Winter At Last

We are finally getting the snow that says 'winter'. Last week there was up to 5 feet in places around the area. Then it rained and melted most of it. More coming this week probably. Much of the area lost power, including my parents' house. My apartment didn't, and I've been nice and warm through all the cold weather.
I've been doing physical therapy for 2 weeks now, and I'm very encouraged that my range of motion is improving, though it's a very slow process. 1 step forward, 2 steps back seems to be how it goes much of the time.
Please keep Seth and his troop in your prayers. They have finished training and are just waiting to head overseas, within a week or so probably. His 1st Sgt says they are as prepared as they can be, but they are sure to hit the ground running when they arrive.

Cell Phone Chargers, and...Cats?

It's been 3 weeks, and time seems to inch by. Sleep is hard to come by, so I've been trying to get creative with the things I am allowed doing, and yes, sometimes I can't help myself and have to do a little more than that in order to stay sane. But overall, I'm following doctor's orders, and he even started me on passive physical therapy twice a week.
This weekend some friends are out of town, and I am staying at their house with their two daughters. We went for a walk to the library this morning, and on to my apartment for a little while as well. They are great kids, and I enjoy spending the time with them.
Last night I had my cell phone plugged in, charging, when I realized their new kitten was scratching and biting at something behind me. When I went to look, I saw my charger cord in 3 pieces! Apparently her teeth are sharp. So for the next two days or so, I'm trying to save the battery on my phone until I can make it to Bennington to buy another charger. Not the end of the world, but since I'm stranded, unable to drive for another 3-4 weeks, it means I have to wait until I can get someone to take me over. Frustrating!
But on a better note, my brother who has been deployed in Iraq for quite awhile is on his way home, if not already there! My other bro is on his way to Afghanistan in a few days. That I'm worried about, but God is in control, and I know he will be protected.

Post Surgery

Ok, so it's been way too long since I've had a chance to update this. On Jan 28 I had surgery on my shoulder. They had to go in and repair the bicep tendon and all the labrum (the cartilage) in the right side. Apparently when I fell down the stairs I tore the cartilage very badly, and it had been pushed back up over itself, so there was no protection at all for the bone, tendons, etc. Needless to say, the entire shoulder was extremely enflamed, and the ball and socket had been rubbing on itself for 3 months, making it worse all the time. So they put in an anchor, sewed it up, and now supposedly it will feel better in the long run. The first week was torture, and I couldn't do anything on my own - lift, sit down, stand up, make meals, or anything else. If I had known ahead, I don't think I would have gone through with the surgery. On monday, the PA took the sutures out, and immediately the pain lessened. Not much, but at least enough so I could stand up, do stairs, and sit down by myself with somewhat less pain. The PA thought that the sutures had become too tight with all the swelling, and that is probably why I'd had more pain than normal.
I'm ever so grateful to all the folks who have helped me out since the surgery. The girls who have come over to stay with me, all the people who have gone grocery shopping, made meals, helped me clean, and everything else. There is no way to say how much it means to me. I hadn't realized exactly how much an arm, or lack of, affects you until all this happened.
Another blessing is the apartment I'm in. God totally took care of things, because I would not have been able to stay in the first apartment I was planning on moving into. Only God knew and could work out the details of getting me out of that lease and into one where I'm so well cared for. My neighbor is a friend of mine, and he and my landlord check in at least daily to make sure I'm ok. They and many others have loaned me books and movies to make my time somewhat more bearable. Wow, God is so good.
I had a follow up with my pain management doctor in Rutland (the original shoulder injury) yesterday, and he also is encouraging. He believes that some of the cartilage may have been torn in the car accident, but because we hadn't checked that before, we hadn't realized it. If that is the case, the surgery may have worked towards fixing the ongoing pain from 2 yrs ago. It may also explain why that pain had also been getting worse, rather than better over the time we've been working treating it. I pray that's the case.
My family has been doing so much for me this past couple weeks as well. Zachary and JJoy love coming to spend the night, and mom drops in regularly to putter around doing whatever is needed. I've had a couple setbacks, including a major mental/emotional breakdown the other day, but overall, I can't complain.
The weather has been freezing, so I guess it was a good time to be stuck inside. We've had a few nice days though, and I've been able to get out a little more this past week. I won't be able to drive for at least a few more weeks, so I'm glad to be in town, where I can walk to the bank, post office, etc. It helps to get outside some.

Oh, the joys of winter. It snowed today, but really, the weather has been all over the place. Freezing, snow, rain, snow, wind, and then so much rain and warm temps there was flooding, but by the next day, we had snow again. The sun has been shining off and on, and when that happens, it is gorgeous, and I love to be outside! A friend and I have been trying to walk as much as we can, since the exercise is helpful for both of us facing the winter depression that has hit. However, the last few weeks I haven't had any energy to do anything more than walk across my apartment, so that has been out. I hope to be able to start again soon. Those afternoon walks are something I look forward to. It's awesome how God uses the little things in life to get me going again. I saw a sign the other day that said, "when we cease to wonder, we cease to worship". For me the nature and wonder of God's creation can always bring me back to remembering who God is and how much He deserves my worship. Like walking outside this morning and seeing the coating of bright white all around me.

Surgery, friends, and other details in life

I've found how difficult it is to type one handed, so this will be short as well. Lots has been happening in my life. I now have an apartment, am still looking for a job, and am scheduled for surgery next week. NOT looking forward to that, though I'm hoping in the long run it will diminish the pain, at least some. Yep, the past three weeks have been a series of tests EMG, MRI, x-rays, MR-Arthrogram, and the list goes on. I've been instructed to keep my arm as immobilized as possible, so I've been getting used to a sling. The surgery is for my right shoulder, which I damaged when I fell down some stairs a couple months ago. I tried to ignore the pain, but now that the results are back, I realize I shouldn't have. I managed to completely tear my biceps tendon from the core of my shoulder where it attaches, tearing the cartilage as well. As the report read, "there may be a fiber or two still attached at some point, but it doesn't look like it. So at 12:30pm, I have to go in for arthroscopic surgery, with a possibility of more indepth depending on what they find. I'm praying it won't be as bad as it looked. :)
So I'm looking at several weeks - at least - of doing pretty much absolutely nothing. Ugh. Boring!
But God is amazing, and my friends have been doing their best to keep my mind off things. Thanks to those of you who have called, taken me out for dinner, and had me over for movies and chatting to get me out of the house. Probably my favorite night of the week is Monday, because I go over and we have '24 night' with Dallas and Nichole.
I've been helping out the best I can with Olympians, as well, which is a kids program at our church. Since the sling, it's been harder, but I can still do some. My Sunday school class is going well. My group of little ones has had 5-9 kids consistently. We had fun this week with a fan blowing 'water' as the storm that Jesus calmed, as the kids sailed the paper boats they made in the streamer waves.
We just started a Bible study at church called HaYesod, which is a video series about the Jewish history, and what many of the words in the Bible meant to the Jews back then, as well as how it relates to us now. It's a great study, and it has helped me to understand a lot better why things were said the way they were, and how important they were and are.
I'm also still babysitting Isabeau regularly, though I'm not sure how that will continue in the weeks following surgery. Yesterday I had an unexpected call for me to pick her up at school, which completely changed my day, since she had an extremely high temp. So I had her at my apartment for the whole day. My landlord was amazing, though. He carried her to and from my car, and even followed us to the doctor to take her in so I wouldn't have to carry her. He has 2 girls, and since he works downstairs, he kept checking on her, doting on her, and helping out regularly. He even brought a sippee cup, childrens motrin, and a thermometer down (they live upstairs) for her. What a blessing. She started bouncing back about the time her mom came to get her at 6ish. So it was a long day.
Another friend decided he wanted to make me a really good 'last meal' as he called it, so later in the evening, I went over for a delicious dinner of cajun catfish, beans w/slivered almonds, and garlic mashed potatoes. Mmm.
And now it's time for the big event. I'll be glad when it's over.

Vacation days!

 The snow took 3 hrs or so to shovel a path down the driveway last night. They wouldn't let Steve or I help, since we both have injured shoulders/backs. It took till late in the evening before the plows had even come through on the roads. So it's beautiful now, the sun is shining, and Sharis and I are hanging out waiting for, well, not sure. This afternoon I think we're going to do some grocery shopping for their Christmas dinner with Steve's family. We all realized last night, or rather, this morning when we went to bed at 6am, that we've been in Long Island for 5 days instead of the original 'one' we had planned. I was going to take a train back up to Albany last Fri or Sat, and now it's Mon down here. It has been sooo worth it to spend some extra time with Steve and Sharis. Kelsey and Mickey like to sleep with anyone who will let them, and since the couch in the "man's cave" downstairs is so comfy and big, no one minds.

While cooking, the smoke alarm kept going off, so Sharis and I had a routine down pretty quick - one of us would fan the smoke alarm with a towel while the other one used the door to the garage as a fan. The dogs weren't sure what to make of it, and Kelsey was so scared he was shaking. Poor little guy! As the picture shows, he, Mickey, and Tito come running and wait anxiously whenever any food is involved.

Did Someone Say Snow?

The Ingrassia's (Steve and Sharis) have decorated their house beautifully, and I love it!


This is insane! This afternoon Sharis and I headed out to do some errands, and then picked up Panera Bread for lunch on the way back. It had started to snow as we were at Walmart, and on the way home we did a 180 on black ice. Thankfully we were going slow, but it was definitely an adrenaline rush for me, as we came to a stop a few feet away from a telephone pole after fishtailing all over the road. We made it home with no further incidents, and it was a good story to tell the others.

Needless to say, I am staying with Steve and Sharis at least one more night (it's 1 1/2 hr drive back to their parents' place). Besides, I wanted to stay anyways, since we are having plenty of time to hang out and have fun. These are some pictures of their house. Steve has a 3 screen setup for his video games, as well as a big screen tv right in front of him and one behind him. The three dogs, Kelsey, Mickey, and Tito came running when we opened the cupboard. Smart dogs - they can open the doors, etc.
The snow hasn't stopped, and when I went outside at almost 10pm, the snow was all the way up to the top of my knees! One of the dogs tried to go out, but promptly sank in over his head in the snow, which was pretty funny. Poor Kelsey. It was at least 18-20" last I checked, and still snowing. We're going to be snowed in tomorrow, and possibly Monday. Not sure yet. I don't mind all that much; Sharis and Steve have fast become very good friends of mine. Here are a few pics of the snow at the house.

I've missed having someone so close to my age around. Sharis is 28, and we've done everything from Christmas shopping to wrapping gifts, to having tea while watching Sat morning cartoons. Steve has been telling me all about his favorite game, World of Warcraft. It's way beyond me, but I've been enjoying watching him play, and he doesn't mind in the slightest talking me through what he's doing as he plays, which makes it interesting for me to watch, and keeps my mind off the pain. 

NYC lights at Christmastime

The tree at Rockafeller Center was impressive, though the skating rink seemed pretty small. The lights are incredible.

As we walked towards Macy's, we passed some huge ornaments, as well as gigantic Christmas lights. A picture by Radio City was a must, and then after 10 or 15 blocks, we reached Macy's.

They went all out decorating the windows, complete with the miracle on 34th St. Inside, the arches, and the ornaments hanging from the ceiling made it pretty cool.

It was chilly, but nice, and the streets weren't very crowded, so it was really an ideal evening for it.

First Snow of the Year!

My little sister called me on Dec 5 to come help decorate the tree at my parents' house. I arrived, and as we were listening to 'Winter Wonderland' and working on the lights, it started to snow. Not just a little, but big, wet, beautiful snowflakes. She ran outside, no coat on, and started catching snowflakes on her tongue. Oh, the joys of the first snow! We went into town to get some ornaments from my apartment, and took a few pictures on the way. When we got back, we finished with the tree and she and Zachary went out for a snowball fight.

Christmas Tree Comes With Christmas Mouse!

We went to get a Christmas tree a couple weeks ago at a friends tree farm. The one we chose turned out to be a huge one. When we got it in the door at the house and laid it on the floor in the kitchen, the cats were curious, and Socks climbed up in the tree. A few minutes later I saw a little mouse on the kitchen floor, so I called the kids to come see. We caught the little guy in a tupperware container, and were talking about how cute he was, when he jumped up the side of the container. Joanna jumped back, I shrieked and jumped, Isabeau screamed, Gabe jumped, and the cats saw the mouse on the floor and leapt after it, chasing it back into the tree. It all happened in about 3 seconds, but it was hilarious after the fact. We had a Christmas mouse! A few days later, I woke up to find the Fajita (the other cat) playing with the dead mouse, and then she and Socks proceeded to eat it. Ugh. No more Christmas mouse. The cats still think the tree is their personal playland, and they toppled it over a couple days ago.

In NYC with the Ingrassia family

I'm in NYC for a few days! Tonight we're planning on heading out to see the Christmas lights. It's so nice to relax and just hang out with friends. It's chilly, and going to get worse, but the sun is shining and it's a great day. Last night Vic, Mary, and I went out for dinner at a place called Frenasia. I loved the atmosphere and the decor - dim red lights , red candles on the tables, and it overlooks the water - very nice. This morning I had a chance to chat with their mom, Peggy. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed our morning visits last time I was here. I hope to take some good pics tonight, so I'll put some up soon.

Adoration? A Crush? Love At First Sight?

Since I began staying with Joanna and her kids, Gabe(12) and Isabeau(4), I've taken the kids over to my parents farm several times. They and my siblings, JJoy(11) and Zachary(15), enjoy hanging out, playing with Smoky(JJoy's kitten) and Rusty(the dog), and doing pretty much anything. Zachary and Gabe share a love of video games, strategy games, and many other things such as bball, etc. Isabeau loves anything having to do with the big kids, and has been able to pick my sister and brother by name out of any picture since the beginning.
Another development has been that Isabeau has fallen head over heels for Zachary. All he has to do is smile at her, and she's gone. He and Seth came over to watch The Unit with me, and as soon as she heard he was coming, she informed us she would be waiting in the kitchen until he arrived. She was miserable when she found out she had to go upstairs instead of spending time with him. Several hugs later, and she went up, only to come down to get good night hugs from him a couple more times before staying upstairs. I took her to my parents house the other day, and she literally threw herself into his arms as soon as he asked for a hug. She hates leaving, writes notes to him during church (and delivers them to him in the back), talks about him a lot, and constantly wants to know when she can see him. She loves JJoy as well, and all 4 of them are awesome together, but she quite obviously adores him. It's really funny.

Thanksgiving Day!

God is so good. A friend of mine and her two kids were able to come over to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner, as well as a bunch of relatives, and even my brother who has been activated for deployment to Iraq shortly. Lots of laughs. Our little miss Isabeau (4) has fallen in love with Zachary, and spends as much time as possible in his presence. All the kids took off after dinner up to the barn where JJoy and Zachary introduced us to 'Extreme Bowling'. They had a lane set up with 2x2 lengths of wood, complete with a side strip for rolling the bowling ball (nerf ball) back to the bowler. Plastic pins finished out the bowling alley. Zachary, Gabe and I also tackled the ping pong, which I had not even attempted in years. When the adults joined us 'kids' up there, Joanna and I challenged each other as well. Everyone enjoyed the day and between mom and Joanna (my friend) there was plenty of food and some to spare.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving with my family, some relatives, and my roommate and her two kids. Lots of food, good fellowship, and even some ping-pong and 'bowling' in the barn after dinner. Here are some pics from our day.

Talk about accident prone!!

Yep, that would be me. I slipped on the wood stairs in our house last Saturday, and managed to get my shoulder stuck under me as I slammed down all 10+ stairs, landing with a thud at the bottom and waking my roommate with a bang. We're pretty sure it's the rotator cuff this time, and unfortunately on the same side as the previous injury, therefore inflaming the other muscles as well. I saw the doctor, who thinks I should wait to see what happens, as there is a good chance it is simply swollen, but not torn. Pray that's the case!
I am finding it's difficult to remember not to use that arm, because now it flares up randomly if I move it, and sometimes if I don't. Ugh.
But God is amazing. The other day I had a very cool conversation with a friend about how easy it is to see God's touch in creation. Seriously, everywhere I look, I see beauty that only a master artist could come up with. Isn't it gorgeous?! I love to go walking - in the field, down the road, through the woods, and anywhere else. How can people say there is no God? I just can't understand it. His love for us is displayed everywhere. Out in nature, particularly by or on the ocean, is the one place I feel at peace regardless of anything else going on.
I'm babysitting for a friend, so I'd better go check on the kids. One was sent to bed in tears for disobedience, and it seemed the end of the world - she wanted to see and be with 'Miss Lisa', and anything else was terrible. Another time, hopefully soon. I do love this family, and each of these 4 kids.
A cold day, but nice enough. I spent the afternoon making cookie dough to freeze and cranberry relish. Getting ahead feels great, but I'm having difficulties finding a place in the freezer for them.