The Fire Escape Escapade

It dawned on me that I had a bit of excitement the other day that I neglected to share with you. Now you'll have a tidbit to smile about. I'm sure many of you can picture me in this situation.
I was walking around the block one evening (gotta get my exercise somehow) when a woman in a car that I walked by called to me. She asked if a certain girl was my neighbor, and I told her yes (she and her boyfriend live in the apt beside mine). I was then told that the girl had locked herself out of the apt and had gone to the bar just down the street to see if she could get help. So I went down and got her, and unlocked the outside door. Todd was inside, asleep, and hadn't heard the buzzer or us pounding on the door, so we headed into my apt and started banging on the wall and yelling. It was no use - he didn't hear a thing! So we then proceeded to open my window, climb up and out onto the fire escape, maneuver the screen out and slide their window open as far as we could get it. Not even that woke him up, and it took both of us poking our heads into their bedroom and calling for him to wake up. Needless to say, he was somewhat startled to sit up and see us poking our heads through the blinds. He did come open the door and let her in at that point and I continued on my walk.
At least now we have tested the fire escape and, for the record, it appears it will work just fine in the event of an emergency.

Census Training - My Soapbox of the Day

You never know when you'll learn something new! For instance, the last 3 days of Census training have been a lesson in how inefficient the government can be and how it really IS possible to learn nothing in almost 25 hrs of trying your level best to learn SOMETHING from a crew leader chosen by our amazing federal government! And did I mention that these past days supposedly 'equipped us' to count how many people are in our county? Seriously, if everyone doing our job had the training we did, I feel sorry for each of you. I guarantee mistakes WILL be made. So much for the budget being accurately distributed! There's NO way it'll be right. On top of that, I have only so much confidence in several of my fellow census takers. Some of the questions people were puzzling over were so simple I wanted to tell them if they couldn't figure it out, they were in the wrong job! Come on Americans, a little common sense would go a long ways!
I did have several classmates I enjoyed talking with. One was a retired US Marshal who also spent several years doing witness protection. Talk about some good stories. One gal had a great sense of humor and kept joking and inserting comments under her breath making me and the US Marshal laugh. The other guy I was sitting next to is a retired Shriner. I was unaware until now that there is really an organization whose only purpose is to go out and party every weekend of the year. This weekend they are going to NYC, but other weekends it could be anywhere in the country. (Hmmm...I'd guess being rich is a requirement.) He also had a good sense of humor, and between the four of us we made enough comments to get us through the day in a pretty good frame of mind. Of course, the coffee and chocolate espresso beans did their fair share as well. Ah...caffeine!
So next week the work begins. I am a Group Quarters Enumerator, which means I'll be going to hospitals, dorms, jails, and wherever else groups of people are living. It'll be interesting, and I'm actually looking forward to it.

TV/DVD Player? Maybe?

Yesterday a friend from the armory gave me a tv/dvd player. Just a wee bit later than he intended. I think of Dan as a brother, but I also have gotten to know many of his weaknesses in the years I've known him. One of which is that he is NEVER in a hurry, and often forgets things - for a LONG time. Which is why a couple of us have been giving him a hard time for telling me he'd bring the tv with him, oh, about a month ago. Ron and I both started teasing him the other day, and he shocked me (in a good way) when he went home on his lunch break to pick it up, and actually remembered to bring it in! So now it is sitting in the back of my car waiting for a couple macho guys to carry it in for me. At least I'm a step in the right direction!

Life Can Get Crazy In A Hurry

What a day! This afternoon Mark showed us some of the things he brought back from Iraq. We (Mark, JJoy, Zachary, and I) also played some Spades, which I am proud to say Zachary and I won. :) Not that ANY of us siblings are competitive at ALL. Seriously though, we had a lot of fun.

I am putting together a box to send to Seth in Afghanistan, so I made cookies this afternoon. In doing so I managed to set off the smoke alarm - not once, but every time I opened the oven door. I had to go get my neighbor, Todd, to come show me how to take care of it. After it went off many times I snagged my neighbor on the other side (also Todd)as he walked by and he came and unplugged the alarm for me. In and around the edges I managed to go for a walk with a friend, get the dishes done, and have a meeting with two ladies. After finishing the cookies I had to run to the store for some ingredients to do the rice krispie treats. Getting back from Bennington in time to watch 24 with my friends was tight timing, but I made it. So the krispie treats had to wait till after the show, but it's 11pm now and I'm done with them and ready for bed.

Ahh...Springtime!

In the 60's all week, and I'm loving it! I'm attempting to get back in shape, so I've been out walking every day. After not being able to exercise or do much of anything since surgery, I'm thoroughly enjoying my freedom. My doctor is so happy with my progress that I can now lift up to 10lbs (though my therapist isn't too sure about going from 0 to 10lbs all at once). Of course, if it gets worse again I lose that privilege, but for now, I'll take what I can get. :)
I hope to get some pictures up soon. Due to the fact that I can't upload pictures via my blackberry phone (or at least I don't know how), and I don't have internet at my apartment, and therefore I've been using my phone to post things, I've neglected the photos. Soon, though. And then there will be a bunch, I'm sure.

St. Patrick's Day

I don't understand why all the excitement about this day. I mean, this area may have a lot of Irish people, but seriously, the ENTIRE town participates! Today was gorgeous, so I went out for a walk and saw everything from green hair to green shoes to green faces! I wasn't wearing green, because it simply doesn't matter to me in the slightest, but I don't think I saw anyone else NOT wearing at least several green articles of clothing. Kids and adults alike spent the day showing off their costumes, eating corned beef and cabbage, and drinking a LOT of green beer in the bars as they partied with their friends. I just don't see the importance of it. But apparently I'm missing something, because EVERYONE else does. The crazy thing is, I'm pretty sure that unlike many of the revelers, I'm actually part Irish!

Wow! Wow! And Wow Again!

At my therapy appointment my therapist told me I'm ahead of schedule with my range of motion, but not to get my hopes up about my post-op appt this afternoon because my orthopedic surgeon is a stickler about his protocols and she'd never had him give the ok for moving ahead faster than the protocol said to. Since I was offered a part time job with a coffee shop, I was going to ask him if I could have permission to work if I didn't lift much with that arm. Jis instructions were that I couldn't start using even 1lb weights for another 2 weeks, and no more than 5lbs for another 6 weeks. So I knew he probably wouldn't go for it.
Amazingly, when he came in, checked my range of motion, and did his post-op routine, he told me he was thrilled with my progress. When I asked about work, he thought for a second and then said "I don't see why not!" He proceeded to tell me he was also going to place my weight restrictions at 10lbs instead of 0-5lbs! I was, and still am, in shock. It's about as unlike him as you can get!
I will be looking into that job more later today, since I'm still weighing the pros and cons. But God is definitely on the throne and working out his plans.

Is It Springtime?

Well, our weather has improved - finally! Yesterday made it up to 54 degrees, or a little more. I was thrilled and immediately headed out to find my favorite place by the river. However, I'd forgotten that place was further up into the mountain, so when I arrived I had no place to park - the snow berms were to high. Also, the river was frozen over. Maybe I got a little too excited a little too early. Soon, though. Very soon, I hope.

What a Weekend!

Talk about a lot happening in a few days! Where to start?
Thursday I had a treatment in Rutland. All my favorite nurses were working, and within a few minutes all had come by to say hi. Jim is in charge, Cathy was the nurse assigned to me, and Chuck is another who was on the other side of the room. She tries to bring me a couple books from the nurses library each time I'm there.
As the treatment was finishing up almost 5hrs later I received a call from my orthopedic surgeon giving me the good news that I can remove the sling for the most part and I can start driving again! It's been 5 weeks since surgery, and my therapist says I'm making excellent progress with my range of motion.
An hour after that phone call another came in from a coffee shop I had applied to several weeks ago. They wanted to do an interview the next day! So Friday morning I was preparing to head out to that when I got another call letting me know I made it to the next level of the interview process at a bank 20 min away.
The interview went very well, and I think I'd really enjoy working there.
The whole thing is a reminder that God's timing is perfect. Even if I don't get the job it's awesome to realize that though financially things are difficult, I didn't have to worry about taking time off from work for the surgery or recovery time, and there's no denying that to hear about 2 job possibilities within a day of the news of recovery is a God thing.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon with relatives, and actually had more energy for the entire day than I've had in the two years since the accident. We took the kids down to collect sap from the maple trees on my aunt and uncle's land. 4 buckets full of sap taken back up to the barn to start boiling it down into syrup. We also spent some time with the goats they have - two of which were 1 day old. Very small, and the kids loved holding them. Some time messing around in the hay in the loft, and then it was time to get going.
An hour later I was at a Sportsman banquet at our church. Many people attended, and everyone had a great time. This morning I had 6 girls in Sunday School 'creating' pictures with noodles, rice, beans, and spaghetti. After the service we had a 'job fair' of ministry opportunities.
All in all, it's been an interesting few days. Can't wait to see what this week has in store.

The Joys of a Blackberry

I've come to the conclusion that I am one of the electronically challenged. I've become one of those with a blackberry. The problem is, I can't figure out how it works! I've even gone so far as to read the manual - every word. I'm slowly understanding more, but for some reason there are certain things that I just can't figure out! Still, I do like being able to get online any time, and unlimited texting IS handy. I even have access to TV on the phone! (Though that's one of those things I haven't figured out yet. :)

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.