Friday was a big day for my OLDER sister, she celebrated another birthday. I wanted to give her birthday shout out. I am not going to discuss how old she is or how much older than me she is or if this birthday was the end of a decade or start of a new one.
As many things, as I can think of about my sister because I am pretty sure I couldn't come up with enough for how old she is...
1. She is a Summerville High School graduate (They had schools back then? I can't tell you the year she graduated, because then you will figure out how old she is and I know she doesn't want that)
2. She was in the marching band for SHS
3. She played the flute and was in the color guard
4. She knocked one of her friends out with her flag pole one time...she said it was an accident (but let's be honest, Aubrey says everything is an accident too)
5. She tried to knock me out with a baseball (She said that was an accident, also. I don't remember to much about us growing up and playing together, since she was so much older than I was but I do still remember that day vividly)
6. I remember us having an imaginary line in the back seat of the car on trips..."Don't cross the line." (On second thoughts maybe it was mom and dad that established the imaginary line)
7. She went to the College of Charleston during the John Kresse era. Go Cougars!!!
8. She actually graduated with a degree in childhood education...I know shocking that someone from Summerville HS could graduate with a college degree.
9. She taught in Dorchester District 2 for a few years but lived in Charleston off Hwy 61...she must have been making the big bucks. Probably it was when she told mom and dad she wasn't coming back to this two bit town. It wasn't big enough for her....at least that's what I thought I heard, remember I was younger when she left for college and was just glad to have the house to myself and glad she didn't come back home and cramp my style (that carried on for a number of years in that house during HS, college and after college).
10. She always bought me and my friends alcohol (just kidding mom and dad - would have been a good idea if I would have thought or cared about it then - hindsight is always 20/20)
11. She now lives in Savannah, Ga. (home of Paula Dean, that's all that going on there right?)
12. She married her roommate from college husband's brother (they met at her wedding...guess it was love at first sight)
13. When she moved to Savannah, I vowed that I would never move her sofa bed again. It was the heaviest sofa every made because it was actually made in America and the bed frame was steel.
14. She has 3 great kids - Carter, Meghan and Katie
15. She still is a school teacher (25 years in Savannah - a quarter century, should give you a clue as to how old she is...that's a long time reporting to work - good job)
16. She has patience (see number 14 and 15).
17. She was mom and dad's favorite (until I was born - ha!ha!)
18. Everyone always thought I was older (and it made her mad...bet she wouldn't be mad now).
19. She is a recreational photographer...probably will be her retired career (which has got to be getting pretty close)
20. She loves "The Sound Of Music". I can't even count how many time I had to watch it but enough to know - Doe a deer, a female deer; Ray a drop of golden sun; Me, a name I call myself; Far, a long way to run; Sow, a needle pulling thread; La, an note to follow sow; Tea, a drink with jam and bread; which brings us back to Doe...
21. She does a great job creating scrapbooks (Hopefully, she will do our kids when she retires.)
22. She loves "Gone With The Wind" just a little bit less than than "The Sound of Music" but not much.
23. This birthday was a BIG one because she left town to avoid the heat. Chris took her away to the Georgia mountains for her birthday weekend. Not sure I would be going to the mountains this time of the year - bears and snakes are looking for their last meal before hibernating.
24.She is a fantastic mother and sister.
25. This is the halfway point to how old she is (and my stopping point - graduated from SHS in 79 and CofC in 83).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Your only as old as you feel. Unfortunately, your pretty old.
We love you!!! Hope you have lots more birthdays but you will always be my older sister.
Aubrey wanted to make you a couple of videos....Enjoy!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Singing Debut
Last Sunday Aubrey made her singing debut with the Cherub Choir at Bethany. Pretty sure she will be signing a recording deal any day now...just waiting on Simon to give her a call. We are real proud of her - especially since we were pretty sure she was going to run out of the sanctuary (every second the last song and longest benediction ever lasted gave her time to run for the door). All the kids did great. Here's the video....Madonna Carrie Underwood look out.
Title Defense 5 - UNC Reunion Weekend
A couple of shout outs before we get to the important Clemson football recap.
*To my wife who is the greatest and kept the kids on Saturday so I could go to the Clemson game with my long time friend from college, Walt (who is the only UNC fan I know - you don't want too many of them in your life). I love you, LA!
*To Stuart and Meg on their wedding (and giving me and a couple of others that I saw at the game a pass on attending their wedding). I hope y'all have many years of happiness together. I was able to make the end of the reception to wish them well and tell them Dabo said "Congratulations, this win is for Stu and Meg."
Title Defense Number
"In professional sports, Ric Flair 5 times the man"..."whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because it's the best thing going, today!"..."(the 4 horsemen) compete at a level unknown to mortal man. We run all night, we run all day, 24 hours. We live, we eat, we think wrestling. We're the best there is"..."...diamonds are forever and so are the 4 horsemen"
*Note...if you don't want to watch the match (which I don't know why you wouldn't want to watch the best there ever was) skip to the 5:28 mark.
Our Life College Football Poll:
3 New Teams Received Votes
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Doesn't Matter
3. Irrelevant
4. Unimportant
5. Who Cares
6. Can't Hear You
7. Not A Big Deal
8. Insignificant
9. Your Team
The Good
1. Downtown Kourtnei Brown / Touchdown Kourtnei Brown / Kourtnei Bad Bad Leroy Brown
2. The offense 50+ points two weeks in a row - 35 points in the 3rd quarter
3. Nuk Hopkins (if you have a child the Nuk should should familiar, yep that's where his nickname came from)
4. The Chad
The Bad
1. NOON KICKOFFs (just bad, bad, bad for college football)
2. Big Plays - I place the blame on safeties and cornerbacks (poor tackling and poor coverage). We have got to stop the big plays for touchdowns and big plays that lead to touchdowns.
3. Kickoffs - Have to find someone who can kick the ball into the end zone (regular kickoff guy out for the year). I appreciate the effort from Zimmerman (our punter) but he doesn't have the leg for kickoff, punting yes. 18,000 students, Dabo, send the email for open tryouts. I wouldn't complain if it was a girl - whatever make us better and kicking the ball in the end zone consistently makes us better.
Summary
As I mentioned earlier, my friend from college, Walt, went to the game with me to continue a tradition that was started after college of attending Clemson vs UNC football games. The ACC expansion caused us not to get together quite as often since Clemson and UNC are on a rotating schedule. There's a long story behind this comment but now before I attend any UNC football game with him, I must see the ticket before getting in the car to go with him (something about a UNC vs Miami game when UNC was ranked probably Top 10 and I didn't have a ticket but unknown to me he had a ticket. Me and his wife ended up with tickets to get in but no assigned seat (they were student tickets and the student sections were packed early before we got in the game and thus my rule was established). I am glad Clemson has had the upper hand the past years in football because we don't have it in basketball. We were able to expose the weakness in UNC's defense - their secondary which Taj was able to pick apart and throw touchdowns to 5 different players. No one can say we are one dimensional or stopping player x will stop the scoring. The Tiger has lost 10 pounds this year from doing pushups after each score. The 35 points in the 3rd was crazy.
Title Defense 6 Preview
It was supposed to be a match up of top ten teams but Ga. Tech is now on a two game losing streak and looking to get back on track. If history has a say in the outcome then Ga Tech will derail Clemson's BCS plans and get back on track (Last time Clemson was 8-0 and defeated UNC to get to 8-0 they lost the following week to Ga Tech - 2000). BUT as Lee Corso says "No so fast"...this Clemson team is different from the 2000 edition coached by Tammy Bowden. We have Dabo, The Chad and cast of playmakers. It's different, right? Until a new precedent is established, I keep waiting for something like this to happen (finding a way to let a certain victory slip from our hands). I keep telling myself it is different but to prove it is different you have to get it done each week and I believe that's the message Dabo is preaching to the troops - finish the job. It will be another hostile (as hostile as engineers can be) environment and another night game. Hopefully, the Danny Ford and '81 team National Championship team that was in town for last weekends events was able to shed some light on taking care of business each week to the current players. If they weren't convincing enough then they should watch the video of Oklahoma and Wisconsin games and see first hand what happens to your National Title hopes when you don't get the job done. The ranks of the unbeaten are down to the Elite 8. I hope we can walk out of Bobby Dowd Stadium on Saturday night still unbeaten...one week at a time.
Misc
1. Clemson has run 626 plays to lead the nation and The Chad says "we can run more"
2. Welcome back to the blogging world, Jenn Williams - Courtyard. I hope she stays at it. It's always a good read.
3. Dizzy Bat Baseball at a football tailgate not a good spectator sport
5. Congrats to Meghan for being name PBC Goalie of the Week - This one goes with her (2) PBC Takedowns of the Week...evidently the word is getting around the conference not to mess with Armstrong's goalie.
*To my wife who is the greatest and kept the kids on Saturday so I could go to the Clemson game with my long time friend from college, Walt (who is the only UNC fan I know - you don't want too many of them in your life). I love you, LA!
*To Stuart and Meg on their wedding (and giving me and a couple of others that I saw at the game a pass on attending their wedding). I hope y'all have many years of happiness together. I was able to make the end of the reception to wish them well and tell them Dabo said "Congratulations, this win is for Stu and Meg."
Title Defense Number
"In professional sports, Ric Flair 5 times the man"..."whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because it's the best thing going, today!"..."(the 4 horsemen) compete at a level unknown to mortal man. We run all night, we run all day, 24 hours. We live, we eat, we think wrestling. We're the best there is"..."...diamonds are forever and so are the 4 horsemen"
*Note...if you don't want to watch the match (which I don't know why you wouldn't want to watch the best there ever was) skip to the 5:28 mark.
Our Life College Football Poll:
3 New Teams Received Votes
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Doesn't Matter
3. Irrelevant
4. Unimportant
5. Who Cares
6. Can't Hear You
7. Not A Big Deal
8. Insignificant
9. Your Team
The Good
1. Downtown Kourtnei Brown / Touchdown Kourtnei Brown / Kourtnei Bad Bad Leroy Brown
2. The offense 50+ points two weeks in a row - 35 points in the 3rd quarter
3. Nuk Hopkins (if you have a child the Nuk should should familiar, yep that's where his nickname came from)
4. The Chad
The Bad
1. NOON KICKOFFs (just bad, bad, bad for college football)
2. Big Plays - I place the blame on safeties and cornerbacks (poor tackling and poor coverage). We have got to stop the big plays for touchdowns and big plays that lead to touchdowns.
3. Kickoffs - Have to find someone who can kick the ball into the end zone (regular kickoff guy out for the year). I appreciate the effort from Zimmerman (our punter) but he doesn't have the leg for kickoff, punting yes. 18,000 students, Dabo, send the email for open tryouts. I wouldn't complain if it was a girl - whatever make us better and kicking the ball in the end zone consistently makes us better.
Summary
As I mentioned earlier, my friend from college, Walt, went to the game with me to continue a tradition that was started after college of attending Clemson vs UNC football games. The ACC expansion caused us not to get together quite as often since Clemson and UNC are on a rotating schedule. There's a long story behind this comment but now before I attend any UNC football game with him, I must see the ticket before getting in the car to go with him (something about a UNC vs Miami game when UNC was ranked probably Top 10 and I didn't have a ticket but unknown to me he had a ticket. Me and his wife ended up with tickets to get in but no assigned seat (they were student tickets and the student sections were packed early before we got in the game and thus my rule was established). I am glad Clemson has had the upper hand the past years in football because we don't have it in basketball. We were able to expose the weakness in UNC's defense - their secondary which Taj was able to pick apart and throw touchdowns to 5 different players. No one can say we are one dimensional or stopping player x will stop the scoring. The Tiger has lost 10 pounds this year from doing pushups after each score. The 35 points in the 3rd was crazy.
Title Defense 6 Preview
It was supposed to be a match up of top ten teams but Ga. Tech is now on a two game losing streak and looking to get back on track. If history has a say in the outcome then Ga Tech will derail Clemson's BCS plans and get back on track (Last time Clemson was 8-0 and defeated UNC to get to 8-0 they lost the following week to Ga Tech - 2000). BUT as Lee Corso says "No so fast"...this Clemson team is different from the 2000 edition coached by Tammy Bowden. We have Dabo, The Chad and cast of playmakers. It's different, right? Until a new precedent is established, I keep waiting for something like this to happen (finding a way to let a certain victory slip from our hands). I keep telling myself it is different but to prove it is different you have to get it done each week and I believe that's the message Dabo is preaching to the troops - finish the job. It will be another hostile (as hostile as engineers can be) environment and another night game. Hopefully, the Danny Ford and '81 team National Championship team that was in town for last weekends events was able to shed some light on taking care of business each week to the current players. If they weren't convincing enough then they should watch the video of Oklahoma and Wisconsin games and see first hand what happens to your National Title hopes when you don't get the job done. The ranks of the unbeaten are down to the Elite 8. I hope we can walk out of Bobby Dowd Stadium on Saturday night still unbeaten...one week at a time.
Misc
1. Clemson has run 626 plays to lead the nation and The Chad says "we can run more"
2. Welcome back to the blogging world, Jenn Williams - Courtyard. I hope she stays at it. It's always a good read.
3. Dizzy Bat Baseball at a football tailgate not a good spectator sport
5. Congrats to Meghan for being name PBC Goalie of the Week - This one goes with her (2) PBC Takedowns of the Week...evidently the word is getting around the conference not to mess with Armstrong's goalie.
- 1st GOW award
- 5th Shutout of the season
- Conference Game scoreless streak 568:14 minutes (this sounds even better...her last conference goal was way back in September (9/24))
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Week 7 - Title Defense Number 4
LA and I went on the road for Week 7. We went to Lodge (just past BFE) and stayed with Wesley, Karissa, Wes, Garrett and Paige. I didn't realize they had cable that far out in the country or indoor plumbing. However, I forgot the Wesley is a BIG DEAL. The hospitality was superb (like staying at at 5 star resort), Wyatt and Aubrey had a good time playing with everyone. Since Clemson won, we might be back when Clemson is on the road when they play Georgia Tech, NC State and SC (leave a key for us since you will be in Ohio). We were in Lodge for Wes' confirmation on Sunday. Congrats to him for becoming a full member of the Lodge UMC.
I am a little late with this but better late than never. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUZIE. Wyatt wants to give you some kisses.
Clemson Vs Maryland - Title Defense 4
"...It belongs to me until there's a man that can walk the isle and do something about it....weather you like it or not I am going to be the Champ for a long time..."
Our Life College Football Poll:
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Doesn't Matter
3. Irrelevant
4. Unimportant
5. Who Cares
6. Your Team
Breaking League Expansion News
Clemson has been in invited and accepted to join the PAC 12 (where defense is an option). I said it in an earlier post, our defense might not be able to stop you but we can out score you.
The Good
1. The Deuce (Is there any question?) 345 all purpose yards breaking CJ's record (oh, and by the way, we needed every yard and point he scored for us)
2. 2nd half Tajh
3. Ellington (good running skills to get extra yards running angles to get away from defenders)
4. Never quitting - pretty sure Tammy's CU teams would have folded up the tent and got on the bus
The Bad
1. Run Defense
2. Run Defense
3. Run Defense
4. 1st half Tajh (I am not sure who the heck he was throwing the ball to for much of the 1st half...except for the one he threw directly to the MD defender)
Summary
After the first series, where Clemson scored with ease against MD, I was not worried about the offense scoring points and being able to do it quickly. I was concerned with how quick we were scoring and the defense that was getting schooled being too tired. I told you every week since we won the title belt that you get everyone's best shot (just like the Nature Boy did). We have got to get the defensive side of the ball figured out. We can't be a contender until that is fixed. We made their quarterback look like Michael Vick. It was exciting....maybe a little too much. The road isn't any easier from here on out...UNC, GTech (on the road), Wake, NC State (on the road), SC (on the road).
Chicago - The Windy City
I was in Chicago Monday night, Tuesday and left at 6pm on Wednesday for Motorola meetings. Just where everyone wants to be in October (I know the weather gets worse...which I hope I never see). For some reason when I travel with my sales team and we check in at the hotel they get the premium room and I get the closet. I am the one paying for the rooms and get the crapiest room in the hotel. For example, last year our meetings were in Ft. Lauderdale and the hotel was beachfront. Their rooms were facing the oceans with big balconies and huge glass doors and I couldn't even smell the ocean from my closet sized room facing the beautiful convention center. This year, we had all requested a king bed. Jim got his room first - king bed. We were joking about me getting the closet and I told the gentlemen helping me "no worry, he is going to upgrade me to the presidential suite". He sure did double beds "just like you requested". I said "no, I requested a king". He checked the computer and told me I was out of luck - double beds or no room. Chris was next guess what kind of bed he had - king. It wasn't a big deal but it was funny. Chris insisted we switch rooms so we were rebels and changed rooms.
When we were leaving on Wednesday, the weather had turned pretty crappy (normal for them) - 20-30mph winds and rain. I was concerned that we were going to get to stay an extra day but we weren't delayed and got of town. I would have preferred having my buddy Travis flying the plane because to be honest, it was probably the worst weather I had ever taken off in (except for the 10 degree morning trying to leave Jackson Hole, WY and the weather was good but it was cold and we had to deice 3 times.).
Misc
* Down to 10 undefeated teams
* RIP Dan Wheldon
* Get Well Soon Marcus Lattimore (crappy way to blow you knee out)
* Did you see this video? It's everywhere so I figured I would add it also. Jeremy what are the odds of this happening?
I am a little late with this but better late than never. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUZIE. Wyatt wants to give you some kisses.
Clemson Vs Maryland - Title Defense 4
"...It belongs to me until there's a man that can walk the isle and do something about it....weather you like it or not I am going to be the Champ for a long time..."
Our Life College Football Poll:
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Doesn't Matter
3. Irrelevant
4. Unimportant
5. Who Cares
6. Your Team
Breaking League Expansion News
Clemson has been in invited and accepted to join the PAC 12 (where defense is an option). I said it in an earlier post, our defense might not be able to stop you but we can out score you.
The Good
1. The Deuce (Is there any question?) 345 all purpose yards breaking CJ's record (oh, and by the way, we needed every yard and point he scored for us)
2. 2nd half Tajh
3. Ellington (good running skills to get extra yards running angles to get away from defenders)
4. Never quitting - pretty sure Tammy's CU teams would have folded up the tent and got on the bus
The Bad
1. Run Defense
2. Run Defense
3. Run Defense
4. 1st half Tajh (I am not sure who the heck he was throwing the ball to for much of the 1st half...except for the one he threw directly to the MD defender)
Summary
After the first series, where Clemson scored with ease against MD, I was not worried about the offense scoring points and being able to do it quickly. I was concerned with how quick we were scoring and the defense that was getting schooled being too tired. I told you every week since we won the title belt that you get everyone's best shot (just like the Nature Boy did). We have got to get the defensive side of the ball figured out. We can't be a contender until that is fixed. We made their quarterback look like Michael Vick. It was exciting....maybe a little too much. The road isn't any easier from here on out...UNC, GTech (on the road), Wake, NC State (on the road), SC (on the road).
Chicago - The Windy City
I was in Chicago Monday night, Tuesday and left at 6pm on Wednesday for Motorola meetings. Just where everyone wants to be in October (I know the weather gets worse...which I hope I never see). For some reason when I travel with my sales team and we check in at the hotel they get the premium room and I get the closet. I am the one paying for the rooms and get the crapiest room in the hotel. For example, last year our meetings were in Ft. Lauderdale and the hotel was beachfront. Their rooms were facing the oceans with big balconies and huge glass doors and I couldn't even smell the ocean from my closet sized room facing the beautiful convention center. This year, we had all requested a king bed. Jim got his room first - king bed. We were joking about me getting the closet and I told the gentlemen helping me "no worry, he is going to upgrade me to the presidential suite". He sure did double beds "just like you requested". I said "no, I requested a king". He checked the computer and told me I was out of luck - double beds or no room. Chris was next guess what kind of bed he had - king. It wasn't a big deal but it was funny. Chris insisted we switch rooms so we were rebels and changed rooms.
When we were leaving on Wednesday, the weather had turned pretty crappy (normal for them) - 20-30mph winds and rain. I was concerned that we were going to get to stay an extra day but we weren't delayed and got of town. I would have preferred having my buddy Travis flying the plane because to be honest, it was probably the worst weather I had ever taken off in (except for the 10 degree morning trying to leave Jackson Hole, WY and the weather was good but it was cold and we had to deice 3 times.).
Misc
* Down to 10 undefeated teams
* RIP Dan Wheldon
* Get Well Soon Marcus Lattimore (crappy way to blow you knee out)
* Did you see this video? It's everywhere so I figured I would add it also. Jeremy what are the odds of this happening?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Tale of the Tape - 3 Years and 18 Months
I am a little late posting this information but here's where Aubrey and Wyatt are after 3 years and 18 months, respectively.
Aubrey
40 inches tall (3' 4" - 75 percentile)
38 pounds (94 percentile)
Wyatt
Height: 33.5 inches tall (2' 9.5" - 77th percentile)
Weight: 28.5 pounds (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19" (72nd percentile)
This was the doctor's appointment on Thursday before Wyatt decided he didn't like (actually his body didn't like) amoxicillin.
Both are healthy and provided laughter, shaking of heads and enjoyment every day. We are blessed beyond measure with two healthy kids. We are just about out of the weeds with these two and beginning to prepare to get back in the infant mode. In the last 3 months, they are beginning to start interacting more and playing more with each other which has been fun to watch - actually it is Aubrey getting Wyatt to play dress up.
Aubrey
40 inches tall (3' 4" - 75 percentile)
38 pounds (94 percentile)
Wyatt
Height: 33.5 inches tall (2' 9.5" - 77th percentile)
Weight: 28.5 pounds (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19" (72nd percentile)
This was the doctor's appointment on Thursday before Wyatt decided he didn't like (actually his body didn't like) amoxicillin.
Both are healthy and provided laughter, shaking of heads and enjoyment every day. We are blessed beyond measure with two healthy kids. We are just about out of the weeds with these two and beginning to prepare to get back in the infant mode. In the last 3 months, they are beginning to start interacting more and playing more with each other which has been fun to watch - actually it is Aubrey getting Wyatt to play dress up.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Two Tech Giants Pass Away
In a matter of 7 days, we have lost to technological giants - Steve Jobs of Apple and Robert Galvin of Motorola. One with much press and another hardly mentioned but without the vision of both of these men no telling where we would be....don't believe me click the links and read about them.
Bob Galvin while leading Motorola lead the way for them to invent the first radios used by the military, the equipment NASA used to communicate to astronauts, the first celllular telephone system and phones (just to mention a few) that we all depend each day. Without Bob Galvin's leadership at Motorola years ahead of Steve Jobs no telling what Steve would have been able to create. Steve Jobs was pretty successful in his own right by creating everything starting and "i" in front of it that you and I have to have. I don't have an iphone but I do have an ipod and I bet you would be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't have something Apple or Motorola in their house. Both pioneers in their field and great leaders at different times.
Bob Galvin is the reason businesses like mine today are around and how Motorola has and still is able to set itself apart from it's competition because of his creation of a quality standard int the 80s that challenged America's companies to meet/exceed their overseas competitors. It was called Six Sigma. He also realized early on at Motorola that he needed a nationwide group of independent service centers to provide the service and support to Motorola's customers after the sale. The combination of local high quality service and the best products put Motorola on track to beat their competition, be the leader the communications industry and is something that continues today because of Mr. Galvin's leadership and vision.
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Galvin at a friend's 50th business anniversary which he made a point of attending even after retiring. He understood the invaluable benefit of the service shops and there contribution to the overall success of Motorola.
Rest in Peace
Bob Galvin while leading Motorola lead the way for them to invent the first radios used by the military, the equipment NASA used to communicate to astronauts, the first celllular telephone system and phones (just to mention a few) that we all depend each day. Without Bob Galvin's leadership at Motorola years ahead of Steve Jobs no telling what Steve would have been able to create. Steve Jobs was pretty successful in his own right by creating everything starting and "i" in front of it that you and I have to have. I don't have an iphone but I do have an ipod and I bet you would be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't have something Apple or Motorola in their house. Both pioneers in their field and great leaders at different times.
Bob Galvin is the reason businesses like mine today are around and how Motorola has and still is able to set itself apart from it's competition because of his creation of a quality standard int the 80s that challenged America's companies to meet/exceed their overseas competitors. It was called Six Sigma. He also realized early on at Motorola that he needed a nationwide group of independent service centers to provide the service and support to Motorola's customers after the sale. The combination of local high quality service and the best products put Motorola on track to beat their competition, be the leader the communications industry and is something that continues today because of Mr. Galvin's leadership and vision.
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Galvin at a friend's 50th business anniversary which he made a point of attending even after retiring. He understood the invaluable benefit of the service shops and there contribution to the overall success of Motorola.
Rest in Peace
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Aubrey's Dermatologist Appointment - Another Adventure
You never know what you are going to get involved in with kids. It's only been 3 years and it's been and adventure. What did we do before kids and how did we survive without all these adventures?
At Aubrey's 3 year old check up, we questioned a couple of bumps that had appeared in the corner of her left eye. Her primary doctor referred us to a dermatologist practice in North Charleston (that will remain nameless, unless you ask me in person) at Trident Hospital complex. When I scheduled the appointment, I didn't know one doctor from the rest so I took who was available. It turns out I should have done some research in advance because LA had been to this practice and mom goes to this practice. As a good parent, I looked online quickly today to see about the doctor and found nothing bad and overall good reviews about the practice. I also found out we were seeing an experienced doctor of the practice with over 31 years of experience.
Let me tell you my thoughts about how this was going to go down and then I will tell you how it actually went down.
I naively thought the doctor would look at it, give us some topical medicine and in a few weeks the bumps would be gone and it would take about 15 minutes. However, most of that is correct...Well actually all of that is correct except there were a few other steps. Having an old codger can go either way...he is either glad he made it this far and is just seeing a few patients each week to keep active or he is a go getter and is still working 60 hours a weeks, taking new patients and has lost any bedside manner that he might have ever had. So the doctor comes in and say's "I'm doctor _____ (ask LA and I in person and we will reveal his name), who's got the bumps." - not exactly a people person entrance or an entrance for someone who potentially might have to perform a procedure on their child. Aubrey sits on the examining bed and he looks at the bumps, calls them some type of cyst and says we need to remove them and walks out the room. LA and I look at each other like "whoops, this is not quite what we expected". The nurse comes in with an ice pack (this will be the extent of the numbing medicine and where they were located it is difficult to get the ice pack on them) and the doctor is back in the room in a few minutes. Aubrey is lying down on the bed/operating table (doing pretty good at this point). Dr. Personality gets a small scalpel, Aubrey turns her head and he cuts them open (she starts crying). He makes some comments about "their going to call the police because of all the crying and screaming (to be honest, I don't think she is crying as loud as I would have been). He then gets a pick and takes both cysts out (more crying and screaming, more comments - he must not have any kids or grandkids) and leaves the room to examine them under a microscope. I am not sure exactly what he was expecting from a 3 year old that is having someone cut and dig in the corner of their eye and has made her bleed. He returns and tells us they were benign and not to worry. If they reappear, he tells us to let them work themselves out. The nurse puts on some Vaseline, Aubrey got a sucker(Clemson (orange) tootsie pop) and we were out the door. So, I was right....it took about 15 minutes and Aubrey got some Vaseline. I missed out on the minor surgery (maybe not minor surgery but if I think this is major surgery, then this qualifies as minor surgery) - probably traumatizing Aubrey for every doctors visit going forward and Wyatt (he was with us eating Cheerios and generally not interested but I am sure he was taking mental notes about what was going on). I feel sorry for the next doctor that has to do something to her. I think I will skip that appointment and let LA take her. Aubrey was a champ throughout the whole process and she had recovered in about 10 minutes. We were proud of her and how big she was and because she didn't kick him in his nuts for what he did to her (actually, I was proud LA and I didn't kick him in his nuts...jackass).
It wasn't what we expected when we walked in the door to say the least and it would have been nicer if the bed side manor would have been a little better. He must have been an ER doctor(see post from last week) before getting into dermatology. He probably is the best doctor in the area and an adult male would love him (this is the problem, this is the solution and were done - no small talk) but that method isn't exactly the best for a small child. Call us before you or your child go to the dermatologist.
As a side note to the visit, we brought the average age of patients (and doctor) to about 65.
What adventure awaits us this weekend?
Update - I will give him an A on the procedure. This morning her eye is not much worse color wise than an normal day. LA, me and the doctor was were pretty she was going to have a black eye from it - because she moved but she doesn't
At Aubrey's 3 year old check up, we questioned a couple of bumps that had appeared in the corner of her left eye. Her primary doctor referred us to a dermatologist practice in North Charleston (that will remain nameless, unless you ask me in person) at Trident Hospital complex. When I scheduled the appointment, I didn't know one doctor from the rest so I took who was available. It turns out I should have done some research in advance because LA had been to this practice and mom goes to this practice. As a good parent, I looked online quickly today to see about the doctor and found nothing bad and overall good reviews about the practice. I also found out we were seeing an experienced doctor of the practice with over 31 years of experience.
Let me tell you my thoughts about how this was going to go down and then I will tell you how it actually went down.
I naively thought the doctor would look at it, give us some topical medicine and in a few weeks the bumps would be gone and it would take about 15 minutes. However, most of that is correct...Well actually all of that is correct except there were a few other steps. Having an old codger can go either way...he is either glad he made it this far and is just seeing a few patients each week to keep active or he is a go getter and is still working 60 hours a weeks, taking new patients and has lost any bedside manner that he might have ever had. So the doctor comes in and say's "I'm doctor _____ (ask LA and I in person and we will reveal his name), who's got the bumps." - not exactly a people person entrance or an entrance for someone who potentially might have to perform a procedure on their child. Aubrey sits on the examining bed and he looks at the bumps, calls them some type of cyst and says we need to remove them and walks out the room. LA and I look at each other like "whoops, this is not quite what we expected". The nurse comes in with an ice pack (this will be the extent of the numbing medicine and where they were located it is difficult to get the ice pack on them) and the doctor is back in the room in a few minutes. Aubrey is lying down on the bed/operating table (doing pretty good at this point). Dr. Personality gets a small scalpel, Aubrey turns her head and he cuts them open (she starts crying). He makes some comments about "their going to call the police because of all the crying and screaming (to be honest, I don't think she is crying as loud as I would have been). He then gets a pick and takes both cysts out (more crying and screaming, more comments - he must not have any kids or grandkids) and leaves the room to examine them under a microscope. I am not sure exactly what he was expecting from a 3 year old that is having someone cut and dig in the corner of their eye and has made her bleed. He returns and tells us they were benign and not to worry. If they reappear, he tells us to let them work themselves out. The nurse puts on some Vaseline, Aubrey got a sucker(Clemson (orange) tootsie pop) and we were out the door. So, I was right....it took about 15 minutes and Aubrey got some Vaseline. I missed out on the minor surgery (maybe not minor surgery but if I think this is major surgery, then this qualifies as minor surgery) - probably traumatizing Aubrey for every doctors visit going forward and Wyatt (he was with us eating Cheerios and generally not interested but I am sure he was taking mental notes about what was going on). I feel sorry for the next doctor that has to do something to her. I think I will skip that appointment and let LA take her. Aubrey was a champ throughout the whole process and she had recovered in about 10 minutes. We were proud of her and how big she was and because she didn't kick him in his nuts for what he did to her (actually, I was proud LA and I didn't kick him in his nuts...jackass).
It wasn't what we expected when we walked in the door to say the least and it would have been nicer if the bed side manor would have been a little better. He must have been an ER doctor(see post from last week) before getting into dermatology. He probably is the best doctor in the area and an adult male would love him (this is the problem, this is the solution and were done - no small talk) but that method isn't exactly the best for a small child. Call us before you or your child go to the dermatologist.
As a side note to the visit, we brought the average age of patients (and doctor) to about 65.
What adventure awaits us this weekend?
Update - I will give him an A on the procedure. This morning her eye is not much worse color wise than an normal day. LA, me and the doctor was were pretty she was going to have a black eye from it - because she moved but she doesn't
Title Defense 3, Homecoming @ Death Valley; Looking Ahead to Maryland
3rd Title Defense
...If you don't have a belt, you ain't nothing....Whooo!
Let's get right to the polls...there has been a shake up in spots 2 - 5:
Our Life College Football Poll:
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Doesn't Matters
3. Irrelevant
4. Unimportant
5. Who Cares
6. Your Team
LA and I decided a couple of weeks ago to take Aubrey and Wyatt to a Clemson game and decided on the Wake Forest game which also happened to be homecoming. We have had her practicing her C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S, Fight Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight.
Every morning when I would wake her up I would ask her "Where are we going on Saturday" and she would reply "Clemson Tigers". It worked out pretty good that the game was at 3. We didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn and we could still make it a day trip (long day but able to avoid a hotel stay which would be another adventure all together...you can't try to do to much at one time). We hit the road around 8am with the car loaded down with two excited Tiger Cubs and lots of snacks and drinks (what's missing for our 4 hour car ride - toys, books..etc - what rookies...but to be honest we didn't even need it). Aubrey and Wyatt both got a nap on the way up and to my surprise, we didn't even have to make a pit stop along the way. Glad I didn't bet LA that we would have to stop at least once. When we got parked, we unloaded the kids and put them in their strollers for a walk down town. It is a one mile walk up hill on a side one made for one way traffic that has two way traffic and cars waiting to take you out with your first misstep and at the narrowest part a fence waiting to grab a hand, stroller, shirt, anything to start the chain reaction of events that will put the person in the street and hit by a car. We made it and did some shopping with about 2,000 of my favorite Clemson fans and had lunch on Bowman with the kids and the homecoming "floats". The kids had a good time and enjoyed the freedom of running around while mommy and daddy took a nap in the grass on Bowman...really how far are they going to go, we have the drinks and food. (Ok, so we didn't get a nap.) We got to our seats in time for the greatest 25 seconds of Wyatt and Aubrey's life. They were excited, clapping and cheering for the Tigers. They were good for the 1st Half and started to get restless towards the end of the half. We spent halftime and part of the 3rd quarter going to the bathroom, eating dinner and playing. We returned for the end of the 3rd quarter and stayed until the end of the game. LA and I were pleased with their behavior...especially since neither of them had an afternoon nap. Back at the car, they didn't last too long before it was lights out on the way home. I would take them again and I hope they get to have many more Clemson trips.
Game Recap
The Good
1. 6-0
2. 3rd Title Belt Defense
3. Beating BC (they have been a thorn in our side since they joined the ACC)
4. Catman (FG kicker) - 5 Field Goals and All his extra points (he's not going to get a helmet sticker, yet - he has to do it every week - consistency is the gold standard for a kicker)
5. The Deuce - Sammy Watkins
6. Dwayne Allen TE
7. The Defense (when focused)
The Bad
1. Boston College
2. Tajh Boyd injury (looks like he will play this week at MD)
3. 6-0 - Everybody gets up for an undefeated team, ranked in the top 10 (especially at night, see vs Maryland)
4. Defense went to sleep a couple of possessions and gave BC 14 points
5. Offense not scoring touchdowns and settling for FGs - points on the board are important but TD are worth 4 more points and that will come back to haunt us if the trend continues...hard to complain about scoring but we had a chance to put them away early and never let them see the light of day.
Summary
We meet the first challenge of "beat the teams your supposed to beat". The road doesn't get easier from here on out. 4 of the last 6 games are on the road. As I mentioned earlier, every team want a chance to beat an undefeated team and a team ranked in the top 10. No one knows this better than Ric Flair, every week you get that teams best shot.
Did you see the sign the Tiger had before the game when they were getting ready to run down the hill - "2011 Shock The Nation Tour" and they should add "Coming To A City Near You". There are 13 teams undefeated coming into Week 7 (lost two last week). Many writers think this is the year the BCS implodes because of the 13 unbeaten teams most think that 5 or 6 could finish undefeated. And just to make sure you are clear on where I think this Tigers team is right now and the possibility of going undefeated, I realize that we could end the year 6-6. We are not in the same league as the top 3 or 4 teams right now (might not be at the end of the year but we are improving but we have to keep winning to be part of that conversation at the end of the year.).
Week 7 Preview
Maryland @ College Park
Another week against a team that has been a thorn in Clemson's side, especially under their former coach Ralph Friedgen. In 2009, we went up their and laid an egg even with CJ doing everything in his power to make a difference, including running out of his shoe. This MD has not performed as expect with All ACC quarterback returning, a new coach and new OC. Knowing MD, Clemson is just the team to get them out of their funk and turn their season around with a win. I hope Dabo can keep everyone focused and put a W on the board in a night game in a hostile environment. I asked the only MD fan I know, Jeremy, to help me out with this weeks game and answer a few questions about the game.
Misc Rumblings
*Biggest waste of space in the paper (other than all the sections except sports) - I can't even think what it is called - Page 2, top left corner of Monday's Sports page where some genius predict the score of the Clemson vs USC game if the teams played right now and give some blah, blah, blah reason why.
*Coming to a bar near you - Stephen Garcia - Reminds me of this scene in the movie "Stripes"
*The HBC (Steve Spurrier) has two new job offers and a slew of other coming in - Deflection Master for anyone looking for a misdirection play to get the media onto another topic.
*This sounds about right - Payton Manning is pushing Sony TVs and Eli Manning is pushing Samsung - Payton (before injury) probably 1st or 2nd quarterback in NFL and Eli is a middle of the pack NFL Quarterback.
*Armstrong Atlantic Pirate Soccer Update - Megan (my niece) has picked up her second yellow card of the year - evidently the team did not use the film or talk to the girl from her 1st yellow card to scout her from earlier in the year...keep laying the law down.
...If you don't have a belt, you ain't nothing....Whooo!
Let's get right to the polls...there has been a shake up in spots 2 - 5:
Our Life College Football Poll:
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Doesn't Matters
3. Irrelevant
4. Unimportant
5. Who Cares
6. Your Team
LA and I decided a couple of weeks ago to take Aubrey and Wyatt to a Clemson game and decided on the Wake Forest game which also happened to be homecoming. We have had her practicing her C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S, Fight Tigers, Fight, Fight, Fight.
Every morning when I would wake her up I would ask her "Where are we going on Saturday" and she would reply "Clemson Tigers". It worked out pretty good that the game was at 3. We didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn and we could still make it a day trip (long day but able to avoid a hotel stay which would be another adventure all together...you can't try to do to much at one time). We hit the road around 8am with the car loaded down with two excited Tiger Cubs and lots of snacks and drinks (what's missing for our 4 hour car ride - toys, books..etc - what rookies...but to be honest we didn't even need it). Aubrey and Wyatt both got a nap on the way up and to my surprise, we didn't even have to make a pit stop along the way. Glad I didn't bet LA that we would have to stop at least once. When we got parked, we unloaded the kids and put them in their strollers for a walk down town. It is a one mile walk up hill on a side one made for one way traffic that has two way traffic and cars waiting to take you out with your first misstep and at the narrowest part a fence waiting to grab a hand, stroller, shirt, anything to start the chain reaction of events that will put the person in the street and hit by a car. We made it and did some shopping with about 2,000 of my favorite Clemson fans and had lunch on Bowman with the kids and the homecoming "floats". The kids had a good time and enjoyed the freedom of running around while mommy and daddy took a nap in the grass on Bowman...really how far are they going to go, we have the drinks and food. (Ok, so we didn't get a nap.) We got to our seats in time for the greatest 25 seconds of Wyatt and Aubrey's life. They were excited, clapping and cheering for the Tigers. They were good for the 1st Half and started to get restless towards the end of the half. We spent halftime and part of the 3rd quarter going to the bathroom, eating dinner and playing. We returned for the end of the 3rd quarter and stayed until the end of the game. LA and I were pleased with their behavior...especially since neither of them had an afternoon nap. Back at the car, they didn't last too long before it was lights out on the way home. I would take them again and I hope they get to have many more Clemson trips.
 |
| Ready For The Game - Go Tigers |
 |
| Long Day - Done |
 |
| Long Day - Done |
Game Recap
The Good
1. 6-0
2. 3rd Title Belt Defense
3. Beating BC (they have been a thorn in our side since they joined the ACC)
4. Catman (FG kicker) - 5 Field Goals and All his extra points (he's not going to get a helmet sticker, yet - he has to do it every week - consistency is the gold standard for a kicker)
5. The Deuce - Sammy Watkins
6. Dwayne Allen TE
7. The Defense (when focused)
The Bad
1. Boston College
2. Tajh Boyd injury (looks like he will play this week at MD)
3. 6-0 - Everybody gets up for an undefeated team, ranked in the top 10 (especially at night, see vs Maryland)
4. Defense went to sleep a couple of possessions and gave BC 14 points
5. Offense not scoring touchdowns and settling for FGs - points on the board are important but TD are worth 4 more points and that will come back to haunt us if the trend continues...hard to complain about scoring but we had a chance to put them away early and never let them see the light of day.
Summary
We meet the first challenge of "beat the teams your supposed to beat". The road doesn't get easier from here on out. 4 of the last 6 games are on the road. As I mentioned earlier, every team want a chance to beat an undefeated team and a team ranked in the top 10. No one knows this better than Ric Flair, every week you get that teams best shot.
Did you see the sign the Tiger had before the game when they were getting ready to run down the hill - "2011 Shock The Nation Tour" and they should add "Coming To A City Near You". There are 13 teams undefeated coming into Week 7 (lost two last week). Many writers think this is the year the BCS implodes because of the 13 unbeaten teams most think that 5 or 6 could finish undefeated. And just to make sure you are clear on where I think this Tigers team is right now and the possibility of going undefeated, I realize that we could end the year 6-6. We are not in the same league as the top 3 or 4 teams right now (might not be at the end of the year but we are improving but we have to keep winning to be part of that conversation at the end of the year.).
Week 7 Preview
Maryland @ College Park
Another week against a team that has been a thorn in Clemson's side, especially under their former coach Ralph Friedgen. In 2009, we went up their and laid an egg even with CJ doing everything in his power to make a difference, including running out of his shoe. This MD has not performed as expect with All ACC quarterback returning, a new coach and new OC. Knowing MD, Clemson is just the team to get them out of their funk and turn their season around with a win. I hope Dabo can keep everyone focused and put a W on the board in a night game in a hostile environment. I asked the only MD fan I know, Jeremy, to help me out with this weeks game and answer a few questions about the game.
- What uniform combination do you expect this weekend when number 8 Clemson visits, College Park?
- I expect to see Maryland to go with black helmets, red jersey, and red pants....And while I'd like your readers to be impressed by my accuracy, I will confess that Maryland released the uniform information last night (which they do each week on Wednesday night).
- Do you have a favorite combination at this point or a combination you would like to see against Clemson?
- So far, I've liked the gold jersey w/ black helmet and black pants that they wore against Temple. Unfortunately, based on the result of that game, I doubt we'll ever see that uniform again.
- What's the atmosphere going to like in Byrd Stadium at kickoff?
- It is a night game, and it is Homecoming, so while the team hasn't been very good so far this year, I'd expect it to be a pretty good atmosphere. Not as full or loud as Death Valley can get, but for Maryland, it will likely be a little on the liquored-up/rowdy side, especially in the student section.
- Why does Maryland hate Clemson so much? I would ask about their hatred for Duke but everyone hates Duke.(except Jenn and Ross and anyone who went to school there).
- I never got the impression that Maryland hated Clemson so much. I'd put Duke, Virginia, and West Virginia way ahead of Clemson in the hatred list.
- Should the "Fridge" have been let go?
- That's the Million-Dollar question....I'm not sure the program was going to ever get to the elite level with the Fridge, but nobody has ever gotten Maryland football to that level, and he was one of the most successful coaches in the program's history, so it is a shame that it had to end like that. I think the fanbase got a little 'bored' of being in the 6-9 win range every year, and the athletic department wanted to get some new energy. Whether Edsell was the right pick for that? Too early to tell...but he hasn't helped himself out by bad-mouthing the prior coaching staff and with the loss to Temple.
- Where's the football program headed this year? Is this a rebuilding year, since you have a new coach on board and new OC?
- Sadly, the program expected to be pretty solid this year with a good young quarterback returning from a pretty solid team the year before...but O'Brian has not been as good as he was last year, so it is looking more like a rebuilding year than expected. Based on early results, I think the team would be happy making a bowl this year, when I think they had a solid chance at challenging for the Division title heading into the season.
- What the best chant that you have heard from the student section - football or basketball?
- Hmmm. Not sure if I know of any non-Rated R chants that Maryland has ever had.
- If I decided to road trip to the game, do you have any good hangouts or restaurant recommendations?
- I'm a little out of the loop of what the good hangouts and restaurants are near College Park. In general, I'd recommend venturing to other parts of the Maryland/DC area if you were really wanting to find good places to go out or eat (College Park isn't really anything special). For a nice meal, if you venture west to Bethesda, MD, or into DC toward the Georgetown area, there are plenty of good choices. For nightlife, the Adams-Morgan part of DC has always been well known as a good area to explore.
- Crabcakes or Barbeque?
- Very tough choice. Really depends on the occasion. I'm a big fan of both though. If I had to choose, I'd probably go with Barbeque...Guess I'm officially a southerner now.
- Give me your prediction for the game.
- I'm a homer...Despite there being no evidence that the Terps should win this game, I think they'll find a way of somehow winning an ugly game. Maryland 24, Clemson 20
Misc Rumblings
*Biggest waste of space in the paper (other than all the sections except sports) - I can't even think what it is called - Page 2, top left corner of Monday's Sports page where some genius predict the score of the Clemson vs USC game if the teams played right now and give some blah, blah, blah reason why.
*Coming to a bar near you - Stephen Garcia - Reminds me of this scene in the movie "Stripes"
*The HBC (Steve Spurrier) has two new job offers and a slew of other coming in - Deflection Master for anyone looking for a misdirection play to get the media onto another topic.
*This sounds about right - Payton Manning is pushing Sony TVs and Eli Manning is pushing Samsung - Payton (before injury) probably 1st or 2nd quarterback in NFL and Eli is a middle of the pack NFL Quarterback.
*Armstrong Atlantic Pirate Soccer Update - Megan (my niece) has picked up her second yellow card of the year - evidently the team did not use the film or talk to the girl from her 1st yellow card to scout her from earlier in the year...keep laying the law down.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Rewind Two Weeks to Current: A Big Announcement From I'm Just Sayin'; Clemson Football, and A Trip To MUSC
It amazing how much blogging piles up on you when you miss one post and then life happens which leads to missing another post and another post. I've got a lot of catching up to do. Let's jump in the time machine and go back two weeks and see what's happened. You don't want to miss this one. Some of those that read this while at work, might want to get some work done before starting reading...this is probably going to be a long one.
Before we get started...A brief important message
I am calling on all the "Our Life" readers to make a difference and get Greg back in the Top 5. He is about $300 behind and is $220 from his goal. Let's make a difference...Click the link below to give.
My friend, Greg, over at "I'm Just Sayin" is raising money for an important cause - ending Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that I know first hand about. My maternal grandmother died of Alzheimer's. If you never have to go through that disease it would be a blessing. It robbed her of her memory and left her with a blank stare and she ended up spending her last daysliving existing in a nursing home. Help Greg with this great cause and click here to donate or go here and click on the link on his blog. Let's help him reach his goal and be the number 1 fund raiser (he currently is number 5).
Big Announcement From I'm Just Sayin'
There were a lot of rumors and stories circulating about another baby in the Carter household but I could not confirm or deny them until I was certain and if you've been reading this blog since its inception with Baby 1 - Aubrey, you know that I am not real confident in the pregnancy tests and the doctors office seems to take you on your word and hand you a bag of stuff and congratulate you. It becomes the real deal at 10 weeks when you have your first ultrasound (more on that later). When their was a possibility of LA being pregnant, I started shopping the story with the news media and after a couple of weeks of negotiations, I signed a deal with I'm Just Sayin' for exclusive rights to the biggest story from Our Life in 2011. You can read the 1st official announcement of Baby 3 here on our favorite blog I'm Just Sayin'.
I knew we shouldn't have organized/hosted the preparty/gone to the Babypoloza 2011/Hootie and The Blowfish concert...(actually LA found out that morning that she was el prego and I want to go on the record as saying that should explain a lot of the nights events...I'm Just Sayin')
The number 3...
*The Beatles said One was the loneliest number...You know two is company and three is a crowd (or is it Three's Company).
*I am going to give a shout out to Jeremy for predicting this pretty early in 2011 after a post titled 3 (check out the first comment from WinthropEagleFan and it's probably the funniest comment on Our Life to date).
*To be honest were not trying to keep up with the Jones but we are trying to keep up with the Horreses (we couldn't let them travel down this road alone...well we could have but we like Jenn and Greg too much and they made it look so easy)
*It probably was the peer pressure in Sunday School that caused us to cave.
*It really was a financial decision. I have talked about economies of scale with kids and the cost of having kids continues to decrease the more you have...since after having a boy and girl, we can finally now realize even more savings than when Wyatt was born.
*It pretty funny how quickly the talk went from "when are you having another" to "do you want a boy or a girl". I can honestly say that "I didn't care with the first two and I don't care this time". We want a healthy baby - boy or girl. We have been blessed with one of each and they both are different but I wouldn't trade either one for a different model.
*The second most asked question is "Are you find out what your having?" LA and I are in negotiations about finding out what we are having. I am all for finding out on number 3 and LA is still on the keep it a mystery. The first two I was fine not finding out but our house isn't exactly built for 3 and some room sharing is going to have to take place. I think it would be nice to know so we can begin preparing for whatever changes are going to have to take place (even if we don't start them until after the baby is born). We have about 8 weeks to debate this topic. I will keep you posted.
*After the Horreses took our record "You Do Know Where Babies Come From Don't You" and created a new category "Try Going To A Movie Every Now and Then". I am pretty sure that is a Providence record - taking two titles at one time. But I am pretty sure we will smash that record. The projected record will stand at 3 years, 7 months, 17 days. For now I hope the Horreses enjoy their dual titles.
*I agree with Greg and I think a few more movies are in our future and we would like to watch more movies but we never know what to watch. We are looking forward to I'm Just Sayin's movie list countdown (If you want to postpone it for about 14 months that would be fine with us, we will be out of commission until then anyway).
We have had our 1st ultrasound and I am now a believer that baby 3 is officially on the way. Greg and I think that the pictures from the first ultrasound are stock photos that all doctors use. You would think that after two of these I would be better at it but I struggle when the ultrasound tech is pointing out hands, head, feet etc...I usually just say "Oh, yea, I see it" so I don't look so stupid...maybe I have to "unfocus" my eyes to be able to see everything. Here's the pictures...maybe someone can point everything out to me.
Clemson Vs Florida State Recap
This was a big game for Clemson.
( I would recommend muting the sound)
Summary
I road tripped to Clemson with my friend Travis. I owe him a big thank you for the Beaufort Boil/Frogmore Stew. It was delicious and was the perfect pre game meal for champions and a title belt defense against FSU. We pretty much stood up the entire game and cheered/yelled the Tigers to victory. It was a BIG win for the schizophrenic Tigers of the past who would beat a Goliath opponent and then lose a game to an inferior team. I am not convinced it's behind us (and won't be until we beat BC, Maryland, Wake Forest and Duke (when we play them). Death Valley was electric and it was awesome to be there. There is nothing like Death Valley when the entire stadium is creating a hostile environment for the opponent. It's how Death Valley is meant to be every week and I give Dabo credit for putting some life back in the Death Valley and for putting a little swagger back in the Tigers football program (were not all the way back but could be on the way). A tough test is still before us...a trip to Blacksburg, VA. Hopefully, Dabo has some magic up his sleeve.
I am fast becoming a Chad Morris fan. On challenging and pushing the offensive players he said (paraphrasing)...I don't care if they don't like me. I don't need them to like me. I don't need any friends that are 18 years old.
The defense has to find a way to play and entire 60 minutes and not continue to give up the big plays.
By the way, we defended the Title Belt on our 1st week. bring on Virginia Tech and as Nature Boy says
Everyone has been asking about last weeks Our Life football pole so here it is:
Our Life College Football Poll
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Who Cares
3. Doesn't Matter
4. Irrelevant
5. Unimportant
6. Your Team
Just Another Ordinary Saturday
LA went out of town for the evening last Friday night with the girls to celebrate with Meg her upcoming wedding with Stuart. I am fully capable of taking care of the kids and decided that unless the house was burning down, we were involved in a horrific accident or I was going to the emergency room with one of the kids, I wasn't calling LA and if I was going to the emergency room for me, I wasn't calling her either because Aubrey knows the number to 911:
Me: What's the number you call in case of an emergency?
Aubrey: 9-1-1-1-1
Me: Close, it's 9-1-1
Aubrey: Right, 9-9-1-1-1
Me: Close, it just one 9 and two 1's
Aubrey: Huh, 1-9-2-1-1
Me: No, just 9-1-1
Aubrey: Right, 9-1-1 long pause 1
Me: God, I hope I never need her to call 9-1-1
Anyway, it was me and kids for the evening and Saturday morning and afternoon. We ate dinner, went grocery shopping (so mommy wouldn't have to go during the week since daddy was going to be in Nashville for work - Monday evening - Friday afternoon), made an awesome tent and generally had a great evening. I even remembered to give Wyatt his medicine (amoxicillin) that I had forgot earlier in the morning. He was on day 9 and only had two more doses left (Friday night and Saturday morning). Around 7:30/8:00 the kids were in bed and I was on the sofa relaxing watching college football. We still have the monitor in Wyatt's room hooked up. I don't know why, we just do. Around midnight, I woke up on the sofa and went to bed. I noticed Wyatt was fussy and I went in his room and made sure he had his pacifier. He didn't so I gave it to him. Over the next 4 hours, I was awoken about every other hour by Wyatt fussing. I checked on him around 2 and give him his pacifier back and at 4 when he woke me up, I decided that his teeth must be hurting him (he currently has four teeth and is getting the rest of them all at one time) so I went downstairs and got some Motrin and give him a dose to make him feel better. I didn't turn the light on in his room because that would be too bright and wake him up (and honestly 4am is even a little early for me any day, especially on Sat). The Motrin did the trick and I didn't hear from him again until around 7:30/8 when Aubrey was also waking up. After getting Aubrey situated, we went to wake up Wyatt. I picked up Wyatt from the crib and looked and him and he has a rash all over him, checked his temp (normal) and I wondered what was going on. I immediately think he is having a reaction to the shots he got at his 18 month appointment - Hep A and/or Flu vaccine shot that he got on Thursday. We go downstairs and I find the info sheets about possible reactions and it doesn't fit what's going on with him and I called the doctor's office answering service (AS)
AS: Plantation Pediatrics Answering Service, How can I help you?
Me: I need to speak to the on call doctor
AS: Peds Plus opens up at 11:00
Me: If I wanted to take my son to Peds Plus at 11, I wouldn't have called you. It's 8:00am and need to speak to the on call doctor
AS: I will have the on call doctor call you
I talked to the on call doctor and his initial diagnosis was something viral. The reaction took too long for start for it to be the shots from Thursday. The rash bumps would blanch out when pressed (turn white, then return red...I assume this is a good thing) and told me watch it and if it got worse to call him back or go to Peds Plus. Nana Von had CJ and Everett and they were going to see The Lion King in 3D and I took Aubrey to theater to meet up with them and asked Nana to look at Wyatt and what she thought. She said he had measles...I was a little skeptical but agreed with her that he needed to go see a doctor. I stopped by the house and loaded up with milk, cheerios, and toys to pass the time by for what I assumed would be a quick trip to West Ashley and home in time for the Clemson game at 3:30....Wyatt had another plan.
I started the blow by blow description of the rest of the weekend but have now decided that a condensed bullet point version will be much quick and to the point...her we go
With everything going on with Wyatt I missed the game. So my recap will be short. Impressive victory in Blacksburg. It wasn't perfect but the defense stepped up and limited the big plays and the longest run was only 18 yards. The offense does what it does best - score points.
We still have the belt. 2nd Title Defense....Wooooo! "The bottom line is you walk down the isle and you win! Woooo!"
Our Life College Football Poll
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Who Cares
3. Doesn't Matter
4. Irrelevant
5. Unimportant
6. Your Team
We ran the gauntlet and emerged with our head, arms and legs still intact which I wouldn't have thought possible at the beginning of the season. Now is the challenge for this year's Clemson team - beat the teams you are supposed to beat and show no mercy.
Paraphrase of the week from The Chad: If you not going to work at practice, I've got a size 12 that will go up your backside.
Misc Thoughts
*NEVER, NEVER let you kids go to any public bathroom without shoes. I am the least germophobic person I know and I think that is disgusting. I have watched it happen at Little Gym on multiple occasions when a child needs to go to the bathroom during the session. I even watched an adult go in one time without shoes. Think People!!!
*Summerville lost to West Ashley last weekend on a field goal by a girl. Congrats to her...I was surprised there wasn't a roughing the kicker by Summerville...and more surprised the Coach McKissick didn't 1) die on the field or 2)retire immediately. This proves my theory that he will die on the sidelines and immediately be buried beneath the S on the 50 yard line and the game will continue.
*Greg from I'm Just Sayin will be sitting on the 50 yard line tonight at Memorial Stadium pulling for the JI Trojans - I have instructed him to cheer internally and to sent a picture of his attire before going. He is going into the belly of the beast and I don't want him to get hurt. Have fun tonight and Go Greenwave! Oh and as a special treat it is homecoming.
*You need to read this post from I'm Just Sayin'...it could be the funniest thing I have ever read, about 1/2 way down about the center and quarterback - I decided to copy it into this post.
From I'm Just Sayin' - Greg Horres
Did you know that McKissick never used the Shotgun formation until my good friend Danny made the team as a Center? Legend has it that one year at Sertoma after Danny got into the game, the Green Wave had 5 straight false starts by the young Center. McKissick called timeout and had young Danny come over to the sidelines for a chat. While there is no formal record of what was said that fateful night, I believe it went something like this:
Coach: “Son, what seems to be the problem out there?”
Danny (in a wavering, slightly high voice): “Coach, the QB keeps touching me”.
Coach: “Now Danny, that’s how you play the game. The QB puts his hands under the Center”.
Danny: “I know Coach… but he’s got his top hand turned the wrong way! Can’t he just stand a few yards behind me?”
Coach: “Alright, son… I guess that’s probably a good idea”.
Before we get started...A brief important message
I am calling on all the "Our Life" readers to make a difference and get Greg back in the Top 5. He is about $300 behind and is $220 from his goal. Let's make a difference...Click the link below to give.
My friend, Greg, over at "I'm Just Sayin" is raising money for an important cause - ending Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that I know first hand about. My maternal grandmother died of Alzheimer's. If you never have to go through that disease it would be a blessing. It robbed her of her memory and left her with a blank stare and she ended up spending her last days
Big Announcement From I'm Just Sayin'
There were a lot of rumors and stories circulating about another baby in the Carter household but I could not confirm or deny them until I was certain and if you've been reading this blog since its inception with Baby 1 - Aubrey, you know that I am not real confident in the pregnancy tests and the doctors office seems to take you on your word and hand you a bag of stuff and congratulate you. It becomes the real deal at 10 weeks when you have your first ultrasound (more on that later). When their was a possibility of LA being pregnant, I started shopping the story with the news media and after a couple of weeks of negotiations, I signed a deal with I'm Just Sayin' for exclusive rights to the biggest story from Our Life in 2011. You can read the 1st official announcement of Baby 3 here on our favorite blog I'm Just Sayin'.
I knew we shouldn't have organized/hosted the preparty/gone to the Babypoloza 2011/Hootie and The Blowfish concert...(actually LA found out that morning that she was el prego and I want to go on the record as saying that should explain a lot of the nights events...I'm Just Sayin')
The number 3...
*The Beatles said One was the loneliest number...You know two is company and three is a crowd (or is it Three's Company).
*I am going to give a shout out to Jeremy for predicting this pretty early in 2011 after a post titled 3 (check out the first comment from WinthropEagleFan and it's probably the funniest comment on Our Life to date).
*To be honest were not trying to keep up with the Jones but we are trying to keep up with the Horreses (we couldn't let them travel down this road alone...well we could have but we like Jenn and Greg too much and they made it look so easy)
*It probably was the peer pressure in Sunday School that caused us to cave.
*It really was a financial decision. I have talked about economies of scale with kids and the cost of having kids continues to decrease the more you have...since after having a boy and girl, we can finally now realize even more savings than when Wyatt was born.
*It pretty funny how quickly the talk went from "when are you having another" to "do you want a boy or a girl". I can honestly say that "I didn't care with the first two and I don't care this time". We want a healthy baby - boy or girl. We have been blessed with one of each and they both are different but I wouldn't trade either one for a different model.
*The second most asked question is "Are you find out what your having?" LA and I are in negotiations about finding out what we are having. I am all for finding out on number 3 and LA is still on the keep it a mystery. The first two I was fine not finding out but our house isn't exactly built for 3 and some room sharing is going to have to take place. I think it would be nice to know so we can begin preparing for whatever changes are going to have to take place (even if we don't start them until after the baby is born). We have about 8 weeks to debate this topic. I will keep you posted.
*After the Horreses took our record "You Do Know Where Babies Come From Don't You" and created a new category "Try Going To A Movie Every Now and Then". I am pretty sure that is a Providence record - taking two titles at one time. But I am pretty sure we will smash that record. The projected record will stand at 3 years, 7 months, 17 days. For now I hope the Horreses enjoy their dual titles.
*I agree with Greg and I think a few more movies are in our future and we would like to watch more movies but we never know what to watch. We are looking forward to I'm Just Sayin's movie list countdown (If you want to postpone it for about 14 months that would be fine with us, we will be out of commission until then anyway).
We have had our 1st ultrasound and I am now a believer that baby 3 is officially on the way. Greg and I think that the pictures from the first ultrasound are stock photos that all doctors use. You would think that after two of these I would be better at it but I struggle when the ultrasound tech is pointing out hands, head, feet etc...I usually just say "Oh, yea, I see it" so I don't look so stupid...maybe I have to "unfocus" my eyes to be able to see everything. Here's the pictures...maybe someone can point everything out to me.
Clemson Vs Florida State Recap
This was a big game for Clemson.
- 1st Title Belt Defense - When you have the belt you get everyone's best shot.
- 2nd ranked opponent to visit Death Valley
- Game 2 of Murder's Row (1-0) - Auburn, Florida St, Virginia Tech
- DEATH VALLEY was ROCKIN
- The Deuce - Sammy Watkins
- Dwayne Allen - Quality Tight End
- Rennie Moore - Sack of QB on last drive to seal victory
- Defense answering the bell
- 9/17 on 3rd down
- 2-0 of 3 game stretch
- Defense - still giving up the big plays; 336 yards to a freshman quarterback
- Secondary - let's call Sensabaugh "toast"
- Virgina Tech on the road in Blacksburg...where teams go to die and where we were slaughtered on our last visit
( I would recommend muting the sound)
Summary
I road tripped to Clemson with my friend Travis. I owe him a big thank you for the Beaufort Boil/Frogmore Stew. It was delicious and was the perfect pre game meal for champions and a title belt defense against FSU. We pretty much stood up the entire game and cheered/yelled the Tigers to victory. It was a BIG win for the schizophrenic Tigers of the past who would beat a Goliath opponent and then lose a game to an inferior team. I am not convinced it's behind us (and won't be until we beat BC, Maryland, Wake Forest and Duke (when we play them). Death Valley was electric and it was awesome to be there. There is nothing like Death Valley when the entire stadium is creating a hostile environment for the opponent. It's how Death Valley is meant to be every week and I give Dabo credit for putting some life back in the Death Valley and for putting a little swagger back in the Tigers football program (were not all the way back but could be on the way). A tough test is still before us...a trip to Blacksburg, VA. Hopefully, Dabo has some magic up his sleeve.
I am fast becoming a Chad Morris fan. On challenging and pushing the offensive players he said (paraphrasing)...I don't care if they don't like me. I don't need them to like me. I don't need any friends that are 18 years old.
The defense has to find a way to play and entire 60 minutes and not continue to give up the big plays.
By the way, we defended the Title Belt on our 1st week. bring on Virginia Tech and as Nature Boy says
Everyone has been asking about last weeks Our Life football pole so here it is:
Our Life College Football Poll
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Who Cares
3. Doesn't Matter
4. Irrelevant
5. Unimportant
6. Your Team
Just Another Ordinary Saturday
LA went out of town for the evening last Friday night with the girls to celebrate with Meg her upcoming wedding with Stuart. I am fully capable of taking care of the kids and decided that unless the house was burning down, we were involved in a horrific accident or I was going to the emergency room with one of the kids, I wasn't calling LA and if I was going to the emergency room for me, I wasn't calling her either because Aubrey knows the number to 911:
Me: What's the number you call in case of an emergency?
Aubrey: 9-1-1-1-1
Me: Close, it's 9-1-1
Aubrey: Right, 9-9-1-1-1
Me: Close, it just one 9 and two 1's
Aubrey: Huh, 1-9-2-1-1
Me: No, just 9-1-1
Aubrey: Right, 9-1-1 long pause 1
Me: God, I hope I never need her to call 9-1-1
Anyway, it was me and kids for the evening and Saturday morning and afternoon. We ate dinner, went grocery shopping (so mommy wouldn't have to go during the week since daddy was going to be in Nashville for work - Monday evening - Friday afternoon), made an awesome tent and generally had a great evening. I even remembered to give Wyatt his medicine (amoxicillin) that I had forgot earlier in the morning. He was on day 9 and only had two more doses left (Friday night and Saturday morning). Around 7:30/8:00 the kids were in bed and I was on the sofa relaxing watching college football. We still have the monitor in Wyatt's room hooked up. I don't know why, we just do. Around midnight, I woke up on the sofa and went to bed. I noticed Wyatt was fussy and I went in his room and made sure he had his pacifier. He didn't so I gave it to him. Over the next 4 hours, I was awoken about every other hour by Wyatt fussing. I checked on him around 2 and give him his pacifier back and at 4 when he woke me up, I decided that his teeth must be hurting him (he currently has four teeth and is getting the rest of them all at one time) so I went downstairs and got some Motrin and give him a dose to make him feel better. I didn't turn the light on in his room because that would be too bright and wake him up (and honestly 4am is even a little early for me any day, especially on Sat). The Motrin did the trick and I didn't hear from him again until around 7:30/8 when Aubrey was also waking up. After getting Aubrey situated, we went to wake up Wyatt. I picked up Wyatt from the crib and looked and him and he has a rash all over him, checked his temp (normal) and I wondered what was going on. I immediately think he is having a reaction to the shots he got at his 18 month appointment - Hep A and/or Flu vaccine shot that he got on Thursday. We go downstairs and I find the info sheets about possible reactions and it doesn't fit what's going on with him and I called the doctor's office answering service (AS)
AS: Plantation Pediatrics Answering Service, How can I help you?
Me: I need to speak to the on call doctor
AS: Peds Plus opens up at 11:00
Me: If I wanted to take my son to Peds Plus at 11, I wouldn't have called you. It's 8:00am and need to speak to the on call doctor
AS: I will have the on call doctor call you
I talked to the on call doctor and his initial diagnosis was something viral. The reaction took too long for start for it to be the shots from Thursday. The rash bumps would blanch out when pressed (turn white, then return red...I assume this is a good thing) and told me watch it and if it got worse to call him back or go to Peds Plus. Nana Von had CJ and Everett and they were going to see The Lion King in 3D and I took Aubrey to theater to meet up with them and asked Nana to look at Wyatt and what she thought. She said he had measles...I was a little skeptical but agreed with her that he needed to go see a doctor. I stopped by the house and loaded up with milk, cheerios, and toys to pass the time by for what I assumed would be a quick trip to West Ashley and home in time for the Clemson game at 3:30....Wyatt had another plan.
I started the blow by blow description of the rest of the weekend but have now decided that a condensed bullet point version will be much quick and to the point...her we go
- Peds Plus is a service that St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley offers for after hours and weekends when you need/want to see a pediatrician about your child and not an ER doctor (nothing against an ER doctor but they aren't pediatricians, obviously). LA and I have taken Aubrey there once and was pleased with the service. Our doctors at Plantation Pediatrics (I have not been paid to say this - I wouldn't take my kids anywhere else - Dr Traynham and Vasko are top notch and the other doctors in the practice are excellent also) also rotate shifts at Peds Plus and Dr. Kornegay was working. He took a look at Wyatt and wasn't sure what to think except that he was having some sort of allergic reaction/covered in hives from his thighs to his head and his ears were the color of a fire truck (but he still didn't have a fever) or had something viral and wasn't sure if this was the first step of anaphylactic shock and the next step was some important organ shutting down. He noticed some wheezing and Wyatt pulling deep for his breaths. He wanted to get some treatment for Wyatt fast so he transferred us to the ER (we bypassed the completely full ER waiting room) so we could get some meds started to treat the symptoms and monitor his status to make sure it doesn't worsen and he indicated that they would probably transfer Wyatt to MUSC for observation once they felt the reaction was over.
- In the ER I answered countless questions about what was causing the outbreak...new soap at the house, new detergent, new sheets....blah, blah, blah, the answer is no, no, no - we don't like change and for the last 3 years everything has been the same - soap, diapers, wipes, shampoo, clothes...etc. I am thinking you are going to have come up with a better source because you are barking up the wrong tree
- Here's why I like Peds Plus - Dr K heard wheezing (mild not severe) and the ER nurse listens to Wyatt and says"I don't hear any wheezing, the doctor must have good ears" (and that's why you specialize in ER care and not peds...just my opinion)
- Wyatt got Benadryl and a steriod orally
- After about 30 minutes the fun began. Wyatt was laying on my chest and I was reclined on the bed when he fired a warning shot - a burp. It was followed by a cough and him throwing up (on my shoulder) and somehow I forgot he golden rule of kids throwing up...It come it twos. I sat him forward and put him on the bed between my legs evidently, so I could catch the second one in my lap (remember, I forgot this one was coming) which I did to perfection - my lap and shirt. Of course the 20 people in the room, when we arrived are now no where to be found when you need some help.
- Bad news for Wyatt throwing up was a good idea because now they are coming back with same medicine but this time with needles and remember what I said about this ER vs Peds - It's all business in the ER. "Dad hold your arm across his pelvis and keep his hands away".
- Another 30 minutes passes and nothing has changed (except that I am wearing throw-up shorts that smell terrible...terrible I said) still has the hives. The nurse did give me a paper hospital shirt which was nice a way of saying "you stink". The ER doctor doesn't like the progress and decides to take the next step a shot of epinephrine.
- LA arrives about 3.5 hours into this ordeal and walks in the door and says "Oh, my goodness, it smells terrible in here." I had talked to her on the way down to Peds Plus and brought her up to speed on what was happening. She had called when she got the house and I asked her to bring some additional clothes for me and Wyatt.
- LA also has a rash that she woke up with Saturday morning. We don't know what caused hers...but Adrian was a little nervous after sleeping in the same bed as LA. I am calling it a sympathetic rash.
- The hives are not raised as much when LA arrives and the ER doctor has decided to transfer us to the big house - Children's Hospital at MUSC
- As soon as I thought there was a chance of going to MUSC, I texted Danny and Jenn to request the Providence Presidential Suite and the good looking nurses (just kidding about the nurses). We even did better than the Providence Presidential Suite and got the corner Providence Presidential Suite...almost double the size of most of the rooms on the hall which turned out to be just what we needed. It had Wyatt's bed/crib and two sofas (they were a little dated and not the most uncomfortable but they got the job done and I didn't have to sleep in a chair or the infamous chair/bed like when Aubrey and Wyatt were born.)
- If your going to MUSC Children's Hospital, make sure your on floor 7 and the 7A wing. You are in good hands from that point forward. Jenn manages a top notch group of nurses and they took exceptionally good care of us (it didn't hurt telling them that I had Jenn number on speed dial and I was calling Jenn if anything got screwed up).
- Wyatt hives/rash over the next 2 days (Sat night and Sun/Mon) appear for 15 to 30 minutes and then disappear. The nurses are baffled and each new nurse says the same thing "Never seen this before".
- So it's the weekend on Saturday evening we see a resident and a Dr and they both think it an allergic reaction to something - see list above that I had already answered no to each question. The course of action is treat the symptoms and monitor Wyatt's breathing to make sure it doesn't worsen during a reaction.
- After a breakout at 12:30am on Sunday morning and another one after waking up on Sunday morning, the resident is now thinking it is viral because of the length of time it has lasted and he has been in contact with anything to cause an allergic reaction - good job Shurlock. Stay the course treat the symptoms and monitor him...no need for blood work or checking his mucus - it's viral and there are over 3000 viral infections and there are only tests for a handful.
- On Sunday morning, Wyatt has a breakout and starts to wheeze mildly and respiratory therapy checks him out and decides he needs a breathing treatment. LA needs to go home to get us some stuff and we figure this would be a good time. I was wrong. I now have kid hopped up on meds - steroids, albuterol and benadryl and he is climbing all over me and generally can't sit still. I tried getting him to take a nap and he was like a caged animal in that crib. It reminded me of the scene in Talladega Nights - i'm gonna come at you like a spider money...I'm all jacked up on mountain dew...that was Wyatt a spider all jacked up on meds. When LA returned about 2.5 hours later, she observed Wyatt for a few minutes and asked if he had been like this the whole time she was gone...Yep. It lasted for about 4 hours.
- A big thank you to Danny and Jenn for the toys for Wyatt and the care bag with lots of nice treats that came in handy. Danny tempted fate and even played and touched Wyatt even when we weren't sure what he had. That's what I like about Danny, he jumps in feet first.
- The floor and hospital came to life Monday at 7am. People were everywhere, elevators were crowded and people seemed busy. Greg I would recommend getting a job somewhere in the hospital and not offsite like you are now. I am pretty sure there are a number of people that have just been lost in the system and they get paid to just roam the halls.
- We saw a different attending Dr on Monday morning with the rest of the team of residents and students and after about 3 minutes of looking at Wyatt and his rash and the remains of the rash from Saturday that had gone from red on Sat, to purple on Sun, to brown on Monday morning - she said we need to get dermatology to look at the rash and she if a biopsy is necessary and what they think; have a nasal swap taken to rule out any of those possibilities; and standard blood work plus any blood work dermatology might want. It appeared to us that the course of action was to stabilize and treat symptoms as long as he doesn't get worse until Monday when everyone came back to work...I might be wrong but that's what it seemed.
- So dermatology makes a visit and within 5 minutes they diagnosis Wyatt with serum sickness like reaction to amoxicillin. Evidently, it had built up in his system since this was at least the 3rd time he had taken it and something triggered the reaction. So no more penicillin type drugs for Wyatt.
- Before we can leave the hospital, we have to instructed on how to use an epi pen because had a reaction, we now get to carry one with us where ever we go - just as a precaution. I went and got the meds (steroid, benadryl, and epi pen jr two pack with practice epi pen). The resident pharm and pharm student walks in the room after what was forever waiting and says "I understand that you had some questions about some meds." My response was "no, we can read the bottles on the meds and find 5ml on the syringe. We can't leave until YOU show us how to use the epi pen...mainly when and where". We tell him we have figured out the epi pen with the directions and the practice pen. He replies with a deer in the headlights look "I am going to need to make sure this is the right medicine and dose and I will be right back." as he takes the epi pens, the instructions and practice pen. He walk out and LA and I look at each other and both say "He doesn't have a clue and probably has never seen an epi pen". After another hour passes (I am about to spider monkey on someone. We are not splitting an atom. It's just and epi pen) he reappears with the phar MD, and reads the instructions he had printed off the internet on how to use the pen to us...LA and I were both like "we can read, dummy". How about when to administer and where? After finding when and where in the instructions, reading it to us and highlighting it for us we could finally leave the hospital. We new as much before he walked in the door as when we left.
- We followed up with our Dr on Tuesday and he agreed with the diagnosis and said Wyatt was only the second case of serum sickness like reaction he had ever scene. After about a week, we will follow up with an allergist to do some additional testing to see if we need to be on the lookout for anything else...we are praying it is just penicillin based drugs.
- It was a long couple of days but our care by Jenn's team of nurses was exceptional and fortunately his reaction was never life threatening. It was more perplexing than anything. It is good to know the cause because for awhile it didn't look like we were going to find out.
- I am anxiously awaiting the cost of this little episode. I am probably going to break open Wyatt's piggy bank to help pay for our mini vacation downtown Charleston in the Providence Presidential Suite. I am pretty sure we didn't get a free night for staying one night....excuse me Michael, I need to get a small loan.
- Pretty sure girls weekends are officially over.
- Need to give a shout out to everyone for their prayers, texts and calls. It was appreciated more than you know. Thanks to Nanny for spoiling Aubrey for a couple of days. Pretty sure she missed but not a whole lot - Aubrey as we are leaving Nanny's house "Why can't I sleep at Nanny's house tonight" (Me - "Because you have your own bed at your house"). Jenn W you rock! However, I hope I never have to see you at work again or call for the Providence Presidential Suite.
With everything going on with Wyatt I missed the game. So my recap will be short. Impressive victory in Blacksburg. It wasn't perfect but the defense stepped up and limited the big plays and the longest run was only 18 yards. The offense does what it does best - score points.
We still have the belt. 2nd Title Defense....Wooooo! "The bottom line is you walk down the isle and you win! Woooo!"
Our Life College Football Poll
1. Clemson (Title Belt Holder)
2. Who Cares
3. Doesn't Matter
4. Irrelevant
5. Unimportant
6. Your Team
We ran the gauntlet and emerged with our head, arms and legs still intact which I wouldn't have thought possible at the beginning of the season. Now is the challenge for this year's Clemson team - beat the teams you are supposed to beat and show no mercy.
Paraphrase of the week from The Chad: If you not going to work at practice, I've got a size 12 that will go up your backside.
Misc Thoughts
*NEVER, NEVER let you kids go to any public bathroom without shoes. I am the least germophobic person I know and I think that is disgusting. I have watched it happen at Little Gym on multiple occasions when a child needs to go to the bathroom during the session. I even watched an adult go in one time without shoes. Think People!!!
*Summerville lost to West Ashley last weekend on a field goal by a girl. Congrats to her...I was surprised there wasn't a roughing the kicker by Summerville...and more surprised the Coach McKissick didn't 1) die on the field or 2)retire immediately. This proves my theory that he will die on the sidelines and immediately be buried beneath the S on the 50 yard line and the game will continue.
*Greg from I'm Just Sayin will be sitting on the 50 yard line tonight at Memorial Stadium pulling for the JI Trojans - I have instructed him to cheer internally and to sent a picture of his attire before going. He is going into the belly of the beast and I don't want him to get hurt. Have fun tonight and Go Greenwave! Oh and as a special treat it is homecoming.
*You need to read this post from I'm Just Sayin'...it could be the funniest thing I have ever read, about 1/2 way down about the center and quarterback - I decided to copy it into this post.
From I'm Just Sayin' - Greg Horres
Did you know that McKissick never used the Shotgun formation until my good friend Danny made the team as a Center? Legend has it that one year at Sertoma after Danny got into the game, the Green Wave had 5 straight false starts by the young Center. McKissick called timeout and had young Danny come over to the sidelines for a chat. While there is no formal record of what was said that fateful night, I believe it went something like this:
Coach: “Son, what seems to be the problem out there?”
Danny (in a wavering, slightly high voice): “Coach, the QB keeps touching me”.
Coach: “Now Danny, that’s how you play the game. The QB puts his hands under the Center”.
Danny: “I know Coach… but he’s got his top hand turned the wrong way! Can’t he just stand a few yards behind me?”
Coach: “Alright, son… I guess that’s probably a good idea”.
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