a panic attack

There's nothing else that can really be said to describe what happened to me i guess. It started Christmas day morning...we had unwrapped the presents and were getting ready to clean up and get ready to go to Athens for the kids to visit with Linda. I started having these chest pains everytime i took a deep breath. Sometimes they went high up into my throat...sometimes as low as my mid chest. They slowly went away during the drive and after the kids were dropped off. Stayed gone until we were at the Siler party ...and they started up again. So bad i started crying. Felt so bad. They went away after the party when i lay down and rested. They havn't come back the past two days.

I've thought and read about so many things it could be...but stress seems to be the constant...I felt so stupid for letting stress get to me that way. Felt like a hypochondriac. And it's not fair to Dale for him to have the added responsibilities when i fell apart like that. God, i hope i can keep it together in the future.

Christmas Tug-O-War

I recently read in a friend's blog about the tug-o-war he was experiencing with his family and his girlfriend's family. How sad it is that we allow these special Christmas times to be marred by petty grievances. It's ONE day out of the year...one day that everyone wants to spend with that special someone. My husband's family is the most easy going about it as any family i've ever seen! They rarely spend the actually holiday with us family...they spend it with whomever they might have other obligations with and then we pick a day close to the holiday to spend together. Noone is ever upset or hurt.

This year, the "drama" came to me from two different fronts. We made all of our plans shortly after Thanksgiving and thought everything was set. Then a week or so ago, the "ex" tells Dale that she wants to have the kids for her family's Christmas party on the same day we're having the King Party...well Dale told her no because we had other plans. She gets snippy...wanting to know who's side of the family it was...his or mine. GRRRR.

Then...my father calls a couple of nights ago and says they're changing the Siler party to 2 hours earlier...well this totally threw off the precarious schedule we'd built for Christmas day that included the kids visiting with "Mommie Dearest" in Athens. I lost it. He lost it. Words were exchanged...then we made up...etc...i gave in...said we'll just be late then. THEN, he calls the matriarch...Grandmother Siler..(hereafter referred to as GMS..not to be confused with GMK (Grandmother King) ) and she says NO...we said 4pm, and 4pm it will be. hehehehe...so i got my way...thanks to GMS...but still.