That Time My Nephew Was a Daredevil Romantic

My nephew Brandon recently returned from Afghanistan (he's a medic in the Army). He got to have a nice long leave at home before reporting to Fort Campbell & he decided that this was the perfect time to do something crazy and romantic with his girlfriend, Britt.

He told her that they were going skydiving. Britt had never been in a plane before, so already this was a crazy venture - get into a tiny plane for the first time & then JUMP OUT OF IT?

She was game, which just shows that they were meant for each other.

On the way down, her dive partner had to direct her gaze to one very important part of the field, where a bunch of giddy family members were waiting. (Pretend the banner is laying on the ground.)

It was a pretty emotional moment for Britt - well, and frankly for the rest of us too! Thank goodness she said yes!

And now we're planning a December 30th wedding! Congratulations you crazy kids! (I actually mean that literally, you know.)

2017 Project 365 – Week Thirty-four

I write to you from Post Surgery Land, which is filled with wonders & delights, and a smidge of surgical site pain. Thanks so much for all your well wishes! It feels rather miraculous to be here on the other side of that door!

Sunday, August 20^th     

Packing for the hospital. Which, except for the blanket & Mavis the Penguin Pillow, was a waste of time. When I was released, I just put on the clothes I wore down there, and I did not apply even one cosmetic. Mavis makes an excellent iPad lap desk.

Monday, August 21^st                   

4:30 a.m. bathroom selfie. I still can’t believe we locked ourselves out of the house. I am thankful that a) we had left the car unlocked, so I could sit down; b) that I got enough of a cell phone signal to call my dad and the hospital; c) that my father answered the phone on the first ring and broke a few traffic laws bringing us the spare key to the house so we could get the car key; and d) that the hospital wasn’t fazed that I was 20 minutes late & in fact everyone we met said, “oh, you’re the one who got locked out of the house?” They seemed amused.

After I was out of surgery and settled down, Dr. M went home to catch up on his sleep. But before he did that, he took pictures of this lovely butterfly!

I had a lot of company, but by game time I was alone and working a jigsaw puzzle on my iPad. Well, alone, except for the nurses who kept having to do things to me. I ended up sitting in my chair for about four hours. I slept very well that night (except for the aforementioned nurse meddling).

Tuesday, August 22^nd                                  

I got sprung today! Thanks to Daddy & Sue who came by to help carry all my stuff to the car.

Here is some of my loot, and doesn’t include a picture of this ginormous fruit & candy basket that Daddy & Sue brought me.

Wednesday, August 23^rd                             

Heather says, “If you touch my impatiens, I will cut you!”

Thursday, August 24^th                        

We have so enjoyed having the morning glories right outside the living room window.

Friday, August 25^th             

Pretty little lady.

I sleep with this contraption between my legs to make sure I don’t accidentally roll over or cross my legs. But my foot was itching, so I decided to try to use the grabber they gave me in the hospital to take care of the problem. Not pictured: me giggling & trying to kick Dr. M when he came in to scratch my foot for me.

Saturday, August 26^th                 

I’ve been sleeping a lot, as you might imagine. What’s hilarious about this not terribly flattering picture is that shortly after he took it, Dr. M was snoring to beat the band. Ha! We’re down to one turtle cookie. We were able to give some away, but we’ve each eaten a couple of them ourselves. They’re huge!

I have one more week off before I head back to work. And I thought I’d be eager to hop back into the fray. But, you know I’m kind of getting used to this layabout lifestyle. That will probably change once I stop taking pain meds though. As well it should.  

Just a Quick Note

I'm out of surgery & feeling no pain (so far). Apparently there was extensive damage, so I have to be about 50% non-weight-bearing for a couple of weeks. However, I've already been up & around, using my walker & impressing my therapists (the benefit of using a walker every day for almost 4 months!).

My dad saved our bacon (as usual!). This morning we left the house at about 4:45, & then realized we'd locked both sets of keys inside. Called my dad & he broke all kinds of speed limits to bring his housekey to us. We made it to the hospital only about 20 minutes late (I'd called & given them a heads up). Whew! Thanks Daddy!

I should be dozing, but instead I'm playing on my iPad. Which is basically what I usually do at home. Ha! I'll write a more detailed post about what's what later. Thanks for all the positive energy sent my way!

2017 Project 365 – Week Thirty-three

I can hardly believe that this week has finally arrived. In some ways it’s been easier than I thought it would – pain management hasn’t been all that difficult. And in other ways it was a bit alarming – I thought for a couple of days that I had an infection in my tooth that would have made me have to postpone the surgery. Thank goodness that fear has passed!

Sunday, August 13^th     

Heather and her impatiens. I’m a little worried that she’s going to get lost back there!

Monday, August 14^th                  

I was emptying the dishwasher & thinking that these nearly 27 year old dishes are still pretty lovely. I’m glad that the nearly 27 year old marriage is just as lovely!

Tuesday, August 15^th                                  

The weather channel made me laugh today. Ha!

Female hummer. Her little feet get me every time – so cute!

Wednesday, August 16^th                            

My Instagram post about these shoes: Some days you just need to wear your power shoes. #notmypresident #whatthehell

Thursday, August 17^th                        

Finished the panels on a new blanket. Just have to sew them together & then do the border.

Friday, August 18^th             

Vinca. They always make me smile.

Saturday, August 19^th                 

Daddy & Sue came over to clean again (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!), and they brought lunch and these glorious flowers! So pretty and fun.

Tomorrow I have to be at the hospital at 5:15 a.m. And, you know, that’s ok because I’ll get plenty of sleep tomorrow. But I feel for Dr. M – he’s going to be pretty wiped out! If you think of it, offer up a prayer, good thought, or good vibe for him. I think I’m covered. 

We will not let hate win (will we?)

Yesterday I unfriended someone on Facebook - not something I do very often. Usually, if a person has wildly different views of life than I do & I don't want to see his or her posts, I'll just hide that person from my news feed. But this time I decided that I just didn't need to be Facebook friends with a person who had this particular point of view. What did she post? It was one of those memes that said, in effect, no white person alive today ever owned a slave and no black person today has ever been a slave, so basically everyone just get over yourselves.

As if the effects of centuries of people owning other people can be rinsed down the drain like grime after a hard day's work. As if the very institutions that undergird our nation aren't set, by default, to favor white citizens. As if the average black child in the United States today really does have the same advantages as the average white child.

I read an essay the other day where a woman was talking to a black man who couldn't swim. She said that he must not have grown up around water. But he replied that his town had a pool, but that black people weren't allowed to use it. Today that town's pool most likely doesn't discriminate. But what is the legacy of this story from our (relatively) recent past? I grew up hearing that "black people don't swim," as if it was a genetic disposition instead of a lack of opportunity. And this is just one example of systemic discrimination.

I used to believe that once the "older generation" died off, the United States would become a utopia where no one was treated differently based on the color of their skin, sexual preference, gender, or nationality. I'm not that naive anymore. We can't afford to wait for some fictional utopia. We need to actively seek the change we want in the world. What does that look like for me or you? No clue. But I'm ready.

2017 Project 365 – Week Thirty-two

Last week I had too many pictures & this week I don’t have enough. Well, we’ve had other things on our minds.

Sunday, August 6^th     

Some words I needed to hear at church this morning.

The moon!

Monday, August 7^th                  

Fresh peaches & pound cake – yum!

Tuesday, August 8^th                                  

I have this very irreverent weather app on my phone. I took issue with it this morning – I don’t think my coworkers are annoying at all!

Made some more progress on a project.

Wednesday, August 9^th                            

I got some new eye makeup & I was playing with it. These are my attempts to get a picture of the result. Made me laugh.

Thursday, August 10^th                        

I had four different pre-op appointments this morning! I was really glad that Dr. M came along, although it was awfully early in the morning for us. Perhaps between the two of us we can remember everything everyone said.

Friday, August 11^th             

We do not have a picture for today. I repeat, we do NOT have a picture for today. What the heck.

Saturday, August 12^th                 

Dr. M took some pictures around the yard. My cousin’s son came over to mow again (THANKS DREW & JULIE!). I did absolutely nothing but sit in my chair & play on my iPad. It was glorious.

A week from today I’ll be packing my bag for the hospital. I hope I’m out of surgery soon enough to get to see some of the eclipse. It will just be a little dimmer where I am, but still… Do you have plans to watch?

Wordless Wednesday

2017 Project 365 – Week Thirty-one

This week there are a LOT of pictures. I had major Decision Making Disorder. And I still didn’t use all the pictures – you’ll see some of them later this week.  

Sunday, July 30^th     

I liked how my bracelet matched my new dress.

Hummingbird sighting! They love the petunias & morning glories.

Monday, July 31^st                 

It was a good evening in Bug Hollow.

Tuesday, August 1^st                                 

I was trying to grow my hair out, but then I had an epiphany: Self – do you really want to mess with all that hair while you’re in the hospital? The answer was no, no I don’t.

Pretty little things.

Wednesday, August 2^nd                           

Snack – there is some oatmeal under there.

We see them every day now.

Thursday, August 3^rd                        

Finished!

Friday, August 4^th             

One of our dear friends painted this and then sent it to Dr. M. It has William Blake’s poem “The Lamb” written on it.

There is a sunflower field near our house!!

And a farm where they grow flowers!

Saturday, August 6^th                 

Daddy and Sue came over to help clean the house. They worked so hard and we are so grateful! I sat in my chair like a queen playing games on my iPad while they vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned the bathrooms & kitchen.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail – it looks like it’s been through the wars. We told it that our impatiens bed was a fine place to retire.

So far August has been cooler than July (at least here in my neck of the woods). What’s the weather like where you are?