One Year In Atlanta

"A lot can change in a year."

No shit! :] Wow, have I missed blogging! I actually had a couple different drafts I'd written in attempt to break the silence and briefly explain the multi-month gap between my last post and now, but winging it sounds much better. There's been a few big changes in life since I was here last, and now that things have evened out a little bit, I'm happy to be back. To those who've followed along and been a part of the past year, thank you. Our family's loss came quickly and unexpectedly, and honestly, it would have been so much harder without the support/thoughts/prayers. If you're new here, being late is a bad habit ;] Kidding! I can summarize by saying that last year I dropped everything to come live an unpredictable, bicoastal life (between Las Vegas and Atlanta) to help take care of my favorite old people, my grandparents. It hasn't been easy but I've tried to keep it fun, and one year later I am happy to call it MY life. Here's a quick breakdown of some lessons learned and things I want to remember about 2015:

• Life is short. Cliche as it sounds... life is very short. Live good & Love big.
• There are serious flaws in the medical system. Your instincts never need an explanation and never feel wrong for questioning the world of medicine. I did. And I'm positive things wouldn't have turned out in our favor had I not.
• Pops being 90 is more exciting than all previous ages. 90 you guys, 90!
• The guy you thought was 'the guy' might just be best as an old memory. Let it be. 
• Never place all the first-timers on the same side of the canoe. #preparetogetwet
• 8 1/2 months away from Pepper is a horrible idea. Why did I leave half of my heart in Vegas!?
• If you need help, ask for it. Life became so much easier in Atlanta when I just.let.people.help. 
• Humidity may be the best thing my hair has ever had lol. So healthy and long! 
• Good intentions were behind the failed Christmas dinner. I swear.
• True friendships know no distance. I've said it before, but I have the best friends :]

That list could've been way longer! But those are what come to mind when I think back and wonder just how I survived 2015. My life is forever changed from the past year. Loss is never easy but it is something we all have in common. Given the chance to let something make or break me, I forever choose the first. 

So what now!? 

I started this blog after years of procrastinating. YEARS! I wasn't sure what this little corner of the internet would be about and if I'd even enjoy keeping it. I am sure that I want this place to be a current representation of my life. This blog had to take a backseat to bigger priorities last year, but I'm definitely back. I'll only be 28 once and I plan to make the most of it. If you'd like to follow along for 2016, expect a little crazy and a whole lot of random :] 

Red, White && Boom!

It's August, guys. A u g u s t !! Now that things have settled down a little over here, let me recap what July was like from my point of view. From the holiday to my first Tennessee visit to a broken arm... we pretty much covered a little bit of every aspect of life in those 31 days (we as in me + G&P, because yes, I'm still in Atlanta. You didn't know?!). Instead of one lengthy post, I'll break it down into a couple posts, come back tomorrow for the rest.

I love the 4th! I love any reason to celebrate and have a themed party, but having the entire country celebrate our freedom and honor the people who have made and continue to make that possible is awesome. It's pretty hard to set definitive plans within this family so I swear up until the day before all we knew for sure was that we'd spend the day with family, food & fireworks. It secretly really drives my Type A/OCD personality crazy, but #familyisforever so you just go with the flow :]

I'm usually in charge of decorations (shocker!) and I honestly went shopping the night before with "go big or go home" in mind. I've spent about every holiday in Atlanta at some point in my life, but I think the last time I was here for the Fourth was with my dad around 14 or 15. That was the best 4th of July ever. My entire family was together, people who have since passed (including him) were all in one place at one time and having the most fun. The 4th of July had to be one of my dad's favorite holidays. That specific day was so "him", that I can remember being there in the moment thinking we'd all never forget it. I remember he and my uncles going to get a keg, asking for some beer in my solo cup but not being allowed to have any, haha, hundreds of dollars in illegal fireworks && all of the neighbors coming over to sit in chairs and on blankets on G&P's long driveway for the show. Ironically, even this year just about everyone (including the neighbors!) brought that day up. It made this year a little bittersweet for sure.

Of course, there was a high chance of rain, so our outdoor deck party got changed to an inside feast. I was weary of the dollar store balloons I picked up...but let me tell you, those cheap things were the best and longest lasting balloons I've ever bought in my life. And that's a lot! I actually buy balloons so much that I'm positive when I have kids I'll just invest in my own helium tank to keep in my garage. I learned last year when I was designated the "birthday planner" at work for my coworkers that the country is actually in a "helium drought" and that's why balloons are so expensive, and sometimes unavailable (because of the high demand and being sold out before another delivery). I'm not even kidding! Now don't say I've never taught you a random fact :) After 3 weeks I gave up waiting for them to deflate and left them out with the trash. So for future reference, the dollar store is definitely the way to go! 

If you follow me on instagram (@jennbartley) you saw how cute and coordinated myself and G&P were. I didn't force anyone to wear anything...but I did give each of them the option of red, white or blue and said we all can't pick the same, lmao! Granny loved it. Pops wasn't thrilled - but ya know, he loves me a lot :] We ate so much food, laughed a lot, some went swimming, but we missed out on fireworks. Georgia lifted their law on fireworks being illegal effective July 1st, and the inventory literally flew off the shelves. With every neighboring state selling fireworks legally, Georgia realized that people driving a couple hours to the state border was only benefiting that state in taxes versus their own. It was a bummer to only have a few small ones I'd picked up at Target, but we definitely saw the prettiest displays over the trees all around us and heard the booms late into the night.

This was Pepper's first Fourth of July in 2011. That bow lasted 3.4 seconds, but was so worth the 20 minutes of making!

I realized when I went to bed that I hardly took any pictures to do the full house, overload of food, and fun time any justice. But that's usually how it works out! I also missed having Pepper underneath the covers between my legs, freaking out from every pop and boom. I was extra grateful to my mom that day for keeping him safe and calm on probably a dog's worst night of the year!


Till next year, Independence Day!

Weekending!

Is it really already about to be July?! As a teenager I never stopped to think about how fast or slow a year passed by, but now in my late 20's it seems to be a reoccurring thing. Does this mean I'm all grown up? ...jk, I'm good. I had cookie dough for breakfast at least twice this past week :]

In total "us" fashion, Granny had to have an impromptu oral surgery a couple days ago. I mean, it'd be too easy if everything just ran smoothly for me, ya know?! So last minute, I arranged for a neighbor to help with Pops' physical therapy appointments and I took G-nasty (that's her nickname from when I was a teenager, lol I'm sure she loves it!) to a surgery she was convinced she was not going to have. I felt so bad, to say the least. But everything turned out well, the surgeon even came out to let me know that he and his staff feel honored to have met our family. I know I say all the time how great G&P are, but it's so nice to hear it come from others as well. My grandmother is one of the toughest people I know. She has yet to complain of pain, discomfort, or even try to take it easy here at home. She still spends most of her day checking on Pops, doing all the dishes, and waking me up to ask me what time I'm waking up. Some things never change!

So, with Pops still recovering from the brain bleed and Granny only a couple days post-op, we're going to be taking it easy this weekend. You know, taking a break from our usual dare-devil activities and doing more channel surfing versus popping wheelies in grocery store wheelchairs. #retirementisthuglife. I'd be lying if I said I knew the day and date each time I'm asked. Some days we have our shit together and other days we stay in our pajamas and eat breakfast at 4pm. It's completely normal, right?! Right!

We had lunch at Atlanta Bread Co. on Friday and I made it to the pool just in time for one of the random Georgia thunderstorms. Our Saturday has been full of lounging around and napping when the rain makes the cable cut out (note to self: we have to get rid of the dish service. Too many trees and storms make it too unreliable). Sunday, I'll spend downtown braving the Ikea crowd and I really hope to find and see this Pray for ATL street art. We're having a 4th of July party here at our house next week, and luckily Georgia is lifting the law on illegal fireworks (because it's too easy to drive 2 hours to S. Carolina or Tennessee and just pick them up there). We will have a fun display camped out on the driveway with family, friends, chairs and blankets like we used to with my dad as a kid :]

                                     Day to day might be a little tough, but overall life is good :D

Home Sweet Home.

I've probably failed lately at keeping all of my different social media outlets fully up to date on Pops' status (Bonus points to those of you that stalk follow me on all of them! You for sure already know this news!) But I finally was able to take him home from the hospital earlier this week. <insert every emoji ever made representing HAPPY here!> 

The decision was somewhat against professional advice, but as his professional favorite granddaughter I believe our final step in healing is to get back into a normal routine at home. ...that & I'm pretty sure authorities would have been part of the big picture had we kept telling him "not yet" when he'd ask if it was time to leave. Can you go to jail for busting out of inpatient rehab? Would there be better food there? I guess we'll never know...I said I appreciate their medical opinion but where do I need to sign!? And just like that, we were watching Judge Judy at 4pm, at home! 

Now bring on the flood of insurance statements and bills. #healthcareinamerica

Hospitals + Rehab.

Surprise! I didn't quit blogging :)

I've been dreading this post, so let's just get it out of the way and move on ...to all the more fun drafts I've completed while pushing this topic to the side.

It's been about a month. Probably the longest e v e r for me over here in Atlanta (you read that right, still here! My April trip extended to May and will for sure enter June injust a few days). I tend to shut down and put temporary walls up whenever I'm stressed or something is wrong. It's completely intentional, drives my friends/family crazy, but it's also not permanent; I just like to have my thoughts/feelings/ideas all figured out in my own head before I'm ready to let anyone else in on them. If that makes sense? AND, I don't like to jinx anything - in case jinxing is as serious in adulthood as it was in childhood. Along with double-dog dares and saying Bloody Mary in a dark bathroom three times!

 

I called 911 on May 1st for Pops. It'd been a week of some kind of stomach virus, so he was already not feeling well :/ But after too many light falls and then some real concerns on his inability to do things he normally does, I told him it was beyond just me helping and I thought we needed the hospital. He doesn't remember it now, but for the record, I did ask his permission and thankfully he knew he didn't feel right and agreed. I knew we were calling an ambulance, but sometimes people like to think they decided for themselves (thank you college psychology!). We spent the whole next week at the hospital - long live shitty food, vending machines & sweatpants.

 

The beginning was scary. We were told he has two brain hemorrhages but no one knew exactly why it happened or what any long term damage could be. We can just assume that he hit his head during one of those falls and wait for the brain to (hopefully) naturally reabsorb the blood. Even today, we still aren't sure if he'll go back to normal and be able to do most things independently or if we will have a new normal to adjust to.

 

After the hospital, we were transferred to an acute rehab located in an older wing of a different hospital farther away. Acute rehab focuses on occupational, physical and speech therapy in a hospital setting to assist with any medical issues or needs. I don't like that it's so far away, but I'm so grateful for that kind of healthcare. Where the hospital focused solely on his health and medicine, rehab works at building independence back up. I got so frustrated with the hospital. They were 'trying' a new medicine every day, he was constantly being sedated to avoid trying to get up and get out of bed (even to use the bathroom! One nurse told me she wouldn't help him get up and he needed to use a bed pan. Wait, what!?). They weren't concerned if he ate or not or if he had been sitting in bed for two days straight. I probaby came off as over protective but Granny and I spent all day every day there to help keep him comfortable and Judge Judy on tv at 4pm. It wasn't a horrible stay, but who really loves the hospital, so my opinions are valid! Most of the staff was nice, the cafeteria lady gave me her schedule for the week and I was bringing Pops free dessert from the kitchen as a get well gift from a woman he'd never met. Everyone there was doing their job, but I don't think looking at charts and numbers is all that's needed when something is wrong, so yay for being discharged and on to inpatient rehab!

 

He doesn't remember the ambulance transport there, but I think that's just because of old age. I knew when he told the paramedics that 'they had the wrong guy because he'd requested a limo', that he's slowly getting back to normal :) The rehab schedule is like a legit part time job. He spends over 4 hours a day, 5 days a week doing all kinds of therapies. It reminds me of a preschool for the elderly - plus spare oxygen tanks and bigger dipaers in cabinets lol, it's kind of cute. The gym has a bunch of yoga balls and colored wooden blocks to work on fine motor skills and ballet bars along the walls to work on muscle strength. It can also be hard on the heart to see people without family there every day. I remind him daily that we're so lucky because so many around him are in much worse conditions. Plus he has one hell of a fan club in Las Vegas and on Facebook/Instagram (THANK YOU!). They say we have another two weeks in rehab but I haven't told him about that yet. I know he wants to be home and Granny and I think the house is too quiet without CNN turned up too loud every morning. Right now we have good days and we have not-so-good days, so with a little more hard work, patience and me telling the doctors we're not about that medicine life....I hope things keep progressing.

 

Thank you so much to everyone that has thought of and wished/prayed for Pops. I'm lucky my mom has been spoiling Pepper for the last 7 weeks while I'm here, I'm happy my sister flew out to help and I'm glad my grandparents have the neighbor next door who is just as involved as I am. We are some lucky Bartleys aren't we!

 

P.S. I wasn't there, but if by chance the nurse that tried to give him his medicine crushed into applesauce in the middle of the night may be reading this, we asked if he spit it back out at you on purpose and his exact words were "Yes. She was nasty" ....sorry we're not sorry! Next time just ask him to take a bite instead of pushing it into a sleeping man's mouth. It wouldn't be so messy :)

 

Like I say, the sun never sets on a badass!

 

Part 2: a little G&P update

Before I get into part 2 of my trip update... today may have been the prettiest day, ever. Staying on track, of course, with the most unpredictable weather I've seen in a long time! In a world full of all the best filters, this didn't need a single one :]

 

It's been an event-filled past few days. I've always said I need to write a book. Not necessarily to be published and for the public to see, but for sure to have some of the funny and memorable stories of my life written down in one place to look back and laugh at. You know, when my memory may not be so clear on that horrible first date with whats-his-name or the time my sister and alcohol convinced me I'd look great with a pierced lip (Sorry Mom!). Finding a frog next to my bed the other night would most definitely make the book.

Before you judge, I get it. Everyone from my mom to the neighbor next door has reminded me that frogs are harmless. I get it. But it doesn't mean you'd sign up to share a bedroom with one overnight! And I'm from the desert. Regardless of any desert myth, I've never had a scorpion or tarantula in (or probably even around) my house. Thanks to land development and pest control, unless you're living in a tent near the mountains, I don't think many people ever see one themselves. But in Georgia, I swear there has to be a new breed of insect and any animal you can think of, all living directly in the woods in your backyard. That scares me so much!

I went into my room to head to bed around 2am (fact: Pops doesn't share the remote, so I have to catch up on my shows after he's gone to bed. We're all addicted to the Duggars, Royals and Married At First Sight, right? Right! :]) I saw a spot on the wall and thought "that's a huge cockroach", but getting closer I realized it was really a frog. A little one, just a tree frog, about 3 inches big while sitting and more like 6 inches stretching out. It really sucked to be the only person in the house that could handle that problem. Right then and there, I wondered how to tell my grandparents I was heading back home, haha! I seriously considered waking Pops up, but he can't move fast enough to catch a frog. Granny was actually my first thought, but nothing scares her and at this point it was literally climbing around the crown molding on the ceiling, so I just knew she'd say to leave it be - and that wasn't an option. It took 40 minutes, a phone call to a friend in Vegas to hear me use every curse word I could think of, 3 trash cans, and a whole lot of courage to catch him. Or her. I don't like things that move or jump faster than I can think. I really hope there's only one frog story in my to-be book. I haven't gone to sleep since without doing a full scan of the entire room and walls...will life ever be the same?!

 

Yesterday was a blog post writing itself. I woke up to Granny at my bedroom door saying "Jennifer, he's really gonna do it this time!" I don't even know what went through my head. Pops has and will always do absolutely anything he wants (fact: it took so much convincing to have him pay his taxes this year lol, "the IRS can just come and ask me for them if they really want it!" was his mindset). I like to think of it this way: when you have twenty years on the door greeter at Walmart, you kinda walk around life doing what you want. He's not my 89 year old badass for nothing! I follow her outside to find him behind the wheel of my new car. Mr. One Eye doesn't drive anymore, you're welcome Atlanta. "I'm just seeing what it feels like" he said. He asked to drive down the street...and I caved. I'm pretty sure that's illegal on every level, but it was worth letting him feel independent and be in control (with my hand on the E-brake!). Granny wasn't happy, but she still got in the backseat for a quick ride.

 

Ironically, he did really well. He's a huge fan of having cameras that show what's behind and next to you on the screen. He can't believe he didn't think of that himself and wants to know if he can play a movie on there as well :] I can't wait for him to pull the "one eye" card with me next. I'll have to remind him of his little rendezvous driving the car....so remind me again why you ate pie for breakfast and are making a milkshake for lunch? You can't see what?? (fact: that happened today.)

Can we love these two any more or what?!

A little G&P update...

I'm back in the South.

Don't act so surprised :] It was planned to come towards the end of April, but life doesn't always (read: ever) work as planned. So I'm here now, just in time for Spring to be in full effect and witness the most bipolar weather going on in the States. It's no exaggeration when I say my suitcase has a little of everything in it - you'd think I was leaving for a year...but nope, just a couple weeks in Atlanta, where we've experienced about all of the seasons on an every-other-day basis! It's currently raining, which was supposed to happen all of last week. But instead, last week we had 80 degree weather for a few days followed by a couple nights of weirdly cold temps, and absolutely no rain besides one random downpour on my way home Friday morning (where I learned windshield wipers are nothing but a joke on the GA-400 when you can't even see the car next to you). Coming from Vegas, I can so appreciate a nice rain (aren't they supposed to happen something like in The Notebook?!), so no real complaints over here on the current situation. Tomorrow may be a different story :]

I don't know where to begin with Granny and Pops. Honestly, the only real routine we have each day is Judge Judy at 4pm. Everything before and after that is all over the place. We usually have an idea of what we they need or want to do. But timeframes don't exist in retirement, and it's so much fun that way :D

Easter might just be Granny's favorite holiday. I woke up extra early with her that Sunday morning to share my makeup and let her browse my closet to get ready for church. I love how she asks me about the kind of makeup I use, where I got my shoes, or if she can wear one of my jackets. Proves that being a girl is fun all the way through ...80 something? I actually don't know how old she is. I'm pretty sure I ask every once in awhile, but she does an amazing job at avoiding the answer or distracting us long enough to forget why it even matters. Haha, I guess a lady never tells!

I convinced Pops to dye eggs with my cousin, Granny and I. He says he's never done it before - but I think there's no way you raise 5 kids and get a pass on dying Easter eggs. I mean, there's no way, right?! He wasn't a fan. He dipped his egg in the green dye, dried it off on his paper towel, poured a glass of wine, asked if they were raw or cooked, and started cracking his open before I'd even finished my first multi-colored masterpiece :] His idea rubbed off on the rest of us though. My cousin started eating his, I stopped caring about the cute picture of all of our eggs and started eating mine, and Granny held onto her pretty blue one for about 15 minutes before we convinced her to let us have hers as well. He doesn't know it yet, but we're so doing it again next year. If I can get him to show up to the table I'll even let him use wine to dye his egg like he was asking to do this year lmao. #thesunneversetsonabadass

We've had doctor's appointments, trips to Home Depot, lots of icecream and we're currently planting and placing flowers all over the place. I'll be back tomorrow to catch everyone up to date to now about my visit. I left out the most recent things, like finding a frog in bedroom at 2 am (currently the scariest thing in my life!) and waking up today to Granny knocking on my door saying "Jennifer, he's really gonna do it this time!" ... lol, there is never a dull minute over here :]

See y'all <3 



Right here, right now.

Oh heeey :]

I've spent a lot of time forever trying to decide what my first blog post would be. Why is "the first post" so intimidating? Am I supposed to talk about me? ...That's awkward. Do I start with a quick explanation of why I'm here and what I plan to blog about (spoiler alert: it's gonna be a whole lot of everything, because I love random!)? Should I plan something out? ...while I am a fan of planning, I also just think some things you need to follow your gut on. 

That being said, lets talk about right here, right now. Pops decided sometime in the last month that he'd just throw away his old license. Why? "Because I've only got one eye!!" That's his favorite excuse. He actually does have two. But he can only see out of one now, and he will pull the one-eye-card any time he can (ex: Why are there 9 tubs of icecream in your freezer?! One eye...of course!)  He kept in his is wallet for the last 5 years since it expired and he doesn't drive, but naturally, threw it away the month before he'd need it. Like to buy a car. So checking off things on our to-do list (lalalove those!) while I'm here, we woke up nice and oh so too early for the DDS. In Las Vegas, it's the DMV, here it's the DDS. Worldwide it's known as hell ;) Pops needed an ID card. 

Anything outside of a five mile radius with two people in their 80's, I call a field trip. Everyone likes them, but it's just not practical to have one every day. Today was a field trip and a half! My old people do what they want, when they want to. Just imagine one unbuckling herself while on the freeway, me leaning back with one arm to help her re-buckle, reminding her it's illegal and dangerous to not have it on, while the other is pushing every single new button he sees and admiring the touch screen on the dash. There's a new description for multi-tasking in my world, and it's driving on the Georgia 400 with half of yourself helping someone in the backseat while being blasted with A/C and then extreme heat, the windsheild wipers turning on and the emergency flashers going off. Lookout Atlanta, the #hotmessexpress is headed your way!

Believe it or not, we were only 15 minutes from the house. We got to the DDS and I laughed at the 182 person max capacity. At home, there's usually 182 people in front of you, not in the building entirely! But I wasn't complaining, less than an hour there and we were on our way. Time flew by, which was great because when your hearing isn't what it used to be you also don't tell secrets that greatly. So the guy with the ugly neon shoes Granny pointed out now knows about his fashion fail in her opinion, as does the guy in front of us with the pants falling down "so you can almost see his butt!". And Pops made sure to tell each employee we talked to that he doesn't understand why it takes so long, "it's ridiculous!".

I've yet to have a couple toddlers, but if/when I do, I imagine an outing alone with them to be much like what like these field trips are. It's funny. And frustrating. And tiring. And so so so worth the memories :] 

So, that's what's happening. That's how this first post is going down. And to be honest, I couldn't think of a better start - than 2,000 miles away from home, in Atlanta on a last minute trip to G&P's (that's Granny and Pops, for anyone who doesn't know me :]), helping out my favorite old people. If you keep reading, you can get to know me a little down the road, I'll probably really never do an "about me" post (again, awkward!) or end up sticking to whatever blog plan I thought I'd make and keep, but that's how my life is. Some fun, some crafty, some random, some G&P, and a whole lot of Pepper! 

**Side note: not sure on the title yet. We'll figure that out later!