Heaven on Earth

I have always loved the Hill Country ever since I was 14 and spent a week at Camp Bandina for the first time - so it was a natural choice for a place to spend our anniversary last week. I'd seen Canyon of the Eagles on the internet a while back, and searched for it again recently. As soon as I saw the pictures, I knew it was the place!

After a meandering drive along Highway 16, we got checked in and settled in for an afternoon of relaxation. Our room (in a quadplex) overlooked the lake, and it was so very peaceful!! During the course of the weekend, we took a wonderful boat ride along the river, met some wonderful people, and ate some delicious food... but the highlight had to be Saturday evening! When cloudy weather cancelled our evening at the Planetarium, we settled into our rocking chairs and watched the coming rain. And it came with a mighty roar! Our building had a tin roof, and we were pounded with huge raindrops and golfball sized hailstones! While I was concerned about our car sitting our front, the storm was so awesome that it was worth it - luckily, my car survived with only some leaves blown on top of it!!

Andy relaxing - and reading on our porch - the views were amazing. Who needs t.v.??!!

We are already looking forward to a trip in the Fall - the Bald Eagles nest there, and we hear the colors are amazing!! Can't wait to see for myself!!

A hard post to write...

This Sunday will mark the 3 month date of my surgery! While it seems to be going by fast, and my life improves daily, there are times when my "previous life" feel eons ago.

Some days, I am so angry - at other people for being able to eat "normally", but mostly at myself. Where was this determination so many pounds ago?!? Where was my desire to be healthier and more active when I could have kept this from being a neccessity; where was my desire to be able to wear beautiful clothes, to shop for fun things to wear instead of what I could find that would fit?? Why didn't I care enough about myself and my family until I almost ruined it all....

These are hard questions to face. I know, the hysterectomy and dead thyroid didn't help, and Dr. Cruz pointed out that I most likely have the "fat" gene, but over all, this is my doing. Or lack of...

But - those days are behind me now. I am learning to adjust to my new way of life, and everyone is there for me, cheering me on. For that, I am grateful beyond measure!

Now, if I can just cheer for myself.

Old vs. New

Last year, my ob-gyn retired. He was ancient, and his office was tiny. They kept the "Christmas Tree" up all year, decorated according to the season. He had pamplets in his waiting room with the "plan of salvation" on them. His exam room and office - where he sat with you after the exam - were filled with tokens of love and appreciation from patients from many years of practice. (A plaque behind his desk said, "Dr. ______, at your cervix" It always made me smile!) He was all business, yet tender.

His practice was bought by a young doctor, whom I'd heard good things about. (When you deal with as many nurses as I have over the past year, you talk about doctors a lot!) So, I decided to give the new guy a try.

Yesterday, I walked into the state-of-the-art offices. It took up half of the bottom floor of the building, and there were 8 doctors alone in his area. (My other doc was the only one in the practice, with one nurse and one secretary) I was shuffled from waiting area to waiting area, talking to patients who'd been waiting for hours when I got there, and so I was about to walk out when it finally came time to meet the fellow.

He was young; not much older than Dana, and was charming. At one point, he reached over and took my hand when he thought I was getting upset. (I wasn't, my eye was watering for some obscure reason) His exam was quick, thorough, and discreet. While the rooms were sterile (literally!) and non-descript, his warmth and interaction made the room seem more personal.

When all was said and done, he said, "I'll see you back in a year" and out he went. Down the conveyor belt of a hall to his next patient.

While I'll miss my other doctor, I think I'll keep this new one -

A Life Remembered

This weekend was so sweet; Mother's Day was awesome, we honored the graduates at church, and Andy and I traveled up North to a sweet little town called Millsap.

Millsap is where my aunt Mary went to live and raise her 5 children following the death of her husband at a young age. My other aunt Lenora lived there, and so it was a perfect choice. We would go up there to visit, and I was pretty unimpressed - Poteet was MUCH larger, you know!!

The kids grew up and moved on - well, not too far away. Aunt Mary lived on dwindling finances as each one left the nest and their government stipend vanished. She needed something to help her out, and since the kids were all athletic, it was natural for her to begin selling tickets to all the games. Living across the street helped keep all the kids nearby, and their friends were staples in the household. Stretching what little money she had, she fed every one of them and often took them in if they needed a place to stay. She kept them in line, and taught them how to be good men and women. They were her kids, too.

At her death a few years ago, the service was filled with kids Mary had "raised" whether in her home or on the sidelines. Now, the ticket booth at the Millsap stadium sports a wonderful tribute plaque to "The Ticket Lady."

We went there this weekend to help with the "Ticket Lady Trot" 5K run. (Andy came in third place in his division!) Everywhere were people who were remembering my aunt and showing their love to my cousins, who set up the scholarship each year in her honor.
It was a day of love and rememberance that I won't forget for a long, long time. It reminded me of the legacy we leave without ever meaning to by our daily lives.

Now, if you asked me my opinion of Millsap, Texas? I think it's a great little town, full of love....

The death of Bin Laden

Osama bin Laden has been all over the news this week; we would have missed the announcement that night if Erin hadn't called - surely one of those things you want to hear when it happens, not the next morning.

As I sat on the couch, listening to the news, I reflected back on events in my life that have caused all other activities to stop - Kennedy being shot, his brother and Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated soon afterwards, the shuttle blowing up before our eyes, the Oklahoma City bombing, Columbine High School, and, of course, the 9-11 tragedies.

Enough. That's it. We have "closure" now, so let's just have no more of this!! With the exception of the shuttle explosion, all the rest of these events were caused by people who felt they had the right to change the destiny of lives of people far reaching those they murdered. Whatever gave them such delusions of power, that they could take these matters into their own hands? How do we stop more of this from happening in the future?!?

Lord, come quickly....