Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Breaking the chains and keeping them off

Well, I returned from Saskatchewan Sunday night after a fantastic trip away with family. I drove to Sask. Wednesday morning with my Uncle Dave to the cabin in Fort Qu’Appelle. We had a seven or eight hour drive ahead of us (Although, with the BMW we made good time). We picked up my Auntie Sue in Regina after she flew in from Vancouver and headed to the cabin. My Auntie Bard (Dave’s wife) met us at the cabin and we had a great night catching up.
The following evening, the rest of the crew came up including my cousins Nathan, Mike, and Janette. Mike’s girlfriend Ashley and Janette’s boyfriend Jordan also came up. So, we had nine people and two dogs sharing a two room cabin. Somehow, we made it work and we had a great time.
We were all blessed with the weather as it was nice and sunny and the mosquitoes were kept to a minimum for the most part. My first task at the cabin was to fish. My dad will tell you, that our family is cursed when it comes to fishing. We can’t catch a damn thing. However, I may have made some progress breaking that curse over the weekend. I was able to catch six walleye during my time there and we cooked them up; man were they delicious. My cousin Nathan and I fished a lot and it was really good to see him and hang out with him.
It was a true blessing to be with family and live cabin life last week. Although I was looking forward to the break, I have really had a hard time getting excited for anything over the past few months. I don’t know if it’s a lack of energy, being stuck in the 9-5 working thing, or just some other person issues, but it has been difficult for me to get up and get motivated about activities or events. However, this trip seemed to break me out of that. I was able to relax, and just think about my next golf shot, or my next cast on the fishing boat, or frying up pancakes on the open fire. I also slept like a rock!
Now, I know that is exactly what vacation is supposed to do, but it was the first time in a very long time where my brain was able to shut off, my heart and soul were able to relax, and my anxieties were lifted. I felt, well, happy. So, to everyone who I spent time with at the cabin, thanks!
Unfortunately, even being back for a day I can feel those old feelings and anxieties creeping back in. Hopefully I can figure out some strategies to keep those things out.
During the trip, Nathan, my Uncle Dave, and I went golfing in a small town called Indian Head. The town was beautiful. Nice big trees hanging over the streets, old houses on big lots with beautiful flowers were everywhere. I think I am becoming a guy who could find himself living that small town life. However, I do realize the winter months would be a different story. I am becoming a person who could live in a slower paced life and a tight community setting. Anyone else out there feel that way? I can send you the link to Indian Head’s website if you are interested? HaHa. I will try and post some pics from the trip shortly.

On another note, dad seems to have more energy these days. He thinks he gained one pound this week!! So, that’s good. Unfortunately, he may have another complication concerning his health. As soon as we receive more details I will let you know. I think he has another doctor’s appointment in the coming days. Thanks for the continued prayers.

Monday, July 13, 2009

It's time to get fat. FAT!

Those of you who listen to the Jim Rome show should understand my extra "fat" reference in the title.

Well,
Dad has been out of the hospital for a while now which has been great. It’s good to see him at my parent’s house. He is still extremely thin and seems to be having a tough time putting on weight. It looks like he might have even lost another 1 or 2 lbs this week. His energy level also decreased a bit as the week went on which I think is very discouraging for him. He has always been a very disciplined guy when it comes to his health. He has been extremely disciplined in his recovery and when he doesn’t see too many positive results, I think it makes it that much more frustrating. Although, he keeps his head up and pushes forward and keeps trying to find new ways to fatten up! I’m really proud of him.
He saw his surgeon last week, and the Dr. said it would be a couple weeks before dad could feel his energy level going up. His body is using up all of his energy heeling and getting us to the fact that 2 and a half organs are missing. Plus, with no colon, his body isn’t able to absorb as much nutrients as before which makes things a bit tricky. So, hopefully we will see some improvements over the next couple weeks.
I am off to Saskatchewan on Wednesday. My dad’s brother Dave, (who I was in Zambia with for a short while last year) just flew into Calgary after a trip to Serbia. He and his family have a cabin north east of Regina so I am heading up there with him and some other family for a few days. It should be a good time as I haven’t seen my cousins in quite a while. We are driving there as well. Now, some of you might be feeling bad for me that I have to drive 7 or eight hours to Saskatchewan. However, my dad is letting us take his 20007 BMW 335i!!! He took me out for a practice run the other day. I was driving, and as we took the corner to go up Bow Trail, he flipped the transmission into sport mode and told me to gun it. I floored it and before I knew it, I was going WELL over 100 km/h. It was scary how quickly I was able to reach that speed. I think it should be a good ride out there. Although, should probably budget for a speeding ticket or two.