December 26, 2008

All Christmas’d Out

I intended to write a post either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, wishing everyone the happiest of holidays, but time got away from me.  I had last minute shopping to do, more presents to wrap and other miscellaneous tasks to complete before the Christmas festivities began so blogging was the last thing on my mind.

We went to Doug’s parents’ house on Christmas Eve, and his sister, brother and their spouses were in attendance, as well as his aunt and uncle and his niece.  Dawson was thrilled to see his cousin Brittney.

We only see Brittney a few times a year, and honestly, the last time we saw her was last Christmas. She’s gotten taller and even more beautiful. She’s going to be nine years old in January and I keep wondering where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday she was a chubby-cheeked baby. (I’d love to post a photo, but I want to respect her privacy.)

Dawson received some wonderful gifts, too. Grandma T. bought him a set of Lincoln logs, and Dawson was so happy when Uncle Chris helped him build a log cabin.

Aunt Gail and Uncle Rick bought him the most obnoxious guitar on Earth. She instructed Dawson to play it at top volume and I laughed when we discovered the loudest volume was actually tolerable.

“Ha ha! Joke’s on you! That’s as loud as it goes!” I exclaimed happily.

And then Dawson opened the Fisher-Price NASCAR racetrack from Uncle Chris and Aunt Kelly, a battery-operated toy that is so annoying I’m already thinking about hiding it in the basement. The thing is just….obnoxious.  Aunt Gail was more than happy to put together that noisy toy and I think she had fun playing with Dawson, too.

We had lots of great food and drink and everyone had a wonderful time.

Christmas Day was held at my parents’ house. We drove over there a few hours after church, and we had a wonderful ham dinner with my family.

My brother Nathan was there with his girlfriend Becky, and my mom’s brother Paul came over, too.  My mom’s sister Judy stayed home this year because she wasn’t feeling well.

I sent some presents with Uncle Paul, one for him and one for Aunt Judy.  I’m sad she didn’t make it this year.  I think it has a lot to do with her sadness about Grandma Alice’s death.  She died December 6, 2005 and I don’t think Christmas will ever be the same with out her.

After dinner, my family ended up watching some movies on Dad’s big screen TV. We watched The Temptations mini-series on VH1 which turned out to be a four hour show. (It was a good movie, despite how long it was.  I love Motown artists and I’ve always been intrigued about Berry Gordy’s legacy and the musical acts he cultivated — like The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Temptations and so many more.)  The show ended at 10 p.m., and when Doug went outside to start the car it was snowing heavily. Had we known about the mini-blizzard, we’d have left hours before.

The meteorologists predicted a “light dusting” but by the time we were ready to leave we’d already gotten 3 inches of snow and Mother Nature showed no signs of letting up.

My brother Nathan was leaving at the same time we were and the roads were so slippery and full of fluffy white crap that he got sucked into the ditch just past my parents driveway.

Thankfully, we were behind him and stopped to help, and Doug ran to the house to get my brother Frankie, my sister Rachel and my Dad to come help us shovel and push Nathan’s car out of the ditch.

I wasn’t very much help with my bum knee, however. I couldn’t push because I couldn’t find any solid footing, so finally I decided to use a shovel to clear some snow away from the tires.

Unfortunately, after nearly twenty minutes of shoveling, pushing and maneuvering we weren’t able to budge the SUV very much, and we were covered in snow (and my hair was frozen to my head because I didn’t wear a hat that day), so Dad ran back to get his 4-Wheeler and a chain.

Nathan crawled under the car, hooked the chain around the axel, and the rest of us pushed (I steered) while Dad tried to pull the car out. Sweet Lord, it worked! After a few minutes of the push/pull combo, Nate was out of the ditch.

It was Christmas chaos. But the drive home was worse. We got about 4 inches of snow that just came down all at once and caused our windshield wipers to freeze up constantly. Nathan followed behind us (since my parents live in the country) and we kept stopping to clean off the wipers on our cars.

Once we got into town and had the help of street lights, driving conditions were better, but we were still only driving at 20 mph, and that was almost too fast. It really was a miracle that we all made it to our homes safely.

This morning I was so tired from all the insanity and I awoke with a pounding headache. I spent the day lounging around the house and reading blogs. It was actually very relaxing.

Overall I’d say this Christmas was a mix of fun and crazy.

Check out some of my favorite photos from the two days of family togetherness:

I hope your Christmas was as exciting and wonderful as ours! Even though I enjoyed the holiday, I’m ready for 2009.  What are your plans for the New Year?

December 23, 2008

Kneed An Update?

The doctor has cleared me for the holidays.  Sort of.  I can drive, I can walk, but I can’t put too much pressure (a/k/a too much weight) on my right leg.  I’m also required to stay off the leg as much as possible, and wear the brace for another ten days.  Ten days of misery.  I hate that thing, but I must confess:  it really works.

The swelling has gone down significantly, and I can extend my knee almost completely.  The only thing I cannot do is bend the knee further than a 90 degree angle.  This is due to the tear in the meniscus (and I still thing that word is hilarious), as well as the position my leg was in as I tumbled down the stairs.

So, because I’m 50% better, I’m going to work tomorrow for just a few hours.  Driving is still scary for me because my reflexes aren’t 100% yet.  This makes me nervous and I’m surprised the doc said I could drive.

Today I got in the car and drove slower than my grandmother, and she couldn’t drive.  I made a lot of last minute holiday shoppers/drivers angry with my snail’s pace on the main drag.  Sorry about that, dear drivers.

This is off topic, but I have to tell y’all how ticked off I am at the Packers.  Seriously….they lost to the Bears.  The freakin’ BEARS…

Ugh.

If the Detroit Lions beat ‘em next week I’ll be…..furious.  (Like I am now…but multiplied by 10 million.)

I’m starting to think the Pack is playing to lose so they get a better draft pick next year.

At least the NY Bretts, I mean Jets, are doing well.  Go Favre!  Superbowl bound?  This would work in the Packer’s favor, too.  If the Jets make the bowl and win, the Pack will get a first round draft pick in ’09.  I could dig that….

December 22, 2008

Bracing Myself

The knee is still swollen, and I’m still in pain.  I’m doing my best not to walk, which makes trips to the bathroom complicated.  I find myself hobbling and grabbing walls and it sucks.  It’s very difficult to sit still.  The fact that Christmas is less than three days away is making me crazy.  Presents need to be wrapped, things need to be done, and my husband’s carefree approach to it all is, quite frankly, pissing me off.

A lot of grumbling has been done on my part and I feel guilty about it.  However, I think I’ve figured out God’s lesson.  He’s forced me to relinquish control and I believe I’m supposed to learn that I can’t do it all, and that it’s okay to ask for help — it doesn’t mean I’m a failure if I admit that I’m not Super Mom.

Honestly, God, couldn’t you have sent me a letter?  Was a painful fall down the stairs really necessary?

It’s been a rough weekend.  My husband has banned me from doing anything that requires moving.  I did my work while propped up on pillows, leg elevated, and it was miserable.  I just want to run…RUN I SAY!  Actually, I’d give anything just to bend my knee.

Today I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.  He’d like to scan my knee and make sure the tear hasn’t gotten any bigger.  Apparently, hobbling to the bathroom could have caused more damage.  Ugh.  Crutches may be in my future if I’m not more careful.  I’m trying to be careful.  I really am.

The other lesson I’ve learned?  I should have finished my Christmas shopping weeks ago.  I waited until the last minute, and now I’m injured.  Sending Doug shopping is like swimming in a hurricane.  He can’t handle that.  So it looks like the family may be getting fistfuls of cash this year.  Merry Christmas!

Send me your good vibes.  Maybe a miracle will happen and I’ll be cured by tomorrow!

December 19, 2008

And It’s Not Even Friday the 13th…

2008 can kiss my arse.  Seriously.  I’m so ready for 2009, and I’m clinging to the hope that next year will be better.  It just has to be better.

You see, things haven’t been going well lately.  I’ve dealt with infertility issues. I got the period from Hades (complete with monster cramps that were just crabulous, really).  I had the 24 and a 1/2 hour flu. I was feeling a little depressed after the chaos of this week, and I was really looking forward to the weekend.

Then, this morning my internet connection died several times, making it difficult to get my work done.  I believe the internet was protesting the snow we’ve been getting.  Six to ten inches of fluffy white crap.  Oh, how I loved it.  Loved being the key word.

Because of the snow, my husband woke up early to head outside and shovel.  I’m so lucky he does this mostly without complaint.  He tackled what he could and then left for work.

Since we live in a bi-level house, and our main floor bathroom is still in disrepair (Side Note:  My husband swears he’ll start the remodel “sometime” next year — after five years of living this way, all I can say is he better get on that task or I’ll lose it), we use the bathroom downstairs.

On my way down to the bathroom I slipped on something wet (freaking melted SNOW from my husband’s boots!) and fell down the stairs in the most pretzel-like position you can imagine — one leg in front of my body, the other underneath my rear end, arms flailing as I tried to grab the railing or the wall or the hand of God…

The pain was awful, and I seriously thought I had broken my leg.  As I crab-crawled on the floor to the phone, I dialed my husband and screamed at him for not wiping up the floor before he left.

The “good news?”  The doctor says my fall caused a minor tear in my lateral meniscus (outside ligament of the knee), and as long as I keep the knee iced and elevated I shouldn’t need surgery.

So I figure this little incident can work in my favor.  My husband feels terribly guilty and I’ve decided to “let him” get the rest of our holiday preparations done.  He can finish the shopping, the wrapping, the cooking and cleaning and then he can wait on me, hand and knee (ha ha), for the rest of this dreadful year.

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This post is also part of a blog blast sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network and Families for Depression Awareness.  FFDA is a non-profit organization that offers support and assistance for folks who are feeling overwhelmed, both at the holidays and all year long. Their free support groups for moms, as well as a plethora of other helpful services, might just be the helping hand some folks need to get them through the holidays so that they can enjoy a completely healthy and happy new year.

For more information about this blog blast, visit PBN.