Home Sweet Home

We arrived home last night with boys waiting for us eating chocoloate ice cream with my mom (no doubt that was probably dinner). The kids were absolutely thrilled to see me, and I think I would like a similar reaction in the future from all our friends and family when I walk into a room. (Now I'm no huge Oprah fan, but Hope went to a seminar she put on once in the now hated Tampa and came home with some advice for anyone with kids that I think about all the time. She said kids just want you to be excited every time you see them, and ever since then we have always treated our kids like we had not seen them in weeks when they walk into a room. Don't worry, I'll bash her later before this is over). The kids may have also noticed the walking talking mom next to me as they blew past me like Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton (I had to look up his name) in Talladega Nights (Shake and Bake) and hugged her like they could squeeze all of her pain out of her body. They told us a million things they did over the course of the next few minutes, and we absolutely loved every second of it.

Later that evening I was cleaning the kitchen (Hope's brother Will and her dad already ratted me out from previous blogs so now Hope knows I can clean --- if I had any say in presents we buy both would be off the list but lucky for you I have no say in this household and Hope has probably finished her Christmas shopping this year) and talking to my Mom while we watched both kids cuddle with Hope in front of the TV before going to bed late. It was the perfect end to the evening for Hope and was almost as sweet as the first time Screech got to kiss Lisa on Saved by the Bell. Yes, it was that sweet.

I went back to work today (it was really hard to leave the kids and Hope) while we had a home nurse come by and help Hope in the morning and then Cheryl brought lunch and let her rest for much of the afternoon (thanks Cheryl too because Walgreens had trouble with Hope's 87 different prescriptions so Cheryl was able to get them corrected). Tomorrow Rochelle (a friend that's a nurse with two boys the same age as ours) is coming by to help out along with our next door neighbors and the nurse again. It's a nice short week as I have Friday off so Hope has ample time to get her energy back and fully heal. She's tired a lot, but overall doing great.

I had a few people busting on me today for not updating the blog to let everyone know we were home, it's just been a whirlwind since we arrived. I felt as busy and crazed as Oprah must feel when she looks through her 2-inch thick magazine for a page or paragrpah without her name and picture in it (ahh, that felt better). A gentleman I got to know pretty well through work that lives only a mile from our house died of Leukemia while we were at the hospital and while he is older then us by about 15 years or more he had three children including a teenager and two young girls. It made me feel so lucky that all we had to endure was surgery and a few bumps in the road, but nothing more.

We will be boring home bodies for a while enjoying every second we can with the kiddos before we go back to Tampa for a check-up next Tuesday. We'll catch up on all of DVR'd shows (that's recorded TV shows in case Traci is reading this as she's not nearly as technically savvy as myself as the self titled junior assistant back-up co-pilot Gayle King MIS co-director's flunky network non-administrator --- and for the record I know we have servers at the office, I'm just not allowed in the room or anywhere close enough that I could touch a button) including Oprah, Oprah and Gayle drive, Oprah's dog's favorite recipes, and my all-time favorite Oprah picks Obama's runningmate two-hour special as she gives away prizes to audience members that can show they were able to vote for Obama at least 5 times in the last election.

A buddy of mine Spiros that took me last year to my only previous NASCAR experience has offered up to hit the Coke Zero 400 (I had to look that up too) this Saturday so as long as Hope is improving and I can drag a grandmother or two back over that should be a nice distraction. My only previous NASCAR experience learned me a lot (that was for you Jamie) such as that 50% of the fans where red Little E (I hope I got that right or this joke is really bombing fast) shirts and 49% have red Little E shirts hanging out their back pocket and are either pregnant or working on a place to hold their beer while having both hands free. I was part of the remaining 1% but was wearing my 10 things you need to know about Chuck Norris shirt so I wasn't completely alienated. I also found out that finding a person without a Budweiser (or case, quart, six-pack, keg) including the women at such events is as difficult as trying to eat one of Oprah's french fries from 1980 to 1995 (I would swear Sam is missing a finger or two as he probably went near her plate and had some salt on his finger).

We thank all of you for the love and support, and with time we'll all forget this very short chapter in our lives like Rocky V and the substitute cousin Dukes of Hazzard season June 2008 didn't happen. Someone (I think Man-Marie) told me that a sequel was made to the Cutting Edge and it went from the movies to DVD to VHS to Beta to Lifetime for Women in about a week. If anyone can find me a Beta player or DVR it , I'll come to your house and we can eat bon-bons while having a good cry together. Hopefully Hope will return soon blogging but she's not up for it yet.