Moments and Memories

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Unthinkable Moments

So you get in your automobile of choice to make a trip you've made a million times before. Somewhere along the way, your mind wanders into la la land leaving your well trained driving skills to function on auto pilot. Upon arrival, you realize you have NO MEMORY of the journey, and are left to assume that you did, in fact, stop at all the right signs and yield to all the right cars - tractors - animals - people - bikers - construction zones - you get the idea.

Now let's translate this to morning activities. It is commonly known that many do not think well before the hour of say 10am. It is also commonly accepted that our bodies are required to function well before that time. Some of us have places to be, goals to meet, tasks to check off, and an unfortunate number of reasons why we can't remain in bed until both our mind and body are ready to rise together.

For me, Tuesday is one of those days. I rise my normal early time to get my school kids going, but instead of putz-ing around, I head to the basement for a workout. I finish just in time for a bible reading time as a family and then the bus takes the kiddos away. I can then make myself a real breakfast and I regularly have a couple eggs, some cereal or toast, and a couple drinks....usually o.j. & hot tea. Occasionally I like to mix up an instant protein drink with my o.j. just to give an extra boost to my day. I have done this a million times....okay maybe only 800, but you see my point. It now takes little brain power to gain the advantages this brings to my responsibilities thereafter.

This morning during my exercises I actually had the thought that I felt "strong". I did a few extra reps in my workout and got done in great time. Many days, I do not feel strong at all, so this isn't necessarily the norm. Our reading / prayer time with the kids got done early, so the kids were actually waiting for the bus, another nice treat. Life was clicking along. I made myself a o.j. / protein shake in my little tupperware shaker. I even pulled some cooked sausage out of the freezer and began sauteing onions & gr. peppers with thoughts of sharing a scrambled egg concoction with my husband. And just as I poured my eggs into the pan, I woke up! Was that oranges I smelled?

Ugh! Too late now! I looked over to see my eggs still sitting in their carton and realized I had just poured my protein drink onto my plethora of sausage goodness. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Sometimes life is good. Sometimes goodness comes thoughtlessly. Sometimes we pay for ALL those thoughtless days that were so good. Today I had more eggs, more sausage, onion, & gr. pepper on hand. Thus I am still laughing.

Well, I've got to go pick-up Titus from school. Anybody want to ride with me?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Jersey Germs

Last night brought a first for me. The first time I collected jerseys at the end of a sports season. As with many firsts, it taught me something. Clean is relative. Jerseys and corresponding apparel are no exception. This photo will due to represent the millions of "shared" jerseys being used across America.

Prior to this collection process I gave no thought to the "germ count" on newly issued sports apparel. Yes, I was aware that the articles had previously been worn. I was also conscious of the vast variety of laundry habits. I could blame this oversight on the fact that all our previous activities included newly purchased t-shirts that immediately became ours for good. It just never occurred to me, and I will not overanalyze.

I will also refrain from grossing anyone out with a description of the various kinds of grass, dirt, hair, & lint that clung to some of the items. As I marked names off a list, I found myself more delighted that I had received the apparel, than what condition it was in. In the intensity of marking off the correct team member, I gave no concious thought to which of them gave it to me wadded vs. folded vs. protected in a bag. Only later as I folded 50 pairs of sweatpants, did I realize I should really wash my hands before I joined the pizza party.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not too good for used or "shared" apparel. It is very appropriate for keeping costs low for organized activites of all kinds. Next time, however, you'll hear me say, "Nice jersey, Teagan! Why don't you wash it up with a couple towels, so it will be ready for you to wear for your first event?"

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Little Thoughts

Heard from my 2 year old this morning upon looking out at a ground covering of snow.

"Mom, it's not raining or snoring."

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What IS a white Christmas?

Lunch today was enhanced with a rendition of "I'm d-r-e-a-m-i-n-g of a w-h-i-t-e Christmas..." Conversation with my 5 year old lent him to ponder what IS a white Christmas. Alas, he decided it is when you have your presents under a white tree. Too funny! I guess ours will be green again this year. :)

This picture was taken last December.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Ice, Snow, & Piece in my Heart

The intense concentration put me over the edge... edge of my driveway that is. Maneuvering my normal turn-around to back my van into its "spot" was s-l-i-d-e this way, turn, s-l-i-d-e that way, aim, s-l-i-d-e into place......whew, now just b-r-e-a-t-h-e. Alas, I fell into bed, dizzy from the oncoming snow that aimed at my windshield during the last leg of my trip. It definitely feels like winter.

Dec 1 marked the scheduled visit to Dr. Gradus-Pizlo at the Krannert Heart Institute in Indianapolis. Mom and I made the trip both ways in the same day.... which turned into 8 hours of driving when US 31 turned to ice. Ugh! I'm glad I don't do that everyday!

Tests:

Blood pressure was about 99 over 54 (I think)....low is normal for me. After hundreds of readings over the course of my life, I should know more about this, but alas, I leave that to my husband to explain each time. Bottom line, it was nearly the same as my last visit, which was "BC" or Before Closure of my ASD (a hole in the atrium of the heart). No alarm, but interesting.

Weight is up 4 pounds. Did you really think I was going to tell you what it is? :) If you promise not to be jealous, I'll only say that it was a welcome 4 pounds on my part. Not something I usually acquire even after an amazing Thanksgiving.

EKG read normal. This is the test where they put multiple stickers usually all around your chest. Individual wires are clipped (think micro jumper cables) to each sticker which are hooked to a machine that translates my blood flow to a graph paper printout. It's painless and takes 3 minutes including the stickering and clipping .... which was 10 stickies this time.

Stethescope made Dr. Pizlo comment again that my chest is like glass, meaning she could hear my heart VERY WELL. She and others had said that before, which goes to show how completely amazed they were last April when they found that something was wrong. She said my heart sounded great and expected the echo-gram to confirm the same.

Echo-cardiogram went great. 4 more stickies brings my count up to a whopping 66!! 3M is making a killing! The EKG tech said she goes through 400 per day!! Shnikies! Anyway, this being my 6th echo this year, I was please the technician was willing to explain things and answer my questions. Remember last spring when they found that the ASD had caused the enlarged, overworked right ventricle of my heart to be almost 4 times larger than the left side? Well, yesterday's sonogram showed that they are now the same size. GREAT NEWS! This means that the left side has expanded to take up it's rightful job & the right side (which has less work now) has shrunk enough to stop hogging all the space. Most importantly, there was no blood flow through the repaired ASD.

Dr. Pizlo has requested another follow up in the next couple years, but ultimately says that all looks great. She encouraged me that though I haven't seen a real change in my energy levels, this was a great investment in the long-term effectiveness of my heart. Her "bedside" manner & personal concern for me went beyond her role as my heart doctor. While sitting there with her, I was again reminded that I had called her an angel after visiting her last April. Blessings to all the doctors that look beyond the "problem" to the actually person they are helping.

Ultimately, I know true Peace came into my heart when I was 15 and asked Jesus to live there. This trip was to ensure peace about the new piece in my heart.

Peace out to the piece in, Dude!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Refridgerator Tension

I find myself daily in a personal struggle that I've named Refridgerator Tension. This tension centers around being the "purchasing officer" for the edibles in our household. I find that the fridge serves as a central barometer of how much food is actually available in the rest of the house. When the fridge is full, my family is living in the land of "milk & honey". When it is bare, all other cupboards, freezers, and shelving units seem equally depleted. Having too much in there causes major tension when trying to close the door. However, too little makes my prodigy feel instantly hungrier even DURING a meal. When a gallon of milk is finished I hear, "When are you going to the store?" To which I reply, "NEVER. I suggest you drink s-l-o-w-l-y!"

I personally get this quirky thrill when I discard the cardboard yogurt tray after we finish the collection of yogurts. (At Aldi you can buy them like that.) However, I immediately fear that I'm going to "need" another on soon, so I mentally bump my grocery run to today.....something I don't enjoy.

As I've pondered it, I've realized there are countless tensions related to that large, energy sucking appliance. Here's a few others just off the top of my head...

There's the cost of filling it, and the hassle of emptying it (especially the moldy things in the back). There's cleaning it on the inside, as well as ridding the clutter that accumulates on the top (a definite weakness for us tall people). There's keeping the temp right so the milk doesn't look like slush in your cereal and the ground beef doesn't grow bacteria before dinner.

What about the endless condiments that usually fall OVER when the door opens and often fall OUT because they're too slim to be held in? I often have issues with the mayo not fitting with the mustard and ketchup....nor do all the veggies fit in one drawer separate from the bag of apples. (I've been warned about mixing carrots and apples, but don't remember why.)

My parents had a scare a few years ago when their fridge stopped working and they learned about cleaning off the back coils with a sweeper. Ugh! That clearly involves MOVING the beast, which then exposes the floor. Double Ugh! (I can't refrain from mentioning the dead mouse we found one time.... Triple Ugh with a fur ball on top!!!) You heard me say, "stopped working"? I should then add the financial scare that a normal family experiences if this appliance takes ANY breaks ever for ANY reason. Isn't this the first thing we worry about in a power outage?....okay maybe that's the heat (or A/C), but it sure is a close second if the disruption lasts more than a few hours.

Look at this list of stresses! Aaah! And I didn't even mention the fact that it is THE ICON for overeating (think Garfield!) That adds a whole list if issues and stresses.

My heart is to find peace in the tensions of my life and Refridgerator Tension should be no exception. As I approach our holiday season which too easily centers around food (& then Jesus), I'm aspiring to recycle this tension for thankfulness that I even HAVE a fridge to fill. After all, I live in a land if bigger fridges than ANYWHERE else on the planet.

P.S. Pictured here is a fun marble toy that often causes my son his own version of refridgerator tension.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Summertime!

July has come and gone and with it were many fun times! We began with a new nephew/cousin on the Carrington side. This makes 6 nephews/boy cousins and one more coming in October.....and no girls in sight. Erica is starting to wonder.

The second week of July, we took a trip to southern Indiana for a 3 night family reunion on Jill's grandfather's side. This has grown into a fun getaway, so we all had a great time. Teagan even got to bring home an extended cousin, Taylor, for the week following. The 3rd weekend called for another trip south, though not as far. This time it was Jill's grandmother's reunion. Immediately following our return, Tim and Teagan loaded up a calf and were off for fair week, which is a big deal in our county. Much of their time was spent there for the next 5 days. The final days of July were a refreshing slow-down at home. I appreciate the days when we don't have to get in the van and go anywhere.

August marks the beginning of football in our family. Tim will begin officiating with a few scrimmages this weekend. Teagan is going to play on a local team. This is his first year and he's VERY excited.

Erica has had the opportunity to learn to ride horses through a longtime friend. She has shown a natural gifting in handling larger animals (both the horses, as well as our calves). It is beautiful to see how God has designed her and opened up opportunities for her to learn and grow in that gifting.

As for Titus, Bridgette, and I, we never seem to run short of things to keep us busy .....well, let me rephrase that....let's say, I have an endless list of things I need & want to get done....but keeping THEM busy IS often my #1 priority!

God is GREAT!
When I focus on that, the details seem to fall into place.

Until next time...