What is normal?

The past few weeks have been crazy!  I am a big fan of having routines.  Even the smallest changes can make me nervous and uptight.  As we started the school year I was already a little out of sorts because there were so many changes.  I knew everything would be fine as soon as I had a routine.

As school started, Sadie started acting really strange.  She was really lethargic (even for her), wouldn't eat, and would yelp in pain when we touched her or even when we didn't touch her.  We took her to the vet and found out she had a neck injury.  We have no idea how she got the neck injury!  Mike was given a list of instructions, three medications, and told to get her to eat as soon as possible.  Since a hot dog was recommended, he stopped by Sonic and bought Sadie lunch.  A few days later I was rushing home because we had friends who were suppose to arrive any minute to spend labor day weekend with us.  The combination of medication and wet dog food over the past few days caused an explosive situation all over our carpet.  When I took Sadie outside I realized she was also bleeding.  Vet visit number two brought the dog's medication count to seven!  I am so glad Mike took most of the responsibility for that because I there was a lot to keep track of.  Over the weekend we managed a fun trip to Galveston but were still somewhat concerned about Sadie.  We put in a call to Bethany who sweetly listened and made us feel better.  Vet visit number three got Sadie back on track and she has been doing better and better.  We knew she was back to normal when she became mischievous again!

Just as the dog was getting better Hurricane Ike came through the area.  Having never experienced a hurricane we figured things would be back to normal in a few days.  Fourteen days later we are happy to report we have power!  We learned a lot in this experience.  We did well and definitely have a few ideas for how we would do things different if this happens again.  Our apartment had very little damage and we only suffered from boredom and hot weather.  We spent the first week visiting friends during the day and sleeping with our windows open at night.  After a sleepless hot Saturday night we moved to Camp Curry.

Sometimes it is tough not living near our families.  One of my prayers before the hurricane arrived was that we would do what we could to help others and that we would have friends who would be willing to help us if we needed it.  It was such a blessing for Sean and Katie to let us crash at their house.  It is so easy to offer help but it is so tough accepting help!  We were there for six nights and Katie reassured us almost daily that they weren't tired of us yet.  Katie put me to work as her secretary and then as her kindergarten book fair helper.  

School started again while we were still living at the Curry house.  My beloved twenty minute drive to work from our apartment topped out at almost two hours from Camp Curry partially because of distance but mostly because of hurricane related traffic issues.  I didn't like getting up an hour earlier than usual, but it was nice to see Mike in the mornings.  He usually leaves for work while I'm catching my last few Zs.  I might start getting up a little earlier for a more relaxed morning routine unlike my traditional fireman on the way to a fire type of morning routine.  

Today was our first day back at home and we managed to get some things done.  We put the furniture back where it belongs (it had been moved to avoid a small leak), bought some basic groceries, did some laundry, and took some time to relax.  I'm so glad we were somewhat able to maintain our sense of humor and a basic level of mental health.  We can't wait to sleep in our own bed again...with the covers on!