Merry Christmas to me

Merry Christmas! I have to say that it didn't phase me to wake up this year on Christmas morning to a full on lightning storm. Last year it was so surreal to have 80 degree weather on Christmas.

The weather cleared up later and it was quite beautiful, but I was unable to enjoy it. Within about 20 seconds of standing up in the morning I had an awful stomach ache which lasted until about an hour before I went to bed in the evening. I get this kind of stomach ache often after my body has settled down from periods of high stress. It' s like an ulcer, but it isn't one (I've been to the doctor for it). My body just overproduces acid or something. I've described it as like something is exploding in me, someone's taking a blowtorch to the inside of my stomach, or like someone is stabbing me in the gut. Sometimes I can find a way to lay down that alleviates it. Being upright is torture. No amount of Tums like medicine helps either.

Hopefully by now I've aroused a full chorus of pity, but let me say that I'm ok today. Erik was gracious enough to take care of the kids who were mostly occupied by new toys. He even made a fabulous looking salad for our potluck dinner with friends. He took the kids there while I laid on the couch, ate saltines and drank a diet coke (when I have this pain I can't actually feel if I'm hungry or not so that's about all I ate yesterday) and watched Cinderella Man. Not the best Christmas I've spent, but it doesn't alter what happened to us when Christ came to earth.