Sorry for the slacking. My husband and I went to a retreat for Talbot alumni at the Ayres hotel Costa Mesa/Newport Beach. It was very nice, but to be gone for three nights takes lots of preparation. My parents were doing a huge favor by watching the girls for that time, so I thought I’d make it as easy as possible for them. So on Monday and Tuesday I was preparing dinners for the time we’d be gone as well as packing lunches, and laying out clothes for the rest of the week. It was also my dad’s birthday Tuesday night, and I made dinner for my brother/sister-in-law. It was quite the whirlwind, but I was able to relax much better at the retreat, knowing that it was all taken care of.
In my previous post I mentioned Abigail getting sick. Well, Esther followed Tuesday evening and Sarah got sick on Friday. So… must’ve been a bug. I hear it’s still making it’s rounds in other venues – just glad it’s out of mine.
The retreat we went to focused on change – good/bad, how-to, etc. It was good for me since I’m not one who really likes change, I don’t think anyone really does, but I think I have that dislike on a much larger scale than the normal public. I came home enlightened and encouraged. It was also a nice time with my husband. Being that he was ill for the majority of our Hawaii trip earlier this year, it was nice to have him well and “sort of” to myself for those days.
Here is a picture of me at the hotel, warming myself near the “plug-in” fireplace. It is basically a light that simulates the flicker of a fire. 
On a different note – but a must tell story – I fell last night. My sisters would laugh at me. We always confide in our embarrassment of falling with each other. Anyway, my 7 year old came into my bed last night and fell back asleep. At about 3am I went to take her back to her bed and decided to carry her. Okay, first lesson learned – she’s too old for me to carry anymore. She sleeps on a bed that has a trundle where Sarah sleeps. I tried to umph her onto the mattress without having to get on Sarah’s bed. I quickly realized I was not going to make it and Abigail could either get really hurt and then fall on Sarah who would have had an extremely rude awakening, or I could fall in-between both of them, which is what happened. I hit my shin nice and hard on the edge of the trundle, dropped on the mattress still trying to protect my youngest and oldest from smashing into each other, and tweaking every muscle in my body in the meantime. Wow, I feel really great today. After my husband ran in to see what the noise was all about, and the girls rolled over and went back to sleep, I held in my tears of pain as I hobbled back to bed. I then laid there in writhing pain wondering what the heck I did to my foot/ankle/leg. I asked my husband, “I think I may have done something to my muscle, what should I do?” He suggested I take some motrin and rub it. I then sat there looking at him laying there, eyes closed, no concern, and asked, “So, should I be the one to go get it?” “Well, you can’t damage it anymore.”, he answered. My jaw was agape. I couldn’t believe he was going to make me hobble into the kitchen to take something for my injury.
This morning as I limped into church, I think he started to realize that I may have really hurt myself. I’m sure he was in one of those deep sleep things when he responded to me, at least that’s what I’m trying to tell myself. So, I’ll have some ugly bruises and wait for my leg/ankle to stop hurting, as well as the other muscles that surprise me left and right.
I have a new picture of Samuel with the blanket I made him. What a sweetie he is.
