new year new hip

My husband said that this was the year he was going to get aggressive about his health and fix all his physical problems, and as can be seen from some of my previous postings "knee repair" and "my aching feet" where I mention his knee surgery and elbow surgery, he was not kidding.  And getting it in right under the wire, today he is going bionic with hip replacement surgery.  It probably sounds like he is 75 years old, but no, I am not a trophy wife.  He has just been dealt a bad medical deck.  I get a knot in my stomach every time they take him in for the anesthesia and let's face it, I have the easy job since there is no pain involved for me.  He took some time to mentally prepare for this one, reading all the doctor's information pages more thoroughly than usual and he was ready to go... as ready as anyone can be, I suppose.  Now that I am a seasoned medical assistant, I would like to comment on the much improved surgical experience today thus far.  First off, note the date - yes it is New Year's Eve!  So guess how many other people are having surgery today?  There was only one other operation scheduled which was right before his (knee replacement on a 43 year old woman).  As well, we are not in a hospital, but rather a "surgical center' which is owned by the surgeon himself, so you can imagine how much more pleasant it is because the staff here is comprised of happy, upbeat, friendly people who welcomed us and explained every step in detail.  The environment is warm (LITERALLY) so I'm not freezing my butt off with blankets on in a cold waiting room jammed with people and the recovery area is also 'different' and more home-y feeling. I give this one a big gold star for 'feng shui', but I should reserve my final review of the entire experience until after the surgery.  It's hard to believe that after a full hip replacement this morning, he will be going home at the end of the day today!  As I type this post, the surgeon just came out to say it went well and that he can walk on it immediately and even though there was an incision, there are no stitches because the incision is held together with GLUE!!  Yes, you read that right.  I nearly fell off my chair in this cozy comfortable empty waiting room that is fully equipment with a tea machine and an electrical outlet right nearby for my laptop and internet.  Updates on the patient to follow soon, I'm heading in to the recovery room now with my confetti and noise maker to welcome the new hip in my new man for the new year!

the holiday card thing

When I had my first child 23 years ago and that first special holiday season arrived, I thought I had a great 'old school' idea - to send a photo Christmas card!  At that time, I don't even think I received any photo cards personally, but growing up, I remembered my family getting photo cards from far away relatives in Seattle, so I thought it would be creative and "original" to send a photo card and of course everyone would want to see a picture of my cute little baby with a santa hat on!  Little did I know that this is just like when you buy a car and suddenly you see so many similar cars on the road, or when you become pregnant and you find yourself smiling at all the pregnant women that seem to come out of the woodwork.  Yes, just like that I started receiving photo cards from everyone I knew as they all began having families.  So it began.  I printed the 'old school traditional' version with a photo and some 'white space area' to write in and I hand wrote a little message on every card to my friends and relatives.  The list grew year by year, as I added people I worked with in all the places I traveled for shoots, new friends I met thru the kids and school and sports and etc... and my plan was that once a person was on 'the card list' they would never leave the card list!  You can imagine how the list began to grow year after year, but still I would find time (meaning make time in the wee hours of the night) to write each one out by hand.  And as the cards I received grew more and more creative with printed messages and collages of photos of trips taken and multiple shots on the front and inside, along with the printed page outlining the events of the year, sometimes humorously and sometimes not so much, I dug my heels in further and refused to succumb to the temptation set before me... would I finally cave and do the fancy printing thing too?  Let's fact it, here I am in a creative business and yet my cards remained as basic as they get - a simple photo (sometimes not even a particularly good one) and a hand-written message.  I do admit that I had to finally print the address labels themselves because I am realistic when it comes to the fact that I do need a few hours of sleep per night at a minimum to function, so I had to let that go... but no sireee-bob I will NOT print the cards with our names typed out and some fancy design of holly and ribbon, along with a canned message, or even an original message that I create because the same sentiment cannot possibly be written to every person on the long and winding holiday card list!!  In the most intense of holiday-stress-out-years, and there have been some doozies with young kids and shopping and wrapping and cooking, where I was so close to the edge I thought I would hit the looney bin for sure (that year the cards didn't actually get mailed until after christmas) but through it all and even this very year, I sat with that crazy stack of cards in front of me and little by little night after night, I thought about each person/family and wrote a little note JUST TO THEM to send them special wishes for the holidays.  And even if they don't give it another thought and just toss it after reading, at least I know it was meant especially for them.  Apologies to the perfect-holiday-card-people who might be reading this - no guilt trip intended - print away and I will still enjoy seeing the perfectly shot and designed holiday card and I will be happy you took the time to keep me on your list because it is fun to see how your family has grown and hear about the exciting things you have done during the year, and please know that I DO NOTICE that you may have actually taken the time to hand-write the address on the envelope! 

newtown

It is beyond the realm of horrifying to watch and read the news over and over about the Newtown CT shooting.  When I think about how those families must feel, it overwhelms me with sadness and I know they are all thinking 'why my child' and there will never be a adequate answer.  It is just unbelievable and I have not been able to write about it because I just can't find the words.  My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families who will never fully recover from this intense and senseless tragedy.

perky clerky take 2

ok, so with the holiday shopping in full swing, I thought I would revisit my earlier posting called "perky clerky' (see August archives) and while hitting the mall tonight in an attempt to make a big dent in the ho ho ho list, I decided to try a different tactic with the happy greeters that stand at the entrance of each and every store to welcome us in.  Instead of secretly dreading their insincere 'hello how are you', tonight I walked in with a whole new attitude and when the perky salesgirl greeted me with "Welcome to insert-store-name-here!" in that bubbly voice, I came right back with my 'oh-so-perkier' voice and said "Thank you, I feel welcome!!" and then when the 'can I help you with something?' followed, I was right there with my pleasant answer of 'not at the moment' or 'sure I'm looking for.....'  and guess what?  They were actually helpful and I ended up with a few new happy friends that made my shopping a little bit better, as much as I hate to admit it!  So the moral of my Christmas story is that it's all about how we react to things that can make the difference in our experience.  I am a jolly holiday example of it and I am a changed shopper!  I might just try the same tactic on the next telemarketer that calls the house, though for some reason, I'm skeptical that it will go as smoothly.

magical meteors

Who doesn't love shooting stars?  When you see one, you just have to see another and another and so it goes with me and meteor showers which I actually put into my calendar so I don't miss them.  Tonight it's clear and there is no moon so the stars are shooting all over the sky!  ahhhhh!!!!   It's always better in the late night hours, so I stay up purposely to see it at its peak.  I am bundled up so only my nose is cold.  I want to wake Juli up so she can see it - she loves it too, but I know it will be too painful (but I still might try).  I had to come inside to warm up a little, but I'm going right back out there because the moment one flies, it's breathtaking and so worth it and it's best when I'm looking exactly in the right spot so I can watch it go.  I hate when it flies in my peripheral vision so I don't get a good eye on it - it's like a game to try to be looking in the right spot at the right time.  And I keep forgetting to make a wish!!  Off I go, the stars are calling.  Sleep is also calling, but I have to see just one more... or maybe two...