I'm So Vein(y)

Sunday after the cookout, I went to church and the grocery store and pretty much came home and crashed. The Pip was still worn out from Saturday’s festivities and was very keen to sleep which was just fine by me.

Sunday evening I cleaned up a little and got ready for Monday night as I was hosting our women’s Bible study group. I figured I might as well get it all knocked out in one weekend I guess. Actually, I don’t think I realized I had planned both things until about a week before; but, it worked out well because the house was already straightened up and I had plenty of drinks, etc. left over from Saturday to use Monday night. We were having a salad bar on Monday and so I chopped up toppings and grated cheese and cooked bacon and put everything in dishes and wrapped it up until serving time.

Monday I headed back to work and after work I had an appointment at the Crestwood Vein Center. I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, but a month or so ago, we had a doctor from the vein center come out to work and you could sign up to have him look at your legs if you thought you were having problems. He looked at my legs and scheduled me for an ultrasound of my veins and that appointment took place yesterday.

As it turns out, and was not a surprise, I have a few veins that are varicose and not working properly which is causing discomfort and swelling. My main large veins are a-okay though which was good news. So, now, I have to wait 90 days (per the insurance) and treat with walking, elevating my feet at night and compression stockings (which the doctor said not to even bother getting) and I will then go back for another ultrasound which will be in October.

After the ultrasound in October confirms there is not much change in my veins, I will get a treatment for my veins to get them working again. It’s a quick procedure where they run a catheter up your vein and it gets them working properly. It’s noninvasive and you can drive yourself to and from the appointment. So, I’m pretty excited about getting these veins taken care of so my legs will feel young again. I shall certainly keep you posted on how these next appointments go. I’m sure you can hardly wait!

After my appointment, I went home and got everything ready for the salad bar. The girls started coming over about 6:30 p.m. and we had a nice time fellowshipping, eating, and studying together. We wrapped things up a little before 9:00 p.m. and I watched some of the day’s stage of the tour before retiring for the night.

Like I said, things have been busy lately, seems like I’ve always got one thing or another going on; some of them more random than others. Hope you are staying busy as well!

A Cookout for 30

Hello readers! Hope you all are doing well. I’ve been busy as of late which has led to a lack of blogging so I’d figure I’d better get something posted soon before my Aunt Linda disowns me. Today is Tuesday, and I’m working the polls for the primary run-off and there’s sure to be a post about the day soon. Today, however, I’ll start with a recap of the weekend because it was rather eventful.

Friday after work, I went home and got the yard work done. I did the weed eating, mowing, and straightened up. I got finished with everything about 8:00 p.m. and showered and was in my pajama’s by 8:30 p.m. I watched the day’s stage of le Tour de France and then went to bed.

On Saturday morning, I was up early straightening, cleaning, and watching an hour of the Tour before I left to go get a haircut. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but haircut time is one of my favorite times because I love my hairdresser so much and Saturday did not disappoint. He was as fun as always.

I stopped by Star Market on the way home and bought about nine pounds of hamburger meat. I was having a cookout for my class later that day and was serving hamburgers and hot dogs. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon watching the tour and getting things ready for the cookout.

Jackie came over around 4:30 p.m. and helped me with some last minute things and our friend Jonathan arrived soon after with his grill so he could help me cook the burgers and hot dogs. We managed to get all the food cooked a little before 6:00 p.m. which was when the cookout was scheduled to start. Oddly enough, everyone seemed to arrive at the exact same time and we were underway a few minutes after starting time.

There were 30 people (including children and one baby) who came to the cookout. It was a really fun night getting to spend time with these friends. A lot of the guys played ball with the kids and Pippa and the rest of us talked and enjoyed each other’s company.

About 9:30 people started heading out and Jackie stayed later to help me clean up. Poor Pippa was worn out and by the time Jackie left and I had washed my face, I found that she had pulled back the covers on the bed and curled up and was sleeping.

I’m very thankful to have such a great group of friends, who I really consider family, from church. Mayfair has been a real blessing to me and I look forward to spending a lot more time with these good people. 

Book Review: Get to Know: Apostle Paul

Today I’ve got a book review for you. This one is a kids’ book called Get to Know: Apostle Paul and is written by Nancy I. Sanders. It’s a full color biography for kids about Paul, one of my favorite characters in the Bible.

The book is a little over 100 pages long, but the print is large and the pictures are colorful, making it appealing to children. Peppered throughout the book are tidbits of information that fall into one of the following categories: Bible Hero, Eyewitness Account, Did You Know and Word Bank.

The Bible Hero tidbit tells information about a hero from the Bible that was present during a story about Paul. The Eyewitness Account portion gives an eyewitness account with scripture of something related to Paul’s story. The Did You Know Section has an interesting fact and the Word Bank presents vocabulary related to the story.

The book starts at the beginning of Paul’s life as a boy named Saul and continues through Paul’s writing letters while imprisoned in Rome. The books has maps of Paul’s missionary journeys and also has photographs of what the areas Paul visited look like today.

The one thing I did not like about this book was that although it mentions Paul was called Saul as a boy, it never describes how or why his name was changed to Paul while on the road to Damascus. I imagine this was probably to cut down on any confusion it may cause children, but this is one of the most important things that happened in Paul’s life and I feel like it should have been mentioned.

Other than the lack of mentioning Paul’s name change, everything else in the book seems to be on key. I think it is an interesting way to teach children about Paul, especially since it has so many pictures and colors which attract the mind of children. Obviously, using the Bible is the best way to teach your kiddos about Paul, but this book would be a good supplement and adds historical context as well which can make biblical characters seem more realistic.

Get to Know: Apostle Paul is available for around $7 and can be purchased at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Monday Concerts in the Park

This past Monday evening, I finally made it out to Concerts in the Park for the first time this year. I have, of course, been in years past but had yet to make it out this summer. For one, I have Bible study every other Monday and night and then I guess my nights off from Bible study have also been busy with one activity or another. Jackie and I had planned on going a couple of weeks ago, but that particular day we both had exhausting days at work and decided not to go which worked out well because it ended up being rained out that night. 

Anyway, this past Monday, we finally got it together and made it out to the park. My dad came out too which was nice because he doesn't venture out much these days, or so it seems. My dad and I made it to the park about 6:15 and Jackie and the kids got there soon after. We set up at "our spot" which is under a magnolia tree and the weather was actually quite nice and it was comfortable and pleasant sitting outside. Our friends Paul and Leah and Leah's dad Kit also joined us and as it happened, Paul's parents sat close to us as well. 

Jackie brought food for her and the kids and Leah brought us sandwiches and a lot of other goodies and we even had watermelon from Paul's mom Lynn. My dad and I lucked out because we didn't bring anything but we ate really well. So, thanks to everyone for feeding us! I actually wasn't that hungry before the concert because I had participated in a wedding shower at work at the end of the day and indulged in goodies there. I took cash with me in case I wanted to get something from the food trucks but my friends were super generous in taking care of us for the night.

We all had a really nice evening talking and catching up. My dad and Paul talked about Madison Academy football quite a bit which was just fine with both of them I'm sure. At one point during the show, the chair Troy was sitting in broke and he fell through to the ground. Thankfully he was not injured and so it provided us with quite a few laughs. 

The Huntsville Concert Band played first and they treated us to quite a bit of John Phillip Sousa due to it being close to the Fourth of July. I am actually a lover of John Phillip Sousa and was pretty fired up when they started playing Stars and Stripes Forever. It will certainly get you in a patriotic mood. The second band that played was Rocket City Brass and they were just kind of mediocre, but still there were children dancing and everyone seemed to be having a really nice time. 

The concert ended around 8:00 p.m. and we all packed up our belongings and made a stop by Paul and Leah's Five Points Farm before heading our separate ways. Concerts in the Park only lasts a few more weeks and I hope to go the Monday nights we don't have Bible study, especially the last week when the US Army Material Command Band plays. If you have a chance, check it out, you'll be glad you did.

Concerts in the Park Schedule for the Remainder of 2014

July 14: JED Eye, Radio X

July 21: Unknown Lyric, .45 Surprise

July 28: Disc Oasis, Groove

August 4: The US Army Material Command Band 

All Because of a Softball Injury

Allow me to apologize for the lack of blogging this week. My only excuse is it's July which means it's time for le Tour and so when I get home in the evenings the only thing I want to do is watch the action from earlier in the day. So, bear with me this month if I'm not as apt to blog as I am in, say, October.

I'm sure you've all been wondering how my leg is doing, and even if you haven't been, I'm going to share anyway. As you may or may not recall, I suffered a softball injury about four and a half weeks ago. It was June 8 to be exact. I was playing second base and fell and scraped up my leg twice in the same spot that particular evening. The cuts were deep, a lot deeper than I realized, and my leg was not heeling as quickly as I would have liked.

A week after the injury, my leg was looking rather disgusting and some of the ladies in my Bible study group were concerned about it. My ankle also started swelling which was concerning as well and so I went to the doctor to have it checked out. I ended up getting a Tetanus shot, a prescription for antibiotic cream and instructions to change the bandage three times a day.

The wound got a little better throughout that week, but over the weekend, my friend Caley looked at it and said the redness around the wound still indicated there might be some infection. So, I called the doctor and he called in an oral antibiotic. He had told me the previous week to let him know if the wound wasn't clearing up well and he would call one in without me having to come in to the office and he did just that which was nice.

Fast forward to about a week and a half into the antibiotic cycle which just so happened to be July 4. I woke up with red spots on my arms and legs. I thought it might be some bug bites since I had mowed the lawn the night before, but throughout the day, the break out seemed to increase.

By Saturday, there were even more spots and they were itchy and I thought I might have measles, mumps, or Ruebella I ended up at the QuickCare Clinic because I was so itchy and concerned about the blemishes. As it turns out, I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic and had to have a steroid shot. I got a steroid pack as well, but only took half a dose on Sunday and Monday and then it was all cleared up and so I abandoned the steroids because they make me a little nuts.

So, the injury is better, I'm nursing the area with Vitamin E Oil to help the skin heal and reduce scarring and I'm also all better from the allergic reaction. It's been a long road and I'm glad to almost have it all behind me. Clearly being 37 and playing softball might not have been the best decision of my life.

On The Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a great holiday celebrating the birthday of this great country in which we live. I, for one, was just happy to have a day off from work - thanks, America!

I guess you could say my holiday started early, on Thursday, as we ended up cancelling my weight class at the gym. None of us were really in the mood to go, including our instructor and so it worked out well for everyone involved. I actually needed to mow the lawn and I knew it was going to be a long evening working in the yard, so I didn't want to get too late of a start.

I also got to leave work early, about 3:30 p.m. since there was hardly anyone there and since things were so slow and I had gotten done most of the things I needed to get done, I decided to call it a day early. Thus, I was able to get started on the yard early too. I guess I started on the yard about 5:30 p.m. and two and a half hours later, I was finally done.

Friday I did some cleaning and laundry and a lot of reading. I had started "Gone Girl" well over a year ago and didn't get very far at all, but then Jackie read it recently and said it was a must read and so this past week I picked it up again and read the whole darn thing. It was so stinking good. Clearly I was not in a reading mood when I first gave it a go. Anyway, the majority of the day was spent reading.

My parents had a gathering of people at their house at 4:00 p.m. on Friday and I headed there way a few minutes before that with macaroni and cheese in hand. It was a nice gathering of people and it was a fun afternoon. Jackie and the kids came too and we spent a lot of time listening to my dad tell crazy stories, which is one of my favorite things in the world. My dad definitely has a gift for telling stories.

About 8:30 p.m., Jackie and then kids and I headed into town and drove to the top of the parking garage where Jackie works to watch the fireworks at the Space and Rocket Center. We didn't have the greatest view in the world, but what was cool was that we could see fireworks from various places around the city as they were being shot off by people at their homes. There were so many fireworks going off at different times that it sounded what I imagine the streets of Kabul sound like. I'm weird, I know, but it totally sounded like gun shots going off in different parts of town.

After the Space and Rocket Center fireworks were complete, we drove to Joe Davis Stadium to try and catch the fireworks after the Stars game, but we got there too late and didn't see the first one. Oh well, you can't win it all.

Overall, it was a good holiday and I was blessed to spend it with people I love, the only one missing was my brother who was out selling cars. Hopefully he got a lot sales that day. Hope yours was good as well!

My Brother, The Salesman

I owe you a story about visiting my brother at work and so here I am to pay my dues. For those of you who don't know, and that's probably most of you, my brother, Justin, works at Landers McClarty Nissan in Huntsville as a car salesman. He's been at that job for about two months now and he loves it. My brother, like my dad, is a natural born salesman and I have no doubt he will make a nice career for himself selling cars if he so chooses to stay in this profession.

Justin called me on Friday and asked if he could set up an appointment for me to come out on Saturday to look at new cars. They were having a big sale for current Nissan owners and he felt like thy could get me in a brand new car for the same, or close to the same, payment I currently have. I had no desire for a new car, but I told him I would come out. I didn't have anything going on Saturday and I thought it would be fun to visit Justin at work.

So, I went Saturday afternoon, got signed in and was given a coupon for a low priced oil change, waited while he finished up with the customer to whom he had just sold a car and chatted with the Nissan representative who was there for the sale.

When Justin finished up, we went out for a test drive of a 2014 Rogue. It was a platinum gray and had a grey interior. It also had a rear view camera and a rack on top which was about the only difference in my car and this one. It did, of course, drive better than mine, as it should since it was brand new. It was also a lot quieter than mine because it had some kind of new fancy transmission that Justin gave me the spill on.

When we got back from the test drive, he went to see what kind of deal he could give me. It really wasn't terribly, but it was about $75-$80 more than I currently pay and even he told me it was a bad deal. So, I left in the car I came in and I was okay with that because I like my car and am not ready to let it go anyway. I kind of get attached to my cars.

On Sunday, Justin called me and asked me to call him back. When I finally got in touch with him, he let me know he had spoken with a different sales manager and had gotten me a better deal. This time he had me within $40 of my current payment and said he would pay the difference if I would just buy the car. You see, each sales person was paired up with someone for the month of June and the top salesman of the pair would win $500. It was just a little tempting, but not too much because the loan would have been for six years and I should have mine paid off in three or so I just didn't want to sign up for more payment for more years. I really did want to help my brother and my heartstrings felt a little tugged on and sad, but in the end, I made the right decision and maybe one day in the future I will be able to buy a new car from my baby brother.

While we are on the topic, I do just want to let you all know how super proud I am of my brother. It's no secret that he has had his fair share of issues with addiction and incarceration and just generally being someone who causes us more heartache than happiness. He has done such a great job pulling himself together these last nine months. I pray and I ask that you pray that he is able to continue taking it one day at a time and that he will make the right choices. I was so proud to see him at his job on Saturday, y'all. It truly warmed my heart.

One last thing, a shamless plug, if you are in the market for a new or used car, go by and see my brother Justin at Landers McClarty Nissan in Huntsville. Tell him his sister Nat sent you.