This was Marc's first week back to work, and it was a rough one. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all long, late days and he went from laying in a recliner (supporting his neck and back) to working at a desk with little back support.

When Marc came home Monday, he said his back hurt worse than it had since the surgery. So the rest of the week he took it a little easier - slept in a bit, not so long on the bike at the gym. His back continues to hurt, but it is manageable. There is still some numbness in Marc's neck and face, and it gets worse as the day goes on. But it doesn't stop him from any activities.

Thursday he went to the doctor, who was impressed with the recovery - only one other patient of his has gone back to work after two weeks. Marc will start physical therapy next week.

I fully expect that the Ironman will be back in top form very soon.

Random Wednesday - Grandpa Hat Edition

Update on Marc

Marc was "released" from his medically-induced house confinement Friday. He has already been to the gym three times to ride the stationary recumbent bike - it looks like this:

Marc is back at work today. I am hoping it doesn't wear him out.

Kickball!

Sometimes my job is a blast! Like yesterday, when I got to plan a kickball game! We dedicated our new Club Sports Complex - new intramural fields where our club sports team can have meets, matches and games.

After the formal ceremony with speakers and a ribbon cutting, we had a little fun. We had some ballpark food - hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, nachos - and then had some of UGA's fabulous student leaders take on the University's administrators in a game of kickball. And while I'm an administrator, I managed the student (aka winning!) team. Here are some of the students with our Vice President for Student Affairs.


the following photos were taken by our campus newspaper - here is my colleague Matt. He was the manager for the Administrator team and played a bit as well.

And here's The Boss - he pitched and was the lead-off kicker.


And check out these great photos from our local paper - this actually made the front page of the print edition! (Clearly a slow news day.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From our two little leprechauns

The Newest Flamingo is on Her Way!

Marc is feeling much better. He really could go back to work next week, except he is not supposed to ride in a car for another 6 days. So he is stuck in the house for a little while longer, and I am expecting a fully crazed husband by the end of the week.

Since he is feeling good, I was able to attend a shower for my cousin Mandy yesterday. She is having twins, and she looks AMAZING! With a due date in May, it won't be long until we get to welcome little Boone and Sophie to our family.

And we had to make sure that Sophie had some flamingo-wear!

Let's Dress Up

I'm a prarie girl.

No - wait. I'm a bank robber.

No - wait! I'm a gangsta!

Stop Waking Me Up To Take Pictures!

Update on Marc

Since having surgery, Marc has really relied on his recliner. I brought it down from the man cave so he would have more neck/back support. The muscles in his neck and shoulders were (and still are) really sore. The first couple of days after surgery, Marc slept a lot, due to the painkillers and muscle relaxers. They knocked him out!

His neck and face were swollen, but that has gone down. The right side of his neck is numb, and he has the occasional muscle spasm in his chest and shoulders.

We have gotten out and walked a couple of miles for the past couple of days. Today he walked three miles, and it really wore the Ironman out.

Lullabelle has LOVED having Marc home and in the recliner. When he extends the footrest, she can lay between his legs to cuddle and nap.

Happy Birthday BB!

Aunt Mary and Uncle Marc love you VERY much!

How is Marc?

He is doing very well. He is tired and sore, and tends to take long, snore-y naps. But that's good. The pain pills he has are strong and he needs to sleep off the anesthia.

Our day started very early - we had to be at the hospital at 6am for his 7:30 surgery. They had him change into a gown and compressions socks. He tried to make it a sexy look.

Then a nurse took some blood and gave Marc some pills to relax. Can you tell that they had taken affect when I snapped this picture?

Once he was wheeled into surgery, I was taken to his room. at 8:30, a nurse called the room to tell me he was still in surgery and it was going very well. And at about 9:45, the doctor called the room to let me know the surgery was finished and it was successful. And hour later, they wheeled Marc in.

He was awake but not very aware. He doesn't remember much about those few hours. He talked to his parents to let them know he was okay and quickly fell asleep.

His surgeon made the incision on a neck crease, so the scar won't be so noticable. And they didn't use stitches or staples. It was glued with dermabond.

Thus far, we are very happy. Marc is doing better and his back doesn't hurt. YAY!

Whew. . .

Marc came through the surgery with flying colors. We are both home, tired and worn, but happy it is over. I'll post more tomorrow, when I can keep my eyes open.

What We Did on Our Snow Day

Monday = Snow Day!

Dinner and a Show

Saturday evening, we decided to celebrate Marc's last weekend before his surgery by going out to dinner with friends. But we didn't just go to any restaurant - we went to Medieval Times!

The Mireckis and the Woodards joined us as members of the red and yellow castle - you are assigned your "color" when you enter and get your crown - and were the rivals of the green team.

And I had to make sure Marc was properly outfitted with a sword.


When you enter the arena, you are a member of Leon, a kingdom ruled by a king whose son is missing in battle (I think.) The prince's wife is with the king, waiting for her beloved to return. Each castle (or seating section) is represented by a knight and a color, and one of the knights is a bad guy. There is some jousting and battling with swords, and the horses are quite talented. Marc cheered hard for the red and yellow team.


You are fed a meal, but there are no utensils - they didn't have forks and spoons in the 11th century. And it is a ton of food - half a chicken, a rib, soup, bread, a potato and dessert. There was no way I could eat all that, but Marc cleaned his plate.

We all had SO much fun.

Sadly, the red and yellow knight was out in the second round of the tournament. The green knight was the evil knight who had kidnapped the prince, and the yellow knight worked with the prince (who had somehow freed himself) to defeat the green knight. Marc was despondent over red and yellow's loss.


The camera work isn't great - but here is a taste of Marc taunting the evil green team.

More Snow Photos

Marc's Georgia G Snow Angel

Snow!

This picture was taken at about 2pm today - only about an inch had fallen.

And this video was taken at about 6pm today - when we had 6 or 7 inches. Sandy and Lullabelle had a blast frolicking in the snow.