Just in Time

Since the scenery has changed so much I thought the blog deserved an update.  I first need to say just how thankful I am that I have actually been off crutches and back to walking for exactly two weeks now.  It still feels like a miracle to me, since I really thought I would be getting a tibial rod for Christmas this year.  But the MRI results showed a huge improvement that couldn't be seen on an x-ray, and the actual results of me putting lots of weight on my leg have convinced me it must be much better.

Walking again after being one-legged for 13 weeks wasn't exactly fun.  It was a bit depressing to realize just how weak that leg had become and how much cardiovascular fitness I lost in that time.  But as I had long-since determined, I am not a good sedentary person, and that caused me to be so much happier moving around on my own despite the pain.  And it's already so. much. better.  Better enough for me to have spent two evenings standing around in high heels at the company Christmas parties (Yes, that is plural.  The company has grown so much it had two parties and we got to go to both!).  Yes, I felt that big time but was so happy to do it.

And yesterday I rode the exercise bike!  Today I walked a whole mile on the treadmill (in 20 minutes - gotta start somewhere!).  So the official rehab has begun.  This winter will be full of the exercise bike, walking and eventually running on the treadmill, and building up my leg strength.  No road running for a good while, and probably no skiing for me this winter.  The only reason I say "probably" is that winter is very long, and a lot can improve between now and March, so who knows?

I have to say that I really learned a lot from this whole stress fracture season of my life.  I am sure I will realize more as time goes by, but my main impression is how God always takes care of His children and works for their good.  He does not give us more than we can handle, though it may seem that way at times.  I am so proud of the way my kids stepped up to help the last three months!  And Edwin got so used to doing a million things a day for me that he is still doing some of them.  I am blessed to have them!  And so happy to be back on my two feet, just in time for Christmas.  Not a moment too soon for my sanity as well!

An Open Letter to My Tibia:

Get it together, please.  I know I mistreated you.  I should have realized you were broken before running that half-marathon; I know that now.  And I am very, very sorry.  But really, you've had enough time in the spotlight.

A 10 week vacation is more than sufficient, don't you think?  I'm willing to throw in a few more weeks just to get you strong again.  But just because you are the great weight-bearer on the right side does not mean you should have as much time off as you please.  And, wow! do my arms have a bone to pick with you.  They were not designed to carry the whole load like you were, and they are ready to "hand" the job back over to you.  So quit your whining and aching, and get to work repairing yourself.  I know you have osteoblasts and plenty of calcium, vitamin D and the whole bit.

Listen, tibia, and take me seriously.  Dr. Sports Medicine and Dr. Orthopedic Surgeon have a back-up plan if you don't get it together pretty soon, and I am sure you will not like it.  Do the whole body a favor and fix yourself while you still can. 

Thanks in advance,
Me

The Longer Haul

Now that I have declared this blog to not be a play by play of my family's life, here's another update (Maybe now that my guilt is relieved from admitting it I will be more likely to actually update!).  I mentioned in the last post that my "shin splint" situation was improving and I was hoping to run again soon.  But, alas, that is not the case.  A few days after writing that our family went bowling with some friends from church and I realized, after attempting to jump up & down to celebrate a great bowling achievement, that all was not at all well with my leg.  So the next day I called Dr. Sports Medicine and made an appointment.  He took some x-rays and presented me with the bad news that I appear to have a stress fracture of my tibia (shin bone).  Ugh.  No wonder is wasn't improving as fast as I'd hope.

The problem with the tibia is that it is a weight-bearing bone, and it does not really heal well as long as I continue to put all (or nearly half, anyway) of my weight on it.  Dr. Sports Medicine's solution? Crutches for the next two weeks and then a recheck.  No weight on the weight-bearing bone at all.  Well, we managed to survive the two weeks, but I knew all along that my leg did not seem much-improved.  I was not surprised that Dr. Sports Medicine said I would need to stay on the crutches a while longer, maybe as long as two months, but I was disappointed! 

I had an MRI, my first one ever, and what the doctor said was confirmed: I essentially have a broken leg, though it is not a complete fracture.  And the "stress reaction" encompasses 50% of the bone.  And the fracture is in a location where surgery is often required if the fracture is complete.  Dr. Sports Medicine doesn't think I will need surgery, but he wants me to see Dr. Orthopaedic Surgeon to get her opinion in the matter.

But I am leaving for a nice beach vacation tomorrow, I say.  No worries, he replies, you can see the surgeon after you get back, you need to be on the crutches at least that long anyway...

It was at this point that I realized this is no short-term matter.  I have actually found the long haul.  I knew that training for the half-marathon was going to require patience, endurance, and perseverance.  I knew there would be pain involved, too.  But I could not have predicted that what happened at the end of the training would be an even better opportunity for me to work on those qualities that I knew I lacked.

I have whined and complained about my crutches.  It has been a big adjustment for our family - Mom can't walk around, carry things, or face the grocery store.  But clearly two weeks wasn't long enough, because it wasn't until after that that I realized that I must move on to accepting, and even being grateful for my affliction.  I knew from the beginning that this is really a mild affliction by comparison to all the horrific things so many people are going through.  God is being kind to me to teach me some patience through this small thing.  But it is still my small thing, and I must trust Him to get me through it.  And hopefully I will do a little better at that in the weeks ahead!

I do hope to run again.  It is sad to see my little exercise ticker lady stopped at 353 miles.  She will surely not make it to her goal of 700 miles for the year.  Oh well.  God is in charge of my life and my legs, and He surely has a plan for me that does not involve running, at least for a time.  So for now I will focus on what I can do, and keep learning how to ask for and receive help gratefully. Superwoman I am not!

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3 ESV)

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17 ESV)

Blah, blah, blah...

It's official.  This is not a family history blog.  Just the thought of having to write up a summary about what we have been up to makes me want to shut down the blog forever. :)  It's not that bad, really, but I have realized over the last few months that I can't make promises here.  I am a blogger, though it's so low on my priority list that I will choose not only to watch Olympic gymnastics before blogging, but I will also choose to watch Olympic handball, or maybe even water polo.  I hope you get my drift!

So here's the quick run-down, and then I am off the hook:

• The Lego tournament was super-fun!  The Cavemen were awesome, with a fourth place finish in robot performance.  We liked the Magic Kingdom, but I think we liked Sea World better.
• Anna's ballet performance was great.  She was beautiful and graceful, of course!
• All five kids were involved in a home school drama group this summer, Class Act Theatre.  They worked with a bunch of great kids and a professional director to put on The Secret Garden.  Their acting debuts were terrific.  We'll get a DVD of the play soon and we will subject many of you who may have missed it.
• The Roystons came to visit, and we had a wonderful time!
• I completed the half-marathon, much to my surprise, really.  I peaked a bit too soon, suffered from shin splints, took 10 whole days off from running BEFORE the big day (which made me really panic), but made it through just fine.  By that evening I could hardly walk, and am still recovering.  All in all, I think becoming a runner was a good thing for me, and I am actually looking forward to running again as soon as next week, I hope.  Rest is the best thing for my problem, but I have begun biking and walking and am feeling much, much better.
• Summer is coming to a screeching halt.  It's 67 degrees outside, and the pool is still open for another week.  There are at least two flaming orange maple trees on our street.  I plan for school to start August 27.  This year we have 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grades.  Wow!

So I will no longer attempt to give the family play by play here.  I do love to talk about it, so if you want to hear what's going on just ask me, e-mail me, call me, facebook me, whatever.  But here I will stick to weird kid stories, cooking highs and lows, complaining about the weather, and whatever else comes to mind.

And thank you, if you're actually still out there.  Life is still different here; it's just a lot busier!

Flashback: Ballet Performance

This week has been a serious keep-your-head-above-water week for us!  We arrived home from the wild Orlando Lego vacation on Monday, and started right up preparing for Anna's ballet performance, which is a big show and not like a regular recital, with a dress rehearsal which lasted way too late for our sleepy gang.  Two children had been carried to bed asleep, another went willingly, and the oldest was horizontal on the couch when we got home with her that night.  We've been trying to catch up on sleep ever since, though it's been hard for Anna, who has had lots of ballet rehearsals.

In addition to the ballet schedule, I made it home quite sick with a sinus infection, so I haven't been up to full speed at all.  I am feeling better now, though quite behind on lots of things.  AND the big kids' online classes are wrapping up this week, so they have had lots of work to do in addition to making up all that they missed while we were gone. Oh, the timing!

But it has been worth all the work and craziness.  We had so much fun with our kids in Florida, and really enjoyed our friends, old and new.  Edwin has said it was like we were able to go to summer camp with our kids.  The full report really is coming, after the ballet weekend...

Check out this link if you want to watch a trailer about the ballet performance, Flashback.  Have I mentioned how we love Reign Dance Theater?  Yes, I have.

Cavemen in Paradise

Full report coming soon!!

Happy Easter 2012

Up From the Grave He Arose!

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Matthew 28:1-10 ESV

Good Friday

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Image is Everything

Thanks to the Tribe James blog for this one!

The Long Haul

I did it.  I registered for the Minnesota Half Marathon, which means that I will be running 13.1 miles on August 4, 2012.  Actually, according to my training plan I will run 13 miles two times before that, so it should be a piece of cake!

The reality is I am not a very patient person.  And the sort of training plan I am following looks like 22 weeks of training in patience.  I guess that's what running the longer distance will be about for me.  Patience.  Endurance.  Perseverance.  All of that should be good for me!

I have now added an exercise ticker at the bottom of the blog, just a little lady who is chugging along to a 700 mile goal.  I can't even think about how far that seems right now, though I think it is a realistic goal for me this year, Lord-willing, if I stay healthy (and don't suddenly begin to hate running).  I'll try to keep it updated, and if you think of it you can pray for me along the way.  Patience.  Endurance.  Perserverance.  And most of all, dependence on God in this and all that I try to do!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

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The Plunge: A Pictoral Review

Polar Bear Plunge: Dash & Splash

Tomorrow is the big day that Edwin, along with a team of coworkers, is taking the plunge into a hole in the ice of Lake Calhoun.  It's the Polar Bear Plunge: Dash & Splash, a fund-raising event for The Special Olympics.  There is a 5K run (which I am joining in for) - the Dash - followed by lots and lots of possibly crazy folks (not including me!) taking the plunge - the Splash - into a hole in the ice on the lake.  And if you are thinking that water will be freezing (literally!), you are exactly right!  The outdoor temperature will be somewhere between 20 and 30, the water temperature will be hovering around 32, and the trip to the warming tent afterwards will be slippery, icy, and don't-touch-your-frozen-hair-or-you-might-break-it-off-just-plain-freezing-cold!

I will post some pictures next week.  It's sure to be a spectacle, with famous, or at least locally famous, folks like Christian Ponder and Tim Mahoney, and who knows who else.  All freezin' for a reason.  Should be fun!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning...

One thing is for sure: the weather predictors around here have only a tiny advantage over the rest of us.  They are really only sure whether it will snow or rain or be sunny about five minutes before it happens.  This winter, looking out the window is about as helpful as checking the weather forecast.

That said, there are quite a few members of my family who were overjoyed to wake to the weatherman's miscalculation of the rain/snow line.  And although that meant some shovelling, we've had so little snow this winter that even on the eve of March they were happy to welcome it.

I have to say that this mild Minnesota winter has been a real blessing to me.  Last winter and its 144 days of snow cover wore me down to say the least.  This winter it hasn't been really cold (I have lived here nearly 13 years, mind you) for very many days in a row.  We've had a few below zero mornings, but we have had so many days in the 30's it's hard to believe.  And there has been hardly. any. snow.  Amazing!  It's a drought that started in the summer and has continued through the winter, which is certainly unusual in our, albeit limited, Minnesota experience. 

And I couldn't be more thankful.  Just a little rest from the pain that winter is, and I can wake up and be happy to see a big pile of snow.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)

My Life in Status Updates

Status updates are about all the writing I have had time for lately!  One day I will take some time to write a real blog post, but for now, here's what has been going on in our lives from the Facebook point of view!

1/28: Made it to the State Lego Tournament with everything but the camera! Go Cavemen!

1/28: Cavemen win!

 1/28: Hooray for the Cavemen! First Lego League Minnesota state champions!

1/30: I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. (Psalm 104:33-34 ESV)

1/30: Have you heard that Edwin will be taking the PolarBear Plunge on March 3? If you would like to sponsor him, message me! Support the Special Olympics! Or come to Lake Calhoun and watch!

 
1/31: So thankful for the gift of a mild January in Minnesota! I really needed that after last winter!

1/31: I'm looking for some upbeat praise & worship music with theologically-sound lyrics, especially with lyrics straight from the Bible...Any suggestions?

Sports Photography

It's been a while and my blog is once again neglected.  I have not even gotten the Christmas pictures off of the camera yet, so it's that bad.  But I think I need to post something here, and my talented children, David and John, are coming to the rescue.  They took photos and videos of our ski trip last week and they are pretty good - at skiing, snowboarding, and catching it on "film."

We need a snowmaker for the backyard this year!