You know those times of your life when you look back and can’t believe all that has happened in a short amount of time? Well that has been the past few weeks for us! We were in the process of getting prepped for our time on The Rock Boat (Dan had been voted on to the boat this past fall and we were so excited for the adventure!), when I woke up one morning with intense pain in my abdomen. By the end of that day I was in the E.R. diagnosed with appendicitis and on my way into surgery to have my appendix removed. It was a whirlwind of a day and the following few days also flew by as we packed for our trip and decided if I could, in fact, go on a cruise just 5 days after having abdominal surgery.
By the end of the weekend I knew I could make the trip and I’m so glad I did. It was such an amazing trip! After Dan’s first set, his name was a buzz word on the ship. They LOVED him and his music! We also made some great new musician friends, sold a lot of merch, watched amazing music, networked with fans and artists, enjoyed a bit of Mexico, and relished our time together. Being away from Oak for 8 days was a long time, but the time away was so good for marriage and for our family. We’re excited to see what these next few months hold for Dan’s music career as he continues to build with the new fans he made on the cruise. Thank you to all who voted for Dan to make our time on the Rock Boat a reality!
Life would be too easy if we had been able to come home after the high of the trip and hit the ground running back in real life…but often times life isn’t that easy and within a day of getting home I had influenza with a high fever and nasty respiratory symptoms. Oak came down with it a few days later and we proceeded to fight that nasty thing off for over a week. Oh dear.
Through it all, though, I learned a few things. First, we have amazing neighbors and family. Our family helped with Oak and made us food and our neighbors brought food, flowers, whiskey, and playdough, and they took Oak at the drop of a hat. They were all together wonderful. Second, having a toddler, but not being able to lift him post-surgery is a challenge – so when in doubt, go on a cruise and recover there without said toddler. Ha. Third, building relationships with people who share similar lifestyles to you is so, so wonderful. We have so many musician friends in Minneapolis, but on the Rock Boat we met and reconnected with people who are in similar stages of this game or some who are far beyond where we are. It was so good to see that we are not alone in this weird life we live. Others are doing it and making it. That was so encouraging to see. Lastly, if you have the opportunity to take a trip with your spouse without your kid(s), do it. It’s so, so refreshing and good.