BLT Reunion Weekend

This past weekend was the BLT Reunion (Brenda, Lucinda & Teresa).... minus the "B." This was the fifth year the reunion was held and the third in which the family met in Virginia Beach. Due to a variety of reasons my family didn't attend. I struggled with the decision to go or not for an entire year... since the last morning of last years reunion. The final decision was due to the economy and my lack of money. One has to pick and choose. Do I attend a reunion and spend that much money (lodging, gas, food, boarding the dog, lost wages, etc.) or continue working and keep a roof over our head? I had to choose the latter. Perhaps someday money won't be as much of an issue as it is right now. We'll see.

Home Sweet Home

You've already read my recent blogs relating to my childhood. While my early life wasn't the most pleasant, I still had dreams. We all do, right? Here is a sampling of the houses I always wanted in my childhood days. First of all, the lovely dollhouse. Every little girl should have one of these to cherish.
Of course there's always the Barbie house. My Barbie houses were made out of boxes... I'm certain others out there can relate. How many of you had Barbie and G.I. Joe get married??I always, always, always wanted a playhouse. I still do. When I saw other girls with playhouses I wished I was them.And what's childhood without the trusty treehouse? While we never lived where there were large trees in our yard, I did have some friends who had treehouses here and there. There was nothing better than climbing into the treehouse and escaping all of the turmoil.

One time several of the neighborhood kids (including me) decided to build an underground "fort." We lived near a sub-division that was under construction so we "re-appropriated" necessary "building supplies" to our location. We had the necessary 2x4's, plywood, and of course insulation (since in was winter in Salt Lake City). We worked for days digging the frozen ground until there was a hole deep enough to fit 5 or 6 of us. After lining the hole with the insulation (fiber side up so it would be nice and soft), we covered the hole with the 2x4's, then the plywood, followed by the dirt we had dug up. It was fantastic!

The next afternoon we all headed for our fort. We had our AM radios, snacks we had swiped from our houses, and flashlights. We were set. We all climbed in and probably didn't last more than half an hour. Since it was nice and soft and warm in our fort, we all took off our coats. Before long all of us started itching. Next thing we knew it felt like there were little slivers all over us and the itching got worse... and started to hurt, too. We had to bail out! What a complete drag!!! We were so ticked off we ended up tearing it apart the next day. So much for that fort.

Childhood is a magical time. In spite of all that may be thrown our way, we still dream. Perhaps that's part of what gets us through the tough times.

Vision Test

Check this out. I had loads of fun with Emile on this one... especially since she has her concussion. Nothing better then messing with your kids mind, right???!! Actually these are pretty cool.

Ladder

Do you see the baby?

And here's my all time favorite... I saw this one for the first time when I was a Beehive in Arizona. It's been around for a long time, but it still makes you stop and think. I always saw the woman... and she was always beautiful to me.

OUCH

+

=

CONCUSSION!

So Emile, Kayla, and Brie went to Shelly Park Saturday evening. Zach was there with his little brother, Ricky. Of course where Zach goes, so does the football. Zach had the football at his feet... and dared Emile to pick it up. Knowing Emile, this was way to hard to resist. She got the ball and immediately Zach tackled her..... knocking her backward to the ground. Bummer dude! When they all got home I heard only bits and pieces of the story. Imagine that.

Yesterday Em complained of neck stiffness and a headache. She was also very tired. She actually went to sleep shortly after 5 and wouldn't wake for dinner. She went to her bedroom at 8:30 and slept all night. This morning she filled me in on "the rest of the story."

When she got tackled the back of her head slammed into the ground causing her to black out. When she came around she saw dots "firing" all around and was unable to get up off the ground without help. Zach had to pick her up. She had been dizzy and experiencing nausea ever since. And of course I already knew she was sleeping more than normal. I put all this together and called the doctor first thing. Yep, it's a concussion.

We got a note excusing her from school today, additionally no contact sports for 30 days. He's concerned about a secondary concussion which can be life threatening. He also gave her Vicodin for pain. Moral of the story........

5'4", 130 lb girl + 6', 200 lb football playing guy = OUCH!