Visiting

Today will be busy with a combination of work and chauffeuring the boys. In between appointments, I am squeezing in a visit with a new amputee. I try to prioritize visits when requested because I remember how difficult it is to reach out for help. I hate to delay the request and, although I will be stretched thin, today I will move my schedule as much as possible to accommodate. 

Visiting a new amputee always fills me with a mixture of emotions. I am happy to help by lending information and support whenever possible. Each time I prepare to meet with a new amputee I find myself transported back in time, to when I was struggling and felt alone. My goal is to provide the support that I was lacking so many years ago. 

Being reacquainted with the difficult emotions is always uncomfortable for me. I don't like remembering that time in my life, and I especially don't like reliving the emotions so vividly. I mourn for my foot, but I also grieve for the scared young woman who was petrified of her life without a foot. In a weird way, each time I visit a new amputee I feel like I am reaching back to my younger self. 

Visiting a new amputee is always an experience which is both rewarding and fraught with anxiety. I am not looking forward to the emotions that I know will emerge, but I am eager to make a new friend and help provide some support. Every effort and revisited emotion is worth it if I can help make the path easier for somebody else.  

Wish us luck today!

Sacrificing

After a whirlwind weekend of work and play, yesterday was spent catching up on household chores and spending time with Timmy. My little guy's face lit up when he saw me yesterday morning, and I received one of the best hugs ever. I hate leaving him, but he certainly makes coming home a joy!

Even though I worked much of the day, I still feel like I'm playing catch up. With another week of travel on the horizon, I am close to surrendering to the chaos and exhaustion until October. I don't know how other parents travel for work while maintaining their sanity. I definitely don't have that ability to multitask! Hopefully things will slow down because I don't like moving at such a quick pace.               

I've decided that, until the travel slows down, I'm going to just try to relax when it comes to cleaning. I want to spend time with my kids and I just can't work, clean and play with them. Something has to have to be sacrificed, and for now, it is going to be clean floors. 

San Antonio

Robby and I had a fantastic weekend getaway. Even though the weather didn't cooperate, and we both had colds, we managed to pack a slew of adventures into a short period of time. When he looks back, I hope that he remembers the adventures and not the obstacles during our weekend trip.

I have to say, Robby was an absolute rockstar helping me work on Saturday. I was proud of the way that he helped me set up and spoke with people coming to our exhibit. He was polite and engaging. I was an incredibly proud Momom!

After our event was over on Saturday afternoon the weekend was ours to enjoy. We dropped our bags at the hotel and headed straight to the Alamo. We spent the day touring the grounds and meandering through the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley Museums. We had planned on going out to eat along the Riverwalk, but by dinner time we were both feeling worn down. Instead, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the night. 

Sunday morning we took the double deck bus tour, stopping at the Mexican market to take in the sights and sounds. Robby was mesmerized by the smells and activity wafting through the vast market. Hopping off the bus was a spur of the moment decision, but I'm glad we decided to explore.  After the bus tour, we headed back to the hotel and packed up. 

The flight home was long but uneventful. Timmy was asleep when we arrived home, but he was beyond enthusiastic to see me this morning. He has been busy telling me about his adventures with Daddy (they went to his favorite playground twice) and was allowed to pick out a new balloon. It seems that both Chenoweth boys had a great weekend. 

Texas Bound

Today I embark on September trip number two, only this time I am not going solo. I decided to bring Robby along on my quick work trip to San Antonio.  He is looking forward to experiencing the Riverwalk and seeing the Alamo. If the weather holds out we are going on an Alama Ghost Walk Saturday night.  

While Robby and I are in San Antonio for the weekend, Scott and Timmy will be hanging out at home. I am sure that they will have fun playing with trains and watching football. I feel bad leaving my little Hamlet again, but I am excited about this trip with Robby. It has been some time since we have gone on an adventure with just the two of us.

Saturday afternoon Robby and I will be at the Limb Loss Awareness Day in San Antonio. If you local and are planning to attend, please stop by and say hello. I guarantee Robby will regale you with stories from sea turtle camp, and I have some swag to give away. 

Weather Pain

The unsettled weather is wreaking havoc on my limb and on my psyche. With the hurricane churning a few hundred miles away, the pattern seems established for the next week. I have added ibuprofen to my morning routine, trying to get ahead of the pain but I'm not sure it is working. Of course, I don't want to forgo a dose and discover otherwise, so I'll stay on my dosing until I see the sun again.

It isn't only my leg that aches more than normal. My entire body is hurting. The pain isn't debilitating, but it is most certainly annoying.  Every morning I feel like I'm waking up to a sadistic form of the pain lottery as I anticipate what is going to hurt more today. I am feeling middle age with a vengeance!

Thankfully we are only supposed to receive rain from the hurricane, sparing us from the originally predicted high winds and hail. The forecast could change quickly, so we are still preparing for the worst. Between hurricanes and the soon-to-be-a-factor snow season, we will probably need our supplies at some point in the coming months. In addition to bottles of water, food, and wood for burning, I'm adding the Costco size bottle of ibuprofen to the emergency supply list. Because regardless of the weather event, I will be needing the pain medication.

September 11 Tradition

It is hard to believe that yesterday was the 17th anniversary of the attacks of September 11. In so many ways it feels like just yesterday. But looking at my family and my life today, it feels like a lifetime since I was that person. 

Per our family tradition, the boys baked and delivered chocolate chip cookies to our local firehouse. Robby and I began the tradition when he was only a few months old. I struggled to figure out a way to teach him about the events without evoking fear or uncertainty. I finally decided that spreading kindness to our First Responders was the perfect way for our family to honor the significance of the day.

While Robby grasps the scope of the events of September 11, Timmy was simply excited to bake cookies and visit the Fire Station. (My little Hamlet finds joy and fun in just about every activity.) He was especially delighted by the invitation to explore and to sit in the firetrucks. When you are four years old, sitting in a firetruck with your big brother might just be the best thing in the world!

Prepping

My weekend trip to Texas is looking iffy at best.  With Hurricane Florence stirring in the Atlantic, Virginia is anticipating heavy rain and high winds at the end of the week. I am not terribly keen on flying through hurricane force winds, nor am I comfortable leaving the family during a potentially stressful time. Hopefully the storm will diminish over the next few days. (I realize that is not the prediction, but a girl can hope.)

The next few days we are in full storm prep mode. Scott is picking up some extra tarps on his way home from work to fortify our leaky roof. I'll be working downstairs and outside, making sure that water can flow away from the house freely. There is nothing we can do about water seeping up through the cement slap in the computer room, but we can make the area as accessible as possible should clean up be required.  

Assuming that the airline offers flight waivers and the winds are still forecast to be high, I will be packing up the boys and driving to my Mom's for the weekend. If at all possible, Scott and I want to get the boys out of the danger zone. We stayed home through Hurricane Floyd a few years ago and it was one of the most angst ridden nights of my life. Scott plans to stay to stay in the basement should anything need immediately tended to after the storm passes.  

I have so many friends in the path of this storm that I can't help but worry. I know that the internet is full of prepping tips and lists, but I feel compelled to offer another to the mix. Last year Dave and I recorded an Emergency Preparation podcast, focused on prepping for a disaster when you utilize a prosthesis.  Check it out, and please stay safe.