Sick Baby...err, Husband

Disclaimer: I love my husband very much. And what you'll find written below is nothing he isn't aware of or anything I wouldn't say to his face. Just thought I'd get that out there. Enjoy!

This has been an interesting week around the Acosta house. Starting last weekend, Herschel began to feel like he was coming down with something. I had already had my round with the head and chest congestion stuff that has been going around, and I was just beginning to think he was in the clear, when it got him. I realize that simply by thinking that, I am the reason he got sick. But, I digress.

As I was saying, Herschel started feeling bad last weekend. Did I mention that we took another quick trip last weekend?? Oh yes, that's right. We went across the state to Fort Myers, Florida, for a convention for our church. So, by the time we got back home on Saturday evening, he was quickly approaching the point of being miserable.

Like a champ, he taught Sunday School, but then quickly went downhill. This led to him going into work on Monday morning for about an hour before heading to the doctor. By the time he got home from the doctor, something incredible had happened. The strong, independent, man that I married had somehow been unmistakeably replaced by a helpless, borderline whiny, sick baby.

As soon as he walked in the house he came into the kitchen where I happened to be, and stood there, put on his most pathetic face and whimpered (I'm not exaggerating) "I'm hungry." I was so stunned at this transformation, that I just turned and looked at him, almost speechless. I guess he took my confusion for annoyance or defiance, to which he tried to defend his original statement with an equally sad sounding whimper of "But I didn't eat any breakfast!!"

This was only Monday, so I couldn't help but laugh. And being the good wife that I am, I promptly went to the store and got him some groceries and made him some vegetable soup.

I apparently took such good care of him on Monday that he decided to spend the rest of the week at home. I know, lucky me. If only I'd known, I would've started out slowly with something like toast and a sprite and then worked my way up to homemade soup.

Since we don't have any kids yet, I can't say for sure, but I felt like having a sick husband this week prepared me (only slightly) for having a sick baby. Helpless, check. Needing lots of special attention, check. Slightly whiny, check. Lack of sleep, oh yes.

In fact, it was the last item that just about did me in. Anyone who has been close by when Herschel blows his nose when he's not sick realizes that he has sinus issues. It is only amplified when he is sick, but add to it some of the loudest coughing, hacking, and throat clearing noises you've ever heard, and you'll know what I've woken up to several times a night and every morning for the last week. In fact, I was so tired that I didn't even realize that I would wake up, grab his pillow or whatever was closest to me, place it over my head, and fall back asleep until he came back to bed and removed it from my head.

So, you will understand my excitement when I woke up this morning to silence. It was absolutely beautiful. I just laid there. It was a day I wasn't sure would ever come again. To be sure, he's definitely still sniffing and snorting, he just graciously postponed it ever so slightly until I woke up this morning. But I'll take it any way I can get it.

I am exceedingly happy for a variety of reasons to report that my husband is on the mend, and I am beginning to see him transform back into his old self. But one of the most interesting things to come of all of this came on Monday night. I was doing a Pampered Chef party at a lady's house and I mentioned that my husband was sick, and without missing a beat, every single woman there groaned in unison, and uttered some form of "Aren't they pathetic when they get sick? They are just like children? Good luck!" I guess it doesn't matter how old they get, men will always turn into babies when they get sick.

Thankful

It seems like I've heard a lot more bad news than good in the past few weeks and months, even in the past few days. And it's easy to have a full and heavy heart in the midst of all of this. But this morning I had to just stop, and realize that I can't help but be thankful. You see, we have a loving Heavenly Father who is bigger than any problem or trial we might ever face. And He is willing to take on all of our problems, cares and concerns, if only we will let Him. He offers undeniable, unfathomable, incomprehensible peace in the midst of chaos. And for that, I am so thankful. I hope others can take refuge in that truth regardless of your situation in life - because wherever you are today and whatever you're going through, it doesn't change.

No TV Sunday

I am currently blogging in complete, glorious silence (except of course for my typing and the occasionally snort from Oscar). This is especially notable because Herschel and I made a deal not to turn on the TV today.

I'm not going to lie, it was actually more Herschel's deal than mine, but I'm so glad we did it. We've been talking for a while about needing to watch TV less and read/talk/rest/do absolutely nothing more. So, we decided to actually put it into action today. And, oh what a fabulous day it has been! After the busy travel-filled month we've had, this was a true vacation.

When we got up for church this morning...silence. In fact, instead of scrambling around at the last minute to figure out something for breakfast, or (as is more commonly the case) skipping breakfast all together, we actually made breakfast and sat down and ate together - at the table!

After church we went to eat lunch and to Barnes & Noble, we then came home and read and napped. Herschel's been reading all afternoon and evening, and I've been able to catch up on things around the house, which was actually relaxing for me, considering how out of control things have felt lately. Then, we made dinner again and ate at the table for the second time today! Incredible! Too often, we end up enjoying our meals on TV trays on the couch, so while our table may have been wondering what the occasion was, it was definitely a nice change of pace.

With the new season of TV shows starting up this month, I can't promise that this challenge will continue for long, but I'm all for more days like today. We lose ourselves in that little box, and we miss out on conversation, learning, relaxing, and life in general.

So, now it's your turn - turn off your TV!

Friends

I don't make friends very easily. Let's just go ahead and get that out there. I'm more than a bit awkward, I'm extremely sarcastic, I have a "different" sense of humor, I usually try too hard to get people to like me, and until I do get to know you, I'm a little bit shy.

However, once we become friends, you're pretty much stuck with me. Most of my best friends, I've known the majority of my life. And, I know things will continue to change as we get older and life happens, but for the foreseeable future, I don't see any major friend changes in my life. Hope this doesn't ruin anyone's hopes of getting rid of me.

I wasn't totally aware of this until college. Since I attended the same school from the time I was in pre-school until I graduated, I never really had to worry about "making new friends." Sure, friends changed and people came and went, but I had my core group, and come each August, I was set. No first day of school worries here. That is, until I went to college. I had built-in friends that made the trek to Texas with me, but they were all looking for new friends, so I figured I should, too. And that's when it hit me, I didn't have a clue how to make a friend.

Even after I graduated and got married, I met a girl who visited our church in Little Rock one Sunday. Her husband was in the military, and she was by herself. Herschel and I invited her to lunch after church. It turned out that we had a lot in common, we exchanged numbers with the idea of getting together again sometime soon to go to dinner or hang out. But as soon as the exchange took place, I got nervous. I felt like I was going on a date. When should I call? How soon is too soon? How long should I wait? Does she even really want to be my friend? These are the things that were actually running through my head. Ridiculous, I know.

All this rambling, brings me to a point. Since we've been back from our cruise, I was thinking about the friends we went with. We moved to Florida just over six months ago, and during that time we've been fortunate to make some good friends. Especially Zack and Nicole, the couple we went on the cruise with. I mean, think about it, during that six month period we met these people, got to know them and then decided that they would be good candidates to not only take a vacation with, but a vacation on a boat!! Where were we going to go if things didn't work out?

And even this friendship, I can't really take credit for. Herschel and Zack struck up a friendship first. Nicole and I had things in common, because she grew up in a town about 15 mintues from where my grandfather lives. But Herschel and Zack hit it off from the beginning. I remember one night at our house when Nicole and I were cleaning up from dinner, being completely ignored by the boys, and Nicole looked at me and said, "I'm glad we get along or else this would be miserable." My sentiments exactly. But luckily for us, we did get along, and our friendship has grown as well.

Which leads me to today, Zack and Nicole technically no longer live in Florida. Last night, all of their furniture and belongings were loaded onto a truck headed for Kansas. We'll get to see them one more time in Orlando, before they head to Kansas to pursue a new job for Zack. And while we are so excited for this new opportunity for them and for the possibilities that it will bring their direction, we can't help being a little bit sad for ourselves.

In addition to our friends, they have been our dog sitters, our tennis partners, our airport shuttle, our Easter dinner hosts, and the list goes on and on. It has been a special friendship, that's for sure. And one that I am incredibly grateful for. God knew exactly what he was doing when he paired us up.

So, all that to say, I'm glad we are friends, and they should consider themselves warned - they are stuck with us. It's also taught me a valuable lesson, which is that sometimes the best thing I can do is to put myself out there and just be myself, because that's when true friendship is allowed to form.

Wayfarers Chapel

I fixed the link...I think. Take a look at Wayfarers Chapel! It's BEAUTIFUL! If my blogging skills have failed me once again, just go to www.wayfarerschapel.org.

Here We Go Again

Okay, so I don't have any energy to post any pictures, but I'm trying to get better about staying up to date my blog, so I at least wanted to post an update. We are back from our whirlwind weekend in L.A. We actually just got home, because we went straight from the airport to a party at some of our friends' house.

I'm about to start unpacking/repacking so that we can get up and get ready for the cruise tomorrow morning! We are beyond exhausted, but also soooo excited. Since I am almost too tired to form actual sentences that make sense, I thought I'd leave you with a few highlights from the weekend.

• Two Words: Wayfarers Chapel - Click on the link (if it will work), Google it, go there, something. This is where the wedding took place and it was unbelieveably beautiful. I told Herschel that it was where I was going to have my next wedding, to which he replied, "Could you pass the water?" Concerned??? I think not.
• Went to the top of City Hall and got a panoramic tour of the L.A. skyline from some of Herschel's friends - pictures to come
• Ummm...L.A. is burning. More pictures to come to support my claim.
• Ate DELICIOUS food and looooots of it - amazing shrimp, Korean barbecue and MOCHI ICE CREAM are just some of the highlights
• Met some of Herschel's college friends, and heard some hillarious stories, and some that make me wonder how he is still alive today
• Came home, hung out with great friends, ate fresh sushi, and then got to play with Oscar, and tried to do a blog entry with a link and I can't figure out how to get the underline to go away!!!!!

Okay, this means it is time for bed. Hope you all have a great week!!!

Cataracts, Kidney Stones and Cruises, Oh My!

So, I realize that I seems like I've kinda fallen off the face of the earth lately. But seriously, the title of this entry has been running through my head for the past couple of weeks, because I've literally found myself muttering it. Okay, maybe not exactly...but close.

It all started around the end of July when my mom asked if I could come up to Kansas City to hang out and help her with my grandfather who was scheduled to have cataract surgery. I looked at flights, but the exact dates I needed had outrageous prices and I told her that I would have to postpone my trip for a few weeks and meet her up there on her next trip to KC.

Well, apparently my answer was not satisfactory. Because, when she arrived in Kansas City on Sunday, August 9, before my grandfather's surgery on Wednesday, August 12, she was awakened in the night with what she described as the worst pain in her life second only to child birth. I'll spare you all of the details, but long story short, she ended up having a family friend take her to the emergency room Monday morning.

After some tests and X-rays, the ER doctor proceeded to tell her that she had a kidney stone that had ruptured a ureter (which Wikipedia tells me, are "muscular ducts that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder") and would need to have a stint put in the following day. Her options as he saw it were to spend the night in the hospital or go to a urologist. She wisely opted for the urologist.

At this point, I realized things were not looking ideal, and that original plane ticket I looked at in late July probably should've been booked...but then again who could've known. So, I promptly booked a ticket for early Tuesday morning and flew to KC to begin Julia's Nurse/Taxi Cab/Housekeeper/Dog-Walker/Anything-else-you-might-need Service.

In the mean time, thankfully, the urologist called off the ER dogs and told my mom that he wanted her to try to wait out the kidney stone and gave her pain medicine and sent her home with a lovely strainer, which accompanied her everywhere she went.

As I said, my grandfather's cataract surgery was schedule for Wednesday morning, and like most surgeries, he was not supposed to eat or drink anything after midnight on Tuesday night. This is something we told him repeatedly throughout the day on Tuesday and late into the night. However, he has become progressively forgetful, and we awoke on Wednesday morning to find the coffee made and a tray with crumbs and an empty coffee mug in my grandfather's room. When asked about it, he said he "might've eaten some breakfast." When asked WHY??? since he had surgery in just a few hours, he simply replied, "Well, why don't you guys tell me these things??" Clearly, it was our fault.

Once at the surgery center, we explained the morning's events, and the nurse was very kind to only push back the surgery a few hours rather than completely rescheduling it for another day. This, only after my mom and I almost crumpled up into the fetal position on the floor of the surgery center when the nurse said she would have to reschedule his surgery. It's amazing what a little sympathy can get you!

So, after killing some time out and about in KC - we refused to go home for fear that he would eat again! - we returned to the surgery center and had a very successful cataract surgery.

The rest of my week consisted of coordinating and dropping patients off at their respective doctors appointments, overseeing eye drops and medication, and making sure we had food to eat. So, when Herschel called on Sunday night before I was supposed to come home on Monday, I was so excited to hear him ask nonchalantly, "So, do you think you'd want to go on a cruise in a couple of weeks?"

Maybe he was hoping I'd taken some of my mom's pain pills and would say no...but he got quite the opposite reaction. One small hiccup though - he had an expired passport and I had one with my maiden name. Enter the Miami Passport Agency.

One emergency "appointment" with the Passport Agency, three hours in the waiting area, and two trips to Miami later, we have our passports and we leave for our cruise on Monday!!!! Hello, Key West and Cozumel!

Oh, but just one more thing. We leave tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn to go to L.A. - for the weekend. Who does that?? Us, apparently. But yes, we'll be flying coast to coast this weekend to go to a wedding, returning Sunday night and leaving for a cruise on Monday morning.

I know it's nothing to complain about, in fact I'm very excited. But to be honest I'm worn out. Oh, I forgot to mention that when I got home from KC on Monday, I went straight to church to help out with our Vacation Bible School. Oh, and then I got sick.

Okay, I really am done with all of the complaining for now. I'm so excited!! I've never been to L.A., and while it will be a very abbreviated trip, I can not wait to be out there! And, as it turns out, one of my best friends in the world will be there too! It's funny, she lives in New York City, so naturally we would both have to go to L.A. to see each other.

And speaking of friends...the reason for our last-minute cruise is somewhat bittersweet. While Herschel would love to go on a cruise, he would not have ordinarily just called me up and surprised me with the idea all on his own. Some of our closest friends since we moved to Florida just found out that they will be moving in a couple of weeks. We have been talking about taking a cruise with them at some point, but that point had to be moved up quickly in order to accommodate their moving plans.

So, while it's been a bit stressful making it all work, I'm beyond thankful that it's worked out. Herschel and I are so grateful for their friendship during the past few months, and we will miss them desperately. So we are excited to spend one last week with them before the big move.

I'm going to try to keep blogging over the weekend. Not so much next week, since I'll be in the middle of the ocean, but I'll update everyone when we get back. I'm sure we'll have plenty of stories to tell. Just PRAY that Herschel doesn't get seasick!!!