T Minus Three Days

This month has zoomed by... 

• I've been going to physical therapy twice a week and my friend Amy was right, they are really physical terrorists!  I was assigned to Nic, a very nice guy who's all "we're gonna get your knee ready so you can walk around Ireland" at the initial evaluation.  And then at my twice weekly appointments, he turns into a sadistic dictator!  They have this rolly chair, which I lovingly call the "Chair from Hell" and they make me sit on it and then push myself across the room using only (now get this...) my BAD leg!  Oh, the humanity!   Ok, it probably isn't that bad, but the chair is agony.  One day, I think I really depressed Nic when, after he did his best to kill me, he asked me to rate my pain on a scale of 1-10, and I said "0."  It was like I'd ruined his day.  My last appointment before "vacation"  (NOTE: imagine angels singing the word "vacation" there) is Wednesday.  Assuming I survive, maybe I'll bring him back a postcard.
• In addition to my twice weekly appointments, I've had my at home exercises to do.  Admittedly, I've never been good with homework.  I credit it as a miracle from God that I graduated, because actually doing homework was not my forte.  But Nic laid on the "do you really want to have paid all these big bucks for surgery and not do your best to get a good result?" and "do you want to have spent all this money on a trip to Europe and not be able to enjoy it because you didn't do your homework?"  (Did I mention that I think I hate Nic?)  Anyway, while I may not have done them twice a day religiously, I've been doing them.  The best part are my assistants who show up to help me the minute I lay down to start my exercises.  Sophie immediately hops up and plops her fluffy butt on my stomach, and Cleo tends to hop up and plant her chubby butt on my ankle... the ankle on the leg that I'm supposed to be lifting.  It's one thing to attempt to lift my leg, using muscles that are being reconditioned, but it's totally another to have the Super Chunk sitting on the leg. 
• Despite one of my four bosses being on vacation for the first two weeks of the month, it's been very busy at work culminating in two of the bosses have BIG things due on the same day.  I have to admit, there were a few tears that day.  Sniff...
• One would think that the weekends would be relaxing, but this was my month to be the "clicker" in the soundbooth at church on Sundays.  It's amazing the amount of stress I feel when I'm doing this.  During the songs, I'm generally doing good.  As long as I don't get carried away in singing along that I forget to click.  Or, like there was this song we sang yesterday.  Don't recall the name, but on one slide, the same three lines were repeated twice, then the next two slides were identical... so basically, the same three lines were repeated six times....  (4 times too many for my taste), but the big problem was that I had to pay attention - and if you know Rose, you KNOW that I'm easily distracted.  I mean, I've had to force myself to just pay attention to what I'm writing here!  The second stressor that I have is during the actual sermon.  Now, one Sunday, the Pastor didn't have a PowerPoint, and I told him that if he loved me, he could feel free to take the rest of the month off, PowerPointedly-speaking.  Well, I guess he showed me, because we had one for the rest of the month!!  And yesterday was really bad.  Now, first, when Pastor Dave is opening up with a prayer, I'm sitting there praying that I won't make a spectacle of myself via the Powerpoint.  So having said my usual, he starts his sermon, and I'll be darned if within the first three minutes he isn't already talking about stuff that's on the LAST SLIDE!!  Oh, my stars... Rose was almost having palpitations.  Fortunately we both made it thru and I don't have to click for the rest of the year.  Whoo hoo!!
• Saturday I started packing for the great trip.  I swear to you, after gathering all of my electronics, the iPad and its case, the iPod, the iPhone, the Kindle, and all of their assorted chargers, and that thingee that allows me to use electricity in the UK, I may have to take another suitcase!  

Anyway, I'll be leaving on Friday, July Fourth - (don't take that as an invite to come rob the 'do... Mom'll be here with our fierce guard cats).  And yes, I suppose it's possible that we'll get to see fireworks from the air, although I don't know how high fireworks go or fully understand aeronautics, so I don't know how high in the air we'll be, but...  

I do hope to have access to wifi at some point and maybe get some blogging done on the road.  If not, I'll take copious notes and we'll have tons of pics, I'm sure, so I'll be able to fill you in on the fun when I get back.  Until then... Rose OUT!