Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Upcoming B-days


Madeline's and Spencer's birthdays are in October (Maddie's is Oct. 22 and Spencer's is Oct 23). This year Maddie turns "double digits" and she is so excited!! When Brooke turned 10 we threw a massive "50's" themed party and took the kids to get ice cream in a limo. So, of course we are planning big things for Madeline's special year too! We have decided that she can invite a few girls over for a party and then we are taking them all in a limousine to see the movie "High School Musical 3"! She is going to have an awesome b-day this year!! Since we are only having a few girls (she has invited 5) and since Brett is getting the limo for free (he will be our driver)-it will not be too expensive. For Spencer's party we are going to have a few friends meet at the park-so he can play sports with them (his fav thing to do!) .
I can hardly believe that Maddie will be 10 and Spencer will already be 8!! Where does the time go??

Monday, September 29, 2008

"Fireproof"

Brett and I went to see this movie last night, it was AMAZING! A must see movie!! It made me laugh through out the whole movie and it also made me cry! We had a really great date night last night-it is a very romantic movie that every couple should see!! You can watch the "trailer" for the movie by clicking on it at the top.

At weigh in I did better than expected! I was not even over goal-so I did not even have to pay. I am back on track today! I will let you know how next week's weigh in turns out!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Weight Watchers



Tomorrow I am going to my first meeting since my surgery. I am a little bit anxious about it-not just because I know that I have gained a bit, but also because I will have to weigh in while wearing my brace-it weighs almost 3 lbs. I know that even with the weight I have gained (I think about 7 lbs) I am not over my WW goal-which is higher than my personal goal, but I am pretty sure that the brace will put me over. I pray that they have "mercy" on me and deduct the weight of my brace or at least not charge me for being over goal. My leader is really nice and she is very understanding, so I do not think there will be a problem. She even gave me a 3 month grace period because she knew that after surgery I would not be able to make it to at least one meeting a month-which is what WW requires to keep a "lifetime" membership. I am ready to get "back in the game" NOW so I am not gonna take advantage of the third month of "grace". I want to be able to fit into my clothes once I am able to take this brace off-so I'd better get started now! Otherwise......I am gonna be in a "mess of trouble" trying to find something to wear! For now, I am wearing elastic waisted pants and I bought 1 pair of capris that are a couple of sizes larger than the size I wear-they fit over my brace perfectly. I even bought a pair of MATERNITY capris!! They were only $5.00 at JC Penny's so I bought them to wear until my brace comes off.

Brett and I are heading out for our first date since my surgery!! My Aunt bought us tickets to see the movie "Fireproof"-I have heard really great things about it so I am excited about going to see it tonight!! Plus...............Kirk Cameron was my teenage "heart throb". Don't worry, Brett already knows ;).
Anyway, we are about to leave for that-I will update you all on my weigh in tomorrow! Send me all your "skinny vibes" :).
STILL looks good!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

My "baby girl"




Tonight, Brooke is at her first "Homecoming Dance". She has gotten so big-I can hardly believe it! She is spending the night at her friend's house after the dance. I went to her friend's house tonight to help her get ready-she was so excited. I am so glad that she is making good friends at the new school. The girl that she is staying with tonight is older than her-she just turned 14 and is in the 9th grade. Brooke has always been mature for her age-so I guess it is natural for her to gravitate to girls a little older or at least girls that are more mature. Anyhoo-I wanted to share some pics from tonight!

Friday, September 26, 2008

My favorite flair!






Bradly-"waitin' on a woman"




Oh yeah! I am there!

Pics



Here are the pics from our "Girl's night IN" this month!
I know the Sistas are gonna LOVE me for posting these!!
Left to right-Tanya (back), Jodi (front), Nikki, Karen and me.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

My appointment



Yesterday, as you know, I had my doctor's appt at USF. I was thrilled when the doc looked at my x ray and said that he saw some bone growth!!! He said it was just a tiny bit of growth-but none the less, it was growth!! He showed me in two spots where he saw the growth-oddly enough, it has started growing in the middle area first. He says that everyone is different-but all the people I have spoke with online, have had the growth start at the bottom and move up. No big deal-just proves that I am "odd" -(as Karen suggested-LOL :). I had really, REALLY hoped that, once they saw some bone growth, they would release me to "do more". But-they want me to wait until 3 months post op (my next appt is in Nov.) before they will talk about what I can do and to what extent I can do it! Frustrating-for sure! Originally, before my surgery, he told me I would be "out of commission" for 6 weeks-now.....3 months!? I can still drive short distances-thank God! I am grateful for that :). I can still walk as much as I can-thank God! I asked him if there was such a thing as "too much" walking and he said that I just had to listen to my body-if I was in pain when I finished a walk-then it was "too much". I asked about being able to "sit"-and he said "as tolerated". I am happy with that because some surgeons give a 15-20 min time limit for sitting. So.....what I can not do....... lift (he says I can lift my purse. A nurse told me, one day when I called, that I could lift a gallon of milk), bend (like that is even possible in this hard brace!), twist (again-not possible!), push (I refused to ask if that included a shopping cart-I did not want to ask in case he said "no"-Karen said since it is on wheels-It should be ok. I like her answer!), and pull. So, that pretty much includes everything but walking, sitting and laying!

I have been doing more than this already-but in moderation. I just can not let Brett do everything by himself for another 7 weeks! He said that it did not matter if it was going to "take a year" before I could help-I need to do what it takes to get better. I have not been doing much, just making the kid's lunches, cooking supper with help and the shopping (I make the "bag boys" keep the bags light-and they load everything in the car for me-then I put away the cold things and Brett puts away the rest). That is literally ALL I do. On a regular day I walk in the mornings, shower, lay in bed until time to get the kids from school. In the afternoons I make lunches and rest. In the evenings I make supper and rest. WHY......do I feel like I have to justify all of this? My point is......(if I can remember) I am being careful, I am listening to my body, and I am doing what it takes to stay sane and keep Brett from going nuts! Ok-I am done!

The pics are of my x rays. You can not see the "cages" from the side the x ray was taken from-I think they are on the anterior side of my spine-the x rays were taken from the posterior side. The doc said he could see them a little but I can't. Also-I think that they must not be made of metal or else they would be more visible.


So.........Karen and I had a really good time yesterday! I just love being with her! There are only a handful of people in an entire lifetime that you can really "let loose" with. I mean.....hold nothing back (literally!) and feel completely safe with. She is that person for me! We laugh so much together! I can (and HAVE) tell her anything! After my appt yesterday, we went to lunch. Then we went to the store to pick up a couple of things. After that, we came home and just relaxed and talked until time to get the kids from school. After they got home Karen cooked what she was bringing for our night out. She let Maddie help her with that-which Maddie loved! Then we were off to Tanya's house. We had a good time just kicking back and relaxing (and eating some really good food!)! It was just a really, really good day for me. I had so much fun and enjoyed every minute of the whole day!! Thanks Karen for taking me to the doctor and for staying with me all day!! Thanks Tanya for letting us invade your house for our night "out". Later today I will upload the pics from last night!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Nerves

Last night it took me FOREVER to go to sleep! Once I went to sleep, I kept waking up with "night sweats". I think that it is from nerves. I have been more nervous about my doctor's appt this morning than I was about the actual surgery! I think it may be because I now KNOW how bad the surgery actually is. I thought I knew before how bad it would be........but my expectations were not even close to reality. I was warned that if I do not "fuse" then the surgery will have to be done again. I have been doing everything, in my power, to try to get those bones growing-the rest is up to God! They expect to see at least some growth today-it will take around a year (sometimes more) to fuse completely, but we should see progress with each x ray. Even if they do not see growth today, they'll give it a couple more months before they make any plans for surgery. I am SOOOOOOO glad that Karen is taking me today-I do not want to be alone at this appt. If they see growth, I want someone to celebrate with me, and if they do not, I want a shoulder to cry on! Karen will be here around 9:00-we will be driving to Tampa to the USF neurosurgeon's office. After my appt. we are going to lunch together and then back to my house. She is going to stay with me today and make her "covered dish" for the PJ party (GNO) here. It is going to be nice to be able to just hang out this afternoon! Then tonight, we are going to Tanya's for GNO-we are just relaxing in our pjs and watching a funny video that Tanya picked up from MOPS. I am so thankful that Karen is taking her DAY OFF and spending it helping me! Also, I am proud to have friends that did not just leave me behind for GNO this month but instead, they planned it so I would be able to come and enjoy it too! I am gonna bring my camera tonight-it is sure to be a blast! I will update my blog with the GOOD REPORT I will be getting today!!!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Today

Today was a busy, hectic but fun day! I met Carol-my best friend back in high school-for coffee and we ended up talking for 2 hours at Starbucks! It was really nice to spend time with her, remembering old times and catching up with each other! We were able to start back right where we left off-"umpteen" years ago. We are going to continue our friendship and make it a point to get together often.

After I left Starbucks I went to Publix and Wal mart to get some groceries.
Once I came home and put away the cold items, I had to run to the school to get Maddie and Bubba. From there we went to Sam's club to pick up a few things. No sooner did we get home, it was time to go to Brooke's volleyball game. This is BY FAR the busiest day I have had since my surgery. Now, I am in bed-getting some much needed rest! My low back is not hurting that badly from all that I did today but my mid. back and my neck is really bad. I just keep praying that I can avoid the surgeries that they want to do on the rest of my spine!! I really, REALLY do not want to go through spine surgery again! I am going to ask the surgeon tomorrow if I can start going back to the chiropractor to get my cervical and thoracic spine adjusted. Fingers crossed!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Our Sunday




Yesterday, Brett and I walked up to the dog park with the kids and their dogs. The dogs are so out of shape that they nearly died! Lady bug is over weight and lazy-several times, while walking home, she just stop dead in her tracks as to say " I am not walking one more step!". She made it home, but collapsed as soon as she got in the door! Brett played sports with the kids-he is such an amazing daddy! Spencer seems to think that once my 3 months is up (once I can take off my brace) I am going to be miraculously healed and I am going to be able to play tackle football with him again! He keeps telling me that he can not wait! He keeps reminding me....only 7 more weeks to go! A few nights ago I did get to play soccer with him-kinda. I kicked the ball into the net-so he could practice being goalie. He was sweet-he would kick it back to me very gently. Brooke loves playing volleyball-her dad has been teaching her a lot about "serving" the ball and he practices with her almost everyday. Maddie has taken up basketball. We hope to get her a hoop for her b-day (coming soon!). For now, she is using one of those "kiddie" plastic hoops-she is taller than IT is!






I am still counting down the days until my next appt! Wednesday can not get here fast enough!! Wednesday night is our Girl's night out. We are having a PJ party over at Tanya's! I am looking forward to that too! I am so glad that they have planned at "GNO" that I will be able to go to! They are too sweet.






Well, I reckon that is it for now!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Christmas?



The McCann family house smells like Christmas; sounds like Christmas and if I'd let the kids.........it would look like Christmas too! This morning the kids are in the Christmas spirit. A little early? Yes-but I can remember being the same way! Christmas started around September in the Walker household too! So far-they have listened to Christmas songs while cleaning, put a cranberry scented oil in my oil burner (LOVE my oil burner btw!) and we have watched the movie "Elf" (I love, love, love that movie-makes me laugh every time!).




I went for a long walk again today (between today and yesterday-walking about 3 hours and 15 mins-total, I MAY have walked off about 2 of those Oreos-LOL!). I am so excited about my appt next week-I really, really, REALLY want to see some bone growth. Walking as much as I have been should help my odds!



I ran into my best friend from high school this week-I found out that her kids attend the same school as my kids do! We are meeting for coffee on Tues. morning-I am looking forward to catching up with her!


I reckon that's about it for now!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Oreos!



I am now positive that Oreos are from the devil! :) The last 2 weeks I have been doing so good with watching what I eat and I have been walking at least 1 hour a day...............enter Oreos.."stage left". The first 3 days that they were here I ate 2-total. Yesterday....lets just say "more than that" ;). Bummer! I did buy the "reduced fat" ones....but that really does not mean much when it comes to Oreos!

Thank God that His mercies are new every morning! So, I am gonna pick myself up, dust off the cookie crumbs and go for a looooong walk! I am actually looking forward to my walk this morning! I have some errands to run so I am just gonna walk to them.
Hope you all have a "cookie free" day! Well........what is one itty bitty cookie gonna hurt?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

My brace...

I recently found out that my insurance company paid $1,520 for my brace! Is that crazy or what?? I think I will have it bronzed once I am finished with it! It is officially the most valuable thing I own (the bank owns the rest :)! I guess it is so valuable because it is "couture"-measured and molded just for me :).

Mom guilt!

There is a little thing I like to call......."Mom guilt"! It seems like no matter what I do or do not do-I have some level of Mom guilt! My favorite line from the movie "Toy Story" is when Rex says "Oh great! Now I have guilt!" I can feel guilt about things I did not even do if I THINK that someone thinks I did it! Anyhoo-this one is not about me though. It is about how schools use "mom guilt" to raise money! All three kids came home from school today so excited about getting to go on a class trip.........IF they sell 10 items out of a fund raiser catalog! Do the math-that means 30 items need to be sold so my kids can go on the trip. Spencer keeps saying that the money raised is gonna help "feed the kids in California"- truth is that part of it goes to the school and the other part goes to feed kids in Africa! So, we are gonna give it our best shot-but I am afraid that even "Mom guilt" is not gonna make this one happen!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Yum!

Tanya brought us dinner tonight-it was so good! I have learned that my friends are really good cooks! She made a "spaghetti-meatball bake", garlic bread, Cesar salad and also brought us ice cream for dessert. It was a big hit with the family tonight!

"Biggest Loser" starts a new season tonight-I am excited about that! Brett and I always make a "date" out of watching it each week and it is very motivating to see the transformations of the contestants. Of course, Working out for 6 hours a day is not practical-(or safe!) but it does motivate me to do what I CAN do! I do not know how the people on that show can just show up, so overweight and out of shape, and then be thrown into such a rigorous exercise program. I would be half dead by the first day and I am in decent shape! Anyhoo-I am looking forward to watching the new season with my sweetie.

Today.....was a milestone for me. I got up, took the kids to school and then I went to Publix and bought some groceries! It was SOOOO nice to be able to do that! About half way through the shopping I began to get really tired-so I listened to my body and I went home and rested. After I rested for a while, I went to Wal Mart to finish up the rest of the shopping. Brett and I made a trip to Sam's Club tonight-(I was in a hurry Carrie or I would have stopped in to see if you were working :). We picked up a few things there and then we went to the school to pick up Brooke-she had an "away" volleyball game. Now-I am tired, tired,tired!! Brett got on to me and Tanya called me "stubborn" (who ME? Stubborn? ) but I just feel like I want so badly to get back to doing all that I did before. I realize that I may be "pushing it"-a little. I talked to someone today who messed up her surgery (12 weeks post op) by Vacuuming! I am afraid of messing everything up but I want to be well so badly! I think I will feel better once I see the doc next week-I feel like a expectant mother who is waiting for the ultrasound to tell her that her baby is healthy and his heart is beating! I just can not wait to see my x rays and see that the bones are growing together. They say 9 months to 1 year before they are fused completely but I pray I can see some progress next week.
Ok-I feel like I am rambling on now. I am going to go take a shower, take off this brace!, and get comfy in my bed!

Monday, September 15, 2008




Yesterday we went down to the lake to feed the animals-it was really nice to be able to do that again. It always amazes me how many animals congregate around us so quickly! Before we went to the lake we stopped off at the new church building that our church is leasing to soon start a satellite church. Brett and I are looking forward to helping out in the new church. We are still gonna keep our kids in our church for Wednesday nights but, at least until it is up and running, we are going to help out with the new church on Sundays. I am going to be doing the "before and after" pics of the new building-our church will be putting a lot of work into it, getting it cleaned up and painted.


I sold my inversion table on craig's list tonight-I sold it for $100. I could have gotten more for it probably-I had several people telling me that they wanted it-but I am happy with the amount that I got-when I bought it I got a really good deal on it so I am not taking that much of a hit on it. I can not use it anymore-since the purpose of it was to separate the vertebrae and I am trying get mine to fuse together.


Anyway-I just wanted to update everyone on the last couple of days.


Brett poured water over Brooke's head.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Brett's Britches!


Omg! I am laughing my head off at my crazy husband! Several weeks ago, Brett's suit pants (the ONLY pair that he has for his limo job) spit right up the middle. I put on a patch and it has lasted.....until today. He just came home and there was a "great divide" on the backside of his britches!! Ok-so we now know that we are gonna have to break down and buy him some new pants-but soon after he got home, he got called back into work! Being the "resourceful" man that he is.....he STAPLED his pants shut with about 50 staples! Now, if his jacket was long enough to conceal this mishap I would say he might get away with it-but it is NOT! Not only can the staples be seen.....but he yelled "ouch!" when he had to sit down to put his shoes on! I just had to laugh at him! Poor guy has to drive all the way to Tampa while sitting on staples! Gotta love him!
Oh yeah! He's gonna love me for this one!

Friday, September 12, 2008

He will not "pull the plug"!


Alright..so Brett and I were having our coffee after dinner tonight (which was from Pizza hut-Thanks Michelle!)at the same time I was busy filling out paper work to send in to my new doctor. At the time of my surgery I was given a "living will" form-my nurse that comes out to the house told me that I need to make sure that who ever I choose to "execute" my living will needs to be strong enough to fulfill my wishes (ie "pull the plug"). So, while I was finally getting around to filling out the paper work, I asked Brett if he'd be able do it. I said I'd not want to be kept on the machine more than a couple of weeks-he said "but what if you would have gotten better in 2 weeks and 1 day?". I asked him how long he would keep me alive like that and he answered "at least a year"! OMG-I told him that I would just call Karen and ask her to be listed on the will! I can not believe that he'd let me lay there for one year!! He says that new technology may come out within that year....yada yada yada.
Then, he says what he always says when he does not want to think about something (like our girls getting married!) "Well, the Lord is gonna come back before then anyway!" I can never get him to talk about the "what ifs" of life. I guess this may be too personal to be sharing with the "world" and it really is not a laughing matter but truthfully, if I ever thought I would need a living will-I would not be joking around about it. I just laughed when I thought about him letting me "suffer" for 365 days! As I type he is saying "Noooo.......giving you a chance to come back to your family for 365 days!"

Bottom line?....

Karen....I will need you to sign some papers when you come over !
......as Brett is now yelling "don't do it Karen!"






Thursday, September 11, 2008

I finally got a hold of my surgeon's office-they cleared me to drive short distances on "non busy roads" but unfortunately they will not release me to do anything else until I get my x rays. Tonight I am going to the kids' open house at school-I still have not even met their teachers so I am determined to go!

Well-I just got a phone call.......it looks like some of what "Perry Stone" has prophesied may be starting to happen-a little scary!
He said some things that I can not really share here, if you are interested in finding out more...send me a email or visit his website www.voe.org and order his "prophetic alert" series that was just released.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

My "bright" idea

Jodi brought over our supper tonight-it was soooo good! It was "taco shells"-it was those large pasta shells stuffed with ground beef, salsa...... and topped with cheese and crushed tostitos. YUM! (Thanks Jodi!) All of this yummy food that we have been eating gave me an idea. Once I am better, I want to set something up with my "gal pals" where we cook for each other-just because! I figured that one of us could bring a meal to one person, then that person would then bring a meal for the next person the following week or month or whatever we decide. Tanya and Jodi are already on board-none of the others answer emails (hint, hint)! Anyways, it has been so nice to try new foods and get new recipes and every mom knows how hectic supper time can be-I thought it would be nice to just not have to worry about it every now and then! I want everyone to experience being "spoiled" like I have been!
One time, several years ago, we all got together and tried the "cooking once a month" thing-we all went to Karen's and spent the entire day cooking-then we froze the meals so we could just heat them up. Some of the meals went over very well, and it made supper time easy, but some of the other meals did not go over well with my family. We did have "bonding" time though-so it was worth it just for that! Maybe we should give it another shot girls?

TMI

Alright-it is TMI but.....I just spent 30 mins trying to get a piece of dental floss out of my teeth! It is still stuck in there-SERIOUSLY stuck! Do you think it will work its way out? I tried getting it out with more floss-but now, I can not even get a piece of floss in there! I tried scrapping it with the dental tool. Now, I am chewing gum-hoping it will stick to the floss and pull it out! This is crazy-I may end up calling the dentist tomorrow. Do things like these only happen to me? OK-I am done with the dental talk. There is not much I leave out of this blog-huh?

Today I have been really sore. I did go for a walk this morning but I only made it about 35 mins. I guess that is to be expected, since I did too much yesterday. I called my surgeon 2 times today-I only got his voice mail so I left messages. I wanted to see if he would release me to drive and help Brett some by next week. I do not want to wait until my appt on the 24th. I am nervous about trying to do new things-I am gonna have to trust God to protect me. I talked to someone online today who had a "lesser" surgery than I did-he did really well and was back to normal within a few weeks-but, he is now 12 weeks post op and his pain is "back with a vengeance"-that scares me a little. I will have to learn to listen to my body and "stop" when I need to "stop"-but every mom knows that the world does not stop when we do! I have been so fortunate to have the world stop (or almost stop) for me these last 5 weeks (can you believe it has been 5 weeks already?). I am just so ready to be "better"and "normal"-ok, you can stop laughing now-I mean "normal" for me! (as I chew my gum-praying that I can get this floss out!)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Just for fun

My niece emailed me this-I thought it was fun.

Well this was different but fun, you can only type ONE Word! Not as easy as you might think. It's really hard to only use one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? here
3. Your hair? blonde
4. Your mother? loving
5. Your father? provider
6. Your favorite thing? laughter
7. Your dream last night? silly
8. Your dream/goal? giver
9. The room you're in? bedroom
10. Your fear? failure
11. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
12. Where were you last night? home
13. What you're not? quiet
14. Muffins? chocolate
15. One of your wish list? Money
16. Where you grew up? here
17. The last thing you did? bath
18. What are you wearing? pjs
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pets? stink!
21. Your computer? lifeline
22. Your life? beautiful
23. Your mood? thankful
24. Missing someone? always
25. Your car? silver :(
26. Something you're not wearing? socks
27. Your summer? amazing
28. Love someone? deeply
29. Food? sweets
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? today

Even more blessings...

This morning I went for a long walk-Spencer's hearing aid needed to be dropped off for repair so I saved Brett the trip by walking there and taking care of that. Brett was awake most of the night-he just could not sleep, so this morning I asked him why he could not sleep and he said he had too many things running through his mind and he was thinking about all he had to get done today. I can't do much-but I CAN walk so I wanted to help him out. Poor guy! I have said it a hundred times but we are so thankful for all the meals we have been getting-if he had to take care of cooking supper, on top of everything else, I am not sure he'd be able to do it!
This afternoon Michelle and her daughter came by with lots of goodies for us! She brought over an ice cream maker (can't wait to see what the kids do when they see that!) and she brought a CASE of easy mac (the kids love that!), she brought juice (grape is the kids' fav!), she brought a ton of fruit cups for the kids' lunches and she brought cookies (Brett and I already got into those-but don't worry, we saved some for the kids :)!! Her family has been such a blessing to us during this time-Michael has even asked if he could mow the lawn for Brett! Unfortunately, Brett's 2nd job has been dead lately-so he has had the last 2 Saturdays free-he's been able to keep up with the yard work then. At any rate, I am just amazed at how giving they have been! Worth repeating...time and money are so tight with almost everyone-I continue to be humbled by how people have stepped outside themselves and taken time,money and energy to help my family. I will continue to pray God's blessings on Michelle and her family-that is the only thing I can do for them now, but someday-I hope that I will be in a place that I will be able to "pass it on" and BE a blessing just as she has been!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Gillie Girl



My Mom and Dad came down here on Saturday and they left on Sunday.
They brought Our little "Gillie Girl" with them! She is getting so big-and she is so sweet! When she saw us she ran up to me and gave me a huge hug and kiss. I asked her how old she was-just to see what she'd say, she said "I am 2.....but in a few minutes I am gonna be 4!" My girls had fun mothering her for two days-Maddie even made bubbles for her out of dish soap and then she made a bubble wand out of little green twigs that she found outside-she looped them around and used a rubber band to form a circle. Brooke, Madeline and Spencer also helped her catch lizards in the back yard. The girls cried when she had to leave. Gillie even cried! She said "sha sha, my want to stay with you!"-it broke my heart! I told her when my "boo boo" was all better then she could come stay with us for a while.


My recovery is still going well-I have been walking 1 hour every morning-that usually wipes me out for the whole day. I still get tired really easily but my back is really just "sore". Although, last night I tried to get out of bed and I had a sharp pain almost send me to the ground! I had to use my walker the rest of the night-but today I was back to walking with out it.


Last night, Karen and Mike and the kids came over to our house and ate supper with us, it was really nice for Brett and Mike to get to spend time together and for the kids to get to play with each other. Usually when Karen and I get together the kids are in school or else the guys are at home watching them for us-so we rarely all get together at once like that. I am gonna try to make sure we do things all together more often-we had a really good time.

Friday, September 5, 2008

I did it...I did it..

Well-I went for my first walk without my walker yesterday! It was kind of frightening-but I walked slowly and I did it! Now, I am mostly using my walker to help me get in and out of bed and my recliner. I look back and see how far I have come and it gets me so excited! I expect even better days ahead! God has been faithful to us in every way! I go back to the doctor on Sept. 24th-I hope that he will then clear me to start doing some things again. I think I should be able to start driving again-and if everything is at my level I should be able to cook again too. I know that I have the "BLT" (bending, lifting, twisting) restrictions for several months but I hope to set everything up (getting everything within my reach) so I can start helping Brett out some! He has already started telling me that even when the doctor releases me-he doesn't want me doing much. I would think that by now he'd be ready for me to just jump right in and help out! But, I know that he loves me and he does not want to see me have to go through the surgery again. Lord knows I do not want to EVER go through this again-so I will be careful. My pain level has dropped from a "10"-( right after my surgery) to about a "1-2"! Thank God! I know that it is only by His grace that I can say that! So many people I have talked to online are still in pain MONTHS after their surgery (some..even years!) I need everyone to keep praying that the bone grafts "take" and the bones are beginning to fuse! We should see some progress on my next x-ray at my next appt. I want to say "thank you" to all of you who have continued to pray for me and my family and for all of you who have brought us food and ran our errands!! I know it must be easy to "forget" about us-especially since it has been 4 weeks since my surgery, but I appreciate all of you who have not forgotten us! I do not say lightly-that our family has prayed for each one of you and your families-and I continue to pray for you all daily!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Where would I be......


without my sisters? Seriously. I know you are all probably "sick to death" of me saying it but,.........it IS my blog so I am gonna say it anyhow :) . My sisters have carried me through this whole ordeal! It is kinda weird but they have been closer to me and more involved in my recovery than my own blood relatives (except my "mama" of course!).
Tanya came by this morning-she brought me my fav Starbucks coffee drink and she took the time to sit and visit with me before she left to go buy our groceries. She has been up since before 6 am-taking care of her kids and getting them off to school, but she cared enough to sit with me a while. I enjoyed our time together this morning! She volunteered-from the beginning, to do our shopping but she has went WAAAAY beyond that (as if that were not ENOUGH!). Each week, she has bought a complete meal-out of her own budget-that we can throw in the oven "in case someone forgets to bring us food one night".
Last night, one of my other sisters brought over a meal for our family. She shared a little about what HER family is going through right now....someone should be bringing THEM meals-but yet she, so unselfishly, took the time to make a (awesome) meal for us!
Karen is always calling me to check on me-she's brought us a meal and even brought over a ton of extra goodies for us.
Money is tight-with everyone I know. Time....probably even tighter.I do not take for granted that my sisters have used money out of their budgets, and time our of their chaotic, busy days to help a sister in need. I am in awe and I am so humbled by all that has been given to us. Not many people have what I have...Sisters who REALLY care and who give so much of themselves to show it.
I thank God for each one of you-I pray that He blesses you and your families in everything that you do!

Oh...and just a note-they have even planned our monthly "Girl's night out" around me-we are having a PJ and movie night at Tanya's house (or mine-if I am not feeling well enough to go over to her house)! Sounds like so much fun-I will be sure to bring along my camera!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Today was my Aunt's funeral-I am still bummed that I could not go to it! It looks like my parent's house did not get flooded-the levee was leaking but they were able to fix it before it broke completely. They still do not know how bad the wind damage is-we are hoping for the best. They do not have power or running water and I am sure that will take several days to get all of that up and running again.

I went for another long walk today (50 mins)-let me stress again, the more I walk-the better chance I have that my bones will fuse and I will not have to have the surgery re done. This morning I woke up a lot more "sore" than I have been-I know that it is from all the walking that I did yesterday-it is to be expected. Well....that is about it for now!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Today has been hard for me emotionally, I want so badly to be able to go to my Aunt Dot's funeral-but no one will take me! They all say that it is best that I do not ride in a car that long (the funeral is in Georgia). I know that it is not the best thing for me-but I really do think that I would be OK if I could lean back in the car seat. I feel like I am letting my cousin and my family down by not being there . My Mom says "well, we can't always do what we want to do". That is a whole other situation-my Mom, that is. Right now, she is having to deal with the death of her sister AND the possibility that they may have lost their home again-due to the hurricane. I do not know how she is getting through it all! Please continue to pray for my family!

This morning, I went for a walk-it was nice to get out of the house for a while and get my body moving. I have lost so much strength and muscle mass from being in bed so much-I am amazed at how quickly you "lose" what you do not "use"! My nurse has told me that it is very normal to lose as much strength as I have-so I am just now determined to get back in shape! The food that everyone is bringing has been so good and with me not being nearly as active as I use to be-I think I have gained about 10 lbs! Anyhoo-I have decided not to let it bother me too much-I am just gonna be careful about how much I eat and try to keep going on walks. The rest...I will have to deal with once I have fully recovered!

This afternoon-we took the kids by Chick fil a-they were giving away free 3 piece chick strips-we just went through the drive through (as I STILL can not sit), then we went in to the pet store to by the hamster some food. On the way home, we drove through Dunkin Doughnuts-they give away free doughnuts whenever the "Rays" win a game (I know, I know......I only ate half of a glazed one)-anyhoo-so we got lunch and dessert for free! We are so cheap-we did not buy anything at either place-we brought along bottles of water! Shameless-that is what we are....shameless!
Now, Brett is working on his sermon, Spencer is watching "National Treasure", Maddie is on the computer-playing "club penguin" and Brooke is doing her homework. I think that I am going to try to take a nap!