Ugh!

Shoulder surgery stinks!  I was not prepared for the aftermath. When I went in for surgery I was told that a large mass of calcium would be removed from my right shoulder.  I figured I would be back to normal in no time.  Turns out there was more to it.  When they dug out all of the calcium, they realized that it had grown into my tendon which now left a gaping hole.  That meant they would have to repair and anchor the rotator cuff.  I also had a bone spur that needed to be removed.  The doctor did what he had to do to fix it all up.  When I finally woke up after surgery I didn't feel much pain, just drowsiness, nausea, and cold.  But when the anesthetic wore off at 3:30 am I was in so much pain, I couldn't hold back the tears.  That was the first night of weeks of sleepless nights, pain and frustration.

Luckily I have an incredible husband.  Without the use of my dominant hand, and because I was in so much pain, Ben pretty much did everything except pee for me those first few days.  He changed my ice for me round the clock, brought every meal to me in bed, helped change my clothes.  He took care of the kids and everything around the house.  He did my eyeliner and blow dried my hair.  You name it, he happily did it.

My neighbors have been phenomenal too.  Cristy, my next door neighbor, sent out a text to see if anyone would be willing to help out with meals.  8 different families brought us meals or helped watch Qyntn, and several others offered to help.  There are definitely angels among us!

Even my kids have been very helpful.  It's been nice to see how willing they are to serve me.  They're awesome!

Losing the use of my right hand has been way more challenging than I had anticipated.  Have you ever tried to do up your bra one handed or do your make-up with your non dominant hand? Just for fun you should try it.   I can't style my hair at all..no curling or straightening, or even a ponytail.  I need two hands for all of that.  Changing poopy diapers, doing dishes, putting on my seatbelt, everything seems so difficult with just my left hand. It has been super frustrating!

The sleepless nights have been really rough too.  I can't seem to find a position that isn't painful, and can't get comfortable wearing a sling all night.  The nights are long and lonely, and the fatigue makes me irritable, and impatient.  It's no fun!

To make matters worse, doc says my shoulder is much tighter than what would be considered normal, so he had me start physical therapy a week early.  He wants to get it moving so it doesn't tighten up even more.  I get it, it is for my own good, but moving and stretching it really hurts.  I wish I could just fast forward through these next 6 weeks.

To top it all off, I've put on a few pounds which is depressing. Since there aren't many activities I can do without jarring my shoulder, I have been sitting around eating a lot for weeks.  I will be so happy when I can get back to my regular workouts!

I'm hoping this will all pay off in the end, in the meanwhile, I better stop eating so much.

5 Crazy Years

Congratulations to us!!!  We have successfully navigated 5 crazy years of marriage.  Our anniversary was actually on September 7, but because of my shoulder surgery we decided to postpone celebrating until later.  I love this man with all my heart!!!





Young Women's Cruise!

Now that I am back in young women's I get to be involved in planning weekly activities for the girls.  Tonight was our first activity without the young men or the other ward so we wanted to make it a little more special.  We decided upon a cruise theme and our maiden voyage set sail this evening.  The itinerary for tonight's cruise included a souvenir photo, food demonstration, and dancing.  I hope the girls had a good time. 

 

This was the Captain's message to the young women...

Welcome aboard our YW Cruise! We are happy that you have chosen to sail away with us.  With a new captain, crew and new passengers this voyage will be an exciting new adventure. 

Aboard this ship you will find that we have many fun activities.  Tonight’s itinerary includes dancing and a food demonstration, but there will be many other activities along our journey together.  Please tell a crew member if there is a particular activity that interests you.  We will do our best to accommodate your request!

As your tour guides, our crew will take you on some incredible excursions like girl’s camp, youth conference, and trips to the temple.

We will offer leadership seminars on board to help prepare you for the future.  One day you may co-captain a vessel of your own with the rank of Mom, or you may be asked to captain a YWs cruise ship.  We want to make sure you are prepared for all of your future rank advancements. 

During our cruise together, we hope you will take time in your state rooms to relax and ponder on the things that matter most in life.  Stroll the ship, spend some quiet time on deck enjoying the beauty of everything your Heavenly Father has created for you, and please take some time to get to know the other passengers and the crew. 

As the crew of this ship, we are here to serve you.  One of our main responsibilities is to keep you safe until we reach the final destination.  You have inside of you a personal flotation device that will keep you afloat should you fall overboard when you encounter turbulent waters or storms.  To keep your flotation device inflated we recommend that you pray, read your scriptures, attend your church meetings, come to mutual, work on personal progress, attend seminary, serve others, and live the standards found in For the Strength of Youth.  These things will keep your personal flotation device inflated and keep you safe along our voyage. 

Beware, Pirates troll these waters.  They may try to persuade you to abandon ship to go off looking for buried treasure with them.  They may promise you a life of ease and luxury by robbing and pillaging.  We know better, stay aboard our cruise ship.   A pirate’s life is not the kind of lifestyle for a daughter of God. 

Should you happen to make some poor choices and fall overboard into the shark infested waters, stay calm and have faith.  The admiral of our fleet, Jesus Christ will be there to save you.  You may have to swim through the repentance process back to the ship, but he will be there with his hand outstretched to pull you aboard. 

Once again, we welcome you aboard as we embark together on a new adventure.

Happy Birthday Little Guy!

Three!!!

birthday breakfast at Krispy Kreme

"Bum Bum"  That is what he calls Wonder Woman...
he is in love with her.

Family Photo Shoot

It had been 3 years since our last family picture.  Love the way these turned out!  The girl that took our pictures was a daughter of an old friend of mine.  She is just a senior in high school and did a phenomenal job!

Wow! What a Week!!

When our ward split a few weeks ago I told Ben that one of us needed to get a calling that would give us keys to the church.  I thought it would be nice to have access so our kids could practice basketball during the winter.  Well, last Saturday I got a call from the Bishop, he wanted to chat.  That evening Ben and I headed over to meet with him and he asked if I would serve as YW President.  I guess I got what I wanted and a whole lot more.  I am super excited to be back in young women's, but it certainly added some stress to an already hectic week.  Sunday and Monday Brian and Jenny and family were in town, Tuesday evening we had family pictures and Wednesday I had shoulder surgery which was much more painful than I had anticipated.  I was doped up on drugs the rest of the week.  All the while I was trying to organize a new presidency, plan activities and prepare a lesson for Sunday.  I will be glad when this week is in the past.  It has been a doozy!