California Phase Two

A more original title would be a good thing, but alas, I am not coming up with anything.�



I also forgot to mention church the day after we got to Vista, the day after our flight.� AMAZING!� Church consisted of a praise band "concert" for lack of a better word and a sermon that was actually interesting.� It didn't matter that it was 20 minutes long because when it is well prepared and brings the Bible into today's world, twenty minutes flies by!� I was actually jealous because I felt as if my spirit had not been fed by a pastor's words in a few years and it was good to finally have it happen.



Anyway, dinner on Monday after the zoo.� As a prequel to this, you should know that my sister, Connie and her hubby, Jim, live just outside of Las Vegas, NV in Henderson.� We had planned to pay them a visit on Tuesday or Wednesday and just stay about two days as I really wanted the bulk of my vacation to be in my state.� The Friday before we left for Cali, Jim was slated for a triple bypass, which was postponed because of his kidney values.� Jim has had problem with blood clots for years and he is diabetic, so in preparation for Friday's surgery, he was taken off his blood thinners and then the surgery was postponed until Monday, so that was additional time off the blood thinners.�



We didn't hear anything on how things went until we were at dinner at The Olde Spaghetti Factory when Margaret's cell phone rang.� Jim had come through the surgery fine...and then coded.� His blood had clotted in the new arteries to his heart and stopped his heart.� They were struggling to bring him back but finally had to place him on life support.� My sister was obviously hysterical and we all made the decision to drive to Henderson that night.



We went back to Doug's house and packed clothes and five kids into two cars to drive 4.5 hours in the middle of the night.� On the way, the Brit and I were calling to find a hotel as Connie would not be able to put all of us up and Connie and Doug are very close and it was best he be near her.� We found one at a casino/hotel off the strip (seriously, I don't think there are any hotels in Vegas without casinos.� There are even slot machines in the convenience stores for heaven's sake!) and continued driving, only stopping once for a bathroom break and once for coffee.



When we did the bathroom stop in the middle of the desert at a rest stop, Margaret and I went in and did our business.� She came out of the stall before me and this horrible little light brown cockroach charged her!� She jumped out of the way and quickly went to wash her hands as he had now turned and was charging her again.� I came out of my stall and the little bastard turned on me and rushed in my direction.� I am uber terrified of bugs of any kind and jumped over to the sinks to wash up and here he was again, racing in my direction!� We high-tailed it out of the bathroom, which apparently, this little asshole owned.



We arrived at my sister's around 4:00 in the morning.� She was a mess, and we spent some time talking and praying with her before we headed to our hotel for what was left of the night.� The next morning we made a plan.� So Doug and Margaret could hold vigil with Connie at the hospital, we would take all five kids and try to find some entertainment for all ages as we had the age range of 3-16.� Not as easy as it looks!� We did Hoover Dam (BRit, I really could use those photos!), and took them back swimming at our hotel.� We did the lions at MGM casino and Circus Circus.� We did a park that had water features.� It was a lot of running back and forth between Vegas and Henderson and the scenery in the area is boring.� Very brown, lots of traffic lights, lots of strip malls.� The mountains are breathtaking however as was the dam (and there will soon be pictures, I promise!).� In the evenings, we met up with everyone, including my niece, Danette and her three children, for dinner.



There was a roller coaster ride with Jim.� There was concern about brain damage.� They had gotten his heart beating on its own, but he still had life support breathing for him.� On Tuesday, they were seeing involuntary leg activity, which was a good sign.� One doctor said his pupils were reacting to light; another good sign.� Then the next day, there was no involuntary movement even with stimulation and the main surgeon said they should not have been told his pupils were reacting to light because they were not.� So it was hope, then little hope.�



On a personal note, I hated Nevada.� The Brit says if it had just been the two of us, it would have been different and he is probably right, but there isn't a lot to do for kids there that does not cost a fortune.� If we had wanted a tour of the dam, it was $30 a person.� Even to go into the FREAKIN' VISITORS CENTER cost $8 a person, so we didn't go in there either.� Vegas is all about the casinos and some are very beautiful.� We did see the fountains at the Bellagio, which were stunning as was the Bellagio itself.� But in the Bellagio, between four of us, we had a soda, an orange juice and a small gellato for $20.� Incredibly expensive.



On Wednesday, they did a brain function test on Jim and results did not come in until Friday, so it was a long wait.� The Brit and I had already decided we were going to leave for California on Saturday morning.� It was a tough decision to make if you read my one blog post while I was away, but Doug and Margaret were leaving by Sunday and I had two boys with me, who had never met Jim.� I hadn't seen him in 15 years, not that it made it okay to go.� I agonized over the decision all week.� I wanted to help support my sister but I couldn't have two kids sitting in the hospital for another week.� Then there was the selfish side of me I really struggled with; the side of me who wanted to be back in California where I had dreamed of returning to for the last twenty years.� Hard stuff.



But we left on Saturday morning after a conversation with Connie Friday night.� She was distraught and begging God that she would not have to make the decision to take Jim off life support.� The brain scan had shown very little activity so the prognosis was not good, but no one would want to make the decision to let him go.� Connie wanted Jim to go on his own.� She kept apologizing to me about ruining my vacation, though I kept telling her no one could have foreseen anything and we were obviously placed here at this time for this reason.� She was still holding onto hope that a nurse had given her; telling Connie about all the miracles she had seen in her time as a nurse.� I was praying he would recover, but knew in my heart it was unlikely.� Before we left I reminded Connie that no matter how this turned out, Jim was going to be fine.