2009 ~ May 10-12 Eye Repair in Atlanta Ga & Motor Sports Hall of Fame Talladega, AL

Day 1: Monday, May 10, 2009. Today is Mother's Day. 

We spent the day on the road to Atlanta. It was a trip in the rain...but at least we made it safely. We checked into the RMD House in Atlanta at about 7 P.M. (EST) and settled in for the night. 

After surgery at Emory Hospital

Day 2: Tuesday, May 11, 2009

Lora dropped Meadow and me off in front of Emory Hospital, and we walked next door to Children's Emory Hospital and took the flower elevator to the third floor, where I registered Meadow.

Lora parked the van and met us on the third floor.

We waited until about 11 A.M., when they called Meadow back to take her vitals and put her in a room overlooking the Hospital Park. 

It was a beautiful park with a pond, statues, and lots of blooming flowers, trees, and shrubs.  

Meadow's retina surgery was scheduled at 9 A.M. (that is what time she had to be in day surgery). Dr. Swinn & Dr. Hubbard talked with us before they took her back.

They returned from surgery quickly. 

They did not perform the retinal reattachment surgery. Dr. Hubbard explained that, in her case, the optic nerve in her right eye is enlarged. There was not a tear or hole in the retina. He said this was good & bad news. He said that with this type of anomaly, the retina sometimes flattens and reattaches. Then again, it might not. He said it would not be worth making a hole or tearing the retina to reattach it, as this could cause more problems for a child of her age. Therefore, he did not repair the detached retina. He told us that she probably has minimal vision in that eye. She may only see light & shadows. He was not concerned with the gray discoloration in her right cornea (the white part of her eye around the iris). 

Dr. Hubbard did a very detailed exam under anesthesia. Meadow had an allergic reaction to one of the eye drops that they used to dilate her eyes. The nurse said it happened immediately following the drops. It gave her a rash. They had to give her Benadryl through an IV. 

He said her left eye looked good, other than the optic nerve hypoplasia. Meadow will need to return for a follow-up in three months and to monitor the right eye. We can only hope that the retina will flatten out and reattach on its own. The longer it is detached, the poorer the prognosis.

Meadow was dismissed from the hospital after drinking some water. We walked around the hospital park and took pictures.

We rode back to the Ronald McDonald House to eat.

We rode to the Carter building, parked the car, and walked around.

Next, we rode downtown Atlanta to a park.

We didn't stay long because we couldn't find a free parking spot. Marcus called Lora; he wanted her to call Ron to see if he could pick up Madison.

Lora went up a one-way street while she was on the phone.

She made a U-turn, and we went back to the Ronald McDonald House.

In the lobby after surgery at Emory Hospital

Park at Emory Hospital 

Park at Emory Hospital 

Park at Emory Hospital 

Walking around at the Carter Center in Atlanta 

International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum

Talladega Speedway 

Day 3: Wednesday, May 12, 2009

I vacuumed, cleaned the room, made the beds, and carried the dirty linen to the parking deck.

We ate breakfast of oats, eggs, raisin bread, and tea. 

We washed clothes before we left, which was about 10 A.M.

We stopped at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, where we toured the museum and took a bus to the racetrack.

Talladega Superspeedway is the biggest, fastest, and most competitive motorsports facility in the world. Records for both speed and competition have been established at Talladega.

Talladega Superspeedway can accommodate more than 143,000 seated guests and thousands more in the 212-acre infield. The track offers van tours to visitors daily during working hours except during the weeks around events. 

Adjacent to the track is the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened in April 1983 and is dedicated to the preservation of the history of motorsports

Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $5 for kids aged 7 to 17, and free for kids aged 6 and younger.

There were three buildings: race memorabilia, cars, trophies, photos, etc.

The bus tour took about 45 minutes. The guide told many anecdotes about racing.

We met an elderly woman in the museum's library who personally knew Richard Petty. She said that she rented a home from the Pettys.

She said, "What do you want to know about the Pettys?"

Only Dale Earnhardt, Davey Allison, Bobby Labonte, and Martin have won in three or more racing series at Talladega. In addition, as the only driver to win in four different racing series, NASCAR's R's Most Competitive Track, Martin is in a league of his own.

We ate supper at Cracker Barrel and traveled home. 

2009 ~Alabama May 4-5, Tubes and Dental Repairs at UAB Children’s Hospital Birmingham, Alabama

Monday, May 4, 2009  

I rode to Birmingham with Lora Meadow and had a doctor's appointment at 12:00 P.M. with Dr. Nathaniel Robins, a genetics doctor at UAB Children's. Dr. Robins has two interns and a co-worker who will see Meadow.

Dr. Robins has not seen Meadow for almost two years, so they will need to take pictures of Meadow for their files.

He ordered some lab work (homocysteine level & some chromosomal study). After the doctors left, Lora changed Meadow's diaper, gave her some milk, and fixed her G-tube in the waiting room.

Waiting at the doctor's office

It is way past lunchtime —around 1:00 P.M. —and we are getting hungry. 

I mentioned going to the Botanical Gardens. Lora entered the necessary information into the GPS to get directions to the Botanical Gardens. We decided to eat somewhere close to the gardens.

We asked these two women where a good place to eat was close by, and they suggested going over the hill to the English Village shopping area.

We decided to eat at Billy's Bar & Grill, a family-owned pub located in the English Village. Located at 2012 Cahaba Road, Mountain Brook, AL 35223. 205-879-2238. Email: info@billysbarandgrill.com.

The bar, tucked away in the old-world charm, has an upscale atmosphere, an extensive menu, and two full bars with a vast selection of liquors and fine wines. There is a large moose head hanging over the main bar. 

We ordered a hamburger with fries for Meadow, and we split a Greek sandwich with chips. (It was grilled with Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, and onion, and  tomato served on whole wheat bread with smoked turkey.)

While we waited for our food, Meadow tapped her foot to the music playing and kept time. 

We sat in the dining area downstairs because we saw no ramp going upstairs.

The restroom was upstairs, which was much needed after two glasses of Coke, along with more dining area, and another bar.

The food was delicious; we thanked the waiter and headed back down the hill to the Botanical Gardens.

Lora went to the restroom at the botanical gardens, and Meadow and I went to the Rose Garden. I took many pictures of the roses; many were in full bloom, yellow, red, white, and pink, mixed so beautifully. 

Lora was on the phone trying to get us into the Ronald McDonald House.

We walked through the conservatory, where we saw plants of commercial importance, such as banana, vanilla, coffee, and cacao (the source of chocolate), as well as wondrous tropical species of palms, cycads (including a 100-year-old specimen), and tree ferns.

On the north end are the Camellia, and on the south side are the desert plants such as American agaves, aloes and cacti, Pacific rim plumerias, and succulent euphorbia from Africa.

We walked through Bruno's garden of fresh vegetables and herbs. We saw fresh sweet peas, Lettuce, onions, kale, cabbage, and broccoli.

On the Herb terrace, we saw rosemary and thyme.

Japanese Garden, Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Next, we walked to the Japanese garden, which was opened in 1967 by the Japanese Ambassador to the US and spans 7.5 acres.

I said to Lora, "I see a red gate ahead," and she said that it was probably a sign outside the gardens. Instead, it was this spectacular curved-top torii, "The gate to heaven," painted a traditional bright red. 

Lora had been to the gardens several times before, but never to the Japanese gardens.

After entering the gate, we stopped to take pictures next to the bonsai tree and the Japanese Maples. A man stopped and asked us if we wanted our photographs taken of the three of us, and we said yes.

The path was not paved with concrete but filled with pebbles, and it had rained a lot for this time of year, which made pushing Meadow's wheelchair very hard.

The man said there was a large goose at the pond, so we headed toward it.

It was such a beautiful pond, dotted with boulders within and without, and the stream flowed into it. You had the feeling that you were actually in a Japanese garden. It was so beautiful that day, even though the day hung with rain clouds.

The pond had fish, turtles, and two geese. The geese were not afraid and would come right up to us. I got a little too close, and one of the geese flared up its chest at me.

Rose Garden in Botanical Gardens

Vulcan Museum

We were just coming out of the Japanese garden when it started raining, so we headed to the van. By the time we had loaded the wheelchair and Meadow, it had almost stopped raining, but we were soaked.

Next, we went to Vulcan Park and walked around. I took pictures, and we visited the gift shop.

Vulcan the Iron Man is located on the summit of Red Mountain overlooking the heart of downtown Birmingham and stands 56 feet. 

We stopped at Walgreens and got Meadow some gauges for her g-tub irritation.

Next, we rode to the  Ronald McDonald House, where we will spend the night.

RMH sleeping

The clerk at Ronald McDonald House said our room would be ready at about six P.M. and that our Room number was 211 on the second floor.

We checked in and ate supper of chicken, beans, and a brownie. Our room was not ready until 7:30 P.M.

I gave Meadow a bath, dressed her for bed, and turned out the lights. Meadow went right to sleep. 

Meadow could only have clear liquids up until 2 P.M., so Lora got up during the night to give Meadow some clear liquids.

The next day, we had to be at UAB CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL at 5:45 A.M.

Birmingham Children after dental surgery

May 5, 2009

I heard the clock go off, I got up, took a shower, and dressed.

Lora got up and dressed.

Meadow woke up in a perfect mood, and I dressed her.

We loaded into the van and rode a couple of blocks to the day surgery. 

Meadow is going to have tubes put into her ears by Dr. Shirley, and Dr Curtis is doing crowns and fillings in her teeth. Dr Robins has ordered lab work to be done while she is asleep.

Dr Curtis cleaned & did a fluoride treatment on Meadows's teeth. 

Meadow came out of surgery about 10 A.M, and she was not a happy camper. Once the anesthesia wore off, she became more agreeable.

She amazingly started sipping water from a cup! The water felt good to her dry throat, and she drank about four ounces. She did so well that we were able to leave about noon. 

We rode to the Ronald McDonald House, ate lunch, packed, and then checked out.

Meadow ate some more of the leftover soft chicken from the day before. I was surprised she wanted to eat after all the dental work. 

I was afraid it would rain all the way home, but it turned out to be very friendly, and we were home about 4:30 P.M.

🚙2009 ~ April 13-19 Traveling with family to Atlanta, & Pelham Ga

Day 1; Monday, April 13, 2009

My husband took me to Lora's at 5:20 A.M. We loaded up the van and left about 5:45 A.M. The kids were actually up, ready, and had eaten breakfast.

We arrived at the Atlanta Aquarium around 11 A.M. We paid five dollars for parking. 

We walked to the Aquarium and stood in line for tickets. 

There were buses for school kids, teachers, parents, etc. The Aquarium was full to capacity.

The Georgia Aquarium is located at 225 Baker Street NW, Atlanta, GA.

We started at Georgia Explorer Discover. This gallery was an interactive touch pool full of horseshoe crabs, sea stars, stingrays, and shrimp.

Next, we went to the Coldwater Quest, the chilly unknown, where we saw Australian weedy sea dragons, beluga whales, giant Pacific octopus, Garibaldi damselfish, and Japanese spider crabs hanging among rocky ledges and kelp for food. 

At the Ocean Voyager, we made a journey with the giant fish. Here we walked through an acrylic tunnel where we saw whale sharks, manta rays, Nandi, schools of predatory trevally jacks, squadrons of small and large stingrays, enormous goliath grouper, and hammerhead sharks. 

This tank contains 6 million gallons of saltwater and has over 4,000 square feet of viewing area, with a 100-foot-long window. The tunnel has 185 tons of acrylic windows and is the second-largest viewing window in the world. It is 23 feet by 61 feet and 2 feet thick.

We made our next journey through the river scout, where we found freshwater mysteries from Africa, South America, Asia, and Georgia.  

We saw Asian otters, Electric Eels, catfish, and the razor-sharp teeth of voracious predators: the piranhas. 

Last, we visited the Tropical Diver, the Coral Kingdom. We saw eels popping out of the sand, seahorses, jellyfish, fairy basslets, and yellow-headed jawfish. At the center of this gallery is one of the most extensive living reef exhibits of any aquarium in the world. Living corals and thousands of colorful reef fish are presented in a faithful recreation of a tropical Pacific coral reef.

We ate lunch at the Aquarium, and I ordered a dessert.

Jelly Fish 

We left the Aquarium at about 5 P.M. and traveled to the Ronald McDonald House, located at 5420 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta, GA.

A storm had come through Atlanta, and there were trees, tree limbs, and debris everywhere. 

The power was out everywhere, and the red lights were not working, so the intersection became a four-way stop, but some people did not honor that.

Traffic was being rerouted due to the heavy rain and debris, which were causing traffic jams. 

We got checked in at the RMH and unloaded the van.

We rode to Malibu Norcross at 5400 Brook Hollow Parkway, Norcross, Ga. 

We had a ticket for unlimited go-kart racing, duck boats, miniature golf, and a large pizza with Cokes, complimentary of Malibu Norcross management. 

We traveled through the 5 P.M. Atlanta evening traffic, arriving at 7 P.M., and stayed until 9 P.M. 

We rode back to the Ronald McDonald House, where we took showers and dressed for bed. 

It had been a full day.

Atlanta Zoo

Atlanta Zoo

Day 2: Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Meadow and Marcus, Jr., both have an eye appointment. 

They were seen fairly soon, but Meadow was referred to a Retina specialist on the second floor. 

Meadow finished seeing the doctors at 3:30 P.M.

The doctors said that Meadow will have to come back in May for eye repair.

We rode to the Atlanta Zoo, which will close in about an hour, but off we went. 

Several of the zoo animals had been bedded down for the night, but some were still snoring. 

We ate dinner at Steak and Shake.

Next, we rode to Mountain Marietta Park, where we had unlimited go-kart racing and gaming tickets. We stayed until 9 P.M.

We had another full day of fun.

 Wild Animal Safari 

 Wild Animal Safari 

 Feeding the animals at Wild Animal Safari 

The pacing Ostrich

A Day 3: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 

We checked out at 10 A.M. and arrived at the Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, GA n 12:00 P.M.

Lora rented a safari zebra van and bought several buckets of animal food. We load into the truck and pass through the locked gate, where all the animals roam freely.

The animals know that we have food, and they start coming toward us drooling. 

We feed American buffalo, deer, cows, giraffes, zebras, kangaroos, rhinos, emus, yakatusi, Blackbuck antelope, elk, and camels as we wind through the 200 areas of the animals' natural habitat. 

We drove past the caged Siberian tigers, the black-maned lion, and the liger. 

Do not roll down your windows if you do not want a long drooling tongue in your face.

The van has bars on the back windows, but the front windows roll down. The kids loved feeding the animals, and we took our time watching them squeal with delight.

After the safari ride, we had a picnic. We sat next to the fence, where an ostrich was pacing back and forth.

The rest of the park was a walk-through where we saw 

pigs, monkeys, American Black bears, American alligators, rabbits, capuchins, baboons, donkeys, parrots, peacocks, skunks, swans, turtles, foxes, and wolves

We arrived at Andy's at about 8 P.M., and the kids were excited to see their cousins, eager to get out of the car after the three-hour trip.

Getting licked by Sampson

Day 3: Thursday, April 16, 2009

Sierra and Madison spent the entire day playing in Sierra's room, only coming out to eat.

The boys played outside, building a playhouse in the woods. They were covered in dirt, but they were having a good time. So, we just let them have fun that day.

For supper, we had two large pizzas from Pizza Hut.

We rested on the sofa watching TV.

That night, Meadow, Lora, and I slept in the same bed. Madison and Sierra slept in one bed, and the boys slept on the floor.

There was a time when the boys put up a tent and slept outside. 

Have fun at Wild Adventures Theme Park 

Day 4: Friday, April 17, 2009 

Today, Marcus, Jr., Nevada, Madison, and Sierra walked to the cemetery across the road, and I gave Madison my camera to take pictures of the tombstones.

We went to Wild Adventure Theme Park from 1:00 to 8:00 P.M.

We ate corn dogs, funnel cake, and French fries.

The bigger kids ride all the big rides, while Meadow and Montana enjoy all the smaller ones. 

We ate dinner at McDonald's.

While at the park, Madison put her leg between two benches and got it stuck.

Lora had to grease her leg with suntan oil, and Madison slowly worked it out. 

Montana and Meadow rode the Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, airplane, bug out, wild safari ride, snake, and swings.

I rode the Smore miniature rides with the kids, and I took many pictures.

We had another full day.

watching the fish at the Flint River Aquarium 

Day 5: Saturday, April 18, 2009 

Lora, Meadow, and I rode to Flint River Park. The bigger kids want to stay and play, and Andy said he would watch them. He was going to watch the Alabama football game that afternoon.

Lora, Meadow, and I left about noon. Charity said she didn't want to go with us, so she went shopping with her friend Heather instead.

Lora, Meadow, and I went to Flint River Park, where we walked around the park and looked at the Ray Charles Statue.

 We went to the Flint River Quarium to see the animals and fish that live in the Flint River, including various types of catfish. 

We ate at Barb Q sandwiches and fries at the Flint River Barb restaurant. A lady came over to our table and told us about a special school for children like Meado. She said the Lord told her to come over and tell us about the school. We told her we were from Alabama.

After we ate, we walked along the overflowing Flint River, where we met this lovely couple from New Jersey. There were misquotes, and they started to bite us, so we headed back to the park. We stopped at Winn-Dixie, and I went in and got a two-gallon bucket of Napoleon ice cream, two packages of cookies — pecan sandies with chocolate chips — and two packages of ice cream cones. I went to bed with Meadow because she was tired.

Lora washed clothes until 9:30 P.M.

When Charity returned, she and Andy went to Outback Restaurant for dinner and brought their leftovers home.

Montana is asking if he can go!!

Sierra and Madison

Nevada and Marcus

Montana in his Sunday Best.

Day 6: Sunday, April 19, 2009

On our last day, which was Sunday, Madison, Marcus, Jr., and I dressed and went to Sunday school with Andy. 

Lora and I packed and cleaned.

We left about 10:30 A.M. Montana came up to Lora and said," Aunt Lora, if you will take me with you, I will give you all the money that I have in savings."He was earnest about that.

Andy came back to say goodbye; it was between Sunday school and Church. 

Inside Desota Caverns

Inside Desota Caverns

Riding the tubs 

Riding the potty seats

Visiting Desota Caverns 

Going inside the Caverns

We stopped at Childersburg, A, at Desoto Caverns.

We stayed until they closed at 5 P.M. 

We bought some fudge, Cokes, and snacks.

We toured Desoto Caverns, which took an hour. We saw stalactites, rock formations that hang down, and stalagmites, rock formations that reach up. Other mnemonics to help us remember this are that the two words differ in the sixth and seventh letters — using the sixth letter, stalactites come from the ceiling, and stalagmites come from the ground. 

We saw a light show that began on the first day of creation. On the seventh day, God rested. It was awesome.

We exited Desoto Caverns and went to the park area where there were rides, archery, a cave crawl, and a mine for gemstones. We walked through a maze of lost trails.

Lora, Marcus, Jr., and Madison rode the Hamster wheel, and we all rode the bathtubs and potty seat scooters.

A man walked up to Lora and said, "The Lord told me to give this to you." He handed her some more tickets, wrapped in a twenty-dollar bill. 

Lora thanked the man, but she did not know about the money until he had walked away.

We stayed until the park closed at 5 P.M. 

Lora fed Meadow, and we rode home in the rain. We did not know that there was a tornado warning all around us.

The Lord was looking out for us that da,y and we made it home safe and sound.

2009 ~ Thursday, May 14, "THE GROUP "RAIN"

After spending a whole day with my granddaughter in Montevallo, I went to Huntsville to watch the group RAIN.

I registered to win tickets to see the Group Rain with one of the television stations, and I won. 

My husband and I rode to Huntsville, stopping in Madison at Thomas Pitt for a rib plate and 

Walmart's, where we bought five cases of Mountain Dews and some domes pills.

We drove to the Civic Center, parked in the parking deck, walked to the concert hall, and waited for the Rain to begin performing.

At first, I wasn't too impressed with the first half of the show, but the second half was great.

RAIN  A tribute to the Beatles VBC concert Hall Thu May 14, 2009, 7:30 P.M.

Rain dressed just like the Beatles did when they were performing.

They changed their clothes and hairstyles as the group aged while performing.

They did 30 years of Beatles-style performances, as well as the different instruments the Beatles used.

It was an older crowd, but they really got into the music by waving their phones, dancing in their seats, and just singing along. 

The performance ended by 9:30 P.M. I enjoyed the show very much and did not want it to end. 

The four women sitting in front of us were drinking beer and wine, and by the end of the show, they were feeling excellent.

One of the women had called a friend on her cell phone and was holding her phone up so friends could hear the band play. 

At one point, she misplaced her phone, but she soon found it. 

Here is some history that I copied from the Internet about the group.

February 9, 1964, was a Sunday night that would change the course of popular music, popular culture, and history forever! Millions of Americans tuned into The Ed Sullivan Show to watch a group of four mop-topped Englishmen in dark suits who called themselves The Beatles. What they witnessed was a new and exciting brand of melodic, guitar-and-harmonies-driven rock 'n' roll that was as infectious as it was original and unique. Little did the members of RAIN know that they would themselves come together in a band, forging a career that would keep them together longer than The Beatles! All this while raising the bar for professionalism and preserving the legacy of the immortal band's recorded music, performed on stage for wildly enthusiastic audiences. Spanning generations, their audience includes the vast majority of older fans who never got to see The Beatles perform live, as well as fans who were not yet born when The Beatles hit America.

The story of RAIN actually begins in the mid-1970s, when keyboardist Mark Lewis joined forces with four other local musicians who, together, formed the band originally called "Reign" and played throughout the Los Angeles/Orange County, CA area. With their mutual love for The Beatles' music, Reign was in demand to play Beatles songs and rode an enormous wave of nostalgia for the band that had broken up in 1970. Before long, they had built a strong, devoted following in and around Los Angeles. Following numerous misspellings in the media and advertising, "Reign" became RAIN (also the title of a 1966 Beatles single). A big break came for RAIN when Dick Clark hired them to record the music for the 1979 made-for-TV movie Birth of the Beatles.

Rain's intention was not just to cover Beatles songs, but also to elevate them. To do songs that The Beatles had never performed live, and do them note-for-note, just like the records. At this time, 'tribute bands' did not exist.