That May bout? My team (the Bayou Bruisers) won. The following two, against the Cenla Derby Dames - one home, one away- were well played, but we were not victorious. However, my life still rocked, because for all 3 bouts, a CertainSomeone happened to fly across the country to visit, and to watch us skate, and that's a pretty awesome thing. And hey! He's flying in town again for our interleague bout this weekend, in which I'll be a Bruiser again, and it's going to be smashing.
That's pretty much the happy end of things.
In the "life happens, and damn does it keep you busy" department, the Things That Happened weren't so swell. In late June, my dad fell... and in July, on the weekend when CertainSomeone and I were going to head to New Orleans for San Fermin en Nueva Orleans, we ended up going to Dallas again for dad had landed himself in the hospital. Lots of THINGS happened, including a Kyfoplasty and 50+ days of rehab, but yesterday my dad came home to me, having been deemed fit to live on his own but with some assistance. I feel like I could honestly write a book right now about how one who isn't expecting to do so can navigate the medical (and Medicare) system without ending up admitted themselves, but I'm probably not well qualified. I made some mistakes- one of which may have caused a pretty big setback in dad's recovery when I chose a rehab facility that looked great on the surface but had I done my research properly, I'd have steered away from. Anyhow- lessons have been learned. If you ever have a loved one in the hospital for something more serious than a hangnail, get yourself a notebook and record everything. Put everyone's card in the pocket. Write on the back of the card who they are and what date they became relevant... and be grateful for the people in your life who will let you vent every single day about how much the situation sucks, because they'll help an awful lot... and try not to hold grudges against people who aren't being as involved as you'd like. Chances are, they're prioritizing as well as they can, even if it seems unfair.
SO ANYWAY.... My dad came home yesterday! That's great. He can now get around the house with his walker and some bitching, and he's pretty decent at propelling his wheelchair. He's hoping to regain his independence as quickly as possible, but I think we'll be ok even if this situation lasts for awhile. I'm looking at a lifestyle change of sorts, at least temporarily... but I don't mind. Since he's been in treatment, my days have consisted of a schedule that involves leaving for work most mornings around 7:15 and getting home around 9:00 (or later) most nights, so I think I'll adjust pretty easily to needing to go straight home from work to check on the old man (and nap).
As for me? Well, for me, stress manifests itself in the form of indulgence in cookies, bourbon, and more nicotine than it should. I've gained 10 pounds, maybe 12. I've missed a lot of practices. I've had way more junk food than I should have, but I've taken my vitamins religiously. Now that things have turned around a bit with dad, though, those are all factors I plan to address.
And lookit! Some of my girls and I made the front page of a local paper (and it's not even a mug shot). Things aren't all bad... truthfully, they're pretty good all things considered.
And that's my update of Things that Happened.
