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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.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

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MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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Monthly Muster for November

November 29, 2019 by Lauren 34 Comments

As I sit here listening to Shelby’s music therapy session and know that within a few hours I will have a houseful of guests, my mind is not much for writing.  This may not be my best attempt, but I have failed to set aside time as I’ve cooked and cleaned and made preparations for Thanksgiving.  So it’s now or never (for this week anyway).

 

We observed the time change to usher in this month and we see the leaves changing and falling as we escort it out.  And ready or not, the holidays are here.  I want to go on record as saying that the first thing I give thanks for is Allie’s release from concussion protocol.  The process stressed us all and taught us a lot.  And I am not sad to see it go.  A sweet friend of our family invited us to her wedding shower and Shelby and I gladly accepted and went.  Of all people I know, this young lady is worth celebrating.

 

Our kids’ school district hosted a viewing of the documentary film Angst and my husband and I thought it important to attend since our youngest struggles with anxiety.  A counselor friend of mine insists that most teens today probably suffer as well.  The NIH says 1 out of every 3.  I recommend looking at this website and seeking out a screening if you know or suspect that a teen you love is affected.

 

My sweet Mama invited me to a fall luncheon at her church where we heard Rachel Anne Ridge speak.  She owns a donkey named Flash and wrote a book by the same name as well as Walking with Henry (another donkey), Made to Belong, and Flash the Donkey Makes New Friends (a children’s book).  I squeezed in another lunch with a couple of cherished high school friends and loved catching up.  We went to a dinner fundraiser for Allie’s choir as well as one for Hope Squad – a suicide prevention group Allie helps with at school.  Whew.  All this eating and as I’m writing Thanksgiving is still a day away.

 

I feel privileged to have added to my yoga teaching schedule two groups of special needs adults.  Pretty challenging to instruct, but so near and dear to my heart.  I also got to take a dear one to a big doctor’s appointment and provide meals for two others dealing with health issues.  God is so very kind to allow me these opportunities.

 

One of the biggest highlights of the month has been Baylor football.  I fall more and more in love with it every fall and getting to go to the game against the University of Texas with my best friend of 25 years was a treat.  So much fun to get to see this team, who have fought back from so much, earn their spot in the Big 12 Championship game.  Getting to spend the better part of the weekend with my favorite family (other than my own) iced the cake.  I even blew up an air mattress on the floor of Patsy’s family’s hotel room for a night.  I’m so grateful they let me share in their vacation time.

 

We took Shelby to see Frozen II and we all loved it.  Then the girls and I took in Playing with Fire with my sister and two nieces.  It was a weird movie, but I’m still laughing about parts of it.  There are so many good movies out right now that I’m not sure how we can possibly fit them in, but I would love to try.  But now, I must close and finish preparations for my husband’s family.  As always, I love you, I thank you and I hope December treats you well.

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!

 

And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Hearth and Soul Link Party,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

Legacy Link Up, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

 

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About Me

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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