Disclaimer: I have been working on writing this update since Sunday. As in, four days ago SUNDAY! Our lives are so hectic right now!
Sitting here with my hands poised over the keys for the last 15 minutes, I have struggled to find the words for the thoughts I wish to express. My family celebrated Thanksgiving early this year and I am truly thankful for each and every member of my family, especially now when times are hard.
My sweet hubby and I rolled up our sleeves and spent 6 hours cooking what we hoped would be a nice dinner for our friends and family. By the end of the night, we had done five loads of dishes, taken out the trash four times, and laughed as our twiglet, Ashley, declared that she had to go put on "stretchy pants" because she had eaten so much. It was a great way to spend time with people we love with all our heart!
But why did we celebrate five days early?
Tomorrow morning, the love of my life is having surgery on his shoulder. It's a relatively minor procedure as far as surgeries go.... he has to have his rotater cuff repaired. But my hubby has never had surgery before so there's a bit of anxiety over how he will handle the anesthesia and the pain. (I'm sure he will be fine, but he is my heart and soul so naturally I worry.)
Because Bill will be out of commission for a while, we wanted to have our Thanksgiving celebration early so that he could help me with the cooking (and the dishes) and be able to enjoy the day with us, pain free. As the kids giggled, gut laughed and chased each other around the house, I could see that we had done a good job creating a holiday memory for everyone. Mission accomplished!
But wait, there's more!
My oldest girlies have been working hard on their preparations for life after high school. Their latest project was applying for Sterling Scholar at their high school. The Sterling Scholar program was created to recognize kids who excel in school and community service, and many universities award scholarships to the students who are named Sterling Scholars. The girls had completed their portfolios and the interview round last week and eagerly awaited the results.
With the hectic holiday weekend and Bill's upcoming surgery, it didn't occur to me that the results could come so soon but when Madi called me from school today announcing that both of my girls won their categories, I'm pretty sure I was squealing and crying at the same time! Carley was named Layton High School's Sterling Scholar in the Visual Arts category and Madi was named Layton High School's Sterling Scholar in the English category. I'm so proud of my girls!
Their victory is wonderful, but bittersweet. They competed against their friends so even though we are celebrating Carley's and Madi's great accomplishments, we are still sad for their friends who suffered disappointment today. Life is never easy, even when the news is good.
Now for Bill's surgery update. Yesterday we headed to the surgical center where they prepped and poked and dressed Bill for surgery. I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to sneak him out the back door. It's true, he will tell you that several times I asked him to run away with me. I have previously felt this "Mama Bear" syndrome with my girls when they were hurt or sick, or facing surgery, but it was a new experience with my dear hubby... and I didn't like it one bit! When the anesthesiologist walked him away from me, I felt something inside me break and it was all I could do to keep my composure as I headed in the opposite direction toward the waiting room full of other wives holding up much better than I was.
I had been told that Bill's shoulder repair would take an hour. As that hour came and went, my emotional condition did not improve. When the doc finally came to see me, he told me that my sweetie was "pretty banged up" and that the repair was much more extensive than they had originally planned. In my head I was thinking, "Fine, great... now TAKE ME TO HIM!" It would be another 45 minutes before I could finally see my love and touch him... it was like letting out a breath I had been holding much too long. I felt relieved to have contact with my guy again.
We were in the recovery room longer than usual as he struggled to keep his oxygen saturation up, but we did manage to get out of there in time to stop by the store for meds on our way home. That's another story entirely! The
Twenty four hours after surgery, Bill is resting next to me as comfortably as possible. I have him propped on a throne of pillows and he has his trusty television remote in hand. Oh how I missed snuggling against his side last night! But I have him next to me where I can hear him breathing and I can reach out and touch his foot with my own as often as I want. I simply adore my guy. I hope his recovery is as quick as possible and I plan to take care of him every step of the way.
So there you have it, four days worth of updates (and not many pictures to show for it!). Tomorrow we hope to load up the family and head to Mom's for another Thanksgiving dinner with loved ones. We'll see how The Man is feeling.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I, for one, am most grateful for the love and well-being of the precious people in my life. My husband and six girls are my heart and soul, and I would do absolutely anything for them! I am so lucky to be constantly surrounded by such kind, loving and compassionate people. My life is blessed.
As always, I am sending much love to Massachusetts, where I hope Aunt Dottie is enjoying the holiday as well. I think of you every day, beautiful lady!
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