Thanksgiving 2008

Craig and I have been known to be spontaneous. We bought an Xterra because we thought it would be fun to stop by and test drive one- 2 hours later it was in our driveway. We bought our first house because I thought it would be neat to walk through this model home. I handed them a check for the earnest money less than an hour after we got there. Our first road trip together was mentioned in a movie theatre and started the next morning! We've done our share of thoughtful planning, too, but some of the best decisions we've ever made were made on the fly.

Take yesterday, for example. We had spent Thanksgiving with my family on a deer lease Northwest of Austin. It was a good break from the ordinary. On our way back to Boerne (we went to see my old friend Brad) we saw a sign for Enchanted Rock. I've heard of this place, and always wondered what it entailed. We hardly hesitated to make the turn in to the State Park and began our trek up this crazy landmark. I was so proud of my kids- hardly a whine out of them as they hiked along side of us. It was just cool enough to keep from breaking a sweat, but not cold enough to put on a jacket. And the best surprise of all waited for us at the top- sunset! We couldn't have timed it better if we had tried! The rolling hills below us, the fall colors around us...it was glorious!

But the thing that struck me the most was my sudden desire to lift my hands and praise God! That this weird piece of naked rock in the middle of Texas was no accident. God formed it and prepared it just like everything else in His world. I started singing low "Our God is an Awesome God" and then Carleigh starts belting it out next to me. Even my four year old was moved by the awesomeness of our Creator! So I stood there, loving every second of my existence, and thanking God for the things that had brought us to that moment. Our goofy spontaneity, a reluctant camping trip, the health of each of my family members, the time off to enjoy such a moment. And the love of a gracious God.

It was a great trip. Even my t-sip friend Brad was gracious enough to not mock my Aggies, and his lovely wife made me some of the best coffee I have ever had. I drove from Boerne to home, with a quick detour to Smithville, all by myself (well, the rest of the family was in the car, but they were sawing logs before I hit I-10), wide awake at 2:30 am. There is a lot to be said for planning, but these quick scattered unplanned times are some of my favorite!

Getting in the spirit

Today dawned much cooler, around 48 degrees. I was instantly drawn into the holiday mood, and all it took was a drop of about 30 degrees! It helped that people around me are already putting up Christmas decorations. We will do that when we get back from the great outdoors. The kids are getting excited about the camping trip, although there is a fear of bears lingering in the background of their conversations. I've told them that bears are more scared of people than people are of bears, but they don't buy that. I don't even know where the idea of bears came in to their minds. They are more likely to be attacked by a charging armadillo than a bear, but I can't very well say that!

I'm glad we don't live as long as Methusalah anymore

Things here in this world look bleak these days, don't they? I have friends who are unemployed, friends who are not happy in their marriages, my stock is in the toilet. Craig's paycheck is based on the clinic's collections and those have been down. Turns out someone was stealing from their office. The government just bailed out my company for something like $20 billion- ack!
But I will not dwell on these things. They are all temporary- and my soul is eternal. And I know how this game ends. Worse case secenario- I die. And since dying means going to spend eternity with my savior, that's really great!
I'm feeling a little bleak today, despite my eternal perspective, and not because of anything above mentioned. Today, on November 24th, it is 78 degrees outside. Seriously???? Not my idea of nice weather. And we are going to go camping for Thanksgiving this year, so I'm a little bummed that the traditional side of the holiday won't exist for me this year. I don't even get to plan an exciting pre-dawn trip to a store to purchase that one perfect deal of the year, since I think we will be more than an hour from the nearest store on Friday. Someone remind me that none of that matters, okay? What matters is that I will get to spend time with my parents, brother, nephews, husband and children. That doesn't happen nearly often enough, and it doesn't matter what meal is being served!

Yipeee! I have strep throat!!!

Last Wednesday night I told Craig my throat had a sore spot and it was kind of annoying. Thursday led to a slightly more sore throat and I was markedly tired. I also felt some drainage in the back of my throat, so I immediately diagnosed myself. Sinus drainage- it would pass after a few days. By Friday I was describing how I felt as "skunk butt". I took whatever I had in my medicine cabinet that had anything to do with pain relief. Unfortunately, this was one TheraFlu thin strip and some sinus tablets that had expired 13 months ago. I hadn't eaten anything all day because it was so painful to swallow. I chalked being so tired and weak up to having not eaten in 24 hours and was in bed by 8:00.
I trudged through Saturday, still miserable. I tell you, I was convinced that ANY MINUTE I would begin to feel better. I couldn't imagine going to a doctor or buying some other medicine. Waste of money. So I gargled salt water, gargled hydrogen peroxide, sipped hot lemon/honey/red pepper flakes, sucked on an ice cube--- nothing brought me relief.
Finally I gave in and went to the Redi Clinic Sunday morning. I must have looked pathetic- I was the first person there, even beating the nurses! But it was a good strategy, because 7 people walked in within 5 minutes of my arrival. I felt like a fool- no fever, normal blood pressure, no ear infection, not even a stuffy nose! As the nurse checked off each non-symptom, I could hear her thinking "Quack". And when she looked in my throat and said "hmmm" I knew she had discovered how empty my throat is. I had my adenoids, tonsils, and uvula removed almost 6 years ago. She said "Hard to see any irritation when there isn't much back there". Really? You don't say. Then she swabbed my throat and ran a strep test, and it almost seemed she was doing it as a last resort. She waited a few minutes and told me it was negative. Lawsy- I felt like an idiot. I wanted to grab her and shake her and say "Razor blades! There are razor blades in my throat! I don't care what all the other signs point to- just make the blades go away so I can swallow my own spit without having to work up the nerve to do so!!!" But I didn't. I just waited while she wrote me a obligatory prescription for a decongestant.
I dropped the prescription off at the pharmacy and proceeded to make the most depressing stroll through HEB I have ever experienced. Apparently, the Christmas season started yesterday at HEB. All the checkers and baggers had on Santa hats. And they had samples of everything considered seasonal. Egg nog, wassail, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, ham, turkey, cornbread dressing, gingerbread cookies, coffee, and even sushi! Remember what I said about the razor blades? I couldn't touch a bit of any of it!!! So what should have been a delightful 30 minute wait amidst a practical buffet of holiday treats turned in to me with a scowl I know translated in to "Bah humbug" plastered on my face while I clinched my arms tightly across my chest and drug my feet down each aisle.
My mood lightened as I approached the pharmacy to check on the status of my order. The tech looked up and said "Guess what? The doctor called and said it is strep after all! The test turned positive as she was throwing it away!". I have never had strep, but I do know that a simple round of antibiotics should kick its butt pretty quickly. So the words "You DO have strep" have probably never been met with greater relief!
I am 36 hours in to my antibiotics and would say I am 95% better. I was reminded once again of the amazing benefit of working from home, as the doctor told me to not go to work for 48 hours because strep is highly contagious. But because I felt so much better, and there is no way to spread strep through the phone, IM, or e-mail, I was able to put in an 8 hour day. No time lost from work. I also saw my amazing husband in action once again as he kept the kids away from me as much as possible from Friday night through last night, and even kept them fed, gave them baths, and cleaned the kitchen. I shouldn't act surprised, as Craig has always been able and willing to take on his 70 hour a week job and as much as I need around the house to make things run smoothly. But it's nice to see. I told him I would kiss him last night, but I didn't want him getting sick! I'll give him a good kiss tomorrow.
More than anything, this weekend showed me how much I am like my mom. I use to hate the fact that the only diagnosis she ever had for me and my brother was "it's your sinuses". She would never rush us to the doctor like other kids' moms, and would make us wait it out. She was forever making us try herbal, homeopathic remedies, or down expired medicines (because they were still good, how can medicine go bad?) Sheesh- she rubbed off on me in ways I never thought possible. But she has also saved me hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars in unnecessary doctor visits for me and the kids.
I'm glad I'm feeling better- and I promise you right here and now that I will run to the Redi Clinic the next time my throat feels anything remotely like it did this past week. Now that I know what strep feels like, I won't ever let it get as far as it did this time!

Question

You've no doubt seen the clever bumper sticker that states "When Bush took office gas was $1.86 a gallon" -suggesting the bump in gas prices is President Bush's fault.

My question is- when will the new version come out, that says "And it was less than that before he left office"? Because if the high prices were his fault, then obviously the rapid decline in prices must be all his doing too!

Just a thought.

13.1 miles

My best friend Jodi wants to be healthy in her "old age" and knows it is up to her to make that happen. So, she has made a determined decision to stay active, and even more so. We are best friends, and I agree with her decision, so I'm going to join her on this quest for health. And we aren't fooling around here- Step 1- we're running a half marathon on February 14.

This is insane, considering the fact that I hate to run. When I was in the Army, it was the bain of my existence to have to run, and it took minor miracles for me to complete the 2 miles. What am I thinking? I guess I am thinking that I need to challenge myself, and if Jodi is going to do it, I'll join her.

We want to be HOT in our nursing homes...