Today we took down all the Christmas decorations and hauled the tree to the curb. The tree still looked great. It was the nicest tree I’ve had in years. I love to go and cut down a tree for Christmas, but this year I decided that might not be the wisest idea. So, I bought one from the lot at the local nursery and was really happy with it. It had no spiders in it (An Australian decoration), and it had all it’s branches (Unheard of in Hawaii). We had a fun Christmas with my brother Mike, his wife Karin, and their children Jeremiah, Matthew and Madeline. Mike, thinking I ran my home like a military boot camp was surprised to experience game playing and candy eating at 2100. Life group habits are difficult to break. Christmas Eve is always my favorite part of Christmas. I was in for a challenge this year because Jeremiah doesn’t like chocolate cake. So, Jesus’ birthday cake had to be a new flavor. I ended up making a peppermint candy cake and everyone voted it a thumbs up. We attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service in which the Elder (Lars said he always wanted to be referred to as The Elder) instructed us to watch our children so that they didn’t tilt their candles and drip wax on the floor. The minute Zeke’s candle was lit, I watched as he tilted it and dripped wax on the floor. It is inevitable if you tell a child not to drip wax on the floor, spill that glass, run into that wall, touch that stove that they will. It’s just a part of life with kids. On Christmas Eve, the kids all played songs on the piano that they had been practicing for Christmas. We had Carol of the Bells, Rudolf, Deck the Halls, Zeke’s version of Go Tell It on the Mountain, and Hot Cross Buns (which technically is a Good Friday/Easter song. In Australia, we learned that Hot Cross Buns are essential fare on Good Friday). I thought that Dale was going to put the sound bites of the kids playing piano on the blog, but after no one complimented him on his convenient playback option, he got a little miffed. For revealing that, he’ll probably torment me with my version of Holly Jolly Christmas. I could be a reject of American Idol with that one. On Christmas Eve, we also had the Christmas story production from all the children. The production experienced a few technical difficulties and Josiah showed shades of his father when others began to tell him how best to print something out on the computer. A word to the wise: Don’t ever try to give computer advice to my husband or son. In the end, the Christmas play was a smashing success complete with multiple costume changes and sheep that looked like dogs. Josiah was the first to wake up on Christmas morning. He got up at 0230 and woke me up ripping open the wrapping paper of the present on his bed. I told him to go back to sleep, because he had 4 1/2 more hours to wait. On Christmas Day, I most enjoyed the first annual Manry vs Meloch kickball game. It was a beautiful 50 degree day and if our neighbors were hoping for a quiet Christmas, they were sorely disappointed. On Boxing Day, we went to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space museum. I heard all the languages of the world spoken there. With the dollar’s value dropping, I guess the World decided that it was a good time to visit DC. Whenever I go into a major US city, I always wonder why a Happy Meal costs 3 dollars more than it does anywhere else in America. Well, Christmas is done and we’ve put away all the ornaments that Zeke didn’t manage to break. In 2006, when I was putting away the ornaments, I was wondering where I would be unwrapping them in 2007. Hopefully, in 2008 I’ll be unwrapping the ornaments right here in Stafford with Dale at my side or at least in the room grumbling under his breath about Christmas lights that don’t work.
One unattainable goal I set each year is not to be wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve. I have the gifts, wrapping paper, scissors, and gift tags ready. I have to search the house for each of the three rolls of sticky tape that my children have left in various locations. When I find it, I’m all set…if only I’d actually wrap the gifts. At this point gift bag people would try to win me to their gift bag cause, but I’m someone who likes the look of wrapped gifts. If they are wrapped as pretty as my sister in law Michelle wraps them, even better. My gifts don’t look anywhere near as good as Michelle’s, but I give it a go. This year I once again made the unfortunate decision to buy the cheap wrapping paper. It is so cheap, the coloring actually rubs off. I wrapped my brother Howie’s gift in that cheap paper and I’m sure by the time he received it, it was colorless and ripped. He was probably thinking it would be best if I moved on to gift bags. So, I kept telling everyone I was almost ready for Christmas, I just needed to wrap gifts before Christmas Eve. I really dislike spending Christmas Eve wrapping gifts. Procrastinate…Procrastinate…Procrastinate. Well, I started last night, but since I finished at 0130 this morning, I was technically wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve. Oh well, I’ll try again next year.
Last Friday, my Dad became very dizzy and ill. His blood pressure dropped, he broke out into a cold sweat and slept heavily for several hours. These symptoms occurred again on Sunday night but much more severe. His blood pressure spiked and he could not regain his balance, his speech slurred, and the violent vomiting did not relent. He was transported in an ambulance to Mary Washington Hospital where they stabilized him and ran every test. (MRI, MRA, EKG, Doppler, blood, urine, xray, etc) The radiologist saw evidence of several small strokes at the base of the skull. There was no visible damage from the stroke. The Neurologist recommended that my Dad be transferred to the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville for surgery. He was transported there Monday night. My brother Mike flew in from Minnesota and he and my Mom drove down to UVA on Tuesday. They all met with the surgeon who recommended that my Dad undergo basilar arterial angioplasty stint surgery. The blood vessel at the base of my Dad’s skull is partially blocked and causes the minor strokes that he has been having intermittently over the course of the last 10 years. A little over 10 years ago, he was told that there wasn’t anything that could be done about it. The doctors at UVA have been performing this surgery for years and a few years ago, the technology for the balloons and stints advanced to improve the outcome. The Doctor who will be operating on my Dad performs this surgery approximately 5 times a month. At the outset of all this, my Dad just wanted to go home. He has since come to accept that God placed him here, so this problem could finally be diagnosed correctly and surgery could help alleviate it. He will be operated on at 0800 Thursday 8 November. The surgery will take 1 1/2 - 2 hours and he will be in the ICU for several hours afterwards. He will stay in the Hospital overnight and if there are no complications, he may be released back to my house on Friday. As my Mom sat with my Dad throughout the first night in the hospital, she was reading about Lazarus. “This sickness is not onto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 I do glorify the Lord through this. Our move to Virginia has not only blessed the children and I, it has now blessed my Father. Here in Virginia, my Dad and my Mom found answers and help that they have been seeking for years. The Lord God has also been glorified through my church. I am ever grateful to belong to a terrific body of Christ that truly does “love one another deeply from the heart.” I am also grateful to have Christian neighbors who have been an example of the Proverb, “Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.” Proverbs 27:10. So, please pray for my Dad and praise our God who prepares the way, walks beside, and in the midst of trial gives us peace. “”Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God: and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
This is my first post in a new category - Must Have Deployment Gear. No matter what Mugs may say, I don’t collect a lot of personal field gear. I will admit to possessing an astounding array of boots and gloves, but if your hands or feet are uncomfortable, you’ll be miserable the whole time you’re in the field! Anyway, I do believe that the right tool can make all the difference.
Someone recently sent me a collection of comics from Bob on the FOB. One of the best is titled Geardo. According to Bob on the FOB, a Geardo is “someone who spends at least 50% of each paycheck (before taxes) on the latest & greatest gear, just to have the latest and greatest gear, regardless of whether or not that gear will actually help the wearer perform his/her duties.” See Geardo and other comics at http://www.bobonthefob.com/pastbob.html.
The first item in my Must Have Deployment Gear list is the spork. For my birthday this year, Mugs and the kids bought me various small pieces of deployment gear. My spork is one of those items.
This awesome spork is from a company called Light My Fire. If you would like to purchase your very own Light My Fire spork, you can find it online at Campmor.
When I finished my run tonight, I stretched for 10 minutes. Make sure you tell Lay Fong that I’m still stretching; I don’t want to get in trouble again. Anyway, after showering, I used my spork to eat a bowl of Smart Start cereal for dinner. I know in my last post I heaped praises on the DFAC, and now I’m writing about eating cereal for dinner in my hooch. Technically, it was DFAC food, since I brought the cereal and milk from the DFAC. But that’s not the point of this post. This was all made possible by the spork. I carry the spork in one of the cargo pockets on my ACUs and am ready to eat at a moments notice!
