Happy Thanksgiving!

I got up fairly early this morning.  I wasn't sure when my aunt would send someone to pick me up, and I wanted to be ready.  I needed to get my shower in, and do my God Time.  I did all that, and before I could really get online my uncle texted me that he was in the driveway. 

He wanted to come in and see Ron.  I think he feels empathy for Ron, not just because he (my uncle) is a good Christian man, but they both had strokes.  He knows, probably better than anyone, some of what Ron went through. 

Ron was dressed so I brought my uncle in to say hi.  Ron affirmed he planned to stay home and have a lazy day, no offense, I love you, just want to stay home.  Happy, my uncle and I left. 

It was funny to see how the cats reacted when I brought my uncle in the house.  Flatly said, I don't have visitors.  Biscuit fled, my uncle never even saw him.  Baby Girl hung out long enough to get a sniff of him, waited to see if he would pet her, and left when he didn't.  Torbie came right up to him, smelling his leg and meowing for petting.  He didn't pet any of the cats because his son's dog is visiting.  Belle is an elderly lab and he didn't want to get her worked up when she smelled him. 

Or maybe he just didn't want to pet Torbie.  That's fine.  I am glad to see Torbie is still an outgoing cat. 

We left.  We stopped at the gas station on the way.  I handed out a scripture booklet.  I was glad I had brought some. 

We arrived at their house pretty quickly.  We took a major freeway to another major freeway.  All the freeways were pretty clear today.  I'm sure some poor souls had to work downtown but the average Houstonian didn't. 

We got to the house, my aunt gave me the tour.  It is a nice house in a comfortable subdivision.  I saw the dog in the backyard. 

I didn't interact with the dog, ironically enough, because I didn't want to upset the cats when I got home. 

Two of my cousins were there, a wife, and two children, in addition to my aunt and uncle.  My cousin David was working on the turkey in the fryer.  My aunt and her daughter in law were putting the finishing touches on dinner. 

Yesterday at Sam's Club, I saw a nice sweet potato pie.  I thought about bringing it but then figured my aunt always has everything anyway.  They finished getting everything ready (the kitchen was big enough for 2 people, but not 3, not at my size any rate). 

David brought in the turkey and did a good job of cutting it up.  Whenever I had Ron do my turkey he always dismembered it.  I waited until a couple of people had gone through the line before I got my food.  I got some nice juicy turkey breast.  The dark meat had been really popular so I saved that for the fans.  I honestly don't care which turkey meat I get, light or dark, so it didn't matter. 

My uncle opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass, no one else was interested.  Ron would have helped.   

At one point one of my cousins asked what was wrong with me, exactly.  He was a lot nicer than that.  I just mentioned the bipolar "with other things" because I figured he didn't want the whole case history.  I take these pills everyday and people like having me around, no drama is my motto.  I left it at that.  He can always ask his mother for more details. 

About halfway through the meal, I quietly took my pills and put away my little container with the screw on lid.  My 8 best friends, I didn't have breakfast this morning so I took my antidepressant a little later today, with the other pills.  (2 antidepressant, 4 lithium, one antipsychotic, and one mood staiblizer)

It was a good meal.  Then we had dessert, supposed to be 3 kinds of pie but one of them didn't work out.  So we had pecan and pumpkin.  I asked if I could have brought the sweet potato and my aunt said she had never had it, none of them had.  So next year I think I might, just to give them something different. 

My house is a mess so no one wants anything I cooked (honest), so a premade gift would be good, I think.  My cousin put the kids to bed for a nap and my uncle did the dishes.  He was fast, and good at it.  They have a good team, he and my aunt. 

My uncle wanted to send home the rest of the bottle of wine, for Ron.  I thought about it.  Ron was going to drink anyway and this was a one time occasion.  I decided to take it.  It's a red wine, which I used to love, but red wine always used to give me migraines. 

Yes, my uncle knows about Ron's problem.  I didn't tell them Ron is considering taking medication, but I did mention he wants to talk to his doctor pretty soon.  Considering we are coming up on our busy season, I don't think it will be in the next month, but if Ron wants to go I will absolutely take him. 

We hung out for a while after dinner and then my aunt and uncle drove me home.  They fixed me a to go plate for Ron so he has something to eat when he wakes up. 

After I left the house, Ron had sent me a lot of texts, but then he had a couple of drinks and went to bed.  When I got home I told him about the wine (he knows not to expect this again), but he said he had already had his two drinks and didn't want any more.  I was happy to hear that.  He said to put the wine in the fridge so I did that. 

I don't know if you're supposed to put wine in the fridge. 

Sometimes, when Ron had a wine box, I would take a little red wine and put it in my bone broth to give it a better flavor.  That's about the closest I have come to drinking in a very long time.  I have always been paranoid about becoming an alcoholic, but, many years ago, about 20, I used to like a good dark beer now and then when I went out with Ron.  Newcastle Brown Ale was my favorite. 

My aunt asked me how long I have been taking my medication, I told her just a little over 11 years now.  Thank God all the unmedicated, didn't know I was sick, days are behind me. 

And that's the thing, I always knew I was sick.  I knew I had something wrong with me, something that wanted to kill me, but the doctors couldn't figure it out.  Until one day they did. 

Funny thing, it wasn't a doctor who diagnosed me at all.  It was a mental health technician from a local mental hospital.  I remember it like it was yesterday, he wanted the history, I gave it to him. 

He looked at me "Has anyone ever said you're bipolar?"
"No, they always told me I wasn't.". 
"Well, you are." 

Just like that. 

I took a nap and called my parents when I woke up.  They went out to dinner with my stepsister.  We were pretty distant growing up but I think she started liking me a lot better after my diagnosis, seeing me rescue cats, stuff like that.  She also likes Ron a lot and probably respects me for sticking with him.  It was nice to talk to her too. 

Now I just need to add some things to my Amazon list for me.  I really need to think what I would like for me.  It is easy to come up with things for Ron or the cats, not so easy to think of something for me. 

I'm glad I can say that I can't really think of a gift I need.