Getting Better All the Time

I only have a few minutes to give an update--gotta get to bed. I'll have to resist the urge to write about all that's happened in the last week, and to check your blogs, and all--just the nitty-gritty because I feel so embarrassed about my last blog. I think I learned a hard lesson: never, never, never blog when you're feeling lonely, depressed, overwhelmed, tired, and stressed all at the same time. It' s a little like drunk calling--you end up saying things you'll regret later. TMI!!!
So here's the update...Nathan is doing MUCH better. Stitches came out Friday. Dr. said everything looks great. Nate has been really good about doing exercises and moving his arm as instructed despite the pain, so he has more movement than the doctor expected at this point, which is awesome. He's not taking pain meds any more. He doesn't have to wear a sling unless we go out and his arm will be hanging down for a long time. It starts to ache otherwise. A few times he has "forgotten" he is still recovering and tried to subconsciously use it, or accidentally bumped it and paid the price for hours afterward. Other than that--he's doing GREAT! He'll start physical therapy in January. Right now the home exercise is all he needs until it heals a little more.
So there you have it! Thanks for all your support, phone calls, emails, etc. There are a lot of people from church who follow this blog too, which I did not know, and they offered to help the next day. We are truly loved and blessed and thank you for it.

Surgery Day...A Pain in the Neck (I Mean, Shoulder)

It's been such a long day for both Nathan and me. [Yes, that's correct English--it's not "Nathan and I" in this instance.] It started at 6 o'clock this morning when we woke up to get ready for the big day--surgery day. Nathan had to have his right shoulder operated on. He had a S.L.A.P. tear in his shoulder caused by the mixed martial arts fighting he's done for years as a hobby. This day has been nearly 4 years coming, and he's been dreading it for the last 6 weeks when he found out he'd have to get it done. If he didn't get the surgery he'd be looking at a complete shoulder replacement within a few years. He had to get his professors to allow him to take his final exams one week early, and couldn't go visit his Dad over this Christmas break like he'd wanted to and planned on.

The surgery went well, but in addition to re-attaching the labrum to the bone (with some kind of anchor) in three places, they also had to shave off a bone spur and clean up the cartiledge that had been torn over the last 4 years. The doctor said the cartiledge [am I spelling that right?] was damaged to the extent that is usually seen in senior patients, not a healthy guy in his 30s. Because there was so much to repair, his recovery will be very painful with physical therapy so he won't lose full range of motion from stiffness. It will be 6 months-1 year before he has full use of that arm back, but the short-term worst part of the recovery will only be about 6 weeks.

He slept most of the day once I got him home, but he always has a hard time getting sick from the general anesthesia. The nurse said every fair-skinned, red-headed person she's ever treated has always had a rough time and gotten sick from it. I thought that was interesting. We did at least have some experience 18 months ago when he had knee surgery, and were able to get his pain medication changed to something more gentle.

After both of us not sleeping very well last night and getting only about 5 hours of broken sleep (I think Nathan got 3), it's been a long day. It hit me tonight about 4:45, and I finally took an hour power nap at 6 tonight. I'm anxious for tonight and tomorrow as the pain block they put in his shoulder starts to wear off and we rely solely on the pain pills.

Going through this and other experiences with Nathan (back, knee, etc.), I've come to realize how important it is to have a network of support around for these times. It's so hard for me with just the two of us; two is not enough. I manage ok, but it would be so much better with a little help. Take, for instance, getting out of the car when we got home. It was pouring rain, and I was trying to find the umberrella (I had no idea we were expecting rain and hadn't prepared for it), get Nathan out of the car and up the steps, get him changed and situated in bed, go back out to the car and get all the stuff (ice pack machine he has to use for 48 hours, medication, etc.), and get back inside quickly to prepare something for him to eat so he could take a pain pill. It was hectic and stressful. Would have been nice to have an extra set of hands so I could tend to him and not have to worry about the peripherials. I just didn't know what to expect, and forgot how hard it is. I haven't bugged anyone at church about help, but I probably should have just for today. That is the only network of support we really have here being so far from family and close friends. So thanks for "listening" to me vent about the day, and maybe next time you know someone going through surgery, you can volunteer to lend a helping hand or a listening ear, or go visit them in the ensuing weeks of recovery. I don't know how I'm going to keep him happy and entertained until Christmas. He'll be boxed up in the house all day next week and the next when I'm at work. Poor guy. This really stinks, but I guess it could be worse...I'll be thankful that it's not.

Shout out

Thanksgiving Weekend

From my last post you know that for Thanksgiving Nathan and I visited my best friend, Melodee and her little family in Miami, FL. Mel prepared us an AMAZING traditional Thanksgiving dinner. For the first time in my life I liked the sweet potatoe casserole. And since there were only 4 of us plus Kyle, their toddler, there were plenty of leftovers. YUM!!

The guys hung out that day and watched football. (I don't know how I ended up with no pictures of Mel's husband, Stephen. )

That night we walked off our turkey-induced comas by taking a trip to the beach. The water was warm enough to take a swim--in November! Gotta love Miami!

As the sun began to set, we enjoyed the beautiful colors, and also got to see a very large cruise ship leave harbor.

Nathan enjoyed collecting shells and coral pieces for our saltwater aquarium.

The next day the guys went fishing, leaving us girls (and Kyle) to ourselves. We decided to embark on an activity our hubbies would probably find uninteresting...a visit to the botanical garden, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, an 83-acre park just south of the city. It was the most perfect weather. My green thumb was just itching as we explored many plants that I have never seen before, at least not as up close and personal as this.

It was breathtaking and calming...

The next day we went to Bill Bagg's State Park--one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. Everyone must have been out shopping because there were very few people there. We enjoyed chasing Kyle around. Nathan built a sand castle (and dug a hole big enough for him to stand in). The lighthouse was closed for renovation, so we couldn't go for a tour to the top, but the scenery was beautiful.

It was such a relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. Thank you to Mel and Stephen for letting us crash your pad, and for showing us a great time--so great that we can't wait to visit again!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We're enjoying Thanksgiving weekend visiting my best friend, Melodee, her husband, Stephen, and their 16-month old son, Kyle, in Miami, FL. Mel and I have been best buds since 7th grade. It's so much fun being here and hanging out. Today I am thankful for good friends who lift me up.

Unfortunately I forgot to pack the cord to my camera, so I can't upload photos until I get home, but if you want to see our dinner and some pictures of the day, visit Mel's blog at http://melodeecooper.blogspot.com/. We basically took the same photos today.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!!!!!

Friends

OK, people, let's have some fun. See how much you really know about your friends. If you want to participate, place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. Feel free to add a notation, if you wish. Then, answer the 30 questions at the end and send it to your friends or put it on your own blog. Hey, it's all in fun, right? And besides, no one is twisting your arm to participate.

( ) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school (more times than I'd like to admit)
( ) Watched someone die
(x) Been to Canada (Niagra Falls)
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida (whaduyaknow? I happen to be here now!)
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost (Yes, but Nate says I have a pretty good sense of direction. I'm the one always finding new ways to get places and saying, "Hey, let's try this road..." Sometimes it works out good and sometimes not so good, but I can usually end up where I intended.)
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
(x) Been to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean (Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic)
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sung Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only (isn't that a rite of passage for a teenager?)
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls (Is your fridge running...well you'd better go catch it. Yeah, not my proudest moment. I think I was 12.)
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose (ooooh. I just hate that.)
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue (I love to eat snow. Need to visit the country in the winter so I can eat "clean" snow.)
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus (Fond childhood memory of the year I was six. Thanks, Mom!)
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
( ) Ever had any major surgeries?
(x) Been skinny dipping outdoors (Walden Pond--eat your heart out, Thoreau)
(x) Danced in the snow
(x) Gone to the movies
(x) Got a speeding ticket (One. About 5 years ago. I was singing along with one of my favorite songs on the way home from Nathan's house late at night. This was before we were married. Let's just say I was a little distracted by my thoughts :)
( ) Gone through a divorce

1. Any nickname? Pee Wee Jones (only Dad and Mom call me this)
2. Favorite Drink? Diet Pepsi
3. Mother's name? Terry
4. Tattoo? nah
5. How much do you love your job? I LOVE it. It is a lot of stress, but I do enjoy it nonetheless.
6. Birthplace? Heber, UT
7. Favorite vacation spot? So far, Key West, FL.
8. Ever been to Africa? Not yet
9. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Can't eat sweets in place of meals. Gives me a belly ache.
10. Ever been on TV? Nope--unless you count security cameras
11. Ever steal any traffic sign? yes
12. Ever been in a car accident? If you can call it that. I backed out of a driveway into the neighbor's car when I was 16. That's it (knock on wood).
14. Favorite salad dressing? My homemade basalmic vinegar.
15. Favorite pie? Apple or pumpkin. I love cheesecake and recently had pumpkin cheesecake for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised.
16. Favorite number? Honestly? Ya know, I've never understood the point of having a favorite number. I think every time I answer this question I pick a random number, so it's probably different every time, which means, I guess, that I don't really have a favorite.
17. Favorite movie? When Harry Met Sally
18. Favorite holiday? Christmas
19. Favorite Dessert? cheesecake
20. Favorite food? Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon.
21. Favorite day of the week? Saturday. It's the only day I get to do whatever I want.
22. Favorite brand of Body wash? Whatever is on sale and smells good.
23. Favorite toothpaste? Colgate Total mint stripe
24. Favorite smell? Eucalyptus or sandalwood
25. What do you do to relax? read, garden, sing along with mu iPod.
26. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Thanks, Mel, for pointing out that we'll be coming up on the big FOUR-O. Let's not talk about that. Hmmmm....10 years from now--hopefully I'll have at least three kids, the oldest being no younger than 9 (yes, that means we're trying); have finished my bachelor's degree; obtained my CMA (Certified Managerial Accountant--like a CPA for business accounting); own a home; out of debt; living in either Boston or Salt Lake City.
27. Favorite color? Same thing as the favorite number. I have a hard time deciding. I like purple, pink, blue, green, red. Not usually yellow or orange so much.
28. Furthest place you will send this message? Going to my blog.
29. Who will respond to this the fastest? This is what Mel said: Amber or Chrystal? They like to have ideas of things to put on their blogs. Guilty as charged.
30. Is your best friend male or female? Male: Nathan, Female: Mel
31. Are you, or if retired, did you pursue your desired career field? Yes.
32. What will people think after reading this? "I need to put this on MY blog!!!" (Amen to that, Mel.)
33. Are you happy with your life and the way things have turned out? Not yet. It's still in the making. Happy with some things, and still enjoying the journey on others.

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas at Twilight

This year I went against my cardinal rule of no Christmas anything until after Thanksgiving. I heard about the lighting of the 50-foot Christmas tree at one of the places in Atlanta and I wanted to go. So last night we went with our friends, Mike and Megan Armstrong. It was a little anti-climactic though because we went to dinner first and ended up arriving with only 5 minutes left for the countdown. I was expecting something more breathtaking. But it was still very pretty, and they had snow machines blowing fake snow all over us once the tree was lit. It got me in the Christmas mood. Now I have to back up and get ready for Thanksgiving.

Yes, that's my dorky husband flashing his "gang signs."

After the lighting of the tree, the night was still young, so we decided to wander over and see what movies were playing. I don't know how we did it, but we ended up convincing the guys to go see "Twilight" with us. I know--I had to pick my jaw up off the sidewalk too. Actually, they kind of offered. At least Mike did. He had read the book with Megan and thought it had potential to be a good movie with all the vampire scenes. I had a hunch that the guys were going to be gravely disappointed for lack of "cool vampire action scenes," but I wasn't going to say anything. It was either Twilight or the new James Bond movie and I was not overly excited about that prospect. After the movie I didn't hear the end of how stupid it was for about an hour--but hey--I got to see it and didn't have to wait a month to see it with my mom and sisters. My review: it was what I expected--nothing more--nothing less--a cute teenage love story--with lots of "dreamy" scenes. The movie captured the "teen love" and the awkwardness very well. The baseball scene was done well, but the meadow scene and the flying/running through the forest were totally disappointing. Would have been happy with the rental. I know, I know. That may be blasphemy to some of you Twilight fans out there. I'm just not one--at least not a big one. But I probably would be if I were about 15 years younger.