A Weekend in Atchi-town

Parents Weekend was this weekend at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Sooooooo, Kelly and I went to visit Meredith and watch her play soccer.

Last year I enlarged a fairly grotesque photograph of Meredith's face and pasted it to a paper plate and affixed it to a stick, cut out eye holes and a mouth and waved it around during the game and pretty much made an ass of myself with it--it was fun. On Thursday Meredith called to ask what I was doing this year because it had been a subject of discussion. I told her I hadn't planned anything and she said, "oh yeah, like I believe that." Oh CRAP, I really hadn't planned anything.

Fortunately, when I was Michigan at the Dunegrass Festival (heavy emphasis on the grass for most of the other festival goers, not me) I was feeling waaaaaay too normal, so I spent $55 on a tye-dyed sundress thang. So, I pulled that out along with a big goofy hat. On the brilliant advice of my friend Beth I printed some team photos on cardstock, cut them out and strung them on some red yarn (a lovely wool, silk, and rayon mix--yummmm) for a necklace. When the team was being introduced I slipped that little ensemble on over my clothes and voila, I was suitably ridiculous looking. (See necklace on Meredith)

It was especially fitting that the dress was very muumuu-like because Meredith and her friends periodically declare a muumuu day and wear their thrift store muumuu attire to class. And now the muumuu is in the wash because Beth's son Wally has to have something suitably ugly to wear for gender bender day at BTW tomorrow. As it turns out, that $55 was very well spent!

Now just WHY am I coaching soccer???

For months I have been crowing that Friday, August 17, 2007 (the day after we deliver Alex to school at OU) would be Annie Liberation Day. That day would be the inauguration of the ERA OF ANNIE. A time when, except for college parents' days and school holidays, absolutely EVERYTHING would be ALL ABOUT ME. (and a few things might, by some serendipitous extension of my pleasure-filled life, be somewhat about my husband, Kelly).

BUT, two days before ALL-ABOUT-ANNIE-EVE (that would be Tuesday August 14) my sister-in-law called to say my niece hannah's soccer team was without a coach. "Well hell, that sucks for them" . . . and if you know me, you know that's EXACTLY what I said. . . . right.

So, the Fireballs, the best collection of under 8 girl soccer players in Sapulpa, Oklahoma got me for a coach, and soccer re-appeared on my list of obsessions--coincident with the Womens' World Cup in China, I might add. So, of course I've been getting up at 4am to watch those matches. And of course, Alex and Meredith call me at different times throughout the day to discuss those matches.

What really really really sucks about the whole Annie is coaching again turn of events is that this spring in a rare and obviously misplaced fit of maturity, I threw out my boots (soccer cleats to you). I thought, erroneously as it turned out, that at my age, being waaaay overweight, having bad knees and an iffy back, with kids both over 18, my soccer days were over, except for the pure joy of spectating. STUPID ANN

The kids are a BLAST. They are learning quickly, owing entirely to their own wits and a few simple skills poorly, but enthusiastically, demonstrated by me.

And now I must find myself in bed soon as Kelly and I are leaving tomorrow morning at about 4am to drive 5 hours to get to Benedictine College for a 10 am soccer game--a consequence of the occurrence of an aforementioned college parents' weekend. And THEN I swear it will be ALL ABOUT ME . . . until 6pm on Monday when it's time for practice (or maybe a bit before then because you can't just show up to coach a practice without a plan).

My blog SUCKS! . . . BUT my life is GOOD

More than once I've thought about what I should write about in my blog. I've thought about it so hard and so effectively that it was a COMPLETE surprise to me that my last entry was 6 (six) months ago. [Lawyers do that numeral (number) thing--I've always thought it was stupid].
Since my last entry I have:
--ridden my 12th consecutive Oklahoma FreeWheel bike ride
(Cross-state bike ride from Texas border to Kansas border)
--cheered my son in at least 10 bike races (including nationals in Pennsylvannia)
--moved my daughter (Meredith) home from school in Kansas--and back again
--moved my son and youngest child (Alex) into college at OU
--attended a bluegrass music festival in Michigan
--completed a fine arts photography class
--acquired a new dog (Standard Poodle, Bentley, adopted from ARF)
--begun coaching my niece's under 8 girls soccer team
--knitted 4 and 2 half socks (individuals NOT pairs) and countless dishcloths and some other stuff
--filled my i-pod with over 12 gigs of music
--listened to most of that music
--sewn a couple of skirts and some pants
--tried to teach Meredith to sew (she made a top--cute!)
--celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary
--made my bed at least twice

WHEW!!! I need to get out more . . . I'm obviously ROTTING away with all the sitting around.
SERIOUSLY . . . I LOVE my life . . . I have most of what I want and everything I need (although I could use a haircut)

Indeed I can hold a camera!

The bike race was pretty much a bust. My son had the flu this week, so he withdrew about 20 minutes into the race. He rode at the front--in the top 3 or 4 as long as he stayed in. I didn't get any good pics of him 'cause he always seemed to be shielded by other riders. But, I was able to hold the camera and got some decent photos of the race, even if they didn't include him. AND, my "new" used digital slr got better shots than I've been able to manage in 4 years of shooting film at races, so I'm sold on it for that purpose. That's my boy in front of the "bike race" sign--a little cropping may make that worthwhile.

Here he is flanked by his teammates--I've got a million of these, several hundred thousand, anyway!

This weekend -- MORE racing, and natrually, more photo opps--we travel to Arkansas for Hell's Kitchen Race--how inviting!!

Knitting after hand surgery

All of the pre-surgery apprehension was COMPLETELY wasted.

I had my surgery at 11:30 on Wednesday and was knitting on Friday morning! I knit continental so, holding the needle with my "damaged" right hand was easy--knitting and purling were absolutely no problem. Knit 2 together was more difficult because of the extra strain, but not impossible. I finished my dishcloth KAL and screwed up the pattern, so I did another one--both completed by Saturday at 9:30 am--AND I slept ALL day Thursday (good meds) AND went to a soccer game on Friday night (we won!!!).

Sooooo, If you are someone who knits, and who needs to have carpal tunnel surgery, and who happens to somehow stumble upon my obscure and largely unread blog--I'm here to tell you to FEAR NOT. I am really surprised by how much it DOESN'T hurt. I was through with the pain meds by noon Thursday. I'm the worlds BIGGEST baby so, I'm not gutting it out.

Now I'm off to so some more knittin' . . . . AFTER I go watch my son in the first bike race of the season--sucks I can't hold my camera . . . or Can I???????

Carpal Tunnel Surgery :( or :)

After MONThS of numb-sleepy fingers and hand pain, I saw a hand surgeon to have him diagnose what I knew was a fairly severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand. And, after having a nerve conduction study--a lovely experiment with electric shocks and needles (sounds WAy worse than it was), I had my diagnosis and a recommendation for <<<<>>>>> surgery. I had the surgery done on Wednesday (3/7) and here I am on Friday, off the pain meds and typing a little better than hunt and peck . . . . AND I discovered I CAN KNIT.. .. sloooooowlllllly

Dr. said I have to exercise my fingers--So, I am. I won't say it doesn't hurt--it does . . . some, but then my right hand aways hurt, this ouch is just a little different and not at all unmanagable I'd say it is not as bad as playing soccer on a sprained ankle, or riding a bike with a miserable saddle sore--which are things I've done willingly and against the advice of others who think they know more than me.

So, with all the wisdom of one who is a day and a half post-op, I can say that the apprehension of the surgery was the worst part BY FAR. AND I can honestly share that I didn't exactly dig laying there feeling the dr. tease open my ligament with a knife.(local anesthetic--didn't hurt--but you DO feel stuff). However, if the first two days is the worst--the apprehension was completely wasted--this is easy!

Knew Shews

Hit a BIG sale at Dillards and got this lovely bunch o coconuts


THREE pairs of the same shoe?????? Hardly there are THREE different colors: black, cordovan and brown--The box says $44.50, but the SALE was 30% off that........ whoooooo hoooooooooo


In this pic I think they look like a nest of birds--baby SHOE birds, just waiting for a pair of feet--MY feet . . . . ahhhhhhhhhhhhh



Taking pictures of my shoes is NOT as weird as it may seem, if indeed it seems weird. It just so happened that I had just charged the battery in my Canon D10 (or is it 10D?) and it was on the bed with my shoes. So, what would you do?? Exactly, you'd take a picture too. You probably wouldn't have grabbed the ol' Pentax SLR loaded with B&W film and shot some with that camera too. That would be weird. . . . I might post those when I develop the film.