Thanksgiving and a Gall Bladder

Thanksgiving was nice for our family. We had Kit (Kurt's brother) and his family and Kurt's parents join us for a themed day of "thankfulness". Kurt had a little history lesson on the day's origin and wrapped it up in thankfulness to a loving and generous God. He read the "Five Kernels of Corn" poem. Then we each had five kernels of corn on our plate and each one was an opportunity to share what we were thankful for. Our meal was wonderful and it was a real treat for us to have the honor of hosting a crowd (Kit's family consists of four youngun's too) with our more spacious accommodations.

On Monday I had a consult with a surgeon regarding my gall bladder situation. Since my MIL stayed behind while my FIL took Kit and his family home, we wanted to get the operation done quickly so Rachel could get back with her husband... after all, it is their 50th wedding anniversary trip!! I'm recovering quickly, I think. Last night was uncomfortable but with the consistent pain meds I was fine. And even now I am feeling like there is a little more range of movement without feeling stabbing pains in the tummy.

If you're up to it leave a comment or two, eh? It seems a little lonely here.

Oh yeah - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!

Good News/Bad News

A brief update on all the medical issues that I have been experiencing...

My heart stress test on Monday came back good. All is well with the ol' ticker. I am so thankful for that.

My gal bladder test on Tuesday came back not good. Apparently the thing ain't workin'! The test was pretty uneventful until they put the hormone in the IV to make the gall bladder "empty". Yeesh - that was pretty uncomfortable. Good thing was that it subsided fairly quickly but it was a pretty accurate reenactment of the pre-ER moments that I was having. So, the plan is to meet with the surgeon on Monday to discuss the surgery and set up the date.

Beyond all that - we are praying that Thanksgiving will be time of great fellowship for all of our friends and family and that Jesus will be the center piece of each person's thankfulness. I know He is mine.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND BLESSINGS TO ALL OF YOU!

My First Baby is Eleven

Yup, he's all that. A handsome, charming guy. Emery turned eleven today. And I can recall nearly every moment of his first breaths, cries (and poop) while at the hospital.

He received his gifts this morning; a Playmobil Pirate set, some comic books, and (yikes) a pocket knife. I have to admit that these are things that his father was quite excited about giving - me? - I was informed that his was what a boy would like so I passively shrugged and continued with my laundry. When he went to open the packages the little brothers were all over him like bees on honey!! The knife was put up shortly after opening and, well, Asa kinda took over the Playmobil after Em moved on to the comics. After that Kurt took the three older boys to Waffle House (per request of Em, of course). Emery said that it was "unique" because the waitresses served the meals from behind the counter. They had a good time. Sam was taking a nap at home while I continued on that laundry chore I mentioned earlier.

Me? Well, I gave him what my mother has indoctrinated in me by fixing him his choice of meal and each ingredient that was mixed in had a stir of grateful love for Emery's presence in my life. We watched the Disney animated movie, Ratatouille, last night and there was a scene where a cynical critic was reviewing the food of this restraunt and when he took the first bite he went into a memory fog. One of him as a child at his kitchen table being served by his mother the same dish. And the crotchety old guy was moved to tears. And there's the opportunity for us mother's - provide those meals that will bring back sweet memories. Of not only the tasty dish but of the care that it was given not only to nourish but to LOVE. "The fruit of her hands..."

I know you are all wondering what the menu was...
Jambalaya (with shrimp - I usually do not include it)
Caesar Salad (with croutons - I usually do not include it)
French Bread
Root Beer (we usually drink water)
Cookie Cake

As you can read; not a picky guy. All the boys really enjoyed the meal and the cookie cake was a hit. Thanks to Walmart. Em picked it out yesterday when we were there but on the drive home he said the one thing that he didn't like about the store bought cookie was that there wasn't any spoon to lick if I were making it at home! That was funny.

Can You Tell A Difference?

Well, here it is. An update on the ol' garage... not too great, eh? Thing is, I can see more floor now but you can't really tell in this photo. The boxes are NOT organized so we still have a free for all trying to find specific things and "ooh, look what I found!!" moments otherwise.

I told Kurt that as soon as we get the garage under control we can get him a riding mower. It took him nearly two hours to push mow the yard the other night. I suggested to allow Em to do some of the mowing at one point but it started to get dark and Kurt took over nearly at a jog trying to get it all done before complete darkness! Ha ha! He took a bath afterwards (yes, in MY tub) and just to mess with him I sent all the boys in - and yes the tub accomodates fours monkeys and their dad.

P.S. We are missing everyone at home. Not that it's bad here (on the contrary it's quite nice) but "there's no place like home" is true. In a perfect world we could have just had y'all come along. Nah, that's a selfish world... but that's what you mean to us. Isn't is great to be needed?

New Norms...

Here are my observations of our new community...

~Garbage pickup service is NOT all that common here. Reason being that Putnam County residences pay a garbage tax. There are facilities established in various areas where we are allowed to take household garbage without addtitional fees. Interesting. For this reason alone we are considering getting a small trailer to save $22 per month for the local disposal services. Oh, and recycling is OPTIONAL!! Although we have been so trained in Washington that we feel so guilty/naughty putting the milk jug in the garbage.

~Every location in Cookeville is based on where it lies from the Putnam County Court House. When the pizza joint is checking whether they deliver to our home address, we respond, "About six miles north of the square." It's a hoot.

~Tennessee drivers like to honk (to show irritation - not those happy toots). They also like to drive relatively fast.

~Cookeville is teetering close to idol worship of it's local Tennessee Tech sports teams... football particularly. Don't tell anyone here I said that. They may egg my house.

~Sweet tea is the standard. If you don't want sweet tea, ya have to say so. Me? I LOVE that. Kurt? No.

~Chick-Fil-A (fast food chicken place) is closed on Sundays. They also participate in Operation Christmas Child with Samaritan's Purse. They're giving away FREE chicken sandwiches for each box that you bring in next week. Hmm. Think these folks may have a Christian owner/board?

~There are a TON of banks. Big ones, little ones, credit unions. Good grief. I just wanted one with the word Tennessee in the title. Hence, First National Bank of TENNESSEE. Heh heh.

~There is Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General Market. (??)

~The local grocery store, Krogers, takes my Fred Meyer Rewards card. The checkers always look funny at the card.