Hello I'm Allen. Oh sheesh it was tough getting up this morning. We stayed up late watching the National Championship game. My poor dad…he’s a graduate of the University of Georgia so I was really pulling for Georgia, but it wasn’t their night. I think Georgia was the better team, but a few missed calls by the ref and then the Freshman QB from Alabama playing the game of his life equaled the Tide edging the Bulldogs by 3 points. It wasn’t our night for sleeping either…after the game, like a dummy, I forgot to put my SnoreRx mouthpiece in, so I was sawing logs all night. I’m surprised Kellie didn’t try to snuff me out with a pillow.
After spending Christmas with the children, we got them back on January 1st and they were home with Kellie and I until they returned to school today. We all did quite a bit together. It was really super cold the first few days of break so we were big TV watchers and LEGO builders. I also took them to the park to ride bikes, we went to iHop a couple of times, went to go see the movie “Co-Co”. We went up to The Star (Dallas Cowboys Headquarters) to throw the ball on the little football field, went to a couple of different malls, it really just depended on how cold it was. All in all, I think they had a fun and very long Christmas break. I think one of the best "presents" Cole received was a hand-me-down from me. Since Kellie gave me a new iPhone X, I gave Cole my iPhone 6 Plus which he absolutely loves. I set him up with his own iCloud ID, so he can text me and the rest of his family which he thought was so fun. I think it makes him feel included since Brooke and EK also have phones and they text alot. I even set Cole up with his own Bitmoji. Emerald green eyes and sandy brown hair of course. I really wish everyone could know my son Cole. He’s as sweet and thoughtful as they come.
Of all the 4 children, Dylan and Emma Kelly had the toughest time getting out of bed and going back to school this morning. Especially Dylan. He kept telling me, “Daddy daddy, I don’t want to go to school.” And he also tried to play the “I’m sick” card, but I could tell he was fine and just not used to getting up at 6:30am after Christmas break. I felt for him, but he needed to get back into a normal schedule. I’m always really sorry to see them go but I’ll get to see them again really soon.
Speaking of the mall and movie, I had a strange thing happen to me at the mall yesterday. I bought tickets online to see the movie “Co-Co” with Brooke, Cole and Dylan (great movie, I MIGHT have got choked up and something in my eye at the end). We bought tickets to the 2:20pm show at Studio Movie Grill. We had some time to kill after going to iHop for breakfast, so I suggested we run over to Stonebriar Mall in Frisco and go to Barnes & Noble and look at books, the Apple Store, the Lego Store, and of course Starbucks…I needed an Americano bad! So we went to all those stores then decided to sit on a bench and rest for a second. We rest for about 10 minutes, and I try to stand up and I feel a CRRRRAACK in my lower right back and a sharp shooting pain down into my right butt cheek. I get about 3/4 of the way up then have to really force myself to stand up straight…and it really hurts. Ok, something isn’t right here…this kinda sucks. I slowly hobble out of the mall with the kids, gently climb in the car and we head towards the movie.
From the movie, I texted Kellie and asked her if she could call a friend of ours (Dr. Mary) who is a Chiropractor that specializes in spine and sports medicine and actually does a lot of work for the Dallas Stars NHL team and Dallas Mavericks NBA team. Dr. Mary says she can fit me in after the movie, so I shoot on over to Las Colinas for a 3:45pm appointment and Mary takes a look at me. She could quickly tell based on how I was moving my legs that I was having a problem in my lower back, so starts her magic with me lying face down on her exam table. Electrodes attached to my back and butt, magnesium spray, other types of lotions, massage to the area, and then the finale, Dr. Mary basically essentially tying me in an Auntie Ann pretzel and cracking me left and right up and down. It was LOUD!! I was laughing because it was that “hurts so good” type of pain, but I leave her office feeling 1000% better. She thinks that a combination of the miles and miles of walking and the cold on our trip to New York City, plus being on the airplanes for so long on that trip, plus dancing in hard soled shoes on New Year’s Eve, plus not stretching the right way before exercise, plus, my back has always been a problem and I’ve never been adjusted…was the culprit.
Tonight, Kellie and I are going back to Densetsu, which is a Sushi restaurant in Plano. It’s the 2 year anniversary of our first date and that’s where we went. Two years really isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things but it seems so long ago. I guess because Kellie and I have experienced so many different adventures and places together in 2 short years. I’m excited to tell you about more of these as time goes on. See you next time!
Maybe this is how I hurt my back? :-)