It's the end of November, and I'm just not sure I'm ready for December this year. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually finished with my holiday shopping and I'm eager for the semester to come to a close in terms of my class, but...I don't know. Maybe it's the looming winter. My office is so cold today, it feels like it's mid-February in here. My fingernails are all varying shades of purple and blue, and I keep shivering.

But that is not the point of this post. A few weeks ago I reconnected with a long lost friend. We might see each other once a year, but truly it's probably more like every two years. Saddest thing of all, she lives a mere 45 minutes from us. At any rate, on that day when we shared lunch, I wrote this down:

It's the small things in life: a real cappuccino at Patachou with a friend from grad school whom I haven't seen in years.

But it was even more than that. I've had great conversations with friends this Fall, somehow we found time amidst the chaos of my brain and my schedule. I have treasured each one. Last Wednesday I had another chance to lunch with a friend, and I had another delicious real cappuccino. Life is good sometimes, you know?

Weekend Food Fare

I don't typically write about food, but this week, Kyle and I discovered two great things and wanted to share.

First: How many of you have tried Apple-Pears? They are small, round, yet their skin is brown and Bosc-pear-like. They are delicious and perhaps my new favorite fruit. Crisp texture, sweet and juicy, they are delightful. I want to eat one with every meal. And, apparently now is the season to eat them. Next time you're at the grocery store, pick one up and try it. You won't be disappointed.

Second: My cousin's wife recently posted on Fb that she tried a Pumpkin Oatmeal Bake for breakfast with her four girls (ages 3 to 13, maybe). It was a hit in her family, and as I've been dying to make some pumpkin things, and yet not having time to search them out, I wanted to give this a try. My disclaimer is that I already love oatmeal and this recipe had all kinds of great spices in it, and raisins (which I also enjoy). I knew it would be good. We tried it for breakfast yesterday and loved it. It's so easy to throw together, and even in halving the recipe it made twice as much as we needed. I saved it for today's breakfast, not really knowing how oatmeal will save, and thinking it sounded kind of gross, really. Turns out, it's still good. I just finished my bowl of it and yum. It's actually better today, go figure.

If you would like to see the recipe, I'll send it to you, but I didn't want to type it up unless there was interest.

Today is Pizza & Wings day for lunch, as friends are coming over to watch the Colts game. I hope to later make a recipe Margaret just shared on her blog, something with lentils, and also a tuna casserole. I'll be gone Mon-Wed at a conference, but Kyle still has to eat, and I know if I don't make it, he certainly won't either. Plus, I want some food ready to be eaten when I return, brain-dead, on Wednesday night.

Happy Sunday to you all!

Ending 2010

On this ridiculously gorgeous 72-degree day of mid-November, I celebrated the end of my eye surgery journey with a peppermint mocha and blueberry scone.

Today's sun actually reminded me of the sun-shiny-ness of February 18th of this year when I had my eye surgery. Though not really warm, it was warmer than it had been that day because of the sun. I went in really nervous, not knowing what to expect from implanted contact lenses.

As of today, I can report that I see 20/20 in my left eye and 20/25 in my right. I do wear glasses most of the time for reading, driving, and writing (this is pretty much the entirety of my life right now). But there are random Saturdays where I get up, make some coffee, and find myself enjoying a day of no glasses. And, thanks to our awesome HDTV, I don't need to wear my glasses when we watch movies or most HD channels. That's pretty cool, I must say.

The doctor I saw today (not the surgeon, but one of his pre- and post-op checkers) asked me if I was satisfied. She explained that with the good vision I have now, trying to finagle any more changes for acuity might just cause more problems, which I can fully understand. I've struggled this year with disappointment that my eyes aren't perfect, that I do still need some vision correction for certain things (which happen to be very important things in my life). After some reflection, I realized that, as is typical Lana, I expected perfection. You see, I expect this in myself always, and have always struggled with expecting it from other people and situations. It's led to a lot of life disappointments, as you might imagine. This year I've tried very hard not to let it gain ground regarding my vision. I keep reminding myself: I was legally-blind and now I can see almost as good as everybody else. That's a miracle any way you shake it.

I was dismissed today; told to "call if you need us". It's hard to imagine for what situation I would need Price Vision Group again. I'm exceedingly grateful for what Dr. Price has given me. Just like their brochure says, I can now "Wake up and see." You don't even know what this means unless you've been there.

Was it worth it? As I think I've made clear above, yes. A thousand times over, YES! I would do it again. And, when I get cataracts, I'll go to Dr. Price and have him fix them. Well, maybe whoever has taken over for him by then. He has a good thing going there; I'll stick with him. Which also means, I recommend him and his staff and facility to any and all who are in need of eye procedures that he can do (see his web site). I know two people personally who have also been his patients, and both are as enthusiastic as I am.

Today, I lifted my tall peppermint mocha to Dr. Price and his gift of vision. To his great staff who has taken such good care of me (and who now know me by face--I'm not just a chart). And, to God, who makes all things possible--through men, through medicine, through miracles.

I am blessed.

Maybe not ready to be parents?

So, life has been crazy and the one continually redeeming factor about Oct-Nov has been Quincy. He's fantastic, super smart, and a great sick-day companion, as I found out this week. Quin's one joy in life is plastic bags. Okay, that's not entirely true. Even more than plastic bags, he loves the little plastic rings off of milk and juice bottles. He goes CRAZY every morning when I get the milk out because he thinks he might get a ring. If you want to be his friend someday when you visit, bring a ring and he'll love you for life.

But, his other love is, truly, plastic bags. Within the last two months he realized he could get inside of them, and not just lay on top of them. This has been revolutionary. When I unpacked my new dress from its box last night, all he wanted was the bag it came in. So, we let him lay on it, and then I showed him it opened and the rest is recorded below.

Enjoy this!

Perhaps the ultimate question is: Should we let him do this?