Monday, November 29, 2010
Bullet train 11.29.10
- I was off the entire week of Thanksgiving.
- The kiddos were out of school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
- Carmi shopped for 6 hours on (Black) Friday.
- I didn’t shop at all.
- Carmi and I took Zane and Eliana to see Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 1 on Saturday.
- Karys stayed with Gran’mommy.
- Still cost us $60 for “matinee” tickets, drinks for everyone and 2 large bags of popcorn.
- We erected our (pre-lit) Christmas tree yesterday immediately following lunch.
- One section of bulbs would not light up
- I lost a touch of Christmas joy.
- I was actually kinda ready to go back to work this morning.
- Until I got to work and the temperature in my office was 52 degrees.
- My feet were freezing all day despite finally having heat after lunch.
- Carmi bought a strand of lights and we finished decorating the tree tonight.
- I regained some Christmas joy.
- Until I noticed several clumps of cat hair in the limbs.
- Those cats will be sorry if I catch them in that tree.
- Uh huh. I’m talkin’ to you, Tommy.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Goodbye Henry
Carmi’s father died when she was 17 years old.
So on our wedding day, Carmi’s maternal grandfather, Henry, gave her away.
I was always very fond of Henry.
Maybe because I never knew my own grandfathers.
Possibly because he and I were both employed in the engineering field.
Certainly because I was very, VERY fond of his granddaughter.
Henry has been in a nursing home for the last several years and was recently placed under hospice care.
When I came home from work this afternoon, Carmi’s mom had just received a call from the hospice nurse who said Henry was not doing well.
Fortunately Carmi had worked from home and was finished for the day so we all ate a quick bite and piled in the car.
Carmi’s mom, Nancy-Coe, was leaving as we arrived. We were so glad to see her. She promptly turned around and led us to her dads room.
Henry was sleeping. But it didn’t look or sound like a peaceful sleep.
His breathing was rhythmic but so very labored. Each breath was actually a gasp.
Nancy-Coe had already released her dad and given him permission to let go. And she had been praying. Because that’s Nancy-Coe.
We’d been in the room for maybe 10-15 minutes when Carmi and her mom stepped out into the hall.
I took advantage of the moment to kneel down beside Henrys bed and place my hand on his.
I couldn’t help but cry. And then I rambled for a bit.
Most of my conversation is a blur. But I told him I loved him. I thanked him for the privilege of marrying his granddaughter. Even though he didn’t need my blessing, I told him he was free to go because we would take good care of Nancy-Coe. And I asked him to tell my dad hello.
It wasn’t long before the intervals between Henrys breaths lengthened. Significantly.
Carmi went to the nurses station to let them know that her grandfather was fading.
A nurse entered the room and checked his heartbeat. “It won’t be long”, she said softly.
Just a few seconds later, he gasped one last time and his soul departed that tired, 96-year-old body.
Goodbye Henry. You were a true gentleman and will be greatly missed.
24th Anniversary
After a whirlwind 7-month romance, Carmi and I were married 24 years ago today.
I love you, Carmi.
Happy Anniversary!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Award Day
Carmi and I went to an assembly in the gym at Eliana’s school this morning.
It was an awards assembly. And our big girl won 2!
One award was for perfect attendance. Meh. Not that hard to do for one quarter.
But the other award was for the A-B honor roll!
Eliana received all As and Bs on her first quarter report card.
We are SO proud of you, girl!
Those grades didn’t come easily. She had to work hard.
The good thing is… she is already motivated to bring those Bs up to As.
This coming from a girl who is very vocal about not liking school and whining constantly about school being boring.
Ugh.
Now if only the principal hadn’t asked all the recipients to stand up in front of that room full of parents and grandparents.
Poor Eliana.
She stood there the whole time covering her face with her hand.
{extended}Friday, November 05, 2010
Who were we calling?
Zane is leaving later this afternoon for a weekend retreat with our church Youth ministry on the North Carolina coast.
A little bit ago, I went into the attic to grab a small bag in which to pack his “stuff”.
When I opened the bag, there was an envelope inside with Hua Tian Hotel on it. Hua Tian is the Changsha, Hunan provincial hotel where Carmi and I stayed during our adoption trip for Eliana in 2002.
Inside the envelope was an invoice for room charges during our stay.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw all the charges for “local” calls from the room.
There was one call on a second page for almost 23-1/2 minutes.
Who in the heck were we calling and talking to in China?
