Grateful Blog

Today I’m grateful that:

• The medication worked quickly, and I had my first real meal tonight for the first time in more than a week. Haddock with linguine and asparagus may not sound that exciting, but trust me, it was heavenly!
• We have such great neighbors. We ran into our next-door neighbor, Artie, while we were out to dinner, and he not only offered to drive Chad to/from his new job whenever needed, but told us his garage is usually open and that we can help ourselves to his snow-blower if he’s not around, AND said we can have his current snow-blower as soon as he talks his wife into buying a new one. Woo hoo!

Today I’m grateful that:

• I have such a great primary care physician. Shout-out to Dr. Geoffrey Burns at Waltham Family Medicine! He is such a smart, thoughtful, kind doctor, and his attitude spreads to everyone in the office. I’ve never had a remotely bad experience in his office, and that’s saying something, given how much time I’ve spent there in the past four years!
• Dr. Burns identified my illness as food poisoning, not a stomach virus, and gave me medication that will hopefully get me back to feeling normal sometime soon.
• Looking at the positives of feeling like I’ve been knocking on death’s door for a solid week — I’m wearing a size smaller jeans than I was a week ago, and have caught up on almost two full seasons of Smallville! I mean, hey, with most of my body in pain, at least my eyes felt better watching Tom Welling (Sorry, Chad!)

Today I’m grateful for:

• My parents were able to drive me to the doctor’s office, with Chad unable to leave work and myself unable to drive myself due to … well, the whole reason I was going to the doctor’s, a lovely stomach virus keeping me from eating or drinking anything for three days!
• Everyone at the Urgent Care facility in Waltham for pumping me full of fluids, anti-nausea and pain meds, and doing it all with sympathetic and patient smiles on their face. It makes a difference!
• Whatever little machine that warms the blankets in the Urgent Care facility — that thing is magical! I would like one for my home.

Today I’m grateful that:

• We got to spend our first Thanksgiving with our soon-to-be sister-in-law Jen! She is a more than worthy addition to the family
• We had more food at the table than 14 people were able to consume. We take that for granted all too often.
• Although I wasn’t able to be home in Boston for Thanksgiving, I’m grateful to my brother Tommy for filling in by hosting, and happy that my Grandma Doyer was feeling healthy enough to join them.

I’ve been quiet on here for the past couple of months, not because I’ve had nothing to be grateful for — quite the contrary, as always. It’s just that I’ve been very busy in work and non-work life … so I guess I’ll start there. I’m grateful that:

• Work has kept me busy in a good way recently!
• Chad started a new job a couple of weeks ago, being the (much) less boozy and adulterous version of Don Draper. I am immensely proud of him! I knew when he decided to stop working for himself as he had for the previous 10 months or so that he would have his pick of new jobs, and I think he picked a great one. Oh yea, and they offer health insurance! Holla!
• As always, I’m grateful for book club. (That’s for you, Rach.)

Today I’m grateful that:

• Five years ago on this date, the Red Sox won the World Series! It was truly one of the most fun, special, memorable nights of my life.
• My boss at the time had lived in Boston, understood the Red Sox, and let me work from Boston for the entire week. Wouldn’t have been the same experiencing it from D.C., and this also allowed me to go to Game 2 of the Series, thanks to the best person on the planet, Tyrone Brooks!

• My grandfather didn’t live to see it happen (born just weeks after the Sox won in 1918, and died the year before they next won it) but he was there in spirit. I was grateful to spend that night with some of my siblings and my cousins, calling our dads, and toasting Grandpa.

Today I’m grateful that:

• Jerry Remy returned to the Red Sox announcing booth for the first time in what feels like forever. There’s just nothing quite like listening to the RemDawg and Orsillo!

Today I’m grateful that:

• I was able to celebrate another birthday with my grandmother, Noooooora (inside joke). So very much has changed over the last year of her life, but I’m grateful that today she is safe and happy living where she is, surrounded by wonderful, caring people. There she is in the picture, Nora up front and my other grandmother, her “neighbor” Helen, cheering her on in the background.

  

Today I’m grateful that:

• My all-time favorite sports broadcaster, Jerry Remy, returned to the booth for an inning of tonight’s Red Sox game after an absence of several months for health reasons. Remy underwent surgery for lung cancer during the off-season, returned briefly during spring training and at the start of the season, then took a leave of absence for health reasons. Virtually nothing was seen or heard of him for months, and as more time went on, I feared that he was gravely ill.

Tonight he appeared in the booth, looking healthy, and shared that the real reason he took a break was to deal with depression. I found myself strangely relieved to hear that he is physically fine, and also impressed at his honestly about his depression. It’s not a difficult thing to experience or talk about, especially in front of millions of people!

• I’m grateful to hear that he’s improving, and hopes to be back in the booth very soon. I, and Red Sox Nation, are so looking forward to seeing Remdawg on a regular basis, hopefully physically and mentally healthy and happy!

Today I’m grateful that:

• My sister-in-law and brother-in-law have made the trip up from D.C. to visit us in Boston twice within the last year. Not an easy task with two small children, and two big children — I mean, parents.
• We had a relaxing, hopefully affordable, wonderful long weekend, with great weather to add to it.
• My family, and my husband’s family, and my brother-in-law’s family all mix so well together!