In the midst of hospital visits, life does go on outside of the hospital, so I rejoined it this weekend and returned home yesterday in time to unpack, repack and head to San Antonio with the kids for Abigail's first swim meet. She swam at the University of the Incarnate Word today, and we were amazingly pleased with the experience and her results.
She swam the 50M backstroke first and was second in her heat. In the afternoon, she swam the 50M Freestyle and was third in her heat. We had no idea what to expect as there was only 1 other 5 year old in her 8 and under age group of 49 swimmers. Almost all other competitors were 7 and 8, but she held her own. She still has much to learn like turns at the wall and jumping from the blocks, but she had a blast and we are so proud of her.
For grandparents' delight, I'm posting videos of her two races.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Life and...
I've avoided writing this blog, mostly because I just don't know what to write. I'm finally committing to it because I have too many thoughts in my head and need to get some of them out of the way. As I type this, I'm sitting at my grandmother's hospital bedside. I've been here since Sunday night, aside from going to my parents' home each night to sleep. Although it's hectic here, and there really isn't a lot of sitting time, I feel like my brain has been in overdrive with so many thoughts that I've had difficulty keeping up with my own mind.
I should give some background... My mother's mother, Wanda, suffered a massive stroke three weeks ago and has lost the use of the left side of her body, developed pneumonia and is dealing with other complications as she attempts to recuperate. My mother, Ann, has served as the primary caretaker the past three weeks, and I owed it to her to relieve her as much as possible for this week. My schedule will hopefully allow me to return over Easter.
I arrived on Sunday, not really knowing what to expect, but assured that anything I could do would help my mother. However, after three days in this hospital room, I think I am the one who has benefitted most from this encounter. You see, I've not had a positive relationship with my grandmother since I was a child. It's not just me, I don't think anyone in my family has enjoyed their relationship with my grandmother. It's quite the novel itself, but the story of my mother's family is dramatic and not positive in any light. My grandfather is but a memory as he passed away when I was a toddler. I'm sure that his death contributed greatly to my grandmother's demeanor over the years, but that is not important at this juncture. The drama of the past, scars of relationships lost and feelings betrayed by hurtful words are no longer the story.
The story now is a woman who just three weeks ago was a very prideful and independent woman substitute teaching at a high school now lies helpless in a hospital bed. I've spent my week washing her face, covering her with blankets, uncovering her from blankets, cleaning her teeth, brushing her hair, calling nurses time after time to reposition her in the bed and so on. I've entertained with her favorite pasttime of listening to sermons and my own favorite of worshipping through praise music. As I type this, we are listening to a Third Day CD that she has enjoyed today. (Fortunately, she has good taste in music.) On the first day, I would repeatedly look up scripture when she called out a passage and asked me to read it, but after that day of her reciting the verses before I could locate them, I just started asking her what the verses said instead of looking them up. (I'm quite certain she could record the text for an audio Bible without having to read it from a printed Bible.) I introduced her to YouTube, and we've enjoyed watching Gaither Family performances online. She is working up to taking another swallow test later in the week so that hopefully she will be allowed to begin taking in fluids orally, so she is practicing her speech therapy exercises throughout the day. When I stepped out last night to cook dinner for my parents, I turned her TV to Fox News and told her to do her favorite exercise every time they said "healthcare" on TV. She did it and was still doing it when I returned after dinner. That was just one of the many times I have giggled this week. Although there is certainly no humor in the situation, she has still cracked me up on a daily basis.
Although she is very demanding and needy, I still admit that I am the one who has benefited from this time. Servanthood is an unexplainable feeling, and though I usually have no problem putting words to my feelings, this is the rare occasion when I have absolutely no words. What words are there to explain the feelings of seeing someone so helpless? Sorrow. I definitely am sorry that she is in this condition. No matter what kind of person she is or was, no one deserves this condition. Remorse. I definitely feel remorse, even if it is just on her behalf. I have heard her thoughts this week and definitely see that she has regrets and would maybe have treated people differently if she had life to do over again. Sympathy. If you have no sympathy for elderly and aging and disabled people, I think you must have a heart of stone. Exhaustion. The thoughts of what the next step is and how the rest of her life will play out absolutely exhaust me. I'm not one of her children who will be making those decisions, but the complexity, emotion and labor that is and will be involved exhausts me just thinking about it. Sadness. There's really nothing to elaborate on this emotion. Aging, sickness and death are sad to watch. We did spend some time talking about the beauty of heaven today and how many people she is looking forward to seeing, but it is still a sad process though we know the culmination is anything but sad. However, I wouldn't have missed this opportunity. I don't know why, but now that I am in the midst of it, it seems vital. It's an emotion I feel strongly attached to and I think it is a part of life that makes us feel deeper and love stronger. I find it intriguing that the cycle of life truly is a complete cycle and it is fascinating to see in action. I've found a deeper meaning in Ecclesiates 3:1-8 this week.
For everything there is a season,
A time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
I should give some background... My mother's mother, Wanda, suffered a massive stroke three weeks ago and has lost the use of the left side of her body, developed pneumonia and is dealing with other complications as she attempts to recuperate. My mother, Ann, has served as the primary caretaker the past three weeks, and I owed it to her to relieve her as much as possible for this week. My schedule will hopefully allow me to return over Easter.
I arrived on Sunday, not really knowing what to expect, but assured that anything I could do would help my mother. However, after three days in this hospital room, I think I am the one who has benefitted most from this encounter. You see, I've not had a positive relationship with my grandmother since I was a child. It's not just me, I don't think anyone in my family has enjoyed their relationship with my grandmother. It's quite the novel itself, but the story of my mother's family is dramatic and not positive in any light. My grandfather is but a memory as he passed away when I was a toddler. I'm sure that his death contributed greatly to my grandmother's demeanor over the years, but that is not important at this juncture. The drama of the past, scars of relationships lost and feelings betrayed by hurtful words are no longer the story.
The story now is a woman who just three weeks ago was a very prideful and independent woman substitute teaching at a high school now lies helpless in a hospital bed. I've spent my week washing her face, covering her with blankets, uncovering her from blankets, cleaning her teeth, brushing her hair, calling nurses time after time to reposition her in the bed and so on. I've entertained with her favorite pasttime of listening to sermons and my own favorite of worshipping through praise music. As I type this, we are listening to a Third Day CD that she has enjoyed today. (Fortunately, she has good taste in music.) On the first day, I would repeatedly look up scripture when she called out a passage and asked me to read it, but after that day of her reciting the verses before I could locate them, I just started asking her what the verses said instead of looking them up. (I'm quite certain she could record the text for an audio Bible without having to read it from a printed Bible.) I introduced her to YouTube, and we've enjoyed watching Gaither Family performances online. She is working up to taking another swallow test later in the week so that hopefully she will be allowed to begin taking in fluids orally, so she is practicing her speech therapy exercises throughout the day. When I stepped out last night to cook dinner for my parents, I turned her TV to Fox News and told her to do her favorite exercise every time they said "healthcare" on TV. She did it and was still doing it when I returned after dinner. That was just one of the many times I have giggled this week. Although there is certainly no humor in the situation, she has still cracked me up on a daily basis.
Although she is very demanding and needy, I still admit that I am the one who has benefited from this time. Servanthood is an unexplainable feeling, and though I usually have no problem putting words to my feelings, this is the rare occasion when I have absolutely no words. What words are there to explain the feelings of seeing someone so helpless? Sorrow. I definitely am sorry that she is in this condition. No matter what kind of person she is or was, no one deserves this condition. Remorse. I definitely feel remorse, even if it is just on her behalf. I have heard her thoughts this week and definitely see that she has regrets and would maybe have treated people differently if she had life to do over again. Sympathy. If you have no sympathy for elderly and aging and disabled people, I think you must have a heart of stone. Exhaustion. The thoughts of what the next step is and how the rest of her life will play out absolutely exhaust me. I'm not one of her children who will be making those decisions, but the complexity, emotion and labor that is and will be involved exhausts me just thinking about it. Sadness. There's really nothing to elaborate on this emotion. Aging, sickness and death are sad to watch. We did spend some time talking about the beauty of heaven today and how many people she is looking forward to seeing, but it is still a sad process though we know the culmination is anything but sad. However, I wouldn't have missed this opportunity. I don't know why, but now that I am in the midst of it, it seems vital. It's an emotion I feel strongly attached to and I think it is a part of life that makes us feel deeper and love stronger. I find it intriguing that the cycle of life truly is a complete cycle and it is fascinating to see in action. I've found a deeper meaning in Ecclesiates 3:1-8 this week.
For everything there is a season,
A time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Family & Wedding Festivities
My cousin, Leah, is getting married in May in Atlanta. Fortunately, she lives in Dallas, and most of our family lives in various parts of Texas, so we were able to gather on Saturday for a bridal brunch in Leah's honor. The bride's mom, my aunt Kelly came all the way from Atlanta, and everyone else came from Odessa, Austin, Fort Worth, Cisco and Putnam.
The Dragonly restaurant at Hotel Zaza in Dallas was the scene, and it was a fun time with everyone.
Okay, I know we were there to celebrate Leah, but the food was reason to celebrate as well. Ha! This bananas french toast was UH. MAZE. ING. Man, oh man.
And, this cake was aptly named "Oh, God! Chocolate Cake." Oh, it was the tastiest!
Landry, my cousin Hannah's daughter, was a big fan of the chocolate cake. Can you blame her?!
The gifts were extra special, as everyone gave Leah a recipe and a kitchen item that could be used to make that recipe. There was a family pie recipe some yummy recipes I wanted to steal and my sister's recipe for how to make toast that accompanied a toaster oven. It was a joke, but so is my sister's cooking so it was fitting.
I gave these strawberry and blackberry preserves as treats for the guests. If they had been handpicked and cooked by myself, it would have been a special treat, but I just made the labels.
But, the real treat was this special chance for my grandmother, aunts and cousins to come together and honor Leah. Congratulations, Leah!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday Treats - Seafood
With all the cooking I've been doing in the past month, I've had plenty of chances to dig up old recipes I haven't used in a long time as well as new recipes, which have mostly consisted of seafood. In an attempt to avoid the terribly unhealthy red meat I usually cook, I've ventured out into fish. Until this, I had never cooked seafood, which is ridiculous, considering we spent the first eight years of our marriage living on the coast. Now, we're incredibly landlocked and I've decided to try coastal cooking. Ha!
This potato-encrusted tilapia was fine, but I won't bother with sharing the recipe. I wouldn't recommend it. However, the asparagus dijon was tasty.
Asparagus Dijon
1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 T mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 T sliced green onions
3 t dijon-styled mustard
Snap off and discard woody bases of fresh asparagus. Cook, covered in boiling water for 4-6 minutes or till crisp-tender, drain. Beat shipping cream til stiff peaks form, fold in mayonnaise, green onion, mustard. Spoon sauce atop asparagus.
This shrimp and linguini was super tasty and even made for a great leftovers dish. I will definitely be cooking this again.
Shrimp & Linguini
3/4 pound medium shrimp
3/4 cup coarsely chopped carrots
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
8 ounces linguini (I used whole wheat, which is much tastier) cooked according to package
1 t olive oil
2 pressed garlic cloves
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
Heat oil in saute pan. Add shrimp, carrots and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Remove from skillet. Heat sour cream and milk in skillet over low heat while whisking. Stir in parmesan cheese. Add shrimp mixture, tomatoes, green onions, basil, salt and pepper. Mix gently. Pour shrimp and vegetable mixture over pasta.
I love this salmon so much that I've already cooked it twice since discovering it. The rice is another of my favorites, but it's just a box of 4-grain wild rice from Uncle Ben's. Yum! And, the broccoli is a glazed carrots recipe with broccoli instead of carrots. Another yum!
Toasted Sesame Salmon
4 t sesame seends
3 T teriyaki glaze (I used cheriyake glaze)
1 T tahini paste
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 pressed garlic clove
4 salmon filets
1. Preheat oven to 450. Cook sesame seeds in saute pan 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Combine glaze, tahini, oil and garlic in bowl and whisk well. Brush glaze mixture onto fillets and sprinkle seeds over each fillet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
This potato-encrusted tilapia was fine, but I won't bother with sharing the recipe. I wouldn't recommend it. However, the asparagus dijon was tasty.
Asparagus Dijon
1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 T mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 T sliced green onions
3 t dijon-styled mustard
Snap off and discard woody bases of fresh asparagus. Cook, covered in boiling water for 4-6 minutes or till crisp-tender, drain. Beat shipping cream til stiff peaks form, fold in mayonnaise, green onion, mustard. Spoon sauce atop asparagus.
This shrimp and linguini was super tasty and even made for a great leftovers dish. I will definitely be cooking this again.
Shrimp & Linguini
3/4 pound medium shrimp
3/4 cup coarsely chopped carrots
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
8 ounces linguini (I used whole wheat, which is much tastier) cooked according to package
1 t olive oil
2 pressed garlic cloves
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
Heat oil in saute pan. Add shrimp, carrots and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Remove from skillet. Heat sour cream and milk in skillet over low heat while whisking. Stir in parmesan cheese. Add shrimp mixture, tomatoes, green onions, basil, salt and pepper. Mix gently. Pour shrimp and vegetable mixture over pasta.
I love this salmon so much that I've already cooked it twice since discovering it. The rice is another of my favorites, but it's just a box of 4-grain wild rice from Uncle Ben's. Yum! And, the broccoli is a glazed carrots recipe with broccoli instead of carrots. Another yum!
Toasted Sesame Salmon
4 t sesame seends
3 T teriyaki glaze (I used cheriyake glaze)
1 T tahini paste
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 pressed garlic clove
4 salmon filets
1. Preheat oven to 450. Cook sesame seeds in saute pan 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Combine glaze, tahini, oil and garlic in bowl and whisk well. Brush glaze mixture onto fillets and sprinkle seeds over each fillet. Bake 12-14 minutes or until fish flakes easily.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)