Pain, Pies, and Paint

Thanksgiving!

Hello Again everyone,
I have wanted to sit down and write something now for the past three days and with everything that has been going on it has been hard to find time when I have the energy to sit down and make this happen. I have grabbed breakfast and made my way to my laptop where I can write before everyone comes out and the day gets started.

Since the ER visit I have been doing better pain wise... but on the flip side of that coin it takes a lot more pain killer to get me there than just a week before. It's hard as I also have to take two new products to manage the side effects of the pain, which adds seven extra pills/ things I need to remember to take each day. Needless to say I am getting VERY good at swallowing pills. (Bet you'd never see THAT on this blog did you?)

Lisa's parent's flew into town on Thanksgiving afternoon and we had a casual afternoon with them around the house. Before they showed up we did a lot of meal prep for Friday, our planned Thanksgiving dinner, so I was already a little bushed.

Lisa and Raluca

Friday we had Thanksgiving dinner with Lisa's folks and our friends, who currently live in Houston, but come from Romania. It was a very bright spot of my week to sit down with great food and with great conversation (and a game) and for a little bit just forget about the problems of the past week and the issues that have plagued me for a while now. They (The Romanian couple) had to leave work (as it wasn't officially a holiday) to make it, but it was great to have them and the fellowship really lifted my spirits. It was a great time together.

These days as I have been eating less I have been getting more enjoyment out of other people enjoying the food that I prepare, or at least help plan. It's "funny" how food brings up memories and remembrances of events and people not there. We had one dish on the table that Lisa's aunt, who died of cancer (Niko's original owner) a few months before I was diagnosed, always brought and it was a special memory for Lisa's family. It was a great time, especially with our friends there, and we could swap stories about lives and cultures in different places. We are blessed by God to have such a great vehicle in food to get to know other people, and be blessed by the company of others.

This weekend we are headed over to San Antonio for a little adventure. Lisa's parents wanted to see it and take us out on a bit of an adventure so we are going out that way to see what we can find.

Thank you all for your very kind words, prayers, and encouragements to me this week. I have been brought to tears many times because of the blessings of prayers and comments you have made. You are all a wonderful support base to have and God has blessed me amazingly with you all in my life.

Adventures in watercolor painting

One of the projects I am, still, working on is our Christmas card. As some of you might know I have taken up watercolor painting and have decided to actually design and paint our Christmas card this year. (You can still sign up for one...) The delay has been finding a design that conveys some kind of meaning to Lisa and I, something I can paint (and not have it look like something the bird did in his cage...) and then actually painting it. I have done some five finished paintings and started and not finished another five at least. I hope to have the finished work done sometime this week. If I delay too much it might not end up being a Christmas card...

Again, thank you so much for your support. I say it often, but this week I have really felt it so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

~B.
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