My ramblings on oil, vacation, and family

Well the oil & the vacation go hand in hand but I guess I need to start at the beginning. Blake & I have booked our vacation for this summer!! We are going to...........................Pensacola Beach, FL! I am super excited because we are going back to the beach! Last year, we had a blast in TN (thanks Erica!) and FL but we only had a couple of days to explore Pensacola. But we are going for 6 nights/7 days. WOOHOO! We have started 'planning' early & we have already booked our hotel & picked out a few fun activities around the island so I can't wait. We splurged a little bit & bought a canopy, so we can stay out in the sun longer, and some other beach goodies. I am most excited about a net (to get the hard to reach beautiful sea shells) and my personal float. I have never owned a float & I have ALWAYS wanted one. So I can't wait to get out there in the water! We are going around the 1st weekend of June so just over a month.

Which brings me to the oil. I really hope it doesn't affect Pensacola but it is always a possibility. We won't really know until it gets closer. Oh well, I'm not going to stress about it because either way we are going to have a great time. I have been reading a little about it & while it does sound like a major tragedy, it happens. Now, I have my degree in Bio & that doesn't make me any kind of expert BUT I do know it will impact the wildlife in the sea & around the coast which is sad. But it is survival of the fittest & I don't think we should shut down off-shore drilling which is what everyone is hollering about. But thats just my opinion. I have a friend at work that doesn't like my argument but it is what it is. I would call it God controlling the wildlife population. Touchy subject I guess.

And finally: family. Mostly my gpa. We went to visit him today because he is really going downhill fast. There really isn't much to say. And its not that I don't want to/can't talk about it because I can, its just that I feel like I talk about it too much already & I just want a break! There isn't much they can do but make him comfortable but he is just ready to go. He is miserable, can't talk, can't walk, and can't do much of anything. I also know he is really depressed. But I can't change that, only he can. It is getting to the point that he has lost his gag reflex completely & can't really eat. He pretty much chokes on everything. He has decided he doesn't want a feeding tube either and that is his decision. This time last year he was working, fishing, visiting, etc. Now he can't do anything but mumble & try to articulate what he wants. He has a dry erase board to try to draw it out but even his muscles are deteriorating & he can't draw very well. I gave him a hug when I left & all I could feel were his bones. It is heart breaking but at least he is right with God and ready to go. I am just shocked at how much he has gone down since Christmas & then even Easter. Anyways, thats really all I have to say about that other than we are just waiting for the call at this point. I got to kiss my grandpa on the cheek which meant more to me than anything. When my other grandpa was 'sick' with what I thought was a stomach bug I didn't kiss him on the cheek because I was afraid of getting sick. That was the last time I saw him in his rational mind & I never got to say goodbye or give him a kiss. And I've regretted that. So at least if this was the last time I saw my grandpa I got to say goodbye.