Ouch.

Matt plays softball with a group of guys on Tuesdays & Thursdays.

Technically the season's over, but because so many games were rained out in October, they've been making games up by pretty much playing every week night for the past 2 weeks.

I don't go to most of the games because they're usually at 8:30pm & for me, that's late.

Last Wednesday, he left our house around 7:45pm for his game. At 8:40, our phone rings. But, it's a number I don't recognize, so I didn't answer it.

The caller didn't leave a message, so I figured he or she had the wrong number.

About 2 minutes later, the phone rings again & it's Matt's number on caller ID.

I KNEW something was wrong.

I answered & our friend, Paul, says "Hey Robin. It's Paul."

I said, "What happened? Where is he? Is he okay?"

Paul tells me that Matt got hit in the face with a softball, but for me not to panic because there was a nurse in the dugout with him stopping the bleeding.

Bleeding.

OMG.

HE SAID BLEEDING.

Paul says he doesn't think Matt can drive & probably needs stitches.

I get off the phone with Paul, run around the house turning lights off, put on some real clothes & pack a bag for Matt (he was wearing his softball clothes, so I packed him some pants & a shirt.)

I throw Maisy outside & tell her to pee FAST. Thankfully, she does.

After getting lost once, I finally get to the softball field at 9:20.

Paul had stayed with Matt til I got there, so we thank him & then we head to the ER, where Matt's mom is waiting (I called her on my way to pick him up from the field because at that point, I didn't know how bad his injury was...if he was going to need surgery or something, I didn't want to be alone. And, he's her son, so I figured she's probably want to know.)

Because his face is still bleeding, the staff moves quickly getting Matt through triage & into a "room" to get stitched up. At this point, his poor face is swelling up pretty bad.

(By the way, the people we're sharing a "room" with are a mom & her teenage daughter...who has swine flu AND mono! Yay. Not.)

An hour later, the doctor comes in to stitch Matt up. Six stitches total. The doctor numbed him up first, but Matt said he could feel the 6th stitch go in. He says if he needed a 7th, he was going to make the doctor numb him again. Poor guy.

After that, he gets a tetanus shot.

Followed by a CT scan to make sure nothing's broken in his face.

Luckily, no fractures or broken bones.

We get home around 1:00am and crash.

Besides a little light sensitivity, a black eye, 6 stitches, some swelling, he's okay. And, that's all that matters. It could have been A LOT worse (don't get me wrong, it was bad, but the ball could have hit his eye or worse...)

I'm pretty sure he wasn't telling me the truth about the amount of pain he was in on Thursday & Friday because I think he thought if he told me how bad it actually hurt, I would tell him to stay home from work. He didn't want to stay home because he was shooting football both those days & he LOVES shooting football. There's no way he was going to skip it.

Now, though, I think the pain is gone, but he is really sore still.

He can take his stitches out tomorrow.

AND, HE WANTS TO PLAY SOFTBALL ON TUESDAY!

What?

Yes.

He bought some protective clear glasses today so that I would feel better about him playing.

How sweet.

The injury.

The stitches.

How it looked Saturday night. Ouch.

"Where's the Bathroom?"

Every year at the state fair, my TV station has a booth for people to come & "do the weather."

And, every year, everyone in the newsroom is asked to volunteer for at least 1 3-hour shift.

Even though Matt & I would rather get root canals than go to the state fair, we suck it up & do our volunteer duty.

(We do not like the fair because several years ago, when we were dating, we went to the fair together & rode the "spider"...at the end of each "leg" is the little car thingy that you sit in. The car thing spins around & around, as does the spider "body" that the "legs" are attached to. When the ride started, we were like "wheeee...this is fun"...AND THEN IT WAS FUN NO LONGER. It started spinning so fast, that both Matt & I were yelling at the guy to STOP THIS RIDE. We got so dizzy & so nauseous...that right then I vowed to never ride a ride again. You guys, it was AWFUL.)

So, that's why we prefer not to go to the fair.

Anyway, in October (2007), we worked our shift on a Saturday or Sunday, I can't remember. Well, a few nights later, Matt & I were asleep in bed & I started dreaming that we were at the fair (it's bad enough that I have to go to the fair...now I have to dream about it?).

In my dream, I had to go to the bathroom. BAD.

So, in my dream (or at least I thought I was still dreaming), I asked Matt where the bathroom was.

Except that Matt says I sat up in bed, looked over at him & asked, "Hey! Where's the bathroom?"

Matt didn't know I thought I was dreaming.

He thought I was fully awake, asking him where our bathroom was. In our room. The place I go to several times a day.

He said he didn't know what was going on & he asked me to repeat my question.

So, I did.

And, he goes, "Um...right over there...the door is on that wall." And, pointed towards the bathroom.

By the time he was telling me where it was, I was starting to wake up & realized what was going on.

Kind of embarrassed, I quickly said, "Oh, ok. Sorry."

I got out of bed, went to the bathroom & when I got back in bed, I told Matt about my dream.

And, we laughed.

For a loooooooooong time.

That happened two years ago & every once in a while, when we're laying in bed, Matt will roll over to me & sheepishly ask "Hey! Where's the bathroom?"

FUNNY GUY.

What I've Been Up To.

So.

I haven't really updated this blog in a while.

I don't have a good reason, except that I've been spending most of my time lately working on a few projects...one of which is BIG...HUGE...but, I can't tell you about it til I finish it.

(No, I'm not pregnant...that I know of.)

Anyway, I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm still alive...just busy!

But, aren't we all?

Here's a few pictures to show you what's been going on in my life.

After our trip to Chicago, my sister, niece, nephew & I drove to Tyler, Texas to visit my aunt, uncle & cousins. We had a picnic in the park one day while we were there.

I said goodbye to one of my best friends (we also worked together), who moved back home to Texas to help take her of her daddy, who has cancer. (He's going to be okay...thank God.)

We celebrated Matt's 33rd birthday...old man.

Maisy dressed up as a turtle & was part of a pet Halloween costume fashion show for the TV station that I work for. She loved it. Not. But, she did make a very cute turtle.

My sister in law, my 2 niece's Suzanne & Madeline & I went to Miley Cyrus this past weekend.

Wendy & I may have been the only people over the age of 30 who actually enjoyed the concert.

Because Wendy (well, the girls) is a member of the Miley Cyrus Fan Club, she got to pre-order tickets. AND, WE GOT REALLY GOOD SEATS. See?

October 15, 2009.

July 7th, 2006.

February 15th, 2008.

The two WORST DAYS of my entire life.

Those are the dates Matt & I lost our babies.

With our first loss, I was 11 weeks along.

With our second loss, I was 6 weeks along.

Today is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

And, on this day (well, really...EVERYDAY), I think about my babies.

Babies that Matt & I created out of so much love & so much want.

In the days after both miscarriages, I didn't want to get out of bed.

There were times that I had to remind myself to breathe.

The pain was so raw, that I thought I would never feel happy again.

Your life never goes back to normal after you lose a child. You just learn a new normal...where your baby is never far from your thoughts or your heart.

So, on this day, if you've ever lost a baby/child, I'm praying for you.

Know that you are NOT alone.

There are people out there who understand.

Chicago 2009.

Matt, our friend, Greg & I flew to Chicago at the start of September for 4 days!

We went to TWO Cubs games, walked around Navy Pier, shopped along the Magnificent Mile & ate at lots of fun restaurants.

I also got to see my friend, Jenni (we went to junior high, high school & part of college together), whom I haven't seen in many years & meet her 2 year old son, Parker.

I also got to see an old swimming buddy of mine & meet his beautiful wife & their 1 year old son, Ben.

As always, I want the pictures to tell the story.

So, here you go.

On the plane.

Greg took this. See me? Yep, still reading.

Annnnnnnd, now we're in Chicago. After checking into our hotel, the next order of business was LUNCH...at Panera. I had a delicious turkey sandwich. But, at this point, dirt would have tasted good to me because I WAS SOOOOO HUNGRY!

After lunch, we made our way (thanks to public transportation) to the Navy Pier. Here we are the end of the pier. Ocean Michigan is in the background. (Yes, I know it's LAKE Michigan, but it's huge...so we called it an ocean.)

The end of the pier with the flags.

Matt & me in front of Ocean Michigan.

Chicago skyline.

Matt & Greg on Lake Michigan.

These guys were crazy. I asked if I could take my picture with them. The guy on the right said only if he could wear my purse. Um, okay.

Here we are on the "El" making our way back to our hotel to get ready for dinner at Harry Caray's.

The infamous Harry Caray's.

HOLY COW.

Matt & me acting silly.

Now, it's Sunday...we're at Wrigley Field.

Matt & me waiting for the game to start.

Matt caught a home run ball from practice. He & a 3-fingered man fought for it & Matt won.

Game started. Cubs won.

Me & two guys.

The crowd...plus people on the bleachers on top of the apartment buildings.

These guys were on the street outside Wrigley playing drums on empty buckets. They were very good. Do you see the little kid? He was sooooooo cute.

Here we are "riding" a bike to a bar by Wrigley to meet my swimming buddy, Jonathan & his family for a beer & appetizers.

This was our driver.

Here we are leaving the bar. Jonathan's son started running to the car, so Matt joined him. Ben was CRACKING UP at Matt. It was too cute.

Me, Ben, Jonathan & his wife, Katy.

The next day, Monday, we met my friend, Jenni & her son, Parker at a really cool breakfast place for....BREAKFAST. Duh. It was so great to see Jenni again...but, 2 hours is not enough time to catch up! When Matt & I go back to Chicago, we'll have to hang out more!

Jenni gave us a ride to the Magnificent Mile. I thought this picture was cute because Matt & Parker are making the same face.

My Mecca.

Yummy!

Can you see the plane? It's flying very low. Or at least we thought so.

Matt wishes.

This is where I fell on my face the night before. We were walking back to our hotel & I tripped. I caught myself on my hands, which hurt really bad.

Monday afternoon/night...our 2nd Cubs game.

Matt & Greg.

Practicing.

The 3 of us.

I just liked this sign.

The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus sang the National Anthem & Vince Vaughn threw out the first pitch.

A Cub.

The game. The Cubs won again.



The teams shaking hands.



See? Cubs win.



We all 3 had on jersey's with different names on them. So, you know I had to get a picture of it.



Now, it's Tuesday...and, we're on our way home.



Matt & Greg at the train station waiting on the "El".



This is at the airport. See all the train tracks? That train system is crazy...but, we were able to map our way around pretty quickly.



Greg, Matt & me on the "moving" sidewalk or whatever it's called at the airport. I almost always fall when I step off those things. I'm very coordinated...NOT.

Tuesday's Tribute

What fun!

A good friend of mine, Kelli, asked me if she could feature my design blog for today's Tuesday's Tribute. And, of course, I said yes.

She wrote such a great post & I want you to hop on over & read it!

Please & thank you!

Arkansas Law Blog.

My brother-in-law, Matt, who's also a lawyer, is now the newest member of the blogging world.

His blog, "Wealth Wars: Arkansas Estate, Trust & Probate Litigation Blog", can be found by clicking on the link.

Here's a little bit about what he plans to address:

"Commentary, News And Analysis From A Little Rock Lawyer About Estate And Trust Battles, Will Contests, Accounting Actions, Claims Against Fiduciaries, Interpretation Of Wills And Trusts, Fights Over Trust Expenditures And Management Of Trust Assets, Disputes Over Missing Assets And Property Ownership, Family Business Litigation And "Corporate Divorces," Questions Regarding The Competency Of An Elder, Rights Of Beneficiaries, And Similar Issues"

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in reading about, click on the link above & take a minute or two to read what he's posted so far.

If you have any questions about what you read, all of his contact information is under the "About" tab.

However, it's important for me to note that his blog is for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY & may not be relied upon for legal advice.

The Year of Concerts.

Wow.

It wasn't until last night during the Dave Matthews Band concert at Dickey-Stephens Ballpark, that I realized HOW MANY concerts I've been to this year...(so far.)

Let's review, shall we?

In January, we went to Brad Paisley.

In May, my sister, Matt, Jackson & I went to Kenny Chesney (even though we've seen him 3 times already.)

In July, I went to the American Idol Tour concert with a bunch of friends from work.

In August, Matt & I went to see Keith Urban (even though we saw him a few years ago in Memphis.)

In September (last Saturday, actually), my sister & I took my niece, Riley, to see Taylor Swift.

And, last night (September 29th), Matt & I saw Dave Matthews with a bunch of friends from work.





If you count concert-like events, Matt & I saw Jeff Dunham (a comedian) in February.

I know that's a lot, but some really, really good memories were made! So, really...that's priceless, right?

I'm Still Here!

I hope all of you (all 3 of you who probably read this blog) haven't given up on me!

I have SO MUCH to blog about, but I just haven't had time! Work kicks my ass so hard during the day, that when I get home, I just want to crawl in a hole for a while.

Plus, I have to do laundry, clean my house & WATCH TV, obviously.

It doesn't leave much time for blogging.

BUT, I will have TONS of updates for you guys later this week!

So, check back soon!

Our Annual Trip to Branson.

Last weekend, my dad, stepmom, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, niece, Matt & I made our annual trip to Branson. This year, we were there from Thursday to Sunday.

We had a total blast! We stayed in a very nice condo that had a full kitchen, spacious living room, big bedrooms & a screened in porch.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL the whole weekend. Not too hot, not too cold. Just about as perfect as you could get.

On Friday, we spent most of the day at Silver Dollar City. We ate dinner at pizza restaurant called Luigi's & then did a little shopping at the Outlets.

On Saturday, we went to the Titanic Museum, shopped at the Branson Landings (an open air mall) & then went to the Dixie Stampede for dinner & a show.

On Sunday, we went to a different outlet mall, where we shopped for a few hours. Matt & I had to be home at 6:00 for a friend's birthday dinner, so we left Branson around 12:30.

The only not so perfect part of the weekend was when my stomach started hurting SO FREAKING BAD on Saturday. The pain went from off & on to constant to I thought I was going to die.

By the time we got to the Dixie Stampede that night, it hurt to walk, sit or stand. I don't think everyone knew I was in such pain...I didn't want to ruin anyone's fun, but there was a point before the show started that I almost asked Matt to take me back to the condo.

Thankfully, I started feeling better during the show, but my stomach didn't really feel normal again til at least Wednesday. I guess I just ate something that didn't agree with me.

Anyway, I have lots of pictures to show, so I'll just let them tell the rest of our weekend.

Riley played some games at SDC & this was the first "prize" she won. A fox she named "Foxy".

We all won!

Jackson has a monkey on his back.

My sister with her dolphin & Riley with Foxy & Quackly.

This was a big step for me. I don't ride rides. They scare me. But, I told myself I would 2 on this trip. I did the swings & the elephants.

Riley & Jack.

How cute is this picture? Matt (Mop) did the kiddie roller coaster with Jackson.

The swings.

We can't tell if Jackson liked the ride or not.

The elephant ride. That's my dad.

Me getting ready to ride.

My stepmom!

Holly & the girl on this really fast mini pirate ship ride.

Riley popped 3 balloons with each dart. Seriously. She was queen of the dart throwing.

The big pirate ship. Can you see my dad in the way back?

Jack & Miss Thang.

On the Flooded Mine ride. Oh, wait...I guess I did 3 rides.

Holly & Riley.

Don't ask.

Riley wearing her new cupcake nightgown.

Eating cupcakes.

The Titanic Museum.

My lunch at San Francisco Oven. Yum.

Matt's lunch.

Us after lunch & before shopping!

Riley Grace.

My sister & Matt.

Sisters.

Dixie Stampede. Matt & I have now seen all 3 DS's in the country. Piegon Forge, Tennessee; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina & Branson, Missouri.

Our waitress asked Jackson to be a part of the show. He & 3 other kids got to chase chickens.

Jack's chicken didn't win, but he still got a medal & a book.

Another picture of the show.

Look how big this cupcake is?