Happy Spring and Happy Palm Sunday! Scott was busy altar serving for this morning's mass. He had to carry up the crucifix for the processions and it was extra heavy since they strapped on a few palm fronds for decoration. I am just glad he did not fall over when he picked it up to put it in the stand! And he got to hold the Holy Water when they blessed the palms. Important stuff. This mass is always fun since they act out the Last Supper and Crucifixion(as fun as that can be).

Lately I have been paying alot of attention to all things European as Allison and I plan for our trip to London, Paris and Rome. They had a special on the Vatican since they are all talking about the new Pope. I did not realize that the reason the Vatican is in Rome is because that is where St Peter was crucified(upside down). He did not wish to be exactly like Christ. And he is buried in the catacombs of the Vatican. They built the vatican there since Christ called Peter the rock and upon this rock I will build my church.  I am trying not to watch too much though since I still want our trip to be a surprise. There was also a great special on a tour of London, but I didn't want to spoil our vacation. What we think something looks like on tv or the internet never seems to be that way in real life.  And our trip is already laid out, so it is not like I am trying to make a schedule. As many things as they have planned, I am sure I will sleep for a month when we get back!

So I am trying to make sure I feel good before we go. I have been on blood pressure medicine for 5 weeks and I was still not feeling well. I was still dizzy with headaches, upset stomach and tightness in my chest and short of breath. I sent an email to my doctor to see if she wanted me to come back in. She recommended I have blood work and see a neurologist. She already sent me to a cardiologist who said everything was perfect concerning my heart. I recommended she take a look at my blood pressure readings for the last 2 weeks which she did not ask about during my last check up. I was told to buy a BP cuff and take readings in the morning and at night from the hospital staff which I have been doing. I thought she would at least ask about it, but they look at one reading in the clinic and decide if it is good or bad. I also pointed out that the research states that all my symptoms are typical for a woman with high blood pressure and that she had me on a very low dose of medication(5mgs). So this weekend I am trialing 2 pills(10mgs) per her recommendation and so far so good. My body is still adjusting to a lower BP though so I still get a little whoozy and tired, but I think it will help.I actually think I was truly having symptoms since last fall and that it was not a sinus problem like we thought. On top of that, I have to get my foot in shape for all the walking we are going to be doing this summer! I just ordered a splint for my plantar fasciitis in my right foot. What fun it is getting old!

And speaking of medical issues, Mom Bozyk looks like she will be needing some surgery for poor blood flow in her leg. She has an appointment this week with the vascular doctor. I hope the snow doesn't keep her away. Even though it is officially spring, it still does not feel like it. Indy got a few inches of snow and looks like more is on the way. We will get a taste of it tonight, but I think Baltimore will mostly get slush and rain. The kids are still holding out for a snow day.

Speaking of kids, Allison is off to work and Scott is busy typing up a research paper on a terrible sad and depressing book called Tangerine. It is about a middle school boy living in Florida who helps out a family that owns a tangerine farm. Apparently he does not get along with the kids at his new school and even his own brother. So far SCott is doing a great job. He also wrote a very nice science paper on bacteria and cheese! I had him watch a special on America hosted by Larry the Cable Guy. Of course they traveled to Wisconsin and he had to try Limberger cheese(very stinky I guess). Now why would someone eat something that has the same bacterial make up as body odor? (We learned about that in the show).

Scott has been busy starting a new semester at school and Allison is busy finishing a semester. Both are getting ready for Spring Break which officially starts WEds afternoon of this week. But I am sure I will still keep them busy. I took Scott to a City Council meeting last Monday for his Boy SCout merit badge requirement. Meanwhile, Tom was busy at the Boy Scout Parent meeting. On Weds Tom took Scott to his Boy Scout meeting and he began his official job as Patrol Leader. His first job was to have the boys assemble a banner for their Patrol. His group had fallen apart before SCott joined the troop and they did not have a banner for two years. Scott and I went out and bought the supplies last weekend and we thought it was a good idea to involve the boys in making the banner together. They all did a great job, and Tom thought SCott did a great job running the patrol. Only 6 months to go, 23 more meetings.

I also took Scott up to his school before the scout meeting to enjoy their Arts Night. Scott had a few pictures on display and his Lego club set up their tournament board. He especially enjoyed eating our star shaped cookies that we decorated on Monday and I dropped off to school in the morning. Tuesday morning SCott and Tom were to attend "Donuts with Dad" before school started. A chance for Dads and kids to enjoy a few donut holes and spend a few minutes visiting the kids classrooms. Early celebration of Father's Day. However,  when Tom saw the amount of people crammed into the cafeteria, he decided to take SCott out for Dunkin Donuts instead. I think he missed the point. But they had fun.

And Allison and I had a night out to see "Peter Pan" with Cathy Rigby. She was amazing. I actually met her out in LA when she was making an eating disorder video at the psyche hospital I worked at. I also met her husband Tom. She must have been doing this musical for over 30 years. I could not believe how athletic she still is, and there is no way I would go flying around on those wires like she did-upside down, spinning in circles and then out over the crowd. Alot. It was exhausting watching her!We just wish the sound quality would have been better, but CAthy was clear and easy to hear. I would have loved to have stayed in line to get another autograph and photo, but I was not feeling well as the night went on. It was fun going with Allison though.

And Tom spent some quality time with Allison on Saturday after she got home from work. Tom was still thinking of selling his car, the Vibe,  so he posted it on ebay and had someone come look at it. The customer noted that the car needed new tires and would cost about $400, so they were not interested in spending $10,000 that Tom was asking. And Tom decided he did not want to spend money on new tires either. So off he went to CAr Max and traded in the Vibe for a Honda Fit. So we have a new car and if Allison needs a car at school in September she is all set. Especially since none of us liked the Vibe(except for Tom). And Tom loves to drive the Toyota Echo-more power to him.
 

 It was nice to do something fun this weekend since work continues to drive me crazy! My new bosses decided not to pay me completely for working a full overtime day last Friday. I work 4 days a week, which means anything past that is overtime. They said that Human Resources gave them instruction to pay me less. Fortunately, our new administrator was able to straighten them out and request that they pay me my full salary for the day and any other day I worked past 4 days. I was holding off on offering my services for any other overtime until I knew they were going to pay me adequately. They thought they could get a substitute for me instead of having me work. To their surprise they couldn't get a substitute and they needed me to work.  And now they actually have to pay me! Imagine that.  I just keep thinking "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!". So I went in to work on Friday morning. Although I was kinda hoping they would have found someone else. I started my new stronger medication and I was not sure how I would feel.  But there is a shortage of us OTs so it is good for me!

So I am off to read Scott's paper and I look forward to an evening of The Walking Dead and The Apprentice.  Here is a picture Scott did of a squid and Allison with her car.

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