The Shafferland Shuffle

After the week we've had, I kind of feel like New Year's Day was about 1000 years ago, but alas, it was just last Sunday! Here's a peek at our way-more-eventful-week-than-we-planned happenings!

* Last Sunday, as I said, was New Year's Day, and we'd planned to spend the day with Ryan's extended family for our annual Christmas gathering, but alas, we spent it in the Emergency Room instead, trying to get to the bottom of Ryan's sudden onset of pain within the last week. After four hours and a huge battery of tests, we were sent home with instructions to await the birth of Myrtle the kidney stone.

* Monday was our 49th monthiversary, and since Ryan's department was closed to observe New Year's Day, we actually got to spend the day together. YAY!!! We took it easy at home and tried to celebrate, but Ryan was still in a decent amount of pain, so it wasn't perhaps in the top five of most fun and eventful monthiversaries of all time. I hated that for him, but I was still happy to be with him.

* Tuesday, Ryan went back to work, and so did I, after a month or so away from my writing and speaking pursuits. We also hosted our first Tuesdays at the Table for 2017 that night, inviting our friends John and Sandee over for dinner. Apparently I cooked the worst of all the things for Ryan's poor stomach, because John and Sandee had barely left before we were in the car headed back to the Emergency Room for another 3 hours of tests. This time, we were sent home with an ulcer diagnosis.

* Wednesday, I returned to the carpool world, because school returned to full-time session. (I had a feeling the kiddo I drive to school would not be quite ready to go back, and I was right!) I spent the day working hard, and when I went to visit Ryan at the end of the work day, I even got to see Miss Phoebe! That's always a good day. Ended the day by making a big batch of granola, which made the house smell just like a bakery.

* Thursday, I devoted (hey!! that's my word of the year!) my entire day to finishing the work on my website to get it up and running. I got the entire site done, which made me SO HAPPY, and also SO BEHIND on my steps. I had to do some major laps around the house to get them all in, but I did it! And it was the perfect day to do all this, because it was also our first snow of 2017! (There's no picture of this because I guess he didn't want to remember it, but this was also the day of Ryan's gallbladder ultrasound, which showed the healthiest liver in Howard county...and no gallstones.)

* Friday was cold here in the Midwest, although we were not preparing for any blizzards like I know some of you were! I ran my errands early so I could be HOME where it was warm, finishing my book and trying out my new foot soak kit (HEAVENLY). Ryan and I did our grocery shopping right after work so we could come home and rest all evening. Ryan's had a long, hard week, and he definitely deserved his rest! Since we can't eat most places currently, we got Subway and brought it home. Delicious - and bonus! Didn't make Ryan sick!

* Yesterday was cold again, but I told Ryan whenever the sun comes out and the wind dies down, it somehow doesn't feel quite as cold. I worked hard to try making some new recipes to try to make Ryan's diet a little more exciting, and he was able to eat everything I made. YAY! He was even feeling well enough last night to run to Starbucks for a latte. He takes the whole coffee thing very easy right now, so this was a treat!