What the Heck Did We Do This Weekend?

OK, I'll admit it...I miss blogging just a little.  I do not miss the daily deadline, and I do not miss the pressure of my self imposed 8:00 am deadline, but I do feel like I am forgetting to do something every day.  So anyway, here is my idea.  I have an awesome camera...I take a lot of pictures...Some of the pictures I upload to Kodak, and some I just save to the mysterious files of my c: drive.  So my thought is this...I will try to post some of my more interesting shots with a little background of how they fit in.  I will try and we'll see how it goes.  So, back to the pic above...does anyone have a guess?

This past weekend, my four boys and I took a little road trip.  The trip involved loading up Big Daddy (aka our big @#! diesel truck) and hitting the open road North.  The boys were so excited and so was I.  Our fearless leader (aka Daddy-O) has been spending a lot of time here, getting things ship shape for hunting season and all of his hard work has certainly paid off.  Clean, fresh air.  Beautiful trees.  A wonderful relaxing location that I know we will all enjoy on many, many weekends.

But back to the picture above.  It goes right along with this picture.

Turns out when you get property ready for hunting season, you have to know how to use a chain saw, and a tractor.  Speaking of tractors, you really hope that you don't end up like this

But, if you are a true mountain man, like my hubby, you know how to fix this problem!

I love my home town, but I know that I will love that this new home away from home is such a short drive away.  I got to relax on a porch with a tin roof ( no rain, but maybe next trip).  I got to do some hiking where I got to see an armadillo and a deer but not a snake. (Thank goodness).  I also got to see my boys have a wonderful weekend without an electronic toy in sight.  Hopefully the first of many...I can't wait to get back!

Thanks Everyone!!!!

I just wanted to take the chance while everyone may still be checking my blog to tell everyone thank you for helping to make my 40th birthday so great!  From all the texts, emails, and phone calls to the wonderfully sentimental and hilarious cards...not to mention the extremely thoughtful gifts.  I had a great day and it was all because of so many of you.

Thank you to my husband who brought tears to my eyes when I arrived at work to find this

Thank you to my office who brought a smile to my face when I got to work and found this

and this

Thanks also for the yummy cake that I will be continuing to eat all week.

Thanks to all my friends in town who took me to lunch and all my friends who couldn't make it, but sent their best wishes!

Thanks to my family who continued the celebration with a yummy dinner, another yummy dessert (homemade by MiMi and Blake), and lot of smiles and good wishes!

And finally, thanks to my three boys who make me proud to be a momma.  Blake who made my coffee this morning and was so sweet to come to lunch with his mom and her friends.  Zack who couldn't wait to bring me my present and who was on his very best behavior for homework time today.  Seth who gave me more than his fair share of hugs and let me hold him tight and promised me that it was not the last time.  I love you guys!

Many of you have asked me if I will continue to blog and my answer today is ummmmmm, NO.  But, I will admit that it has been fun, and I do have a couple of ideas bouncing around in my head for continuing.  But...not today...not everyday...and no deadlines!  We'll see.....................  Thanks for reading!

#365 - Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!

Well, I did it!  I blogged every single day for the last 365 days.  While visiting with a friend this week I told him, "One good thing about having a blogging deadline every single day for the last year...I am ready to turn 40!"  All kidding aside, what a wonderful experience.  I thank my sister for suggesting it to me because in a weird way, it has been my therapy for the last year.  I have been going back and forth between two ways to close out my blog.  One is more serious and heartfelt, and one is funny and sentimental.  I cannot decide which one says it best.  So...I will tell you both of my thoughts.  I love to read and surprise, surprise, both of these thoughts come from books.  Bear with me, the post is long, but for those of you who stuck with me for the last 365 days, I figure you can do so for two more stories.

A couple of years ago I bought a really cute coffee table book called, "I'm not too busy" by jodi hills.  I picked it up thinking that the title was great.  I put in on my coffee table where it has sat for the past three years and not once did I find the time to pick it up and read it.  Pretty funny right?  A few months ago, I was cleaning up some magazines and I found it...dusted it off...and read it.  It make me think, and think, and think some more.  It pretty much put into words what I have so often felt while writing about all of the 365 people that made my blog.  So many friends and so many good times.  These are the things that I cherish.  I sometimes get bogged down with errands, projects, homework, carpool...you name it.  These things are necessary, but they should never take the place of the things that matter.  I would like to share the words of the book with you.

I'm not too busy

by

jodi hills

(totally not my idea to not capitalize, but I figured if I'm going to plagiarize, I better do it exactly)

When we move so fast, we miss so much.

Sometimes, when you're not looking, hours go by.

     - I could have gone for coffee with the same friends I've cancelled on three previous times, but instead wen to the post office early, so I could avoid the traffic and maybe beat the lines, and still got held up behind the accident in front of me.

Sometimes, when you're not looking, days go by.

     - I encourage my microwave to hurry, as I'm checking my e-mail, and talking on my cell phone to my friend who's in her car, rushing to her next meeting, and we're both worried that time is actually speeding up, but we can't get together because...we're...just...too...busy...

Sometimes, when you're not looking, weeks go by.

     -  Calenders get filled, and we have meetings to set the next meeting, and lives are penciled in, easily erased by the next big event.

     -  Birthdays are belated.  Children become adults and grandparents' memories are forgotten.

     -  Holidays are celebrated before and after the actual date, because they just don't fit into our schedules.

     -  Hearts and families are replaced with "we'd really love to stay but" and "hate to eat and run, but" and "I'd love to, but... I'm just too busy."

Sometimes, when you're not looking, years go by.

     -  We have to choose to slow down, to actually see the time and space we're in...  to truly see people and accept them in their priceless moments.

Time isn't speeding up, we are.

     -  We have this urgency, not just to get places, but to get their first...even if it's just ahead of the slow, red car in front that's holding up all the traffic.

     -  There's so much pressure to pick the right line at the bank, or the grocery store, and how dare they have 11 items in the express line, when you are nearing the 14th minute of your 15 minute parking space.

Lines get longer and tempers get shorter and the only thing getting closer is the end of our rope.

     -  We even shorten our words, like thanx, and luv, as if shortening the word, allows us to invest less energy, interest, and time. (That one is for you Genvieve).  I'm not sure how much time we gain by writing two less letters...I'm certain someone has done the mat, created a study, and is now fighting with someone else to prove or disprove the figures...  But I am sure of what is lost, by not taking the time, to   say   the   words   slowly, to write them out fully, and to mean them with all that we are.

I need to stop and see things...too many years have gone by.

     -  To pay attention, to notice people, to care, to have relationships, to see the present, to enjoy the given time as a gift that is given - that changes everything, and slowly I begin to see...

     -  the smiling face that gets a thank you card, the hand that waves as you let me merge into your lane, the person alone on the bench, the heart that feels joy, the mind that seeks peace, the fronts that belong to the backs in the line.

     -  The tears, the anger, the frustration, the glee, the anticipation.

We all want to be seen...we all need to be acknowledged for that moment in time...

     -  that moment in time when you want to share your happy news, or feel the warmth of an unassuming hug, to let out the tears of a skinned knee, to unload the frustration of hurt feelings, or to rest your heart in unjudging hands, to look into someone else's face and know it's more than ok to be you...

We're all asking for a few precious moments, and looking for someone to say, "I'm not too busy."

With all my limitations, knowing that I cannot reverse time, save time, hurry it along, or slow it down...I simply and humbly offer you (and by you, I mean all of you that have read or are a part of my blog) a bit of my time, which is really just a part of me.

If ever, whenever you need me, know, please know that no matter how it appears, I'm not too busy.

 the end

Whew!  Lots of typing, but it really hits home with me and although I can type for days...I couldn't have said it better myself.  OK, for those of you who are still with me...the last thing that I want to say.  I have had many people ask me about my thoughts on turning forty.  "Are you excited?"  "Are you depressed?"  At different points in the last year, I had different answers.  But as I sit here typing with only about 1 1/2 hours before 9/29/10, I can't help but compare turning forty to one of my (many) favorite childhood stories, which was bought and read to me I'm sure first by my mom and then a million more times by my dad in his very best Grover from Sesame Street voice.  The book is called "The Monster at the End of this Book."  For those of you who have never read it, you can click here to hear it in it's entirety.  In a nutshell, it is all about our favorite furry old pal Grover who has heard that there is a monster at the end of the book.  He tries everything to get the reader not to turn the pages so that they will never get to the end of the book.  He nails the pages together, he glues the pages together, and he even erects a brick wall so that the pages cannot be turned.  He stops to tell us frequently, "Did you know that every time you turn another page...you get closer and closer to the end of the this book!  AND THERE IS A MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK!!!!!!!"  And so on and so forth until eventually...you get to the end of the book and guess what?  The monster at the end of the book that Grover is so worried about????  It is him!  He is not scary...he feels so silly...he is the monster.  There was nothing to be scared of all along.

I think the same can be said for turning forty.  I could try to stop it from coming.  I can Bo-tox and laser peel and run and diet and meditate and pray...but forty was always coming and now it is here.  And guess what?  When I look in the mirror tomorrow morning, I will see that I had nothing to worry about. 

It is just me...simple as that!





#364 - DSB

(Author's note - For all of you who are really, really counting down with me, you may note a slight # change.  I am getting a year older, but I know that there are 365 days in one year.  Looking back, I did #272 twice, so I had to fix the numbers today)

#364 is a friend that wasn't always a friend.  Not because we didn't get along when we were younger, but because she is so old!  she is a little older and much more mature than me.  I'm trying to remember when we really became friends and I just don't really know.  I remember going over for home cooked meals at her house in N.O. when I lived with her sister...  Then when we both got married we did couple things together...  Then our first-borns are only four months apart...  Then they moved back to Houma and fast forward ten years or so and here we are. 

I may not remember when we became friends, but I know why we are friends now.  It basically boils down to this...we like the same stuff and we move at the same pace.  Over the years, it makes me laugh because our tastes are so similar.  I will buy something that I like (for example a new set of dishes) and then I'll see the same set in her kitchen.  She actually lives in the house that I really, really, really wanted to buy when Jeff and I were first trying to move out of our apartment (100 years ago).  We looked at it, but it was out of our price range at the time.  We both love to take trips, especially the kind that involve tennis or shopping, and we usually manage at least one per year.  Oh wait...it is coming back to me now.  I think we first bonded on a now defunct annual shopping trip to Mistletoe Marketplace in Jackson.  For those of you who have never attended, it is a great holiday gift show.  (Speaking of #364, it may be time for a return visit...)  We both were invited to go on this shopping weekend and we were roomies. 

Since then, we have managed to shop (and hit every TJ Maxx) til we drop from Houston to Florida and from New York to Miami.  We are both the kind of shoppers that can go into a store, take a quick scan of the merchandise, and determine the length of time we will need to stay in the store.  Since our tastes are so similar, I don't have to wait outside or browse and make friends with the storekeepers while #364 looks at something totally uninteresting to me...and vice versa.  Walk in...look around...select your items...try on if necessary...check out.  It really is a skill that we have perfected over time.  Some of you (especially my male readers) probably have no idea what I am talking about but there you go...

If we limit our trips to shopping only, both of us would be broke.  There have been times that we have had to leave packages in certain people's garages and get them on our next trip because all of our purchases would not fit in the car on the return flight.  Although I will say that we do hold the record for the most stuff in the least amount of time piled in the back of my sub.  But because we don't like to be totally broke..., we always try to factor in other activities besides just shopping.  For example, we have seen a ton of tennis.  It all started with Mattress Mack in Houston for the Clay Court Championships, then the end of the season Masters Tourney, and most recently a few years ago the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.  We also made a trip up to the Big Apple to see the U.S. Open.  Quite an adventure taking the train to Flushing Meadows and trying to fit in touring the city while trying to catch some tennis.  #364 was actually with Jeff and I in NYC two days before the September 11th bombing.  We all flew out of Newark, NJ where one of the planes with the terrorists took off from.  When we got our pictures developed (back in the days of film) we had photos of the twin towers in the skyline.  A little to close for comfort for me!

While at these tournaments, we like to stalk the players, take paparazzi pictures, and still fit in some shopping in the tennis shops.  Speaking of paparazzi... I have #364 to thank for introducing me to my really cool camera and stalker lens.  She brought hers to the Miami tournament and I came back asking my hubby for the same for my Mother's Day gift.  On a trip years before I taught her all about ipods which she had to have once we returned home.  I like to think I keep her hip but... lol, I can't even type that with a straight face. :)

But shopping interests only does not this friendship make.  She always answers my crazy legal questions and in turn I promise to rehab her knee when she finally finishes blowing it out (see pictures below for full story).  I can always count on her to use all the legal words that she knows to write me a scary lawyer letter when I can't find the words to be mean enough myself.

Just a few weekends ago we had the chance to catch up on a fun tennis girls trip to Portofino in Pensacola.  Again for those of you who have not been there, it is really really nice...and not so crowed in September.

But the real reason that I am friends with #364 is that every year on my birthday, she makes me feel soooooooo good.  Without even really trying.  "How?" you may ask.  Is it because she gives me really cool gifts like a turquoise bag or a turquoise umbrella?  (her favorite color...not mine)  Nope, that's not the reason.  Is it because she always remembers to send me a really cool e-card?  Nope, that's not it either.  Can't guess?  OK I'll tell you.  It's because my birth day is her birth day too and no matter how old I am...she is ALWAYS OLDER!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks #364 for being older than me :) and for being such a great friend...And in the spirit of all my great friends...pictures please!

This first picture was taken at my wedding reception.  Nice white shoes and stockings...

This next batch was so funny that I couldn't just pick one. 

Please note the high tech brace (made of cardboard) and the awesome stretcher. 

Nothing but the best when you decide to take a double black diamond down!

Good times!

Totally tennis!  Sometimes we even manage to get on the courts ourselves!

Thanks #364 for all the fun times, great trips, and good advice.  I know there will be plenty more of both,

and

Happy Birthday!!!!!

You don't look a day over 30 sha!

#363 - Prayer Request

I cannot even make my mind focus right now with the terrible news that our little town heard today.  Four lives taken away, so quickly, so unexpectedly.  I did not know any of these children personally, but that does not matter.  When it comes to tragedy such as this, we are reminded that our town is still a little town at heart and when one of us is hurt...we all hurt.

Just yesterday I was praising VC and how they have managed to keep up with the times and still teach strong values.  In the weeks and months ahead, they will have the challenge of guiding their students through the grief process.  A daunting task for all.

Within hours of the news, I received notification from the school via email, text, and voice message that a special mass will be offered tomorrow morning for the entire school and all family and friends are welcome.  Counselors will be present for all who need to talk.

There are several people I know personally who have lost children unexpectedly.  I cannot even begin to imagine their sorrow.  This blog post prayer is for the ones that I know, the parents and families of the four children who lost their lives last night, and for all parents out there who have ever had to live through this tragedy.  This is the prayer that was emailed to me by the VC Mother's Club.  Please pray it now.

Heavenly Father,
You sacrificed your son so that we and our children would transcend physical death. We know that you grieved when he was crucified. You know and understand grief as you know and understand all. You know best how to comfort all those who mourn these precious children. Lift our hearts up to you and fill us all with your peace. Your understanding is beyond our human comprehension, but give us the knowledge and faith to endure even that which we cannot understand. Let us be aware of you always, Father, and help us to remember that your love is Life that can never really be taken away.

We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen

#361 - DK

I am a VC alumni.  When I went to school there, I went from the Bluejays and a class of 15 kids to the Terrier 8th grade class of 110.  I thought it was huge.  Fast forward 25 years and my oldest started 8th grade in a class of 217 kids.  VC has more than doubled in size since I was there and I was a little curious about how the school, staff, and facility responded to the growth.  I will say for the record that I have been pleasantly surprised.  Both years that I have attended orientation I have come away impressed with the professional front presented as well as a feeling of pride in my alma mater.  In the forefront is #361.  When I was a student, he was a teacher.  Now that I am a parent, he is the president of the school.  He makes it a point to stop and talk to many parents and always asks about all of my kids personally.  When Blake was in 7th grade, he called me to ask if Blake would like complimentary tickets to the VC play.  He had heard that Blake had done some some theatre and he just thought that he may enjoy coming to watch the high school production.  Totally unanticipated...great PR.

I'm sure as the years go by, I'll have my issues.  I don't think there is a school that doesn't have them.  But for now, I stand impressed that our little town has a school strong in pride, stressing education and higher learning, and turning out well rounded young men and women.  I'm glad that they have stepped up to the plate and grown and changed with the times.

#360 - LR

Now, LR, you didn't think I was going to leave you out, did you?

You know how there are some people you can travel with and some that you can't?  I have been on some disastourous trips where I wasn't sure if I (or my co-vacationers) would make it back in one piece.  Just one of these trips makes you appreciate the easy ones.  The ones where everyone can go and do their own thing.  Where no one is getting upset if the groups doesn't stay together.  Where there is no fighting or backstabbing.  Where everyone laughs and has a great time and you don't want to come home.

I have been on a couple of trips with #360 and I will say, she makes the cut.  From Florida to Vegas...lots of laughs and lots of fun.

Thanks #360 for making me train for last year's 1/2 marathon because it was totally worth it.  I will even go as far as to say thanks for making me get up and do my long runs in the morning because I was so glad to get them over with.  Thanks for sticking with me during said long runs and calming me down when the big dogs came running straight at us barking.  If you were not there saying, "Hey puppy, look at what a pretty dog you are," I would have been on top of the nearest mailbox and using my cell phone to call for rescue.  Thanks for making me stay up until midnight to go see Prince at Hooter Casino after getting up at 5:00 AM to run 13.1 miles.  Even with my feet killing me, that show was definitely worth seeing.

Then there was a recent relaxing trip to the beach.  Tennis...happy drinks...beach...happy drinks...an interesting trip to the ATM...shopping...repeat.  Lots of laughs and lots of fun.  Then on the way home we started to plan the next adventure.  Hiking the Grand Canyon????  Canoing in the swamp????  Running in Austin????  Stay tuned...

The Vegas Crew at the Wynn

Making the Guniess Book of World Records

In our awesome suite at PH

Race done...about the hit the town!

#359 - Auditor

One morning, I was sitting in my office, catching up on some paperwork when my receptionist walked into my office looking like she had seen a ghost.  She proceeded to tell me that there was a lady and and man from Medicare in the lobby, and they were there to conduct a surprise audit.

Let me stop for a second and give you some background info.  We had just recently purchased the practice from the original owner who...ummmmm... how do I say this nicely..... was not the best rule follower in the world.  It's not that he was obstinate about not following the rules, it's just that he kinda had the attitude of..."If I'm doing it wrong, someone will tell me eventually and until then, oh well."  Surprisingly, Medicare does not share that same attitude.  So anyway, when the previous owner was enrolled in the Medicare program (1000 years earlier), he just kinda adapted the rules and regs as he saw fit
(read - he didn't do any of the proper paperwork).  Now, I know that ignorance is not an excuse, but when we took over, we just kinda assumed that if he had been practicing for since 1954 without it...we didn't need it.  Turns out that was the wrong assumption.

So anyway, I have these two auditors in my lobby.  My partner was absent from the office that week as it was his week to cover the hospital contract.  So it was me and them...  I took a deep breath and welcomed them in...having no idea that I was doing it all wrong.  They handed me a list of things that they needed to see.  Everything from annual employee performance evaluations from the last 10 years to the documentation reflecting our hand washing policy.  Don't ever let anyone tell you that I don't have a poker face, because I sat there and nodded (while thinking "Oh, shit!) and then I calmly told them that it was going to take me a little while to gather all of the info that they needed because I was the only therapist there that day and I had a full schedule of patients to see in addition to being at their beck and call.  Small office and all...  They said no problem, they would just wait patiently in my office and I could just bring them the items that they needed one at a time.  They assured me that they were not in a hurry and had the rest of the week for my office audit. 

WOW!  Let it also be said, that as a rule, I do not panic.  I exited my office and started to formulate my game plan.  Long story short...I was able to find, in the attic of my building, a box with several inches of dust on it, that read  "Medicare start up documents."  Low and behold, in that box was binder after binder of documents that was an outline of what we needed, but had never been implemented.  I had no employee performance evaluations because none had ever been done.  I had no hand washing procedure because I figured everyone old enough to hold a job and pay taxes knew how to wash their hands.  Anyway, I was able to piece together about 50% of what they wanted, even though it was totally insufficient.

I presented what I could and then waited...and waited...and waited...  They looked at what I had and made lots of notes.  At the end of the day they requested a meeting with me.  Basically in a nutshell they told me that I was doing it wrong.  They said that they did not have to shut me down because I actually had a box with policies, but it was clear that we were not following them.  They had even interviewed my employees and asked them about certain policies.  They gave me a punch list of about a million things that needed to be brought up to regulation.  They gave me one month and told me that they would be back.  I remember looking them straight in the eye and saying to them, "I know that you guys don't know me.  I know that ignorance is not an excuse, but I will tell you that I had no idea that all of these things were required.  I will tell you that in thirty days...they will be in place."  I could tell by their looks that they totally did not believe me.  They had no idea who they were dealing with and they had no idea how much I hate to be unprepared.

Fast forward thirty days.  After much work and revisions (special shout out to Sarah Sue Sue at this point who handled all the typing of our new Policy and Procedure Manual) I was ready.  They came back.  They asked for a page full of stuff.  They got it!  Every single item done to perfection.  Evenly spaced and even the hand washing procedure framed and hung next to every lavatory (in case anyone forgot).  They looked, they nodded, they asked for time to review everything.  At the end of day ( a day where I sweated buckets all day) we convened for a meeting.  They said straight out, "When we left here last month, we thought that there was no way you could bring everything into compliance in one month.  We honestly thought that we were coming to shut you guys down today.  But, you are now in 100% compliance with every rule and regulation."  I, of course, knew that!  :)

I thanked them and they left.  I fully expected them to return in six months to check to be sure I was continuing to wash my hands correctly.  But they didn't.  Six months turned into ten years.  Then one day last summer...they came back.  This time I was ready.  I produced all the info they wanted in about 30 minutes.  The auditor was here for about 2 hours and he complimented me on how well we all knew our hand washing procedure.  After all we had 10 years to practice...

Post post-lesson:  Never assume you know all the rules...find them out for yourself.  Never get lax with time...they always come back.  Never try to skate by with the bare minimum...do your best and you have nothing to worry about!

#358 - JMG

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.

~Author Unknown

When I think back to my oldest and best-est friend in my forty years of life, outside of family, I think of #358. 

It's funny that we are so close and have been friends for so long because in our lifetimes there have been long stretches of time that we go without seeing one another.

The first thing that I really remember doing with #358 is Brownies.  Her mom was our Brownie troop leader and we would meet at her house.  I remember going on nature hikes in her backyard and collecting acorns and sticks to make arts and crafts projects.  Her childhood home had a wonderful backyard.  A few short steps from her backdoor and you would feel like you were in the middle of a Forrest (at least I did when I was 7).  I use to love walking around and finding treasures.

#358 and I did not attend the same elementary school (except for 7th grade) but we spent many many many weekends together.  Some of my best childhood memories are going with her and her family to LSU games on the Greyhound bus, getting back late at night, and then getting up early on Sunday mornings to go to the Saints games.  It was actually on one of these buses that I got to make friends with my later in life to be husband (who was best friends with her brother...and still is).

On other weekends that were not during football season, I remember sitting with #358 in their parlor (my only friend ever that has ever had one) and listening to her playing classical music on their grand piano.  She was awesome because of her long fingers and years of lessons.  I would tried to get her to teach me how to play but the furthest we ever got was the first 9 notes of Für Elise.  She by the way could play the entire thing.  I wonder if she still can?????

Then of course, all the fun summer vacations with our families.  I remember her dad letting us (and JEB) take the sailboat out from the dock in the Grand Isle bay.  No cell phones, no walkie talkies, no help.  Since none of us knew exactly how to sail, we pretty much just drifted...one direction...until the parents realized we really weren't coming back and came to get us in the boat.  But...while we were sailing, we sang every song we knew (with a lot of camp songs with hand motions) at the top of our lungs.  We even got into a school of porpoises up close and personal.  Such a great memory.  And then...I know I won't forget all the girls sleeping in a travel trailer.  We spent 90% of the time planning our attack on the boys where we would steal their underwear and either freeze them or fly them up the flagpole.  We decided on both!

Then once we got to VC we were together every day for the next five years. 
She and I took French together.

"Parlez-vous francais?"
"Comment tu t'applles?" 
"Je m'appelle Katrine."

Sometimes I still call her Genvieve and she calls me Katrine. LOL, funny what sticks...
 
We both love to go to the movies and when we were in high school, we saw plenty.  I was always jealous that her mom let her get the cool asymmetrical haircut with some razor on the side that was so cool back in the day.  Why I don't have a picture of that, I don't know.  She also had some cool shades just like the guy from the movie Mannequin...remember?  (Everyone who went to school in the 80's has to click on the link and watch the video clip...hilarious!)  Side note - Did you know that Kim Cattrall was the dummy????  Some of our other favorites were The Sure Thing ("Consider outer space...") and Beverly Hills Cop ("I ain't falling for no banana in the tailpipe!")
 
Then when we graduated, I went to Lafayette and she went to crunchy granola Loyola.  My friend who use to love to eat hot dogs with me decided that she was a vegetarian after she saw The Little Mermaid and decided that animals had feelings too.  She traded in her leather belts and eel skin purses (from the French Market) for cloth woven hand-made bags and purses.  All kidding aside, she went on to graduate from here and then Tulane with a double masters in public health.  Since graduation, she has selflessly done a job that is not rewarded monetarily, but with God points.  She has worked with children who have very few advantages in this world.  Children in poverty and their mothers who sometimes try and sometimes don't.  In her career, she has had to go places and see people that are really scary and live in places that are even scarier.  She does it all without fear.  I have no idea how, but she does.  She was even held up at gunpoint one night getting out of her car.  Her first comment (aside from the fact that she was grateful they did not shoot her) was that they took her pizza.  I remember her saying, "I bet they were mad when they realized it was a veggie only pizza!"
 
Probably equal to my brother, #358 makes me laugh more than anyone else.  I cannot even begin to recall the many things she says or comments she makes that totally set me off into fits of laughter.  She recently came on my fun, fun spa trip and had our entire table laughing about her insistence that texting should only be done in full sentences without abbreviations.  She does not need a salutation, but no LOL or OMG please!
 
Now my friend lives in Houston.  She has always loved the big city as much as I love the small city.  That works, because now I have another great place to visit where we can find all kinds of fun things to do.  On a very serious note, I want her to know how much I love her and how much I value our friendship.  She is the friend I can call anytime, any day and any place and she will always be there.  I hope she knows the same is true in reverse for her.  She always puts a smile on my face no matter what.  Even when she is faced with difficult times, she has always tried to keep a positive outlook and she usually succeeds.  A true friend and a beautiful person inside and out.
 
A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.
~Lois Wyse

She made me promise no pictures prior to high school so...

JMG and me in my first car.  She turned fifteen about 3 months after me and we took turns either heading out in my really cool, really huge Impala or her little bitty really cool gray four door Geo Prism.

(I'm not sure our dads liked us much)

Striking a pose at my 17th after school birthday dinner!

JMG and Lou at a school dance.

JMG and Jeff back in the day!

Senior Prom.  We were having a contest for biggest sleeves!

JMG won!

JMG at a pre-wedding BBQ

Bridal shower.  For the record, I don't think I ever held either of those garments again.

Thanks JMG for being a bridesmaid.

One of many fun beach trips.

Our fun, fun spa trip where we did not put on make-up, stayed in our robes, did yoga, had her tarot cards read, went to a cooking class, road water bicycles, and laughed our @$!'$ off!

Love ya, Genvieve!

#357 - AB

I was a good student.  I will even go as far as to say that I was a great student.  I will even be as nerdy as to say that I liked school.  I liked studying.  I very seldom, if ever, went into a test unprepared.  I kept studying and studying and studying until I was sure I was going to make an A on the test.  I had no idea that anyone else did it any other way.  Until I met Jeff :)  Then I realized that not everyone studied as hard as I did.  Not everyone cared about making straight A's.  Hold onto your hats everyone because what I am going to say next may shock you...

There are some people in this world who do not care about school!

That is not to say that these people are not smart.  In fact, sometimes I think it is just the opposite.  Being book smart does not make you world smart and vice versa.  Being able to memorize something for a test is not the same as learning it.  Let me get to my point...

Even though I knew that there were people out there that did not study as hard as I did, the whole concept of not caring about school and wanting to go into a test without studying did not really sink in until my children started school.  I don't know if it is a boy thing or if it is just a "my boy" thing, but from the get go, my boys do not like to put in the time studying.  I will relent a little and say that my oldest has grown into the whole studying thing.  He is totally on his own and makes very good grades.  He knows when to study hard, and when he can just coast.  My second one is still learning this lesson and truth be told, I am counting the days until he graduates from college.

He and I go round and round and round each and every day...and we have since Kindergarten.  He hates school and even though he is very smart, he like to pretend like he is not until it is an emergency.  And by emergency, I mean when he hears the words, "You may not go to baseball practice if this homework is not finished in the next five minutes!!!!!!!!"  (Usually spoken in a rather elevated tone of voice.)

Blog post #366 makes my list because she too has a son with a similar disposition towards education.  She and I have spent endless hours talking, listening, emailing, and reading about why this is and what we can do to make it easier.  We have shared homework strategies, bribes, punishments, and even traded tips on sneaky ways to get to the goal...learning.  Both of us gave up the goal of straight A's long ago.  We both now settle for a few basics to make us happy. 

1.  Bringing the proper books home the night before a test.
2.  Having the answers on the study guide actually answered before the night before a test (correctly).
3.  Putting actual words down for all questions on the test (Yes, Z, even the bonus).  After all if you leave it blank, it is definitely wrong!  Right?

And last but not least...we live for weekends, holidays, and summer vacation.

Thanks to #366 for not making me feel like I am the only one in the world with this problem.  The other kids in my neighborhood, who never seem to have homework, sometimes make me wonder.  But whenever I think I am alone, I can call #366 and chances are, we are on the same page (of the book that we had to go and borrow from a classmate).

Mothers of boys everywhere...Unite!

I love this quote that I found.  It is from a Sport Illustrated column and it makes me smile.  It reads,

“Moms are as relentless as the tides. They don’t just drive us to practice, they drive us to greatness.”
 
Surely, eventually they will realize that we are not going away and that we will never not care about school and their part in it.  Won't they? 
 
#366, here's to the day that our boys look us in the eye and say,
"Thanks for making me study and work so hard in school."
 
(They will say this eventually...right????)

#356 - AH

I met #356, I guess about a year ago when she and a co-worker approached me about renting space in my office.  We worked out a deal and just like that, our little bitty office staff grew by two.  One thing that all my employees have heard me say is, "We are too small of an office to gossip, fuss, or fight like a bunch of girls.  No whining!"  I really mean this.  I mean...I know, I am a girl.  That fact has not escaped me.  I also realize that except for one, all of my co-workers are female.  But I know that all of you...male and female... know that women can get hung up on the stupidest things and these things can snowball out of control.  Anyone who has ever worked in an office should also know, that it only takes one person to rock the boat and next thing you know you have backstabbing and alliances.  All this does is hurt feelings and waste time and energy.  Just come to work...do your job...do it well...and then go home and enjoy your family.  My own philosophy.

Whew!  Total digression from the thought that I started with.  #356.  She got all of the above and I never even had to tell her.  She fit into our daily groove and work flow like she had been there since the beginning.  She is a professional...she takes care of her stuff...she does her job...she does it well...she goes home to her family.  She is a hard worker and takes care of her two kids who I know make her proud, even though she is hesitant to toot their horns too loudly.  I have listened to the stories about her kids, and from what I hear, she has a lot to be proud of.

Without getting too much into her business and blasting it all over the Internet, I know that sometimes #356 has had things thrown at her that would take down a weaker woman.  But, just like Reggie Bush (yes, I am watching the Saints game while I post), she puts her head down and keeps going.  Women of the world take note!  We are strong!  Hear us roar! 

Have you ever wondered why, it is so easy to shoot someone down, and we don't take equal time to give a compliment?  And why as women our first inclination is to deny the compliment?  So #356, take the compliment...you deserve it!  Just take the compliment sitting down while resting the hip!  :)

#355 - DR / Ms. G

OK, In for a penny.....

This post is about two more ladies that were brought into my life by my father in law  (not at the same time :)...years after the last post was totally out of the picture.  They held the title of "girlfriend" and one we liked and one ummmmmm we didn't.

OK here it goes...

One never smiled.

One exited the car with smiles and hugs all around for Jeff and I as well as my kids.

One wore high heels and stockings with her shorts on our fishing expedition.  (Oh, and hairspray which was really funny when it started raining :)

One not only could bait her own hook, but could clean and cook the fish as well as clean the kitchen and put the load of nasty fish clothes to wash.

When I would try to engage one in a conversation, it was like pulling teeth.  You know the type that answers questions only and really cannot offer anything to further along the conversation.

The other one would sit and chat for hours about anything and everything and was the type that was more interested than having to work to be interesting.

I think I will stop here and say that my father in law is a grown man and does not ask or need my opinion as to who he spend his time with.  But really????  Really?????   REALLY???????  :)

#354 - G?

Now, this is kinda a touchy post to write.  Not because of the person I'm posting about...but because of the person who brought #354 into my life...but I will plow on.

OK...there is no way to go but forward...  When I got married, I inherited two mother in laws.  One that I loved...and one that ummmmmmmm.

Let me move on.

I think I'll blog from this angle.  Some people's lives are train wrecks.  I think that they just make one kinda small bad decision and then it snowballs.  #354, in my opinion, has made a lot of choices that have snowballed.  I cannot say that she ever did or said anything ugly to me.  The few times that I have been in her company, she has been very nice and always seems to try her best.  But then I would hear the stories and... snowballs.

Years have passed and #354 is no longer in my picture.  I hope that she is happy and that she has found some peace.  I fully believe that you are a product of your upbringing and I don't think the road that #354 has travelled has always been smooth sailing.  I hope in her life, she will have the opportunity to enjoy her beautiful grand-daughter who can light up a room with her sunny smile and sing-song voice.  I hope that she is able to stay close to both of her children and maintain good healthy relationships with all of the people who love her. 

With this post being so hard to write, you may be wondering why I included #354 in my list.  Let's just say that as I watched / listened to the drama unfold, I learned some valuable lessons about choices.

#353 - Todd

Todd makes my blog not for exactly who he is, but the type of person that he represents.  When I started working, he was a tech at my office.  I was about 21 and he was about 18.  He was a nice kid, who was working for minimum wage because he wanted to go to college and then PT school.  He did not want to work offshore, even though he could make more money, because he really wanted to go to college.  So that was his plan.  The problem was that he could not stay away from the drama.  Let me explain...

First he got a girlfriend, then he started dating his girlfriends sister, then he got in a fight and ended up spending the night in our local jail...After he got out of jail, he assured my boss that he recognized the error of his ways and he was going to stay on the straight and narrow.  That lasted for about a month.  Then he got back with his initial girlfriend who turned up pregnant.  After the allotted time passed and they were able to determine that the child was actually his, he decided that he probably needed to take that offshore job so that he could make some money for his baby.  He quit working for us and took a job working 7 and 7.

Fast forward...
The baby was born...
The girlfriend threw Todd out...
They got back together and moved in with his parents...
They broke up...
She got pregnant again...
They had a second child...
They broke up again...
The girlfriend got pregnant for another dude...

And on and on and on and on...see what I mean...drama!

He came to visit us a few times a year.  He would bring his kids to see us.  Then a few years later, he would come to visit us without his kids because he lost custody because he was busted for drugs....  Then we lost touch... 

I have no idea what happened to Todd, but I pray that my three boys never get caught up in any part of the above drama wheel!

#352 - SK

As I have mentioned before when I went to college I met lots of girls from different backgrounds.  #352 was one of them.  She wasn't from too far away...N.O., but her back ground was different.  Let me hit the highlights...

*  Went to an all girls school in high school.  Very interesting.  Let me just say that the primary reason she went to college was not to study, but to meet and talk to boys.  I'm not really sure about the all girls/all boys thing.  I think that the segregation may create more problems than it help.

*  Her parents lived right next to the airport in Kenner.  One weekend, we went home with her and stayed at her parents house.  Not so relaxing.  I don't think I have a fear of airplanes, but everyone that took off and landed, I had visions of it landing right on top of us.  And you could hear every single one...all night long...

*  On the same weekend, she kept telling us that she was take us "out" to have a blast...teasing us with the line, "We did it all the time in high school and it is a blast."  I was thinking Bourbon Street...Pat O'Briens...or maybe even Bart's on the Lake (remember that????), but instead I got Frankie Brenn's.  LOL just remembering.  Let me just say...cheesy, nasty, men...taking their clothes off.  You got it...a strip club.  Yikes!  That is all I'm going to say other than I took three showers when I got home. 

*  The thing that I remember the most is that our second semester, #352 "fell in love" with a guy who lived in the dorm next door.  Not a problem usually, but the kicker was that he was a different race than she was.  I remember hours of talking about all of the things that came with it including...meeting the parents, bi-racial babies, prejudice on both sides etc. etc. etc.  Not something that I really had thought about before definitely problems that came along with the love of her life....  Then the next semester, her love moved on and left her heartbroken...and we were on to other things to talk about.

I have not talked to or heard from #352 since the day I moved out of my apartment in Lafayette.  She was majoring in speech-language pathology when I left.  I wonder if she finished in this... If anyone out there has kept up with her and can help me out.......  HMMMM, I wonder.

#351 - TB

I haven't seen this postee in a long time, but for a long time, I saw him almost every day and I spent most of that time talking with him and sharing ideas and thoughts.  I first met him when I went to work as a therapist for my first and only real job.  He was a therapist there also and had been since 1976.  That makes him sound old, but really, he was probably younger than I am now, so I'll just say that he was older than me.  He loved being a therapist.  He loved his kids and his wife, don't get me wrong, but he was definitely a workaholic. 

When we worked together, his kids were the ages of my kids now.  His son was very smart and made his dad really proud making the honor roll and receiving all kinds of academic awards.  His daughter was born with cerebral palsy, but being a therapist, he was well aware of the problems that can arise by treating a handicapped child like they are handicapped.  The best gift that he and his wife gave their daughter was that they treated her like a normal child...and guess what?  She thrived.  She had her moments, but attended school and with the proper help and modifications, excelled. 

His wife was an artist and a true creative soul.  If it was included in the "arts" she was involved.  Music, painting, photography...  she did it.  Jeff and I still laugh from time to time because every year for our annual office Christmas party, she would corner Jeff and talk his ear off about how beautiful the sunrise is at daybreak in a hunting blind.  Every year she would ask him to take her hunting one morning so that she could photograph the sunrise and the ducks at the break of day.  LOL - I will just say that I have been hunting at daybreak at the family duck hunting camp and while she is right, it is beautiful, it only stays that way for a short time before the air is full of smoke from all of the guns going off and the sky is filled with falling ducks.  Not exactly sure that was what she had in mind...

Well, you may be wondering why I don't work with him anymore.  He was my third partner for about two weeks before he decided that he didn't want to own his own business.  No harm...no foul.  He needed and wanted the security that comes from working for a large hospital that he know would be able to provide insurance for his family without a doubt.  He left our practice to become a workaholic at the local hospital.  Twelve years or so later, he is still there.

I did run into his son some time ago.  He is now grown and finished with schooling.  I did not get the impression that he and his dad are as close as they use to be, but he did tell me that all was well with his family.  His mom was still teaching and painting and singing and his dad was still working.  I ran into #351 a few weeks later and I was shocked at how tired he looked (and how gray).

Time passes so fast...kids grow up...hair turns gray.  As I type this post, it is 11:30 PM.  My day was jam packed with school, work, football, homework, play practice, more homework, a broken car/rescue, more homework, catch-up paperwork, prayers with my kids, and now blogging.  So fast...  Right at this moment I cannot imagine my kids not being here and not being busy every afternoon, but realistically I know that time will come.  Please God, help me to slow down and take it all in!

Back to #351...A great therapist, very thorough and conscientious.  A great friend, a wonderful listener and I remember having lots of great talks.  A great role model to practice with for my first six years of work.

#350 - SARC

This is a sad post.  It was sad when I first witnessed it, and  I will truly say that it still haunts me whenever I think about it.  It is not really about one person, but about a group of people.  When I was a PT student, I spent some time working under a therapist in the Lafayette area who serviced a facility called SARC.  It is similar to our TARC where individuals with physical and mental handicaps attend day programs to give their caregivers relief and to provide the services these individuals need.  That is where the similarities with our local program end.  Let me tell you why.

Years ago (like 40-50 years ago) there were not a lot of resources for parents of handicapped children.  If they had a child that they could not take care of, their choices were limited.  From the way the story was told to me however, there was a home somewhere near the LA border, but in Texas, that would take care of these types of children.  It was an institution, but the thought was that it was run more like a home.  It was private pay, and it was staffed by nurses and attendants who cared for these handicapped individuals.  It was clean, it was aesthetically pleasing, and it was in a beautiful location with lots of yard and places to sit and enjoy the view.  So, a lot of parents, who were faced with no other good options, paid this facility to keep their handicapped children.  The parents would visit on weekend and designated visitor days, but the rest of the time, the staff took care of all of the needs of the residents.

I'm not sure how it all went down, but eventually one of the parents started to get a little suspicious about the care that was being given.  Long story short...an investigation was done and it was found that the residents (handicapped children) were being locked in cages and kept in the dark at all times except the visiting hours/days.  They were being fed minimally and they had little to no human contact or interaction from the staff.  Basically, it was like a prison for humans who needed care so much more than the rest of us.

Anyway,  back to the time I was in school...  There were about ten (now) adults who had spent a lot of time (I think 4-5 years) in said facility.  They had suffered the abuse and neglect of the (now jailed) administrators, but they had survived...with lots of residual problems in addition to the ones they went in with.

Like the man who would not stand up.  His knees were rubbed raw from crawling on the ground everywhere he went.  At the time I saw him, he was looking at having to have an amputation because of the infection that was in one knee from the constant crawling/friction/wounds.  He would work with us to try to stand and he actually could stand up and take a few steps.  The problem was that the first five years of his life, he was locked in a cage where he could not stand up and because of his limited mental capacity, he did not realize that he was supposed to walk.

Or the man who kept his fingers  in the shape of an "O."  This prevented him from eating or writing or dressing himself.  We were working with him to stretch his hands and use them functionally.   We were making braces to try to keep his hands in the correct position.  The problem was that for the first 5 years of his life, he spent all of his days running his hands up and down the bars of his cell, which was supposed to be his safe home.  His hands become molded or stuck in this position.

And lastly, the boy who carried a spoon around and banged on all things metal, and the man who was not blind, but would not open his eyes.  In the medical world I will explain it as creation of their own sensory input.  Because for the first five years of his life no one was talking to him (no auditory input), he experienced no different smells, he was in the dark (no visual input), and he had no toys or thing to touch (no tactile input), he created his own by banging his spoon on the bars of the cell.  The other man, having lived the first five years of his life in the dark, could not tolerate any light at all so he just refused to open his eyes.

To say the least...horrifying for me as a nineteen year old sheltered PT student.  Horrifying still today as a mother, and a compassionate caregiver to the handicapped.  My thoughts and prayers still go out to these men who suffered so needlessly.  My thoughts and prayers still go out to their parents, who thought that they were doing the right thing for their children.  My thoughts and prayers also go out to all the children and adults, all over the world, who still today suffer from needless abuse and neglect.

#349 - DB

#349 lived across the street from me when I was growing up.  He was a little bit older than me, but was always pretty good about letting me play whatever game they were playing.  And by they, I really mean the boys, because I really was not into make-up or hair or barbies or whatever it was the two girls on my street were doing.  I was much more interested in playing kick the can, running pass routes, or shooting baskets.

My kids don't even know what kick the can is.  I'm not sure that I remember all of the rules, but basically there was a can (or a ball) in the middle of the yard, and someone was "it", and someone would kick the can (ball), and the person who was it would have to go get it and get back to base before the other players did.  Doesn't sound too fun when I type it out, but I remember playing for hours.

This past weekend, I brought my boys outside to try to play "pass routes."  When I say my boys, I mean the three that I gave birth to, the two that actually live next door, but always seem to be at my house, and my husband who had to be recruited when I realized that I cannot throw a football.  (We also had two girls from next door and across the street who alternated between running pass routes and doing cartwheels).  Basically there were 7 pass routes.  10 steps and cut right, 10 steps and cut left, curve around the tree and dive right, across the street behind the electric meter, in the L of the concrete of the yard, the long route around the tree and back, and finally "The BOMB"  You have to catch one at a time and when you miss you have to start over.  After about 20 minutes, the boys were out of breath, Jeff's arm was about to fall off, but every one's competitive drive kicked in and we declared a winner!  This game was made popular by my dad who's favorite pass route was over the roof between the two houses!  Remember D?

The third game was any type of basketball.  H-O-R-S-E, P-U-T-O-U-T, or Hot Shot any time...any day!  We now play this at least once a week either in the driveway or in the pool.

Anyway, back to #349.  Very funny guy and by funny, I mean quirky.  Older than me, so he was always talking a little bit over my head, but I always laughed so he kept telling jokes.  Once he hit high school, he definitely did not have time for us younger kids, but he was always good for a head nod in the hall way or in the cafeteria once I got there too.  At some point, his parents moved out of town, and I have not seen him in years.  He did ask me to be his friend on face book, but I have to admit, I deleted his request. 

Side note - I deleted everyone's request...Don't take it personally, but this blogging every day for the last year has been all I can handle.  Maybe after my b-day I'll switch to face book.  Then again, I may just throw away my computer. 

Anyway, my sister befriended him on FB, and tells me that he now lives in California, has gotten married, and has twins or maybe even triplets.  I know he is a good father because he was always patient with all of us younger kids in the neighborhood.  Thanks #349 for not being too cool to hang with us!

#348 - DR

#348 was actually Jeff's friend before mine, but he has been in my pool house enough to qualify as my friend too.  He is a very nice guy who, along with his very nice wife, is raising two wonderful girls.  He comes from down da bayou, and even though he has lived in the big city for many years, he hasn't lost his flat accent.  This is what stands out in my mind when I think of Daru...

*  He loves chips as much as my husband does.  They can both pass up the chocolate, but put out Zapps or salsa and you better watch out.  I have heard through the grapevine however that #348 has been on a serious diet/exercise plan for the last few month and has lost quite a few lbs.  If he found out a way to still eat chips and salsa and lose weight, he better call me today!

*  He loves eBay.  I love to hear all his stories about the bargains he finds.  My one and only venture into eBay was several years ago when Kate Spade was the latest and the greatest thing around.  After the genuine purse that I bought from a guy on the corner in New York (out of a garbage bag) broke, I bid on a Kate Spade purse online.  I thought I could just bid a little higher and I would win.  Let me just say that I totally would not be good on the Price Is Right, because I lost at the buzzer to someone in Canada.  My next try I was on to the game and waited until the last second and purchased my purse for way more than I wanted to spend.  So my moral from eBay - You have to spend time looking and researching and waiting for just the right item to bid on, and you have to check back often.  Not really my thing, but when I hear #348 talk about all the deals he gets (including a ski trip ?!?!) it makes me want to give it another go!

*  He is a good friend to Jeff and we have met enough of #348's other friends to say that he is a good friend to a lot of people.  Family and friends are what is important to #348 (and spreadsheets) and this must be why we get along so well.

*  He is always so nice to my boys.  A lot of men don't really take the time to talk to young kids, but #348 is always willing.  On second thought, he might just be keeping them close because his daughters are pretty cute and they are all getting a little older....

In a nutshell, a very good friend who I know that I can call whenever I need something.  We use to be neighbors, and I had to call on him several times to use his truck for this or that.  Once again, its good to have good friends.

 

#347 - Dr. C (Jr. and Sr.)

So finally the end of my trilogy of OB-GYN posts.  The best two for last.  This father/son combo delivered my second and third baby boys.  These are the take home points from these two in retrospect.

*  Dr. C, Senior - always the master of the understatement.  When I went for a monthly check up at about my 4th or 5th month this was the conversation.  He walks into the room, looks at my chart for a few minutes, and then (not looking at me) says, "Ten pounds in one month........................hmmm."  Then he gets up and walks out saying, "See you in a month."  He got his point across.

*  Dr. C, Junior - took a little extra time with C-sections #2 and #3 to fix the abdominal issues that post #346 left me with.

*  Dr. C, Senior - Best circumcisor in Terrebonne parish...I'm just saying.

*  Dr. C, Junior - Agreed with his patient (that would be me) that a scheduled C-section was probably the best way to go when you have babies that weight 8 lb 15 oz. (Zack) and 9 lb 10 oz. (Seth).

Yes, for my second and third time around, I went with quality instead of the pretty office.  Thanks to both of these guys for my beautiful baby boys 2 and 3!

#346 - Dr. MAP

Fast forward 10 years from post #345 and I was now shopping around for a new OB-GYN for a totally different issue.  #346 came highly recommended for several reasons. 

Reason #1 - She was a she.  Word was that because she was female, she had better rapport with her female patients. 
Reason #2 - She had just built a brand spankin new office which was very aesthetically pleasing to cranky pregnant women. 
Reason #3 - She was an advocate for her patients and would go toe to toe with the old hospital who was not up to date with the latest in birthing babies (ie delivery suites, four post wooden hospital beds, and steak and lobster dinners for the new parents). 

Because of reasons 1-3, she was booked with new patients as soon as she opened her doors.  That is why I was very excited when my mother in law, who was a patient of hers, got #346 to take me and my newly pregnant self on as a patient.

My pregnancy went very well.  A little anemic and a lot fat pregnant, I made my way through months 1 -8 with little to no excitement.  Little did I know what was to come.  I probably should have been a little concerned with #346's constant reminders of how proud she was of her low C-section rate.  As my belly grew...and grew...and grew, I should have had concerns about how it was all going to turn out, but...first time momma and all that.

Let me spare the readers all the details, and let me skip to the end of the story.  Turns out that a nice office and good rapport with your female patients does not a good doctor make.  Turns out that the promise of a steak dinner does not make labor progress quicker, and turns out that I don't want my entire extended family in the room with me while I was giving birth. 

A few hours after my delivery (which included a middle of the night emergency phone call to blog post #2, Thanks Dr. D!), #346 came into my room to tell me that she was leaving town and closing her office.  She referred me to another MD for my postpartum care.  I was really too out of it to realize how bad of a job she did as the ringleader of the circus that was the birth of my first born, but time has given me perspective.  She botched it!

The good news is that my beautiful baby boy was born healthy and strong (with a slight banana head :) and a little jaundice... sorry B)  Here is a picture of me about a week after my delivery.  I still was anemic, I wasn't moving too quickly, I had to wear a mask because I had pneumonia, but I was now a momma and that made it all alright!