super bowl soiree

Oh, I had plans. Big plans. The menu consisted of all of the favorite Super Bowl appetizers.... hot wings, potato skins, hoagies, veggie platter, 7-layer dip, etc. There were even jello blocks made in the two team colors. The whole family was coming.... three hours early, giving us plenty of time to play board games and such. I was prepared. I didn't forget a single thing at the grocery store. I even had time to find a funny Super Bowl commercial bingo game on Pinterest. That was Saturday night at 6pm....
Fast forward to 7pm. Bob has returned from a
winter scout camp up at the cabin. He is limping as he gets out of the car. He is also holding his left shoulder at a weird angle. Oh, he's in good spirits, but I can see it in his eyes.... he's injured. He downplays it and wants to go to dinner. With a smile on his face, he takes a quick shower and then it becomes apparent to me that he cannot get dressed on his own. It turns out his left arm cannot be raised more than an inch without causing him a great deal of pain. Hmmmm.... now I'm concerned. He confides in me that he was "thrown" from his snowmobile. 
After dinner, we retire for the evening. That's when the fun starts. What seems like every 5 minutes, I hear a moan from him as his shoulder moves about in the night. By 6:30 am, and after no sleep, it becomes obvious that we are going to spend some time in the E.R. today. No church, no food preparations, no cozy sweats. 
After what seems like an eternity at the hospital, we do manage to make it home before the Super Bowl starts. The evening is somewhat salvaged. The food is prepared and enjoyed, one quick round of mexican dominos is played, and Brooke's b-day cake is devoured.... but, I have no documentation.
My post today was supposed to be filled with great pics from a fun night spent with the kids. Instead, I only have one photo, taken with my i-Phone, in the hospital. Not a great representation of the events of the day, but accurate nonetheless. 
Believe it or not, it really was a fun evening. But, by the end of it, I was exhausted. So much for our Super Bowl Soiree. Maybe next year I will have beautiful photos of delicious foods and good times. This year, my memories are just in my head. 
As for Bob's diagnosis?... a fractured scapula, torn rotator cuff and torn bicep tendon. Other than that, he's doing great. Looks like there might be a possible surgery in the future. Life really is unpredictable, isn't it? 

Monthly Health Challenge :: February

I did NOT want to do it. I am not at all suited for it. I have been having nightmares about it for days now. My anxiety level has definitely been on the rise. Let me share with you a few reasons why: 
1. I just got back from a cruise on which I am sure I gained at least 10 lbs. from eating non-stop, day and night for a full week. 
2. I finished physical therapy on my shoulder in November and don't feel that I have regained even a smidgen of my upper body strength.
3. I suffer from claustrophobia. When a person has claustrophobia, the last thing they want to be doing is standing with their face 1/4 of an inch away from a wall for hours on end.
4. I had to wear spandex. Nuff said...
5. I'm old... which is even more apparent when you are flanked by your 20-something daughters and there is no one over the age of 30 in sight.
6. I have a foot injury that I've been dealing with for at least 6 months now. I need to go get it checked. I'm dragging my feet(no pun intended). It feels suspiciously like the stress fracture I had on the other foot 12 years ago. I'm hoping that if I avoid it, it will go away. But, in the meantime, it is killing me. Believe me, nothing feels better on a stress fracture that a pointy foothold that is supporting all of your body weight.
7. Did I mention the 10 additional pounds?

But, when all was said and done, I went. Kicking and screaming, mind you. I went for one reason and one reason only. Because it was Brooke's birthday and she really wanted me to go rock climbing. She is good at it. Really, really good. She said it would make her happy, and I will do anything to make her happy. Especially on her birthday. And so, I went. I pulled up my big girl britches and threw on a smile. And then I started to shake. Oh how I shook! I was so frightened at first, and extremely intimidated. But in the end, I had a blast. And, most importantly, Brooke was happy:) 

Why am I sharing this story with you? Because I feel empowered. There is nothing like overcoming a fear, going out of your comfort zone and accomplishing something challenging. It truly is a great feeling. And so, with this in mind, my monthly health challenge for the month of February is to get out and try something new. Challenge your body in a way that you never have before. Overcome a fear or take up a new sport. It's not so much about HOW we move, as it is about just making sure we DO move. Exercise is so important. Keeping it fresh and exciting can really help you stay motivated. So, get out and try something new this month. You might just find a new activity that you love.

P.S. My friend called me yesterday and asked me to go bowling with her. Why not, right?? Perhaps that's my next new thing. 

P.S.S. I'll have to wait until my arms recover. Right now they feel like noodles:)

a horse, of course

We have a new member of the family. It's a horse, of course. His name is Pokey and he is a race horse. Yesterday we all went with Mike and Brandon to see him race, along with Scooby (who was racing for the first time), Crystal and Stoli. They all did well. It was fun to have the whole family together and to cheer Brandon on. It was my first horse race ever, but I'm sure it won't be my last. Here are some shots of the horses, and Brandon, in action.

day at the lake

We are spending what little bit of summer there is left at Lake Powell with some of our dear friends. The weather is perfect and the company is even better. We took a ski run today and the water was great. Bob took advantage of some of that smooth LP water and showed us all up. Good times. 

fun in the sun

I'm a little short on words today as we are out enjoying a little fun in the sun. More tomorrow.

ghost town playground

School is back in session and the parks are like ghost towns this week. I went with Brittany to play tennis and there wasn't a soul in sight. I couldn't resist grabbing my phone and snapping this little instagram photo. There was even an abandoned basketball lying in the middle of the court. Another summer come and gone. It sure went by fast...

let the games end

Today brings us to the end of the XXX Olympiad. I have enjoyed every minute of it and have been cheering for the U.S.A. all the way....but today, I pause to cheer for London, England. Having been there a couple of times in my life, I can appreciate the effort it must have taken to organize this event in a city that is already so busy and congested. The logistics of transportation alone would have been a nightmare. But I say, "Well done ol' chaps, you did a jolly good job." (And I say that with my best English accent, of course). I'm going to have to start brushing up on my Portuguese for the next games. I have a feeling it won't be as easy :) Cheerio!

put it on ice already

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to throw a little water (make that ice) on this year's NBA championship. I have to say I have heard more than enough about LeBron James and the Miami Heat. I wasn't too invested in the playoffs this year, once the Jazz were eliminated. But once OKC made it to the finals and all of the talk turned to the Heat(wait, did I say the Heat? I meant Lebron James), I was on board as an avid OKC fan. Needless to say, last night was painful to watch!! I will be so happy when all of the hoopla fades away. It's not that I am a sore looser.....this year there has just been way too much hype for me. OKC never had a chance as far as the press was concerned. I would have loved to see them upset Miami, but it just wasn't meant to be. I should probably congratulate the Miami Heat....uhmmm... no. Do I sound bitter?

hockey galz

Oh, I live for days like this. Days when I can retaliate for all of the jabs I get from my daughters. "Jabs" like the fact that I drive too slow, or that I am a digital immigrant, or I'm too obsessed with cleaning, or I chew too loud. Yes, I too enjoy a good jabbing now and then. So, with that in mind, I present to you the sight I saw when I walked to the back garage last night. (Fortunately with my camera in hand)

Let me point out a few things that have caught my eye here. (besides the fact that my daughters are both in their 20's)
1. Brooke's lips.(click on picture to get a better view)
2. Brittany's INTENSE eyes.
3. The fact that they both know how to hold a hockey stick.
4. Brittany has no shoes on.
5. Brooke is wearing my shoes.(which is interesting since her foot is 2 sizes bigger than mine!)
6. Brooke is playing hockey with a cell phone hanging out of her pocket.
7. Brittany is playing hockey with a skirt on.
8. Neither of them is really playing hockey at all since there is no puck in sight.
My abs still hurt from laughing. I love you girls!!

Tennis Anyone?

Well, the nets are finally up,

Our shoes are dusted off,

Our balls have been brought out of storage,

And we are ready to play our first game of tennis since October.

(Well, technically it's our second game

but the first one didn't count 

because it was below zero

and we had gloves on.)

Brittina Bratilova is looking

especially competitive and ruthless this year. 

I tried to document our match with a few pics,

but, as you can see, it is dang hard to hold a camera 

and play tennis at the same time.

This isn't even our court!

We tried to look like seasoned veterans of the game.

You know, all graceful and light on our feet.

But we mostly looked like this,

and this.

(feel free to click on these  to get a close-up

of just how bad we really are)

In the end, it was really fun.

I won't say who played better . . .

but there was only ONE person who needed a water bottle :)

I'm just saying . . .

Hey look. . .

. . .it's a Pen taking a picture of a Penn!

(sorry, photography humor.)

Forty Nine And Lookin' FINE!!

Today is my best friend's birthday.

He also happens to be my husband :)

Supposedly, we look worse as we age.

However, I think Bob has defied that myth.

If you ask me, he is looking better each year.

Perhaps it's the golf,

or the good clean living,

or the hard work.

I tend to think it has something to do 

with the joy and satisfaction of living with a wife

like me. . . . ?

Regardless, he is looking fine at 49.

Happy Birthday Bob!!

I can't wait for the next 49 years.

I love you.

No wonder I like to watch golf!!

Stick A Fork In It

It's Official.

It's over. 

For me anyway.

My bracket is busted.

The long-time tradition of the 

Austin March Madness Challenge

has ended in defeat.

Three of my final four 

were eliminated this past weekend,

including my hopeful overall winner

North Carolina.

Dang! Same thing happened last year!!

I won't bother mentioning

who has moved into first place,

as I am sure she will be commenting

on this post in a boastful manner.

Good luck to those 

who are still in the running.

I should have gone with my first instinct.

(Kentucky)

Go Wildcats!!

A Night At The Pitch

I spent tonight with these three 

at the Real Salt Lake soccer game.

You would think the best thing about the night

was watching Real crush the Chivas, wouldn't you?

Well, it wasn't . . .

. . . because they didn't.

We lost 1-0.

But, even if they had won,

the best part of the night would have been 

watching Bubby eat his first churro.

And, watching grandpa with Bubby 

before the game,

and at half-time.

Such a proud grandpa.

Such great memories!!