Holiday Activities

I hope that you are all enjoying a wonderful holiday weekend! I had a lovely Thanksgiving, although it was a bit strange this year with fewer people than usual. My aunt and uncle now live closer to us, so they only came for the day, instead of staying for the long weekend. My sister-in-law's family had a party for her grandmother--90 years old yesterday! So my brother and his family had to leave partway through our dinner to go to their other celebration.

Yesterday was my 34th birthday. I did something I've never done, with the exception of my actual day of birth--I got up at 5:30 am! Mom and I went to stand in line at Target with the other die-hard (perhaps crazy) shoppers. But I got myself a great deal on a 19" television. Happy birthday to me! Then we had a whole list of other stores to hit afterward, with our Christmas shopping lists in hand. Last night, we had a family dinner of leftovers and finished it off with my favorite ice-cream dessert. My niece Sydney claims that she blew out all my candles (but my wish still counts!) and then I opened my loot. I got some great gifts this year and I'm thankful for my family's thoughtfulness.

Unfortunately all these events were slightly marred by my sister falling ill on Thanksgiving night. Her stomach was hurting her terribly and she was even short of breath. She tried to tough it out; finally, 24 hours later, she and Andy went to the hospital, where she was eventually admitted with pancreantitis. She's in BWMC (for your locals) in room 455 if you want to visit. She's being hydrated and observed, while they continue to run tests and monitor the inflamed pancreas. The hard part--no food or water AT ALL. So she's pretty hungry and she missed out on the Thanksgiving leftovers and the birthday dessert. I appreciate your prayers for her recovery!