Hello! Hello! Hello! I hope you had a wonderful celebration of our nation's independence or at the very least ate some great food at a cookout. We had some dogs on the grill and then went to see our little fire department put on a fun display of fireworks. It was just the three of us, and Old Man is sort of the stonefaced, silent type of guy. Always looks unimpressed and uninterested. So, my daughter and I chat away and do the "Ooos and Ahhhs" for all of us. What will I do when she moves out on her own... just me and stone man...? I will lose my mind with no one to talk to.

When my daughter went to Hawaii, I had a taste of what it would be like with her gone. Ummm... It was quiet. Also, a bit less chaotic and less messy, but most definitely very quiet. After 30 years of being each other's spouse, we may have said all that has to be said, I suppose. It could be that I just talk enough for the both of us, I just had not thought of that until just now. "Oh My Word!" is my therapy...

My daughter's tropical musical tour was interesting for the first few days and she had a great time. Then one evening they went to the ever-famous Waikiki Beach to watch the sunset and a surprise wave hit a few of the kids, including her, and knocked them over, smashing two kids into her knee. She laughed at first and then realized she couldn't stand up and asked for help to stand... Everyone laughed and it took several minutes I guess for them to really see she was hurt and unable to get up, but finally they did.

They travel with a doctor, and of course the doc looked at her and said that my daughter may have torn her meniscus. The next day they are off on foot to tour and perform... including my daughter, no concession. The doctor that night wrapped her knee, seeing all the swelling. The next day they modified my kid's tour. She had to perform but missed out on most of the things she really wanted to see and do. Instead, she hung out in her hotel room and watched Disney movies. Of course, she snuck texts and calls to me to tell me what had happened and how upset she was to miss out on some really cool stuff. A Jurassic (from the movie) hike to a waterfall. A catamaran trip around Diamond Head. Beach activities. A canoe trip. In general, when she did hobble someplace, she was in tons of pain. To say it was a good trip for the first half is true. To say it sucked is true of the second half. Five of the nine days she was there were injured, painful days.

A new thing for us is not being insured. I know so many folks are also new to this situation for varied reasons, and it's so difficult. You find yourself saying things like, "maybe it's a bad sprain and it will get better," because a hospital bill right now is so not needed. You begin weighing health and finances ... a new game to us. So, we stalled on going to the hospital once she got home, and made her rest and stay off of her leg. It is getting better and she is requiring less ibuprofen for pain and has found she has a wee bit of motion in her knee... so fingers crossed, she is on the mend.

So, what is the deal with us being cursed on vacations??

You can contact Alice at [email protected]