Meaning of HOME

We're home! And we were greeted by our fat, gray cat - Tabbitha. Who, it seems, put on a pound or two. A never ending battle, I tell you. I left, and she was a "healthy" (ahem) 18.2 pounds. Remeber - she's big boned! And I return, and she's gone up to 19.6. Don't blame ME - I wasn't the one who gleefully picked up a gray mass and huffed over towards the scale. No siree!

That, my friends, was my husband.

I swear. Not kidding. Totally serious. Scouts honour.

He was curious about the cat, about how heavy she was. Humbug! Apparently he didin't get the note about afternoon water retention and such. Tabbitha didn't look too pleased either, and made a few swipes at him while the pair were standing on the scale.

I warned him. Dude - I wouldn't want to be picked up and weighed, even if "my people" came home after a long absence. Bugger off!

Oh well - today was his turn to make me laugh. So after the petting, the picking up and kissing, and cooing, and everything else calmed down, I got a chance to say hi to Tabbitha.

(Just kidding - Nathaniel would kill me if he read this before publication. He professes to "hate" the cat. But secretly loves her. Ssshhhhh! It's aparently a big secret.)

FYI: I didn't get the memo.

Nate loves the cat. And the cat, well, ah (how do I say this?) sometimes loves her Dad. Yes - her Dad (said firmly).

No - in all seriousness, we both saw Tabbitha, pet her, and then Nate really did make a bee-line for the bathroom scale, cat in tow. Priceless, I tell you.

What are your thoughts?



And finally, for Tabbitha. The meaning of HOME:

(Nate's version of HOME for Tabbitha)

Hungry OR Half-witted (it was a toss up.)
Ornery OR Offensive. (again - could go either way)
Monster OR Mindless or Meddlesome(ditto)
Evil OR Enigma

That was - who else? Nathaniel. Can you tell he really loves her? He's sitting up in bed, pj's on, thesaurus open on his lap, completeley ignoring Mythbusters - one of his favorite shows. Occasionally he'll let out a huge burst of laughter and toss out another word. Yep - he REALLY loves this cat! He just tossed out "hefty" and when I said that I wanted "good" words, his response was, "there are none. How about Old Maid?" Yes, I really feel the love. And you would too, if you were here. And could manage to stop laughing. Fun times at the Lauterbach's and Chrislock-Lauterbach's on a Friday night.

You wish you were here! (WEll, maybe not. Scrabble anyone? :)

(Marit's version of HOME for Tabbitha)

Happy
Over-eaten
Missed
Energetic (yours truly)

Tabbitha's version of HOME, now that her parents are here:

Harmonious
Obliging
Morale (good morale! No attacking! Yea! Well, maybe a little...)
Elated

Other words that Nate threw out: Misanthrope, Miserable, Moldy, Execrable (meaning damned, cursed, you-get-the-idea. Love all around from Nate to Tabbs. Two peas in a pod, I tell you...) Hauteur, meaning arrogance. Opportunistic... Miserable (her or him? that's my question. It's the second time he's used that word. hee hee hee) Extraneous. Yadda yadda yadda. Yawn. This list could go on and on. And on. So I'll make it stop.

Haltergebleiben! (Another made up Marit word, or "Maritism". Oh yes, my friends, there are plenty).

And finally - the admission: Nathaniel JUST said, "As much as I hate the kitty, I kind of like her too. 'Expressive' because she has a lot of personality. Sometimes too much for her own good."

Ah - I knew I could get it out of him. Good Man!

Enough said.

And now we ALL know. Cue evil laugh: BBBWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

It's great to be home - have my own bed, see the kitty, have all my things, be able to recover ouside the confines of a hotel and hospital.

But the material goods all seem so meaningless in the wake of this accident. I have my health. I have the ability to walk, to use the bathroom, to recover, to keep my spirits up. I have the ability to choose how I want to live my life, how I want to thrive post-accident. I have the ability to live my life the way I choose. And even though I love my bike, love my goggles, love my running shoes - they can't make those decisions for me.

I have the ability to make my challenges into my opportunities (was reminded of that in a very special email that I got a few hours ago).

I have myself, my family, my friends, and yes - my Tabbitha.

And I am so grateful.

I know the road won't be easy. I know it'll have its ups and downs. And I know there will be tears ahead. (Today included. It's just what happens after spending 4.5 hours in an airplane seat. Yes, you might even cry too. Your butt gets sore. So does the back. And the heart. But you keep going, HTFU, take some pain meds, and make yourself laugh - like writing the various meanings of the word "home". At least I can spell THAT correctly!) The good thing, is that I'm sure there will be more good days instead of the bad, more progress, day-by-day. But it all depends on my outlook, on how I choose to live.

Just yesterday, my Dad said that the hardest part was over. That the good days would be more and more plentiful. Good would outweigh the bad... And you know what? He's right. Thanks Dad - for everything. I was so grateful to see you in California. Thank you for being there for me - I don't know how else to thank you. I love you. I wish that Mom could have been there too, but am looking forward to seeing her soon.

So, I'm home. And life is almost like it was before.

Except I've got a long road ahead of me. And my butt hurts. Hhhhmmmm - sounds more and more like IM training, huh? Like I said before: you never know what's around the next bend.

I'm looking forward to getting back into my normal groove, getting a routine established. I still have a lot of thank-you notes to write, a lot of emails to respond to. I can't tell you all how much they have meant. Just a little earlier tonight, I recieved a touching letter via email. It was from another athlete, who along with her husband, is training for IM Arizona. And get this - it's her 30th birthday present to herself. Brilliant! LOVE IT!

I laughed, cried, and laughed some more as I read and re-read her email. It meant so much... It's stuff like this that makes this sport so incredible. Looking at it from the outside - swim, bike, run - it can be incredibly selfish, incredibly individualistic. But there's an entire world out there, an entire community of people who truly care about each other. And for what it's worth - it has made all the difference for me thus far.

So before I get too sappy - thank you.

Great to be home. Wonderful to have my snowmen pj bottoms, have a soft kitty to snuggle with, have a hubby who makes me laugh, and a plethora of other wonderful things that are simply too numerous to tick off. So I'll stop.

Home - like Dorothy said, "There's no place like home."

And I for one, concur.

PS - the "piece de resistance" for today: see - they really DO love each other. Nathaniel and Tabbitha. Tabbitha and Nathaniel.