The Thrill of Victory and The Agony of Da-Head

Victory was sweet for me this weekend. My first winning experience came on Friday night at the Smith Mayberry Night Party. Mike and Carol Smith are huge Andy Griffith Show fans and periodically host Mayberry trivia parties at their house. Carol is a great cook so the parties are always full of scrumptous food. We always draw numbers to make the segmenting of teams fair. The luck of the draw wasn't on our side as Mike and Carol, the ringers for any team, ended up on the same team. But, our little team decided to take our hits and weather the storm. By the end of the evening we were victors! A shout out to Roger, Christie, Barry and Jessica for bringing home a win. And, for Barry, who tried to sneak on the other team....I'm sure he's glad he was honest.

Then came Saturday. College football day. What a great day for the state of Kentucky! First, the Wildcats upset number one LSU to take the tigers down. Then, the Cardinals pull out a win on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Whether you bleed red or blue, you had to be proud to be a Kentuckian.....and a Louisvillian. Because of my faith in the Cardinals, I was able to soar to first place in my College Pick 'Em league and pull ahead by just two points. I've never been in first place in any fantasy league, so the victory felt good.

Then came Sunday. NFL day. After a few weeks of losses, I was able to pull out a victory with my Fantasy Football team. I'm in a league with just six players, but only the first four get to go to the playoffs. I've yet to ever make it to the playoffs and I want to, just one time. I started big this season and then flopped, but I feel like I'm back on the upswing. And, after taking down a point leader in this week's game, I'm feeling good about this upcoming week. Ahh, the thrill of victory.

Then came Monday. I knew it couldn't last forever. But I never figured it would end with such a bang. Early in the morning before dawn, I headed to the gym, so proud that I was starting my week off on the right foot. I should have watched my feet because as I was walking into the gym, I somehow tripped, started to run to try and catch my balance and failed. Splat. Right on the concrete. When I fall, I do it up right and ended up splitting open my forehead above my right eye. No broken bones, and only a few scrapes and bruises, but my face took a beating. As the gym staff called for an ambulance and kept pressure on my profusely bleeding head, my Type A personality began to run through all the things I'd need to reschedule over the next couple of days. This driven personality is clearly my downfall. Pun intended.

As I waited in the ER to get stitched up (26 stitches to be exact), the doctor came in to do the procedure - and a mighty cute doctor, I might add. Even in my bloody stupor and swollen eye, I managed to do a ring scan before he slipped his latex gloves on to see if he was single. Shoot. There's a ring. That whole "Dr. Steve rescues the Wedding Planner" is really just a Hollywood farce. He was quite charming and kept me entertained during the 30-minute procedure. And, I'm pretty proud of myself that I remain always on my game. One day maybe I'll "fall" for the right guy. Cheesy humor intended.

Through all of this, I have to say I am so blessed. I'm able to work from home while I'm healing, which is a great benefit. I have wonderful friends and family who watch out for me and have provided me meals ever since the fall. So undeserved and unexpected, but so appreciated. And, it could have been worse. I could have broken a bone or done damage that would require hospitalization, but even though I look pretty rough now, in a few weeks, the shiner will be gone and the scar will be healing. Plus, God always keeps me grounded. Again, pun intended. He knows I have problems resting and knowing when to slow down. Sometimes, He just has to get my attention. I think it worked.