Just Checking In

It's been almost a week since I've posted, and I just wanted to check in. Honestly, things have been pretty uneventful this week. I seem to have fallen into a routine. I wake up, eat lunch with Dave, then just go about my business until he gets home. At least three days a week, that routine includes working out at the gym, then stopping by the Sonic for a happy hour Diet Coke, and on home to feed my critters. I haven't written about the gym, because I've always found it annoying when people constantly talk about their work-out schedule. Sometimes I get the impression that they feel superior, because they exersise regularly. With the so-called health movement (which is actually a thin obcessession movement, in my opinion), it seems to have gotten worse. I don't want to be like that, so I just try to quietly go about my business. Hopefully, my writer's block will move, and I'll find something interesting to regularly blog about again.

Another Good Day

Saturday mornings are Dave's time to take it easy. His alarm doesn't ring at 4am, which allows him to sleep until 9 or 9:30am. Being a night person, I'm never awake of a morning. This gives him the opportunity to relax in his recliner, have a cup of coffee, and read his paper until I drag myself out of bed (usually around noon, give or take).
This morning started out much the same until around 11. Dave woke me up and asked me if I wanted to go to Dallas. My sister, Norma, is at Baylor hospital, and he thought it would be nice for us to go visit her. We had a great trip down. We talked, listened to 60's music, and laughed a lot. Norma looked so good, and seems to be in such good spirits. Her doctor is confident they caught the cancer at an early stage, and removed it. She is discussing Norma's case with fellow Doctors to help determine if precautionary radiation treatments are needed, but she (the doctor) feels the cancer is gone, Praise God!
After our visit, Dave and I stopped by Costco to stock up on cat litter, cat food, and several other items we buy in bulk monthly. We then went to our favorite Chinese restaurant for a lovely dinner before heading home. I can't remember the last time I spent a day free of worry and stress. I still miss Max very much, but he's in a great home, where he's happy and cared for. But more importantly, the fear I've been living with since the last of September, the fear that I was going to lose my two eldest (and much loved) sisters, is gone.

Thank you, God, for your healing touch, and for the peace I feel at this moment. Please help me to stay focused on you instead of the worries that steal that peace. Please bless Norma with a complete and speedy recovery, and provide a successful surgury for Glenda. Be with Zita in her home and work. Keep Dave safe, and give him the strength to do the extra tasks he's been given. He's tired, but he's happier than I've seen him in a long time. Please, bless him for his willingness to do for others. Thank you for him, Father. In Jesus' name- Amen.

A Change of Mind

This summer, I made a goal to knit using only stashed yarn until the end of this year. I'm a little embarrassed to confess that it's a goal I couldn't keep, but I did pretty well for several months. During that time, I started a Noro Striped Scarf, using the two muted colorways I had in my stash. It isn't a color combo I'd have chosen for the scarf, but it wasn't horrible. On the other hand, I didn't particularly love it either. Then, last month, Dave offered to take me yarn shopping for our anniversary. It had been a hard month, and feeling depressed, and a little rebelious, I accepted that offer. This gave me the opportunity to choose my own two Noro colorways for my next striped scarf. Of course, that made it even harder to work on the scarf I have on the needles that feel so lukewarm about.

Wednesday night, I decided to try a little experiment. I have a Debbie Bliss pattern booklet called "Pure Cashmere," that contains the "Lace & Cables Scarf" pattern. I've knitted this scarf twice for gifts, and both times it was well recieved. The pattern calls for a solid color yarn, but feeling adventurous, I decided to use one of the muted colorways from my Noro Striped Scarf in progress. I hadn't used any of the second skein of browns, so I did a few pattern repeats to see how it would look. The pictures I've taken don't do it justice, but trust me, it's really beautiful. I'm going to frog the original scarf I started, and use the browns to make this scarf....And that means, I can start the other striped scarf anytime!

Dinner Date

Dave and I had such a good dinner tonight. We went to this great steak house in Powderly, then over to Dairy Queen to get him a mini blizard, and me a diet coke. The trip over there was so nice. It reminded me of when we were dating. We'd take these totally unnecessary little road trips to eat at out of the way restaurants, and just enjoy eachother's company.

Muscle Ache

As much as I hate to admit this, I injured myself while taking a shower. Yesterday, I was rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. I don't remember why, but I turned my head to the side, and hurt my upper back, close to my right shoulder blade. I had worked out yesterday, and I thought maybe I'd strained it, and it would be better today, but it's not. In fact, the pain seems to be moving up toward my neck. I don't know how to care for it, because I don't know what I did. Assuming it's just muscle strain, I've been going about my business, hoping to work it out, but it still hurts. If it's a pulled muscle, I really should take it easy. If it still hurts tomorrow, I might try that.
Gotta be careful. I did fine at the gym, but apparantly, showering is dangerous business.

Job 5:9-10 (NIV)

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He provides rain for the earth; he sends water on the countryside.

Thank you, Father, for your miracles. Thank you for reminding us, once again, that you are in control. Last night's prayer meeting was awesome. There was a freedom, and a lightness I haven't felt in a long time. Thank you, Jesus, for that. I can't help but feel there are great things on the way. Thank you, God. Amen.

Election Day

I have never been more glad to see an election day in my life, because that means it's finally over. I am so tired of all the calls asking who I'm voting for and why. In the last week or two, it seems I've gotten a call every day. I told Dave the next time someone calls and asks me who I'm voting for, I'm going to say, "The one who hasn't bugged me to death."
I remember a day when nobody would dare ask who someone was voting for. It was considered rude, and an invasion of privacy. What has happened to make good manners a thing of the past?