Because there are a number of photos in this post, I'll be brief with the words.
You're welcome. :-)
After Easter lunch, we hit the road to San Antonio to cheer on the Lady Bears in the Final Four. Granted, we understood the probable outcome since we were going up against UConn but we just couldn't miss it. And, quite frankly, we had a blast. You know, after we had a flat tire and had to change cars less than 45 minutes from my parents' house. It was a grand adventure indeed!!!
We're super excited because tomorrow starts a 4-day weekend for our little family. Tay is technically not out of school on Monday but, seeing as the Baylor Lady Bears will be playing the late game on Sunday in the Final Four, she will be taking a bit of an extended holiday with me. :-)
We're planning to have a fantastic Resurrection Sunday as Davey usually isn't off for this holiday due to his work schedule. While he's not off for the best of reasons, we'll take it any way we can get it because he's supposed to go back to work two weeks from Saturday. Time flies when you're having fun, huh?
Since we've decided not to move this summer after all (long story, short answer from God), we're doing some home improvements and I plan to start this weekend. One of the things we'll be doing is redecorating Tay's room. Here's a little piece of advice: when you have a 10-year-old girl, don't give her free reign to choose whatever she wants for bedding.
Why?
Because your retinas may be permanently scarred from the psychadelic choice she makes. She's apparently never heard (and neither have the designers of LittleMissMatched) that blue, lime green, hot pink, purple and neon orange are a bit hard on the eyes.
Not sure she'll be able to sleep in this room but she'll be happy...
Anyway, I'll be scarce from the blog for a while (that's not exactly news these days, is it?) but promise to be back with pictures (something that's been absent for a while) of our Easter and Final Four adventure. While I know that UConn would be WAY TOUGH to take down, we're just going to enjoy the experience and fling our green and gold afar!!! (or down the Riverwalk, whichever comes first)
I would like to ask you to pray that my man did not suffer any damage to his knee that will delay his recovery when he and Prissy tangled last evening. Let's just say that Dave fought the dog and the dog won. Of course, a man on crutches is no match for 150 pounds of love anyway, right?
He bounced off the floor a couple of times and I'm just begging God that whatever cartilage has already regenerated wasn't affected during his tumble. So, if you think about it, would you mind saying a prayer for him as well?
If he has to stay at home another six weeks...well...we won't go there... :-)
Happy Easter, y'all!!
Ok, y'all, if you've been reading this blog for more than half a minute you know about my unbridled enthusiasm for all things Baylor-related. I'm a HUGE football fan(atic), love the Lady Bears (my fam watched Kim Mulkey play her way through La Tech after all), and I've recently become VERY fond of our men's basketball team as well.
Why?
Well, because I've sort of become Twitter friends with a few of them. And also because it's the senior year for both Tweety Carter and Josh Lomers. These are two absolutely amazing young men (one of whom happens to be from Louisiana) who made the commitment to play basketball here when there was not really a program (at least a good/successful one) to speak of.
They came when we were under extreme sanctions by the NCAA after the horrid summer of '03 and the resulting scandal. They came because they wanted to be a part of something special.
And they were.
And will forever be Baylor heroes.
I must admit to my anger that Sunday's game truly seemed to be decided by officiating. It wasn't fair, in my opinion, for these guys to go out this way. For, you see, the team is FULL of awesome young men who have a passion for basketball and Jesus.
Ekpe Udoh, Fred Ellis, Quincy Acy, AJ Walton, Lacedarius Dunn (also a Louisiana boy - are you sensing a pattern? :-), Anthony Jones...the list goes on, y'all.
BUT they are still rock stars. They are an Elite Eight team. And no one can ever take that away from them. Even the Big 12 coaches who picked them to finish 10th in the conference in the pre-season poll.
Love, love, love them all!!
I also have a particular affinity for the Lady Bears. Brittney Griner is an amazing player (who should not be defined by one moment in time) and Melissa Jones is truly the heartbeat of this young team. Morghan Medlock is another one with a heart of a champion (did you know her mother was murdered last season and she had to grow up WAY too fast?) and I could not be happier that they - with ice water in their veins - found a way to beat Duke last night.
We are Final Four bound, my friends!
And you know what? The Final Four is in San Antonio.
And we're going!!!!!
Well, not Dave, but Tay and I are going with my parents and good family friend Aunt Anna. We could not be more excited (unless Davey was with us) about this outing. Besides, how can the Christian school lose on Easter Sunday, right? Even if we will probably play UConn...
Anyway, Dave isn't going because he just can't sit very long these days due to his knee. The trip there alone would rock his rehabbing little world so he's decided to rest up for next year because...
...the men's Final Four is in Houston in 2011!!!
It's a veritable bevy of riches. And the Bowers family could not be more proud to be Baylor Bears. :-)
Sic 'em, y'all!!!
It seems like October was so long ago, doesn't it?
That's when my baby girl began the very long journey to healing. When we struggled through a major injury. When she had emergency surgery and had a plate and six screws placed in her arm.
When I sat by her hospital bed and cried through the night. And texted my husband non-stop because he couldn't sleep either.
When we quieted her fears while facing our own.
And thanked God for grandparents who could - and would - shoulder the burden.
It seems like a really long time ago - almost six months to be exact - but I can assure you that the emotions of that dark period are still very raw. In fact, I just wiped away tears that sprang to my eyes just thinking about it.
No, she did not have a life-threatening injury. She had not been diagnosed with a terrible disease that would require months or years of treatment.
And, for that, we thank God every single day.
But she is our baby. And she was scared. While also incredibly strong.
We did not - and still don't - have all of the answers. We are very certain she will face more trials. But she will not face them alone.
We are also praising Him that her bone is now completely healed.
That she has full range of motion back in her elbow (save a miniscule amount due to some scar tissue that still remains).
That she was released last week to be "a normal kiddo" again.
That we don't struggle, cry, yell and scream through rehab every single night.
Yes, we still have challenges. No, she is not comfortable enough with her scar yet to confidently wear short sleeves. Yes, we have hope.
We have a rock on which we choose to stand. Come what may.
And I can, without reservation, tell you that our family is closer than ever. That we are, as a certain housewife would say, "thick as thieves."
Good did come from what is one of the darkest hours I've faced as a parent.
Today we celebrate. We look forward to what we hope will be a year without significant injury, illness or loss. And we rest in Him during this precious time we refer to as Holy Week.
We do this together. And that's what it's really all about, right?
Gym workouts.
Mowing the 3-foot grass in our yard.
Tay's 4-hour orthopedic surgeon appointment.
A fire alarm at work. Down seven flights in stilettos.
Lunch with my man.
Unbelievable allergies.
Starbucks.
Sudafed.
Homework.
Thunderstorm.
Having my teeth licked by the dog.
Reading for AR tests.
Rehabbing Dave's knee.
Work issues.
Wednesday night church.
Being unable to sleep through the night.
Praying earnestly for Friday.
Exhaustion.
Three more weeks of bed rest.
Counting down the days until "normal life," whatever that may be, resumes.
Tears. Overwhelmed tears.
To move or not to move - that is the question.
Bowling league.
Putting it all in His hands.
When one is recovering from knee surgery, they itch for opportunities to get out and about in the real world. Apparently (I hear) the walls of the house begin to close in on them. I'm going to assume that this could possibly render one temporarily insane.
Why would I come to that conclusion?
Well, that's the only one I've got for my man blazing through Wal-Mart on a cart at an alarming speed while challenging all other scooter riders in the vicinity to a race. Yes, even the elderly folks. Actually, particularly the elderly folks.
That was amusing enough, quite frankly, but my man decided to take things up a notch.
How, you ask?
Well, he came out of nowhere down the meat aisle and bumped into my cart at full speed while exclaiming, "Bumper cars!" Due to the faces everyone around us made, I'm going to go ahead and assume other shoppers didn't immediately realize we were together. Or that we even knew each other.
But that's ok - he got out and enjoyed himself.
