O, Happy Day!

What an interesting weekend it was. It all started Friday. Friday was going to be glorious. It was my first day with no work since January, after all. Not my first week day off... My first day off work at all, including weekends. How could it not be glorious??

 I slept in until 9:30 and then it was off to do some shopping with my Mother and one of my sisters. Three pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of shoes and yummy lunch later, my mother received a phone call. My little sister needs to be taken to the emergency room or the after hours clinic immediately. She's two hours away. So, our shopping day was cut short and she rushed back home and spent the remainder of the day at the after hours clinic with Eleanor, running every test possible to figure out just what's causing the insane amounts of ulsers she has, among other things. Solution #1 (after the 3rd doctor): Extremely low iron. Severe anemia. B12 shot. She should be better and they will call on Saturday with some of the test results that weren't available instantly.

The view from my parents back yard when I arrived on Friday night.

Saturday, I wake up with a bad stomach ache. It is raining. It is cold. And I have a 5K to run in an hour. I rush to Greenwood and make it to the start line just in time. I have paid my money and had this planned for months. It is to support my home town and I will not miss it. Besides, two of my very best friends are running the half marathon. What kind of friend would I be if I were home and didn't show up to support them??

Rainy, Dreary day on the Yazoo at the finish line.

I find my friends Meagan Rae and Mary Britton at the start line and we are off. 5K?? No problem. I do this all the time. Mile 1. Not feeling so great. Mile 1.5: I could throw up and/or pass out. I am 1 block from my car and we are about to turn to run the complete opposite direction. Decision time. In tears, of embarrassment and disappointment, I veer off course and make a v-line for my car. I quit a race? I quit the race. How humiliated would I be if I had thrown up in front of all of these people? I get in my car. Blast the heat. Call Kendol. Call my Momma. Down the glass of water I brought from home. I feel a little better. I still have time to watch everyone finish.

Me, Liz, Katie, Mal

I head back over to the finish line and watched everyone complete their races!! I am so proud of everyone. Elizabeth finished the half marathon in an hour and a half and came in 2nd place overall for the girls. Katie ran the half in right at 2 hours. I just don't know how they do it!! So proud. We celebrated over lunch at The Delta Bistro, obviously.

Wall Art at Delta Bistro

After the race.. it rained.. and rained.. and rained some more. So, I met my Mother, sister and niece at our church for an inside Easter Egg hunt due to the weather.

And that was followed by a girl's night at our favorite hometown restaurant, Lusco's.

Sunday. Easter went a little different than that of Easter's past. Eleanor and my mother were not able to go to church with us. But we still managed to have a little get together with some family afterwards over a spread of food fit for Thanksgiving dinner. Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Rice and Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Lima Beans, Dumplings, Deviled Eggs and Pecan Pie. Holy Cow.

Kendol and I ready for Church.

After lunch Kendol and I headed back to Jackson (in torrential down pours) for an afternoon of laziness followed by an Easter dinner with his parents which consisted of Filets, Twice Baked Potatoes, Caesar Salad and Home-Made Apple Pie. Seriously, my father in law's apple pie is the best in the world. Needless to say, I am 5 lbs heavier today, but I am not mad about it one bit.

In the meantime, Eleanor made a trip to the emergency room since she had not gotten any better and because she had not eaten in a few days. They ran more tests and she was put on an IV to get a little bit of something in her system. The end result: It's a virus of some sort and she has to eat and drink, no matter how bad it hurts so that her body will be strong enough to fight the virus and let it run it's course.

Through all of the ups and downs of the weekend, lots of quality time was spent with family and friends. Many laughs were shared. Eleanor is hopefully on the upswing of this virus. And most importantly, we celebrated Jesus and the ultimate sacrifice He made for each and every one of us. O, happy day.

The greatest day in history

Death is beaten

You have rescued me

Sing it out, Jesus is alive

The Empty cross

The empty grave

Life eternal, You have won the day

Shout it out, Jesus is alive

He's alive!!

O, happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

O, happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed.

"Happy Day" ~ Tim Hughes