Peace

I have returned to the land of the living. I started feeling better yesterday and I am so thankful for that! I was sick for what seemed like ever. It was a long time though...about a week and a half. I still have a lingering cough which sucks, but is manageable.

Lots of news. My father was told by two of his partners on Wednesday that he can only do pre-op work from now on and that he won't be working over the holidays. Dad can't stay awake any more and falls asleep almost immediately when seated. Not great for surgery. But, pre-op work is full of movement. Strangely enough, this meeting came on the same day that Dad had met with a very dear family friend to tell her that it is time for her to step down from her long-term role at the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia. These are tough meetings and it's hard to watch people I love getting older. I can't imagine how hard this must be for Dad. I wish he could have been the one to retire and step back. But, that's a dream and not at all how I really thought this would go. I actually learned that my paternal grandfather followed my parents to Tennessee to be near family, yes, but oh, also so he could practice anesthesia in Tennessee since he wasn't allowed to in LA any more because he couldn't hear the surgeon. Oh, how the little apples don't fall far from the tree. They will probably have to rip me from my desk one day.

In other news, AT&T is going to be surplusing people in construction at the beginning of 2012. (Surplus is their fancy word for layoff.) Jared has been at AT&T for almost 4 years and is in construction. Anyone with five or more years with the company who gets surplused goes in a job bank where they are in line for the next appropriate job. So, Jared unfortunately would miss that job bank if he gets laid off. It's a very real possibility that he will get laid off and that has lead to some interesting conversations. Jared loves his job and I am so grateful for that. He practically whistles on the way out the door to work regardless of the weather. He hangs out in the woods with a group of guys all day and does "man" stuff. He has great hours, good pay, and amazing benefits. I don't know what will happen, but I feel peaceful knowing that I married a man willing to work hard to support himself and his family. Peaceful knowing that I have a job with insurance options should we need to switch. Peaceful knowing that we have savings for times like these. Peaceful knowing that we have a beautiful home and can entertain ourselves and friends inside these walls instead of out and about if need be. Peaceful knowing that Christmas presents have been purchased and tax refunds are coming. Peaceful knowing that 2/3 of our ski trip in January is already paid for. Peaceful because it could be nothing and it could be something and there's nothing I can do about it so I choose peace.

We had our Bradford Christmas party this afternoon. There was a game of dirty santa and my name got drawn from the bucket filled with at least 100 names! Some of you may remember that I had a game shower instead of a lingerie shower. Well...

All mine. Gloriously mine. I already have very old games of skip-bo and connect four, but the game closet needed a little upkeep after this 1.5 year drought. My game closet is very impressive. Thanks to all who contributed to the home entertainment center.

Jared and I are going to a tacky Christmas party tomorrow. So, we zipped over the Walmart to pick out a few choice items. We were standing around the women's sweatshirts cackling over the snowmen and santas and doggies and reindeer adorned multi-colored, non-flattering sweatshirts when a little lady in a motorized wheelchair pulled up and was looking at the sweatshirts for real. We hit the road at that point. All fun and games until someone's precious kittens-in-the-wreath-with-poinsettias gets insulted. Pictures to follow. In the meantime, shut your little eyes and imagine Jared in a women's doggie sweatshirt atop a turtleneck and me in a oversized happy holidays nightshirt secured with a belt. We are going classy tomorrow in Gardendale.