The Beach Slaw

I picked up some two cups of slaw for Chris's Thanksgiving on Sunday from The Beach.  BEST slaw ever!!!

Chris's Thanksgiving

Most years Chris is in OKC for the NRHA Reining Horse Futurity at Thanksgiving.  This year is one of those years.  He very much misses having Thanksgiving with the family.  Especially the deep fried turkey.  So this year I cooked a special meal for he and his family on Sunday.

While they were here they all wanted to sign my election petition.  Colton was especially excited.  He was one of my biggest campaign advisors in 2008.  My first election year.  He developed a political fever that year-his junior high years.  He is 18 now and loving the fact he was able to sign his first petition and will vote in his first election in the spring.

Chris signing my petition for re-election

Chris mom signing

Chris's niece Tress a and her husband signed.

Me And Chris

Chris's brother Perry signing

Chris's brother Steve signed.

Chris's mom Emma Lee

Tressa

Colton was so excited he is now 18 and can sign!!

Yum! Country Thanksgiving with deep fried turkey that somehow I always get stuck carving.

Yum!

Yum!

Rootin and Tootin

When my nephew Jamey and I were around three years old we named the two hogs being raised  "Rootin and Tootin".  At the time mom, dad, Gary, Lynette and I were living at the small red house we rented from the Hoopers in Hopewell.  One afternoon Jamey and I were gone somewhere, I don't remember where, and walked in the house when we got home.  Momma was frying up and canning sausage.  (Instead of granny or mamaw, Jamey called my mom, mom.)

Jamey went in the kitchen and said, "Mom, what are you cooking?"  Mom, not thinking, said "Rootin and Tootin".  Jamey was sooo mad at her!

Ahhhh...memories.

Cuteness

I love these.  Some of my favorites of:

My great nephew Jack

My nephew Tanner and great niece Mallie Belle.

Tanner is Mallie's uncle. 

Rikki Tikki Tavi

Awwwww....my friend Missy was thinking of me...

Petitions

Today was the first day to pick up qualifying petitions for the 2014 election year.  This blog is my way of sharing my life, whether or not anyone is reading.  So.... I picked my paperwork as incumbent Trustee candidate.   Petitions are due mid February.

Chris had told me he wanted to be the first to sign.  So as supporters started signing I had the #1 line left blank for him.  When I got home he looked the paperwork and said "I wanted to be the first to sign".

I told him I left the top spot open to which he replied he wanted to be the actual first person. Not just top spot.  Sorry babe....

I will most likely have the petition with me the next time I see you. If you are a registered Monroe County voter I'd love you to sign when we cross paths. Or stop by the office like friends Rachael and Blair.  I was excited they were among those wanting to support!  Thanks to all today.

Bridget. One of first five to sign.

Blair stopped by after a long day teaching high school English just to sign my petition. 

Picking up paperwork at lunch time at the Election Commission.

Starting paperwork at the office. 

Puck

At the Ice Bears hockey game tonight a puck flew up over the section next to us.  

I asked Chris,  "would you throw yourself in front of a flying, out of control puck to keep it from hitting me?"

Chris said, "yep, but I'd close my mouth".

(Close your mouth? Maybe he thinks that would protect his teeth if he got hit in the mouth.  I don't think so....)

5 o'clock shadow

Who would have ever thought not shaving would turn into something so cool.  Not 5 o'clock shadow but three day scruffy.

Reign

I'm really enjoying the show "Reign" but having read the Alison Weir book some years ago it's hard knowing Mary's fate.

Empty Chairs....

Chemotherapy number one and two were in Knoxville at Thompson's Cancer Survival Center.  Also were all the appointments in between the three week spans between the rounds.  It was quite exciting to learn after the second round Thompson's Cancer Center was opening a chemo center in Sweetwater.  The eight or so mile drive there would be much better than the sixty or so mile drive, one way, to downtown Knoxville.

The office would be open two days per week.  One day was follow up appointments and blood work only.  The other was a see the doctor and/or get chemo day.  Dr. Charles, my oncologist, would be the doctor to visit Sweetwater.  Great!  (I might have had reservations about going to treatment in Sweetwater had he not been the doctor.  I love my doctor.  He saved my life and continues to do his best to give top notch care....)

So chemo rounds three, four, five and six plus all the many, many blood work and follow up appointments were in Sweetwater.  Maintenance appointments have also been in Sweetwater for past two and half years.  I cannot remember the last time I had to go to Knoxville to see Dr. Charles.  Way back early 2010 I believe. 

I've made it to six month check up span on visits!  Today was my six month appointment with Dr. Charles.  I was sad to learn that the center was now closed to chemo treatments.  

I'm fortunate my chemo and multitude of medical tests and appointments are over since this has happened.  Six month check ups and blood work are all that remain.  

There were many benefits to having a treatment center in our area:

*Distance.  Several counties benefitted from having a facility offering chemo in our area.  The drive to chemo in Knoxville could be up to two hours depending where you live in Monroe or outlying counties.  

*Transportation.  I'm very blessed I was able to drive doctor appointments in between rounds of the two chemo treatments I had in Knoxville by myself.  On the two days I had chemo I readily had someone to drive me.  (You cannot drive yourself from treatment.)  Many are not as fortunate as I.  They may be elderly, no support system, or just plain ole no transportation readily available nor funds for many trips to many doctor appointments out of town.  I was a social worker.  I saw how hard a time people have with transportation just around town for everyday things which is multiplied ten fold by sickness and having to travel out of town.

*Cost.  Cost of gas to and fro gets expensive when driving 50-60 miles one way!

*Time.  Trip time=two hours.  Wait time, blood work time, doctor time=an hour more or less. Treatment time=two to three hours.  This all equals up to a full day off work for you and your driver.  In between appointments?  You might get away with only taking half day off work.  Plus if you are able to drive you can drive yourself and not, as I felt when having chemo rounds, be a burden to someone you love.  That saves family and friends at least a vacation day or two.

*Emotional.  Emotionally, at least for me-a small town girl, it was much easier to have chemotherapy treatment locally.  I feel many from rural areas feel the same.  Examples:

               The facility is small.  It's actually an old branch bank.  There are not a lot of staff members.  You feel they are more personally invested in you and you're not just some chest port stuck to a tube.  

                Privacy.  I think five chairs are in the chemo room in Sweetwater.  The most people I ever had treatment with was three.  Usually I was alone.  Knoxville?  It felt like there were 30 of us patients sitting in chairs with poison cursing through our veins while eating the bland ham  sandwich and chips and drink we were given.  My first chemo I remember being scared to death.  I walked in with my sister and picked a recliner next to a wall (at least one side of me would have no one and Lynette could sit in a chair more easily beside me) and next to the bathroom  (in case I got sick I wanted to be as close to that as possible!)  The nurse made us move because the first two rounds of the type of chemical I had I would have to be near air tubie thingy's oxygen.  Just in case my heart fluttered or, gasp, stopped.  After the first two we'd know my body wouldn't react that way and I could sit anywhere. When the nurse told me that I really got uneasy!  I told my nurse in Sweetwater about my fear before the first chemo.  How very afraid I was that I'd vomit all over myself in front of 30 people.  The nurse said, "oh, honey, they should have told you chemo isn't like it was in the old days.  It isn't like that at all now."

                Visitors.  I wasn't always the most polite patient.  Because it was local, I had family members who would stop by during my three hour treatment.  My nieces and sister would bring me  breakfast or lunch.  This was great considering there was a steroid monster living inside me making me ever so hungry and sneaking into my closet at night making my clothes smaller  and smaller.

                           (Note to self: remember it's bad etiquette to eat, talk loudly and have a lot of visitors during cancer treatments.)

*Energy.  You just don't FEEL like all that time in a car or organizing a schedule that must revolve around your staying alive.  Nor time waiting in a busy office which always turns out MUCH longer than the small office in a small town.  You're sick, fatigued and sometimes just plain ole grumpy.  

                 

What a loss to the community and service to it's members to no longer have cancer treatments in Sweetwater.  

I used to get to choose the color gauze for my blood work stick.  Fun neon colors such as pink and blue.  Plus traditional pinks and blues.  Today it was just plain ole panty hose color.

The male nurse taking my blood today asked me all the normal health questions and how I was.  I told him I was doing perfect and now "it was up to him to draw perfect blood so I can keep having perfect health."  "No pressure or anything" I told him.

He did a great job.  My doctor came in and and said I was the healthiest patient he'd seen all day and my blood work was clear.  Just waiting on Vitamin D level results which will be in tomorrow.

I did treat myself to a cupcake after treatment today.  Course I drove to Farragut to have one.  How ironic. Ha ha.  (I had to pick up Chris's cowboy boots.  So, guys, I was in Knoxville already.)

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Thanksgiving Potluck dinner at work

So yummy!!!

This is the Buffalo chicken casserole 

I made for our Thanksgiving Dinner at work.

Ballet

Seems I never really stuck with anything sporty when I was young.  My daddy was a baseball pitcher back in the 30's-40's.  He could have signed to the majors but, number 1, way back then playing professional sports wasn't at all like what is today.  Maybe that is a good thing.  And secondly, Maynard's really didn't leave Corntassel.  Or at least very far, permanently.

My brother Gary Maynard. 1966'ish

In high school my brother Gary played football for the Vonore Blue Devils. My sister Sharon played basketball for the Vonore Blue Devils and my sister Lynette was a cheerleader for the....Vonore Blue Devils.
(Check back for photos of my beautiful sisters and their sports.  They've not shared those yet.)

My sister Sharon. 1969

Me? I just seemed to flit around. One year with batton.   One or two  years with clogging.  (I really loved clogging.)  Couple years middle school cheering.  One year at ballet.  I'm not sure but maybe the age difference had something to play in the fact I wasn't involved in sports as they were.  The three were in high school and enjoying things at the same time. I was 20 years younger than Gary. Lynette was closest to my age and she was fifteen years older than I.  So in life experiences I was much like an only child.  I did have my nephew Jamey.  He is 10 months older than I and at our house practically all the time.  But we went to different schools till fifth grade when I switched from Vonore to Madisonville.

Batton recital at Hiwassee 

College. I was around 4????

I was spot on!  Ready to go!  Trying to stand just so.... perfect.

My 5th grade year, my first year at Madisonville Middle School, and the first grade of the four year middle school, I decided to try out for the basketball team.  Not really sure why.  I wanted to make it so bad! I had never played in my life but practiced everyday for the two week tryouts.

When I didn't make the cut Coach Tate came up to me and said, "Marna. You're just too little this year.  Make sure to try out again next year.  Okay?".

It felt good to have him tell me that, in so many words, being a stick who weighed probably 45 pounds was why I didn't make the team.  Not the fact that I was a gangly, little, tiny, two left footed mess of a girl.  I never tried out for basketball again.  Maybe I just wanted to cling to the myth in my head that I could be a basketball star if I weren't so small, not from the fact that I was very un-athletic and my best sports were badminton,  rolly bat and four person baseball.   Although gangly looking at those.

I believe that maybe the reason I stuck with no hobby, other than reading, is perfectionism.   If I wasn't great at something the first time I tried it I didn't continue past the season I signed up for. I expected too much of myself. I expected to be perfect even if it was my first go at trying something new.

Ballet. My ballet recital. My memory has always been horrible, but I remember getting to Hiwassee College for the recital.   All the other little girls had makeup on. A lot! Stage makeup I suppose.

My mom noticed I was upset and I was worried because I didn't have makeup like the other girls.   Mom didn't wear make up other than lipstick.  Momma pulled her lipstick from her purse and said, "Marna, come here".  Mom took the lipstick and put some on my lips and cheeks and a bit on my eyelids.

Momma always made everything better.  As mothers should.  After 23 years I still miss her.  There are so many times I wish she were here, beside me, to pull out a tube of lipstick to make it all better......

GSP

Me..."GPS has to win. He has to go out a legend."

Chris..."No. Hendricks is going all the way".

Me..."Hendricks doesn't have star potential. Gatoraide would never get behind him".

Chris..."Marna, it's poweraide". (GPS backer)

Yearnings

Beautiful spring flowers....

Drown

Just so happen that my car battery died during a rain last week. Chris came by the office to leave me the truck while he boosted the car to take it to pick up a battery.

As he was walking out he told the ladies out front he was going to go get the battery so "my wife doesn't get wet".

There was a man and woman standing at the counter being helped with tax relief who said "I'd let her drown".

Ha!

A day down on the farm

Ada Monroe looking for meal

Me and my yearling filly

Spooky Doo Bee Doo

Water hoses are the

bane to my existence. 

 Spooky Doo Bee Doo

Love my Carhart gear. But not really the

work that goes along with it. I must say the stalls  i work on are the best.  Wish I could be motivated to clean my house like that.

Maybe I could curl

Up in them on the couch and watch movies in my carharts....

Chris has a new wheelbarrow 

but he makes me use the old.