Lesson 282: Classic

It was a classic day on Classic Lanes.

Deserving enough of a bonus blog post for the week.

Hubby came in second in the Erie Times News Bowling Tournament.

For those of you following this story for the last five weeks, 

know that this post was well earned.

He got a cool trophy and a thousand bucks!

His fans were there cheering him on.

Only Sam was having some difficulty dealing with the second place finish.

My boy is a competitive little bugger and refused to admit defeat.

(Look at his finger).

His Godmother wiped a tear or two from her eyes.

Louie even got a post tourney interview.

He was all smiles when we returned home,

especially so because he drank my beer.

Right.

In.

Front.

Of.

Me.

Grandma and Kenyan stopped by to continue the celebration.

Look who is still fingering the check.

I can't say enough about the top 16 guys.

Tough competitors.

Class acts.

#10 today was Dave Stile, a high school classmate. 

He was one of the few people to beat my husband in this tournament,

and did so with a 299.  Damn that ten pin!

Going into the position round, only 3 pins separated the top three gentlemen.

 And gentlemen, they are.

This is Lee Eighmy.

This is Mike Shady.

Both men are always at the top of every single tournament.  

Time

after 

time

after 

time.

They are consistently good.

Their mental games are more powerful than their forearms.

 Hubby played the best mental game of all.

He made the comeback of his life.  

Only 26 days ago we drug his body on a blanket out to the Christmas tree to open presents.

Remember these frequent posts?

How about the chiropractic table/laundry table set up in my bedroom?

It was not only the source of a little Lamp Post fun,

but also the key to Louie's healing.

I was asked numerous times today about this man:

This is Dr. Steven Krauza, the Erie Chiropractor who runs my workout group 

and wellness challenges.

Known as Doc to me, 

he is also referred to around these parts as The Doctor with the Bike,

or the Doctor with the Cape.

He had a hand (or two) in Louie's healing.  Doc is quick to refuse credit for the part he played in it all.  Yet, his daily house calls during the coldest and snowiest of days were oh-so important.  But Doc said it best when he humbly stated that he only removed the interference to allow for the innate wisdom of the body to heal itself.  Oh-so true.  Still, we issue a big thank you from the Lamp Post tonight.  Without your hands, Dr. Krauza,  Louie would not have healed so rapidly.  

As a front row observer of the literal fall and rise of my husband over the last six weeks, Eloise can say that BELIEF is what got Louie to second place today.  One December night, while lying side by side on the floor waiting for the back to heal, Louie squeezed my hand and said, "So what do you think about the Times News Tournament?"  

The tournament was set to begin in three weeks, and my husband could not move an inch.  I began to giggle, partly due to caginess from sleep deprivation.  "Well......" I began.

Louie interjected before I could say anything more.  "I can bowl in it.  I know I can."

Eloise let out a long sigh, rubbed his head, and fluffed his pillow.  "Get some sleep, please.  You're exhausted," said I, the good wife.

"I can do it.  I know it.  I am going to heal, and make the cut!" he said.

I knew that night, in the middle of December, despite of having bowled only nine times all fall, that Louie would make that cut.  He believed he could, and he did.

As inspiring as this story may seem, it is not isolated.  Transfer that same story of belief to your own lives.  What is it that you want that seems so impossible?  A new job?  To run a half marathon?  Maybe a full one?  Save $1,000?  Maybe $5,000?   Mend a broken relationship?  Make the comeback of your life? 

Eloise gets an extra shot this week to tell you that you can do anything.  Get your body aligned, your mind right, and your spirit strong. You will be unstoppable.

We are all so proud of you Louie!  You set a fine example for all of us.  A special thank you to all of the fans who sent such kind words of encouragement.  

Now, off to Sam's room to explain for the hundredth time that today was story of triumph, not defeat.  Second place is not losing.  And Mike Shady is not a cheater.  

I think I got my work cut out for me.

For some lighthearted bowling enjoyment, click on the clip from Kingpin, a 1996 sports comedy about bowling, starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, and Bill Murray.  It was filmed in Pittsburgh!  

Eloise

Lesson 281: Another Beerless Blog

Happy weekend, Readers!

Eloise is on weekend three of a Friday night sans the Rolling Rock.  

I'm a little wittier when I have a couple.  I think so, at least.

This blog could be a sleeper, so I'll start you out with a couple of nighttime photos.

We had some beautiful moonlight nights this week.

Erie's tower sure is pretty in the dark.

Try to stay awake long enough to receive your weekly bowling update.

Now I've got you!

Readers are hooked over the suspense filled 

Erie Times News 51st Annual Bowling Tournament.

Maybe they'll stay with me.

Hubby made the cut.

He bowls 17 games this weekend.  

He's hoping to beat last year's fifth place finish.

I'm hoping there's a claw machine at the alleys.

Endless fun.

Sam set a bowling record of his own last week.

He had a 150 game and made the newspaper.

On to other sports news:

Kenyan ran her marathon in Disney World last Sunday.

She and her group ran through every park, 

in what Keyan described as journey.

Congratulations Kenyan, Sandie, Judy, Heather, Adam, Jenny, and Robb!

Kenyan brought home this cool medal,

and these feet to go with it.

No folks, those aren't rubber Halloween horror costume feet.

They are real.

While Kenyan was basking in the sun in Florida.

Sister Eloise was sliding around like Bambi on the ice.

Conditions in Erie aren't always the most conducive to running,
but when we get a break in the weather, we head out to the roads and trails.

I had a nice long one, solo on Sunday and I captured these shots in a nearby park.







The best thing about Erieites is that we are adaptable.

Me and my Homies were back at our Team Adrenaline workouts

building strength,

and challenging our bodies in any weather conditions.

I continued to challenge my family by trying new foods.

Last week was Mexican Week.

My troops rediscovered their love for authentic Mexican food.

We kicked off the week with a dinner at El Canelo,

Eloise's favorite local Mexican Restaurant.

Sam looked a bit too natural guzzling this (root) beer.

I made homemade tacos, enchiladas, Spanish rice, and fajitas.

All of them were great.

Some dishes called for refried beans.

Doc's been training me too look at labels, so I remembered to do that before I cooked with these.

Thank the Lord I did.

I'm not so sure how that partially hydrogenated lard would look on my @$$.

My children's tastes are changing as a result of me using less sugar in my own diet.

I bought them these Mexican sodas for a treat, 

and they could only drink a couple of sips.

They said they were too sweet.  

Even Sam!

Natalie loves her chips and salsa,

and her beans, unfortunately.

Sunset Peggy from my Other Summer Life, is still on my Sh!t L!st for feeding Natalie three plates of baked beans at a summer picnic.  There was about as much farting going on in the Lamp Post this past week to tie Natalie's old Fart Record.  

There, I wrote the word fart.  

That counts as funny, right?

Maybe not all hope is lost for this blog, after all.

The word fart always is good for a chuckle.  

Don't give up on me, Readers.  

You've been with me for 281 posts.  

I'll have my wit back and will start making public fun of my mother again in a few weeks when I'm done with Doc's Detox and reclaim my Friday Night Fun.

In case I ever get accused of this:

I have never claimed to be Mother of the Year.

This week I had another Epic Fail.

After assuming Natalie's school bus to a neighboring school district was 20 minutes late, I put a call in to the bus garage to inquire if the handicapped van slid off the snow covered road into a ditch.  

Eloise was writing the screenplay in her head---

the van driver bleeding from a head gash,

the shivering children,

the blankets I'd bring,

the Lamp Post turned into a First Aid Shelter.

Record scratch

The voice on the other end of the phone said,

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Eloise.  There is no school today."

Whaaaaat?  

A day off on a Thursday?

Who came up with THAT plan?

Instead, Kenyan came to the rescue.

Natalie got to go to Pittsburgh with Jack for a doctor's appointment.

A special word to Jack--

You get the Unsung Hero Award.  I don't mention you enough on this blog, because you are fourteen and in high school and it is just plain not cool to have your Favorite Aunt Eloise gush about you in a public forum--

but YOU DA BOMB!

Thank you for being so nice to Natalie and Erik.
You go above and beyond what you need to do for them,

just like your cousin Ellen does.

Nicest surprise of the week:

My epic fail morning was remedied by this pick me up I found in my mailbox that same day after school.

Grandma Joyce from Wisconsin sent me these beautiful ornaments.

These aren't getting put away with the Christmas items. 

They will be sitting out in the Lamp Post all year long.

The pictures this week are set to It's Time by Imagine Dragons.  I found this pinterest pin, and it kind of reminded Eloise of herself a bit.  Man, that beach looks nice, too!

Jack really likes this band and he turned me onto them a few months ago.  It's Time kind of fits with the whole New Year's Resolution thing---it's time to begin those changes you've been promising yourself.  

The coolest thing I found out about Imagine Dragons was about the name of the band itself.  In an interview with blogger Jon Chattman, in his May 2, 2012 post, front man Dan Reynolds said this about the band's unusual name:

"We were sitting down and came up with a phrase that we felt particularly connected to, but we didn't want to call it that. It just didn't flow right," Reynolds explained in an April 25 interview.

"We ended up rearranging the letters and did an anagram. We haven't told anyone except our manager and our spouses. It's funny how people will try to guess what it means... a lot of people think it's a drug reference."

Reynolds said everything from "Aged Mens' Radio" to "Gemini is So Grand" have been suggested by fans, but they'll keep everyone guessing for now. 

Who doesn't love a good mystery?  I'm going to be working on some anagrams for the name myself--great brain exercise.  Join me for some bonus homework:  Into what other phrase could you rearrange the letters in Imagine Dragons?  I'll let you know what I come up with next week.  

I'll also let you know of a great book I've found.  Although, if I'm as flat as I am tonight without my Rolling Rock, next week's post may end up being about the Dewey Decimal System instead. 

Thanks for hanging with me, Readers.  You sure are a loyal bunch.

Eloise