Alabama + Graffiti

 I tried really hard to come up with a B word for a meat and cheese board – and either my brain has decided to stop functioning or there’s not just one.  Anyway, this weekend was a pretty good one – with a pretty good balance between doing absolutely nothing and being social.

On Friday, I did a quick 20 min HIIT ride to get my weekend started right.  After that, we went to look at pool tables, since we think that’s what we’re going to put in our basement, along with a long skinny bar table and stools.  I’m really excited to get this room done!  Then we went over to Haverty’s and picked out a sectional to replace the couch and futon in our basement.  We were really happy to get the one we had been looking at for awhile, and that it will finally fit into a house we own.  And then we went to celebrate with margs and cheese dip – as grown ups do when they do a very grown-up thing.  We spent the rest of the night watching the Olympics while Sheff busted out some books and passed out on the couch.

Saturday, we got up and got ready for Sheff’s Y basketball game – they lost again, but they looked so good as a team.  Sheff and his friend have super amazing chemistry, so it’s fun to see them on the court together.  After the game, our friends came over to watch that god-awful AU loss to Florida, and then we just hung out all day.  Our neighbors came over for a little bit to socialize, and then B made us a charcuterie board with shrimp for dinner.  What success looks like as an adult?  Actually getting a picture with your friends instead of taking a million pictures of your kids. We ended the night with a dance party and finally climbed into bed around 11.

Sunday was our super lazy day.  I got up and did a 2 mile walk for my recovery day, and then finished up painting the trim in the basement gym.  That room looks so good, and I’m so so happy with how it all turned out.  It’s actually enjoyable to go in there and get a good sweat on.  I spent the rest of the day reading and just hanging out, while everyone else also did their own thing.  We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and Sheff and I fell asleep in the bed watching HGTV.

Next weekend, we’ll be in NOLA for the return of Mardi Gras, and I am so pumped!  I’ve got all my wigs and Mardi Gras accessories ready to go!  I hope you all had a great weekend!

 

I’ve struggled with writing this post – not just writing this post, but actually coming up with words to put it all down.  Most of the time when I come here, it’s to update on life activities or post some of the cool shit I’ve been looking at.  Very rarely do I ever go into incredibly personal posts – it’s weird to have it out on the internet for everyone’s eyes to see, and for it to be out there forever.  But in a way, that’s therapeutic as well.  To come here and just get it out of your brain – whether you do that on paper or on a keyboard.  Once it’s out of you, then I feel like it can be released.

In November, I started to have a really bad cramp-like feeling in my left calf.  I didn’t think anything of it – I was still running and working out, and thought hey, maybe I did something to it.  After a few days, it started to feel really tight and hot to the touch.  After a quick run, it started to swell.  The next morning, I woke up and could barely move my leg.  Unfortunately, I knew this issue all too well.  I knew that I had a blood clot in my leg.

I went to a free-standing ER where they did an ultrasound and found a clot that was from the top of my thigh to my calf muscle.  I remember waiting until the doctor left the room, so I could start crying.  The only way to get rid of a blood clot is to take blood thinner and wait.  There are no miracle cures – all there is is time.

I remember trying to put on a strong face while I navigated trying to find a new hematologist without having a GP – and then absolutely breaking down at the table.  Not only because we had just closed on a house, and how in the world was I going to help move when I couldn’t even walk, but because trying to get someone to help me figure out a doctor and get help was so fucking hard.  These were blood clots.  Blood clot – like super serious, can cause death quickly, blood clots.  Luckily, B’s cooler head prevailed, and he called my insurance and explained the situation, and I had appointment with a new hematologist at UAB.

With all of that out of the way – all I could do was wait.  Wait for the clot to dissolve, wait for the doctor’s appointment.  I will not lie – I was in a lot of pain.  I couldn’t walk.  Anywhere.  I couldn’t move around the house.  I couldn’t go grocery shopping.  I couldn’t help with the packing of the house.  It was unbearable to walk to the car to take Sheffield to school.  All I could do was cry.  Why was this happening to me, again?  Why was it happening right now?  Right in the middle of Christmas season – how was I going to be able to do all of the fun Christmassy stuff with Sheff and help with the move?

To put it bluntly – I was throwing a massive pity party for one.  Absolutely anything would set me off into tears.  I was in so much pain that I wasn’t eating – I sat and wished for anything that would dissolve that clot any faster.  When this happened the first time, it was so much worse.  They didn’t know that I was allergic to heparin – they did this go round.  I wasn’t going to spend months in a hospital bed and weeks trying to learn how to walk again.  I tried to put those thoughts first – the ones where this wasn’t going to be as bad as last time, that I had a kid who needed me to get better and a husband who couldn’t move an entire house by himself – although he said he would if he had to.

About a month in, I could stand up for longer periods of time.  I could walk further- it was starting to not hurt so much.  I had been stressing about being able to walk into the doctor’s appointment – from the parking deck, through the hospital, and into the doctor’s office.  But, I did it.  And we spent three straight days moving into our new house – where I was able to help.

I won’t say that I had a bigger support system this time – both of my parents were there for me during the first bout.  Obviously things about me have changed from senior year in college to now, but I felt stronger.  I could feel strength coming from within, and while I did have a ton of support this time as well, I also knew that I would get through this.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read.  I know it’s a far cry from what is usually posted here.

As per usual, this weekend felt super short and like there weren’t enough hours to get everything done that we wanted to do.  We did finally get our floors laid in the basement, so now we can start getting that together.  We decided to put the kitchen on the back burner for now – and am glad, since we focused that attention and dinero to the basement – where we will be a lot of the time.

I honestly don’t even remember what happened on Friday – I know Sheff was outside playing with the neighbor for a bit, but I’m drawing a blank on what was for dinner or what even happened.  I think it was an early turn-in night for everyone.

Sheff had a basketball game on Saturday – unfortunately it was smack in the middle of the AU game.  Sheff’s team played their hearts out. Sheffield defended (and did it so well) a kid that had at least 3 inches and at least 10 pounds on him.  They ultimately lost by 16, but Sheffield said he had a ton of fun – I think he liked how aggressive the other team was and that turned it on in him.  It’s cool to see him approve.  We went home to watch the end of the AU game – and then our friends came over to hang out.  That night, I had been invited to a Galentine’s pasta making party at my neighbors and brought my galentine, Catherine, along with me.  Y’all – my neighbor did such a good job – and it was so so fun.  I’m even excited to make my own pasta soon!

If you’re in Birmingham needing a small party planned, definitely let me get you her information.  Besides being an amazing neighbor and friend, she’s really good at this stuff!!

Sunday, we got up and did all the house chores.  Sheff had practice in the afternoon – so while they were out, I got all the snacks prepared for the Superbowl.  It was a pretty chill viewing party with just the three of us and just a few apps – but B blistered some shishito peppers, and they were bomb ass.

 

I love loved the half-time show and all of the nostalgic commercials.  And was also super happy that Stafford finally got to win a Super Bowl.  I love Burrow, but he’s young and will definitely be back – and Stafford had been stuck in Detroit and definitely deserved it.

Also Happy Valentine’s Day – if you are needing a last minute Valentine, I suggest you copy and paste your honey’s name in this Packers Valentine.  🙂

Hope y’all had a great weekend!!

Starting out the year strong with 8 books in January!!

Neon Gods – Katee Robert || Nadine sent me this book when she saw that it was mythology – one of my favorite things!  It was a re-telling of the Hades-Persephone myth set in modern times.  It was incredibly spicy, but really well done.  I loved Persephone’s strength, and Hades’ conflicted feelings throughout the whole book.  She has another one coming out, and I’ll definitely be picking that one up, too.

The Collective – Alison Gaylin || I got this as my BOTM read in November, but hadn’t gotten around to it until now.  And I read it in one day.  It was that good, and I love how I didn’t come close to seeing the twist at the end.  A mother is grieving the loss of her daughter, and suddenly starts to feel better when she falls into a group of other women going through the same thing.  Things begin to turn when their not-so-well-wishes begin to befall the people they believe responsible for their children’s deaths.  Give it a shot if you’re into thrillers and tense moments.

Survive the Night – Riley Sager || I picked this one up on a successful birthday trip to the library, and man I wasn’t disappointed.  This book took me on a seriously wild ride – I had no idea who the bad guy was or what was even real.  I love books like this, because I want to finish them so fast to find out what the hell is going on.  If dark mysteries/thrillers are your thing, this one was definitely a good one.

Razorblade Tears – S.A. Cosby || This was also a birthday library pick-up.  I read the blurb on the inside of the book, and it sounded like something I would enjoy.  And I really did – it’s even something I think my fiction hating husband would really like.  Two dads, one Black and one white, try to avenge their gay sons deaths, and this book takes you on a ride.  It touches on all sorts of racial and sexual orientation issues, making it super relevant.  Really really enjoyed this one.

Reckless Girls – Rachel Hawkins || I loved the over-the-topness of this book.  It was ridiculous at times, but damn if it didn’t suck me in.  This book has it all crammed into about 330 pages – murder, mysterious island stuff, sex, drugs, revenge, all of it.  If you like over the top mystery/thrillers with the most immature characters you could imagine- this is your book.

The Show Girl – Nicola Harrison || If you like City of Girls or anything set in the 20’s and 30’s time period, this is your book.  I can’t tell you enough how much I loved this book.  It follows a small-town girl from Minnesota who follows her dreams to be a Ziegfeld girl in New York City.  I love how detailed the story was, and definitely loved the ending.

People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry || Nadine gave this one to me to read during our catch-up session, and I couldn’t have fallen more in love with a book.  I have never wanted two people to end up together more than I wanted Alex and Poppy to be together.  I loved Poppy’s quirkiness, and I loved Alex’s stiffness, and I loved their interactions together.  This definitely goes on my favorites list.

Write My Name Across the Sky – Barbara O’Neal || This was such a beautiful story.  The relationship between the two sisters with their aunt was beautiful, and the other secondary relationships woven into the book were also done so well.  I couldn’t put this book down.  If you liked Mermaids, you’ll like this one too.

 

As soon as I got off work on Friday, I was down in the basement to start painting over the peach color that was currently down there.  I spent 3 hours down there!!  Dinner was just kind of a hodge podge of whatever we had in the house – Sheff and I were in the bed at 7, watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  The movie ended around 830, and Sheff and I were chatting, and the poor tired thing literally fell asleep mid-sentence.  I let him sleep in the bed for a little until B came up and carried him off to his room.

We woke up and got ready for Sheff’s first Y game of the season!  He said he was a little nervous, but you guys – I was so proud of this kid.  He scored 3 of the 5 baskets his team made, and even had an assist.  And the assist was beautiful – he had a teammate right under the goal, and made a great pass.  I think I was more proud of that than his actual baskets, and he made one from way downtown like Bryce Brown, y’all!!  They celebrated their win with snacks and gatorades of course.

After the game, we headed to a jump party for Zoe’s birthday.  Sheff had such a good time bouncing!  After the party, we rushed home to get ready to watch AU basketball.  DJ and Catherine came over with Zoe to watch the game with us.  They even stayed after the game for wings and a dance party.  It was a really fun night!

Sunday was spent painting and shopping.  We got all of the walls in the basement done, and I even got my pink door done.  We went to look at floors for the basement, and I think we found some we really like.  We are chipping away at these house projects one by one.  It makes me feel so good to be able to put our own touches on the house – especially in the basement where we plan on spending most of our time.

I hope y’all had a great weekend and a good start to the week!  It’s already February!