Flashback #4: Something about the Skies

Kenny turned 40 a few months ago and celebrated in Flight.  For some reason we Wards like to take to the skies for birthdays (see blog post about my 40th hot air balloon ride.)  But Kenny was completely on his own for his sky dive jump.  He asked several friends to take the risk, but no one was willing.  We had some that were busy, others that wouldn't jump out of a perfectly good airplane, one that wouldn't until her daughter grew up (didn't want to chance leaving an orphan), and still another wouldn't risk a fall since sky dive jumps weren't covered by insurance.  I was surprised no one else jumped (hee hee) at the chance.  Including myself.  I think myself daring - but not really. 

It was a beautifully warm May Saturday and I waited, watching the skies. Our friend Bryant came out to support - so nice of him.  We were lucky enough to be there at the same time a world record was made -- we watched S.O.S (Skydivers over Sixty) break a large formation world record with 21 jumpers at the same time.  It was pretty amazing. 

It wasn't my first rodeo at a sky dive park - K also jumped with his friend Mike for his 30th birthday. I was prepared.  I liken it to watching a marathon.  You never want to do it yourself, but when you get there to watch, you almost wish you were the one signing on the "I Agree that SKy Dive Space Land is not responsible . . . " dotted line because it seems like such a bonding experience. And I say bonding quite literally since both times Kenny has jumped, he's had a guy strapped to his back. 

While you're waiting on your sky diver to jump, you basically chance a crick in your neck.  You never really know which plane is the one you're watching, which parachute is yours to snap a picture of.  Bryant and I watched every shadow of a body float down - "that's him, no, it's not.   That's him, no it's not."  Finally though, we saw a blue and white parachute float to the ground, and there was Kenny skidding to a stop.  

He was back.  He was safe.  No drama.  No spectacle. Just my 40-year-old adventurer at heart. And while I thank him for choosing family and working to support a family over all the risky things he'd like to try, and all the places he'd like to go, I'm happy he got to celebrate The Hill his way - jumping over it. 

Flashback #3 - False Alarms

 When Elijah was born, he had a rough start.  After one night at home, we headed to Texas Children's Hospital - E wouldn't eat at all so he was dehydrated and jaundiced. We sat in the waiting room - forever - it was a Saturday and a football game was on.  I do remember that. We had to get him hydrated, and for some reason I can't recall now -  he had a spinal tap.  That was a memorable moment,

overly tired, scared and wrought with emotions with a baby only a few days old.  Not to mention the mastitis that was burning my chest.  After a few days stay at the Ronald McDonald House so we could be close to the NICU, we headed home.  He was fine - nothing dangerously wrong.

After a few months of babyhood, we encountered another problem. E wouldn't stop spitting up nor would he sleep (due to all the spitting up.)  We had every possible blanket and gadget propping his body up so he could sleep.  Most doctors passed us by because, well babies spit up a lot.  We were lucky that while at an appointment, he threw it all up just in time for our pediatrician to see it and finally believe us that this just wasn't normal.

One appointment, our doctor confronted us with the possibility that he could have cystic fibrosis - so off to the Texas Children's Hospital again to have him tested and take a sweat test.  That was fun. Again, praise God, he was fine, just some reflux that plagued him for a year and kept us running to the pharmacy for meds with a little added grape flavor.

Overall, we've been quite blessed. None of our children have broken bones, stitches, or been seriously sick.  That's probably why this past April when Elijah went to the doctor for a hurt leg and a lingering fever, we were a bit in shock as we were advised by a sweet, but very young pediatrician, to rush to Texas Children's for more screening - the fear this time - leukemia.

I wasn't in the car as Kenny took Elijah into town but I heard it was a lot of crying, a lot of fear.  We spent a good few hours sitting in the waiting room while a friend of ours, who is also a pediatrician, but not ours, stayed updated and calmly told us that sitting there is most likely a mistake.  His blood count levels were low but just not low enough to make sitting in a hospital necessary.  He didn't want to step on the toes of our doctor who was certainly trying to be safer than sorry but even I kind of put together that even if Elijah had leukemia, the results could wait until a planned appointment the next morning.  But, because we have a tendency to trust, our whole family waited and waited until the girls couldn't take it anymore. Kenny took them home and our friend Kendra stayed the night with them.  Elijah and I stayed there.

I had fantastic people watching moments while sitting on the floor at midnight in a busy waiting room with a fussy and feverish 10-year-old laying on my lap.  Sleep was next to impossible. We were pretty fed up with the whole experience and ready to leave when E's name was finally called.  I remember our doctor was odd, and reminded me of Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley, but he seemed to know what he was doing.  We (paid for) the mandatory testing and x-rays all along believing and Squiggy basically telling us, it's probably just a virus.  And it was.  And sometime around 3am, Elijah finally came home to sleep off this random false alarm.


I'm grateful it was just a false alarm.  I know other parents who haven't been so lucky so I shouldn't be complaining.  But if I'd listened to our friend, and listened to my gut, I would have saved our family a harrowing night and a spectacular $2500 tab.  If I had to do it over, yeah, I'd probably still listen to that young pediatrician and his conservative "better safe then sorry" actions. I mean who wants to be the parent who ignored the doctor's orders, but geesh, come on, young Mr. doctor - if it's truly not an emergency and can wait until the morning, for goodness sakes, don't freak out a family, or at least not our family.  I can do people watching some other day.

Our Minnesota

When you ask a kid where they want to go on vacation, most likely, they will not say Minnesota, home of 10,000 lakes. Why?  Because, well kids who live in Texas know very little about Minnesota except that it snows there.  Ask an adult who's never lived or visited, and they may whistle a little Purple Rain. 

But for us, Minnesota was our vacation spot.  Last spring, we made our plans - we were looking for a lake, outdoorsy stuff, and cool weather.  We also wanted to see K's old law school room mate, show the kids his old house, see the Twins play in newly built Target Field, and of course, ride the indoor roller coaster at the Mall of America.

Oftentimes, a trip on paper doesn't work out so well in real life.  This trip - well, it did.  It was uneventfully wonderful. After a 3-hour flight to Minneapolis, and a 4-hour drive almost to Canada, we arrived at Ludlow's Lodge, an island resort in the woods. For the first four days, I woke to open windows surrounded by trees, cool breezes, birds, and a lake in view.  Truly picturesque. And the sunsets, oh. so. beautiful.  We chose a cabin that was most like a tree house, 4 floors and K and I lived on the top.  We spent the days fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and touring the small northern town of Cook, MN.  The kids also played in the FREEZING water but not without a lot of fanfare - "MOM - I"m going to go in! I'm REALLY going in. Watch me!"  Of course right next to my shivering children were true Scandinavian kids - all blond, blue-eyed and a different kind of blood pumping in their veins who merely hung out in the freezing water like it was bath water.



I learned a great deal about my kids that week, things I already suspected, but this week really brought it home.  Despite their spirited and talkative ways at home, at heart, my kids are introverts. All of them.  There were several families at the resort, families who come every year to this place and have it all figured out.  My kids would watch these 12 or so kids their age interact but never really cared to get in the mix of it.  They were satisfied just doing their own thing.  While I pushed them to, "go play with those girls over there" more than once, they were just as content not making new friends.  They did all string worms on their lines together and laugh at the fish wriggling off their hooks, but as far as bff's - not this week. It was an interesting study for me - and since I love to analyze . . . and talk . . . I did.

The rest of our vacation was spent in the twin cities - doing all the things we hoped to do.  We visited with Kenny's law school room mate, Erik and his wife, who I'd never met and who I really liked and the kids, my introverted kids, really took a shine too.  We sat through a 2 hour rain delay and watched the TWINS (at least the first 5 innings) who went on to win 3 straight games after a long losing streak. We experienced that MALL, took the girls to the Barbie Experience, found the store that sells the best caramel ever (Tina and I found it years ago and I haven't been back since college), and we rode those roller coasters.  Perfect.

On our last day, we had to take the kids by Kenny's old house and to see the Minnehaha Waterfall.  Not only for the silly name, but because some 16 years ago, Kenny stumbled upon this waterfall completely frozen, gorgeous, and snapped a picture.  That picture has sat on our shelf for years.  We wanted to see it again.
It was one of those days - one of those Norman Rockwell days. For Texans, I liken it to that first cool day in October when you can't help but be outside.  The Twin Cities' folks had a record-breaking cold winter, then a deluge of Spring rain, so on that day, our one day to explore Minneapolis, every. single. person was out to feel the sunshine and I was wrapped up in it.  I was ready to buy a house that day and start a new life in this awesome city, with these sweet little homes that has a Lutheran church and school on every corner.

Of course, I had to remind myself that I dislike the cold something fierce and so I quickly shook my Twin City fantasy as we headed back to the airport for our flight home.

I loved our little trip, even more so because it was in Minnesota and not a typical tourist spot.  I asked the kids where else they'd like to go so we could plan a spot next year and I got a great answer.  I think it was Lydia who said, "We don't know what there is to see!"
I can't wait to show them.

I love to travel, despite my fear of flying that I try to hide from my children.  It happens often that I get the itch to go somewhere, anywhere else but where I am.  There is nothing better for the soul then a new landscape, new weather, new history, and new people.  And there's nothing better for a family then taking that adventure together, and bringing it back, tired and exhausted, to this place we've carved out called HOME.

And then make plans to do it again, somewhere new.

Some more favorite Pics: