Mrs. March

The last time that I talked to Jim, he recommended a book to me called, "Mrs. March."  At first, I thought it was a historical fiction piece about the matriarch of Little Women.  I was surprised when I found out that it was a thriller about a woman who believes that her husband murdered someone.  As I love reading mystery and suspense, I decided to give it a try.

The good news was that it was an easy read and definitely had mystery and suspense.  The bad news was that the main character was absolutely paranoid and most of the book was reading about her theories on her husband killing a young woman or how everyone was out to get her.  Neither of which were true.  There was a big twist at the end which made reading it worthwhile, but overall, I found Agatha March so unsettling that the book actually gave me nightmares.  I ended up giving it to a friend of mine to read to see what she thought and then started on the biography "Hemingway's Boat."  Cal had given it to me a while ago and I knew that it would be the perfect way to get the disturbing Mrs. March out of my head.  

Paula and Gabrielle

Another day, another trip to Orlando, but this time it was to visit Gabrielle and Paula.  They were in Florida for Alex's wedding and honeymoon and had a few hours to meet with Meg and I this afternoon before flying back to Indiana.  It was incredibly nice to see them.  We met at Meg's so that she could show them her apartment and then went for a late lunch at Gastro Pub.

The weather was wonderful, so we sat outside and talked the entire time.  Paula had a lot of photos and videos to share from their trip.  The wedding was beautiful and looked like so much fun.  I was very happy for Alex.  The honeymoon was a family trip with everyone going to Disney World for a few days.  From looking at all of pictures, I could see why Paula and Gabrielle were exhausted.  While we were together, the girls caught up on everything going on in their own lives while Paula and I talked about my dad's sudden illness and everything she knew about some interesting news from Syracuse.  

The afternoon was so much fun, and the two hours flew by.  After they left, I was sad for a little while.  Hanging out with Paula was the one thing that I missed most from living in Indiana.  Every time I see her, I get a little pang of homesickness for her back patio.  Thankfully, we have still been able to see each other frequently since I moved and talk often.  It has made the transition a lot easier.  

The Barnhart Family

The Barnhart family was spending this week in Orlando and Meg, Doug and I went to visit them yesterday.  Of all of the weeks for them to be in Florida, this one was perfect for us.  We had time to spend with them.  There was also a lot going on with my parents and it was nice to have family support.  Plus, it almost felt like we were on vacation while we hung out at the resort pool and went to dinner as a large group.

It's hard sometimes not having any adult siblings of my own.  Jackie and Jeannette are the closest that I have to that relationship on my side of the family.  We have shared memories, support one another and cheer on each other's children even from a thousand miles away.  I am glad that we have been able to maintain a relationship with them and my Aunt Jan after we moved.  It takes more effort now, but it so worth it.

All Before 8 a.m.

This morning while I was getting ready for Bible study, my phone alarmed me that my dad had called 911.  It took me a minute to process what was going on, but once I did, I called my dad to see what was wrong.  I wasn't sure if he needed the ambulance for his rattled breathing that I heard yesterday or that my mom had had another fall or even worse a stroke.  My dad answered the phone right away and affirmed that it was him who needed EMS.  He was extremely short of breath and couldn't walk at all.  My mom helped him get dressed and they were waiting for the medical team to arrive.  

While I was talking to him, Cameron called.  I didn't switch over so I could stay on the phone with my dad but realized that he had had messaged to call him right away.  I wasn't surprised that he had called as he had an early morning dental cleaning, but I wasn't expecting the urgency of his text. I waited until my dad said the ambulance was in the driveway and called Cameron back.  His dentist said that he had seven micro cavities that needed filled immediately.  Cameron was more than upset about the news and worried about the $1200 that it would cost after insurance paid their portion.  I told him that we would figure it out and that I was very sorry but needed to call my mom to make sure that she was ok while my dad was gone.

The rest of the day was a blur.  I did make it to Bible study, and I appreciated Brett answering my frantic phone call on the way.  He had some great advice for Cameron as he had had the same situation happen to him several years ago at another dentist.  He also agreed to go up and stay with Grandma over the weekend if Grandpa was still in the hospital.  I didn't retain much from class today, but it was nice to be around people and listen to their thoughts on the current chapters of Isaiah that we were reading instead of spending the morning worrying.

By late afternoon, I found out that my dad had pneumonia.  The hospital was moving him to a bed in ICU.  I was scared, but thankful that they were taking his illness seriously.  My Aunt Vicky happened to be going to my mom's today to check on them and thankfully, planned to spend the night.  That alleviated the worry about what my mom would do without my dad.  Cameron called in the evening and had calmed down quite a bit.  He realized that his news about the teeth wasn't the end of the world and he would survive no matter what he decided about the procedure.  Today, definitely wasn't the day I had planned, but thankfully everyone survived.  I am hoping that tomorrow is a little bit less dramatic.

Task

 I know that Doug has really enjoyed watching the Olympics, but I have found them a little boring.  Thus, during the day I decided that I needed to find something else to watch.  Cal had suggested Task, a new series on HBO Max, so I thought I would start with that.  From the moment I episode one began I was absolutely hooked.  It had exactly what I liked in a series - characters that I could relate to, suspense, villains that I wanted to be taken care of, and a small town not unlike those in Northern Indiana or Central Florida. 

Although several of the heroes didn't make it out alive, I still thoroughly loved the show.  The best part was that I recognized one of the main characters as a supporting actor in the third season of Ozark.  I can't wait for Doug and I to get to his part so I can compare him to the role that I just watched.  Either way, the show kept me entertained and even gave me something to listen to on Spotify this week as there was a podcast based on it as well.  I couldn't ask for more than that.  

Sunday Blues

Sunday mornings have become the toughest part of the week for me.  I don't know why it is, but most Sundays I wake up feeling blue.  I haven't really figured about exactly why I feel that way, but I think it is because the weekends are so much fun and I know they end on Sunday.  That seems so stupid to me, but my therapist says that it is completely normal.  

I had this same feeling when I used to teach at Milford.  My therapist then told me to go out to dinner or do something fun on Sunday nights with my family instead of spending it dreading the next day.  That did help a lot.  We have tried that here, but it doesn't help as much.  I truly believe it is because I know that Doug will be gone a few days during the week and I really don't love that.  At first, I didn't mind, but it has gotten harder for me.  That seems crazy to me as I am busier now than when he first started his job in Longwood and use the nights he's gone to catch up on my to-do list or favorite television shows.  I will definitely have to work on this as Doug loves his new job and it does allow us to pay the bills and enjoy life in Florida.

The second reason that I believe that I hate Sundays is because that is the day that I have to give Doug his Vitamin B12 shot.  I absolutely hate that.  I have learned better how to fill the syringe, but I still feel as though I am hurting him every time I do it.  There have only been two times that Doug has said it hurt, but that doesn't matter.  I still hate doing it.  Unfortunately, I don't see that changing anytime soon.  The shots have helped raise his levels, so I guess that I will just have to stay positive about that.  Thankfully, going to mass on Sunday morning does help my overall mood.  I will just have to keep trying to focus on the good things going on in our lives on Sunday instead of feeling down about what the week ahead has in store for me.  

Valentine's Day Fun

When Doug and I booked a room at the Grand Floridan for February 22nd, we both agreed that we would celebrate our 36th Valentine's Day there.  Of course, when this weekend rolled around, I completely changed the rules.  Thankfully, Doug was prepared with a gift and a free day to do whatever I wanted.  

We started today by opening our gifts for each other.  I had found the perfect red IU baseball cap for Doug which he really appreciated, especially since he had been wearing a hat all week.  He gave me Echo on vinyl by Tom Petty.  I absolutely loved it and it brought back some great memories as we had listened to that album on repeat while sitting on our front porch on Sunset Drive during the last two years we lived in Syracuse.

After gift giving, Doug and I headed to Gainesville to spend the afternoon at Kanapaha.  It was beautiful with the flowers just starting to bloom and everything healing from this winter's heavy frost.  I was surprised by how many young couples were there enjoying the holiday as well.  Swamp Head was our next stop.  They were having a cookies and brew tasting by pairing a beer with a cookie from a local bakery.  It was absolutely delicious.  The rest of the evening was spent at home where we ordered The Great Greek, watched Ozark and cut into the chocolate bundt cake that I made yesterday for the occasion.  It was the perfect way to end a wonderful Valentine's Day.