Bodies and Minds

Well I had an amazing weekend, and it's not over yet! We're going to see Neko Case tonight!!!

Reese was sick all day Friday, so I didn't think he would be able to go to the Mavericks game that night, but he toughed it out. I'm glad he did too; it was so much fun. Maybe it's just that our seats were really close, but that place seems a lot smaller than I had imagined. Also, those basketball players are massive, so maybe that had something to do with the size perception.
Blaire and Bear went with us, which added to the entertainment, especially in the 5mph traffic on the way to Dallas. I hope that when I am married I will handle my husband's needling as well as Blaire does. I probably wont' though, since I generally react to teasing by acting like a pouty child.
Anyways.
Saturday Mom, Reese and I went to Southlake to see Joseph swim. I still enjoy watching swim meets. Joseph won some events, set some records, you know, the usual. Then we kidnapped him and went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Oh my goodness, WHY had no one told me how awesome that place is?? You were probably just trying to keep me from gaining 30 lbs. from eating there all the time, so good lookin' out.
After lunch we dropped Joseph off at the swim meet and headed home. But first Mom made us stop at Big Lots to find Dad some electronic games to play. It amuses me that she will spend any amount of money on stuff she thinks will make him happy. That's good though because I can tell that he is definitely getting bored with lying in bed all day watching TV. But more on that later.
Back to Saturday: I took a nap when I got home (always my favorite part of the weekend), then Reese and I hung out some more. We ended up heading downtown to look at the Christmas tree, which turned out not to be lit up yet, so then we headed to Barnes and Noble. Apparently the rest of Fort Worth had the same idea. It was so packed that we took our coffee and walked around downtown some more. Then we went back to B&N and Reese read me one of David Sedaris' books. I find it funny how sometimes he treats me like his daughter rather than his girlfriend. Haha, awkward? I just mean that he takes care of me...and bosses me around, of course. But we have fun together. I don't know if it's cute or lame that we can just putter around doing basically nothing and still have a good time. I thoroughly enjoy his company.
So Sunday. I went to see Dad that morning, and he was sitting in his wheelchair! That is the first time he's been out of bed since surgery. Mom decided to show him around the rehab facility, so we did that. He really liked all the paintings on the hallway walls. Then we went back to his room and Mom made him write his name for me. He seemed to have to concentrate more than usual, but I think he's just strong willed and didn't feel like writing his name. We tried to get him to put together his k'nex car, but he wasn't really interested in that either. So Mom made him do a puzzle. I think he liked that because he figured it out quickly and put most of it together without Mom's help.
William got there about that time, so we gave Dad a hard time for saying William's name and not anyone else's; he thought that was funny. He doesn't actually laugh yet, but he smiles and has various facial expressions. The one I see most often is annoyance with Mom for asking him the same question multiple times in rapid succession. She just ignores it though. When she asked if she was annoying him yesterday he said "Yep.", which I thought was great. Someone has to be his slavedriver though. He is improving daily, but it's very tiring for him.
I left the rehab place around lunchtime because I still had some errands to run - specifically buying Christmas cards. I really do not care for the greetings on Christmas cards lately. "Seasons' Greetings"? "Wishing you a warm holiday season"? This is America. We are not celebrating Chaunnnnuuukkkah or Kwanzaa or the Feast of St. Tropez. It is Christmas. All I want are some Christmas cards that say "Merry Christmas!" I do not think that is so much to ask. I finally found some for cheap at Half Price books, so that made me happy.
Then I went home and made cookies for the piece de resistance of the weekend: Sarah's pig roast!
For months Reese's sister Sarah has had this idea that she could roast a pig in a fire pit in her back yard. I was pretty skeptical about the execution of this plan, but like her friends said, Sarah will make it happen. And she did. It was the most fun party I have been to since the last party she invited us to, haha. There was so much food! All her friends are really good cooks. And it was fun to stand outside around the fire and talk. I really miss just hanging out with people. The holidays are good for that, but it's bittersweet to see your friends only a few times a year. But I am thankful for what little time we get to spend together. Hope to see you over Thanksgiving!

Reanimation

I wanted to write about stuff that's happened, is happening, could happen, but I do not know where to begin.
So I will start with what I am thankful for:

It is such a delight to have someone that I can talk to, be silent with, spend time around, be away from, cook with, eat with, run with, be still, laugh with, cry with, complain to, adore.
Slowly, slowly, I am learning what it means to care for someone. I am so thankful for the people who love me - you are teaching me how to love others.

Let me pass on to you what Kelli said at Mallory's funeral, "Go home and tell your kids you love them. You may not get another chance."