Setting a Bad Example

This store sign in Richland is exactly the reason why the Apostrophe Protection Society exists.

Job Perks

This was the view from our complimentary room, which, apparently, goes for almost $300 a night!

It would be an understatement to say that we don't get out very much. This one-day trip has been the perfect getaway. We were treated like VIP's at the Beau Rivage last night and this morning.

Valet parking-what a treat! We certainly didn't miss hiking to the casino the way we do to get to the Ameristar buffet.


Also, being on the coast in the midst of the Gustav tizzy served as a reminder of what our jobs at Backyards & Beyond really mean. We were so happy to see the people who showed up at the opening to take in the show.

Gustav and Beyond

So...today we're headed to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for Chris (H.C. Porter)'s Gulf Coast premiere of Backyards & Beyond, a traveling exhibition she and Karole have spent three years building. It's all about the resiliency of Mississippians after Hurricane Katrina. At the risk of sounding like Alanis Morissette in that stupid, incorrect song...I mean, isn't it? We haven't had TV all month (it's a whole different blog coming soon) and now that we do, it's a flashback to three years ago.
When we return Friday, it will probably be with the entire Gulf Coast and New Orleans population...not to mention the 27 irreplaceable original mixed media paintings that make up one third of the exhibition. But, we're staying positive and looking forward to the evening. It's been hard, however, finding an outfit Lauchlin can wear to the opening. Not much matches her navy blue sling, ya know. We are also looking forward to staying at the Beau Rivage and, hopefully seeing our friends Hallie and James, whom we haven't seen since their wedding (E-gads!)
So, wish us well. Hopefully we won't come back with a hurricane on our trail.

And, on the Seventh Day...

We have deemed today Olivia's day off, her only real day of rest. She has had a hard week of playing caretaker to the broken arm girl, as well as acting as an under-appreciated Spanish teacher and hard working after-school and Saturday gallery staff. So, today is all about her getting some R & R. The one job she planned to take on was mowing the ridiculously high grass in our yard (since that's a task that can't be done one-armed), but since Faye is expected to blow through here and douse us with rain of the flash flood variety, she's relieved of that duty as well. We have an exciting week ahead of us, so she needs plenty of rest...

In the SLING of Things

The worst is over! Lauchlin's arm is getting better, and she is no longer relying on mild narcotics to get her through the day — even though this picture implies otherwise. It's been a week since the incident and she's on a fast-paced road to recovery (attempting to type with TWO hands, even).
We're hoping this streak of no pain continues. No matter what, though, the sling lives on for a few more weeks. It's been hard finding outfits that match its lovely shade of navy blue (not to mention pants that don't require two working arms to put on and take off).

Three Weeks

That's how much longer Lauchlin should be in her arm sling. It could take up to two months for it to heal completely. Some of the things that she misses the most include...


...doing the hokey pokey,


....doing this,


...multi-tasking (especially at work),


...and, of course
.

Laughter is...

actually the second best medicine.

Lauchlin slipped on the kitchen floor last night and, although she felt some pain at the time, it was not until 4:00 a.m. that agonizing muscle spasms in her left arm awakened her from her sleep.
  
Fortunately, our friend, Whitney, who is a nurse practitioner, loved us enough to make a house call at 6:30 this morning.

We ended up going to the ER (which is not nearly as dramatic as the show) after the major pain pills and muscle relaxers that she prescribed didn't exactly do the trick. We met Dr. Feelgood's evil (but, thankfully, fraternal) twin brother, Dr. Pokenprod, there, and the x-rays revealed that she has broken the head of her radius, shown here.



The doctor gave her an arm sling and a third prescription for pain medication. She's out cold, sleeping like a baby, and we're pretty sure that the darvocet, not Olivia's witty jokes, is to thank.