orders for Viet Nam. The report date was June 1970 (Father's Day) We had 2 full months to think about Lee leaving, I started losing weight from this date on, by the time he left I had lost 20 pounds, normally I weighed 120. I couldn't eat, I withdrew into myself and slept for long periods of time. It seems like when I was awake I cried much of the time, I truly did not think I could live without Lee, and I didn't know how I would manage the house and kids without him. Lee told me later he was concerned about my state of mind and health and did not know if I was strong enough for what lie ahead for a years time without him. I had chosen to return to New York to be around my family while Lee was overseas. It turned out to be the wrong decision as they were not as supportive as I had hoped they would be. However, I did have several friends who still lived there and they were wonderful to us. When we arrived back in New York it was difficult to find an apartment to rent. Just a few days before Lee was to ship out we finally found one we liked. The kicker was that it would not be available until after Lee left for Viet Nam. This was the first major hurdle which I accomplished. I was unsure of myself and anxious, however the friends and family that helped me said, "You looked like a pro." The move went well with very little damage, and we retrieved our 3 year olds red tennis shoes. (remember they had been packed with our goods 2 months ago) And so life without Lee had commenced and almost immediately, my health improved. I had 3 children to take care of and a house to look after, and it was important for me to be strong for the kids. I enrolled our son in school, it was summer vacation so he had some time for fun before dealing with a new school. Our 3 yr old needed some socializing, so I enrolled her in a preschool program which she loved. Lee and I wrote to each other every single day that we were apart. My letters to Lee were monotonous, mostly about the kids and daily life, but Lee looked forward to them and enjoyed them as well.The kids and I took rolls and rolls of pictures which we sent to Lee, and every single week we sent him a package filled with goodies. Lee said the other fellas in his unit would ask him when he was expecting another package from home. It was like I was on a mission, looking for and finding things I thought Lee would enjoy. There was everything from cookies, cakes, packed in popcorn, (to keep it from molding) canned stuffed peppers which he loved, canned baked apples, I even packed a small bottle of wine in a box of oatmeal and sent that over. Lee and I both made tapes which we exchanged, neither of us really enjoyed them though. Lee always sounded so sad and I could hear the planes in the background which upset me, so we discontinued the tapes. I had tried to get our then 10 yr old son to make a tape for his dad. He was having difficulties and said "what am I supposed to say to a machine?" He was right on target, I really did understand.
Christmas was rough for me as it is my favorite holiday and Lee and I always did things together, like picking out just the right tree, and making oodles of Christmas cookies. That year the kids wanted to cut our own tree from a local farmer's tree lot. All of the trees cost $1.00. We found the perfect tree immediately, but of course we couldn't cut a tree so quickly. We had to trudge on through hundreds more trees, and then return to the original one we found to cut and drag it out of the field. Well, I don't know if you have ever cut your own tree, but it looks much, much larger when you get it in your living room than it did in the field. This tree was huge, what was I thinking? It could have been the White House Tree or so it seemed. Another VERY important aspect of cutting your own tree is to make sure the tree is straight, it seemed that ours was not, as I tried and tried to get the trunk to fit into the tree stand. Amazingly, I got the tree up and tied it to be sure it would not tumble over. (Lee and I had had the experience of not tying the tree with string our first Christmas.) We lost many of our lovely ornaments as the tree came crashing to the floor. It seems to me that I had suggested we tie the tree which "MY FATHER always does" Lee decided he could do it just as well or maybe even better without "my father's suggestion" Anyway, by the time I managed to get the tree in place my fingers were bloody and scratched and I was almost in tears. The kids and I trimmed the tree and it looked beautiful. By this time is was bedtime for the children. We couldn't forget "Santa" and left him milk and cookies for the rest of the trip. Before they went to bed I read them "Twas the Night Before Christmas" which I continued until they were in their teens. They always laughed at me, but always inquired about the where abouts of that book. After the kids were all tucked in came the REAL challenge. When I did my Christmas shopping I never took notice of how many toys had to be assembled. My hands were really skinned up and bloody after screwing at least a million screws into a play stove, sink and refrigerator. That was just one child's toys. It was to be a l-o-n-g night, and to make matters worse it was my 30th birthday!! Time to get a bottle of wine out, and what the heck I'll smoke a few cigarettes too. I mean I was "wild" and really "let my hair down." Finally, about 0300 I was finished with everything I had to do ,and it was my bedtime. It was short lived, the kids came in to wake me about 0500 to exclaim, "Mommy, Santa came, Santa found us in our new house." On Christmas morning we were supposed to go to my parents house for Christmas Day and dinner. It turned out that our 3 year old had nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and we stayed home with just me and my 3 kids. We actually had loads of fun playing games, watching X-mas specials and eating special treats.
The New Year is fast approaching and Lee is that much closer to coming back home. In mid February Lee and I had made all our plans to meet in Hawaii for 5 WONDERFUL days together, sans children. This would be my maiden flight all the way from Rochester, NY to Chicago's O'hare, then non-stop to Honolulu. The night before I was to leave for Hawaii we had a tremendous snow storm. I woke up to a "winter wonderland." and it took me quite a while to uncover my car, let alone clear the driveway. My dad had offered to take me to the airport. I had however already accepted a ride with Lee's younger brother which would prove to be harrowing.
Bye for now, Carol
My grandmother who passed away was my mother's mother. She was an only child born in NYC to a couple who appeared to be a little more refined. My grandmother married a man who was one of 13 children, he was not very refined and was always grouchy. It was really an unlikely union. They had 5 children, my mother being the oldest daughter. I was the first granddaughter and I had a close relationship with "Grama." She never knew it, but she saved my life, many times. When things were especially bad at home I would call her and ask if I could up and stay with her for a couple of days. She never refused. Maybe she understood more than I knew at the time. I loved to go there because she always treated me special. I could choose what we ate for dinner, and she always had dessert too. Maybe that is where I inherited my sweet tooth from. "Grama" was not a very affectionate person, but I always felt safe with her and I knew she loved me. Therefore when she died in Jan 1970 I was heartbroken, and even more upsetting, I could not afford to fly to New York for her funeral. Our baby was only 9 months old, and then a 3 yr old and our son who was 9 yrs old. Lee needed to have his undivided attention on his anesthesia training, and we had no money anyway. After our daughter was born I experienced some depression although we didn't really seem to get it at the time. Actually, I need to back up here for a bit. When Michele was only 6 wks old I injured my back. I had just returned from my 6 wks checkup and I went to set the baby seat down and I felt something give in my back and I fell to the floor. The pain was excruciating and all I could do was crawl or lay on the floor. Luckily, the baby was fine and did not cry and my 3 yr old was next door with our neighbor. I spent about 2 hrs on the floor before Lee returned home from school. It was difficult for him to get me up off the floor as I was in so much pain. During labor I had severe back pain which was worse than the pain of contractions. I truly believe that is when my back was injured. Lee took me to the Army Hospital and they diagnosed it as a ruptured disc. They gave me a shot of Demerol and some muscle relaxants and sent me on my way. After the severe pain subsided I started physical therapy which helped tremendously. In the meantime I was bedridden for about 3 weeks. Our wonderful neighbor would come over and get the 2 little ones, feed them their breakfast and give me my pain medication or whatever I needed. The girls loved Mary and she kept them at her house until Lee came home. When Lee came home he did everything, prepared dinner, fed the kids and got them ready for bed. I was breast feeding so he would bring the baby to me to feed and then he would do the rest. He never once complained about anything and was always very optimistic about my recovery, and about life in general. The depression started with my back injury, then became worse with the loss of my grandmother. In March of 1970 Lee came home home with the "dreaded news" which we had both feared, but knew that it would become a reality. He had received his orders for Viet Nam. The report date was June 1970 (Father's Day) We had 2 full months to think about Lee leaving, I started losing weight from this date on, by the time he left I had lost 20 pounds, normally I weighed 120. I couldn't eat, I withdrew into myself and slept for long periods of time. It seems like when I was awake I cried much of the time, I truly did not think I could live without Lee, and I didn't know how I would manage the house and kids without him. Lee told me later he was concerned about my state of mind and health and did not know if I was strong enough for what lie ahead for a years time without him. I had chosen to return to New York to be around my family while Lee was overseas. It turned out to be the wrong decision as they were not as supportive as I had hoped they would be. However, I did have several friends who still lived there and they were wonderful to us. When we arrived back in New York it was difficult to find an apartment to rent. Just a few days before Lee was to ship out we finally found one we liked. The kicker was that it would not be available until after Lee left for Viet Nam. This was the first major hurdle which I accomplished. I was unsure of myself and anxious, however the friends and family that helped me said, "You looked like a pro." The move went well with very little damage, and we retrieved our 3 year olds red tennis shoes. (remember they had been packed with our goods 2 months ago) And so life without Lee had commenced and almost immediately, my health improved. I had 3 children to take care of and a house to look after, and it was important for me to be strong for the kids. I enrolled our son in school, it was summer vacation so he had some time for fun before dealing with a new school. Our 3 yr old needed some socializing, so I enrolled her in a preschool program which she loved. Lee and I wrote to each other every single day that we were apart. My letters to Lee were monotonous, mostly about the kids and daily life, but Lee looked forward to them and enjoyed them as well.The kids and I took rolls and rolls of pictures which we sent to Lee, and every single week we sent him a package filled with goodies. Lee said the other fellas in his unit would ask him when he was expecting another package from home. It was like I was on a mission, looking for and finding things I thought Lee would enjoy. There was everything from cookies, cakes, packed in popcorn, (to keep it from molding) canned stuffed peppers which he loved, canned baked apples, I even packed a small bottle of wine in a box of oatmeal and sent that over. Lee and I both made tapes which we exchanged, neither of us really enjoyed them though. Lee always sounded so sad and I could hear the planes in the background which upset me, so we discontinued the tapes. I had tried to get our then 10 yr old son to make a tape for his dad. He was having difficulties and said "what am I supposed to say to a machine?" He was right on target, I really did understand.
Christmas was rough for me as it is my favorite holiday and Lee and I always did things together, like picking out just the right tree, and making oodles of Christmas cookies. That year the kids wanted to cut our own tree from a local farmer's tree lot. All of the trees cost $1.00. We found the perfect tree immediately, but of course we couldn't cut a tree so quickly. We had to trudge on through hundreds more trees, and then return to the original one we found to cut and drag it out of the field. Well, I don't know if you have ever cut your own tree, but it looks much, much larger when you get it in your living room than it did in the field. This tree was huge, what was I thinking? It could have been the White House Tree or so it seemed. Another VERY important aspect of cutting your own tree is to make sure the tree is straight, it seemed that ours was not, as I tried and tried to get the trunk to fit into the tree stand. Amazingly, I got the tree up and tied it to be sure it would not tumble over. (Lee and I had had the experience of not tying the tree with string our first Christmas.) We lost many of our lovely ornaments as the tree came crashing to the floor. It seems to me that I had suggested we tie the tree which "MY FATHER always does" Lee decided he could do it just as well or maybe even better without "my father's suggestion" Anyway, by the time I managed to get the tree in place my fingers were bloody and scratched and I was almost in tears. The kids and I trimmed the tree and it looked beautiful. By this time is was bedtime for the children. We couldn't forget "Santa" and left him milk and cookies for the rest of the trip. Before they went to bed I read them "Twas the Night Before Christmas" which I continued until they were in their teens. They always laughed at me, but always inquired about the where abouts of that book. After the kids were all tucked in came the REAL challenge. When I did my Christmas shopping I never took notice of how many toys had to be assembled. My hands were really skinned up and bloody after screwing at least a million screws into a play stove, sink and refrigerator. That was just one child's toys. It was to be a l-o-n-g night, and to make matters worse it was my 30th birthday!! Time to get a bottle of wine out, and what the heck I'll smoke a few cigarettes too. I mean I was "wild" and really "let my hair down." Finally, about 0300 I was finished with everything I had to do ,and it was my bedtime. It was short lived, the kids came in to wake me about 0500 to exclaim, "Mommy, Santa came, Santa found us in our new house." On Christmas morning we were supposed to go to my parents house for Christmas Day and dinner. It turned out that our 3 year old had nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and we stayed home with just me and my 3 kids. We actually had loads of fun playing games, watching X-mas specials and eating special treats.
The New Year is fast approaching and Lee is that much closer to coming back home. In mid February Lee and I had made all our plans to meet in Hawaii for 5 WONDERFUL days together, sans children. This would be my maiden flight all the way from Rochester, NY to Chicago's O'hare, then non-stop to Honolulu. The night before I was to leave for Hawaii we had a tremendous snow storm. I woke up to a "winter wonderland." and it took me quite a while to uncover my car, let alone clear the driveway. My dad had offered to take me to the airport. I had however already accepted a ride with Lee's younger brother which would prove to be harrowing.
Bye for now, Carol
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Lee's acceptance and assignment to Anesthesia School
Our trip to Texas was uneventful, we arrived at our sponsor's quarters late on a Friday afternoon. The couple who were our sponsors OJ and Ruth are still our closest friends. They had 1 little boy who was about the same age as our daughter, so they played well together. It has been almost 42 years ago that we landed on their doorstep. They insisted that we stay with them although we had purchased a pick-up truck with a small camper on the back. Our first meal with our new found friends consisted of Macaroni and Cheese (the boxed kind) green beans and hot dogs. It was a delicious meal and we thought we were in "high cotton" having found such a generous Christian family. The next day Lee and I started looking for a house to rent as there were no quarter's available for us at that time on post. Luckily we only looked at a couple houses and we found a nice 3 Br, 2 bath house with a spacious enclosed patio and big walled in backyard, all for the sum of $125/month. Those were the days, huh?? When we returned to OJ and Ruth's place they insisted that we stay with them until our furniture arrived. These people would not take no for an answer. The four of us just clicked and started talking and have been talking ever since. Over our 42 year relationship we have supported each other during some very tough times which included drug addictions in both of our families over a twenty year span. Our stay with OJ & Ruth lasted 10 days. By that time we were pretty much settled, and our son had started a new school. Even though I had changed schools many times as a child, (3 different 3rd grades) because my father was constantly changing jobs, I believe now that those many moves were especially difficult for our son. Lo all these many years later I still feel guilt over up-rooting him from his friends. People think that kids can "bounce back" from most anything, and I believe this is wrong now. On the face of it, why should it be less painful for children to lose their friends than it is for us adults? It was devastating for me each time we relocated. Although I always tried to keep a "stiff upper lip" for the family, you know I always put up a "good front." But, I digress, yet again!
The time was edging closer for Ruth and OJ to leave Texas and drive to Michigan where there family's lived. OJ had just finished Anesthesia School at William Beaumont Army Hospital and had orders for Viet Nam. There was an air of foreboding and sadness among the four of us. By this time it was late October when they left Texas, and it wasn't long and OJ was en-route to Viet Nam. A few weeks later Ruth notified us by letter that she was expecting their second child, due in August. We were all elated for them as Ruth had suffered two previous miscarriages.
Lee had started his Anesthesia classes and took to it like a "duck to water" He excelled as always with his grades and in his popularity. There were seven anesthesia students in total, all were married, except for one. As we had done in OK we got together for parties and barbeque's frequently. We were a pretty tight knit group. One of the activities we indulged in was a card game called "Michigan Poker." It was a lot of fun and a fast moving game. We all brought our penny jars along, so you see we were not "high rollers." Usually, after we had eaten we all got the kids ready for bed. There were babies and toddlers all over the house sleeping. They were sacked out in the bedrooms, living room, any place that was big enough to accommodate another "little one." It was cheap fun as none of us really had much money at that time.
Our neighbors were wonderful, they we retired from the Army and they had 3 teenagers, two of which were girls. So finding someone to take care of the kids was no problem. If the girls were busy the mom loved our kids, and she would watch them for us. The time seemed to really fly by when Lee was in school, but school was certainly not a hardship for him or for us. He would be home in early afternoon many days which we enjoyed. One of the drawbacks of the Mayo Clinic was that students would be assigned to a "room" early in the morning and be required to stay until that room was finished with all of their scheduled surgery. This could possibly be 8 or 9 o'clock at night before they were leaving the hospital.
We considered ourselves very fortunate that Lee had been chosen for this program.
Army programs for Anesthesia training have long been held high in esteem for the excellent caliber of CRNAS they graduate. On April 9,1969 Lee was promoted to Captain, which not only was a wonderful achievement and milestone, but more importantly a nice pay raise.
On April 11,1969 we welcomed our third child and second daughter to our family. She was a beautiful blond haired little girl with blue eyes who captured our hearts immediately. As I said earlier I had the same physician for the delivery as I had started out with in OK. At that time in military hospitals this was rare. It was very feasible to get a different doc each visit and then someone different for the delivery. Therefore, I considered myself very fortunate in that regard. It was a very difficult forceps delivery. The physician pulled so hard at one point that I was partially pulled off the delivery table. Luckily, at that time there was anesthesia available called a "caudal" which was similar to an epidural, except that it is given in the sacral area of the spine. I had only been given an injection of demerol for my other two labors, so this was a God send for me. I opted for this "Cadillac" anesthesia because this was to be our last baby and because it was "available" This delivery was special for us because Lee was allowed into the delivery room. Remember this was 1969 and dads in delivery rooms was not in vogue. It was wonderful for me having Lee's caring nature and support during the delivery, and especially afterwards when the baby was finally presenting herself. We kissed and hugged and both of us spilled some tears of joy and relief that our baby was healthy. It was a lot of fun in the delivery room that day. There were 2 EMT students who came in and asked my permission to be part of the delivery, of course I gave my consent. They were so supportive and interactive, and they thanked me many times to be allowed to be a part of the delivery. I can not be certain how many people were in the delivery room that day, but also included were some of Lee's classmates, and just a big gathering of well wishers. It was certainly a much different atmosphere compared to our first two children's entrance into the world. They were both born at a small community hospital in Western New York. Lee was allowed to be with me while I was in labor, but then I was taken into the delivery room alone. They notified the fathers after the delivery was all over and I was heading for my postpartum room. In retrospect, it was a lonely, sort of scary feeling, especially for our first child when I was only 19 years old. Fortunately, for me I had a wonderful warm, and very competent, physician who had delivered everybody within a 50 mile radius, and he was held in high esteem.
In those days patients were kept in hospital for 5 days after delivery. The military hospitals were big on patients doing for themselves. In the morning when breakfast was served we all had to walk to the end of the hall and carry it back to our room, then return the tray after we finished. This was the same for all meals and snacks. In actuality, I felt much better after this baby was born because I had to do for myself. The day arrived when we brought our new bundle of "joy" home. The welcoming committee was waiting in the driveway for us, our two children and the neighbor lady all anxiously awaiting their first glimpse of the new baby.
I awakened at 0550 this morning and felt eager to start writing. Hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to make comments. This is my first endeavor at writing and I could use any suggestions you may contribute.
Have a wonderful day and do something fun with someone you love! Every day is precious and remember tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Fondly, Carol
The time was edging closer for Ruth and OJ to leave Texas and drive to Michigan where there family's lived. OJ had just finished Anesthesia School at William Beaumont Army Hospital and had orders for Viet Nam. There was an air of foreboding and sadness among the four of us. By this time it was late October when they left Texas, and it wasn't long and OJ was en-route to Viet Nam. A few weeks later Ruth notified us by letter that she was expecting their second child, due in August. We were all elated for them as Ruth had suffered two previous miscarriages.
Lee had started his Anesthesia classes and took to it like a "duck to water" He excelled as always with his grades and in his popularity. There were seven anesthesia students in total, all were married, except for one. As we had done in OK we got together for parties and barbeque's frequently. We were a pretty tight knit group. One of the activities we indulged in was a card game called "Michigan Poker." It was a lot of fun and a fast moving game. We all brought our penny jars along, so you see we were not "high rollers." Usually, after we had eaten we all got the kids ready for bed. There were babies and toddlers all over the house sleeping. They were sacked out in the bedrooms, living room, any place that was big enough to accommodate another "little one." It was cheap fun as none of us really had much money at that time.
Our neighbors were wonderful, they we retired from the Army and they had 3 teenagers, two of which were girls. So finding someone to take care of the kids was no problem. If the girls were busy the mom loved our kids, and she would watch them for us. The time seemed to really fly by when Lee was in school, but school was certainly not a hardship for him or for us. He would be home in early afternoon many days which we enjoyed. One of the drawbacks of the Mayo Clinic was that students would be assigned to a "room" early in the morning and be required to stay until that room was finished with all of their scheduled surgery. This could possibly be 8 or 9 o'clock at night before they were leaving the hospital.
We considered ourselves very fortunate that Lee had been chosen for this program.
Army programs for Anesthesia training have long been held high in esteem for the excellent caliber of CRNAS they graduate. On April 9,1969 Lee was promoted to Captain, which not only was a wonderful achievement and milestone, but more importantly a nice pay raise.
On April 11,1969 we welcomed our third child and second daughter to our family. She was a beautiful blond haired little girl with blue eyes who captured our hearts immediately. As I said earlier I had the same physician for the delivery as I had started out with in OK. At that time in military hospitals this was rare. It was very feasible to get a different doc each visit and then someone different for the delivery. Therefore, I considered myself very fortunate in that regard. It was a very difficult forceps delivery. The physician pulled so hard at one point that I was partially pulled off the delivery table. Luckily, at that time there was anesthesia available called a "caudal" which was similar to an epidural, except that it is given in the sacral area of the spine. I had only been given an injection of demerol for my other two labors, so this was a God send for me. I opted for this "Cadillac" anesthesia because this was to be our last baby and because it was "available" This delivery was special for us because Lee was allowed into the delivery room. Remember this was 1969 and dads in delivery rooms was not in vogue. It was wonderful for me having Lee's caring nature and support during the delivery, and especially afterwards when the baby was finally presenting herself. We kissed and hugged and both of us spilled some tears of joy and relief that our baby was healthy. It was a lot of fun in the delivery room that day. There were 2 EMT students who came in and asked my permission to be part of the delivery, of course I gave my consent. They were so supportive and interactive, and they thanked me many times to be allowed to be a part of the delivery. I can not be certain how many people were in the delivery room that day, but also included were some of Lee's classmates, and just a big gathering of well wishers. It was certainly a much different atmosphere compared to our first two children's entrance into the world. They were both born at a small community hospital in Western New York. Lee was allowed to be with me while I was in labor, but then I was taken into the delivery room alone. They notified the fathers after the delivery was all over and I was heading for my postpartum room. In retrospect, it was a lonely, sort of scary feeling, especially for our first child when I was only 19 years old. Fortunately, for me I had a wonderful warm, and very competent, physician who had delivered everybody within a 50 mile radius, and he was held in high esteem.
In those days patients were kept in hospital for 5 days after delivery. The military hospitals were big on patients doing for themselves. In the morning when breakfast was served we all had to walk to the end of the hall and carry it back to our room, then return the tray after we finished. This was the same for all meals and snacks. In actuality, I felt much better after this baby was born because I had to do for myself. The day arrived when we brought our new bundle of "joy" home. The welcoming committee was waiting in the driveway for us, our two children and the neighbor lady all anxiously awaiting their first glimpse of the new baby.
I awakened at 0550 this morning and felt eager to start writing. Hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to make comments. This is my first endeavor at writing and I could use any suggestions you may contribute.
Have a wonderful day and do something fun with someone you love! Every day is precious and remember tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Fondly, Carol
Monday, May 3, 2010
"movin' on" up in the profession
In the spring of 1968 Lee decided he wanted to go to Anesthesia School. Our plan was for him to serve his 2 years in the Army and then get out and work at a civilian hospital. At that time I disliked the military immensely. It seemed like almost every day that Lee came home from work he would have news that another guy from our group had received orders for Viet Nam. I was so afraid of losing Lee that it was a constant worry for me.
Lee had applied to The Mayo Clinic Anesthesia School, and he had received word that he had been accepted into the program. Our joy was short lived after we discovered that the stipend which the program offered was not nearly what Lee was earning at the time in the Army. There were other drawbacks to the program which were unacceptable to Lee as well. Lee had discovered that the military had their own anesthesia programs at the larger Medical Centers around the U.S. and Hawaii. I encouraged him to apply to which Lee quickly countered with, "the competition is very keen, I don't think I'd have a chance." My confidence in Lee was much stronger than his own at that time. This is one of those times when "we woman" have to stand behind "our man" and encourage him, and let him know that you believe in him one hundred percent. Admittedly though, I always knew in my heart that Lee would be accepted into the Army anesthesia Program. Therefore, when Lee received his letter of acceptance I was not one bit surprised. We had been stationed at Ft. Sill for 16 months and Lee had now been assigned to William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas. Just before we relocated to Texas I found out that I was expecting our third baby. We were all very happy to add another member to our family. By this time our son was 8 years old and our daughter was almost 2 years old. Fortuitously, the OB doc that I had seen at Ft Sill was also reassigned to the same hospital where Lee would be in school. Actually, by the time we moved I felt really good, the morning sickness had subsided, my energy level was high and I was excited to be part of yet another adventure with "Mr. Deisering" and company!!
The moving van showed up right on time the 1st of October,1968. The movers worked like lightning, and at the end of the day we were ready to head to Texas, minus our daughter's shoes. Remember I said early in this blog that the movers pack everything if it is not separated out. So we had to buy her a new pair of shoes before we left town.
This segment is attenuated tonight, my apologies. This has been a rather stressful day for me today. I promise to make up for it as the story picks up in Texas with our new sponsors.
Live your life to the fullest and take time to smell the flowers.
Carol
Lee had applied to The Mayo Clinic Anesthesia School, and he had received word that he had been accepted into the program. Our joy was short lived after we discovered that the stipend which the program offered was not nearly what Lee was earning at the time in the Army. There were other drawbacks to the program which were unacceptable to Lee as well. Lee had discovered that the military had their own anesthesia programs at the larger Medical Centers around the U.S. and Hawaii. I encouraged him to apply to which Lee quickly countered with, "the competition is very keen, I don't think I'd have a chance." My confidence in Lee was much stronger than his own at that time. This is one of those times when "we woman" have to stand behind "our man" and encourage him, and let him know that you believe in him one hundred percent. Admittedly though, I always knew in my heart that Lee would be accepted into the Army anesthesia Program. Therefore, when Lee received his letter of acceptance I was not one bit surprised. We had been stationed at Ft. Sill for 16 months and Lee had now been assigned to William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas. Just before we relocated to Texas I found out that I was expecting our third baby. We were all very happy to add another member to our family. By this time our son was 8 years old and our daughter was almost 2 years old. Fortuitously, the OB doc that I had seen at Ft Sill was also reassigned to the same hospital where Lee would be in school. Actually, by the time we moved I felt really good, the morning sickness had subsided, my energy level was high and I was excited to be part of yet another adventure with "Mr. Deisering" and company!!
The moving van showed up right on time the 1st of October,1968. The movers worked like lightning, and at the end of the day we were ready to head to Texas, minus our daughter's shoes. Remember I said early in this blog that the movers pack everything if it is not separated out. So we had to buy her a new pair of shoes before we left town.
This segment is attenuated tonight, my apologies. This has been a rather stressful day for me today. I promise to make up for it as the story picks up in Texas with our new sponsors.
Live your life to the fullest and take time to smell the flowers.
Carol
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