Oct. 12, 2009
Skating, Sickness and Service
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Quick note on my health to start. Thank you all for your continued prayers. My rheumatologist has given up on me and advised I see a pain specialist. She worked with me for over two years. But either the meds did not help me or, most often, I had side effects and could not continue with her prescriptions. But my hope was never in her anyway - I will look unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My hope is in the Lord. If painfree is not His best for me, then I don't want it. ****** Yesterday we finally took Abigail out for her chosen birthday activity with Daddy and Mama - ice skating! I know what you're thinking and you are absolutely right! We're a little late, Abigail's birthday being in July. But this was more difficult to arrange, requiring a free Saturday afternoon (ha!) and me feeling well enough (a bigger ha!). (As a matter of fact, we did better with Abigail's than Sophia's. She had wanted an afternoon playing in the park with Daddy & Mama. That required all of the above plus good weather. Sadly, after months, she changed her request to dinner at Olive Garden.) This was only Abigail's and Jay's second time ice skating. Abigail went at the beginning of this year and was doing quite well yesterday. She has not yet perfected stopping. She's content to bodyslam herself into the boards! I was teaching her how to stop properly but we had to leave before she got it. Bummer. I had hoped to move her on to skating backward. But she really had no interest at all in trying that yet. Jay says he & I went about 23 years ago - his only other time. I don't remember that. But that's also the last time I had gone. We were both nervous. That first step out was shaky, but I quickly remembered the basics and coached him on finding your center of balance on ice skates. I was easily able to skate all around, even backwards. But as the afternoon went on, I realized that that and slowing/stopping was about all I remembered. I had taken lesons long enough to have learned quite a bit more. I was not adventurous enough to try any more right now, though! Jay did quite well for his first time. All right, he did fall 3 times but he only told us at the very end of the day that his skates were bruising his ankles terribly. He should have tried relacing or gotten a new size. Poor guy. He though they hurt only because it was all new to him. I'm amazed that he did so well under those conditions! When I first stepped on the ice, my ankles hurt like that and I was seeing stars - and I had had a large dose of painkillers to be able go out at all! A re-lace fixed it all for me. I so wish that I had known how much his hurt. It would have been so easy to fix. Instead, he needed frequent breaks and we had to leave sooner than planned. Afterward, we went to Steak n Shake and ate decadently! Burgers, fries and shakes - Mint Oreo, Butterfinger and Snickers. It was way too good! Right now, Ethan, Alexandra and Emma have a bad cold. At church yesterday, they announced that a terrible stomach bug was going around there (about 1/2 hr from where we live) and that the schools were having 25% absentee rate. That spread around here last year (or was it the year before). I told the kids that if anyone brought it home from church, they'd have to sleep in the garage!! ****** I have begun once-a-month cooking again. Tried it decades ago, but did not have the $ to buy all the groceries at once. And now, I also have lots of helpers. Our first cooking day was exhausting. But I learned much about how to improve the next one. It has been wonderful to have fresh, home-cooked meals all the time with so little work each night! We have to learn to plan ahead a bit better, though, and thaw a few days in advance. ****** And for a final groan: Madeline plans to start Christmas cookie baking this week. |
Comments
Oct. 12, 2009 - So good to hear from you!
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Posted by Hannah
Oct. 13, 2009 - FUN!!!
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Oct. 18, 2009 - Untitled Comment
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Posted by Oct. 26, 2009 - Me too!
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