Friday, February 14, 2014

Valentine's Day, Black Holes, MILs, Sublime, & The Doggy Dance of #Random

I woke up this morning with no idea of what day it was. In fact, I thought my alarm had gone off in error, and I was ready to turn it off. I realized, Hey! No, you dork! It’s FRIDAY! You have to go to work!!!!  I slept like I was drugged last night (I swear, I didn’t take anything—not even a glass of wine…hey, wine sounds good!). I was SO out of it, that when I “fixed” my hair (this involves me sticking my head under the sink; giving it a towel-dry; adding copious amounts of a leave-in conditioner; somehow combing the tangles out with the ONLY comb that doesn’t break when it attacks my hair; and leaving), I think I stayed under the faucet for like, 5 solid minutes under cold water. I have no explanation for why I’m suddenly so hard to wake up today. …
Okay, maybe I do…
Little guy is at my parents’ house for the weekend (David’s mother is having major surgery today, and he also planned some sort of Valentine’s surprise for me—what is THAT?!?!?, and I have a doctor’s appointment on Monday; plus, there’s a church dinner, a surprise party—shoot, it’s just a crazy weekend), so I didn’t sleep as lightly as I’ve trained myself to do (there’s no training—it’s called “motherhood,” and it comes naturally…along with eyes in the back of my head). I slept like pre-baby Cassidy, and although it felt like something was off, it still felt awesome.
I didn’t dream…didn’t think…I just slept like the dead (notice I didn’t say, “slept like a BABY?” Yeah, THAT is a misnomer). I was out cold, and I can’t remember the last time I woke up this discombobulated. (I love that I spelled that word correctly, without the use of Spell-Check. Score!)
(As I’m typing this, I’m not editing it—thus, the copious usage of parenthesis. Consider this a live version of my ADD.)
So, I pop on PandoraOne, and it starts me out with “Santeria” by Sublime. Call me a ‘90’s throwback if you will; I love this band. No one sounds like Sublime (sorry, 311). Gritty, bouncy, danceable, rebellious, bob-your-head, rawk-fist music that makes you want to do your best to “sing” along…except, you just can’t, because most of their subject matter is simply awful. I still like them, and to me, it’s a good start to the soundtrack of the day.  Having the morning to myself leads to awesome opportunities to sing loudly and badly, and I did just that, while making my coffee.
Speaking of coffee, David and I are on a fitness plan to lose some weight. Coffee, sadly, is not on that plan; though I gave it up cleanly my first week, it has worked its evil way back into my life. I’m drinking less of it, but after reading that my go-to Starbucks venti Pike’s Place with Classic Sweetness has like, 400 calories, I’m going to have to give it up again. Boo. When I wait until I’m at work to make my coffee, my machine only makes 12 oz. at the most, so that’s a guaranteed decrease from my usual 24 oz. I can work with that.
Anyway, it’s a short day for me at the office, followed by a trip to the hospital to be there for David’s family. My MIL has had bad health for a few years now; evidently, before I met my husband, she was an active, busy woman. I’ve only known her as someone who is disabled. She has severe osteoporosis, epilepsy, and diabetes with complications, so I’ve never seen her on a day without pain. She’s spent the past year in a major back brace, and this surgery, though awful, will hopefully correct her issues. She’s facing a very, very long recovery, and could definitely use your prayers. As any daughter-in-law, I’m not entirely convinced that my MIL likes me…after all, I “stole” her baby boy (actually, HE stole ME—just ask my daddy). She’s a simple woman, and a helluva cook! I’ve also very rarely heard her say anything negative about anyone, and in her own way, she reminds me of my Grandma Myers (really, there’s no higher compliment I could pay anyone). She’s old-school, loves Jesus, and has a serious obsession with making jewelry and knitting. She’ll be making buckets of things while she’s in rehab!
Last night, I called her to give her some moral support before her surgery. Just a tip, people: if you know someone who is going in for major surgery, DO NOT TELL THEM ALL OF YOUR MACABRE HORROR STORIES ABOUT OTHERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME SURGERY WITH COMPLICATIONS! My poor MIL has had to hear about others’ surgeries and complications for weeks; she says she’s not afraid, but I can hear it in her voice. Ridiculous—I’d like to smack a few of her so-called “friends.” Stupid people—I think they got their Encouragement Lessons from Oscar the Grouch.
In the course of our conversation, we talked about my Hannah-girl. Gosh, I miss that baby girl…and no, my son does NOT fill the void. Not only is that impossible; it’s ridiculous to assume or to put that pressure on him. He is his own blessing, and was not born to take the place of another. He’s created his own beautiful place in my heart. Hannah’s place in my heart will continue to be hers, forever. My MIL has her own understanding about this, and in her simplicity, she manages to say exactly how I feel. Down-home people have no room for rhetoric. They just give you truth, and I love that about her. She’s kind, but she’s honest, and when she says something about Hannah, I listen. With JD being gone this weekend, she understands how I feel like the house is a black hole. She doesn’t tell me I’m being ridiculous. She told me about how it must be, to see JD go through these milestones (he’s standing!), and realizing how I’d never see Hannah do those same things. She’s right—I don’t talk about it much, because I don’t know too many people that I can be candid with about it. She picked up on it, and I have to appreciate that compassion. She nailed it. I don’t always like what she has to say, but I know her heart is good, and I’m thankful to have her in my life. I wish she wasn’t in pain all of the time…
It’s a busy weekend. I really don’t think anyone is happier about this weekend, than Holly-dog. She didn’t seem too sad to see the Tiny Human packed off to Grammy’s. In fact, after I finished soaking in the tub (45 MINUTES!!!) I came downstairs to see my StinkyPete (one of Holly’s 50 nicknames) in MY spot on the couch. Something tells me she’s doing a little Doggy-Dance with Daddy this morning while he gets ready for work.
I hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day…I thought about getting fixed up for work today, but then was like, “stop bein’ crazy!” I’m not fooling with that nonsense (although I DID wear red). I’ll have some time to get my pretty on after work (for my romantic trip to the hospital). If you’re single, hey—it’s Friday night. Get yourself a pizza and a glass of wine, and celebrate the fact that you can order whatever toppings you like (unlike those of us that are forced to deal with SAUSAGE ON OUR PIZZA-bleh!). Valentine’s Day is NOT a big deal for me (although my Mommy DID get me some lovely, cuddly jammies, so I DID get a nice Valentine), and I think it’s highly over-rated. Married, single, or living-in-sin—whatever you’re doing (it’s between you and God)—I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Remember that God is Love, and we’re supposed to be like Him. Be Love Personified today.

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