Cure for Flu: Wal-Mart Laps

After being down and out with the stomach flu for two and a half days, I was really ready for a breath of fresh air last night. Tony has made it his personal goal to show me extra gentleness while I’ve been sick, so he’s tried really hard to be compassionate through my misery. Last night, as I was starting to feel better, we both decided that fresh air and exercise were just what I needed to bounce back to health. It was FREEZING cold and very windy, so I quickly ruled out the idea of a walk outside. We bundled up, hopped in the car and headed to the Wal-Mart Super Center.

I always used to laugh at the little old ladies who would do their power walking in the mall during the winter, but now I completely understand. Tony and I did some serious power walking through the Wal-Mart aisles last night. We may have had a few strange stares, but the Washington Wal-Mart is usually pretty quiet once it’s dark, so there weren’t many onlookers. We made a plan as we walked in…two full laps before we stopped to pick up the stuff on our list. It felt so good to move! I think one of the worst things about the flu is laying/sitting around for extended periods of time. I’d recommend Wal-Mart laps to anyone with the flu…I’m finally feeling better today!

Sporty

While many husbands may say that high heels and mini skirts are their favorite clothing items to see on their wife, my husband thinks quite the opposite. He constantly reminds me that nothing looks better on me than a pair of sweats, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes...he's totally into comfort. Don't misunderstand - that's definitely intended to be a compliment. :) My wardrobe was made up of very few of these items before marrying Tony. Since marrying Tony, I unwrap presents and presents of athletic gear every holiday. This Christmas my presents from Tony included a new pair of running shoes, sweatpants, and a couple of sweatshirts (to name a few). I LOVE them all. In fact, we opened our presents to each other less than a week ago and I think I've already worn the sweatpants and tennis shoes 3 days.

Every year I can't help but laugh at Tony's sigh of relief as I open presents from my parents...sweaters, jewelry, boots, lotions. He looks at my Mom every year and says "I'm so thankful you buy Cari stuff like this. You know she loves it and I never buy her any of it." We always have to laugh. Of course I love everything from Tony and from my parents. In fact, I ‘m overwhelmed at the generosity of my parents, in-laws, and husband; and I love every single gift tremendously because each time I use it I’m reminded of the gift-giver.

I have blogged an awful lot about Christmas presents, and hope that does not come across as a skewed understanding of our Christmas celebrations. We love giving gifts, but our constant hope and prayer is that our Christmas celebrations are focused on the best gift of all – Jesus Christ. We rejoice in our salvation from Jesus and the perfect gifts of salvation, love, joy, and peace that He continues to pour into our lives each day. We recognize that the only reason we can have the joy of giving is because we’ve received the gift of Jesus. He is our JOY!