The Swan House

When we went to Atlanta, the first thing we did was go through town to the Atlanta History Center on Pace's Ferry Road.  We knew we wanted to see the Swan House, which is on the grounds of the Atlanta History Center, and we knew we wanted to buy Atlanta City Passes for all of us because that would be cheaper than buying individual tickets into everywhere we wanted to go.  Plus that there are other advantages, like getting to skip the ticket lines.

I wish we would have had more time.  I'd like to spend a whole day just in the actual Atlanta History Center Building.  What little of it I saw was incredible...a great collection of Bobby Jones golf clubs and a whole room dedicated to the Native American artifacts found on the Georgia Sea Islands.  And it wasn't even crowded at all, or at least not when we were there.

So, we went ahead and got our passes and headed on the walkway through the woods to the Swan House.  It exceeded our expectations.  I wish we could have taken pictures inside, but it wasn't allowed.  We got lots of pictures of the exterior of the house and the gardens though.

Here is a quick history I cut and pasted from their official webpage:
The Swan House at Atlanta History Center, traditionally known as one of the most recognized and photographed landmarks in Atlanta, Swan House is an elegant, classically styled mansion built in 1928 for the Edward H. Inman family, heirs to a cotton brokerage fortune. The mansion, designed by famed Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze, provides a glimpse into the lifestyle of this Atlanta family during the 1920s and 1930s.

Also, for my friends who like the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire was filmed at the Swan House.

A couple of things about the Swan House struck me.  The matriarch of the home loved to entertain and she was known to have paid her house staff (chauffer, butler, etc.) four times what the average pay was for their positions back then.  As a result, they were very loyal to her.  The only one that ever left was either a maid or a cook and they only left because they were offered a position at The White House.

Also, it is so well preserved.  Mrs. Inman lived in the house until she died in the early 1960's.  She left the house to her two sons, but they did not have the means to properly upkeep the house and they almost immediately gifted it to the state. 

Upcoming "Procedures"

I have several upcoming "procedures" at my Pain Management Doctor's office.  They don't want to call them surgeries, because they're not that serious and involved, but it's not like a regular doctor's visit either.  A few months ago I started going to a Pain Management Doctor because (obviously) I have a lot of pain and many of my friends in my CVID support group suggested it. 

My expectations were not high.  Probably because so many doctors have let me down in the past after I had heard about how "great" they were and how they were gonna "change my life."  But when I first went and met my new doctor (Dr. Pico) and his assistant (Claire), I was immediately impressed because they actually LISTENED to me and WANTED to help.  They started me on Lyrica, which has really helped my bone and joint pain, but has made me gain 10 lbs.  I've been trying to decide if I'd rather be fat or in pain and I've pretty much decided I'd rather be fat.  They also give me pain pills...one a day, which I'm good with because I don't want to get too dependent on them.

But the things I have seen the most improvement from are the nerve blocks.  The nerve blocks kinda worry my mama a little, but I'm completely satisfied with them.  The first two they did were my Trigeminal (facial) nerves and getting those blocks alone has changed my life.  Now every time I get a toothache or mouth infection, it doesn't set off a series of Trigeminal Neuralgia episodes and spasms. And my headaches almost completely went away.  I had had no idea that my Trigeminal Nerves were responsible for such a huge portion of my headaches.  After they were blocked, when I got a headache it was in the back of my head, but I got both of my Occipital Nerves blocked last week and I have had great results.

The other nerve that caused me so much pain was my Splanchnic (Spleenic) Nerve.  The doctor went into my spine for that block, so it was a little more involved, but again the results were huge.  Don't get me wrong.  I still have so much pain in my abdomen, and I can still tell when my spleen is swollen because it makes my left neck and shoulder hurt and my abdomen feels crowded and pressed and uncomfortable still, but it is so much more bearable now with my Splanchnic Nerve blocked.

So since I've had such good results, starting next week I will be getting all of the nerves I've previously blocked burned.  (Rhizotomy Procedures)  When I went in to get the blocks, I got an IV and they gave me Demerol and so it wasn't very painful and I didn't remember much of it.  The procedure is almost the same for the Rhizotomy, except for it takes about two minutes longer, so they will just give me more Demerol and hopefully that will suffice.

So wish me luck!  I'm very excited about these!

Bryant's promotion-

Today is the last Saturday Bryant has to work!  We are so proud of him!  He got a big promotion and is a new Customer Resource Counselor Representative for SRP.  This is a big deal for us.  He is now a salaried worker and that comes with lots of benefits...like not having to clock out to go to the bathroom, for one.  Now instead of answering phone calls from customers, he will make phone calls to customers who are in more difficult situations and he'll help them workout plans that are the best fit for them.  He won't be nearly as busy and he'll have lots of time to study for his classes that start in August.  He will work a steady shift from 8.30-5.30 that won't change every few months.  I'm glad because when school starts, if I am not feeling so well some mornings, he can take the girls to school for me.  And he won't be exhausted when he comes home, like he is now after working 4 ten hour shifts, even though 4 tens was really great for my doctor's visits and procedures.  That's okay.  His bosses are awesome and they love him and they are really good about letting him off when it involves my illness.  Anyway, Bryant, thank you for working so hard to take good care of us!  We love you!

These little plaques hang in Farrah's kitchen, and I love them!  I had to take a picture so that I can have someone who is crafty make some fore me.

Snapshots from the beach family reunion -

Mama, and the rest of us but most importantly Mama, got to meet Baby Ali.  She is the cutest, sweetest lil thing and she has the best disposition of any baby I've ever seen.  (She takes after her Mama.)

Daddy went shore fishing and caught a shark on his first cast.  The kids all touched it and then he threw it back.

One night the adults all went to a new restaurant called The Gulf and then we went out for yogurt.

Another day we all went to eat at The Original Oyster House and it was so good!  I ate the Man vs. Food Platter (featured on the show).  And then just for good measure, I bought a whole Key Lime Pie.

Another day the men went deep sea fishing for snapper while the kids went to a movie and I took Mama shopping.

The Ride

A few weeks before we left for Utah, Big Daddy got a big truck.  He LOVES it.  We specifically wanted one with a bench seat in the front so that we could seat six people, especially since I got rid of my van and now have a sedan.  We also wanted Skyler to take her BFF, McKenna.  We decided that because Bryant was getting to see his best friend, Josh.  I was getting to see my best friend, Melissa.  Sibley was getting to see her best friend, Sophia.  So Skyler should get to bring along her best friend too.  We are not the nicest family.  There wasn't any extra room and we don't have the best manners and we fuss and fight...a lot.  McKenna handled it all very well and could not have been sweeter or more helpful.  We love you, McKenna, and hope you will agree to come on another trip with us one day!

One night while we were in Salt Lake, we went on a double date with Josh and Melissa.  They took us to a good restaurant downtown.  I made the mistake of suggesting we sit outside since the weather was so nice.  The problem was that there are a lot of homeless people downtown and several of them (at different times) made their way over to our table and asked us for money.  One of them was really angry and he said he was starving and he pulled up his shirt and showed us his stomach.  Well, according to his stomach size, he was clearly not starving.  He also claimed to be a veteran and we found that very hard to believe.  Anyway, we took these pictures during dinner.  It was a fun date...despite the bums.  Me and Melissa have so much fun together, and we just adore our handsome Slade boys.

Chillin' at the Basha pool before we left for Alabama.  It's way too crowded now, and we need to find another less crowded fun pool to go to.

One day this summer before we left for our travels, the girls tried on my old dresses...my homecoming queen dress from junior high, my homecoming dress from high school, my formals, and my wedding dress.  It was fun for them to try things on and fun for me to remember.  This one was Sibley's favorite.

When we stayed at Mama and Daddy's house this summer, the girls had so much fun on the new golfcart.  They especially loved taking this road to the pond.  We decided when we got fireworks that we should go to the Hinterlands and ignite them so as not to disturb the neighbors.  The first place we went was just a little ways away from the pond, but still on the paved road.  After we shot the first firework, we heard a hoot owl warn us to go away.  We ignored the warning and the hoot owl got more and more hostile to the point where we all got scared.  (Bear in mind here that I am not normally scared of wildlife in Alabama, but the owl even scared me.  I am, on the other hand, terrified of the Sasquatch when camping in the Rocky Mountains.)  I started to worry that the seemingly huge owl would come out of the woods, swoop down, and make off with Sadie.  So we all ran back to the golfcart and scurried off to a less owl-ish place a little closer to civilization.  We were less worried about the neighbors than the owl.  The owl was definitely scarier.

It's official.  As of July 14, 2013, Sibley is taller than Skyler.

Cousin Time In The Playroom

While we were gone, my phone died...like permanently.  So I haven't had a phone for three weeks now.  My phone is my camera and it SUCKED not having a camera with me.  But, luckily, I had Skyler and Sibley along to take pictures, so at least I do have some pictures.  Sibley uploaded her pictures from the last two months last night and I found some real gems among them.  I especially loved the ones of the Stubbs and Slade cousins having silly fun in the playroom.  When we were growing up, we had the best playroom in our house, and now the Stubbs live in that house, so they have the best playroom.  The Stubbs have updated it a bit.  (It really needed updating.)  But it is still the scene for hours and hours of family fun.  The best part is that it is far away from the living room and bedrooms and the doors shut and the kids can be as loud as they want and it won't bother anyone.  And if the kids leave the confines of the playroom and try to take the party into any other part of the house, we quickly banish them back to the playroom. I'll go ahead and throw in some bonus pictures taken in the other parts of the house too.  And let me say that Baby Bennett Stubbs is the cutest, sweetest little thing.  And let's talk about Isaac...If I had a son, I'd want him to be just like Isaac...smart, sweet, responsible, and super funny.  Jenny has good kids.  She also has the sweetest little kitten.  A few weeks ago, she ran over him and broke his leg and he couldn't walk.  She was so distraught and she cried and prayed over that kitten all day.  He has made a miraculous, full recovery.  Thank you, Stubbs family for sharing your house and your toys and your food and everything else with us.  We love you and can't wait to hang again next summer.

Hanging With The Keels

We wanted to go back to the beach another time while we were in Alabama, and my friend Farrah was nice enough to have us stay with her again.  (She is a great cook, by the way, and so is her husband Mark.  Let me just say that we ate very well while we were there, especially the smoked meat on the 4th...My mouth starts watering just thinking about it.)  Also on the 4th it rained a little in the morning but it wasn't too bad in the afternoon and we were able to go out on the boat and we went to another party across the bayou at their friend's house on Ono Island.  I LOVED the house and I had Sibley take pictures on Skyler's phone and I will have to add them later.  Also, Farrah has two sweet little girls that helped me out with Sadie.  Thank you, Tatum and Ensley!

Yesterday Georgia and children carried us to see Mama and Daddy in Warm Springs, Georgia.  We all met together at the Visitor's Center and from there we had ice cream at the hotel and then drove over to the FDR's Little White House.  Warm Springs downtown and the Pine Mountain downtown are so cute.  The whole drive through Georgia was really pretty...lots of hilly, green farms and even some old plantations.  I wish we had time to take more pictures of everything.  The Little White House and Museum were nice too.  The girls especially liked FDR's old cars.  Sadie loved the "princess" stage coach and said she wanted one.  We were so happy to get to see Mama and Daddy again before we left.  Mama is so tired and weak and thin, but I think she needed to get out of the hospital for a little while.