Suburbia

Early evening this past Sunday was the epitome of suburbia perfection. Not that I'm saying this can't happen any place other than in the suburbs or that the suburbs are perfect. Goodness knows I'm a city girl. However, I was at my house when this happened and being that my house, The Dumpling, as named by my mom, is where this occurred, it is henceforth suburbia perfection.

Chris and I had just finished a run/walk (more walk than run) when we saw our neighbor, Wayne, putting together his new light post. Chris decided to help out so after realizing I was more of an annoyance than assistance, I went home and relaxed on the hammock. I was lying there thinking how blessed I was to be in my hammock. I was on my big deck outside of my beautiful house. Not only that but I had the luxury of relaxing. My job doesn't bleed over into my weekends and if I can stay focused on God, I can usually leave my thoughts of work at work. That day the sky was blue with just a few clouds in the sky. The breeze was blowing and the temperature was perfect. I closed my eyes and listened. I could hear the neighborhood kids playing. In the distance I heard the ice cream truck playing its music. The kids shrieked in delight and took off running toward the sound of the music. I leaned over in my hammock and watched the kids run, ride their bike, and roller skate to the corner as the ice cream truck pulled up. Little boys a few streets over trickled into the line that had formed next to the ice cream truck. As each child surrendered their money and received their treat, they slowly walked towards their house with a smile on their face.

I turned back in my hammock and closed my eyes. Ah, suburbia perfection.

In sickness and in health

Being sick is never fun. I don't care how much complaining I am allowed to do or how much I am babied by my husband, I would still rather be healthy. Since school is back in session, I have had my fair share of less than healthy days recently. About a week into school I woke up during one of my precious Saturday mornings with a fever. The fever lasted only a day but the sore throat/cold lasted a full week. My cough lasted two and a half weeks. By the time I gave the virus to Chris and he was getting over it, my cough was just about over.

Now that school has been in session for just over a month, I am sick again. No fever this time but the cold/head and chest congestion is so awful that I would almost rather have the fever. The cough has returned but not as bad as last time so maybe it will be gone before I give this new virus strain to Chris.

So this is what it means when they say, "in sickness and in health." The "until death due us part" must also have encompassed when I hocked up a luggie while on a walk during brief moments when I didn't want to exchange my body for someone else earlier this afternoon. Poor Chris saw me bend over towards the side walk and I'm sure was concerned I was going to throw up or something equally revolting when I spit out what felt like a golf ball sized wad of phlem. It was nasty but boy I felt better.

I'm hoping that I will be cured in a few days and that maybe, just maybe Chris won't get sick although he has already started sneezing.

Ah, wedded bliss.

Chicago Bears

Tomorrow is a very exciting day for me. It marks the official start to the Chicago Bears football season. The game is at 3:15 against the Green Bay Packers, our nemesis. Chris and I will have to get our Sunday errands done quickly so we can make it to a sports bar to watch the game. FOX is not one of the four television channels we get at our house hence the need for the sports bar.

The sports bar also comes in handy when the one lowly Chicago Bears fan wants to watch the game at the same time the rest of the city wants to watch the Indianapolis Colts game.

The excitement of the football season increased when Chris surprised me by buying a Chicago Bears flag for our house. We had been looking for one but had yet to purchase anything. I couldn't contain myself and had to put the flag up last Sunday as a little taster to the season. I walked down the hall in our house singing what I think was the wedding march while holding up the Bears flag. We took the ceremonial hanging of the flag to the next level by finding the Bears song on the internet. It was quite a moment being able to hang the flag on the house. I added the finishing touch to the house by bringing the Build-A-Bear, donning Chicago Bears garb including a helmet and football, to sit on the couch.

Let the Bears season begin!