Our Time off in Virginia Beach

Ah, the beach....seems so long ago now that we were there and things were so relaxed and happy....The picture of Pat, Colleen and I was from Sunday, our last day, in the pool is at the SunSpree, our hotel









The kids are posing outside 'Catch 21' at the Hilton on 30th Street.
We didn't eat there but it is next to the Main bandstand and the big King Neptune statue.


These are all the pics of the cooling off at the SunSpree pool and looking out from our balconey. We were right over the lobby and had a great view of the pool and the 'Coconuts Bar' (their version of a Tiki Bar) .....our favorite bartender, Anna Marie, is in the top shot with Colleen and Sean. The only thing that could make it better was if you could swim up to it instead of having to get out......did I mention it was cold? Really, the water was cold and the nights were downright cool.....had to buy the brats sweatshirts when it dipped to the high 50's overnight. Is anyone sure it is July???


This is me shopping a the 'Good Sports Gear' store on 30th. I got Pat a Green Bay Packers flag for his car....like he needed anything else to hang on there with Green Bay written on it....but they have a great fan shop right there across from the Hilton and we found some Packer garb there last year and couldn't resist looking for some more for this year.....sort of his consolation prize for

"Hey, thanks for sharing your room with us....sorry you were working 10 or 12 hours days but we had a good time, Dad!"
Pat did get to go with us to dinner twice and he took Sunday off and hung at the pool with us, so we had a little quality time......we walked around on Monday, checked out of the hotel, took the trolley to 14th Street, got taffy and walked all the way back to 36th to get the car after stopping at 'North End Pizza' for lunch on the way out..... That covers the vacation.....you know what happened next (BOOM) and my car goes in the shop on Monday (finally). See ya XOXOXOX-AL

I was watching Letterman....

...and Dave is whining about having a cold and a 103.2 fever. He has been whining all week....just so you know I am not the only one out there whining at my age about my ills!! Since I'm watching Letterman you can deduce that I am not sleeping....~sigh~......so it goes. XOXOX - AL

Another Visit with Dr. Stein......July 21

Today I went to see Dr. Hottie and the staff at University of MD Orthopedics today. Dr. Stein wanted to be sure that all was still good with the repair work after the car accident.


That first picture is Hope from the Doc's College Park office. She is calling my loser insurance company to ask about a new treatment that the doctor wants to use.

Here's the 'A' Team working hard and updating my info. Dr. Hottie was looking fine in his light green shirt with green striped tie...musta worn that since I was coming and green is my favorite color...not to mention an homage to my Irish heritage....he's so thoughtful....

I don't want to leave out the x-ray crew, Beth and Russell....and my latest x-ray of hardware.




I assume I should stop the whining and suck it up but I am not feeling that yet. I have gone thru a muscle relaxer, sleeping tabs and now a new relaxer to get the cramp in my neck and shoulder blade to ease up....I'm not having any fun here.....

I'll let you know if anything new comes up but it has taken me over a week to get this posted...I am just not myself. I'll post a vacation picture or two next time....Wah, Wah, Wah......AL

Another date with Dr. Hottie

...Tomorrow I see the Doc to check on his handiwork. He's gonna double check all the hardware and make sure playing bumper cars in the Tunnel didn't undo any of his hard work. Hope to God the rotator cuff didn't let go.

I spoke to the claims adjuster today and explained my arm repair and that it needs to be checked. He didn't seem to like that much since I already went to the primary care doc and got a million x-rays. BUT then I don't understand about this personal injury protection stuff....they send me a check and I have to pay the doctor and the x-rays and stuff....huh? I am in the dark on this crap.....just sitting in my chair all day made my back hurt and I came home and took to my bed....maybe I'm just resting up for the doc, right?

So, what do I do next? Anyone have some input?
XOXOXOXOX - AL
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

No Rest for the Weary or Wicked

6 a.m. Sunday. Been tossing since 4. Back, neck, hips and knee are killing me. Is this the 'pain and suffering' portion of this car accident? It sucks...nobody but Starbucks and IHOP workers should be up at this time. I'm gonna have to break down and take a big P Pill to help with this pain!

Wah, Wah, Wah on Sunday. XOXOXOXO - AL
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Weekend is Here!!!

Gonna lay in the bed and try to rest....smell like Ben Gay and have the heating pad attached to my neck.....I know, I know...15 on, 15 off. Waiting for the guys to rehab the hot tub so I can get a good soak on the back, neck and arm!!

The muscle relaxer is not doing anything. I take it at night, go to sleep for a couple hours, toss turn, whine and then drift off again for awhile but I am stiff as a board trying to get up in the morning....I feel like I'm a hundred....Dr. B said the bruises and swelling will likely go away within a week....he's not gonna send me to PT since I am not in PT for the arm yet and he doesn't want to mess with Dr. Hottie's area. SO, it's rest and heat and rest somemore....sounds like a quiet weekend for me. It started to rain on my way home so when I got here, I had to have Sean run out with the duct tape and cover the trunk. It can rain right into the trunk where the biggest part of the buckle is.

If you see my beautiful Buick Lacrosse, please look from the front....if you look from the back, you might think Jeff Foxworthy is driving it.....it has duct tape on it, that's like a Red Neck calling card.....maybe I could find a trailer to park it next to until it gets fixed....~sigh~

Have a good weekend.....XOXOXOXO - AL

....here comes insult to injury

I took my car to get an estimate today...ouch, $3905.50 and perhaps a little more once they pull the bumper and check the underneath....glad it's not going against my insurance. I got my x-rays back and there is no breakage or fractures....there is swelling and inflammation and oh man, am I sore.

Dr. B gave me the same meds that he gave Birdie after her car wreck and he told me it would help me relax and sleep. I asked Birdie, hey, how did that med work for you? I told her I got a 3 hour stretch of sleep before I was up again and she told me she slept for 12 hours.....WHAT?!?!? How does that work? I must be doing something wrong....

Out for tonight, the best thing to leave you with is....Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!! Yeah. XOXOXO - AL

Anyone need a light? 20 X-Rays later, I am glowing in the Dark!

Ok, I gave up this afternoon and went to see Dr. B to find out if I was going to die....he thinks not. I got stiffer and more crampy as the day wore on and I figured to be sure I needed a real medical opinion..... just because I seem to spend all my time at the doctor's offices, does not make me the expert...Dr. B wanted to be sure, so he poked and prodded (ouch) and said the inflammation and swelling are in the soft tissue and should pass but sent me for x-rays. Can't do PT because I still haven't started it for my arm. So x-rays......cervical spine, thoracic spine, right shoulder and right arm. I had the pleasure of being only the 2nd person x-rayed with SGRA's new digital equipment and if they took one x-ray, they took twenty. I had to keep telling the tech not to push on my shoulder and yank on my arm. I wanted to see the arm picture but they wouldn't let me look...I wanted to check for my 'white whispies' to make sure they didn't break off during the bumping and slamming...I've become quite attached to the little fellas....heal, baby, heal!

I have sore spots where I didn't know I had spots! I believe that getting old is hell, bad luck is hell and I need a break. Karma is kicking my ass and I am a pretty nice person....really, ask anyone! I have to soothe that freakin Murphy fella and get the little bastard off my back....

I have a new drug to try tonight, it's supposed to relax me and help me get some sleep. Dr B thinks less percocet is better and a full up muscle relaxer is too much....so, I will take one and let you know tomorrow if it worked....or maybe at 4 in the morning, if it doesn't. I guess I will get some feedback from the x-ray peeps too.

On to the car....looks pretty awful in the daylight! OMG, and the insurance company from the dude that hit me, forget it.....I have to go to a shop that they have on payroll, they decide what it will cost and they will send me a check. Then I can take it anywhere I want to......what if the Buick dealer says it is more? Then I can only get the repairs done on a Monday or Tuesday and all the replacement parts must be ordered and in stock before I can drop my car off, if I want a rental car.....I have never heard of such a pile! Oh excuse me, young Mr. Navy Seal Man....you need an upgrade dude.....You hit me so hard the word 'Nissan' transferred onto my bumper....I'm thinking you were texting and smoking your ciggy and not paying attention when you should have...I'm lucky you weren't going any faster....

I'm taking my crabby sore ass to bed now to see if I can sleep tonight....Does anyone know if that "Boy in the Bubble" movie prop bubble is available? Not sure if I shouldn't start considering some alternate safety methods......no ladders....no driving in the tunnel.....etc, etc.

A lot of Wah, Wah, Wah and some love....XOXOXOXOXO - AL

Murphy's Law Bites...

I feel a little like Andy Rooney..."Didya ever wonder why.....Murphy's Law always seems to get you in the end?" Who the hell is Murphy and how is it that I seem to have pissed on his corn flakes? Is it the Irish in me? Is he out get one of his own? I'm a peace-loving, reasonable Irish-Catholic girl that plays by the rules, what the hell did I ever do to Murphy?

There are plenty of other natural enemies of the Irish....what happened Murph? Run out of ancestors of the British oppressors to wreak havoc upon? There would seem to be a quota that I should have met and/or exceeded by now....please check the records and move on.....can't get blood from a stone, canya?

The weather at the beach, perfect.....lunches, beers and maybe a shot or two of Patron at the Tiki bar.....$200......preps for the trip, new swim gear, shorts, #50 Sunscreen, etc......$350.......hotel bill for 7 glorious days at Virginia Beach....$1100......getting rear-ended in the Hampton Roads Tunnel on the way home in rush-hour traffic by a guy young enough to be my son? PRICELESS, just freakin priceless! (Dude did not apologize either, I need to call his mother to ask about his upbringing)

Thanks Murphy....woulda been perfect without you.... (oh and did I mention, my freakin arm hurts??? (Andy Rooney again) Didya ever have to stop short in traffic and as you are braking glance in the rear view mirror, realize the guy behind you is not going to stop in time? I think that is how most injuries happen....that last 2 seconds when you tense up to get hit.....'Oh, hello Dr. Hottie....it seems there's been a little accident with all your hard work....') Boo-freakin-hoo! OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX - AL

Short Week and Heading for the Beach

Quiet Sunday morning, just me and that guy on CBS "Sunday Morning" with the bowtie.... lots of snoring going on here.

We had a nice BBQ up at Birdie and Rich's house yesterday....good food and good weather. Since it was supposed to rain, we bailed on the Baker Park outing to see the Fireworks and hit the 270 display instead. As we drove home, we came into Gaithersburg right as their display started and watched from 270. People are crazy...there were cars driving 35 miles per hour on the freeway while they tried to watch....and find places to pull over. There had to be 300 cars illegally parked on the sides of the road...people out of their cars and sitting on the ground at NIST...talk about a traffic hazard!?!?!? We kept driving and could see the fireworks from the City of Rockville the rest of the way from 370 to Gude drive...got caught at the redlight and saw the finale....what's not to like?

Short week for me, heading to the beach on Wednesday with the kids. Pat is going down for work and we will take advantage of having the room by sitting at the Tiki Bar and hanging at the pool....it would be such a waste for him to go alone while we just sit at home, right? Carolyn will cover for me at work and I am looking forward to turning off my 'crackberry' for a few days....just wondering how sexy I'm gonna look with my sling on with my swim suit...at least it's black and should match but might get hot....could require me spending a lot of time under the Tiki Bar shade, hummmm, it gets thirsty under there...

That's it for this Sunday morning...be well and be happy....I'm trying XOXOXOXOXOXOXO - AL

Happy 4th of July

It's been a busy week and I have neglected the blog....I have been at work all week and I am getting used to the set-up with the laptop. It makes a huge difference not to have to reach up for the mouse and keyboard.....can't fault the bosses, they have done everything to make me comfortable. Still get pretty sore by the end of the day but Pat and the kids have been good about making dinner and helping clean up.....they probably think that they are earning points in heaven by being good to me.

Just hanging out and trying to get by, looking forward to the long weekend. XOXOXOXOX or Wah, wah, wah.....AL