Weekend Getaway

I think leaving the boredom in Burleson was good medicine for me this weekend! It was great to get out of the "comfort" of the recliner I've grown so accustomed to and head west to Abilene for a few days. Ryan had a long weekend, so we left on Thursday afternoon and came home Sunday. Part of the reason (well, most of the reason) we went was for Sigma Alpha alumni weekend. Pledge Class 11 was celebrating their 10 year reunion, and even though I'm technically Pledge Class 12 (because I pledged my sophomore year) , they were sweet enough to include some "friends" into their weekend plans. Unfortunately, because of my leg, I couldn't spend all night with them, but it was definitely fun to catch up over dinner and for the first portion of the pledging night. There was such a huge group of alumni that came back this year, so it was really fun!

Pledge Class 11 and Friends!

Michelle (fellow Pled Class 12-er), me, and Jenn

It's really fun that Kendall, her sister Kylie, and I have Sigma Alpha in common. While we were doing our Sigma Alpha stuff, Brad and Ryan were off with their Theta brothers...it's all in the family!!

Sisters-in-law: Lacy & Shea, Kendall & me

Thanks, Julie, for being my "cheauffeur" for the night!

Other than alumni weekend stuff, we just relaxed at my parents' house and spent some time with my grandparents too. One of the highlights of the weekend was that I got some "retail therapy" when my mom pushed me around Hobby Lobby in a wheelchair. It was wonderful!

We had to get back in time for my doctor's appointment on Monday, which wound up being a big waste of time. I was supposed to get x-rays done, but my Dr. changed his mind. I'm only at the 4 1/2 week point, which usually won't show much healing, so I'm going back on the 12th. Everyone was really impressed with my cool cast though, so I guess it was worth it to show off my mom's handiwork. I was so frustrated leaving the Dr. because I had my hopes up for possibly getting my cast off. I decided that to make myself feel better I would attempt to drive. That has been the most frustrating part of all this, so I was determined to make it work!! Since my pain isn't too bad and I'm able to move my toes more, I was able to push the accelerator with my hurt leg, and brake with my left. I think if I stick to back roads and avoid the highway I'll be fine. Ah, the freedom!!

Let the bidding begin...

I have the most fabulous work of art...on my leg! My mom spent about 7 hours yesterday making my cast 100% one of a kind. Can you believe this?! For those of you who ever sat by me in church or school, this explains my knack for doodling.

I'm already thinking of ways to display it once it's no longer a fixture on my leg. NO ONE is signing this baby except the artist!

When Ryan had to go out of town for a few days, I only had to beg a little bit for my mom to come help me out this weekend. I'm pretty self sufficient except for carrying things. I'll get into the kitchen, pour myself a drink, and realize that I can't go sit on the couch to drink it because I can't carry it in there. It's frustrating, but it's teaching me patience. And it's teaching me how to ask for help...I'm used to being pretty independent. I also enjoy when Harley wakes me up at 6 a.m. to go outside, and I have to crutch my way through the living room in the dark. That will teach me to leave a lamp on. As klutzy as I am, I'm shocked I haven't fallen on my crutches already. That's all I need...ANOTHER accident! :-)

Well, it's off to work this week...at least I'm gonna try some short days. I'm still not able to drive, which has to be the most frustrating part of all of this. I'm having to depend on others for my transportation, and I don't exactly live close to anything. We'll see how it goes!

Update...

People have asked, so I'll fill you in on the latest...

I went to the doctor today and got my soft cast taken off. I didn't include pictures of that process for a good reason. I took one look at my leg and decided that I would lay down and let Ryan look for the rest of the time. It was so gross I nearly fainted. The gauze on my leg was the same gauze that has been on since my surgery 12 days ago, so let's just say the smell was interesting. I got my stitches out, which was NOT fun at all, but I'm glad they're out now. It's definitely a relief to have my stitches out and my leg cleaned up. They put me in a hard cast for the next 3 weeks, and I still can't put any weight on my leg during that time. I was really hoping for some type of cast that would let me walk, but that's okay. That also means that I still can't drive. UGH!! I think that's the most annoying part of all of this. I'll post pictures of my cast soon, but I'm not finished with it. I opted for white so that I can get creative and make it my own. Gotta make the most of it! :)

Anyway, when I go back to the Dr. in 3 weeks, they will x-ray my leg (through my cast) to see if it is healing okay. Then, if it IS healing okay, they will cut this cast off and put me in some other kind of cast for a couple more weeks...I think he said a brace of some sort. After those 2 weeks, I will have to go back to the hospital for outpatient surgery to get one of the screws taken out. 2 of the screws and the plate in my leg can stay, but the screw holding my ligaments together has the potential to break and irritate my leg, so they want to take it out. Bummer! That means I will be in YET ANOTHER cast after that surgery. At least it won't be as extensive as the first surgery, and it will be a step toward progress. At this point I will have been off my leg for 6-8 weeks. After all of that is behind me, THEN I will start physical therapy. It's a long road ahead, but I'm checking the days off one by one.

The highlight of my day was when Ryan took me to get ice cream because I was such a good girl at the doctor! Coffee ice cream with hot fudge mixed in...my favorite!!

Part 3: Life at Home

My brother went by my Grandma's house on his way home from work on Friday to borrow a few things that helped her after her hip surgery. Seriously, did I ever think I'd be sharing surgical gear (ie. a walker, a potty chair, a pants puller-upper, an extra long shoe horn, and many other cool gadgets) with my Grandma?! How humiliating! But thank goodness she had it all, or I would've spent way too much money. When I left the hospital on Friday, I was already feeling better, but on Saturday morning when my mom washed my hair and I actually put on makeup, I felt like a brand new person! My dad left to go home on Saturday, but not until he had cleaned my entire house top to bottom. I am SO grateful he did that because I am too OCD to live with a messy house, but I sure couldn't do anything about it. My mom reorganized things to make my clothes more accessible. And she cleaned out my fridge to make room for all of the food people would be bringing. I could not have gotten through this without my parents. They were amazing! Brad & Kendall were also a huge help. They kept me from freaking out before the surgery, and they kept me company afterwards. I'm so thankful to have them. On Sunday evening, during the Super Bowl, Ryan finally got home. Praise the Lord! I was so excited to see him, but I couldn't exactly run up and hug him the way I wanted to. Since my folks left, he picked right up where they left off and has done a great job of playing "nurse" to me. I hate feeling helpless, but I'm having to get used to it.

My leg is supposed to be elevated at least 80% of my day, so I use the other 20% to get ready in the mornings and get up and "crutch" around to keep my sanity. I can't even rest my foot on the ground without it hurting, so I'm really having to put all klutziness (is that a word?) aside. Every day seems to be progress, but it's amazing how many adaptations I'm having to make. When I first got home, my mom and dad got me settled into a recliner in the living room, and I thought I'd never get out. By the time Ryan got home on Sunday evening, I was already getting more independent. Now, I can get into the recliner by myself, but I just need some help getting out. I also thought I wouldn't be able to sleep in my own bed because it's so tall, but now I can get in and out of bed all by myself. It's also nice that I don't have to have anyone accompany me to the restroom... privacy is one of life's little joys that I'll never take for granted again. I'm occasionally humbled when I can't get my pants on, or I drop something I can't pick up, and we usually just die laughing at how awkward I am. It's so ridiculous to need help for such little tasks!! I'm still at Ryan's mercy to wash my hair, and I have to say he may just have a future in hairstyling. Between the kitchen sink sprayer, a stool, another chair to prop my leg up on, and lots of towels for the water we manage to get everywhere, we've mastered the art of Hairwashing 101. I'm sure it's a hilarious sight to see.

Anyway, I also just have to say thanks to everyone for checking in on me, whether it's been by paying a visit, bringing food, calling, sending cards, or just commenting on this blog. It means a lot to know how many people are praying for my recovery. I go to the Dr. this coming Monday, and I'm praying for good news...and maybe some type of walking cast?!? I'm still out of work for at least another week, but I'm doing some small things from home just to keep busy and feel productive. Thank goodness for a flexible job and wonderful co-workers who are picking up my slack. I'm very, very blessed.

Part 2

After I came out of recovery, I was taken upstairs to a really nice room with a decent view and a plasma TV. I was also given a morphine drip which I could pump every 6 minutes. Woo Hoo!!! Or so I thought...evidently morphine doesn't do anything to help my pain but it does make me really nauseated and dizzy. The first night was awful. I didn't get to even try to sleep until 4:30am because my pulse monitor and oxygen machine were beeping every 10 seconds because my heart rate was out of control. My mom was staying with me, and she said it read 160 beats per minute at one point. Definitely not normal for a healthy heart rate. I was just already overwhelmed, and when the machines beeped it stressed me out even more. Then nurses would come in threatening to stick me with things, which also stressed me out. I couldn't relax.

After a horrible night of sleep, the doctor came in first thing to tell me that I would NOT be going home that day even though he had told me I would. (SO SAD!) He wanted to keep me another day because the surgery had been so extensive and it had taken so much longer. He was also concerned about my high heart rate, but I told him I just needed to go home and my heart would be fine. I'm sure he thought I was an idiot, but I knew best! I had a day full of visitors, nurses in & out, flowers, horrible food (which I couldn't eat anyway), physical therapy people smothering me and trying to get me up on crutches, and a lot more pain. I just couldn't get a handle on the pain, but all of my sweet family & friends who called and stopped by really made my day fly by and kept my mind off the pain as much as possible. Thank you ALL!!! I had begged my day nurses to talk to my doctor about upping my pain pill dosage so that I could pump less of the morphine, but they didn't seem too interested. When my wonderful night nurse Melissa came, she called my doctor right away to get the OK and told me that I could take my pain pills by mouth every 3-4 hours instead of every 6. That evening, I decided to try to depend mostly on my pain pills and wean myself off of the morphine, and that did the trick. I was still in pain, but at least my heart rate was in check, my machines weren't beeping, and I was getting an appetite again. It also meant that if I wasn't dependant on my morphine drip I had a chance of going home! Forgive the nastiness of this picture. I looked horrible the whole time I was there, and unfortunately I felt even worse than I looked. I hate that people saw me like this!

My nurse during the last day was wonderful. Her son goes to Hardin-Simmons, so we all made quick friends and she took extra special care of me. Sure enough, the bone specialist finally came in and told me that he was okay with releasing me, but that he wanted the internal medicine doctor to come give me his release also. UGH. I just wanted OUT! The internal medicine doctor showed up and decided that he wanted to run tests on my thyroid, which meant more BLOODWORK. The dreaded mention of the word sent my heart rate from normal to 155 bpm in 3 seconds. Seriously, don't these people just believe me when I say I have severe hospital anxiety!?!? I waited another 2 hours and finally he came in and said, "Everything looks good, you were right, you can go." YAY!!! So, my parents packed up my things and we headed home. I'm sure we looked hilarious loading me into their car because I had to ride in the back as "cargo" because I couldn't stretch out anywhere else. I felt every bump in the road on the 30 minute drive home, which was less than comfortable, but once I sat down in my own living room, I felt like a new woman!

Part 3: Life at Home...coming soon.

My Week of Firsts: Part 1

Am I dreaming?! I really keep hoping that the past 5 days have all been a bad dream, but I'm beginning to think this is real.

Let me start from the beginning...

On Tuesday night, the Dallas/FW area started getting some inclement weather. My first sign that things were freezing was when I went outside at about 6:00pm to get my mail, and slipped and fell in front of my mailbox. I lauged about it because I felt so stupid, and I'm sure I looked ridiculous. No harm done...just a bruise and a little embarrassment.

Wednesday was a different story. I stayed in most of the day because the ice had gotten really bad. Fort Worth schools were closed, so I figured I was home for the day. But, our church (where I also work) decided to go ahead and have Wednesday evening activities because most of the ice was melting by the afternoon. With the exception of overpasses, my drive should've been fine, so I decided to go up to church via back roads at about 2:00. I had parked my car in the garage the night before (which I hardly ever do) because I didn't want to have to scrape ice off of it on Wednesday. Since I don't usually park in the garage, I don't even have a garage door opener in my car. So I backed my car out on my VERY icy driveway. I guess my driveway has a lot more shade than most on my street because everyone else's ice was melting already. Since I don't have a garage door opener in my car, I got out and went back to close the garage door. As I was walking BACK to my car on my driveway, it happened...

I fell SO hard and fast I couldn't really remember what I did except that it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. I know that my leg slipped out to the right, and I remember hitting the inside of my right ankle on the ice/driveway when I fell. Immediately I knew something was seriously wrong, but I needed to catch my breath and think a for a minute. I know this sounds gross, but I could tell that everything in my lower right leg was disconnected. It was throbbing mixed with knife sharp pains shooting up my leg. UGH!! Praise the Lord my neighbor was just getting in her car to leave, so she saw the whole thing happen and was able to help me. If she hadn't been outside, I don't know what I would've done because I couldn't move my right leg at all, and my cell phone was in my car already. She went and got her daughter and another neighbor, and with their help and my office-roller chair they were able to get me inside to my couch. I was really bummed because Ryan was out in the Gulf, as usual, and I had no way to get a hold of him. I sent him a text, but he was underwater at the time, so I was going to have to do this without him. I also called my boss/music minister/friend, Andy, to let him know that on second thought, NO, I would not be coming to church that night. I think he understood. I called my sister-in-law, Kendall, right away because she was home from school due to the inclement weather day. She only lives a couple of minutes away, so she came right over and we decided I definitely needed an x-ray and decided which hospital to go to. I was nervous for her to be driving because some of the roads were still icy and she's pregnant with my neice or nephew! So, we decided we could make it to Harris Southwest in Fort Worth without having to deal with any highways. I know this is gross, but here is a view of my ankle at home on my couch. Not too bad, huh?

Let me take a moment to tell you that I have NEVER been to the ER, I have NEVER had an IV, I pass out at the mention of the word "bloodwork", I have never been put under anesthesia, and I even have to hide my eyes during the "cutting people open" parts of Grey's Anatomy. I get light headed when I go visit other people in the hospital! So I was completely TERRIFIED. I was praying that I had a clean break, that they would put me in a boot or a cast and send me on my way. But, things didn't turn out so well. I got bumped up the priority list in the ER, so I got in really quickly which was a miracle. The first doctor took one look at it and knew it was broken and sent me in for x-rays. On a scale of 1-10, my pain had been at a 10+ up until this point. It was almost unbearable. Anyway, I got a Vicodin and began to feel a little more comfortable (and drunk!). My pain subsided to about a 9.5. That is, until the nurse came in to set my foot which is something I hope I never have to feel again. Let me also say that I hadn't cried once by this point. I think I was in so much pain and shock that crying didn't even cross my mind! Kendall had been with me this whole time, and I am so thankful that she was there. She is so calm and reassuring, and really helped me keep from freaking out. My brother had just arrived with some food because we were all starving, but right as I was about to eat my Chick-fil-A the nurse stuck her head in and said, "Don't eat or drink anything in case we have to do surgery."

SURGERY?!? I couldn't stand the thought of being cut on, but before I knew it, the bone specialist had come in to tell me what had happened. I had broken both bones in my lower right leg, the tibia and fibula, and had seriously damaged/torn/pulled all the ligaments in between. They could actually get me into surgery within the next 45 minutes (which was amazing!) and it was definitely not something I could avoid. Looking back, I think it was a blessing that I didn't have much time to stress about it. It all happened so fast, and that's what I needed. I got my IV (my first one ever) and it didn't kill me. I might have squeezed my brother's hand off, but he'll be okay. And I tried my best to text a few people to let them know what was going on. I was so high on Vicodin that I couldn't remember how to do it, so that is why some people heard and some people didn't. I apologize if I didn't make any sense that night. My brother did a great job talking to people and trying to communicate for me that night, so thanks Brad. By this time my parents were already on their way from Abilene, and I had a few familiar faces to send me off to surgery. It meant a lot to know that people were already praying for me. For some reason, I remember giving Jim Kiser a high five as they wheeled me back to the OR, and I told Andy to be sure to wipe the dogs' paws off with the towel by the back door when he went to let them out. Seriously, mud on my floor was important right then?!Drugs do weird things to people.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in recovery, and my parents were coming in. Everything had gone fine, but the surgery had taken 3 hours, which was twice as long as they thought it would. I have a plate on the outside/fibula, 2 screws on the tibia/inside, and another screw holding together the ligaments I tore and/or pulled in between the two bones. That's a lot of hardware. I'll follow up with my stay in the hospital in Part 2, coming soon...

Tagged

So...I've been tagged by my lifelong BFF, Brittney, and I decided to accept the challenge...to TELL THE TRUTH and give you 10 facts about me that you probably didn't know before.

The rules are as follows...

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.

2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were tagged.
3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

I was tagged to do something similar to this in August 2007, so I'm trying not to repeat these 8 things I already posted, which makes this extra HARD! Anyway, here are my 10 things...act surprised even if you're not.

***

1. I was in a wreck my senior year of college that was bad enough for my life to flash before my eyes. I can remember my Jeep flipping end over end 2 1/2 times on the Winters Freeway in Abilene, and the whole time it was like slow motion. I actually had time to think to myself, "Wow...this is what flipping a car feels like...I wonder if this is how I'll die...I hope this doesn't hurt..." CRAZY! I had gotten engaged a month or so before, and the only "injury" I had was that my new diamond ring cut my pinkie. When I was trying to figure out how to get out of my car because it was upside down, 3 construction worker type guys in white t-shirts, driving an old Chevy truck, came and pulled me out the back window and I never saw them again. This picture isn't of my car, but it's as close as I could find to what mine looked like...my wreck happened before I had a digital camera!

2. I would love to take a vacation by myself. I don't know why I would want to, but I think I would enjoy it! Now, I can't muster up the courage to go to a movie alone, or to sit alone at a restaurant, but for some reason I have a fantasy of taking off and driving to Maine or someplace like that. So, if I go AWOL, you'll know where I am.

3. I suffer from shoe-aholicism. I'm MUCH better than I used to be, but my guilty pleasure is still shoes. When Ryan was deployed the first time, I bought close to 50 pair of shoes in a 6 month period. I then sold half of them in a garage sale or gave them to friends because I realized I didn't really even like them that much and I felt guilty. I just loved buying them. I would actually tell myself that I could NOT buy any shoes when I'd go out shopping, but I would miraculously come home with 3 pair. I see now that it was a bigger problem at the time than I realized, but I guess being addicted to shoes in order to cope with Ryan being gone was better than being addicted to something that would've hurt me. At least this only hurt our bank account. Oops! (But aren't these to die for?!)
4. I was pulled over 9 times before I ever got a ticket. And one of those times included a female cop, which I heard was impossible to get out of! I think I only cried 3 of those times, so that's pretty impressive I guess. When I finally did get a ticket, I was going 20 over in a school zone, so it was a whopper.

5. I went 2 years without reading a single book. I feel dumber for just having said that. I really hated to read for the longest time, but just recently I've found a love for it, and I can't stop! Whether you are a sports fan or not, you must read Josh Hamilton's biography "Beyond Belief". It is incredible.

6. Speaking of sports, I have turned into such a guy about sports. I faithfully keep up with NFL & college football, major league baseball, golf, and even a little basketball. The sports page is one of the first things I check online everyday. I really want to play fantasy football next season, but I'm intimidated by it being such a male-dominated past time.

7. My typical bedtime, when Ryan is gone, is 2:00 am. I have always been a night owl, and I used to try to fight it, but now I've learned to embrace it. I get so much accomplished in the wee hours of the morning. When I write music, what could take me a week of afternoons to do, only takes me about 4 hours at night. It's when I'm the most creative and productive!

8. I really really really hate roller coasters. I love heights, and getting dizzy, and going fast though...I could do those kinds of rides forever. I just can't stand any ride that goes "tick-tick-tick-tick" as you slowly climb this huge hill only to drop down the other side and lose your lunch. I once got sick (yes, actually "got sick") in LINE for the Texas Giant just by watching the people go down the big drop. It was so embarrassing. And I had waited in line for 2 hours by that point.

9. I go through Sonic every morning before work and sometimes on weekends and get a large Diet Cherry Coke (I guess that actually totals about 3 regular drinks, huh?) Anyway, that's the only Coke I drink all day. I used to have a constant supply, then cut down to 2, and have just achieved the impossible...one a day. That means that in a typical month, I spend about $40 on Sonic drinks. Hmmm...maybe I should save that and buy a pair of shoes! Just kidding.
10. Once cell phones became every one's main means of communication, we all quit memorizing phone numbers, right? Not me. I still like to type numbers in myself just to see if I can remember them. I still have everyone saved in my cute pink phone just in case I forget, but I prefer to keep my numbers stored in my head.

Now it's your turn...and you better all do it!

Kelby-because I know I can count on you to say something either hilarious or inappropriate--both of which are things I love about you!

Robin-for the same reason I tagged Kelby...plus I can show off my godson.

Jenn-because you're a fairly new blogger and everyone needs to check out how precious your new daughter is.

Mize Family-because I'm always amazed at how your family of 6 keeps it together!

Thompson-because I think I know a lot about you and I want you to see if you can surprise me.

Kristy-because you're random like me, and I think you'll have funny stuff to say.

Melodie-because your blog tells such an amazing story over the past year.

Fun-filled Holidays

Our Christmas break was packed full this year, but so much fun. We got to spend time with just about all of our family at some point or another, and had a little time to relax too. Ryan got to be home the whole time, so that made the holidays even better.

We started off the holidays by getting together with some college friends for dinner. Our friends Jeff& Kristy Skains flew in from California, so it was a great reason to make plans! It was at a college Christmas party at my house last year that I met their first daughter, Aubrey, and they let me announce that they were pregnant with their second, Adalyn, so I got to meet her this time around!

On Tuesday of Christmas week, my parents came into town and we celebrated with my Grandma by going to her favorite Mexican food restaurant. This picture doesn't even do it justice, but you can kindof tell how ridiculously gawdy their Christmas decorations are. What's funny is that they keep them up all year, so if you ever need to get into the Christmas spirit in August, go to Campo Verde in Arlington.

On Christmas Eve, I had to play for the service at our church, so my parents graciously gave up going to the Christmas Eve service in Abilene that they never miss. It was fun to have everyone together, and I got to play hostess, which I love. One of my favorite moments during the Christmas season is singing "Silent Night" at the candlelight service. Can't beat it.

Christmas day was really relaxing. We held off on opening presents until Brad & Kendall could come over, so we had a late lunch that I REALLY regret not taking pictures of. I think it could've been pictured on Food Network if I do say so myself. Our menu consisted of Rosemary Apricot Glazed Roast Chicken, Asparagus Amandine, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Squash Corn Casserole, Rolls, Fruit Salad, Chocolate Layered Dessert (aka: "Better Than Sex Pie"), and Strawberry Pretzel Salad. SO GOOD!! And, I think it was the first meal that I managed to pull off without any stress or major disasters, so all in all, it was a success. Once Brad & Kendall came over, we did our stockings, which always starts with Jack going absolutely nuts. He has been waiting since November to tear into that stocking, so I'm glad it was worth it.

Harley was scared of Christmas as usual, and let Jack play with everything in her stocking while she took yet another nap.

Brad was sitting by me, unfortunately for him, so I got plenty of pictures of him acting like a dork. Sorry, Brad. If you didn't catch it, those are UT pacifiers he's holding up because my little brother is going to be a DAD in July!

I was so excited for Ryan to open this gift because I knew he would be surprised. It's a panoramic picture of Texas Stadium, which may not mean much to most people, but it means a lot to a die hard Cowboys fan like Ryan. The picture is of Aikman's last game in 2000, and it's out of print now, so I was thrilled to find it. And, it'll be cool to tell our kids that their Dad played football on that field during high school.

After my family left, Ryan and I drove to East Texas to see his family. We had dinner at his grandparents' house on Friday night, hung out with his uncle on Saturday, went to visit his sister's family on Saturday night, then went to Athens to see his other grandmother and aunt on Sunday. WHEW!! It was a whirlwind, but something about East Texas is relaxing, so it didn't seem that busy. Jack LOVES the freedom he gets when we go to the country because he can run forever without a leash. Doesn't he look happy?!?

Here's Ryan with his precious Mama Lee. She is maybe the sweetest person I know. She's about to turn 90 and is recovering from her second broken hip, but she still walks down to the lake with us like a champ.

This is our land on Lake Athens where we dream about the lake house we'll eventually have one day. If I ever need to de-stress, that's the place to do it.

When we got back from East Texas we still hadn't had Christmas with Ryan's parents, so we headed out that way on Monday. Why didn't we take any pictures?!

After all of our traveling, we enjoyed New Year's Eve with some neighborhood friends, and spent New Year's Day taking down Christmas decorations and relaxing. I finished up the holidays with a trip to Abilene...wouldn't be complete without it.

So, I guess it's back to the real world now. I should probably make one of my New Year's Resolutions to be a better blogger, but I'd probably break it by next week!

Jack Loves Christmas

The highlight of Jack's year is putting up Christmas decorations! I know that sounds silly, but honestly, he can sniff out the box with his stocking in it, and he knows exactly which stocking is his. It's all we can do to keep him from tearing into it all season. I've heard things falling over on the fireplace a few times, and it's usually Jack knocking over the Nutcracker in hopes that he can just get a quick sniff (or the occasional bite) out of his stocking. Harley could care less about Christmas. In fact, she is scared of all the decorations and just hides out in our bedroom while we decorate...except for this one picture where I forced her to sit on the hearth. She looks so happy, doesn't she? What a Scrooge! She's getting a lump of coal in her stocking. How can Jack's excitement not get you in the Christmas spirit?!

Bah Humbug, Mr. Grinch!

I made the mistake of sending out one of those getting-to-know-you questionnaires via email last week, but this one was different...It was about Christmas, which was FUN! I also made the mistake of saying that Ryan would be the least likely to reply, so he proved me wrong in a BIG way. Enjoy this post from my husband, Ryan (aka: the Grinch). His answers are far more hilarious than anything I'd ever write. And although highly exaggerated, they are unfortunately mostly true.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, of course! I love all the trash all over the living room from newly opened presents, the dogs love to play in it, and I never grow out of the fun of ripping into a new present. I haven't yet understood the point of politely separating the tape from the paper paying careful detail not to let the tape remove the part of the design of the wrapping paper, then folding the paper back up nicely and offering it back to the gift giver. What is that??? Like I'm going to buy the exact same size present next year. As the gift giver I guess I'll just say, "Fine, give me the present back so I'll give it to you again next year." We grow up arguing with our family members all our life, and all of a sudden you want to show a nice gesture by giving me your trash back. It's yours. It's part of the gift. Have fun shredding it, and when you are done, throw it away yourself. What I also love about wrapping paper is how Sarah always wants to rewrap all the presents I wrap bacause they are ugly. I give it my best, but arts and crafts were never my thing. It is funny watching her squirm as the looks at the present I just wrapped and placed under the tree. So yes, wapping paper is better than the over-priced bags where no one cares if the tissue paper matches the color of the bag, and for whatever reason, causes an extra 10 minutes of indecisive shopping at an over crowded Walmart.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial tree is a money and time saver. You can use it many years and it is pre-lit (possibly the greatest gift to financially broke, Christmas decorating husbands). Sure, a real tree might smell good at first, but after a week or two, your house smells like rotten lumber and old sap. If you truly enjoy the new tree smell, your wife is probably going to buy all the Christmas themed potpourri in the store anyway, so you are going to get it regardless.

3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever Sarah and I can do it together because I have made two wonderful career choices in a row that give us the emotional rollercoaster of never knowing if I will be around for the holidays. By the wonderful grace of God I have never missed a Christmas and only missed one Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day, and thank you for reminding me. Can't wait to redecorate the entire house while being hungover.

5. Do you like eggnog? Love Jim Jones eggnog.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Pool table when I was in high school.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Every woman in my family. Sarah usually does all the buying unless I am in town and we go shopping together. When that happens, I usually throw a monkey wrench in the process by speaking. I am amazed how wrong I always am, and I am reminded how I can never pick a shirt for someone that looks good or matches anything. Christmas shopping is always a self esteem booster.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Sarah...when I have a detailed list.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. I think we have one for each religion known to man.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Sarah mails them. This is after Sarah plays dress-up with me and we spend the whole afternoon trying to take the perfect picture with two dogs that have not behaved all year and for some amazing reason won't at the time of the picture. From June until the time of the Christmas card picture is very stressful because the foremost thought in "our" minds is deciding what is the perfect setting for our Christmas card picture. There have been tears involved, things thrown, and yelling at dogs in the past. But when you get our card, know that we wear clothes like that all the time, it was "taken in the moment", and we are really that happy in the picture.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Grandmother gifts are always great. One year I received pastel striped socks that had individual sleeves for my toes. That was special.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation. It speaks so many truths.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When Sarah tells me to.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? nope

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sweet potatoes with lots of goo, too many pies, and some sort of unidentifiable salad or casserole as to not offend anyone.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, what kind person wouldn't do that?

17. Favorite Christmas song? "All I Want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus"

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Used to travel and enjoy the fun of trying to see every family member across Texas in a two week whirlwind right before being deployed to a far off forsaken area of our peace loving world. Now that we are back in Texas, traveling is nothing. I'll never take having family close for granted.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Comit, Cupid, Vixin, Blazer, Lazer, Taser, and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star, and I love spending the 5 minutes it takes trying to get the thing to balance just right followed by analyzing it the rest of the evening to make sure it's perfect, then straightening it at least once a day during the holiday season because it somehow manages to move over a 24 hour period.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas day. Christmas Eve is spent staying up as late as possible staring at all the decorations enjoying the moment of the best night of the year while also realizing that taking all of them down is approaching by the hour. Take the good with the bad.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Getting out the Christmas decorations and realizing that you have somehow accumulated enough decorations to decorate the Dallas Galleria. Then the thought hits you that you will manage to replace all the knicknacks in your house and put your regular ones away and in about a month and a half, you will do it all again. It's like moving twice. Then you get to put up the outside lights in the cold drizzily weather while trying to remember how you strategically plugged in all the lights to certain sockets as to not blow fuzes. You know this because last year you blew about 17 fuzes trying to get them to work, and each time you drive up to Home Depot you give serious thought to buying stock in 3 amp fuzes and selling after the holiday season.

23. Favorite thing? Finishing all the decorating.

24. What theme or color are you using? Are you kidding??? I would assume red and green.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey and dressing. Don't forget the sweet potatoes with the goo.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A reliable short-term memory (it doesn't have to be perfect, but some consistency would be nice), the Dallas Cowboys to start having fun again and to get a new owner, a new job, and to sell all the Christmas decorations that we have that are "out of style" and make a profit on them.

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Anyone who needs to vent.

27. Who is least likely to respond to this? Most males.

As you can probably tell, we've had Christmas decorating on the brain because we'll be gone the weekend after Thanksgiving, which is our usual time to decorate. You'll also be happy to know that we did manage to get it done without killing each other. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and an even Happier Christmas Decorating!!

Halloween Bugs Me (with updated pictures)

This year my dogs were very "buggy" in their ladybug and bumblebee costumes. I'm sure they were cursing me in doggy language, but it was worth it! Jack wouldn't move if I put the antenna cap on his head, but as soon as I took it off, he was strutting his costume VERY proudly. Harley is basically too stupid to know that she looks ridiculous, so she's easy. They were the hit of our church Trunk-or-Treat, and were definitely on stimulation overload by the end of the night. Trying to keep them from eating all of the dropped pieces of candy was interesting. We went trick-or-treating on Friday night with my neice, but I don't have pictures from that yet. I'll post them when I get them. Jack met a dauschaund dressed as a hot dog and Harley encountered a ballerina shih-tzu. So funny!



These pictures were before the alterations I made. Yes, I altered my dog's Halloween costumes with velcro and duct tape.

Jack with a fellow bumblebee, and Harley with a sister ladybug!

This is from Friday night trick-or-treating with my neice and in-laws in Flower Mound. I couldn't believe some of the decorations in that neighborhood...it was more than Christmas!