And the winner is...

Today, Ryan and Blake (his brother) entered a fishing tournament at the "lake" in our neighborhood (it seems more like a big pond to me, but they claim it's at least a 60-acre lake). This was their first tournament ever and a grand total of 5 boats entered...and Ryan and Blake won! The jackpot was a cool $100 and, of course, a freezer full of fish.



Here are the happy winners with their wad of cash:

...and the fish soon to be in my freezer...

In other news, Ryan has developed a staph infection over the past few days. So, this gives me an opportunity to document his condition and use it as a teaching moment. Before you go asking, "Where/How did he get it??" here's the answer in a nutshell: We all have the staph bacteria on our skin. Yes, even you. All it needs is an opportunity to get into the skin to cause a nasty infection. In Ryan's case, he has atopic dermatitis (eczema) which often leads to dry, itchy skin with teeny tiny cracks that allow bugs to get in. Plus he had a horrible reaction to some pine straw that he was spreading (doing a landscaping job) a week or so ago, which caused a type of contact dermatitis (very itchy, bumpy rash). This created double the opportunity for the bugs to get in. Here is what his arm (right forearm) looks like today:

I'll keep you posted on his treatment/recovery.

-Melissa