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Monthly Muster for March 2022

April 1, 2022 by Lauren 19 Comments

March 2022There’s been some March 2022 madness around here.  And it has very little to do with basketball. Because of pain pills there is about a week of it I don’t really remember!  But let’s get into it anyway.

 

On the last day of February, I woke up and could barely walk.  I had been experiencing something different from my normal low level back pain for a couple of weeks and already had an appointment scheduled with a doctor in two days.  So I threw some Tylenol and Ibuprofen at it and limped through work.  That night I bedded down in our guest room so as not to disturb my husband (who is still undergoing cancer treatments) if I couldn’t sleep.

 

I was able to get off to sleep, but then woke up at 2:30am in the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life.  A 15 on a 1-10 scale.  I tried calling my husband but his phone was on silent.  My teenager answered her phone and went to wake Chuck up and I proceeded to wail for the next hour – begging him to take me to the ER.  I finally took one of his Hydrocodone and was able to get back to sleep.  Upon waking two hours later I was easier, but we decided to take me to the Orthopedic Urgent Care.

 

When you sob through X-rays, staff move quickly.  They gave me an anti-inflammatory shot and prescribed a muscle relaxer, a pain med and sent me for an MRI.  This got me through the night until I could get to my scheduled doctor’s appointment the next day.  Diagnosis?  Severe disc bulge at L4 and L5 sitting right on top of my sciatic nerve.  They scheduled me for a sedated epidural injection just a few days later.

 

March 2022 for Allie

 

In the middle of all this, my daughter Allie attended LIVE weekend (our church’s version of DNow) and helped lead worship for the main congregation.  She competed in choir Solo and Ensemble contest, scoring a Superior rating and advancing to the state competition!  Then she traveled with the school choir to Disney.

 

March 2022While at Disney, Allie found out she was selected for her school’s PALS program.  She was then home a few days before traveling to Austin with the youth from our church for a mission trip.  Quite a busy few days for our songbird.  The rest of the month has been filled with rehearsals for choir UIL and a one act play plus try-outs for musical theater.  Spoiler alert:  She got in!  Oh, and she squeezed in a little kayaking with friends and family.

 

March 2022 for the Rest of Us

 

March 2022Our Shelby got to attend the North Texas Best Buddies Formal.  She loved getting all dressed up and spending time with friends – especially the music and dancing.  She also got some special time with both sets of grandparents as they spelled me and Chuck during treatment.  In addition to some good old fashioned spoiling, she even went to Sea Life Aquarium a couple of times.  A definite highlight for her.

 

After receiving partial relief from my injection, I drove 450 miles with my sweet friend Karen (Chuck was not feeling up to it) for a wedding.  And then I missed said wedding.  Let’s just say that Apple maps is not always reliable navigation!  But we made it for the reception – and had a good story to tell.  I enjoyed the trip none the less with some shopping and windshield time with my friend.

 

My husband Chuck finished up his cancer treatments on March 23rd – my 5 year cancer free date – and we low key celebrated both as best we could.  We now wait a few weeks for scans which will tell us if he is also cancer free.  In the meantime, his body works to recover from the damage done.  We appreciate your prayers covering it all.

 

March 2022 Entertainment

 

The hubs and I watched more TV than usual during our convalescence.  I readied myself for several weeks of basketball with both Baylor Men’s and Women’s teams in the tournament, but our March Madness turned into March Sadness as both teams lost in the second round of play.  We will Sic ‘Em next year.

 

With a temporary Netflix subscription, Chuck and I binged Northern Rescue, a family drama that we enjoyed.  Then we moved onto Designated Survivor.  We missed this political drama when it was on broadcast TV and thoroughly enjoyed the first two seasons.  We quickly realized that it must have been canceled and picked up by Netflix for the third, which we gave up on.  In the first three episodes we heard horrible language, saw nudity and finally a graphic sex scene that broke the camel’s back.  Although we felt invested in these characters, we could not wade through all that to see their stories to completion.

 

We tried a few other things on the streaming platform and got so discouraged that I finally searched “Christian” to see what it pulled up.  From there we watched The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (don’t let the weird title scare you off), Blue Miracle (based on a true story) and A Week Away.  The last one is a musical using Christian music from my teenage and college years with cameos by Steven Curtis Chapman and Amy Grant!  I liken it to High School Musical at summer camp.  Cheesy?  Yes.  Fun?  Also yes.  We also watched Loving, about the couple that helped break the interracial marriage barrier and Audible, an Oscar nominated documentary short.

 

We ventured to the theater for Dog and The Lost City.  The first was ok, but since it starred a dog it kept Shelby’s attention.  The second was laugh out loud funny.  In my opinion, this world needs more romantic comedies.

 

Well, I hope you find some time with those you love next month and maybe laugh out loud too.  I thank you, I love you and I hope April treats you well!

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

If you follow along with me on Wednesdays, you know that praying scripture has become an important discipline for me.  Amanda from instaencouragements.com gives us 5 Essential Prayer Requests for Believers that come straight from the Word!

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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Filed Under: Christian, entertainment, family, Grace & Truth Link Up, monthly review Tagged With: A Week Away, Baylor, Blue Miracle, cancer, Designated Survivor, March Madness, Northern Rescue, The Lost City, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

Comments

  1. Barbara Harper says

    April 1, 2022 at 9:15 am

    So glad your husband’s cancer treatments are over, and I pray God uses them to kill the cancer. I’m glad you’re feeling better, too. It’s neat both girls had some great outings.

    We loved Designated Survivor when it was on network TV, But we couldn’t get past the first episode when it went to cable. I heard more bad language in that hour than I had heard in months all together. Why do programmers DO that to shows?!

    I wrote about what we watched in m March Reflections post, but one of my favorites was Letters to Juliet.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 3, 2022 at 12:24 pm

      I loved the movie Letters to Juliet. And I had a conversation about this problem of finding clean entertainment with my pastor just this morning!

      Reply
  2. Donna B Reidland says

    April 2, 2022 at 10:31 am

    I’m so glad to hear that your husband has finished his cancer treatments and that you are doing better. I had a similar back problem about 25 years ago and I still remember how painful it was! Mine led to surgery but thankfully the surgery was successful and I have not had a repeat. I pray that your treatment solved the problem for you. Thanks for hosting and have a restful weekend.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 3, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      I fear surgery is in my future as well. But it’s encouraging to hear yours went so well. And since it’s been 25 years they are even better at performing it I’m sure!

      Reply
  3. Lisa notes says

    April 2, 2022 at 3:18 pm

    I’m so sorry for all your intense pain, Lauren. 🙁 Praying your husband is now cancer-free!

    Our Auburn Tigers lost in round 2 of the tournament as well. Disappointed but not surprised. I’m babysitting my grandson this weekend and I hear him waking up now, so better get him up. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 3, 2022 at 12:22 pm

      My 17 year old has Auburn on her list of colleges to visit. Trying to plan something for this summer.

      Reply
  4. Linda Stoll says

    April 3, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    Oh Lauren, what a difficult season for you and your man. I am so sorry for the pain and suffering you’ve had to go through. Ugh. Lord, have mercy.

    And then I looked at Shelby’s picture, so happy and beautiful. I just had to smile.

    Bless you all. Please take good care of yourself, friend.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 3, 2022 at 7:29 pm

      Thank you for the kind words about my girl!

      Reply
  5. Lisa Blair says

    April 4, 2022 at 7:44 pm

    I’m sad to hear of the pain and suffering you and your husband have endured, Lauren. And I’m thankful your girls had such remarkable outings! And praise God for His nearness and for family support.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 5, 2022 at 1:29 pm

      I am so grateful for both, Lisa. Thank you.

      Reply
  6. Anita Ojeda says

    April 5, 2022 at 12:32 pm

    Oh, my! I am so sorry for your pain, Lauren! That sounds horrible. I’m glad your hubby finished his cancer treatment. May the God of green hope keep walking along with you as everyone recuperates and celebrates (whichever one is in order!).

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 5, 2022 at 1:28 pm

      We are definitely in the recuperate stage right now! But I so appreciate your prayer, Anita.

      Reply
  7. Carol says

    April 6, 2022 at 10:19 am

    Thank you for participating in Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 14.
    Carol
    http://www.scribblingboomer.com

    Reply
  8. Holly Breton @ Pink Lady says

    April 7, 2022 at 5:25 am

    Praying for clean scans for your hubby and pain free living for you- please keep us posted XO

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 7, 2022 at 12:09 pm

      Thank you so much, Holly. You are so kind.

      Reply
  9. Michelle says

    April 8, 2022 at 5:01 pm

    It sounds like your kids had a great March! I hope April is much better for you and Chuck.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 10, 2022 at 2:01 pm

      Thank you, Michelle.

      Reply
  10. Joanne says

    April 8, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    Oh my goodness; you did have quite a month didn’t you? Praying your pin stays gone with the treatment and that your husband’s scans come back clean. It sounds like your daughter is quite the traveler; how fun! I really enjoyed Northern Rescue and was so bummed it didn’t get picked up for a 2nd season. I’ve been wanting to see The Lost City; I really like Sandra Bullock and enjoy a good rom-com.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 10, 2022 at 2:01 pm

      If you want something lite and funny, The Lost City is a good bet!

      Reply

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I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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