Yesterday was a beautiful day and we decided to take advantage of it by visiting Milwaukee County Zoo again. Below is a video of me with Brinley and Cohen on the Sky Safari ride. Click here for photos.
Below is a video I just uploaded to YouTube that was taken a few years ago. I attempted to really scare the little kids and the effort backfired. (The back story is that I did this once before, when Keegan was little, and practically scared him out of ten year’s growth.)
To my dear wife, Michele: Happy Anniversary! Love you! As I’ve said elsewhere, sometimes it feels like the nine years we’ve been married have lasted forever, and sometimes it seems like only yesterday that we were married. Below is my favorite photo of my wife on our wedding day.
I hope friends in the USA who celebrate Thanskgiving have had a great day. I am sitting on the couch at my in-law’s feeling like a round ball full of good food. If someone gave me a shove I think I would just roll across the floor!
I like this holiday because I think it is important to spend time thinking about all of the blessings I have received in my life. I am thankful that Jesus sacrificed himself for me. I am thankful to know His loving kindness and tender mercies.
I wonder where I would be without my wife, Michele. And how grateful for my four children as well as extended family. I am thankful to have a job and to have many friends.
Who could ask for more?
One of the hidden treasures in suburban Chicagoland is an unassuming, somewhat rundown set of greenhouses that makes up Orchids by Hausermann. Set in a gritty and unattractive industrial park area in Addison, IL, Orchids by Hausermann is the largest grower of orchids in the Midwest. I’ve been there a few times in the past with my friend Kevin who, as long as I’ve known him, has loved orchids and has successfully grown them for years. I’ve loved them too but somehow they have always been intimidating for me. Plus they generally are quite expensive to buy. Secretly I’ve wanted to own orchids for quite a while but I had held off.
Michele’s Uncle Tim gave me two of his orchids to grow last summer when he was downsizing after his divorce. I was pretty excited to get them. But I have no idea what kind they are and they haven’t bloomed yet under my care. I’m kind of nervous about whether I’ve treated them correctly or not!
After church today we decided to make the long drive to Addison so that I could show Michele and the kids the Hausermann place. It’s quite a special place to visit, especially on days like today when the wind is cold and there are snow flurries (yikes, when will Spring ever get here?). You walk in to this unassuming complex and immediately you are greeted with gorgeous, exotic blooming plants everywhere. They stretch as far as the eye can see in all directions, row upon row and greenhouse following greenhouse, full of beautiful orchids. I never really knew that orchids could be quite fragrant. Today there were several kinds of fragrant orchids and their heady perfume filled the air. The little kids were sort of in awe and I had to remind them that they needed to be extremely careful not to disturb or touch any of the plants.
After wandering around trying hard to focus — which I found hard to do with all of the bright, colorful varieties surrounding me — I decided to purchase two small orchid plants, one a Phalaenopsis and the other a Paphiopedilum. The Phalaenopsis is a variety created by Hausermann called “Hausermann Shorties.” In other words it has been bred to be more compact and small in size. The Paphiopedilum is also quite small when full grown. I’ve included a photo of each to give you an idea of what they look like. Let’s hope little hands and fingers will keep away from them and that my big hands and fingers won’t mess up their care any so that they will continue to grow and bloom for many years to come!
After spending Monday night and most of Tuesday in a clinic for a sleep study, the results are in: I have a moderately severe case of sleep apnea. My wife, Michele, isn’t surprised at all; she’s told me this for years. In fact, she recently told me that I had to go to my doctor to have this looked into, and that I wasn’t to bother coming back home until I had obtained a referral from him for a sleep study. Being the good, obedient husband that I am, this is what I did 
I’ve never been a morning person. I’ve also struggled with pervasive tiredness for years and thought it only had to do with stress and little kids. (Well, I’m sure that those two are still factors!) In a few weeks I go back to the clinic for a further test, this time using something called a CPAP machine. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure and the machine basically applies just enough extra pressure to keep the airway open while you’re sleeping. I’ve been told that I’ll have to have use one of these machines every night from now on. I’m not looking forward to wearing a mask on my face, but I can’t wait to get a good night’s sleep.
The weekend thus far has been a very quiet one. Although, truthfully, it is never quiet in our house with three little (and one big) rugrats. Yesterday I woke up with another bad headache that lasted all day. Michele had a bad pain in her neck. So we did nothing, all day. We woke up yesterday to several inches of snow that had fallen the night before, which made the outside look quite pretty. This morning, thankfully, my headache is mostly gone, and Michele feels better, too.
I have been reading reports from ALA Midwinter in San Antonio on various library-related blogs with interest. In a way I wish I was there but since getting married and having kids, I have purposely cut back on professional travel and speaking commitments because family is far more important than professional stuff. I miss being able to see and visit with friends at conferences, though. The ability to read reports “live” from the field on various blogs is surely one of the many reasons blogs are valuable and important.
[Update: My wife, Michele, quickly corrected me with respect to my statement that "we did nothing all day" yesterday by pointing out, quite rightly, that she did a lot of things. She cleaned the living room, kitchen, one of the bathrooms, and the den. I, on the hand, really did nothing but lay around.]
On my way to work this morning, I thought about things to be thankful for. Here are some that came to mind (not in any order):
In the past few months, there have been a number of deaths among extended family or friends. While in most cases it was expected, the death of someone you love is hard. Michele’s Uncle Donny died while only in his 50s, of cancer. My Uncle John came really close to death but thankfully is recovering. Someone I’ve known all my life as Aunt Lona, although not really my aunt but a distant relative by marriage, also died. Aunt Lona was in her 80s. Although I last saw her a very long time ago, I can still picture Aunt Lona, with her striking white hair, her piercing eyes, and her tanned face with its prominent cheekbones (she was part Native American). Staying at her house was an adventure in part because she lived in one of my favorite places in the world (Montana) near the entrance to Glacier National Park. I remember us reading the Kalispell, Montana newspaper to find stories about grizzly bears (I think my parents even subscribed to the newspaper for a while). In my mind’s eye she always wore an apron and was always busy about the kitchen.
Late last night my mother called us to tell us that a close friend, also in her 80s and someone whom I’ve known since I was a little kid, had died just a few hours before. Dorothy and her sister, Betty, never married and lived together all their lives. They were like aunts to us kids and they doted on us (and many others). I have so many happy memories of visiting them or staying at their house. Dorothy always wore dresses, while Betty prefered blouses and skirts. When talking about them with others who hadn’t met them yet, we sometimes referred to them as Dorothy Dress and Betty Blouse as a way of telling them apart. Dorothy and Betty lived to serve others. Dorothy did the cleaning while Betty took care of the cooking. They cared for countless visitors, never complaining, always happy to serve. Their house was a haven of good food, candies, toys for the kids, and other treats. I am very sad about her death but at the same time, glad that she is at rest, forever free from any more pain or suffering in her body, finally able to enjoy her heavenly reward. I wonder how her sister, Betty, will fare.
As I fell asleep last night, aside from the grief I felt at the news, the thought that was running through my mind was that death is part of life. We all have to face death. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ have the promise of eternal life; death has no power over them any more. I was thinking, too, of Jesus’s promise that He has prepared a place for us with Him. “I am going there to prepare a place for you,” that’s what he told His disciples (John 14:2-4). I am comforted by this assurance. Nearly every day I think of my father, who died unexpectedly almost four years ago, as well as my maternal grandparents, all of whom are in their places that have been prepared for them, enjoying His presence.
Several friends and family have kindly asked for an update on Michele. There isn’t much to report. We are once again waiting for test results and for word from the doctor about next steps. We hope to hear when Michele’s 48 hr. EEG test will be scheduled. I have no idea yet as to how we will be able to arrange for someone to watch the kids for us.
Today was just so so in terms of how Michele felt. She waffled a lot this a.m. about whether to go to MOPS but in the end, decided to go. I’m glad she did even though she wasn’t feeling well, because she has missed several meetings and is feeling very isolated these days, even more than she already felt. She feels stuck at home. She is not supposed to drive anywhere. I stayed home for the day again, after going to work all day yesterday for the first time in a while.