Elbow (not the English Rock Band)

I injured my elbow in August (last year. . . .I am a slow blogger.)  I rested it in September, got a cortisone shot in October, and it still hurt in November. 
My orthopedist (who had been fortunate enough to enjoy my previous injuries with me) told me there was nothing he could do and that I should rest it the rest of the year.
In January it still hurt.  Since I was out of ideas, I decided to try something new-to-me but is actually really old. . . . acupuncture.
Different rooms had different themes. 

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Oh, and I got poked too.  And then I would take a nap (nothing to do and *relaxing* music will do that to you).

While it did help for a little while, it seemed that something more was wrong with my elbow than I had hoped.
But it was a GREAT stress reliever leading up to the wedding!
And it turns out there is an English Rock band named elbow (go figure!)

Back to Boring

Since I am taking a ridiculously long time to catch up on this blog, I cannot remember much of anything that might be remotely interesting after we got back from our trip. 
So we will have to be entertained by Allie via photos. . . .





I really have no clue what she is doing in these photos, but I am certain that if YOU asked her, she would have a great story for each and every one.

Further Adventures (aka part 3)

After South Lake Tahoe, we rounded the corner and headed up the west side. 
We didn’t stop in the Emerald Bay area mostly because it was so crowded.  The photos were taken from our moving car . . .
Then we reached unfamiliar territory (at least to me).
 
Hope about a self portrait? (look in the mirror!)

I can do better. . .

It was so nice until . . .

It’s a good thing we were taking a side trip to Donner State Park. (We had not been there before.)

Then we headed back and saw more of this. . .


We had enough so we stopped at a rest stop that was pretty pleasant

oops. . .my camera died.. . the rest will remain a mystery (since I can’t prove any of it.)  End of story

What do you keep in YOUR tennis bag?

Because my life is boring and I couldn't think of anything to post about, I decided to share my tennis bag with YOU! (A friend gave it to me, but it looks impressive with the Tahoe Classic Finalist on it, doesn't it?)

If you don't have a tennis bag of your own, I highly recommend getting on. It is amazing all the stuff you can carry around with you. In fact, I am not showing you everything I put in there (because I am not THAT boring!)

It is a good idea to bring these kind of items. Too much sun is NOT good for you, so sunblock and a good chapstick are the way to go. And I need ibuprofen for all the aches and pains that join me when I play.

A tape measure is handy to have on hand. The net, at the center strap, should be 36 inches tall. If you feel like balls aren't going over that really should be, it's nice to KNOW if the net is too high. If it's not, then something you are doing needs to be changed.

As I get older and more feeble, I find I need some support. . . on my wrist and elbow. It's nice to have an extra, just in case!

How pathetic! I never used to carry these things around, but I guess I am getting as old as my kids claim I am. Sometimes, a little Icy Hot makes all the difference. It's also nice to have some bandaids on hand.

I just can't play without my shades. These are cool because it deadens the bright colors (like red) and helps you see the tennis ball color better.

It's also nice to wear a hat. Not only does it help block the sun, but it helps keep unruly hair out of the way.

I LOVE to play year round, but it can get cold here. So it's nice to have these around on those freezing days when you can't feel your fingers.

Of course you also need to have someone to play with. Hitting against a wall gets old fast. So I keep cards on hand with my contact info to give to fellow tennis players so they might call me when they want to play. Or I can join a USTA team and have a bunch of people to play with and some good competition on a regular basis.

Balls are a necessity. It's nice to have some old (but still bouncy) ones on hand to practice with in addition to new ones to play sets with.

And of course, one has to have a tennis racquet or it just doesn't work. It's nice to have a second on hand in case you break a string when you are playing.

Here's to hoping that something way more interesting pops up in my life because I am not sure I could produce a more boring post!