Outside: We have had all the weather. Warm, sunny, no coat weather.  Windy weather.  Now it is getting ready to snow weather. There was a window of time to go walk the dogs to the top of the neighborhood today which was pretty wonderful.  

Reading: Mostly in waiting rooms and bleachers and poolside.  Current read is this…

Watching: Old monster movie with the girls last night.  This was a Saturday night staple in my house when I was their age.  Frankenstein, Dracula, King Kong, Godzilla, and Charlie Chan every weekend on our local oldies channel.  I was throwback when throwback wasn't cool.  I was also a sickly kid and remember being on a hospital ward with pneumonia in my early grade school years.  They were open bays at the time and that weekend there weren't many children.  The nurse walked in as I was watching my Saturday night monster flick.  She abruptly clicked off the toob and said very matter of factly that small children were to be asleep after dark and most definitely NOT frightening the other children with monster movies.  

Whatever.  My childhood was a little uncoventional let's just say. 

Towards health and wellness: pool day!  

From the kitchen: Humor…

And Coconut Lime chicken..

This week: Lent came in like a lion.  I mean, March too, but holy heck it's been a week.  We had a long long LONG awaited visit to the Children's Hospital for a very not emergent nor urgent referral.  (we are all good I swear) The last time I was there was 17 years ago when our oldest had major surgery when his dad was away for a military course.  As we wound our way up the hill to the campus the emotion took my breath away.  Memories may seem to have faded but really they seem to just store away to be pulled up when you least expect them.  Like this day.  

This day was followed by a routine dental procedure that ended up being scary though it probably shouldn't have, at least it shouldn't have made me squeal out loud, loudly, in that small office.  It did though, which led to profuse apologies the likes of which I haven't issued since the last time I was in labor. Which is the last time I think I shrieked over something medical. My Italian friend assured me this completely normal for dental visits in Italy.  Alas, it is less normal in Utah where they like their patients quiet and still.  See above story about my early medical issues.  I'm sticking to this explanation.

Thinking about: It was all this that ran through my head when I saw a photographer on instagram discussing her last minute birthing crisis, the errors her providers made, and how shaken she is remembering it a year later.  The comments seemed to repeat a theme of "all's well that ends well" and "all that matters is that you have a beautiful baby."  Now it's true that a happy ending is always good news.  It could be worse.  Everyone is always glad when it isn't.  However it is also wrong to suggest the ending is "all that matters" because endings, even good ones, don't erase the trauma that led to them.  They provide some compensation and balance.  They are welcome relief.  Trauma dies hard though and remains part of the story. Acknowledging that is how we process and move forward – grateful but changed.  That's my theory anyway.

  Up side? Salt Lake City looked beautiful in snow and the skyline was amazing.