We are Family

When I was growing up, we spent every other weekend and many major holidays at my grandparents' farm. Grandma and Grandpa had five kids (one of whom is my father) and 13 grandkids. Eight of us were close in age. In fact, 6 of us are separated by 6 years, with approximately a year between us. My cousins (Rob, Scott, Chris, Deanise, Nicki and Vicki) were also frequently at the farm. As a result, I have many fond memories of weekends spent with my cousins. We pretty much had free run of the farm. I can remember mud fights, rides on the tractor, hours spent playing in the barn, and terrorizing the resident wild animals with our BB guns. I don't think anything was ever wounded (except for Scott), but we sure shot at a lot of things.

However, since Grandma passed away in 2000, I have seen my family less and less. In fact, I haven't seen some of my cousins since before Andrew was born. I have been harassing various people about having a family reunion for quite awhile but with no success. Well, I managed to get them all in the same room at the same time after my brother's wedding and insisted that we needed a get together. The combined authority of Aunt JoAnn and Aunt Patsy was too much and we picked a day for a family reunion. It just so happened to be this past Saturday.

So on Saturday, we all trekked down to the farm. Now, in case you don't live in Texas, we had quite a bit of rain this past weekend. In fact, they got over 7 inches at the farm between Friday morning and Saturday morning. It was incredibly muddy down home. We had a great time.

As is required at all family reunions, there was more food than we could possibly eat. The kids crawled all over the hay in the barn. Scott, Chris and I discussed the merits of square bales over round bales (square bales are much more movable and perfect for building forts). I got to talk to all of my cousins and see their kids (2 of whom I was meeting for the first time). There were rides on the gator and four-wheeler and, once the soon came out, a hay ride. There was also playing in the mud.

I have often been saddened by the fact that Andrew's cousins live in Ann Arbor and that he will not have the wonderful memories of family that I have. But for a brief time this weekend, Andrew got to experience some of my childhood memories (including being helped up the hay by his second cousin Brian while Brian refused to help his own brother Matthew--boy does that sound familiar).

Everything at the family reunion may have been coated in mud and slightly damp, but it was absolutely perfect.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-change....

It's funny how a single event (or series of events) can lead to multiple changes in our lives. Last week, for example, had led to a few big changes in my life. In case I haven't spoken to you recently, last week was a pretty crappy week and that is putting it mildly. My mother was sick the beginning part of the week and then, Wednesday night, I came down with a really nasty gastro-intestinal virus and ended up in the emergency room, after passing out twice, hooked up to an IV because I was dehydrated (I think Adam was little freaked out by the passing out). It was not a good week. And then I worked all weekend (when I probably should have been at home). Those events have led to 3 changes in my life, some bigger than others.

First, I have a new, deep appreciation for water and seem to constantly be thirsty. I am drinking way more water now than I did before the illness. I don't know if this is a lingering effect of the dehydration or simply something wrong with my head (keep your comments to yourself), but I seem to be thirsty all of the time. I probably didn't drink enough water before so this is a good thing.

Second, I lost about 6-7 pounds in 24 hours. While I would never recommend a gastro-intestinal virus as part of a weight loss program, it worked for me (I could probably bottle it and sell it to models/actresses...hmmmm). I decided to take advantage of the sudden and unexpected weight loss and began a diet/exercise program. I am using the Wii Fit program (so much fun) and watching what I eat. We will see how it goes.

And finally, I decided to quit my job. Trying to juggle a job, care for my family (and myself), and not put too much stress on Adam was too much. When I quit my career 2 years ago, it was because I wanted to spend more time with my family and be there to take care of them. Last week, after being at the hospital with my mom for part of the week, being in the hospital myself, and Adam having to miss work 3 days in a row to take care of Andrew and me, I then had to work all weekend. Instead of taking it easy over the weekend and giving Adam a little down time (and time to catch up on work), I was at a job that I don't really need. I suddenly remembered that my family is the most important thing in my life. Clearly, it was time to realign my priorities. And so I did.

So beware the next time you catch a stomach virus, it could lead to more changes than you ever anticipated.