Pictures from late March

Today I was cleaning up files on my camera and my computer and came across a few from an almost surreal time of my life last semester: the fews days around Easter.

As some of you know, right around then we had a terrifying medical scare with my mother, who went into the hospital on Wednesday, the very day I was heading to Asheville, North Carolina, to deliver a conference paper. By Friday evening, the situation had gotten so bad that I needed to come home to NY immediately. I drove all Friday night, met my sister in Martinsburg the next morning, and we drove up to NY, spending Saturday there and most of Sunday before heading back down here on Sunday afternoon (assured by my dad and my siblings that we didn't need to be there right then).

The happy news--eventually--was that my mom's diagnosis went from being quite dire to something completely treatable and she's almost fully recovered. But in my mind, those few days stand out as some of the worst of my life. So it was strange to find these pictures and be reminded of what helped me get through that awful time.

First, a few pictures from the conference. PAC is one of the highlights of the year for me because I get to see so many of my friends. It's like a reunion. This time, though, you can tell I wasn't in my normal mindset because there are only a couple photos worth posting.

A cute picture of Bethany and Emily, two of my best friends from my UNCG days.

From left to right: Vogel, Emily, Bethany, Gretchen, Heidi, and Kari. This picture of most of our group is a bit blurry, but it makes me smile. I am not sure who took it (maybe Tasha or Shannon, who are noticeably absent from the picture), but it was taken after we had finished with panels for the day and I was about to get that "you need to come home" phone call. I had been on the phone with my siblings all day, getting progressively worse news, and my friends knew this. God bless them--they were so wonderful. I really couldn't have picked a better place to be then surrounded by them during that time.

After those pictures from Asheville, I found a few from Easter Sunday. After church, Ryan, Erin, and I met Tara, Jeff, Jeff's mom, Colin, and Olivia for lunch at the diner, before Erin and I headed over to the hospital. I had my camera with me, and took just a couple of pictures, since it was Easter, after all, and we were trying to act normal for the kids. It was strange being at a restaurant and acting Easter-y with so much on our minds, but seeing those kids made me smile, just like always, on a day I really needed reasons to smile.

Colin and Jeff.

Olivia and Erin.

Colin and Heidi. (Is it just me, or do I look kind of young in this picture? Maybe it's the color I am wearing? If so, I need to buy more shirts in this color...)

Anyway, (and yes, I realize the huge cheese factor in this post), finding these photos reminded me of the ways God sends us what we need in trying times, especially in the forms of friends and family.

A brief explanation...

It's been serious around here lately, I suppose. Even the laughing baby post was more about lightening the mood. As many of you know, there's an actual reason for my mood: a health crisis involving a family member. I won't say too much specifically about that now, except to say that your prayers are appreciated more than you can know. Adding to the stressful environment? Two conferences in three weekends. Last week (March 20-21), I was at PAC, presenting my paper on "The Black Cat." It went well, but unfortunately, I had to leave early to drive from Asheville, NC to Martinsburg, WV, to meet my sister the next morning so we could drive up to New York. If you're into numbers and schedules (and really, who isn't?), I'll run some by you:

• 9:00 a.m. on Thursday: Head to Asheville (via Greensboro, to pick up a friend)
• 5:00 p.m. on Thursday: Arrive in Asheville to present my paper on Friday morning.
• 7:00 p.m. on Friday: Get the call from NY saying, "Yeah, you should come home" and hop in the car.
• 2:00 a.m. on Saturday: Arrive in Martinsburg, WV, repack my bag, attempt (unsuccessfully) to sleep for a few hours.
• 7:30 a.m. on Saturday: Meet sister, who's driven in from about an hour away, and head up to NY.
• 12:30 p.m. on Saturday: Arrive at my parent's house in NY. Spend the next 27 hours or so visiting the hospital, babysitting, running errands, and attending church on Easter Sunday. (In retrospect, I am so glad for that last item--it really made a world of difference.)
• 3:30 p.m. on Sunday: With the moment-of-crisis having passed us by, we feel okay enough to leave and head back to WV.
• 9:00 p.m. on Sunday: Arrive back in Martinsburg
• 9:00 a.m. on Monday: Back on campus. "Good morning, class. How was my Spring Break, you ask?"

Incidentally, the un-official hero of the weekend was my car, which carried me over some 1600 miles in four days, not bad for a 1996 Maxima with over 180,000 miles. Next up on the schedule: 4Cs in New Orleans. I've spent all weekend finishing my paper and am just about done (thus, having the time to post this message). My hope is that a week from now, I'll have both conferences successfully under my belt (a weird expression, right?) and some good news from home. I'll try to keep you all posted regardless.