Tuesday, Oct 6th

I woke up today and checked my phone, which is the first thing I always do, just in case Kara has texted me.  You see this is the first time since Kara was born that she isn't sleeping just one room over.  We have tried walkie talkies, texting, yelling, and flat out my-door-is-closed-I'm-sleeping-leave-me-alone.  None of is has worked.  Case in point:  today.  I woke up this morning to a text from Kara from midnight last night saying she didn't feel good.  And my heart sank.  I try not to go to that place I keep locked up tight - when she was a newborn in the NICU and I wasn't there and she cried all night and the nurses said not to wake her if she finally got to sleep.  She was a newborn and just wanted me and I wasn't there.  Stop.  Don't go there.  Anyway, I was wondering if I'd be cleaning puke out of bedspreads this morning.  Nope, her stomach was upset and her throat hurt, but she knew what to do for an upset tummy (snack slowly on plain cheerios and get a bucket), and felt better.  Then she only slept 12 to 6:30, which in Kara's world is not good news.  She usually sleeps about 10-11 hours.

We did school today, even though she had a sore throat (which is worse than death to her), and she did really well actually.  Every 10 minutes I got her ibuprofen, honey, ice to suck on, etc.  I have tried every other remedy that exists - it either doesn't work or she doesn't like it.  She doesn't have a fever and her head didn't hurt, so I considered that a plus.  I could tell she has some drainage because her stomach was upset off and on all day.  Blah.  Here we go.

After school, I took a shower and thought I wouldn't be leaving the house so I put on comfy clothes and didn't do my makeup.  BUT, I should have known better.  I have lived here for a few months, which means one thing - my medicine is almost gone.  So, I am looking for a doctor and trying to get an appointment so I don't run out.  No one wants that to happen.  I called around looking for doctors and the earliest I could get an appointment was Oct 30th.  Uh, I won't have enough medicine to make it that far.  Let me recount, yes, I run out the day before.  Somehow they could "squeeze me in" Oct 29th.  That's cutting it close, especially considering it's medicine for anxiety, but I'll take what I can get.  I'm here to tell you, I need that prescription THAT DAY.  But, I will leave that in the Lord's hands and let tomorrow worry about tomorrow!  So, they need medical records from my last doctor.  I called for a day and a half to get through with the Maryland doctor.  They won't fax the records, I need to submit a form from the Alabama doctor to request the release of medical records.  So, I head over to the Alabama doctors to get the form and fill it out right there because the Maryland doctor says it will take TEN BUSINESS DAYS to process.  I guess I'm glad the appointment is so far out after all!

From there I went to the mechanic.  (Finding good doctors and good mechanics in a new town is hard!  I need more friends!  At least when you are in the military, the one you use is already right there on base so you don't have to shop around if you don't want to.)  I found a place and took my car there because it is making a rattling noise in the back.  And no, there isn't anything in a cupholder in the back or anything.  Of course, if you look up an ailment on the internet, it convinces you that you're dying - the same is true with cars.  I was convinced it would fall into a million pieces on the highway somewhere between here and Florida.  I also needed an oil change, so I figured while it was up there, they could do that for me too.  I sat in the hot, sunny waiting room for about 2 hours while they looked at it.  I fanned myself for a solid hour and tried not to get a headache from the heat and bright sun.  I brought a book and thought sitting for 2 hours reading sounded blissful, but I thought about what we talked about in Sunday school class.  Some people out there just need someone to be kind and someone to listen to them.  So, I listened to see if this opportunity would come up.  YES.  There was an older gentleman in there with a 20 year old young man who looked young enough to be his grandson, but it was his son.  The older man wanted to talk and talk and talk. You know the type - insecure so they tell you over and over how much they know and how great they are.  He told me his IQ many times - 131 - and how much his son in law makes - 6 figures.  (How do you find out your IQ?  I have no idea what mine is.)  He told me how educated he is and that as a plumber he used a lot of advanced math and how he is very, very smart.  As soon as I started to talk, he would interrupt and talk more.  So, I listened.  I wish I could say I cared, but I didn't.  I thought it mattered more that he felt heard.  I did wonder at one point if I should witness to him - something I'm not as intimidated to do in the south where most people talk about God/Christ.  Right then he brought up the Big Bang theory and tried explaining it to me (mind you, he didn't care to hear that I'm educated also and understand all the math and science stuff he was throwing out there) and I said, "I believe what the Bible says."  I thought it would be a good starting off point.  Then he said he was saved and had a relationship with Christ and started preaching to me.  lol.  Well, at least I know I don't need to witness to him.  So, I listened more and more.  2 hours I just sat there and he didn't always make sense and he talked about ghosts and how he could predict the future and how very very smart he is.  I just listened.  I hope that affected his life the way God wanted it to!  The book I brought was my Bible study.  And wouldn't you know it, I ended up having plenty of time to do my Bible study when I got home.  Don't you love how that works out?  AND my car is fine - I only had to pay $40 for the oil change, not replace the entire suspension or frame or chassis or some car word I don't understand.  Final bonus:  My less than vocal husband thanked me for taking care of the car so he didn't have to even think about it (his job was going to be to help me drop the car off and pick it up).  But he appreciates me just 100% taking care of it alone.

I made a nice bowl of chicken salad for lunch (everyone in my life goes crazy for it), but Michael said he didn't like it and wanted to find his own lunch.  More for me!  There was enough left over for me to have dinner too, so I'll make him a steak and we're all set.

Now I'm hanging out on the couch doing laundry and typing this.  Tomorrow is a meet and greet type thing for homeschoolers, which I want to go to so Kara (and I) can meet friends, but if she's sick, we may stay home.  Part of me wonders if we should go spread germs, but with no fever, I think it's safe to spread colds.  Then Wednesday evening is church!  The weeks seem to be flying by now.  I remember on Saturday I thought, "boy, October is flying by."  Then I realized it was October 3rd.  Maybe not.

Comments

Vicky said…
Can you imagine Michael being the one to sit and listen to the man in the auto repair shop?! HA!

I've been meaning to ask what church you all (y'all) have ended up in. I don't remember you attending church on Wednesday's in your old church in Maryland.

Love you all!
jeday0323 said…
I know! Michael would have flat out walked out of the store and found somewhere else to be! lol. He does have a lot of patience with fishing guys though - that's his mission field.

We ended up in a church just like the one in Maryland. Southern Baptist and contemporary. The Maryland church went through a lot of changes over the 20 years I was there - staff changed, music changed - but the vision, purpose, and doctrine of the church never changed. Sometimes we had Wednesday night stuff, sometimes we didn't. Usually it was a very small sermon with mostly praying. Michael doesn't like praying aloud with others (he won't even do it with me or Kara), so we never went. Here at this church Wednesday nights are for kids and youth. It just so happens that's the time for the ladies Bible study, so Kara and I go alone and leave Michael home because there's nothing for him to do.

I love you too! Happy birthday eve!