Thanksgiving Traditions
You know, I was thinking. This is the second year in a row that I will be spending Thanksgiving day away from Milan. Last year we went down to Rachel's sister's home down in Memphis and this year we are enjoying the gang up in Waterford. Rachel's two sisters, brother-in-law and nephew all arrived in Michigan yesterday afternoon and I will be heading home sometime today. We are establishing our own traditions right now and neat thing is that we are taking some of what makes this wonderful holiday special to each of us and combining them together.
This year I am trying something new. I will be putting a turkey on the rotisserie and add a little hint of mesquite smoke just for some excitement. I have never done a turkey on the rotisserie before so I figure that I will do it as if it were just a big chicken. I did find out a couple of interesting tidbits though and that is that you need to cook your white meat to 161 degrees and the dark meat to 180! Now, this is normally not a problem because dark meat cooks faster because there is less density. For me this is easy since I only heat one side of the grill to rotisserie, therefore I will keep the dark meat to the side of the heat source. I have a thermometer that I can put into the breast so that I don't kill the family. The rest is easy.
Another tradition that I will definately keep is that of the annual Lions game. I have prewarned my wife and she is willing to make this sacrifice for me (thus one of many reasons that I love her). I figure that with everything considered I should give the grill the bird at half time. This should put us eating at about 6 p.m. My wife and her sisters will be contributing to the rest of the dinner. I have some ideas of what we will have but no specifics.
Mostly Thanksgiving is about family. I get a couple of great days with Rachel and the boys and then I will be spending time down in Milan on Saturday and take advantage of 5 straight days off. Show your love to those that are close to you and never let that go unsaid. Live like there's no tomorrow and don't leave any of your love on the table. Enjoy your holiday and be blessed beyond belief today.
Let's Go Blue
You know, I was thinking. I have been experiencing Michigan/Ohio State games for as long as I can remember. There is something about this greatest of all college football rivalries that just makes me wax nostalgic.
I especially think of the Bo & Woody days. Those were the times when you never knew what was going to happen on the sideline. The one that stands out the most in my mind it the time that Woody took out the ABC camara man for getting too close to him after a Michigan TD. I don't know when the last time it was that I missed this game.
So, Saturday at high noon just like an old west shootout is when this contest is set to go off. I can't wait. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Created Realities
You know, I was thinking. Did you ever stop to think that sometimes we live in a world that we want to live in and we choose not to live in the real world. There are times that we may be feeling things that are either painful or unpleasant and we just don't want to confront them and deal with them. I don't want to make a big deal about this topic but needless to say that I have been doing a great job of fooling myself and not dealing with reality. I know that being alone for me is something that is very difficult. Combine that with several other stressers in my life and that equals nothing but trouble. I am sharing this tonight because it feels like the right thing to do. I have always been good at stuffing my feelings away and not forcing myself to deal with them. As a result I have chosen to take these negative feelings out on my wife. Yep, the woman that means the world to me has caught all kinds of *%#@!?^ from me over the last couple of weeks. I became extremely loud and yes even abusive. For this I am embarrassed and ashamed. My wonderful bride has continued to love me and to help me seek out some real answers as to what is bothering me. She and I have been through a lot of stuff this year and neither one of us needs to put up with this stuff.
Admitting that you need help is not an easy decision to make. But when you are wanting to pretend that everything is fine and dandy when it really isn't will just lead to trouble. Why am I putting this out on my blog tonight? All I can say is that I need to do it. I have been struggling in a number of areas lately and want to hide these feelings from the world. The more I hide them the worse I feel. Today has been the first good day in a few weeks. I actually felt like leaving the apartment today and really deal with my job. I am praying that tomorrow will be even better. But if it isn't, God is still God and I am still determined to do what I need to do to get better. I love you Rachel but more than that I want to be the kind of husband that I know that I can be. Be blessed beyond belief today.
A Little Insight
You know, I was thinking. I am being sent by the lovely Mrs. M. on a house hunting expedition tomorrow. I was telling a co-worker about it this morning and here is how that conversation went:
Doug: I'm going out looking at houses tomorrow.
Co-Worker: By yourself?
Doug: No, I am going with the real estate agent.
Co-Worker: I mean you're going without your wife?
Doug: Yep, she's got things for me to look at.
Co-Worker: How many are you going to look at?
Doug: Oh, I don't know 3 or 4.
Co-Worker: Where you going?
Doug: Where ever the agent takes me, my wife set it up.
Co-Worker: You mean you're going to look at houses and you don't even know where you're going?
Doug: Yep, my wife knows where I'm going.
Co-Worker (now beginning to laugh): You're telling me that you don't care where you're going and that you're going there just because your wife is telling you to go there?
Doug: Well, she's the one doing all the research, my job is to go, look and eliminate what I know that she won't like.
Co-Worker: But where do YOU want to live.
Doug: With my wife, that's why I'm going where she tells me to go.
Co-Worker: Are you telling me that you have NO say in where you live?
Doug: I'm not saying that at all. I get to have all of the input that I wish to have, I just don't have that much. I know she knows what WE want.
Co-Worker: You mean that she knows what SHE wants?
Doug: NO, I mean that if she likes it then I will like it because SHE is much more picky then ME!
Co-Worker: So, YOU don't even care where YOU live?
Doug: Yes I do! I want to live with my wife!
Co-Worker: So then if she finds a place that she's happy with then you're alright with that no matter what it is?
Doug: YEP!
Co-Worker: I don't get you!
Doug: That's what makes me who I am!
Be blessed beyond belief today!
Our Heart Felt Thanks!
You know, I was thinking. Rachel and I would like to thank Tom, Russ, Roger & Bruiser for coming out on Saturday and helping us finish off the sloppy joes! Oh yeah, and for helping with all of the electrical, painting & yard work! You guys are great brothers and friends! Love you all a great deal. Be blessed beyond belief today.
Just Add Water?
You know, I was thinking. Alright let me give you the highlights:
Start going to a chiropractor who takes x-rays of my spine and finds some shadowing around my lower (not lover) jaw near a gland. He retakes the x-rays and the shadowing is still there. His answer is to go to a medical doctor and schedule an MRI.
Go to the medical doctor to get my annual physical and talk to him about this problem around my gland. He agress that there is some swelling and that an MRI would be appropriate.
Go get the MRI done. After 30 minutes of nearly freaking out I am done.
The medical doctor gets the report and says there seems to be no mass or anything around this gland. The radiologist is recommending a full spinal MRI (that wasn't sounding good) but I don't think you need that. I want to send you to an ENT (ear, nose & throat) specialist.
Go to the ENT. He gets a copy of the MRI faxed over to him, feels my gland and says "yes your gland is swollen". His diagnosis is that I have been experiencing dehydration! His solution was to drink more water!!
As I sit and ponder about how much time and money I have spent going to all of these doctors I have to ask myself this question: Why does it take all of this to tell a person to drink more water? The answer is simple, we live in a sue crazy society that looks for every opportunity to get something for nothing. I truly believe that if doctors could be given a break from these fears then we would get less dispensing of drugs and we would all just grab a glass of water and relax. Be blessed beyond belief today.
