I'm a Sick, Sick Man (or, Father's Day on NyQuil)

This damn cold just will not let go. Grrrr.

Friday night consisted of a screening of Control for Dan, Trish, Raff, Raechelle and me. Kayleigh not only sat through the whole picture, but got most of the references and already knew some of the music (as she is an '80s alternative prodigy). Tyler came up at one point, passed out on the floor and then returned to his lair to sleep some more.

Raechelle spent the night Friday, and Saturday was supposed to be spent sorting through the fire salvage boxes in my bedroom. However, because I was still sick and coughing like an asthmatic seal, my lovely nurse decided Saturday would be spent relaxing and making me get better. We cuddled on the sofa in our PJs and watched a bunch of movies (Galaxy Quest, Sky High, Rob Roy and the Pixar shorts collection), punctuated by naps, coughing fits, Thai food for lunch and a couple hands of Apples to Apples.

Tyler went over to a friend's house for a sleepover, so I took Kayleigh and Raechelle down to Pegasus on Alki. Only we found after having parked that I'd left my wallet on the dining table at home (which repeated an event a few weeks ago when Raechelle was going to take me to lunch and forgot her wallet at home). So Raechelle sprung for dinner at Pegasus in exchange for me covering Father's Day lunch. She ended up with the better deal there.

Because dinner was so late on Saturday, we came home and got back into PJs. Kayleigh played on the computer while Raechelle and I started watching Sweeny Todd. We took a break when my coughing got bad enough for her to worry about my sleep (and hers), so she made another "drug run" for some NyQuil. Took a dose, continued watching Sweeny Todd for about twenty minutes, then our eyes started getting VERRRRY heavy. Put Kayleigh to bed and crashed immediately. Slept like a totally inanimate object until 3AM, took another dose, slept until 8AM.
Awoke feeling well-rested, if not cured.

Raechelle took the opportunity to give me a Father's Day prezzie - a French press for loose-leaf tea and coffee. Yaaay! I grabbed a shower while she looked up movie times for The Incredible Hulk, and then she showered while I walked down to Starbucks to get "mah woman" a latte. I was still feeling iffy, so I crashed on the sofa for a little bit while Raechelle tidied my kitchen. I awoke to hear her puttering, and I almost said something, but then I remembered two very important facts:

1. I am so used to being in command and control that it is difficult for me to accept help. Especially when it comes to running my household. And I need to relax, because help will only make it easier on me.
2. This is where Raechelle shines. She loves to do for her loved ones, and I need to let her do for me. It's a freely given gift, and I need to accept it with grace.

Found Raechelle outside throwing the ball for Wiley, and we sat on the stairs and chatted. It never ceases to eat my mind that we're so in sync and on the same page and whatever metaphor you want to put here.

My cough subsided to an inconsistent one-off here and there, so I decided to try a small expedition to Target for a few things to see how I held up. The kids walked with us to Westwood, where we picked up a few clothing items and a counter top wine rack for my kitchen.
Now feeling adventurous, I said I felt up to lunch and the movie. We went downtown to Pacific Place and had lunch at Mexico Cantina, then caught The Incredible Hulk at the AMC there. A full day, for sure. Once back at the homestead, Raechelle got packed up and we took some time to talk and plan for the week. We're going to try to arrange one overnight per weekend if possible. It's good exposure for the kids and for Raechelle - and strangest of all, nobody's sick of anybody yet.

So now Tyler has gone to sleep and Kayleigh is playing in the backyard in the late Seattle sunlight, and I've had my reheated Thai food and a beer. I'm composing this post with Wiley asleep at my feet, and I realize how much I miss Raechelle after all of an hour and a half absence. And from where I'm sitting, I think that's a really good sign.

Yeah, it's a bit sappy, but it's Father's Day, and if I wanna be sappy, I'm darn well gonna be sappy. So there.