"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost."

I would be crazy not to blog about how great my friends and family have been the last 3 weeks....carpooling the kids to and from school, taking them to the zoo/park/library/basketball game, playing hide and seek, home cooked meals for the family, letting the kids come to their houses for the day, doing our laundry, cleaning the house, many dishwasher loads, getting the kids dressed/undressed/bathed..... That doesn't begin to touch on the emotional support each one of my friends gave our kids (and me knowing they were in safe hands)

It all started off with my "surprise" oral surgery to extract a tooth that had decayed under my bridge. It would also require rebuilding the back part of my jaw with bone graft in preparation for the two implants they will begin working on this summer. Of course, to say I was nervous is a gigantic understatement. My fear of oral surgery all began in 1990 when I had an implant done....only preformed with Novocaine (which is unheard of I am told) , dad holding my hand the whole time while I cried continuously. Anyway, when the surgeon told me I needed to get someone to help me for three days while I recovered, I thought yea...whatever, I would prove him wrong. He didn't know the drive I have to stay well and fit....I was planning on showing everyone I could run the next day like my friend. WRONG-Jason took the day off and we asked (begged) Mike to come help with the kids during my recovery. THANK GOODNESS for Mike, Jason, Skeet, Christell and Cindy. That surgery ended up teaching me a very important lesson in life-Oral Surgeons know more than the Patient. The funniest moment during my recovery/Percocet daze- Karina came and tapped my huge swollen face and asked, "Are you hiding food in there?"

I was finally feeling victorious and like my old self after that five day set back. I thought it was a tad strange when Jason had a nasty cold but neither the kids or I seemed sick. Well...that Grubby little cold came knocking on my door. But I thought, "Hey, if Jason can run the Mercedes Half Marathon with this ugly mess (and beats his time from last year), I can go play a little 1 1/2 hour tennis match. HA...Immune system said "NOPE" and I end up the next day at the doctor's office and Outpatient with a diagnosis of Pneumonia. Who would of thought I could barely get out of bed for another 6 days. Once again my great friends came to my rescue....(Christine Perkins even making the voyage over from Atlanta for two days since Jason was in Germany)...

I have always known that I am very blessed with the great husband I have, the great friendships we have cultivated and the fabulous brother (who thinks he is more of a father to me). The past few weeks have been positive in a lot of ways....it made me once more appreciate my relationships and remind me how important it is for ME to work even harder at doing things for those in need.