Back In My House Again! (sang to the tune of the 80's song!)

So, I’m back at home in California and the weather has been …. questionable.  Last night we didn’t receive a lot of rain, but the winds were reminiscent of the pre-tornado winds back east.  The dogs were quite intrigued by all the noises outside, and there were noises ALL night long!  The wind never let up until this morning.  Then again, I think that’s when they let up, I was asleep.

Yes.  I got to sleep in!  Well, I slept in the bed last night and on the couch this morning, but I’ll get to that in a minute.  I got to sleep in!  I woke up at 0630, took the dogs out, curled up on the couch and woke up again at 1030.  It was awesome.

Why the couch, because Martini is sick and I’d rather be downstairs than upstairs in the bedrooms when she had her next diarrhea episode.  Therefore, after cleaning up two messes last night, walking the dogs this morning, scrubbing out their crate, I grabbed a blanket and put the two lil’ dachshunds on the couch with me and went to sleep.  It was an evil plan, they thought I was getting super lovey-dovey, but I just wanted to wake up when either one of them moved and avoid further soiling of the new carpet.

So that’s the tail of Martini, no pun intended.  Additional stories of ill women in the household include that of Krista, who spent ten hours in the ER the other day!  Yeah, I know!!!  I get a phone call in the middle of the night from Krista that she is driving herself to the ER.  She’s doubled-over in pain and has vomited several times.  I, of course, end up 2,000 miles away when this happens and begin to freak out.  She gets to the hospital and they medical staff is FAILRY certain it’s an appendicitis.  Over the next ten hours, two doctors and a shift change … the medical staff can obtain no confirmation of appendicitis from the CT, Ultrasound or the blood work.  So they shot her full of drugs and sent her away!

Krista has done well over the last few days and seems to be recovering from the mystery ailment that landed her in the ER and convinced the doctors it was appendicitis, but turned out not to be.  Dum dum duuuuuuum.  Where’re the Mystery Machine and those pesky kids when you need them?

And back to me sleeping in.  I’m off for the New Year holiday.  I got out of work yesterday at noon, came home, wrapped Christmas presents and have been enjoying the relaxation of a holiday spent going nowhere.  I LOVED my trip beck to Ohio, but it’s time for a break from travel.  Later today I plan on going to Lowe’s and purchasing some wood for a decorative project here at the house.  After that I will maybe exercise, call Krista and find out what I’m supposed to be doing with the meat in the refrigerator, and then do NOTHING!  Oh wait, we pay bills tonight, but that won’t take long … then back to NOTHING!  It’s a good day.

It was an awesome Christmas too!  Thank you to everyone for your wonderful gifts and support.  There’s a very funny CD set from the folks, a ski trip from the Curran/Davis Grandparent, gift cards from Siblings, dish sets and baking set from the folks, books, pictures, cards, etc!  What an awesome holiday.

There are no New Year’s Eve plans, as everything was canceled because we thought Krista was going to have surgery, so the leisurely lifestyle should continue right on through.  Actually, I think we’re going to dinner, a movie and back home to a big blanket and some champagne.  To be honest, it’s a New Year’s that is quite fitting, and should be more than enjoyable.  (If you've got a good idea, let us know for consideration, we're game for anything!)

Well, that’s it.  Take care, God bless.

SA&LC,

~Ryan

Over the River and Through the Woods

The last several days have kept me quite busy traveling from one gathering to another and attempting to organize folks to collate for brief session of catch-up and I drive through town.  I have been well rested at times and I have been absolutely exhausted at other s.  Regardless of time spent on the road, inclement weather, and/or fatigue, this vacation has been a lot of fun and very fulfilling.

As I drove along Ohio State Route 23 northwest headed back towards Bowling Green, I turned in a country music radio station, set the cruise control, and enjoyed the farmhouse-dotted snow-covered landscape.  All the while I kept thinking, “I can’t wait to show this to Krista”.  I’ve had that thought a lot this trip, that or, “I can’t wait until she can experience this”.

I consider myself a lucky human being.  I’ve had a great childhood, full of adventure and discovery.  My parents are wonderful people who did their best at raising my brother and me.  Turns out, they did a phenomenal job!  I don’t say that to win favor, but because I know how much of a brat I was as a child!  (and can still be)  Seriously, my parents were, and are, some of the most amazing people I know.  I also grew up with a brother who stuck by me through everything, no matter how many times we got into fights which resulted in me pummeling him.  His capacity for grace and understanding is mind-boggling.

As I reflect on the facts of my life; the people who raised me, my extended family, my friends, the places I’ve lived, the travels I’ve made, the opportunities I’ve had; I realize that I want to share these with Krista because it is those things which help comprise the whole of the person I am today.  There are parts of my life which are not so great, that are over and done with, and should remain as such.  Krista is aware of those emotional boxes sitting on the shelves of my mind, and she respects my desire to leave the boxes there: dealt with and stored to never repeat.  But the majority of my life is something that I consider blessed to have experienced and holds many things which fascinate Krista, bits and pieces of who I am that might give her deeper understanding of me.  These are the parts I am excited for her to experience.

Krista has never ‘seen’ snow; my family loves the snow and participates in many winter time activities.  Krista has never really ventured out of California; I’ve been all over the place, three different continents to be precise!  There are places like Breckenridge, CO and Plevena, ONT that hold special place in my heart, and these are destinations that I want her to experience so she can understand why they impact me as they do.  I watch her eyes light up as I tell her stories of Canadian wilderness vacations with the Davis’ and Colorado ski trip misadventures with the Metherds.  She sits, fully mentally engaged, as I share tales of college and my youth in Ohio.  She is SINCERELY interested, which excites her and excites me, as it is something completely new to me.

This past Christmas was dedicated to my family, as they have endured hard times with me and needed a drama-less holiday.  Folks received our Christmas card and spoke to me in aside, but the majority of the holiday was focused on immediate family and maximizing the time I had with them.  I love and respect my family, and I hope that they understand my efforts to maintain focus this trip.  It is also my hope that during the course of 2011 my family can become better acquainted with Krista, as I intend to start exposing her to some of the experiences and places from my past.

I know, because I grew up a Davis/Curran, that there is a place in every family for someone like me … which means that there is MORE than enough room for someone like Krista!  (as she is, better than I in many many ways)  It’s a prayer of mine that her place in my world would become more apparent and readily accessible to the rest of my family and friends.  One day, I hope, she and I would become like happy spirits … drifting  from the Davis world to the Hoffmann world, to the Curran world to the Ortega world, to the Wells world to the realm of Friends with the greatest of ease.  Never disrupting anything as we go, welcomed by those we visit because of the joy we bring.

I am a happy person, but I am a person of unrest.  As time passes, and I see my hopes and prayers manifested, I have faith that I will find peace.  Until then, I keep rolling with the punches, keep my wits about me, and push on through.  My family is behind me supporting, Krista is next to me encouraging, and a brave future waits before me.  These are good times.

SA&LC,

Ryan

Home for the Holiday

In the past forty-eight hours I have reunited with my parents and brother’s family, have enjoyed a day skiing, caroled in a flash-mob,  have spoken to old friends on the phone and have enjoyed a family tradition that strives successfully to live on despite growing numbers.

 

I love my family and, regardless of how much time we spend apart, it always feels as though when we come together nothing has changed.  Kids are older, new ones are born, jobs change, people move, but through it all we are still a family.  We are deeply in love with one another and celebrate the times we can share in fellowship.  Although I do not, in the slightest, miss northwest Ohio / southeast Michigan, I sincerely miss my family.

 

I haven’t skied in three years, the last time being a family trip to Whistler, but it felt like I’d gone just last week.  The smell of the trees, the feel of the wind against my face and the sound of my skis cutting the snow beneath them was invigorating.  I love getting up early just to put on comfy clothes, spend the day being adventurous in the cold, eating lunch by the fire, exploring God’s landscape, and then returning to the room to shower and relax in more comfy clothes.  I do believe that a good ski trip is nearer to Heaven than the average vacation!

 

Spending time bonding with family whilst doing something everyone enjoys is an opportunity that more people should have and no one should pass up.  Even the discussion of life’s most difficult challenges seems so much easier and pure in that setting.  Life itself clarifies right before you.  Take a breath, feel the chill of the air in your lounges, close your eyes and listen to the beating of your heart and the chirping of the birds.  Exhale and open your eyes, let the world come into high definition focus and smile … you’re alive and God has blessed you in many ways.  That’s how I feel on the slopes with my family.  I love it.

 

Davis Christmases, as alluded to in prior posts, are something of a spectacle to behold.  This year’s was wonderful.  We were short a few members: McNeal Family, M. Hopper Family, J. Hopper Family and N. VanHoose Family; but spirits were high nonetheless.  

 

I’m posting a few pictures and will discuss more of the event later, but I’ve described the day before and the rest is like one big 60 year old inside joke!  So much laughter and circumstance, it’s hard to explain … it’s just something you have to experience.

 

Well, it’s late and I’m off to bed.  Tomorrow I venture to Dayton, OH followed by Columbus, OH and then back to BG, OH.  I’ll write again soon.

God Bless You All.

SA&LC,

Ryan