is the weekend half over, or half begun?

My mom is doing better. I got up early (way too early considering it was one of my two unemployed weekdays) on Friday and drove down to my parents’ house, which is about 45 minutes away. After I move, they’ll only be about 20-25 minutes away, so that will be really nice.

Anyway, my mom looks so much better than she did the last time I saw her, which was when she was still in the hospital.

When I went to visit her in the hospital, it made me sad. She looked like she had aged about 10 years overnight. After her surgery (which happened over four years ago now), she had a really tough recovery and definitely lost some of her youthfulness. She is still partially paralyzed—she can’t really use her right arm—and her right leg is pretty weak too, so she occasionally suffers a fall. When I saw her in the hospital, after she’d been admitted from the ER, she looked very, very tired. Her face sagged a little more, her eyes turned down a little more, and everything about her was just slower.

Seeing her this weekend, though, gave me a lot of hope for her. She had gained a few pounds (“I’ve been eating and eating….” she told me with a smile), and she seemed more alert, with more energy.

I drove my mom and dad to the doctor’s office, where we sat for about 40 minutes before we were seen. I watched various people leave, from a slightly geeky young man with scruffy hair and shy eyes, to a middle-aged woman who had one of those really annoying two-way radio phones that blares the conversation into the open air with those blasted intermittent “beep beeps.”

The doctor was a nice Indian man who had studied in London and had practiced psychiatry all over the world. He truly did seem interested in my mom’s wellness and responded “Ask me as many questions as you want” whenever my dad had a question for him. He told my mom that she needs to find an activity at home to keep her mind and body active, rather than just sitting around or watching TV. It’s tough, because my mom can’t drive anywhere, so she’s pretty much stuck at home all the time while my dad’s at work. I had suggested she get back into painting, since she used to paint before her surgery and produced some really impressive stuff. She seemed frustrated and said that she didn’t even think her paintings were that great when she could use her right hand, so she didn’t want to try painting with her left hand when she knew it would be worse.

I beg to differ—she is really talented, and her paintings are very good. And I’m not just saying that because I’m her daughter.

After the doctor’s appointment, I drove my parents back to their house. I ended up falling asleep in their armchair of slumber—an incredibly snooze-inducing recliner that can lure even the most awake person to doze off. Eventually, I headed back and ran some errands.

Friday night, Guy and I got together and hung out. We took Kona to Petsmart to pick out some new treats and toys, and then we went to dinner at Bridgetown Grill. After dinner, we hit Target so I could check out some area rugs for my new place.

Guy eventually headed home and called me later. He wasn’t feeling very well and was actually really down. I shared my perspective on things and he seemed to appreciate the tough love point of view. I thought he really needed to stop feeling so down and out when things could be so much worse. He’s got a lot going for him, and he needs to recognize that this is just an especially hard time, but it will pass.

I sound like him sometimes. When I was freaking out and depressed a while ago, he would pretty much tell me the same thing. It’s funny sometimes how alike we are. I would love for us to feel awesome at the same time, but I am glad that we can help balance each other out. Every now and then we get a little out of whack where we’re both not feeling so hot, but for the most part, we can help see the other through it. I really appreciate that.

Today was a nice day. I got up early (too early considering it was a Saturday) and headed to Costco to get some new tires for my car. Guy picked me up and took me to my haircut appointment with Maffe (pronounced “Moffee”). Maffe’s awesome. I asked him for something a little different and he cut my hair about two inches shorter. I really like it, actually. I never thought I’d be a short-haired girl, but I guess I am now. Guy actually went back to the salon later to get his hair cut by Maffe, who always does a great job on Guy’s curly hair. After waiting for my heat/AC guy to come do an inspection (the valves need to be replaced to the tune of $466!), we headed to the premium outlet mall so I could buy a few new items for my new job.

I got some great stuff at Banana Republic…some skirts and dresses, as well as some t-shirts and cute tops. I still feel like I need a few new pieces to round things out. It’s been so long since I’ve really bought a lot of clothes, so I’ve been turning things over lately like summer clothes (right before the trip to Jamaica) and now, “nice casual” for the new job.

Aack…I’m getting sleepy. Guy and I chatted tonight online and it was funny…I’ve been in a weird, giddy mood ever since I decided to just be happy. It’s working so far! Oh, we stopped by a bookstore on the way from the outlets and Guy bought me The Art of Happiness. I’m really looking forward to reading it, and plan to plow through some of it on the flight to Los Angeles on Tuesday (although I have such a hard time staying awake on planes!). In the bookstore tonight, we were standing behind someone who looked like a guy I went to college with. I rarely forget a face, and even though it’s been probably 10 years since I’ve seen him, I pegged him as the guy I had a HUGE crush on my freshman year in college. I said, “Excuse me?”—and sure enough, it was him. I told him we knew each other from the 40 Watt in Athens, and he seemed to vaguely remember me. It was funny to run into him there.

My great old friend Marie called today…she’s in town for the holiday. I invited her to go see a matinee with me and Guy tomorrow. I’m a little disappointed…Guy and I had numbers to run in the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10k, but we just aren’t feeling up to it. Oh well…there’s always next year.

And there’s always the half marathon we’re supposed to run in September. We have plane tickets to Virginia Beach, so I guess we need to start training, huh?

I’m sleeeeeepy. Goodnight!