When we last left the saga that is Delia's life, Sweet Cheeks had just undergone the most challenging experience of his life. So had I, for that matter. I am happy to report that he is recovering from his heart troubles quite nicely! He is attending Cardiac Rehab 3 days a week. It's kind of like a gym with nurses. They hook up a bunch of wires to him so they can closely monitor his heart rate and blood pressure while he walks on the treadmill, then rides the exercise bike. Also, he has just begun experimenting with the elliptical trainer.
His blood pressure lately has been elevated. We don't know why. He's had a few blood pressure troubles since his surgery, and the doctor has had to change his meds a few times. Hopefully, we will get that under control for good. Other than that, he's healthier than I've ever seen him!
After watching him go through all that, I decided to take better care of myself, too. I don't want any of my loved ones to suffer through the helplessness that I felt as they watch me flirt with death! My drinking was reaching levels where even my drinking friends would give me a concerned look and suggest.... "Gee Delia, when was the last time you went running? Maybe you should cut back....." I lasted an entire 29 days. When I tried drinking again (unfortunately with the intensity that I had previously enjoyed), I got very, very sick. So..... lesson learned. Actually, it took getting very, very sick a couple of times before the lesson was learned, but I'm hard-headed. I now get tipsy after one drink. At 3 drinks, I'd better have the trash can ready! I'm a cheap date now!!
Not that I'll be dating anyone, because - SWEET CHEEKS AND I GOT MARRIED!!!
It was not the sweep-you-off-your-feet-movie-style-will-you-marry-me-applause-applause proposal that every girl dreams of. I've already had one of those, and I'm happy for the memory of it. It didn't work out.
Nope, this one came about during one of Don's scary nights at home post-surgery. His chest was really bothering him, and he was contemplating going back to the hospital. We talked about lots of things, and eventually he brought up marriage. I said, "you're not suggesting this because you think you're going to die, are you? 'T'ill death do us part' isn't so bad if it's only a few months. What if you live another 20 years? Would you still want to be married to me?" He said, "that would make me so happy!" So..... later that evening, I asked if he was serious. He was.
We'd already had a week's vacation planned in Florida in early April. He and I have many things in common - procrastination is one of them. I knew that if we didn't set a date, we'd never get married! And, part of me was afraid he'd change his mind! Also, I've always loved the idea of a beach wedding. So, since we were going to be in FL anyway, I looked up inexpensive ways to get hitched on the beach. I found weddingsonawhim.com, and those folks took care of everything! They were wonderful. They tailored the ceremony to fit us. The guest list was small - just my mom and dad. Everyone was invited to come, but it was on such short notice, it was on a Tuesday, and it was in Clearwater, Florida. I didn't expect everyone to drop their lives and jet down to Florida for a 10 minute ceremony.
The weather was perfect. The beach was breathtaking. Before we got started, I looked at Don and said, "are you nervous?" He said he was. I said, "I am, too. We shouldn't be. I don't know about you, but I'm about to marry my best friend." It was a short, but beautiful ceremony. There were some laughs and tears. When the officiate said, "you may kiss the bride," there was much applause from other beach-goers! It truly was the happiest day of my life.
Seriously.... if anyone out there is considering getting married on the beach in Florida..... I highly recommend weddingsonawhim!!
So, I guess that's the biggest piece of news since my previous entry. As far as my professional life goes, I've updated my resume and sent out a few apps, hoping for a mainline gig.... my phone still isn't ringing. The competition is pretty stiff, so I imagine it will be a while. But, I'm not in a bad place now. I'm enjoying a bit of seniority, and I'm using my time to get fit and become a healthier person. I'm flying with a lot of new people, both FO's and Flight Attendants. It's easy to make them laugh, because they haven't heard my jokes before! They are fun to fly with because they haven't been sodomized by the company yet and are still enthusiastic about being here. Watching my friends upgrade into the left seat is pretty exciting, too.
In short, life is good!
