This past weekend was a nice chance to just BE together. *ahh* We took a weekend trip to Ann Arbor for my husband’s 40th birthday to celebrate being a family, splurge on some downtime together, and re-unite with friends we used to go to college with. We took our kids around the University of Michigan campus and ate at our favorite places. It was truly a nice time and a reminder that you can still act young even when you aren’t a 20-something college student anymore. 🙂 The pinnacle for my husband was our afternoon of laser tag!! He’s such a rebel (*insert dripping sarcasm here*) that it was actually the same thing he did at his bachelor party – laser tag, followed by the Original Cottage Inn pizza. Yes, he was wild and crazy! 🙂 It is just a reminder, though, how important my husband has been to me throughout the last 18 years or so. He walked me through some dark times when I was young (after the death of my Mom) and he has been steadfastly dependable as a husband. This came in very handy after our daughter’s Scoliosis diagnosis (and later, our son’s). We could bounce ideas off each other, share the burden of decision-making, and team up to get our kids the best treatment possible. I’m not sure what I would have done without him – there are times when I just can’t think objectively anymore and I rely on him to put perspective on things. And, the fact that he is a Scoliosis patient himself adds an extra layer to his helpfulness. One of our kids asked this weekend “Dad, why is your Scoliosis not under control?” We kind of laughed – because he was never braced, they didn’t understand that his IS under control – he takes a lot of measures to keep his back pain from his 26 degree curve to a minimum – he eats healthy, exercises daily, keeps his weight down, spends time to massage his muscles on the foam roller (or baseball), and he works to keep flexible. Because he has always done these things to keep his Scoliosis in check, our kids didn’t realize that he actually works at it – they just thought it was something he had but did nothing about. For those of you who are battling this disease on your own, or who is at odds with a spouse over the best treatment for your children, know that there is help out there for you. Find a buddy to bounce ideas off, read and ask questions on various blogs, start building a team of medical professionals, and remember you can always email me. I realize that not everyone is as blessed as I am with an in-house support network, but know that you are not alone.
