Lucky numbers? 14,1, 17

This last week, I experienced the numbers 14,1,17 in special ways. No, I didn't win any lottery.
The number 14 stands for my 14th wedding anniversary. Teresa and I celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss on Wednesday. oops: I mean 14 years of wedded bliss! I take the blame for any gaps in wedded bliss during our marriage. Because we still have small children, and neither of our parents live close, I try to make the most of our anniversaries by getting child care and getting out of town. We left Tuesday afternoon and came back Wednesday night. It was a great time to talk, have fun together, and just spend time alone. God has given me an awesome wife. She has a huge job, watching over 5 children; and she does it with all of her heart. It is my pleasure to be her husband.

The number 1 stands for my "near death" esperience. Although I probably was not that near death, it felt like it. We were out to eat dinner, and I began having chills. I couldn't stop shaking and I didn't know why. I put on my jacket, which I hardly ever do. I then went to the bathroom to do some jumping jacks, trying to warm up. Nothing helped. I went out to the car and blasted the heat. Mind you: it was already warm outside, but I was shaking uncontrollably. I could feel the heat on the outside, with the heat on high in the car; but I was still cold inside. We drove an hour to the hotel, with Teresa doing most of the driving, while I laid in the backseat.

When we made it to the hotel, I was having a hard time moving. I got out of the car and was blown off balance by the wind - very wierd. I couldn't carry the bags. There I was, following Teresa into the hotel, while she was carrying the bags! That was a first. When we made it to the room, I could only get myself to the bed and laid with my clothes on, half way on, half way off. Finally, while Teresa went searching for help, some water and deciding whether to take me to the hospital or not, I fell and laid prostrate on the floor. I was very hot and sweating.

We eventually decided not to go to the emergency room (I'm too cheap) but it was a little scary, as I was not able to drink very much without the help of a straw. I went to bed and hoped rest would do it. I woke up at 2 a.m. with my head pounding adn teeth hurting. But, atleast I was alive! I took some aspirin and went back to bed. I woke back up at 6 a.m. and felt pretty good. The fever was gone, the chills were gone, the head issues were gone, and I was still alive! On hindsight, I think I was dehydrated, having been outside all day (and did not drink much water), running home to go through a very intensive workout (without warming up or cooling down) and then packing and leaving quickly with Teresa. I think it all caught up with me and my body broke down. I learned some important lessons, and will hopefully not experience that again. I am very thankful to God for my health.

The final number is 17. The night I felt near death was also the night MY Boston Celtics clinched their 17th World Championship. I can't believe I missed it. That tells you how sick I was. Teresa was flipping channels, and I couldn't even bring myself to sit up and watch the game. I did DVR it at home and was able to watch it the next day; but I missed the moment. I might have missed it anyway since I was there to celebrate with Teresa; and I learned a long time ago what my priorities SHOULD be!

It has been 18 years since one of MY teams (Boston Celtics (NBA); Chicago Cubs; Cincinnati Reds (MLB); Minnesoa Vikings (NFL)) won a championship. It was a big night. Don't you understand? It was a lot of fun to watch. Now its MY Cubs turn.