Christmas is Coming!

Well, as an update to my last post, the doctor did call the following week and say that my bloodwork indicated an infection so he needed me back in Rochester the next day for another test. The weather was good so we were able to go up and back in one day. The test wasn't pleasant, but bearable. It was a needle aspiration trying to find fluid in the new knee to test for infection. It would take 5 days to culture and he would call me this week with the results. If it is infected, I will need surgery soon to remove the new joint, pack it with antibiotics and then spend two months in an immobilizer with no joint. After two months back in to replace the joint. If it isn't infected, then I am scheduled for surgery on March 19th. I can again begin bugging them for a cancellation and chance to move up on the schedule. He also released me to go back to work with some major limitations. Limited bending, twisting, turning, stooping, kneeling, walking, no lifting over 10 pounds, and sit behind a desk only; rather hard to do as a nurse. I asked work if they could find me something I could do so I don't run out of sick leave and they said no they can't afford to pay me to do less than my full job. If I run out of sick leave then I will have to take leave without pay and that would save them money. So here I sit at home yet worrying about sick leave and trying not to worry. And here I sit waiting for the phone to ring so the doctor can tell me whether it is infected or not. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and he hasn't called.

We finally got the Christmas tree last weekend and it's somewhat decorated. My daughter hung the lights and tinsel and in fact cut down the tree herself. Our cookie exchange was last week so lots of goodies to eat here. It has been snowing since Sunday and now today we have had sleet and snow and more sleet. We are to have ice today and tomorrow followed by snow and wind Christmas day and the following two days. So today I called all my inlaws and canceled Christmas Day dinner with a tentative rescheduling for Sunday if the roads are passable by then. I also changed the menu from ham and turkey to soup so I can make it at the last minute if the roads are good enough for people to travel and so if we have a lot of leftovers we can freeze them. The freezers and cupboards are full and we are hunkering down here to wait out the storm. I had gotten no shopping done, so last week a neighbor lady went with me to push the cart and help me and I did it all in 2 hours at Walmart. Then we went out to lunch and had a nice time together. It was good to be all done. Sunday our high school Nu Hi Chorale came and sang at our church. It is a yearly tradition that I really enjoy; church tour is when the public school choir goes to all churches in our school district on 2 Sunday mornings and sings 3 songs during the service. It is so good. This year though it moved me to tears. I miss the kids so much. I could look at those kids and knew what so many of them have gone through to get to this day and see them looking so angelic in their choir robes. I don't miss the politics or paperwork of my school job, but I do miss the kids very much. I missed the Sunday School Christmas program Sunday night because the roads were so slick with snow that morning that I was a little afraid to go back out on them after dark. I wonder if we will have Christmas Eve service tomorrow night. It will be a quiet day here on Christmas. Neither of our boys will be home so just the 3 of us to celebrate together. It might be kind of nice actually to be able to sit back and actually enjoy family time together.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and that you will reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. It is Christmas because Jesus came to be the Christ and Saviour of the world. He was born so we could be born again. That is truly a reason to celebrate.