November and December

Hi...

Earlier today I posted an entry all about my Hawaii vacation. Now I'll fill in some blanks about other news around here for the last couple months.

November was really busy for me. I was packing and getting ready to move; work was really busy; and there was something to do almost every evening it seemed (birthday parties, dinners out, a cooking class...). Keeping busy was good for me. Before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving weekend, and that Saturday I rented a U-Haul and moved into my new place. Brenden and some of his friends provided the muscle power. Everything went pretty well, and I dove into unpacking. I hadn't quite finished when it was time for my vacation, but I picked up where I left off when I got back. All the boxes are unpacked now, but nothing's on the walls yet. I'm eager to get to that.

On Dec. 20 I had to have ankle surgery again. After my surgery in May, I had some relief from the pain, but finally asked for an x-ray to see if everything looked as it should. Well, apparently there was some additional bone fragment in there that didn't get removed the first time. Grrrr. Also, once the doc was in there on surgery day, he found some ligament damage (possibly from falling on the catamaran in Hawaii!) and also a bone spur. He took care of all this and sent me home in a splint and crutches for 2 weeks. So today was day 9 post op, and I'm not in too much pain. Using crutches is killing me, though. I overdid it earlier this week and by Friday, yesterday, it felt like every muscle in my body was sore (from having to compensate for not using my right foot). I've been in bed for 2 days now and am finally feeling better. I've had help on hand almost every day (my parents, my sister, Julie, Brenden, and a couple friends) and they are invaluable for assisting me with simple things like food preparation. It's just really hard for me to get up and down the stairs, and also to stand (on my one good leg) for any length of time, as is needed to make a meal.

Next Thursday is my post-op appointment and I hope to graduate from crutches to a walking boot. I still won't be able to drive, supposedly. That's a bummer. I'm used to going wherever I want whenever I want to! Being mostly housebound is not my style at all. I keep telling myself this is temporary and soon everything will be back to normal. This experience has given me a new empathy for those who are disabled and shut-in. I think I might like to volunteer in the future to help people in such circumstances.

Christmas was nice enough, with gift time and a turkey dinner at my mom and dad's. Julie was there, but Lori couldn't make it down, having begun her chemo regimen Dec. 12. She felt pretty bad the first day, but was better the next. It's two weeks between doses, and just before the 2nd one (Dec. 26) she said she felt pretty close to normal. Time will tell how the cumulative effect of the meds will be. Lori still has a great attitude and is determined to do all she's supposed to to get well.

Bree and Cassidy were at Christmas, too (plus Bree's boyfriend, Matt). Cassidy was so entertaining. She's trying to talk now. She got so many great toys for gifts. (I just hope none of them have lead or any other toxin!!! Scary times for toy shopping.) Breanna is job hunting again. Her job taking baby photos at Kids R Us turned out to be short term. She's looking into a number of options.

Brenden is doing quite well. He worked for a while for an agency that places workers in construction jobs and they kept him busy. Then a friend got him in with Rowan Electric, and now he works full time with them. They'll also send him to electrician school 2 days a week, and pay for it in full if he gets straight A's. Bren seems motivated to make this work. He doesn't "love" electrical work, but he seems to realize he needs a good trade to pay the bills while he figures out what to do in life. He's a hard worker and likes this company because everyone seems very conscientious. The job he's on right now is a government contract (low income housing) so it pays double what other projects typically do. He should be able to save some money while he's at this site for a couple months. Brenden has been very helpful to me with my move. Tomorrow he'll be here and install a cable for my new flat screen TV. He's really become quite handy at lots of things.

David was in town for Christmas and spent some time with Bree and Cassidy. I think he and Bren only saw each other in passing. Dave was actually very kind to me, spending Christmas Eve day getting a new battery for my car. I ended up inviting him to a Christmas Eve party at our friends', Dave and Jane's home. He hadn't seen any of our old friends since we split up, and I figured he might want to. It was a bit awkward, I guess, but over all I think it went well. I know Dave was glad not to be alone on Christmas Eve. Thursday Dave helped me out again by taking me to my mammogram appointment in the morning, and then we both worked at the big house taking care of business stuff the rest of the day. We were both a little emotional, due to all the changes in our holiday celebration this year. We had a good talk, though, and cleared the air on some things. I don't think anything's going to change... our course is set and we plan to file for divorce early in '08. But it was the first time in a long time Dave showed a little vulnerability and introspection. We're both just wanting to get through this transition to better times ahead.

So I'll close by saying "Happy New Year" to all my friends and family. I hope it's been a joyful holiday season for you, and I hope we'll stay closely connected in the days and months ahead. I'd like to say I'll be a better blogger in '08, but I probably won't! I'll do my best, though. And I always love hearing from YOU, with your life updates and prayer requests. Oh, speaking of that, please pray for Dave's Dad, Bill Garrison. He had some more stent work done with his heart this week. Sounds like it was a success, thankfully.

All for now... take care.... Lotsa love......
~Kim