I can't believe it, but this is our 14th year with our Elf Jingle. We started her in 2011 and have had countless laughs over the years. The kids love helping out now and surprising the rest of the family which makes spreading the joy that much better. Here are Jingle's first 12 days of shenanigans!
The evening turned out beautifully as some of the Mom's hosted a Freshman football banquet. We had Adriatic Cafe provide food, and the coaches were able to speak about the season. Cade played on the freshman red team and they won the district championship with an undefeated season. This group of boys is so special and were undefeated district champs in 8th grade and also district champs in the 7th grade. In fact, this group of boys has only lost 1 game in the last 3 years when they were in 7th grade...and that game they only lost by 1 point. With a record like this, they deserve to be celebrated! To watch the boys grow in talent and friendships while building a team together is nothing short of beautiful.
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About a year ago I was frustrated, overweight, suffering from headaches that kept me in bed, and experiencing pain from my neck/shoulders. I started showing signs of depression and held a lot of anger toward myself for not being the best Mom, Wife, coworker and friend that I could be. One night while crying I decided enough was enough. If I wanted things to be better, it was on me. It was on me to pray, do my own research, and start calling doctors to seek answers. This journey led me to Airosti, Chiropractors, Thai massages, too many muscle/pain creams to count, and a LOT of oral medications (OTC, pain relievers, muscle relaxers, nerve relaxers, and more). I decided to try going to our PCP to see what could be done about the headaches first and then I would figure out the pain from my neck/shoulders. Truthfully, I believed my neck and shoulder pain would result in needing a surgery, which I was not willing to do because that is how I lost my Daddy. I am so grateful for the day I walked into Dr. Gilmore's office. He took one look at me and said my alignment was off, I looked in pain, and "I bet you have some gnarly headaches as well." He asked a zillion questions and I tried my best not to cry in frustration. He explained that he believed my trap muscles on both sides were causing all my problems and everything was related. I thought he was nuts at first, but then he began to explain how the trap muscle works, where it is located (much bigger than I thought), and how it affected all my symptoms. He put in orders for me to get an X-ray and Cat Scan first, then gave me a referral for a Neurologist. I remember him looking at me and saying, "you are going to try a lot of things first, but I am advising you to get to a point where your insurance can pay for a Neurologist to give you botox injections in your head, neck and shoulders." I was confused what botox had to do with it and had never heard of botox for headaches. I completed the Xrays and scans (which confirmed exactly what Dr. Gilmore was saying) and took those to a Neurologist, Dr. Pamela Blake. Meeting Dr. Blake was yet again another miracle. Our first appointment was 1.5 hours in length and she explained everything to me. She agreed with Dr. Gilmore and smiled while stating more than once, "I know I can help you and am confident in my diagnosis." She wanted to try Trigger Point Injections while the insurance approved the botox, so we started them that day. I did 3 round of TPI's, each 3 weeks apart. I was thankful to be able to get an average of 1 week of relief for each set of TPI's, but held out hope for the botox injections. Finally, at the beginning of September, I had my first round of Botox injections which included 37 shots around the frame of my face, between eyebrows, jaw, temples, behind ears, base of skull, neck, shoulders and upper back. Most of the shots felt like bee stings, but were doable with steady breathing. Even though I did have side effects (stiffness, swollen throat, nerve pain, and headaches) for the first few weeks after...I finally found relief! In fact, I had very few headaches that could not be treated with OTC meds for the next 10 weeks. At the 10 week mark, I could feel the pain creeping back. Today, I was able to get the second round of 37 shots and I am hopeful that everything continues to improve. Research shows that the more consistent you are with treatment, the longer you have positive results. Since I responded so well to the first round of Botox, I am hopeful that things will only get better from here. Looking back on this last year, I see God's little blessings along the way and am grateful for the relief, additional time with my family, and being able to lose weight. What a ride it has been, but I am stronger for it.
In 2015 after my Dad passed, my sister started this tradition and it is one of my favorites. Beginning in 2018, we buy a white pumpkin and starting on Nov 1st, we write what we are thankful for on it. We keep markers next to the pumpkin and everyone writes at least one thing daily. We started the pumpkin this year with the words: God, family, and friends. I love reading all the ways we are blessed as the month progresses. It is a great reminder that God is in charge of every detail of our lives.
It was a chilly but great end to our Big 12 conference play
with a win over Kansas. We always enjoy a day in Waco with our Bears, Common
Grounds, Spice Village and Vitek's. I got an extra blessing of seeing my friend
Beth at the best coffee place. Charles
also had an unexpected reunion with his former teammates Jarod Quinn and Danny Andino
(Snapper, Kicker, Holder) in the letterman’s lounge. 22 years ago they made the game winning kick
against Kansas and the fans took the uprights down in celebration! Charles was
the deep snapper, Jarod was the holder, and Danny was the kicker. Much has
changed since then, but one thing is the same, you are always a Bear!
