Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday! All the hoopla takes place on Thursday, leaving the rest of the week to catch up with old friends, shop and decorate for Christmas. This year was going to be wonderful! I had the whole weekend planned out. Wednesday night we had our daughter's in-laws staying with us, one of my out of town bestest friends were coming for dinner, and Nick and I were celebrating our nine year anniversary. Thursday was lunch for 15 people with clean up and relaxation for the rest of the day. Friday was for decorating the Christmas tree and having Joe T. Garcia's with a Dallas bestest friend. Friday night was all about my other out of town bestest friends and a good catch up dinner with them.
None of that happened. Tuesday I woke up with shortness of breath and some fever. Bed for the entire day. Wednesday (anniversary day) had me feeling better but I decided it was best I work from home. I got Thanksgiving table all set and proceeded out to lunch with one of my Dallas based bestest friends. 10 minutes into the lunch and I could not breathe. Scared the crap out of her and me. I ran out of that restaurant like my hair was on fire. Doctor across the street. Somehow I got there. After a shot of steroids and various tests and a hysterical call to my husband, the diagnosis: pneumonia.
I don't have time for pneumonia! I have people staying at my house. I had people coming for dinner. I AM HOSTING THANKSGIVING! This. Is. Not. Happening. To. Me.
Well it did. Life went on hold for awhile. There was nothing I could do but let go and let someone else grab the reins for awhile. I am so proud of my husband and my children! Nick stepped up and pulled off a great Wednesday night dinner. While I was laying in bed having my own pity party, my son, Brendan, jumped in and made his Ziti recipe (which is delicious). The troops were not only fed, but fed well and happy about it. The buzz from the other rooms had me tearful that I was missing a fun party. I did get up and walk into the kitchen at one point. I saw that every counter was covered with food and pots were everywhere. I turned around and went back to bed. When I got up on Thursday morning, everything was put up and the kitchen was sparkling clean.
I am most proud of my children. Throughout the evening they kept checking on me, making sure I had water and trying to keep me comfortable. There were several dishes for the big day that I had intended to make on Wednesday. I heard them volunteering to make this or that. My husband was distributing recipes and making sure they had the proper cookware and materials to make those dishes in their homes and bring along with what they had already agreed to make. No one complained, they just jumped in. Thanksgiving went off without a hitch.
Now here is the kicker. I didn't have to have pneumonia. I got it because I was aspirating fluid into my lungs from having my Lap band too tight. I knew that getting up in the middle of the night to be sick was wrong, but I figured I could handle it. So to all my friends who have a Lap band, if you are having any issues at night, go and get some fluid removed. There is nothing worse than not being able to get your breath. I feel robbed of what was going to be a wonderful holiday.
I have always been the one to find the positive in every situation. The positive in this situation? My husband and I have raised some awesome children!
