Book????

Life has been crazy. Between Grad school, work, the kids activities; there is no time. This is a temporary craziness, but who am I kidding, there will always be something. I have not posted a blog in like 6 weeks. Many everyday life issues have occurred only to be forgotten due to a lack of energy.

My sister, has just been named the prosecutor for the city of Mason. She is only 27; the youngest head prosecutor that we are aware of. My father is the new mayor of Mason. The vetting and interviewing process was extremely strict on my sister due to my dad's position in the city. Dad was not allowed to know anything about the process and had no input whatsoever about the outcome. In the end the decision was made to appoint Bethany due to her experience and expertise with this kind of law. Her and my Dad are the Dynamic Duo. Like Batman and Robin; saving Gotham city and ridding it of evil inhabitants. I am proud of them both; true public servants.

Last night my sister, Bryan and I were sharing "war" stories from our work experiences. When you put a physician, nurse and lawyer in a room with a good bottle of white its amazing what happens. The sharing of fabulous stories that can inspire and infuriate at the same time.

I have always wanted to write a book, not about a cause; about real life. So, I would love your thoughts. Would a book comprised of real life experiences in my chaotic life be a good read? Please post your thoughts......

The Quigleys

I just put my second child on the school bus and in my pj’s and slippers and I am sitting down at the computer, ALONE in my house for the first time in 2 weeks. Most people think that I am a social butterfly who is always on the go. Actually, I cherish my alone time, and need more of it.

I didn’t feel like getting dressed and it was way too cold so Clay received a chauffeured ride to the bus stop. My neighbors had a small moving truck in front of their house. The Quigleys are moving to Seattle on Friday. They are an incredible couple and will be missed by all. That moving truck wouldn’t hold Patricks golf clubs, so who knows what it was doing there. As I drove past the Quigleys house I felt a bit of nostalgia. They are leaving, a new family is moving in and things will definitely be different.

On Saturday some of Jackie and Patricks friends had a party for them at a local establishment. Half of the city showed and it was a great time. My way in the door, I ran into an old high school buddy and his wife. They were also having a party with some other people from high school who needed an evening away from their kids.

The social butterfly side of my personality kicked into high gear. I mingled with my neighborhood friends, then mingled with my high school friends. Eventually my high school group mixed in with my neighborhood group and my evening was very fun, to say the least.

I graduated from high school 20 years ago and some of those people I haven’t seen since. It was wonderful to catch up and it felt as if no time had passed. As sad as we are to see the Quigleys leave I know that when we meet again it will be same; no time has past.

That evening was a small reminder of what a blessing friendships are in a persons life.
Patrick and Jackie..... your friends are only a email, or phone call away. We love you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

10 years ago on this very evening Bryan and I were both working in the ER. All hospital personnel were on call because we were certain Y2K would blow up the hospital computers and the generator would be the only equipment left for survival. At 5 till midnight Bryan, myself and one of our neurosurgery friends went on the roof of the hospital to ring in the new year with sparkling grape juice. As the last seconds of 1999 drew near you could hear the people in the streets counting down. At midnight, bottle rockets were set off, horns were blown and even a few guns shots rang in from Over the Rhine. A bit disappointed, we rode the elevator down 14 floors to the ER where all the lights were on and life appeared to be the same as usual. My mom still has food stored in her basement from the Y2K scare. Over the last decade my brother and his friends have raided her supply for their camping trips. All the good stuff is gone, but some various canned goods remain.

With thoughts of the Prince song, Party like its 1999 in my head I thought the year 2000 and beyond would be better than ever and in some ways it was in others, not so much. Briefly, this is the our decade.

2000: Bryan proposed and I graduated nursing school and passed the boards.

2001: Bryan graduated from residency, we got married, and moved to Evansville, Indiana. 9/11 happened and we lost our dear neighbor Wendy in the second tower. As newlyweds, living away from family was both good and bad. We missed our family and were quite lonely. On the other hand we made some of the best friends of our lives. Friends who had been married for a bit and were able to support and mentor us.

One of my favorite Bryan stories happened this year. Like everyone else after 9/11 we were grief stricken and scared. When the anthrax letters starting happening in D.C., we considered going to home depot and buying the heavy duty plastic wrap and duct tape to save ourselves. We then decided that was stupid and if we were going to die we would just die together. The day that Dashall’s office received an anthrax letter, I noticed Bryan was outside retrieving our daily mail. In true cowboy fashion, Bryan wore a red bandanna tie around his nose and mouth. His hands were protected by my new Williams and Sonoma oven mitts. I followed him to the garage where he was meticulously going through our mail looking for any signs of powder. It was so funny, I swear it could have been on an Seinfield episode. After only 1 year of marriage I knew I was in for a fun ride.

Lastly, we believed we conceived Clay on Halloween 2001.

2002: I started playing tennis, I was pregnant, Grace was in first grade and Bryan worked a lot. In July, Clay Samuel Strader was born and on July 21st Grace Evelyn Prince became Grace Evelyn Strader by adoption. Our family was complete.

2003: We moved to Lexington where Bryan started a job at the Lexington Clinic. Excited to be close to family and friends we jumped on the job opportunity, it wasn’t long before we realized it was a mistake. Reuben, our shih-tzu puppy was added as the third Strader child. My sister Bethany was married to Jarrod Bennett on December 27th.

2004: The kids and I love Lexington, while Bryan works so many hours he can’t stay awake for dinner and commonly throws his pager across the room out of rage. My best friend Heidi married Jim!!!!

2005: With Bryan at his breaking point we start looking for other job opportunities. As we were attending a residency reunion in Cincinnati, one of his fellow attending physicians approached Bryan about moving to Cincinnati. I ran the Columbus Marathon with a dear friend and Clay started preschool. My brother Joel got married to Ellee in Virginia Beach, VA.

2006: My Dad turned 60 and retired from Procter and Gamble. Bryan took the position with Tri-Health and we moved to Cincinnati in June 2006. Excited that I would see my husband more I tried to be optimistic about the move. In all honesty, I was sad, mad and depressed. I had wonderful friends and support in Lexington, leaving was very hard for me.

2007: I had always been passionate about nursing but being married to a physician, bearing and caring for his children there was no time for my nursing career. When we moved to Cincinnati, that all changed. A friend of mine had become the director of the operating room at CCHMC and she offered me a job where I would only have to work 2 times a month. It was there that I ran into my spine surgeon and he asked me to join his team.

2008: Grace is junior high, Clay in first grade and Bryan is very happy in his professional life. I was given the opportunity to teach families and patients about spine surgery. It is wonderful to reflect on where you were and how God brings us full circle! Although I still miss my Lexington buddies, I am blessed with new friends through my neighborhood and my job.

In October of 2008 we lost one of our dearest friends, Judi Callahan. Judi was a second mother to both Bryan and me. She loved us dearly and taught us many things. Her death was unexpected and sudden. We miss her everyday.

2009: 2009, I can’t believe it is already over. This year Grace is in the 8th grade at Mason Middle. She plays soccer and wants to cheer next year. She is so pretty that is scares me. Thank God for braces.

Clay is in first grade and is quite the charmer. He loves Tae Kwon Do and plans to be a rock star by next year.

Bryan still enjoys his work. Moving to Cincinnati was the right thing to do. If your man ain’t happy than no one is. Just today Cincinnati Magazine named Bryan P. Strader as a Top Doctor in Cincinnati!!! Quite the accomplishment. I am very proud of him and love him more than I can express. We also added our 4th child Mr. Chin to the family.

Great year for me. I received a scholarship for graduate school at Xavier University and my tennis team won the women's championship!!! I attended my 20 year high school reunion and reconnected with many dear high school friends. I love my job and living Cincinnati is growing on me. Actually, I live in Mason where my father is the mayor and my sister is the prosecutor. Sometimes I feel like a conservative Kennedy minus the yachts and homes in Connecticut. My goals for this next year are to love my family more, attempt a new hair style, gets straight A’s and strive for some arm definition by summer.

In the next decade, I will turn 40, have a daughter graduate from high school and college and have a 16 year old son with a drivers license. I’m scared to death, but with each day I thank God for the blessings he has put in my life and I hope that in the next decade my life lessons can be used to help others.

Happy New Year to you and yours!!!!!

When Bryan and I were still dating he invited me to the ATP tennis games in Mason, Ohio. This was in the day when drug reps were still allowed to spend money and Bryan had VIP tickets to the games along with dinner. I had always liked tennis and wanted to play, but there never seemed to be time. At the dinner there was a raffle for prizes. I entered my name and went about socializing. To my surprise they said a Dr. Prince won the raffle. Well, I was no where near a doctor, but I was happy to pretend. My prize was a tennis racquet, and had 2 to choose from. As a novice I had no clue which was the better racquet; my prestigious colleagues assisted me in my choice. They directed me to the Wilson racquet and that was it.

A couple months later Bryan and I were married and moved to Indiana. I was a newlywed doctor's wife and had no one; I pulled out the Wilson and joined a tennis club. I took beginner classes and quickly fell in love with the game. I played 4- times a week and joined my first USTA team a month later. Soon after, I was pregnant with Clay and did not let that stop me. I think I played better for about 4 months before gravity took over.

When Grace was 7 and Clay was 1 we moved to Lexington, Kentucky. One of my new neighbors said she had a friend that played tennis. Her friend, Michelle welcomed me into her tennis world and I soon became a member of the Lexington Tennis Club. My first year there my team went to Louisville for district playoffs. We lost in the final match.

Another 2 years passed and we moved again, this time to Cincinnati. I immediately went to Harpers and checked out what they had to offer. My father was on the Mason City Council and invited me to the “city” box for ATP. Back in my homeland I met a woman named Teresa who told me about a club named 5-seasons. She encouraged me to check it out before committing to Harpers.

I loved the club from the first visit. It was classy, elegant and well groomed. Velvet curtains hung around the viewing areas of the tennis courts and a new work-out room was underway. Matt, the top pro at 5-seasons hit some tennis balls with me and placed me on a team. Fabulous!! I was back in the game.

After playing with a team of women for 2 years, a new team emerged and I jumped ship.

I would like to fill you in on these wonderful woman.

Kim: She is one of our team captains and as a body to die for. She is long and lean; quite the fashion trend setter. She is a fabulous tennis player and today I had her as my partner! YEA!

Mindy: Mindy is our other team captains. She it the kind of girl you always want as a friend. Steady, true and dependable. Mindy is pregnant with her second little one and still plays like a rock star.

Shelia: Another body to die for. Shelia is a beautiful person. Her son’s are avid tennis players and their mother is not far behind.

Carol: Carol is our dear tennis companion who shows up to every practice and plays hard. She came to our match tonight cheering us on all the way. She is lovely and we love that she is part of our team.

Lisa: I met Lisa over the summer when we played each other in a singles match. I liked her immediately and talked her into joining our team. She resembles a super model, but I still love her.

Vicky: Vicky and I were both on another team together. I have always LOVED her. She is a classy chick and an excellent tennis bud. Dependable, beautiful and down right fun.

Ginny: Our southern belle. Ginny is new to Cincy and an incredible tennis player. We are blessed to have her on our team. She is funny, darling, and looks great in the tennis dress. You go girl!!

Julie: I had to save Julie for last. I have never in my entire life been more amazed with a human. Julie has breast cancer. She goes for frequent chemo treatments and plays tennis the next day. Guessing, I would say she weighs in at about 88lbs. She is tough, loving and the most encouraging person on our team. I love her and feel that I receive much more from her than what I give. She is an inspiration to all.

So.... Why am I talking about all of these people? Today was the Cincinnati Indoor Tennis Championships. My team was in the finals and we were ready to kick it in. As the under-dogs in the league we decided that a positive attitude and hard work would be our best defense.

To make it short... A team consisting of a pregnant mom, a breast cancer patient (SURVIVOR) and a group of mom’s kicked it into high gear, beat the odds and won the championship. This may seen like small potatoes, but to us it was HUGE. This was our first year playing together with new coaches and we rallied, worked and brought the house down.

Ladies... I am so proud and blessed to be part of this team. In a world that tells our children that everyone is equal and competition is bad, I am proud to reap the benefits of victory. Competition is good for the soul. Its helped me defeat the past and helped people like Julie defeat disease. I am ready for next season.

To our coaches: Julie, Matt, Tim and Josh. Wow!!

Julie: You are so encouraging and quite the example of a mom and tennis player. We love you and are so thankful for your help.

Matt: Well, you have always been the man. Thanks for supporting us and we love that you joined us for a celebration beverage.

Tim: I love that you don’t take our womanly crap. You are a true coach. If we suck you tell us..... we love that!!!

Josh: Thanks for taking a risk and moving to Cincinnati. We love you and appreciate all you have taught us.

In conclusion, tennis has been a huge blessing in my life. I have a crazy schedule and the time I take to hit the ball and slam one down on my friends has kept me balanced. In a world that never stops, its wonderful to have a place to take out frustrations while developing life long friendships. Congrats team. We are champions!!!!

Star Wars.....

I remember wearing a Star Wars silk screened T-shirt when I was 7 years old. I would watch the scene when Luke Skywalker starred off into the red sunset thinking about his family history. This was in the original Star Wars when he was still cute. I believe he was my first crush. I LOVED him.

As I matured my heart melted when Han Solo pushed Leia up against the wall of the Millennium Falcons’ engine room. He was a real man, he was a mercenary. Luke was just a boy. Regardless, I was a Star Wars fan from the beginning.

Its been fun watching my son Clay in his own crazy Star Wars adventure. The whole Clone Wars thing does absolutely nothing for me, but he is crazy about it.

I just returned from a concert with my family where the London Symphony Orchestra played the music from Star Wars and the C3P0 guy (Anthony Daniel's) narrated. I bought tickets 6 weeks ago and I was dreading it. There are some very strange Star Wars people out there. I think most of them were at the concert.

The whole Strader family went. Grace reminded us that this was a father son event, but we made her go anyway. The production was incredible. There was fire, lasers, and movie clips. Honestly, it rocked. So maybe I am a geek, but the bonding between my son and I was well worth it.

During one of the segments, Clay leaned over to me and said, “Mom, this is the part where Ana kin decided to go to the dark side and become part of the dark sith, it is bad, then he burns in the fire and becomes a machine.” Family fun!

Getting Old

I suppose it is human nature but why must we prod our colleagues about how their holiday went when we return to work? Today was my first day back after a semi disastrous Thanksgiving.

My husband is a physician at a local hospital where his schedule is demanding and ever changing. The holidays are always a challenge. He either works Christmas or Thanksgiving. His medical partners run a 24/7 practice and some sorry sucker gets stuck working Thanksgiving evening, Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

This year we requested to be off on Christmas and it was granted. However this means that Bryan would work Thanksgiving, New Years Eve and New Years Day. We plan around it and it works.

Bryan was scheduled to round the morning of Thanksgiving and I volunteered to host the festivities for my family. I love to entertain and being slightly OCD,I was happy to have it at my house where I could be in control.

I finished my shopping on Wednesday morning and was prepared to conquer the feast. That evening I played tennis. I attended a cardio-tennis class which basically runs your butt off and you get to play a lot of tennis games. Its very fun. I then stayed to play a round robin match with a couple of men. No big deal, I am a “decent” tennis player and I knew I could handle these guys. Two hours later I thought I was Serena Williams. I played great. The men were hitting the balls with no uncertainty. Who cares that I was a woman, I was frying the bacon and serving up in the pan. Around 9:00 p.m. I noticed a slight ache when I would bend over to pick up a ball. Nothing was stopping me, I was winning and I was a machine.

When I arrived home, Bryan and the kids were asleep. I took a hot bath and went to bed. As most mornings, I awakened to Clay breathing in my face. Noticing that it was 08:30 I panicked, because I had over slept. What happened next was totally unexpected. I rolled over and my body froze.

I could not stand. I was a crumbled over, old woman. My left butt cheek and lower back hurt so bad that I made moaning sounds. Who does that? Not me!!! I am tough, I don’t complain and moan. Seriously, I could not walk. My turkey had to be in the oven in 40 minutes and I began to panic.

I wobbled, letting my dogs out and told Clay to go wake up Grace. He screamed, “Grace, Mom broke her back and Reuben is missing, GET UP!” A startled daughter ran down the steps to check on her ailing mother.

My husband is a doctor so I call him first. He is working hard to see his patients and he tells me, “What do you want me to do?” A bit upset I said, “ No worries, I will figure it out.”

The next step was my Mom. Valium is an excellent muscle relaxant and I called to see if she had any? She said she did but suggested I try an Advil and a heating pad first. Yes, maybe I should but I have a turkey and dinner to prepare, NOW!

My sister was my next call. She sent her husband Jarrod over who saved me. He got my turkey out of the fridge,and tells me that the bird is still a bit frozen. In my hunchback of Notre Dame position, I declare my lack of interest and demand he get my bird in the oven. Jarrod was great. After placing my bird in the oven, Clay starts screaming that there is a fire. He was correct, there was indeed flames in the bottom of my oven. Jarrod quickly removed the aluminum foil that was coated in some sort of grease and in true fire fighter fashion extinguished the flames.

The next 4 hours were like an episode from Hell’s Kitchen. I was humped over the counter ordering Grace and Clay around like servants. My sweet brother dropped in with the Valuim and helped Grace prepare our dinner. I honestly did not do a thing except order people around.

In the end it was a fabulous dinner. After a Valium, flexaril and a left over percocet, I fell asleep on a heating pad. I swore I ruptured a disc. It was awful.

In the morning I awoke to a bit of soreness in my left buttock, but that was it. It was like it never happened. However, Bryan had a different story. He awoke Saturday to a not so welcome surprise which landed him an emergent appointment and colonoscopy.

Daddy Sam (Bryan’s Dad) was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 45. He did very well and is healthy as an ox today. Bryan was still worried and so was his GI buddy Dr. Shokar.

On Monday morning I took Bryan to his hospital where his dear friend scooped my husband. I am happy to report that Bryan’s colon is healthy and there were no signs of cancer.

Between my buttocks and Bryan’s colon, we feel old. I discussed my feelings with a dear friend of mine who recently turned 70. He said, “I’m not saying your over the hill, but this will happen again and soon.” SERIOUSLY?! I have been through my share of aches and pains but the physical aches are pains are something I could do without.

On a positive note... I am so proud to announce that my Father, Don Prince was sworn in as the The Mayor of the City of Mason. I may not be able to play tennis forever but I am guaranteed excellent tickets for the next 4 years of ATP!!!!

Principal of the Day!

At the Mason Schools Foundation Gala, Bryan bid and won the prize for principal of the day. The paddle attached to my husbands hand kept going up as the price for principal of the day increased. To my amazement it didn’t stop till the prize was his. Yesterday, Clay claimed his prize and was principal of the day at MECC.

The day began with a chauffeured ride to school by Jackie Quigley. Clay, dressed in his professional attire was ready to rule the school. The school principal, Mr. Zimmerman, greeted Clay and then it was off to work.

First on the agenda was the morning announcements, followed by a meeting with Dr. Kevin Bright and Mr. Zimmerman. Clay learned that the principal has many important duties; including continuing education and facilitating meetings with staff.

After learning how to play the game of checkers it was Clay’s responsibility to pass his knowledge on to his colleagues. He requested a meeting with 3 other students and together they mastered the art of checkers.

A catered lunch of Burger King nugget meals was supplied by Jackie Quigley and Kelly Brannock, followed by an additional recess time. After lunch, Dr. Kevin Bright read a story to Clay’s entire class. The day ended with Thanksgiving crafts and snacks.

Jackie Quigely and Kelly Brannock devote much time to Mason Schools. They do everything first class, including principal of the day. My little guy had a blast and learned that being a principal is a huge responsibility. We are blessed to live in a community where people are devoted to their kids education.

Thank you MECC staff, Mrs. Rodenfeld, Mrs. Hilbert, Mr. Zimmerman, Dr. Bright, Jackie Quigley and Kelly Brannonck. Your kindness and hard work is appreciated.