A Little Sunshine

The sun has been shining on our last few days off, so we have enjoyed a few rounds of golf. I love getting out in the sun and in nature--even highly manicured nature--and see anything and everything God created.

The sky should be crying,

because we are.

Casey

199? - 2008

Weekend Project

Had an idea rumbling around in my brain the last couple of days. Usually they don't turn out even close to what I see in my mind's eye. This time, I think it actually came out better. I finished up the polymer clay last night, but needed to make a run to Michael's for the right beads today. I found the great charms there. They were in one pack and the lower one says, "Bloom where you're planted." This one is for my sister, Melanie. Not only does she love gardening and flowers, she has a lot of stress going on right now. So, this is for her to remember to enjoy the moment.

Can you imagine...

This adorable little girl is actually getting married!

Okay, so this was taken more than 20 years ago and she is all grown up. Still, I can't believe she is going to take the plunge into the sea of matrimony. I keep thinking she is too young, yet she will be 3 years older than I was when I said "I do." Apparently, my dad was right and I was way too young...

No Place to Grow Old

You may have noticed the article on the front page of the Oregonian’s sunrise edition. It shares the plight of families trying to find placement for their loved ones on Medicaid. Many care facilities are struggling to remain in the black with the low reimbursement rates and more are canceling their contract. This leaves those clients with few choices of where to go.

There is currently a bill in the Oregon legislature which will cause some restructure of the human services department and increase Medicaid rates for community based care by about $261.00 per month. I encourage you to contact your senator and representative to vote in favor of SB 1061. This bill will enable many Adult Care Homes to remain solvent while caring for their Medicaid clients.

Juanita Funkhouser chats with client Bernice Tyler, 91, as her husband Carrol, listens in, at the adult foster care home she co-owns with her husband Jeff in Tigard. A growing number of assisted living centers and adult foster homes are turning away Medicaid patients because they say the state does not pay enough for their care.

Time with a Friend

This morning I visited with a friend that I don't see much anymore. We met at Angel Nails where we used to go after work for manicures. Today I had the Deluxe Pedicure with extra foot massage, a mosturizing foot mask and a hot towel wrap. Now my feet feel great! Between that and the gossip, I had a ball!

Special Moments

One of our residents passed away last week. She had lived with us nearly a year and we expected her to be with us many more. She had Alzheimer's disease, but was fairly early on and was pretty independent. She still recognized her family when they would visit. I was familiar even though she wasn't sure who I was. Yet a sudden health issue led to surgery and a secondary infection. In just a month, she was gone.

Her family was extremely supportive. Her daughter was here almost every minute the last week. Her husband would bring the kids over for visits and he would sit with the resident when the daughter needed a break. One of the sweetest moments was one evening when the daughter and her 18 month old son were sitting with Grandma. The little boy was sitting on his mom's lap and they were looking at Grandma while the daughter was singing Jesus Loves Me.

The little boy most likely will not remember this, but the daughter will be able to carry the memory in her heart for all her days. She will be able to look back and know that she did all she could to make her mother's last days comfortable. She will be able to look back without regrets. And that will comfort her more that anything else.

Done it again...

44

Seriously, this is more difficult than one might think!


$5690.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.

Hey, I'm worth more dead than alive...


24%

This is going to be really important to me someday!

What My Name Means

What JGF Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you. You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries. You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are loving, compassionate, and ruled by your feelings. You are able to be a foundation for other people... but you still know how to have fun. Sometimes your emotions weigh you down, but you generally feel free from them. You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Now that the photos are organized...

It's time to get planning another project! It's a great spot to work and I love being able to find everything quickly.


P.S. The Potato Heads are Jeff's, not mine.