What a weekend

Ups and downs, folks. Ups and downs.

That's been my weekend.

It started out innocently enough - Friday was a quiet night at home. I was feeling a little "off," but I didn't think much of it.

Saturday was a different story.

Let me interject, my mother was set to host a jewelry party here at my house this afternoon, because my dad still hasn't fixed the hall bathroom at her house. That's partly due to the stroke, and partly due to his extreme - EXTREME paranoia about stuff that's not that paranoia worthy (like a little mildew. I know that mold can be dangerous, but I think he's being a bit extreme.)

So, I was supposed to spend yesterday cleaning.

It didn't happen.

I was awakened bright and early by a bright and shining red head demanding cereal. I was still feeling a bit "off" but managed to make her breakfast and get myself some oatmeal and hot tea.

As the morning progressed, so did my feelings of queasiness. When my mother called about 10 a.m. to ask if Anna Marie could go to a museum with my dad, his best friend, and his best friend's granddaughters, I was more than glad to offload her let her go. I told mom how I was feeling, and she sent over some sinus medicine with pain reliever and some sort of nausea medicine.

My mother, the back-door pharmacy.

I took the meds, and informed Jason that he was on his own for lunch because I just wasn't hungry. (Told you I wasn't feeling well.) I fell asleep on the couch, and he woke me up about half an hour later to suggest that I move to the bedroom.

I was out for another 3.5 hours.

I thought I'd eat a little something, since all I'd had all day was oatmeal and it was now 4 p.m., and the only thing I could come up with was microwave popcorn.

So far, so good. Still feeling a bit queasy, though.

Anna Marie and dad came back, and he and Jason hatched a plan to go to dinner. I got out of my PJs for the first time all day, and accompanied them. I managed to get down a hamburger (yes, I know, probably not the best choice, but I figured it might shock my system into action and get the queasiness gone.)

Little AM went home with my mom for the night, and I spent the rest of the evening running back and forth to the restroom, and, in between, suffering horrible stomach cramps.

I dozed on and off all night, and woke up about 7 a.m. The house was clean, except for some work on The Kid's room. I thought I was feeling better, so I spent a feverish 30 minutes in there.

Just don't open the closet.

I started feeling bad at church, which was really unfortunate, because it meant I was in the restroom when the pastor announced that we'd be closing the church at the end of the month.

See - we helped plant the church in 2003 with my parents. We'd struggled along until last spring, when my mom felt it was time she stepped down. Jason and I, along with a couple others, stayed on, and the conference sent a new pastor. He's from this area, but he lives two hours away and only came down on weekends. Our attendance was up, thanks to the pastor's extensive family and friends, but that was all - the attendance. No one was contributing anything - time, talents, or "treasures." In other words, not only was no one else willing to work, no one else was willing to give money to the operation either. Our bills were only $750 per month for rent and utilities, and no one was getting a paycheck, but we were still short each month. The conference helped us for several months, but I guess they determined it was a lost cause.

(Yeah, we were doing better before, with fewer people, because everyone was working and contributing. Go figure.)

Am I sad? A little. I also know it wasn't all our fault - we were here, where we felt God wanted us. If those who told us they couldn't find a church they fit in to, or where they could use their talents, didn't come, or did but didn't stay, that's not our fault. They have no excuse now.

I'm not really sure what we'll do now - we'll have service on the 17th and 24th, and then it's over. Jason and I really have to pray about where God wants our family to go next. We've all kind of known this day was coming - or at least I did, because Jason handles the church books and I knew there were shortfalls - but I don't know if any of us were prepared for it to be this soon.

We made it through the jewelry party just fine. I was feeling much better by then. And, I booked a "book party," because the company has a special promotion that ends February 26 and I just don't see myself planning a shindig at my house within the next two weeks.

Ok, so strike that first phrase. I guess my weekend wasn't so much "ups and downs" as it was "down, down, up."

Capped off by a serenade at bed time by that bright and shining red head.