I can't believe...

...I tried to eat the whole pie! Yesterday was really awesome. Cliff and I ate more than we should have, but it was really yummy. The kids just ate a few things and liked the meal as well. A sweet friend sent me get well flowers on Tuesday. There were enough lilies to share with a neighbor and for us to have two vases of flowers at the table yesterday. A friend came over yesterday with library books for the kids and read to the boys while Cliff and I got the meal finished. I was really grumpy yesterday morning, and so were the kids. We all felt better after lunch! Camden and I took a snooze soon after. It was a good day.

Today it is so nice out I took the the dog for a walk. She hadn't been walked since I was in the hospital last week having my gall bladder out. She was really gentle with me. I am getting around fine. Just trying to be careful so I heal properly. I want to go ice skating on Thursday with the boys and our homeschooling group--so I have to build up my stamina. And then we are going roller skating on Sunday to celebrate some birthdays. :) It will be hard for me not to overdue it. But I will have Cliff to remind me, and he knows how important it is for me to heal. He had shoulder surgery in May, so he knows.

We had a fun movie marathon over the past few days. We watched Space Chimps, Hancock, Tropic Thunder, and I watched Amazing Grace by myself. I thought Space Chimps was cute, but not as good as other animated features like Ice Age or Madagascar. Hancock was interesting, Tropic Thunder was not so good, and Amazing Grace was really inspiring. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to learn about the abolition of slavery. One line in the movie that really made me think: "You haven't fully lived until you have lost everything." That is so true. Cliff and I have lost about everything we can possibly lose over the past decade. We've lost jobs/income, almost lost our house a few times, a baby, our moms, almost lost our marriage, and some of our health. But we gained a lot too. We gained the insight that no matter what is taken from us we will survive. What hasn't killed has given us character. But I wouldn't wish that type of character building on my worst enemy or my children. I feel for all those who are going through their own living hell. I just hope they can seek comfort in the little things in life like their children and food on the table.

The kids are at a friend's house and I am enjoying some quiet time. But now I am done here and going to see what else I feel like doing. Cliff is working on his new old beater car. It broke down over a week ago and he had to have it towed home. It actually broke down on his way home from school to take me to the ER last week. Holden thought he was going to have to call 911 for me. It was not fun. But we do what we have to do and we can laugh about it all now. Thankfully not long after Cliff started to walk home (would have taken him hours and it was about 30 degrees out) a perfectly nice stranger offered him a ride. Cliff was in the middle of nowhere on his way home from school. I'm just glad our minivan was working.

Another crazy thing I can't believe happened to me a week ago today that I have to share. As if anything else could go wrong for us. LOL. After my gall bladder surgery on Thursday I requested to have my IV taken out. I wanted to start drinking all my own fluids. I had been taking antibiotics through my IV. My doctor wanted to be sure my gall bladder infection was all healed up. After my surgery I had no more temp. I felt I was doing great. But my doctor wanted me to take some oral antibiotics to be sure I was out of the woods. So with my lunch about 24 hours after my surgery I was set to take a Levaquin pill. I had never heard of the drug before. It is a commonly known drug and is given often. Cliff and the boys were set to come see me around lunch time. I was excited about seeing them and I was feeling great. I was getting good care and knew I'd be going home very soon. I took the Levaquin with my lunch and waited for Cliff and the boys to come in the room. They were late and would be there any minute. My throat started to feel funny. I felt like some of my baked chicken was gagging me. I went into my bathroom to see if I could throw it up. Then I looked in the mirror and saw hives on my face and neck. Before I knew it my lips, eyelids, and ears were swelled up. I looked like JLo in the movie Monster-in-Law when she had a reactions to nuts. I was literally gagging and went to get my nurse. She called my doctor stat and the rapid emergency staff (helicopter EMT flight crew). I had about 10 nurses and staff in my room within 5 minutes or less. I wanted to cry. I itched all over and my throat felt like it was going to close up. And to top it off Cliff and the boys showed up in the middle of all this. I warned the nurses ahead of time not to let them in my room. They took the boys to eat Popsicles in the galley. Cliff didn't know what to think. Everyone was worried. They shot me up with Benedryl right away. And then they gave me some type of steroid. And I had an oxygen tube in my nose for about 6 hours. When everything cooled down they made me a new red bracelet with Levaquin listed and the boys came in to see me. They didn't come near me. I was really tired from the meds and just wanted to sleep. They kept me on Benedryl and steroids for about 12 hours. They had a finger heart moniter on me for about 12 hours as well, until I took it off. LOL. By about midnight I felt fine. I was still a little red here and there. But I was ready to go home the next day, and my doctor did not prescribe me any antibiotics for at home. LOL. I refused all meds after midnight. My doctor and nurse felt so awful for me. It was one of those 1 in a million odds that I would react to the drug that way. My nurse told me if it had been in an IV it could have killed me. She felt so terrible that that happened to me. I felt terrible because I missed my boys. And I was so excited about seeing them. It was very stressful for me to see them all puffy. I wanted them to see how good I was doing and well, shit happens. It is all funny to think about now. Our family is together and we are so grateful!

I'll come back and proof this later. I am long overdue to get off here.

Much love to all!!

~Heather xoxox