It’s been three weeks since my soccer collision that turned into a fractured fibula. This has been the longest three weeks of my life! I feel like I have been on crutches and in this cast forever!

During this past week, my leg has made great improvements. My foot and leg are no longer swelling to my cast. I am able to walk on my foot with the help of crutches, and I am able to put a good amount weight on my foot. I did try to take a few independent steps, but after three awkward steps I got a charlie horse in my leg, so I decided to not do that until I have more range of movement. It seems like I could walk better but my cast restricts my movement. I am able to move my ankle within in my cast, but walking requires more than just moving your ankle. So overall, I am feeling good.

I am trying to stay optimistic through all this. It’s good for me to slow down for a while. There are some positive that have come out of this experience:
-Because I am a control freak, this experience has been good for me to let go of the way some things are done and to just appreciate that things are getting done
-I have learned its okay to ask for help
-It has improved communication between Adam and I
-I have a greater appreciation for people who do not have use of their leg(s)

Wow, he’s old. Well not really because I’m older. This past Thursday was his birthday, although the celebrations seemed to last throughout the week.

Adam got his birthday present from me last Saturday. I got him a ESky Big Lama Outdoor 4 CH 2.4 Ghz Electric Coaxial Helicopter RTF or more simply know as a remote control helicopter. He had been wanting one for a while, so he was excited to get it. Although, it only lasted a few days before it took some dives and now needs repairs. Adam now vows he will work on the flight simulator more to protect the longevity of his new toy.

For his birthday, I decided to make him a cake. We both love to watch Cake Boss, so I wanted to make a simple cake in the shape of a Lego. It didn’t turn out as nice as I wanted it, but it was delicious. It was a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting dyed green (Adam’s favorite color), with Oreos to give it the Lego block look. I don’t think I will have a career in cake decorating, but it was fun to try. The cake was supposed to be for his birthday on Thursday, but after coming home from work on Wednesday and taking in the wonderful smell of the kitchen, he wanted the cake then and there.

On Thursday we had planned to go out to dinner and dessert. But after I got home from a long day of work, we were both keen on the idea of spending the evening at home. We got a yummy pizza from Pizza Research Institute and watched American Idol from the DVR. It was the perfect night!

On Friday, we headed up to Salem for dinner with Adam’s parents at our favorite Mexican place. Then we headed back to the house for delicious cake and a game of Cranium. We stayed the night and lounged around the next morning. Nothing like a lazy Saturday morning.

So it was a week of mini celebrations! Happy Birthday Adam!

One of the many good things about having your mom go to the orthopedist with you is that she can take pictures to document everything. Although I am sure my ankle pictures will end up in a family scrapbook.

My sister did it again. With her witty intellect, she came with another round of holiday poetry. This year, she created limericks for each member of the family. While some of these limericks involve inside jokes, I thought they were still worth sharing.

Erin:
When coping with job-induced traumas,
life’s great when your friends are all Llamas.
They’ll do gard’ning and meal runs,
but unlike the real ones,
you can’t knit them into pyjamas.

With bad ankles, she still plays soccer
but her craving to garden’s a shocker
While harvesting veggies
She’ll whine about wedgies
And give us a reason to mock her.

Before you start up a whole brood,
Take extra care of your sole dude.
He’ll think you’re a neat wife
if you bring him Sweet Life
and go to eat Papa’s Soul Food.

Adam:
Just four months ‘til you come to Boston—
a wonderful town to get lost in.
We’ll visit a tast’ry,
or maybe Mike’s Pastry
and eat some fig cookies with frostin’!

Much fan gear a true nerd can save,
but cooties, no Star Trek fan brave;
It’s no time to say “please”—
Better fake a disease
When Erin intrudes in your Man Cave.

Mom:
Your pages you’re wrapping in plaid,
when you notice a strapping young lad.
You start to feel dirty,
‘Cause the year’s nineteen-thirty,
and you realize you’re scrapping* your dad.

(Scrapping as in scrapbooking, not throwing away.)

A tossed morsel he never snubs
and his legs look like pitiful nubs,
Oh, woe to Charles Darwin,
whose name we’re a-borrowin’—
we should just name our corgi Chub-Chubs.

Dad:
Take all the “dough” out of yah breadbox
and while pahking, prepayah for some deadlocks
Line up for a bee-uh,
in Yanks fans, strike feah;
then you’re ready to cheeah fuh the Red Sox.

If conferences you are a-leadin’
in the middle of winter in Sweden:
Hail a taxi in Stockholm,
or in darkness you’ll walk home,
and a flashlight you will be a-needin’.

Behold, rainbow lights in O’Hare!
There’s a magical tunnel in there.
Through dimensions you’ll skip—
Take it easy; don’t “trip”—
as at the bright ceiling you stare.

So in addition to my ‘gimpiness’, Ginger had an awkward fall a few weeks ago. We were at Black Butte and my dad was preparing some yummy crab legs. Ginger, being a beagle, loves food and the smell of food. She tried to get some crab from the counter and then feel backwards, landing awkwardly on her back half. Luckily she was able to put weight on her right leg, but was unable to go up any type of stairs or steps. We had to lift her down the one step at the Black Butte house to have her go to the bathroom. I called the emergency vet in Bend to make sure I didn’t need to take her in right away. Because she was able to put weight on it, they didn’t think it was necessary. They just said to rest her to see if it improves, which it did.

However when we returned home, we realized that we have three steps that go from our deck to our grass. Therefore Ginger could not get inside without us lifting her over those three steps. So we decided to build a doggie handicap ramp for our backyard. She was hesitant to use it at first, but with some cookie reinforcement she was able to be comfortable using the ramp. It seems pretty silly that we had to build a ramp for our dog, but oh well!

Since her pain was lasting more than a week with intense rest, I decided to take her to the vet. Thankfully nothing is broken, dislocated or injured. She just has a doggie sprain in her right leg. Just like humans, the older you are the longer it takes to heal even minor injuries. So with rest and relaxation she will be fine. Man it’s hard getting old!

I got the word today that my fracture is healing nicely and I won’t need surgery. Woo hoo! I went to the orthopedist Wednesday afternoon to follow up on my injury. As I hobbled back to the casting room, where they removed my large splint cast…apparently it was one of the biggest ones they had seen. The hospital must have wanted to make sure my leg wasn’t going anywhere! My ankle was all black, blue, green, brown and yellow…quite the myriad of colors. I did have a sore from the cast which was even more painful than the fracture itself. It was nice to finally get my splint off!

Once the splint was off, the doctor came in to check on my foot. I didn’t have any pain on the inside of my foot which was a good indication that I would not need surgery, but x-rays would confirm it. From there, I my foot-ankle-leg got casted again. I wasn’t going to have a color, but the tech convinced me that white would get dirty too easy. So I am now sporting a light purple cast. Once casted, I got another round of x-rays to check my alignment to confirm that I wouldn’t need surgery. After a quick round of x-rays, the doctor came back with good new…NO SURGERY. Those words were music to my ears. The doctor told me that I could bear weight on it as necessary. However, I don’t think that will be for about another week considering I can’t put any amount of weight on my left leg due to the pain. So with my leg freshly casted, I head home. I will go back to the doctor in three weeks for a new cast and updated x-rays to check the healing.

Thanks to all the wonderful words of encouragement and support these past few days. And a special thanks to Adam, Deanna (Adam’s mom) and Megan (my mom) for taking extra special care of me! Loves to all!

..this was the diagnosis from the ER doctor on Saturday night.

Late Saturday night, I had my coed soccer game. I was only in the game about one minute when I ran into a player from the other team. He seemed to be ’screening’ me so when I ran into him I bounced off him, went up the in the air and crack…I landed awkwardly on my left foot. I initially starting crying and yelling, “It snapped, it snapped”. Once the shock wore away, I calmed down and realized that I need to collect myself and get off the field. Adam rushed out to see if I was okay. I told him we needed to go to the hospital. The pain was bad and I was unable to put any amount of weight on my foot.

Luckily the newly built Riverbend Hospital was only about 5 minutes away. We arrived at the hospital and was wheeled right into a triage room for my vitals and to be seen by a nurse. Then I was moved to an ER room to be registered and then waited for x-rays. After three x-rays the doctor came in with the diagnosis, a fractured fibula right above the ankle joint. It was a clean break so nothing too complicated as far as he could tell. He told me I would need follow up with the orthopedist the coming week. Two more nurses came in to put a splint cast on my leg. The splint starts at my toes and goes to right below my knee. It surrounds the sides and back of my leg, and it wrapped with ace bandages. It looks like I have an elephant sized leg. Once the splint was dry, we headed home….at 1am. From start to finish we were only there 2 hours which we thought was pretty good.

The pain isn’t too bad and I am doing lots of resting. I can’t put any weight on it so I am hobbling around with crutches. I am taking at least two days off work this week to help rest my leg for a good recovery. I may take off more depending on how I feel. For now, I am doing lots of resting and nothing. I see the orthopedist on Wednesday afternoon and I should know more then about my prognosis. But for now, you know where to find me…at home with my elephant leg!

Dear Oregonians,

Please vote YES on measures 66 and 67 on the upcoming election. If these measures don’t pass, my school district will lose the already 12 days projected to be cut, and teachers have a 7% pay cut. Next year, it would mean a loss of 3 million dollars which equals 35 teachers or 20 school days. How can we educate the future with these loses? Please vote YES!

Sincerely,
Me