Done: Visit the hospital (twice)

As most of you probably know, my little "Princess" (as I refer to him when he barks orders) has been occupying so much of my time lately that I haven't had much time for blogging. But...with our 2 trips to the hospital in a month, it has made for some good blogging material. I mean I seriously have considered hanging out in the emergency room for hours again just for amazing people watching! Sure those are hours I will never get back, but then again, watching Matt try to laugh when he can't move his neck or his belly, makes those hours somewhat priceless.

So let's start off with trip #1. This was after cronic neck pain made it so Matt could now not move his head up and down (saying no has always been a problem). The short version of the story: We had to find a family doctor quick, and MRI showed nothing, and drugs weren't helping. My nurse sisters got us concerned and we went to the emergency room to have him tested for meningitis. We went to the same hospital where his surgeon is, thinking that was a wise move. What we didn't think about what the 4 car fatal pile up that caused us to sit on the interstate for an hour, only miles from the ER. But Saline Memorail, we are dedicated to you.


5 1/2 hours later we didn't feel that same kind of love!

Matt & I just aren't the type to complain. Own a restaurant and you won't complain anymore either!! We just patiently waited our turn. Each time the man appeared from behind the doors, we sat up straight (confidence for sure!), gave direct eye contact, and likely gave some winks and smiles. But every time, it was someone else's name. Who you ask? Probably the lady who was wailing on the floor saying she thought she had meningitis (I swear to you I am not making that up!). And then it was the 3 year old with a bloody tooth. My favorite--the young man with a few teeth, no socks or shoes, and probably a wife-beater shirt who drives up very fast to the curb, squeels the brakes, and runs in saying "my girlfriend is not breathing." The receptionist told him he had to sign in (hello, there is an unconcious lady in the car!!) and replied "I don't know her name." Yes, he is what makes Arkansans look bad. Needless to say, she looked dead in the wheelchair, but came out of the triage room 10 minutes later laughing and smiling (hmmm...doing drugs???) Just in case you wonder, yes, she waited 10 minutes to see a doctor. All this, and about 74 other people. We should have counted! Good News is: We did beat the crazy 50 year old crazy woman in pigtails who had a gallon size ziploc bag of her meds with her!

Here's the problem--Matt went into the triage room by himself. Never again! I swear to this day that he told them he had a paper cut! But the funniest part of the story...we can laugh now...was that since we gave up seeing the doctor, we decided to just wait till the next day to call the new doctor back. In the meantime, my nurse sister asked what medicine the doctor had originally prescibed and come to find out--Matt was being treated for menigitis. We didn't NEED to go to the ER!

But since Matt has a frequent buyer club card, we got the opportunity to go back to Saline Memorial last week for his tummy tuck. And here some more stories....

* Matt is such a frequent surgery patient, the pre-op talk keeps getting shorter and shorter. The doctor told Matt he called in a presciption and Matt just assumed it was the special pink body wash he had to use in the shower before surgery (though really...does that help anything?) Imagine our faces when we pulled up in the Walgreen drive-thru and they could barely shove our bag through the window! Not the sample size body wash we were expecting. I noticed flavoring on top....and that is when Matt was introduced to "Go Lightly" (The name given at my sister Sherry's Assisted Living home...with a note of sarcasm)

* I'll spare you the details of Go-Lightly. You can thank me later! But imagine Matt's fear when we went to sign in the next day and they said he wasn't on the list for surgery. I had to chuckle at the thought that he might have endured a miserable night with Go-Lightly for nothing. Obviously, that was an error.

* But the "people greeter" who guided him to the pre-op room said she gave him lucky #13. Really lady, we know you tell everyone in rooms 7 & 13 that! But we'll take any luck we can get at this point.

* Nurse after nurse walked by and said "you look familiar". Yes, we are VIP members!

* But that pre-op room should be called torture chambers. Something about being in there just suddenly makes you hungry and sleepy. And then we sat there for hours not being able to figure out how to turn the volume up on tv--while the nurses watched us on hidden camera to laugh at our misery (though you know we didn't complain!). And me...I FROZE.....It's a bad sign when the nurses wear fleece coats and North Face jackets over their scrubs!

But surgery went well and he has a big ole' scar to prove it. The plastic surgeon applied some donated skin....so we think Matt may be 5% black now. Can't wait to see if when he gets in the sun if he looks like a dalmation! But have no fear....the nurses adored Matt for his lack of complaining and sense of humor.

Thanks to Nathan and Natalie, Matt didn't need to push the call button for the nurses. Why use that when he gave them the biggest and best duck whistle ever!!

To Do: Hiking in Arkansas

Had I continued to live in Illinois the rest of my life, I probably would not have discovered that I really like to go hiking. I wouldn't go as far as saying that I have become an outdoorswoman, but I really do like the anticipation of reaching the destination that the trail leads you to, and the ability to use my map reading skills (not every woman can brag about this!). In Illinois, the closest I ever came to hiking was at the Stahl family picnic at Starved Rock State Park, which ironically was also this weekend. I think because of those first experiences, hiking in the fall just seems like a must.

Now I would be lying if I didn't say that my calves ache every time I get out of my chair. And if you see my picking at my hair, I am determined that a tick is hidden among this mess.

The highlight of my hiking adventure, or should I said most memorable moment, was when I was the leader on the trail. It's been hot and dry this summer, so the trails in the "natural state" look a little like this.


Would you notice the brown snake? Me neither! The same snake I STEPPED ON!! Did you hear me? Not just saw, but touched with the sole of my shoe. Ahh!! Matt says he has never seen me move so fast. And to make it worse, we went back to take it's picture to show you (convinced it must have been dead), but only to discover that it had slithered away....it was ALIVE! Just waiting for my return trip I'm sure. And just so you know, I think it was about 6" around and 4 feet long! Matt seems to think it was about 1/2" around and 4" long...whatever! I'm the one who touched it!

Anyway, so while we did enjoy just getting away this weekend on our "staycation" in Arkansas, we also kept talking about our hiking adventures in North and South Carolina. Oh how we wish we could see trees like this again...

We took a 2.5 hour roadtrip to the ozark region of Arkansas to Mt. Magazine, which is labeled in all the magazines (ha) as the highest point in Arkansas--and a sign to prove it! Unfortunately, the trees weren't very colorful, but still a pretty view.

But still not as amazing as the Blue Ridge Parkway!

One our favorite spots (as our visitors will likely attest) when you came to see us in SC was going to see the waterfalls. When we got to Mt. Magazine and picked up the map of trails, we instantly knew that Bear Hollow Trail was the one for us. Sure it was 4 miles of "moderate" decent, but the waterfalls as the highlight would make it all worth it.

But...

we forgot we haven't had rain for 29 days!

So instead, we'll just remember the days when we hiked to waterfall,

after waterfall

and still have so many we didn't get to see. Maybe someday!

Vacation all I ever wanted...

The 1st Saturday of October is the perfect weekend to put up Halloween decorations, go to an outdoor festival or craft show, bake homemade bread or pies, watch football, things like that. But for me, the 1st Saturday in October meant sitting inside a freezing hotel for our annual meeting at work. Yes, this is why I get paid the big bucks!

The hotel for our meeting just happened to be next to the Little Rock airport. So throughout the day, we heard several jets overhead. I always seem to picture them as giant Southwest colorful planes, always leaving (because seriously, who comes to LR for a vacation....except family that feels obligated...but leaves having a vacation of a lifetime!). Anyway, my point is that I daydreamed of where my Southwest jet would take me if I could just leave right now.

My first choice--my dream vacation--New England in the fall!

Beaches, shabby chic, lighthouses, antiques galor, colorful trees--I would love it all! I mean, Martha Stewart lives here! Maybe she could show me around...because there is so much I want to see up there that I may have to stay for a month!

Sure, who wouldn't love to go to Hawaii or Alaska, but if I had a passport, I would probably choose the Caribbean first. I think I could handle every minute of this. But Matt, well, he would just have to look, so I guess I will wait till he is "repaired."

Truth be told, if I could get on a plane and go somewhere next weekend, I would love to meet my friend, Amanda, and head back to the Covered Bridge Festival in Indiana. My sister, Sherry, probably looks at this picture and breaks out in hives. But I think of the smell of kettle corn, fried donuts, and pulled pork sandwiches. Ok, and after eating, then we can shop, shop, shop!! It's a serious as feat as you cannot spend all of your money the first day, you can't buy object too large that you'll have to carry around, yet you also can't go back for items because you will never find where that booth was exactly. And just too much great stuff to even decide on! It was at the Covered Bridge Festival 3 years ago that Amanda told me her secret, that she was pregnant. (She was afraid all the trips to the porta-potty would look suspicious.) But it sure made for a memorable weekend!

But, it's pretty likely that we won't be flying out anywhere any time soon. We are thinking instead of visiting the highest point in the natural state, Mt. Magazine, next weekend. It's about 2 hours away and we are hoping for views like this.

We'll let you know how this vacation turns out...stay tuned!

Oh Jude!

Where do I begin? I have so many adorable stories about Jude Brown. When we first met Jude (he lived across the street from us in South Carolina) he was just mastering running. And talking was limited to just a few words. But, of course, he grew up way too fast.

It's been almost 6 months since we said our tearful goodbyes as both families moved west. Jude loves to talk on the phone like a teenage girl, but he has yet to figure out that when he calls Spiderman, he sounds a little like Matt. Hmm! Strange!

Jude is now in love....with Justin Bieber! How many times did we hear "baby, baby, baby, oh" sung last weekend?? Just every few minutes. Jude really wants to be Justin for Halloween, though tough-man Dad says No Way! But come on now, he has the song down, can play an air guitar, and even knows the opening line on stage "Whose my baby?" in some silly low voice.

Another funny story: We had our traditional meal together: smoked pulled pork. Yum! But the Alabama folks say they are "fixin" boston butt. We asked Jude if we were eating a cow's butt or a pig's butt. He replied "A cow's butt, but they cut the tail off." Whew!

Jude's Christmas list: I-pod, "Jep Ski", and BeeBee gun. He's 3 let me remind you.

But my favorite Jude story: He recently has become obsessed with boys vs. girls. You know where this is going. So one night in the bathtub with his sister he notices his special boy parts. Sophie being all educationally correct told him that they were called his testicles. (Chloe, his sister, was confused...she said the boys at school call them their balls.) Well, it's a long story, but a few days later Sophie told him to quit playing with himself. And somewhere in that conversation he thought his testicles were called tater tots. Tater tots will just never be the same!

To Do: Call the Hogs

No, I really haven't lost my mind. It's just an Arkansas thing. We can't explain it.

One thing I have learned about living in the South is that sports is a serious matter. I thought Illini fans were hard core. I was so wrong! In SC, it was like the cards vs. cubs only it was Clemson vs. USC. But in Arkansas, there is only 1 thing to cheer for and that is the Razorbacks.

Everyone but the Ervins (and the Blome's) are in Little Rock tonight as the "hogs" play one of two games here for the season. I bet if we listen hard, we can hear the stadium do the craziest chant ever....wooooo....piiiiiiiiggggggg.....sooooooooiiiiiiiiieeeeeee! Or something like that. Do a search on YouTube and you'll see what I mean.

Here's a glimpse of life in razorback nation:

(Hog wild for this boat)

(Why wouldn't you store you crap here?)

(And this isn't the only red truck around purposely bought to match the hog decor!)

(Despite the silly name, it's our favorite pizza place)

(First I thought this was a daycare...what a great name for a day care)

(This gets my vote for best play on words)

But this my friends makes me laugh so darn hard. My co-worker Kendall (who is also to blame for getting me hooked on blogging) captured this cloud and swears it looks like a razorback. This, I tell you, just shows how hog crazy they are here (even though I would never, ever admit to her in person that it sort of does look like it....don't tell her I said that!)

To Do: Go Grocery Shopping

So it's been awhile since I sat down to blog. And you are thinking--you have nothing better to write about then tell us your daily tasks like grocery shopping? Hey, at least I'm not talking about using the toilet!

I just had to tell you about our new Kroger Marketplace grocery store. I finally made a trip to it today, because needless to say, when I work every night--I don't cook very often.

So what's special about this store? It's competetion for Wal-Mart (and in Arkansas that's probably like swearing on the church steps!). But I hate Wal-Mart anymore so I was anxious to see what this store had. Not only were the isles huge and clean, but you could buy anything from a leather couch to a kitchenaid mixer to curtains (cute ones too) to a baby stroller to toys to art to chef prepared meals. Here's a glimpse from a picture I found online.

Just had to share my new favorite grocery store. Another reason to be jealous of our life here in Little Rock. Ha! It reminds me of how my sister, Sherry, was so excited when Wal-Mart opened up in her town. In fact, it was one of my niece, Katie's, first words. We had yet to get Wally world in our parts of the woods so we were so jealous. Hard to imagine life without it now. Maybe one day everyone will have a Kroger Marketplace too. And we'll hear "What a Wonderful World" playing in the background.

Happy Gotcha weekend!

Ever heard of "Gotcha Day"? It's what families celebrate after adopting. Recently, I have had several friends who get to celebrate a real gotcha day with the addition of some new babies to their families. So exciting for them after a long wait!

But Labor Day is our Gotcha Day for our precious baby Shadow.

I never was a cat person, but Matt who grew up with a cat, insisted that we get a cat after our 1st anniversary. So 6 years ago we went to Debbie Mathias farm where there were probably 20 kittens to chose from. They all were so cute. I especially remember the 2nd choice, who was all black except for a white tip on her tail, and was appropriately named Tippy. But Shadow was very social and had the loudest purr ever (which note at the time we thought was just adorable. Not always so adorable in the middle of the night!). She knew instantly how to get what she wanted!

We had our niece Kara with us that weekend. She was soooo excited! We decided we would let her name the cat. Yes, it took her ALL day to come up with the name Shadow. (Shadow was name Smokey by Debbie, but Smokey is a popular cat name on both sides of the family already)Kara was 8 then. If you know her now, you could only imagine what name Shadow would have if we let Kara pick the name today!! Here is Kara with our little bitty girl. Aren't they cute? And yes, Shadow really does like to be held like a baby. We can spoil her---She gets everything in our will too!

I could go on and on about my Shadow. She really is my shadow. Clearly I'm her favorite parent. But come dinner time, she only begs Matt. The vet recommended "behavior modification" a few years ago after some rebelling with the litter box, but now we have figured out that she is just high maintenance and needs it changed daily...along with fresh water in not just 1 but 2 bowls! And don't forget the 2 snacks before leaving for work. Oh, and brush her often to eliminate hairballs. And you'll know when she is bored when she starts chasing her tail. But bring over the kids....and she is brainwashed to know that kids are bad news in the Ervin house! She sleeps at my feet every night and loves to nap! I'm so jealous of her life!! But the next time you visit, don't say "Shadow is so fat." I don't call your kids fat! Just kidding. We know she has put on the pounds, but haven't we all and we wouldn't trade her for anything!