Day Fifty

3 October 2006
















I am sitting again in my chair with my laptop on my lap (apparently, that was where it was made to go), listening to “Sea Music” (a CD Caleb put together for me before I left on deployment), and relishing my solitude in my stateroom. I have been a bit discontented and restless the last few days and have been fervently praying for calm and contentment. I guess that is what happens when you are just about to reach midpoint of a deployment but aren’t there just yet. Sick-call has been filled with people who are not really sick. They just have some discomfort here and there. Everyone in the medical department has been rubbing their ears saying “woosaw” to relax. Ha! Things really have not been that bad, really (most of you realize that I tend to exaggerate when I feel emphatic about certain things—don’t worry, I do not change when I write. Ha!). We had some excitement when we found out that a British sailor had symptoms of appendicitis and needed medical help. Unfortunately, I did not fly to get him (yes, I was very disappointed, I was ready to go. That burst of adrenaline is like crack. How I need more of it once I have tasted it!). He had to come a long way so another helo brought him to us in the evening, and he was sent to the operating room a little less than an hour after he got here. Unfortunately, his appendix had had it prior to getting to us and decided to rupture. The guy did really well, though, and was up walking around his strange environment the next day (today). He then got a helo ride to land so that he can receive all the antibiotics he needs and can get further help should he develop some complications (like an abscess forming in his belly from having nasty stuff all in it). So now we are back to the routine, praying that we might be able to help someone else and I can ride a helo again!
Today was busy in its routine. A medical emergency shook things up. Thankfully it was nothing major--just a girl that decided to hyperventilate at the end of a work out in the heat. Apparently this is not new to her. She is the second girl that I have seen this happen to several times. It is a bit bazaar to me, but there you have it. They are quick fixes and then are sent back to full duty. My day got better when I talked to Kaalan on the phone about the appliances that we are going to get for our new kitchen. It is very exciting. He is doing a wonderful job getting the plans for our kitchen together. Can you imagine having a better Christmas gift at the end of a long deployment? After a dinner of peanut butter and jelly and fruit (that was actually quite tasty)—ok, I also ate yummy green olives a cookie--I found a package from my mother on my desk. Hurray! I decorated my office with the fall leaf garland, battery operated light-up jack-o-lantern, and fall ribbon that she sent. I then decorated my room with pumpkin lights and read my new kitchen and bathroom magazine while I ate black and orange M&M’s (that were not melted into one big mush by God’s grace!). She sent me memories of home, a few necessities I asked her to get for me, and wonderful presents from Zach and Molly that they got me during their trip to Tibet. I then went to the gym to sweat the M&M calories out, took a shower, and am now in my chair. How can I not be content right now? God answers prayers for a calm spirit in such wonderful ways!