More Weekend Happenings

Good Saturday evening!

I'm going to post more of Roxie's Basketball Banquet pics in the Gallery tonight.

I'm also going to tell you a little about our original Weekend Happenings.

If we lived in a perfect world, The Faulkner Five and the Tuggles would be within 20 minutes of reaching our New Orleans' destination at this very moment in time (6:38 p.m. Saturday night) via train.

We would be hailing a cab to carry us and our luggage to our four-star (Priceline) hotel. We would be ordering pizza and spending our first night in the Big Easy swimming in the heated roof-top pool while listening to live jazz being played from a courtyard in the street below.

Ahhh. Sounds dreamy, doesn't it?

I'll spare you the Sunday/Monday/Tuesday itinerary because it just ain't gonna happen this weekend.

Austin called Thursday (the day of Roxie's Banquet) complaining of a stomachache (left side). I didn't know if he had eaten something that didn't agree with him. I didn't know if he might have a stomach virus. I didn't know if he had pulled a muscle playing softball with the guys the day before.

Basically, I wasn't too worried.

Right before we left for Roxie's Banquet, I checked in with him. The pain had moved to the lower right side of his body. It wasn't a stomach virus. It wasn't something he had eaten. It was... "different."

Okay. I told him to lie down. I would call him in 30 minutes and Mikie and/or I would come get him if it didn't get better.

In the middle of Roxie's Banquet, Mikie checked with him again. He couldn't stand up straight and he couldn't make his 7:00 p.m. radio show.

It was serious now. Austin doesn't miss his radio show.

Mike asked him if he thought he could get a buddy to take him to an after-hour clinic in Anniston we knew about from a previous injury (worse dislocated finger in the history of Calhoun County). He said he could.

When he arrived at the clinic, there was a two-hour wait... and Austin was feeling worse.

Mikie headed to Anniston to fetch the boy, and I stayed home with Josh waiting for the call saying they were at the Bass Pro Shop. Upon receiving that call, I headed to St. Vincent's.

Even though the pain started in the left side, it was diagnosed appendicitis.

Long story short, Austin had surgery Friday afternoon and had his appendix removed. He is recovering from his first ever surgery very well, and in a couple of weeks, I hope he'll be as normal as he ever was!

We will reschedule our trip to New Orleans probably for the fall. (We want to go when it cool.)

And while we're disappointed, we are all glad Austin didn't (1) get sick on the way to New Orleans; (2) get sick in New Orleans; or (3) have to ride the train back to Alabama after an appendectomy.

The timing of everything couldn't have been better... and the Tuggles were wonderful which is why we like to do things with them. They are VERY go-with-the-flow!

I'll have all the details about what REALLY happened at Faulkner Farms (circa 1842) first thing Monday morning.

I'm sure it will be riveting reading!

Take care, and I'll talk to you Monday.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda