Whew!

When it rains, it pours... right?
Yep, exactly right!

What should have been two weeks of packing and rejoicing has turned into two weeks of little sleep, drama, stress and wine for coping. Sally's hip replacement went well. But none of us imagined how difficult the recovery would be. We've been fighting our way through quite a lot of pain and tears. It's a nightly event to get through with the pain meds, Sal being pissed about the pain, and a bunch of general craziness.

Then comes... a new friend. Hmm... that makes it hurt to leave. Short version: I don't handle things like this well. I can't start something I won't finish. It's hard for me.

Also- my nephew is in Boston Children's Hospital due to fluid in his lungs. And I've been sick.

Yesterday I had a wrap-up doctor visit before I leave. Turns out my heart murmur may be acting up and I need to see a cardiologist. It's doubtful that it's anything serious. But just one more thing. And with me- after losing about 2 years of my life to medical drama any little thing pushes me over the edge.

Then on to U Haul loading. But the U Haul wasn't ready, of course. So we had an hour to load up. We made it!

Last night we ended up with an emergency trip to the ER (of the ambulance, paramedic, fire department type). Sal had a reaction to one of her meds and her tongue was swollen to the point she was having difficulty breathing. That began at 1am and ended at 5. She's home now, and supposedly OK.

So the saying is true, when it rains it pours.

I have been calling AC and Niki almost constantly in various states of panic. Thankfully I have friends with the ability to remind me who I am, what I need, and why I am doing the things I am. I love that when I call Niki she can tell me what to do and why because she knows me so well. Quote of the day: "There are plenty of single cowboys in Texas!!" And poor AC- I think she will probably be glad when I take my drama and go!

This is the loaded U Haul yesterday, and my sweet Daddy-o pretending to be my knight in shining armor with a BBQ grill lid.

I grew up fishing with Daddy. I aaaaaalways got stuck on the bottom. I would think it was a fish and get all pumped and then be crushed. And then, I got so used to being stuck that I would just hand the pole over regardless. Turns out, about half the time it would actually be a fish! Over time these childhood incidences turned into a life lesson from Daddy:

"Life can be difficult, but step out and try again and again. Sometimes when you're stuck on the bottom, it might be a big fish."

Here's a prayer of thankfulness for friends and family, for new friends and old, for cowboys, for nephews and nieces, for help stepping out of your box, for friends that know you better than you do yourself, and for a God big enough and wonderful enough to bring us together.

I'm off!!