Hits and Misses - DOUBLE EDITION! (July 13 - 25)

I've returned from vacation -- though I can't say I'm fully rested -- and I'm ready to get back to a regular blogging routine. Here's a look back at the past two weeks that were......

The week of July 13-18

HITS

• The week started with the happy arrival of Jack Andrew! My social media has been filled with information about the baby, so I will keep it short and simple here. He's a big boy and the pride of the family. We had a little scare with him by week's end, but everything seems to be just fine now. I'm hoping to meet the little stinker in person before moving.
• Speaking of moving, it was a relief to find and finalize the details about my Texas apartment. Things worked out rather smoothly, it appears that I have a very nice landlord, and the apartment is close to work. The only thing better is that I got a good deal on rent. 
• As the summer comes to a close, it was nice to get away for the annual trip to Texas to see family. We left a few days earlier than normal since there was still some concern that I might need to visit Plainview for a few days to find housing. Once the apartment came through, my parents and I decided to leave as planned since the arrangements had already been made with everyone's schedule.

MISSES

• It's always frustrating to get a medical misdiagnosis. I was experiencing pain in my right jaw that was moving down into my neck and up into the ear. Since I had just been to the dentist a few weeks ago, I was fairly confident that the issue was not dental. I visited the GP who determined that I had a dental abscess and prescribed antibiotics accordingly. Something just didn't feel right about the diagnosis, so I went to see my dentist again. We discovered that everything was okay and I was just experiencing flare ups of my TMJ. A couple of days of Anti-inflammatory meds and wearing my night guard religiously took care of the issue.
• Ten-hour drives are never fun. It took me quite a while to get over this one.
• Why so long to recover from the drive? When we arrived, I was informed that I would be bunking in the common area of the house. There's a lot of traffic through the space as people enjoy late night snacks and get ready for work, but nothing too bad....except for the first night. This branch of the family sleeps with televisions on in each bedroom. The one closest to my bed was a bit louder than the others....and since I didn't want to be a demanding house guest on the first night, I decided to try to tough it out. By 3am, I realized this was going to be a sleepless night for me. I was never more glad to see the sun go down on Friday evening! I think my snores that night rocked the house!

 
The week of July 19-25

HITS

• Life had been very stressful leading up to my vacation, so I decided to treat myself to a couple of massages while in Houston. The therapists worked on knots I didn't know existed! It was so relaxing to be pampered and know that I didn't have anything pressing that needed to be done right away.
• As always, we enjoyed great food while in Texas. I don't know what it is about eating someone else's cooking, but the change in chefs just seems to make things taste better than ever.

MISSES

• Experiencing physical ailments is never a good recipe for relaxation on vacation. Mom was having issues with her hip before we left Arkansas that only got worse as the week went on. Needless to say, she only left the house to visit a minor medical office to get some much needed help. She was feeling better by the time we left, but her activity level while in Texas was much less than normal. Apparently I contracted a 24-hour stomach bug while in the house. It wasn't too bad.....but it was a long day with an upset tummy! Few illnesses make me feel worse.
• Days were made uncomfortable by a 14-year-old girl who has an attitude the size of Texas. Good grief! As I listened to her yell at her mother on the phone and in person with such disrespect, I wanted to toss her on her butt and knock some sense into her pretty little head. One thing is for sure.....it was a sure-fire form of birth control for me.....and an advertisement to the rest of the world to appreciate teenagers in your life who have been raised to display respect for others. I'm sorry, folks......you will NEVER convince me that this is just a phase she is going through. Allowing her behavior to be excused by using that rationale is part of the problem.
• It can be an awkward thing to wake from sleep to find a large deer head looming over you with massive antlers. It takes a minute to remember that he's not alive.
• After getting home from another long drive, Dad fell while outside picking berries and struck his head on the lawnmower. Blood began to pool under his scalp and caused a lot of concern. I loaded him into my car and FLEW to Baptist East. I could barely think straight because I was so tired. Thankfully, Brother came to the hospital to give me relief so I could head home and get some rest. Dad was released late that night after a CAT scan determined that there was no damage. What a night!

PROGRESS REPORT

•  Jude the Obscure - 418 of 418 - COMPLETE!
• Tomahawk by David Poyer - 371 of 371 - COMPLETE!