Today I picked up my crutches. The first pair I have ever had in my life. I got them early because my doctor's nurse suggested I practice with them for a few days before the surgery. (I've already discovered that is a good idea.) They are super short just for me. As a matter of fact, they are adjusted as short as possible. My children think that is so funny. I have heard many short jokes tonight, and I am sure I'll hear a lot more before this whole thing is over.
I unwrapped them and adjusted the handles. Apparently, my arms are short too. I had to adjust them up as far as possible. Go figure. Once I had them adjusted just right it made a world of difference in my using them. So much easier when the pads aren't jammed in your armpits.
I'm beginning to feel anxious about this. I'm glad that my foot will finally be on the road to getting back to "normal", but I have some things I'm worried about.
#1 -- It's going to be incredibly difficult to get around. At school, the nurse has told me that I can use the wheelchair we have in her office. That will be good, I guess.
#2 -- I'm also a bit worried about bathing. I know I can throw my leg over the side of the tub. I'm really not worried about getting in the tub. It's the getting out that has me stumped. I can't get my foot wet or put weight on it. It will be a challenge figuring that out, and I am SO GLAD that I won't have an audience watching the circus of me getting out of the tub. (Please get that picture out of your head...I'm getting embarrassed... hehe)
#3 -- When I FINALLY get to drive again, it might be interesting getting in and out of my Expedition. It is not super high, but there's a running board to step on before you step into the truck. I'm kind of wondering how that's going to work out... Allison said she'd help me get in. That might be interesting too. lol I don't think getting out will be a problem. I'll just slide out and land on my good foot. :)
#4 -- How bad is the surgery going to hurt? Is it going to hurt so bad that I am going to want to throw up. I hate throwing up. And I'm really not fond of pain. I hope they give me some hellacious pain meds. I have a feeling I'll need them...
For now, I'll just start practicing on the crutches. I need to bling them up too. I'm thinking some patterned duct tape would be pretty cute. I'll have to see what my girls have in their bedrooms. Could be a fun mommy daughter project! ;)
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
I'm back...
It has been about 2 months since I last blogged. I really didn't intend to wait so long to blog. It just happened. Honestly, I think we all go through periods of time where we just feel blah...I think that's where I have been. Some days I'd have all sorts of energy and feel the need to be creative, but by the time I got home from work and running the kids places, I was just beat. Then, there were days that I just felt defeated for one reason or another. Neither of these were reasons to not write. They were actually reasons I SHOULD have been writing. For me, writing is a little like therapy.
Lots has been going on in our lives the past two months. Nothing horrible or super life changing has been going on here, but there are times when stress sometimes gets the best of you. I won't get into all the details, but I will tell you this. I am very thankful that I have my faith in God. He has been my saving grace on days that I just want to crawl in bed and go to sleep. Instead, he gets me going with my day and shows me little rays of sunlight through my students, my friends, my fur babies, my children, and my husband. I am so thankful that He is there for me to talk to when I need Him.
Since my last blog entry, we have had Thanksgiving and Christmas. My parents came for both holidays, but my sister and her family were also able to come for Christmas. It was incredibly nice to have them all here for the holidays. I really enjoyed spending time with my sister. She and I live way too far apart and when we get together we really try to make it quality time. She and I have grown very close over the past several years. It is nice to know that I have her to lean on, confide in, laugh with, and share my life with. I have to admit, she's pretty okay... (I would have NEVER said that 20 years ago! lol) While she was here she got me hooked on Vampire Diaries. I have a lot of catching up to do. I am only on episode 10 from season 1. I know I need to watch the rest of the series before I start watching this season so that it makes sense. I seriously need to get Netflix hooked back up here at the house. (That's on the "To do" list...)
Over the past couple of months, my foot/ankle have really started hurting me more and more. All this started with my infamous fall back in May. My arch has fallen completely. Because of this, my ankle is turning a bit inward, which is causing the bones in my feet to shift outward, and my entire foot to hurt all the way up my leg. Sometimes I can't get my foot comfortable and some nights it hurts so bad that the covers on my bed are too much to be on it. The side of my foot has been swelling and I finally had enough and decided to make an appointment. I went to see Dr. Witt last Friday. After looking at the pics I took on my iPhone of the swelling I had a couple nights before, looking at my foot, and asking me to stand on my toes (which I could not do) he determined that we had exhausted all the avenues for "fixing" my foot. We were at the last resort. He recommended surgery to repair the injured tendons and basically rebuild the arch in my foot. He said it would only get worse and the main tendon that I injured is just as important as the Achilles tendon. It needs to be fixed. I told him I really didn't care as long as it made it quit hurting.
For those of you that don't know, when your feet hurt, your entire body hurts. I have limped around enough that my right hip and leg hurt. Because my hip hurts, my back is sore. With that comes sore shoulders and a headache every now and then. It just sets off lots of other things that you would never think a hurt foot could affect.
Anyway, I am ready to get on with this. My surgery is tentatively set for Thursday, January 19th. I will get confirmation of my surgery time and date tomorrow. I am nervous about it, but I am also relieved to know that FINALLY I will get some relief. Not being able to walk sure puts a damper on the things that I want and need to do... He told me that I'd be in a splint for the first 2 weeks to allow my foot to swell and begin to heal. After that I'd be in a cast or boot for 5-6 weeks. (I'll be in a boot. I think I'm slightly clauster phobic so he said I could do the boot if I promised not to put and weight on it. I quickly agreed.) So, I'll spend the next 6-8 weeks on crutches, which I plan to bling out with duct tape. Sounds fun, right? haha... I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about it as I get used to using the crutches. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of complaining... I hope you don't mind listening to it! hehe
Lots has been going on in our lives the past two months. Nothing horrible or super life changing has been going on here, but there are times when stress sometimes gets the best of you. I won't get into all the details, but I will tell you this. I am very thankful that I have my faith in God. He has been my saving grace on days that I just want to crawl in bed and go to sleep. Instead, he gets me going with my day and shows me little rays of sunlight through my students, my friends, my fur babies, my children, and my husband. I am so thankful that He is there for me to talk to when I need Him.
Since my last blog entry, we have had Thanksgiving and Christmas. My parents came for both holidays, but my sister and her family were also able to come for Christmas. It was incredibly nice to have them all here for the holidays. I really enjoyed spending time with my sister. She and I live way too far apart and when we get together we really try to make it quality time. She and I have grown very close over the past several years. It is nice to know that I have her to lean on, confide in, laugh with, and share my life with. I have to admit, she's pretty okay... (I would have NEVER said that 20 years ago! lol) While she was here she got me hooked on Vampire Diaries. I have a lot of catching up to do. I am only on episode 10 from season 1. I know I need to watch the rest of the series before I start watching this season so that it makes sense. I seriously need to get Netflix hooked back up here at the house. (That's on the "To do" list...)
Over the past couple of months, my foot/ankle have really started hurting me more and more. All this started with my infamous fall back in May. My arch has fallen completely. Because of this, my ankle is turning a bit inward, which is causing the bones in my feet to shift outward, and my entire foot to hurt all the way up my leg. Sometimes I can't get my foot comfortable and some nights it hurts so bad that the covers on my bed are too much to be on it. The side of my foot has been swelling and I finally had enough and decided to make an appointment. I went to see Dr. Witt last Friday. After looking at the pics I took on my iPhone of the swelling I had a couple nights before, looking at my foot, and asking me to stand on my toes (which I could not do) he determined that we had exhausted all the avenues for "fixing" my foot. We were at the last resort. He recommended surgery to repair the injured tendons and basically rebuild the arch in my foot. He said it would only get worse and the main tendon that I injured is just as important as the Achilles tendon. It needs to be fixed. I told him I really didn't care as long as it made it quit hurting.
For those of you that don't know, when your feet hurt, your entire body hurts. I have limped around enough that my right hip and leg hurt. Because my hip hurts, my back is sore. With that comes sore shoulders and a headache every now and then. It just sets off lots of other things that you would never think a hurt foot could affect.
Anyway, I am ready to get on with this. My surgery is tentatively set for Thursday, January 19th. I will get confirmation of my surgery time and date tomorrow. I am nervous about it, but I am also relieved to know that FINALLY I will get some relief. Not being able to walk sure puts a damper on the things that I want and need to do... He told me that I'd be in a splint for the first 2 weeks to allow my foot to swell and begin to heal. After that I'd be in a cast or boot for 5-6 weeks. (I'll be in a boot. I think I'm slightly clauster phobic so he said I could do the boot if I promised not to put and weight on it. I quickly agreed.) So, I'll spend the next 6-8 weeks on crutches, which I plan to bling out with duct tape. Sounds fun, right? haha... I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about it as I get used to using the crutches. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of complaining... I hope you don't mind listening to it! hehe
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Really???
If something is going to happen to a person it will happen to me. I think I attract strange people and accidents. Or accidents and strange people...I don't know what the order is...
Strange people -- I think I must have a look about me that says, "Hey...you should come tell me some random stuff that I really don't care about." This often happens to me in the bathroom of public places. Really? Who wants to talk to a stranger in the bathroom?????
Or, I have kids in my class that like to talk to me about random stuff...
Today's conversation:
Kiddo: (who is reading a book about diseases - what kid does that?) "Mrs. Lackey, I found a disease that can't be cured."
Me: "Really? What is it?"
Kiddo: He shows me his book. "It's like two diseases in one. HIV and Aids. There isn't a cure for it."
Me: "You're right. There is no cure."
Kiddo: "Have you ever had it before Mrs. Lackey?"
Me: "Uh...nope. That's not curable. I'm not sick and I'm still here."
Kiddo: "Oh. Okay." And then he walks back to his seat.
Accidents - We all know about the dog pee accident I had in May. Since May, I have been accident free until yesterday. As I was walking down the hall, a kid flicked a magnet right in my path just as I was taking a step. I stepped right on that dang magnet and it caused me to kind of twist my ankle and I FELL DOWN. In front of ALL THE KIDS! I was embarrassed and mad all at the same time. I was ready to explode, but it was truly an accident. When I fell down, I landed on my left knee. The left knee that is connected to the left ankle/foot that spent the summer in a nice hot black orthopedic boot. It hurt like CRAP!
Some of the kids that were with me could obviously tell I was upset. One of them said, "Mrs. Lackey, you sure are pretty." I said, "Thank you. Did I look pretty when I fell down?" She just grinned at me. Another kiddo said, "I sure do like your hair. How do you get it all spikey in the back?" I told her with "lots of hair junk". She seemed to like that answer. Funny how kids try to fix a situation sometimes and they don't realize they even do it.
Well, my knee still hurts. As the day went on today, my body slowly but surely got a little more sore than it was this morning. My lower back and legs have ached like I worked out. (I guess that's what a fall will do for you.) My ankle and foot have hurt today as well. I'm wondering if I did something to it when I fell. I guess I'll just have to keep my eye on it over the next few days.
This morning the kiddo that was playing with the infamous "make Mrs. Lackey fall" magnet, sent me a note asking me to forgive him for what happened. I wrote him back and told him I truly knew it was an accident and I was in no way upset with him. I also told him that I was just embarrassed about falling. That is not something I like to do often. When I took him the note, I asked his teachers which room he was in so I could give it to him. As I turned around and saw him, his face had a "deer in headlights" look. He obviously didn't know what to think about me coming to his classroom looking for him. I hope my note to him made him feel better just as his made me feel better.
I am positive that I will continue to run into "bathroom talkers", crazy kids at school (they make my day) and will continue to find the accident waiting to happen. My life wouldn't be quite right if these things weren't a part of it. I think it'd be pretty boring. Don't you? :)
Strange people -- I think I must have a look about me that says, "Hey...you should come tell me some random stuff that I really don't care about." This often happens to me in the bathroom of public places. Really? Who wants to talk to a stranger in the bathroom?????
Or, I have kids in my class that like to talk to me about random stuff...
Today's conversation:
Kiddo: (who is reading a book about diseases - what kid does that?) "Mrs. Lackey, I found a disease that can't be cured."
Me: "Really? What is it?"
Kiddo: He shows me his book. "It's like two diseases in one. HIV and Aids. There isn't a cure for it."
Me: "You're right. There is no cure."
Kiddo: "Have you ever had it before Mrs. Lackey?"
Me: "Uh...nope. That's not curable. I'm not sick and I'm still here."
Kiddo: "Oh. Okay." And then he walks back to his seat.
Accidents - We all know about the dog pee accident I had in May. Since May, I have been accident free until yesterday. As I was walking down the hall, a kid flicked a magnet right in my path just as I was taking a step. I stepped right on that dang magnet and it caused me to kind of twist my ankle and I FELL DOWN. In front of ALL THE KIDS! I was embarrassed and mad all at the same time. I was ready to explode, but it was truly an accident. When I fell down, I landed on my left knee. The left knee that is connected to the left ankle/foot that spent the summer in a nice hot black orthopedic boot. It hurt like CRAP!
Some of the kids that were with me could obviously tell I was upset. One of them said, "Mrs. Lackey, you sure are pretty." I said, "Thank you. Did I look pretty when I fell down?" She just grinned at me. Another kiddo said, "I sure do like your hair. How do you get it all spikey in the back?" I told her with "lots of hair junk". She seemed to like that answer. Funny how kids try to fix a situation sometimes and they don't realize they even do it.
Well, my knee still hurts. As the day went on today, my body slowly but surely got a little more sore than it was this morning. My lower back and legs have ached like I worked out. (I guess that's what a fall will do for you.) My ankle and foot have hurt today as well. I'm wondering if I did something to it when I fell. I guess I'll just have to keep my eye on it over the next few days.
This morning the kiddo that was playing with the infamous "make Mrs. Lackey fall" magnet, sent me a note asking me to forgive him for what happened. I wrote him back and told him I truly knew it was an accident and I was in no way upset with him. I also told him that I was just embarrassed about falling. That is not something I like to do often. When I took him the note, I asked his teachers which room he was in so I could give it to him. As I turned around and saw him, his face had a "deer in headlights" look. He obviously didn't know what to think about me coming to his classroom looking for him. I hope my note to him made him feel better just as his made me feel better.
I am positive that I will continue to run into "bathroom talkers", crazy kids at school (they make my day) and will continue to find the accident waiting to happen. My life wouldn't be quite right if these things weren't a part of it. I think it'd be pretty boring. Don't you? :)
Monday, November 7, 2011
This girl...
Ally has always been "my" girl. She really hasn't been a Daddy's girl too much in her 12 years. She's always been a Momma's girl. I kinda like it that way. :)
When I say she is a mini-me, I mean that. From the time that she was really little, she always seemed to have the same interests as me and always wanted to do what I was doing. To some extent, she even wanted to eat the same stuff as me. She and I have several similarities, the most obvious of those being her creative side. This kid likes to create stuff. Not just any kind of "stuff", but artistic "stuff". When she was little, I would give her scrappy supplies to use while I was scrapping. It was funny how often she would watch me to decide what it was that she was going to do. Even now, she does this. She truly has a creative soul. I kinda like that. It's pretty cool to see some of the things that she comes up with. (You should see what she does with duct tape!)
One way that we are complete opposites is when it comes to reading. As a kid, I couldn't read enough. I would hide under my covers to read, and after getting caught doing that several times, I found a better place...in my closet with the light on and the door closed. I could stay up all night reading a book. Still can. I can finish a thick book in a matter of just a few days. I LOVE to read. Allison, not so much. If you asked her, she'd say, "I HATE reading." Well, that makes me kinda sad. I get such enjoyment from reading. I wish that she did. Maybe one of these days she will learn to appreciate it and not think of it as "work". I'll keep trying.
Tonight I had the pleasure of spending some time with my big girl. After her swim practice it was just me and her because Whit and Daddy had an end of season soccer party to attend. So, Ally and I enjoyed eating dinner together. We had been on her case for the past month about her grades and attitude. Both have needed improving. (Does this happen with all 12 year olds???) I really wanted to spend some time with her, and I needed to let her know that all her hard work over the past 2 weeks to get her grades back up hadn't gone unnoticed. It was past time to let her know we were proud of the hard work she had been doing. I think she really enjoyed herself. It was nice to spend some time with her by myself.
For my big girl, I wish this:
*to continue to work hard and strive to always do your absolute best
*to have a heart for others - a tender place that lets others know that you are a person they can trust and depend on
*to continue to work on appreciating your sister (I know sibling rivalry is "normal", but my wish is that you'll see Whit as your best friend and confidant at some point in the future.)
*to continue to learn about God and share him through your words and actions with others
Ally, I love you more than you could even imagine. I hope that when you see this, you'll see that you are a very important part of my life and our family. You are an amazing young lady. DO NOT ever forget that! I love you!!!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
A Chicken story...Dishonest People SUCK!
You know the old saying "Don't count your chickens before they hatch"? Good idea to heed that warning... Well, it's a good idea to keep them separated too. Just sayin...
Yesterday (Wednesday) was stressful. It didn't start off that way though. It actually started off pretty good...until I checked my bank account around 7:00 a.m. I am SO GLAD that I didn't follow my normal routine this one time. God certainly spoke to me because I can't explain why I chose to get on the computer and look at my account. Glad he talked to me though...
Around 7:00 yesterday morning, I looked at my bank account to find out that all my money was g...o...n...e... What the heck??? I had just been paid a couple days earlier and we don't normally even use that account other than to pay bills with my check. I knew we hadn't used that money. Bills hadn't been paid yet.
After "investigating" the charges, it quickly became clear that somebody had hacked into my account and had themselves a party. They did a balance inquiry in my savings account to see what was there, and transferred it to my checking account. With four swipes of a "clone card" (neither of us had lost our cards) our money was gone by the end of the day Monday. HOLY CRAP!!!
I called the 1-800 number on the back of my card to report my findings. Victor, the guy that helped me was very nice. He said the charges originated out of Atlanta, GA. He was very helpful getting the charges disputed and let me know that their would be a "provisional" credit to my account in 1-10 business days. It has to be investigated first. He faxed the papers that needed to be filled out and signed to my bank. I left school to get them signed so they could be notarized and faxed back immediately. That wasn't as easy as it sounds though.
Since the fraud happened using Mike's card, he was the one that had to fill out the paperwork and and sign it. I had to drive all the way across town to his work to get the papers taken care of. Then, back to the bank. This whole process took about 45 minutes. Once I got back, it was time to fax it. Just my luck, the fax was having trouble connecting. So, I sat and talked with Mike's cousin Amy, who works at the bank. (She was doing the faxing for me.) It was nice to chat with her. :) Finally, the papers went through. YIPPEE!!!!!
Now, it's just time to sit and wait...and hope they catch the guy (or girl) that did this. Crossing my fingers that the investigation the bank does turns up some information that lets them prosecute the freakin' thieves...
So, are you wondering about the chicken comment I made at the beginning of this blog post? Well, it's the first thing I thought of after this happened. You can NEVER count on things (or chickens) to always be there. Kinda like my money. I knew it was there, but look what happened. And, one thing I have learned from this is that it is ALWAYS a good idea to NOT keep all your money (or your chickens) in just one place. Lesson learned...
To the creep(s) that violated me and my family I just have one thing to say to you...
May the fleas of 1000 camels infest your crotch and may your arms be too short to scratch...
To everybody else, I hope you have a good weekend. I know we will. :)
Yesterday (Wednesday) was stressful. It didn't start off that way though. It actually started off pretty good...until I checked my bank account around 7:00 a.m. I am SO GLAD that I didn't follow my normal routine this one time. God certainly spoke to me because I can't explain why I chose to get on the computer and look at my account. Glad he talked to me though...
Around 7:00 yesterday morning, I looked at my bank account to find out that all my money was g...o...n...e... What the heck??? I had just been paid a couple days earlier and we don't normally even use that account other than to pay bills with my check. I knew we hadn't used that money. Bills hadn't been paid yet.
After "investigating" the charges, it quickly became clear that somebody had hacked into my account and had themselves a party. They did a balance inquiry in my savings account to see what was there, and transferred it to my checking account. With four swipes of a "clone card" (neither of us had lost our cards) our money was gone by the end of the day Monday. HOLY CRAP!!!
I called the 1-800 number on the back of my card to report my findings. Victor, the guy that helped me was very nice. He said the charges originated out of Atlanta, GA. He was very helpful getting the charges disputed and let me know that their would be a "provisional" credit to my account in 1-10 business days. It has to be investigated first. He faxed the papers that needed to be filled out and signed to my bank. I left school to get them signed so they could be notarized and faxed back immediately. That wasn't as easy as it sounds though.
Since the fraud happened using Mike's card, he was the one that had to fill out the paperwork and and sign it. I had to drive all the way across town to his work to get the papers taken care of. Then, back to the bank. This whole process took about 45 minutes. Once I got back, it was time to fax it. Just my luck, the fax was having trouble connecting. So, I sat and talked with Mike's cousin Amy, who works at the bank. (She was doing the faxing for me.) It was nice to chat with her. :) Finally, the papers went through. YIPPEE!!!!!
Now, it's just time to sit and wait...and hope they catch the guy (or girl) that did this. Crossing my fingers that the investigation the bank does turns up some information that lets them prosecute the freakin' thieves...
So, are you wondering about the chicken comment I made at the beginning of this blog post? Well, it's the first thing I thought of after this happened. You can NEVER count on things (or chickens) to always be there. Kinda like my money. I knew it was there, but look what happened. And, one thing I have learned from this is that it is ALWAYS a good idea to NOT keep all your money (or your chickens) in just one place. Lesson learned...
To the creep(s) that violated me and my family I just have one thing to say to you...
May the fleas of 1000 camels infest your crotch and may your arms be too short to scratch...
To everybody else, I hope you have a good weekend. I know we will. :)
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