Do-Over

I have heard it said that "in life there are no do-overs." Well that's just not true and I intend to prove it in the coming week.

A year ago, I flew to San Antonio for my annual Spring Break extravaganza. I arrived apologizing for the cold that I had and was assured that it was no problem--Abby was also a little sick...and Eric had a BAD tooth abscess. Lesser people might have scrapped their plans and opted for quietly nursing their various ills in the comfort of home and hearth, but not us--we have the blood of the mighty (and insanely stoic) Gappmayers flowing through our veins. Well, except for Eric...but he's a fast learner.

So Abby and I gamely trudged along with the group as we visited the Hemisfair, the Children's Theater, the Riverwalk, the charming village of Groen, and a host of restaurants and picnic spots. You can see in this photo what a good time Abby was having:


Of course the punchline is that less than a week after this photo was taken I was in the ICU on life support and Abby was hospitalized with pneumonia.

In an effort to erase those less-than-stellar memories, I am attempting a do-over this coming week. On Monday I will fly to San Antonio and return home the following Monday. Keep your fingers crossed...hehe.

In a further effort to reverse my jinx I have even made future travel plans. We are spending Easter weekend in St. George and taking Emily and the girls with us. (They are flying here on April 4 to paint a friend's house--it's a long story.) In June, we are driving back to St. George to pick up Sarah and the boys and then continuing on to San Antonio for Abby's baptism. When we return to Bakersfield, we will be blessed with a visit from Jake and Riley who are flying to Bakersfield to spend time with their various cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents before the rest of the Clements arrive in early July for an extended visit which will include Riley's baptism. In late July, all of the Reed women and kids are gathering for a retreat in Flagstaff, hosted by Liza's BFF Brooke Thomas. In August, I am flying back to San Antonio to help Liza with the National Psoriasis Convention, and in October, I plan to go with Bill to Orlando. He's going for the Emerson Users Exchange (sounds like a pretty sketchy group). I'm going to rendezvous with a certain rodent.

So...you can see how important it is that this do-over goes well. I'm not superstitious, but I AM looking for a rabbit's foot...