The Healing Process

It has been a long two weeks, to say the least. I sustained an injury on Saturday, September 14th playing in a fun game of coed adult soccer. The irony is that after all these years of competitive sports I never really had a serious injury, and now...

There's not an interesting story, I didn't get into some sort of wild collision, I wasn't using my "jukes"...The first couple nights after the injury, it was like I was dreaming about this moment over and over and it was not fun to relive. I simply stretched my leg out for the ball while I was turning and jumping (more horizontally than vertically). I immediately heard several pops in my ankle and could tell right away something was wrong.

It was hard to tell what the damage really was at first because I had on cleats, shinguards and black socks. But I knew I needed to get it checked out right away. Later on, John told me that he thought I was being a bit dramatic at first, until we got to the emergency room and they cut off my sock and shinguard. We rushed to the San Dimas emergency room (they actually called paramedics to the field but we decided we didn't need the service to drive a few miles). Turns out I was the 4th soccer injury that evening! And, I would guess, the oldest!

After an examination and x-rays, the official diagnosis was a dislocated ankle and a broke fibula. The fibula is the smaller of the two leg bones, so it could have been worse! Along with that, all of the tendons and ligaments were torn, which is common when there is a dislocation. I won't post the pictures as they are quite graphic but let's just say, my foot was clearly dangling from my leg in an unnatural fashion. While I was in the emergency room they popped my ankle back into place, which was one of the most excruciating things I've ever felt. Unlike a simple dislocated finger, they do not numb the area before replacing the bone!!

Getting ready to go home with my new gift, Baby Frog

That week, I was overwhelmed with an outburst of love and good deeds from friends and family. I received flowers, we had meals delivered, offers to puppy sit, etc. It was SO helpful since I was stuck in bed in lots of pain and John was left to wait on me, do all of the work around the house, in addition to everything else he does on a daily basis.

I was scheduled to see the doctor the following week. We thought I'd get in and out with a cast and be done, however, after additional x-rays, we were told that my foot was not in the right position and I'd need surgery to fix it. Until then, I was stuck in bed in a soft splint, elevating at all times, and using crutches when I needed to get around.

I finally had surgery at an outpatient center in West Covina on Tuesday, September 24th. Coming out of surgery was another traumatizing experience. Instead of being loopy on anesthesia, I was in extreme pain. After several doses of different drugs, they flipped me onto my stomach and gave me a nerve block. It was so painful but numbed my leg entirely for six or seven hours. Since then I've been keeping a steady stream of meds in me. I've weaned myself down quite a bit and am feeling much, much better.

I will be on crutches for at least one more week, until I see the doctor again. I believe at that point he will put on a cast (hopefully a walking cast!). For now, I'm struggling with restlessness, crutches, and being stuck in bed. Even when I want to get up and do something, I am exhausted afterwards. So either way is no fun!

All of this has made me so thankful for all of the love that surrounds me. My injury is not fun but it could have been much worse. I am blessed to have great healthcare and a strong support system. This has made John and I even closer as a married couple and has given both of us a fresh perspective on life and how precious it is.

Lexi is 6 Months Old!

Today marks Lexi's 6 month birthday! She was born exactly one week before our wedding, which is very special to us. We have had Lexi for about 3.5 months now and have been through A LOT with her. She is growing like a weed, learning everyday and always finding new things to get into.

THEN
When we first picked up Lexi, she weighed 8 pounds. She seemed to be a bit malnourished and was still learning how to use those little legs.

Her crate was massive compared to her puppy body so we had the separator in the very front. (We recently took our the separator completely since she's gotten so big!)

Her first weekend with us she got very sick and we were afraid she had something serious like Parvo, which can be deadly. Turns out she just had a tummy ache, so the doc gave us some medicine and some special food and she turned into a wild and crazy, regular puppy in no time!

NOW
Today Lexi weighs 38 pounds!!! Which means she's gained 30 pounds since we got her! The vet said she will get to be anywhere from 60-90 pounds. Wow!

Since January, Lexi has been stung by a bee and rushed to the vet, gotten spayed and had a cone on for 2 weeks, and attends obedience school every Monday. She knows how to sit, lay down, stay and come. We are still working on jumping, play biting, and "going to bed", which means going to lay down in her designated area so we can have a little bit of peace without her next to us on the couch.

She loves to spend time outside during the day and has recently discovered how fun water and sprinklers can be! She has the "zoomies" at least twice a day, which is her crazy time where she sprints around, jumps on the furniture, attacks her toys, etc. The dog trainer said this is most common at dawn and dusk. I have lots of funny videos on my YouTube channel which I posted a few weeks back.

She is in her "terrible twos" and is quite defiant. As I was writing this post, she stole a calculator from my office and was downstairs and outside before I knew it. I started out chasing her around like an idiot, but every time I would get close she would run away. It was a fun game to her. Then I returned to the patio and said, "Lexi Come!" She would get as close to me as possible and then when I reached for her she'd run away again...over and over. She was basically running laps around the yard with my calculator, most likely laughing at me. Here's the damage. Luckily, I don't need that calculator!

When Lexi is not busy getting into trouble, she is very sweet and loving. Her favorite morning routine is to get under the covers with us. When she gets too hot, she lays on top of the covers at our feet. And then finally moves to the floor where the sun shines through the window. Here she is giving morning kisses to "Daddy".

We love our little Lexi to death and look forward to the next 6 months!!

The Calm Before the Storm

We're married!!! Our wedding turned out beautifully and the day could not have run more smoothly. Before I post pictures and stories about our honeymoon, I thought I'd try to relive our wedding weekend a bit. Thank you all for sharing this special time with us.

I took the week before our wedding off work and I am SO glad I did. I didn't realize how many last minute details needed to be taken care of and I was running around like a crazy woman all week. This was the fun stuff though and I didn't have work to worry about so it didn't bother me.

John and I visited the LA County Recorder's Office to pick up our marriage license. While we were there I called Grams to confirm that Mom was born in Downey and she told me, no, Becky was born in Mexico! Hahaha, it took me a second to realize she was kidding!

I got my hair done on Monday morning...

We also got a relaxing couple's massage on Tuesday evening, complete with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. It was a nice little escape from all of the wedding errands.

Kylie came up on Thursday which was a huge help! She ran some errands for me and helped me pack up all of our wedding supplies and to-do lists that would be provided to the church coordinator, the country club coordinator, photographer, etc. I also got my spray tan on Thursday night and woke up on Friday morning with a slight issue...my neck (of all places!) was blotchy and I had to go get it touched up!

Friday was when all of the festivities began! The rest of my family came up that morning and we had a great brunch at the Kolbeck's house. This is one of the times that John and I were looking forward to most...the calm before the storm that we used to spend some quiet, quality time with our parents and siblings. We passed out gifts and showed a preview of the video that was played at our reception. There were lots of tears, laughter, hugs and love!

Ready for mimosas!

What a nice spread!

The Red Plates

Amber, Camille, Kylie

Sisters

M and D

Friday was full of more errands and preparation...putting the final touches on wedding party gifts, picking up cake pops, dropping off supplies for the reception, and the list goes on. Our rehearsal started at 5pm at Claremont Presbyterian Church. We really weren't sure what to expect and needed a bit of practice but it was so much fun seeing everyone and working through exactly how we wanted our ceremony to look.

Our rehearsal dinner was held at the home of a close friend of the Kolbeck's, Gail. She was so sweet to open her home to all of us AND to cook all of that delicious food. John loves her ribs and I cannot get enough of her potatoes au gratin and buttered rolls!! It was the perfect way to sit and relax and chat with our family and friends. Friday night I had a slumber party with Kylie and Camille. We all shared a bed so I didn't end up getting too much sleep. :P

We got up before the sun the next morning to take showers and head to South Hills Country Club for hair and makeup. To Be Continued...

We Are Officially Next!!

This weekend we attended the last Kolbeck family wedding before ours. It was beautiful and so good to see everyone.

The wedding was on the hill in Cardiff-by-the-Sea and located at the pool area of the housing development that they live in. The view is always breathtaking up there. This time around it was MUCH hotter than I ever expected with very little wind, considering it was so close to the beach.

The bride is John's cousin, Misty. Her new husband is PK Marshall, who moved to San Diego from the East Coast several years ago. It was kind of fun to see both coasts represented.

The wedding was beautiful and suited the bride and groom personalities perfectly. After a brief and personalized Ceremony, we were escorted to the nearby koi pond for cocktail hour. We then made our way back to the pool area where the reception was held and we remained for the rest of the evening. The sun was setting just as the wedding party made their entrance.

The atmosphere was casual with appetizer stations instead of a sit down dinner. The fish tacos were delish!! We danced the night away and mingled with friends and family until the bride and groom kicked it up a notch by jumping in the pool!! In her dress!! It was actually a very romantic moment for the two of them and made for some great pictures! The rest of the wedding party joined them and soon everyone was trying to find someone to throw in. I survived but was thoroughly entertained!!

After four or five family weddings in this calendar year alone, it is finally our turn!!! Can't wait for my bridal shower this weekend! I'm keeping busy tying up all the loose ends and praying that it all comes together!