The Sound of Music

Total nerd alert!  I love the movie and can't wait for tonight's version with Carrie Underwood.  My husband's not big on kids dancing around in leiderhosen, so he's going to finish decorating the tree while I indulge in one of my favorite things.

What makes this movie so special to me?  The happy ending is part of it and I adore the love story between Maria and Captain Von Trapp, but mostly I enjoy the hope and the courage inherent in the story. It's about love in all its different shades--romantic, family, friendship. 

Seven hours to go! 

Rescued!

So I'm three weeks post-op and my first big outing is to Staples to make copies of the line edit for Until I Found You.  My husband was with me, but he headed to Walmart while I went for copies.  Should have been easy . . . I have money on my Express Card and about 220 pages to copy. 

How hard could it be . . .

Harder than you'd think.  Copier #1 jammed every ten pages or so. About 70 pages into this, I'm sweating, fatigued and ready to throw my hands in the air.  I switch to Copier #2 -- same thing. Jamming, low on paper. I'm thinking, "Okay, it's the ms paper. I have to get through this." Or maybe it's humid and the paper is just sticking. Either way, I need these copies.

God bless the store manager who came up to me without me asking. "I bet you're ready to throw this thing through the window."

"Just about . . ."

She restarted the copier, added paper, and the last 120 pages went through the machine like a dream. 

Whoever this manager is, THANK YOU.  You have know idea how much you helped a battle weary author at a rough moment. 

Getting Back to Normal . . .

Tonight is Family Tuesday. Later today we'll be headed over to my mother-in-law's house and my husband will barbecue hot dogs for everyone.  No one does hot dogs like he does . . . it's the hickory smoke that makes them so good.

I'm looking forward to a tad bit of normal, but I'm reminded hourly that my body took a beating. A twinge here, a twinge there. Fatigue sets in when I don't expect it.  Anyone I know who has had surgery nods sympathetically and tells me to take it slow.  They understand the weirdness of it, the strange loss of energy, the mental  . . . fuzz . . . that comes and goes. I'm grateful for friends who pat me on the shoulder and say, "It'll get better." 

I'm sure it will, but for now I'm taking it easy. It's a good place to be.