Ahhhhhhh.

We went home last week and it felt good. Like, really good. It was so good to see my little babies, hang out with my sister and spend some time with my family.

Did I mention that it felt really good to be at home?

We ended up driving home Wednesday night because David had to be up in Chicago Thursday and Friday for a doctor's appointment. After a barium swallow Thursday to check how well food was going down and having his esophagus scoped Friday, the doctor gave David a clean bill of health. When she came back to talk to Denise and I, his doctor told me (because my skinny redhead was still knocked out from the crazy relaxation cocktail beforehand and the anesthesia during the procedure) he needs to make sure he's drinking plenty of liquids when he eats, is really chewing his food and isn't inhaling his food in giant bites.

That translates into this: I can now add "Nagging Wife" to my resume. I'm sure David is thrilled.

Anyway, you should have seen the attention this kid got while we were at Children's Memorial in Chicago. It was like walking through the hospital with a superstar. As we were checking in, Denise saw one of David's old nurses and yelled at her across the lobby. Donna, the nurse, recognized Denise immediately and ran over to say "Hi" and spend a few minutes catching up. Of course, I was introduced as David's wife and immediately realized my purpose on this trip: To make all of his old nurses and doctors feel ancient.

We spent the next hour making the rounds to different floors to visit nurses that had worked on David when he was little. Each one gave me the once over to make sure I was good enough to be married to "their boy," and proceeded to tell me all kinds of stories about how polite - and funny - their little David was.

As David got ready to go in for his could-be dilation, more doctors and nurses filed into his room to see how "little David with the red, curly hair" had grown up and gotten married. They exchanged stories with Denise and got caught up with David's life thus far. It was so neat to see so many people who had a hand in putting my husband back together as a baby. I'm sure glad they did such a good job on him.

Of course, that meant after all of the visitors - and the crazy drugs they gave David - he was wiped out. Really, really wiped out.

We got back to Clinton late Friday afternoon and spent the next couple of days recovering from our Chicago trip.

Of course, I had to go see my babies. Mom had sent me a couple of pictures, but I hadn't been home to see any of them yet. I headed out to the house Friday night to take pictures of the horses and ended up doing chores.

While I was home, my beautiful Linny girl decided to have her baby! I was so happy I was home when she had it. If I hadn't been, I would have had to wait for months for pictures of my newest little boy.

I think I'm going to call him Jack. Or Herman. I haven't decided.

Anyway, Saturday we took it easy. Janell and I did a little shopping for her internship and David caught up on some sleep.

Unfortunately, we made the drive back to Lincoln Sunday.

But, it was good to be home. Even for a few days...

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I promise to have a post that explains this:

And this:

And this:

Don't worry. These pictures are unrelated. Mostly.

The Army

This weekend, I found out The General is bringing a couple of lieutenants with her.

She's bringing the grandparents with her - not the horse. In case you were wondering.

The question now becomes, will all three of them make it here in one piece? Or, will someone NOT survive the 16 hour round trip?

Visitor!

You better be practicing your salute, Nebraska.

The General is coming.

That's right. The General is going to be dropping off another horse for me to ride (in fact, she's bringing the horse that is in this picture), so she'll be visiting our digs next week. Which means, I should start cleaning.

Like, right now.

Easter Update

Well, we made it home from Des Moines in one piece - mostly. Aside from a split lip, which is now a pretty shade of blue (but, hey, I always looked good in blue), we had a pretty successful Easter.

And, we got to see a couple of pretty cute little bunny rabbits.

Our Easter weekend included some non-traditional Easter events, including a trip to the hotel pool;

a Chuck E. Cheese-like place;

and, an early birthday party.

And, of course, we had to do a little bit of egg hunting.



All in all, it was a pretty packed weekend. But, it was good to see everyone and spend some time with our niece and nephew.

Live - from Des Moines!

David and I lead an incredibly exciting life.

So exciting, in fact, we consider Des Moines a thrilling expedition.

Anyway, for Easter this year, David and I headed to Des Moines to spend the holiday with his sister, Tracie, and her husband, David's other sister, Jamie, and her family, and David's parents. Of course, with a new baby and a little nephew we haven't seen in a while, there are bound to be pictures. Stay tuned.

Eight Long Years

You know what? This week marked eight years.

Eight years of missing the sight of that 1960 red El Camino come tearing up the drive in the summer. Eight years of going outside at home and not hearing the radio on in the shop. Eight years without hearing his familiar phrase, "Park it. It's time for dinner." Eight years without his corny jokes. Eight years without trail rides and camping. Eight years of thinking, "Oh man, he would have loved this. I wish he could have been here." Eight years of seeing one empty chair at holiday gatherings, graduations and weddings. Eight years of avoiding that turn off just before I get to my house back home because it's the turn off for the cemetery.

But, you know what's worse? This year, I didn't realize it had been eight years until two days after the anniversary had passed. That makes me feel sad. And, incredibly guilty.

How did I miss it? How did I become so wrapped up in work, hobbies and, well, life in general, that I couldn't even remember the date? And, more than that, is the fact that I forgot a good or bad thing? Or is it just one of those things that is?

In the end, I guess the fact that I missed a date on the calendar isn't the part that bothers me. Instead, I feel like I forgot about him, and that's what makes me feel guilty. Each year, it seems like memories slip from my mind. And, I'm sure that's not true, but it still feels that way sometimes. 

When it comes down to it, I suppose there aren't any good answers for these questions - or even the guilty feeling. 

And, that's okay.