Catching Up

the view from my hotel room window

It has been a very stressful couple of weeks for me. Too much catching up to do after our hospital trip. Last week, I had to spend a couple nights at a hotel while Rick was in the hospital healing from a procedure done in his heart. The doctors had found a 70% blockage in one of his arteries. They had to put a stent in right away to prevent further damage. Everything went fine and he is home now, back to work and slowly trying to make his routine back to normal again. He's suppose to take it easy for a week or two. So far, he is good as new!

I was planning to write a post while I was in the hotel by myself. But I decided not to. Well, to be honest, I couldn't. The uncertainty of Rick's condition made me miserable. I didn't want to think or have time to think. The morning before Rick left for the hospital, he woke me up to say goodbye. It was not even six o'clock yet. He asked me if I know where his will is. He told me to inform his office that way I can get his life insurance. I was wide awake by then. Teary eyed and accusing him of being stupid. I told him he's not allowed to die! I know he was not joking and was just being realistic. But I don't want to deal with something so depressing, unless I have to. I'll worry about it when it happens. It was not fair of him to discuss such a thing with me, hours before they start poking around his heart! It felt like his last goodbye!

I was too upset/worried to go back to sleep after he left. Tossed in bed and finally decided to go back to my reading. For two nights I buried myself in the mythical world of Twilight. Pretending that the love of my life was invincible and immortal just like the character in the book. I know that's impossible. But sometimes it's nice to escape reality. Although sometimes, I caught myself just staring at the page and thinking about Rick. The thought of losing him was too scary to deal with. I wouldn't know what to do with myself. But right now, he is fine and here with me. That is more important than tomorrow.

So we are back home now. Busy catching up with work. Busy with chores at home. We have decided to change our lifestyle. Start reading labels and eat healthy. Stay away from red meat, fat and sodium. This is not a battle to lose weight anymore. It's about living and enjoying life. And for us to be together forever... I have to join him in his quest to stay healthy and live longer!

One Saturday

Yesterday, Rick had to do some work and so he took me with him. The place was a couple hours away from home. But I did not mind at all. It was such a gorgeous day! Temperature in the seventies, the sun was out, and beautiful scenery! I really didn't expect much from the trip, coz it was work after all. All I wanted to see was the beautiful trees along the highway with its different colored leaves. I saw all that and more! Got me excited when we saw a sign saying Elk Crossing Area. With my camera ready, we scanned the area for some action. Unfortunately, we did not see any. I haven't seen an elk, that's why I was excited. Rick said it's a much bigger version of a deer. Maybe someday... We finally arrived at our destination. Done in fifteen minutes! On our way back, Rick decided to take a different route, he was determined to give me the "color" tour. Which I appreciated very much! We stopped at Lake Superior Park in Saxon, WI and at the Superior Falls in Michigan. We didn't even realized we crossed the border until we saw the sign. It was gorgeous there! A little chilly but not too bad. We walked around the park. The shore was covered with flat rocks, so flat you can even stack them together. Of course, I brought home quite a few for souvenir. Next stop was the Superior Falls. You can only admire the falls from afar. It was like in a middle of a caved-in hill, that it was surrounded by a cliff. So really, you can never get that close. After a few shots, we went to the scenic overlook and it was beautiful! My pictures don't do much justice, but I did what I could with my point and shoot camera. I could spend hours there just gazing at the water, a gentle breeze on my face, my love holding my hand, pretend that nothing else matters but what I have right here, right now. But it was getting chilly so had to quit dreaming. On our way back to the car, I took these photos to share with you. We went home refreshed, renewed and blessed. An ordinary day turned extra ordinary by chance. We went out hunting for colored leaves, we saw that and so much more. No expectations has it perks after all. An open mind and a little imagination is equal to an astonishing day! Perhaps, a little reward for our time and patience?

Rocky shores of Lake Superior and the "Squeezed" mushroom


Colorful trees and the forbidden cherries
(i just made that up coz Rick wont let me eat it!)

What a Foggy Day!

Woke up this morning, looked out our bedroom window and saw that there was a thick fog hovering outside. I could barely make out the trees around the house. It’s cool in a creepy kind of way. On my way to work, I always drive by a river and this morning, it was exceptionally beautiful. Vapor coming out of the water, foggy surrounding and a tiny hint of sunshine on top of this cloudy beauty. It was perfect. So serene… calming. I wish I brought my camera with. But of course, I did not. It was one of those moments when I wish I have a camera phone, but I couldn’t afford it yet. So for now, I settled to enjoy the radiant beauty of nature, trying to capture the image in my memory. I feel so blessed living in a city where natures’ beauty is abundant. Makes me forget, even for a moment, how hard life can be sometimes. We just have to focus and have faith. Things will get better… eventually.