Aggie Bonfire

On November 18 at 2:42am ten years ago Bonfire at Texas A&M University fell killing 12 students and injuring 27. I wasn't here on campus then but Dave was here to experience the tragedy that is still very present on the minds of so many. The student newspaper, The Battalion, has done a great job in remembering this anniversary over the past two days and I don't think I could express or share in this blog what occurs with Bonfire. I think the memorial that opened 5 years ago is one of the most thoughtful memorials I have ever seen. If you have a few moments you may want to watch the video, read the deep meaning of the memorial, or about the 12 students who fell with Bonfire.

If you think I look bad, you should see the doctor!

For the past few years I have had a small lump under my right eye. No one really notices unless I point it out to them. I guess in this case I should be grateful for my round face and chubby cheeks. I however notice it EVERYDAY! I had talked to my doctors and they all said it was probably a cyst or a build up of fatty tissue so I never worried about it. It didn't bother me enough to have it cut out! Well, over the years it kept growing and after watching a few too many TLC specials about weird things people grew, I decided to get it removed.

Since it was on my face and around my eye, I decided to visit a plastic surgeon and an eye surgeon to see who would be the best candidate to remove this thing. I settled on the plastic surgeon and about 2 weeks ago I went under the knife! Luckily, he was able to do a local anesthetic and do the procedure (I don't even call it a surgery) in the office. It took about 45 minutes and I was able to see the little critter. It was about the size of a really bloated Tylenol capsule or a small Mike and Ike (candy). I stayed home for two days mainly because I looked ridiculous and had a pretty good headache. Did I mention that we had the Livestrong banquet 3 days after this...I was pretty.

Honestly it didn't look that bad. Most people didn't notice it because my glasses hid it nicely and I wore a hat for a couple of days (the bright sunny skies of TX were not my friend that week). My doctor said that I would have a black eye and he wasn't kidding. Below you can see the picture a week after I had the procedure. I had the stitches removed the following day. I promise it looks much worse than it felt!

4 little stitches & a pretty black eye

I am healing quite well. Just a little bit of a black eye remains (but I can cover most of it with makeup) and the cut is still a little tender. The results of the biopsy showed that it was a benign tumor of the nerve tissue and the chances of it growing again are pretty slim. After thinking about it this is something I probably should have taken care of a while ago but I am glad it is finally done!

Boss's Day

Today is Boss's Day around the country...a hallmark holiday...but a holiday none the less to remind us to appreciate those who we work with. Today I had a great day because my group of fabulous students took a minute out of their busy schedules to remember me. I adore Allison, Tracie, Jace and Krystavel and truly am so lucky to work with them. They make my job so easy because they are so great at what they do. I didn't have a moment to get them all together for a picture but here are the BEAUTIFUL flowers they gave me that are making my office smell so great!

Of course I posted my surprise on facebook! To my surprise this prompted an even better day as some of my past students wrote little notes remembering me being their boss years ago. I have been so lucky to work with such fabulous people over the course of my career. They are all so special to me and are never forgotten. Thanks to everyone for a great day!

So I should give a shout out to all of my bosses! Here's to Laura, D'aun, Jane, Troy, Nicole, Rachel, George, Kate, Nikki, & Kathy for helping me become such a great boss...I learned from you!

By the way...I have not idea why this entire blog is underlined and I can't figure out how to turn it off!

Pancakes

This weekend Dave had a bike race in Lufkin, Texas. Now there isn't much in Lufkin, TX especially at 6:30am, but once the sun came up and Dave was on his way out on his bike I was able to explore. My first priority was breakfast. I was starving! Usually I just find the nearest McDonald's but Saturday morning I felt like something a bit more. I eventually found an I-Hop and decided to eat there. At first I was hesitant because it is a sit down restaurant and I was by myself. It felt a little weird but I ventured in anyway.

Once I was in of course I wanted pancakes. I LOVE PANCAKES. I don't know what it is but they are delicious! They are fluffy, warm, soft and just heavenly. I always ask Dave to make me pancakes but I am glad he says 'no' so that I can enjoy them as a special treat. I only like traditional buttermilk or whole wheat pancakes, no butter and syrup on the side where I can dip each bite (soggy pancakes are just gross). As I was looking at the menu some of the pancake options were just ridiculous. Some of the pancakes come with so much stuff it is like a dessert! Whip cream, strawberries, chocolate chips, bananas, nuts, the list goes on and on. I just can't do it. I need to taste the pancake!

I realized that I ate my pancakes quickly (even though Dave wouldn't be done for like 5 more hours) but I don't think it was because they were so yummy. I think subconsciously I didn't like sitting in the restaurant by myself-I know it is strange since I am an introvert. After a while I realized it wasn't that bad and wish I would have eaten slower or brought my book in to read so I could waste a little time. Next bike race, I think I will find another place to hang out...maybe even go to a movie...by myself.

So I won't leave you hanging in suspense...there really isn't much in Lufkin. I went to Target (shocking I know) and found a deal on a couple of lamps, went to the mall (terrible...I was only there 5 minutes) and then decided to go back to the race. It was a beautiful day so I pulled out the lawn chair and read a book until Dave finished. It was a great day hanging by myself but I was pretty happy when he was done...with or without the stink that goes with 6 hours on a bike...I kinda like him.

Floaties No More

So, in preparation for this year’s LiveStrong Challenge, I thought it would be nice to incorporate a new physical activity, to keep my mind and body engaged. It is pretty much a no-brainer that someone who has had four knee surgeries should probably stay away from running, which left swimming as my best bet…great on the joints, full body workout, easy access to a great natatorium on campus. There was only one problem: I don’t know how to swim. Yeah, I know, I know.

But I am committed to this, so I signed up last week for an Adult Learn to Swim class on campus. For some reason in my mind I thought that learning to swim would be easy – you know after a week I would be jumping off the high dive and swimming laps leisurely up and down the pool lanes. I am here to tell you that learning to swim as an adult is no picnic. I call it 60 minutes of controlled panic. Trying to remember all the things you have to do is proving a challenge – stretch the arms, flat back, head straight down, rotate shoulders, kicking legs, breathe out, head to the side, breathe in, etc. The thing that I find so troubling is that quite literally every instinct you have in the water is wrong. When you panic and start moving faster, you sink. When you want to tilt your head so you can see where you are going, your legs sink. When you are about to crap your pants in fear, you have to relax (which actually seems like a good play regardless of where you are).

So in my class I have had some small victories as well as some humble pie. The same night that I was finally able to breathe and swim at the same time (a little bit), I had a four year old jump into the pool (something I still can’t do) and literally swim rings around me. I thought I was decently athletic until that night.

In order to really get the hang of this, I was told that we’d need to continue to practice for a couple more weeks before we can even get into the lap pool. Needless to say, this was a let down. But, Jenny has agreed to come to the pool with me to help me practice…or maybe just for a good laugh. The best part about this whole ordeal is that my knees have never felt better. That whole thing about water exercise being a good for the joints isn’t a giant steaming pile of crap after all. Man, I wish I’d done this years ago…for a variety of reasons.

San Diego Surprise

Since I know this is being read by many family members, I'll keep these posts clean, with only an occasional references to things that are not PG rated. So recently Jenny and I had the opportunity to travel to San Diego – I went for a conference and Jenny went because she wanted a break. We went out a couple of days before the conference and had a great time. Ryan (Jenny’s brother) came down for a day and while he was there, we did two of my favorite things: went to a baseball game and eat delicious, greasy food. It was everything I had hoped and dreamed it would be. So we saw the Cubs lose to Padres (it figures), but to add insult to injury it was the night that they honored the 1984 Padres team that beat the Cubs to go to the World Series. It was excruciatingly painful as I had to relive the pain of 1984… the year that should have been.

The day after the game we went to the beach (La Jolla and Ocean Beach) as well as to my new favorite restaurant: Hodads. Ryan found this place, that claims to have a bacon-patty on their bacon cheeseburger. Needless to say it did not disappoint. If you are in San Diego and don’t mind waiting like 15 minutes to get into a restaurant, I highly recommend it. Here is a picture of Jenny and Ryan as we waited for our angioplasty following the bacon cheeseburgers.

We also went to the world famous San Diego Zoo, which is really pretty awesome, as far as zoos go. Here is a pic of me and the Little One. Two things of note: 1. My head looks even more freakishly big next to Jenny’s regular sized head. 2. Letting my hair grow long was a bad idea. I won’t try it again unless I’m losing my hair and trying to rock the comb-over.

My Garden

I have attempted to plant flowers and do a little container gardening. It seemed to be going well a first but things are looking TERRIBLE! So far of my 2 tomato plants, 4 cucumber plants, 2 green pepper plants and $40.00 worth of flowers I only have hope for the green peppers. Things are dying left and right...or some crazy bug is eating everything. I did have one tomato before we left for San Diego and when we returned...gone! So my new hobby of gardening is losing steam since I haven't been able to enjoy anything! Oh well...better luck next time. Here are pictures of my garden before and I am too sad to take more pictures of my now very depressing garden! Maybe I will try again later.

My Flowers...I think there are 2 left...

From left: green peppers, tomato & cucumbers (2 pots), and then a smaller tomato plant. The one on the right has already died and gone to tomato heaven.

Oh gardening...maybe you aren't my new hobby!