Monday Morning Scramble

My kids are at school today.  It is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I have mixed feelings about our lack of observance of this day.  We talked to the kids this morning about who Martin Luther King Jr. is and what he stood for.  When I mentioned that we had to be home for school on Monday one of our friends in Seattle was surprised.  I'm sure it did nothing to score any swag points for Idaho, but what can I say? One of my dear friend's sons memorized Dr. King's, "I have a dream" speech for speech meet last year.  It brought tears to my eyes as he gave the speech in the lunchroom with Karsten sitting next to his friend from Nigeria, and putting his arm around his shoulders.  We have come a long way in the last 40 years, but there is still so far to go.  I am still not sure if I am being racist when I talk to my friends that are black.  Can I even call them black?  Is that offensive?  My kids call themselves brown, and we still call Brook pink.  It is still awkward, even though I love them, and they are my children, and my friends.  Equality hasn't happened yet, and I pray that Dr. King's dream keeps right on coming.

We had a great time in Seattle, except for driving at night in the fog.  We hit a patch of fog in central Washington on the way over that caused me to squeak a bit.  As if spotting deer in the road isn't tricky enough without being stuck in a cloud.  I'm happy to report that the college student that passed me didn't hit any deer either, and I just followed him with a safe distance in case he did.  The roads were bare and the tops of the passes were gorgeous.  It made me really sad that I wasn't there to go skiing.

Our appointments went well.  We were in and out in record time.  The only one who complained was Madie.  Apparently she doesn't like being cooped up in hospitals with nothing but text books to keep her company.  College may be a rough go.  Our friend Caleb met us for dinner and showed us around Seattle.  Actually we were all lost, but we managed to get him home eventually.  By the time I got to south Seattle I was done driving and we just crashed on the first available couch.  Duncan was kind enough to let us all stay, which I'm sure he regretted the next day when we all popped out of bed at 7:00 am.  I got to wander through Ikea.  Now I am  prepared for the next time I go.  Andrea took me out for a walk while I was at her house.  The boys had a blast.  Nes wanted to stay for another day, but I wanted to get back before the weather turned nasty.  Madie was great for moral support, but she had no desire to get behind the wheel.  We made it home in time for dinner and the Coug game.  They lost.

Every time I got to Seattle I wish I could stay for a week.  Living in the city isn't cheap though, so I need to plan ahead better.  Luckily Starbucks takes care of the important things in life, so as long as I have a sleeping bag we will be good to go.  We have to go back in four months for lab work.  Nes is doing well on his meds so far.  I have to get my watch with the alarm so that I remember to give them to him on time.  I got lazy with Martha, since she only has meds once a day.  Martha got a bone scan, which was really fun to watch.  She laid down on a table that moved around under a camera, and up pops her entire skeleton in seconds.  It is truly amazing what they can do at these facilities.  It makes me feel a little bit sick when I read about children dieing in other countries due to a lack of doctors who are available.  I know medical school is not cheap, and being a doctor in the US pays for a lot of things both here and in the home countries of foreign doctors.  I think we take it for granted sometimes that we have so much available to us.  As expensive as medical insurance can be, it still saves lives.  The disparity between what we have and what so many others have is staggering.  At times it is hard not to be overly harsh with my children when they take it for granted.  They have options here, that they didn't have in Africa.  Of course it is one of the many blessings that they don't even see.  I see it, and I am incredibly thankful for it.

I am thankful for...

Hospitable friends that let me crash on their couches

Coffee available on almost every corner

Doctors that make themselves available more than they need to

People to listen to hard things and help sort it out

Blue skies above white mountains

Grandma's flying south

Medicine that gives life

Friends that correct our mispronunciation before we make idiots out of ourselves

Awesome shoes at Nordstroms

Comfy chairs at Nordstroms

Video game shops to keep boys happy

Carts in Ikea that double as long boards