Birthday Tests

My real--as opposed to virtual--birthday has come and gone. I celebrated my 41st by going to Grand Lake with my family, taking our new-to-us ski boat on its maiden voyage. For my Colorado friends: we have a Grand Lake too, but ours feels like bath water.

Sadly, I have no pictures. Somehow I managed to whack out my elbows and spent the entire day alone in a cheap motel watching AMC movies starring either Wesley Snipes or Bruce Willis. How did I manage to damage my elbows, you ask? Surely I was tubing or doing something remotely daring. Alas, no. I sat on the top step of the boat, which is practically in the water, held my life jacket in my hands, and slid forward into the water. No strange popping sensation. No awkward movement. In fact, it was all rather smooth and graceful, until both elbows zinged as if I had hit my funny bones and my fingers continued to tingle. They still tingle a bit, causing me to type with my left ring finger and my right index finger and thumb.

When the pain failed to subside (imagine nonstop funny-bone-zinging) and I began to bake in the hundred degree heat index, I cried uncle and headed back to town. Carl and the girls settled me in to my budget room with bottled water, Mike's Hard Lemonade, snickers bars and the TV remote, then returned to the lake, promising to call me every hour.

During the first phone call Hailey cried to me out of frustration at her inability to get up on skis. I reassured her that she had too much Solomon blood in her for that particular inability to linger long (because Carl has water skied since age five, I love to watch him show off ski--don't tell him I said that, though. I have to live with him). Once Hailey calmed she handed the phone to Hannah who cried and said her tummy hurt. My Mommy Radar screamed on high alert, knowing that Carl does not consider basic needs like hydration as well as he skis. Getting Hailey back on the phone, I charged her with the responsibility of ensuring that everyone drank extra water and made it home alive. She informed me that Hannah was fake crying, but she'd make sure everyone had plenty to drink.


The next two phone calls went much better, between which I dozed and watched the aforementioned movies. They returned to my room around 6:00 looking like happy, red, tired lobsters. They intended to cool off then return to the lake, but they never made it back.

Because the Tahoe's air conditioning blew hot and cold that morning, we decided to hang out and watch more movies until the temps dropped into the cooler eighties before heading home. We finally drove into the garage at 10:30.

I'm beginning to feel better this evening. The tingling has subsided some, replaced by an intense ache and weakness in my hands and wrists. But, I'm a thinker. It's a curse. When things like my odd elbow injury happen, I wonder why. Not as in why me, just why? What purpose did it serve? Was I supposed to learn something? Was my family? Because if we were, I'm not getting it. I'm proud that it didn't get my family down. We still had a good time doing something other than watching television or separately playing something electronic. Well, I guess I watched TV, but you know what I'm saying.

If I'm supposed to be learning something or changing something, I'd appreciate it if someone would clue me in, or at least give me a hint. Normally I'm a quick study, but I seem to be taking this one test over and over. I'd like to ace it and move on.