out with the old at the end of 2017

Out with the old reached new heights for me when twenty minutes into The Last Jedi I got up and left the movie to cruise around the lobby to “walk off some indigestion.” I blamed The Last French Fry, never mind that prior to that mouthful of fries I ingested a whole Big Mac in about three bites.

via GIPHY

Oh don’t judge me. You know Big Macs are smaller than ever. But I digress.

Back to the indigestion. It was getting worse, but I went back to my seat. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a position that brought me any comfort. It was opening night for the new Star Wars and I was creating a disturbance in the Force because I couldn’t sit still. I took one for the team and told John I’d wait in the car.

I thought maybe stretching out in the seat would help. He thought maybe I’d lost my mind if I thought he’d leave me writhing in pain in the car while he watched a movie. I think I managed a whimper of assent when he googled the closest emergency room.

Look y’all. I’ve had babies with nothing more than some crushed ice and a few we’ll-placed expletives. I’ve ruined my ankles by spraining them in the first half of a basketball game and starting the second half with a makeshift cast of surgical tape. I just had TWO root canals and giggled my way through it with little more than nitrous oxide and a shot or two.

I thought I was dying, and maybe I was. My gallbladder was trying to explode. When the surgeon finished and came out to talk to my husband, he mentioned gangrene.

Sooo…I’m saying goodbye to 2017 with a smile. A grateful smile, and not just because I’m recovering nicely.

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2017 was filled with some great fun and many blessings! We became regulars at church bingo. Yes, it’s true. I reconnected with a childhood friend in the early part of the year. We enjoyed many, many sunrises from our porch. Dear friends took us out in their boat and changed our perspective a bit. I had the pleasure of returning to Cuba a second time, this time to lead a professional retreat for lay ministers. We celebrated John’s 60th birthday with family and friends, and my second book with Ave Maria Press was published in the fall! Have you read it? Get Super Girls and Halos: My Companions on the Quest for Truth, Justice, and Heroic Virtue!

podcast fun talking Super Girls and Halos

So grateful for my friend Lisa Hendey and this fun interview as she launches her podcast, Lisa Hendey and Friends. We had a delightful time — a charming way to share about My book, Super Girls and Halos! I hope you enjoy and follow Lisa’s new adventure!

early morning serenity

 

I love watching the fisherman do their work in the serene silence of a foggy morning. They dropped their nets and drifted for a little while, long enough for a pod of pelicans to draw near. There’s a huge brown pelican nesting area near us, so when I spy the occasional small squadron of white pelicans I bring out the camera in hopes of getting a picture or two. Unfortunately, today was very foggy, and although the water was calm, and conditions were lovely (minus the fog), the lighting was not great. Still, I got a few good shots — all unfiltered and short of a little cropping, untouched. I hope the white pelicans hang around for a while!

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