"May you live in interesting times." ~A Chinese Proverb/Curse (depending on the source)

I have been at a loss in the last week or so when trying to think of how I could even go about blogging about all that is going on right now in my life.  Joe and I were sitting down at dinner tonight and I said, "Well, our life is certainly not boring right now."  He chuckled and quoted back to me the above proverb.  I knew then I had found my way to start.

So, here is a little list of our interesting times as of late:

1. Joe is in fairly significant pain most of the time.  We finally found out last week, from an MRI that seemed to take forever to get scheduled, that he has a large herniated disc that will require surgery.  The specifics of the surgery will hopefully be determined this week after he meets with the neurosurgeon.  The pain and immobility that is a result of the herniated disc has had countless effects on our family...most of them negative. I am realizing more everyday how lucky I am that I have an equal partner in life....and look forward to him being pain-free and healthy again.

2. Last week we got a call from Joe's mom telling us that Joe's Nan (John's mom) had had a stroke during the night.  That, along with the numerous health problems she has had for years, prompted a call to bring hospice in.  We knew it was not going to be long since she wasn't eating or drinking anything.  This morning we got the call that she had passed away.  The funeral is Wednesday and we aren't going to be able to go.  Joe can barely make it across town sitting in the car; a flight back east is not even really possible.  Heartbreaking and disappointing all at the same time.

3. Our kitchen planning is in full gear and there a lot of decisions that have needed to be made.  While fun at times, it is one more thing to think about. It is scheduled to begin the end of October and take about two weeks...most likely right around the time of Joe's surgery or recovery.

4. As if one death isn't enough, we also found out that a dear aunt on Joe's mom's side passed away this morning.  Again, hospice had been called in awhile ago so there is no real surprise, but it is still a loss for our family.  Mary was nothing but kind to me and while I didn't have a strong relationship to her, there are many that are close to me that did.  My heart aches for them.

5. I am horrible at saying no.  This is not something particularly new or earth-shattering, but while I had been somewhat "in recovery" since Taelin was born I seem to have fallen off the wagon.  I look at the next few weeks, in terms of work, and think "What have I done?"  I am sure everything will fall into place and will work out but I feel like I have too many plates spinning and one is bound to fall.

6. Taelin got sick.  It was a matter of time since going back to daycare that Taelin would get sick.  She got a bit of a runny nose when she was first back the end of August but it cleared up quickly and I thought finally her immune system was prepped to fight things off.  And then she got sick again and it didn't clear up.  It got worse as days went, as did her disposition.  I pretty much called it after a week that we were bound for an ear infection.  She is currently on antibiotics (because I was right) and is already on the mend but sleeping horribly.  I currently am typing this post from my queen size bed that I am sharing with Taelin, Tucker and the freaking cat (all who are snoring loudly enough to prevent any kind of real sleep for me).

Okay...there, I am done.  I even got sick of typing it so I am impressed with anyone that might have stayed with me through my whining.  Sorry, I just needed to get it out.  I promise there won't be a lot of posts like this.

Interesting times indeed....