I know, I seriously have to get more creative with my blog titles, but I'd rather put my energy into typing to all you crazy readers who actually enjoy reading about my life.
Why I love living in Wyoming: Opening this webpage to write this blog, looking up to think of a title, eating a piece of honeydew and seeing a doe meander across the backyard wilderness. Truly, can my life get any better?? At this moment, with my feet propped, the sun setting and the beautiful mountains as a backdrop, I don't think so.
Today has been a successful day, I got an A+ at my doctor follow up with permission to go back to work, bought my first honeydew which is absolutely perfect ripeness (giving myself a pat on the back for that one), AND rode Precious for the first time in a year. That in and of itself makes it a great day!
And the real reason for this blog is to share with you all my idioticy in not thinking ahead. Growing up we always had an ice machine on the freezer, so I never really learned the ins and outs of an ice tray. In my head it made sense that when one is empty, fill it up, put it on the bottom and put frozen one on top. Well, the problem with this theory is that the top one freezes to the bottom one, and THEN you have the issue of separating them without breaking the tray. Answer: hot water. Still not sure how to avoid it in the future, but hey that's what life is all about, create a problem and solve it!
And perhaps tomorrow I shall write more details for now a grand adventure with Pirates of the Carribean and Honeydew awaits me! Ahoy!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
One More Day
I'm going to do my best to write while I can before a wave of nausea makes me quit.
I guess one could say a theme of my life is "Go big or go home." If you are going to get appendicitis, might as well make sure you have gangrene, be in the middle of nowhere, WY, and do it during the busiest time at work. Right?? Right. I won't lie, despair has been a convicting companion through it all, but hope, light and joy are breaking through the darkness.
As I have been told, and believe myself I have a gift for finding good even in the darkest times and so I would like to share with you some of these good things/wonderings of my brain. Despite no longer possessing an appendix inside my body, I still have an Appendix right down the road. (Appendix is the breed of 1/2 Quarter Horse, 1/2 Thoroughbred). The cute male nurse in the ER must have thought I was crazy when every time he asked what kind of horse I had I kept answering "Appendix". Given, he didn't know what an appendix was (other than an organ), I can only imagine his thought process being along the lines of "yes, you are here to remove your appendix, but we aren't talking about that." So who would have thought of all the great fun jokes I can come up with between Precious and this? My appendix became a horse, my appendix lives on greener pastures now...Haha.
I have also wondered in my long hours in silence/alone-ness what on earth the purpose of such an organ that has no function but can kill you if infected is. The only explanation I could come up with is something like a protein, protein builds muscle, makes us stronger and we all know the phrase "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." If you get appendicitis it'll do one of two things: kill you or make you stronger. I've decided that your appendix is there for that little test that only 10% of the nation has to take. I'm pleased to announce that I have passed!
I was going to write a whole long entry on my experience of the hospital, but as I look back its all pretty fuzzy. I experienced morphine and all sorts of other fun narcotics for the first time. In all honesty, I hated it, I can not understand why people become addicted, besides eliminating the most horrific pain after surgery, it is a most gruesome drug. Yes, the hospital run down shall be for another day. In the meantime, while praying I wrote this little snippet while killing despair and searching for hope; I hope you like it. In realizing how lucky I am to have gotten off this easy, despite it being difficult, I really have no room to complain. No room at all. I could have cancer, my family could be deceased, I could have had complications, or no insurance. I am so very blessed, and so very glad to be just a little bit stronger, a little bit changed, and have one more day.
One more day to make a difference, one more day to change the world, one more day to say I love you, one more day to laugh. What a gift to have one more day, no matter the pains or sorrows, one more day to make a choice to live, to change, to grow, to give. Time is the one priceless gift we have that we cannot give or take, a gift to accept and do with as we choose. Many would kill for more time, one more day with a lost beloved or to do things different. We so often take for granted the day we have, to moan of a bad day or stress with things at the office. But what does it boil down to really, to see the value of life? A death? A tragedy? For a day of blessings is often taken for granted, especially the biggest one of all - one more day to walk this earth, one more day to give all you've got, one more day to bring a smile to a dark and lonely heart. Do not waste what you have been given, for it is just that, a day you have been given, do not waste such a priceless, precious, timeless gift.
And that is all I can handle. "For I am convinced that the sufferings of this present moment are nothing compared to the glories to be revealed to us through Christ our Lord."
I guess one could say a theme of my life is "Go big or go home." If you are going to get appendicitis, might as well make sure you have gangrene, be in the middle of nowhere, WY, and do it during the busiest time at work. Right?? Right. I won't lie, despair has been a convicting companion through it all, but hope, light and joy are breaking through the darkness.
As I have been told, and believe myself I have a gift for finding good even in the darkest times and so I would like to share with you some of these good things/wonderings of my brain. Despite no longer possessing an appendix inside my body, I still have an Appendix right down the road. (Appendix is the breed of 1/2 Quarter Horse, 1/2 Thoroughbred). The cute male nurse in the ER must have thought I was crazy when every time he asked what kind of horse I had I kept answering "Appendix". Given, he didn't know what an appendix was (other than an organ), I can only imagine his thought process being along the lines of "yes, you are here to remove your appendix, but we aren't talking about that." So who would have thought of all the great fun jokes I can come up with between Precious and this? My appendix became a horse, my appendix lives on greener pastures now...Haha.
I have also wondered in my long hours in silence/alone-ness what on earth the purpose of such an organ that has no function but can kill you if infected is. The only explanation I could come up with is something like a protein, protein builds muscle, makes us stronger and we all know the phrase "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." If you get appendicitis it'll do one of two things: kill you or make you stronger. I've decided that your appendix is there for that little test that only 10% of the nation has to take. I'm pleased to announce that I have passed!
I was going to write a whole long entry on my experience of the hospital, but as I look back its all pretty fuzzy. I experienced morphine and all sorts of other fun narcotics for the first time. In all honesty, I hated it, I can not understand why people become addicted, besides eliminating the most horrific pain after surgery, it is a most gruesome drug. Yes, the hospital run down shall be for another day. In the meantime, while praying I wrote this little snippet while killing despair and searching for hope; I hope you like it. In realizing how lucky I am to have gotten off this easy, despite it being difficult, I really have no room to complain. No room at all. I could have cancer, my family could be deceased, I could have had complications, or no insurance. I am so very blessed, and so very glad to be just a little bit stronger, a little bit changed, and have one more day.
One more day to make a difference, one more day to change the world, one more day to say I love you, one more day to laugh. What a gift to have one more day, no matter the pains or sorrows, one more day to make a choice to live, to change, to grow, to give. Time is the one priceless gift we have that we cannot give or take, a gift to accept and do with as we choose. Many would kill for more time, one more day with a lost beloved or to do things different. We so often take for granted the day we have, to moan of a bad day or stress with things at the office. But what does it boil down to really, to see the value of life? A death? A tragedy? For a day of blessings is often taken for granted, especially the biggest one of all - one more day to walk this earth, one more day to give all you've got, one more day to bring a smile to a dark and lonely heart. Do not waste what you have been given, for it is just that, a day you have been given, do not waste such a priceless, precious, timeless gift.
And that is all I can handle. "For I am convinced that the sufferings of this present moment are nothing compared to the glories to be revealed to us through Christ our Lord."
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Toe Saga, Friends and a Reunion
So I realize its been quite a while since I last blogged and last night while I was laying in bed I had this great dramatic story to intro of all that has been going on the last two weeks which totally disappeared with a day in the sun. Hmph. So instead I'll start at the end - I open at the close: phrase on the snitch in Harry Potter 7 - that is what I thought of as I wrote that.
The Toe Saga: The shelf fell, I screamed, I tried to ride, I blacked out, I sat and blogged. Life since then has revolved around a little tiny bone in the foot called the Right Fourth Phalanx. Who would have thought that such a tiny composition of calcium and blood and all sorts of good stuff could so totally alter the way you function on a day to to day basis? I thought toe injuries could just be brushed off. Guess not. After the incident and a week and a half of continued bruising, swelling, limping, pain and a funky looking toe I decided to go to Urgent Care and get an X-ray. The result: Multiple fracture. Lovely. Here is the divine part of all of this: Staff has been planning multiple week long hiking trips for the girls. Accidentally (the day before the shelf attack) I was not put on to actually hike, but rather to stay at the ranch. I considered it divine that I would not have to hike umpteen miles a day with this swollen monster. Then the site we were supposed to go (keep in mind this is mid July people) still had THREE FEET OF SNOW!! So the trip was postponed. Now starting the 25th we are going camping...intentionally I will be staying at the ranch. So, the diagnosis...after the initial x-ray I went to the podiatrist to see what to do about my poor nearly shattered bone. Fortunately no surgery needed. Unfortunately, assuming I stay off of it (an impossible feat), the recovery time is about 12 weeks for normal function and 6 months for it to be like the neighbor's toe. Though I do not say it out loud I refer to myself as hob-a-long Cassidy due to my limp, as opposed to Hop-a-long cassidy. I do hope that makes you smile as much as it has me. Despite this tragic tale of a phalanx, I have still managed to go on a six hour trail ride (before the first x-ray) to the riverbed and soaked my feet in ice cold water. I couldn't really get my boot on after that so I tied my boots to my saddle and rode home barefoot. Best and worst idea of the last few weeks. :). I say last few weeks because I tend to have a lot of best and worst ideas, which concludes this blog's update on the toe saga.
As for the friends part of this blog's title, my life is slowly somewhat making sense. I bought my first snappy and cowgirl hat (it is my favorite and quite practical), I've continued to enjoy the Cody rodeo, went to my first REAL western bar, and have enjoyed some community events like Shakespeare in the Park and the Clark Jamboree Parade. Shakespeare in the park, a group from Montana University, Bozeman. They travel all across Montana and Wyoming all summer performing two different plays in parks! Ours was inside though due to threatening weather. The play we saw was The Venice Merchant, or something like that. Sorry Shakespeare, terrible memory I have. It reminded me a lot of NET, when I saw them packing up their trailer of props and the stage set my heart pined for my team, the Silver Bullet and Taylor the Trailer. The jamboree parade was great, an old Ford Model A 1930 car decorated with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, lots of horses with owner dressed up in characters like Louis and Clark and Roy Rogers. AND they came back up the road so everyone got to see the parade twice. I love love love this little population of 300.
Now, as for the reunion part of all this, are you ready? Hold on tight. After nearly two years of separation, of inconsistent time together of being an ocean apart for six months and two counties for a year and a half my dearest friend and I have been reunited, Precious is safe in Wyoming on a giant pasture with fourteen other horses. She got in at 1 AM and oh how her voice enkindled my heart. I have a nickname for her and she knows it. As soon as I called her by it I heard the best sound in the world, her voice, she looked right at me and gave a hello nicker. (For all you non-horsey folk, yes horses have different tones to their neighs, after eleven years of a relationship with my girl, I know her voice). Words can not do justice the joy that voice brought me, that she recognized me and was happy to see me. And today taking the girls to the ranch Marie slowed the suburban down by her (the girls recognized that she was new) and when I called her she nickered again. My most beloved Precious is just as excited as me to be back in each others lives. Praise God, what a gift and a blessing. The JTL girls know she was mine, but I'm going to try to keep it on the down low from the other girls. Staff knows. OH how good it is to be around horses!!! Today I gave a lesson, it was wonderful and a piece of my heart, though full of God is enkindled again able to live in it's passion, with the gift that God made just for me...horses, and especially my girl. Two years and I'm home with her, with God, and I will rejoice in this gift for as long as He allows me to have it. Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad." And all I can say is AMEN!
And I continue to live happily ever after...
Of course if you know me or my blogs, you know that I learn many a new lessons every day, it is truly incredible. I should be a genius by now or something (or I just missed out on the common sense gene and am getting it through experience, :) ).
So here is what I've learned from Wyoming:
- Water bottles chill faster in a running river than the freezer (good thing there is one right out my door!)
- Leaving the window open while at work will inevitably mean it is going to rain. (All your books and bed get drenched when this happens!)
- Forgetting about the chicken you took out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge will make your nose cringe
- Still trying to figure out how to extract a DVD from a player that won't turn on. Have no idea how that happened. Ba!
- Buying HP7:part 2 tickets ahead of time and getting there right at commercials will save you a lot of time in lines. RIP waiting for new Harry Potter stuff. Cheers to finally moving on!
Well, for those of you who made it this far, thank you for taking an interest in my rather curious life, love you!
Oh yeah, before I forget. You know how when a rock hits your windshield, it leaves a big gap and then it spread in a unpredictable pattern across the glass? That is kind of what happened to my toe. A big gaping separation at the base which crawls up north (toward the tip), curves left (toward the big toe) and then travels south. Fun eh? Oh yeah, and when its taped and I walk normal I can feel that gap move...gross! Cheers!
Tracie
The Toe Saga: The shelf fell, I screamed, I tried to ride, I blacked out, I sat and blogged. Life since then has revolved around a little tiny bone in the foot called the Right Fourth Phalanx. Who would have thought that such a tiny composition of calcium and blood and all sorts of good stuff could so totally alter the way you function on a day to to day basis? I thought toe injuries could just be brushed off. Guess not. After the incident and a week and a half of continued bruising, swelling, limping, pain and a funky looking toe I decided to go to Urgent Care and get an X-ray. The result: Multiple fracture. Lovely. Here is the divine part of all of this: Staff has been planning multiple week long hiking trips for the girls. Accidentally (the day before the shelf attack) I was not put on to actually hike, but rather to stay at the ranch. I considered it divine that I would not have to hike umpteen miles a day with this swollen monster. Then the site we were supposed to go (keep in mind this is mid July people) still had THREE FEET OF SNOW!! So the trip was postponed. Now starting the 25th we are going camping...intentionally I will be staying at the ranch. So, the diagnosis...after the initial x-ray I went to the podiatrist to see what to do about my poor nearly shattered bone. Fortunately no surgery needed. Unfortunately, assuming I stay off of it (an impossible feat), the recovery time is about 12 weeks for normal function and 6 months for it to be like the neighbor's toe. Though I do not say it out loud I refer to myself as hob-a-long Cassidy due to my limp, as opposed to Hop-a-long cassidy. I do hope that makes you smile as much as it has me. Despite this tragic tale of a phalanx, I have still managed to go on a six hour trail ride (before the first x-ray) to the riverbed and soaked my feet in ice cold water. I couldn't really get my boot on after that so I tied my boots to my saddle and rode home barefoot. Best and worst idea of the last few weeks. :). I say last few weeks because I tend to have a lot of best and worst ideas, which concludes this blog's update on the toe saga.
As for the friends part of this blog's title, my life is slowly somewhat making sense. I bought my first snappy and cowgirl hat (it is my favorite and quite practical), I've continued to enjoy the Cody rodeo, went to my first REAL western bar, and have enjoyed some community events like Shakespeare in the Park and the Clark Jamboree Parade. Shakespeare in the park, a group from Montana University, Bozeman. They travel all across Montana and Wyoming all summer performing two different plays in parks! Ours was inside though due to threatening weather. The play we saw was The Venice Merchant, or something like that. Sorry Shakespeare, terrible memory I have. It reminded me a lot of NET, when I saw them packing up their trailer of props and the stage set my heart pined for my team, the Silver Bullet and Taylor the Trailer. The jamboree parade was great, an old Ford Model A 1930 car decorated with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, lots of horses with owner dressed up in characters like Louis and Clark and Roy Rogers. AND they came back up the road so everyone got to see the parade twice. I love love love this little population of 300.
Now, as for the reunion part of all this, are you ready? Hold on tight. After nearly two years of separation, of inconsistent time together of being an ocean apart for six months and two counties for a year and a half my dearest friend and I have been reunited, Precious is safe in Wyoming on a giant pasture with fourteen other horses. She got in at 1 AM and oh how her voice enkindled my heart. I have a nickname for her and she knows it. As soon as I called her by it I heard the best sound in the world, her voice, she looked right at me and gave a hello nicker. (For all you non-horsey folk, yes horses have different tones to their neighs, after eleven years of a relationship with my girl, I know her voice). Words can not do justice the joy that voice brought me, that she recognized me and was happy to see me. And today taking the girls to the ranch Marie slowed the suburban down by her (the girls recognized that she was new) and when I called her she nickered again. My most beloved Precious is just as excited as me to be back in each others lives. Praise God, what a gift and a blessing. The JTL girls know she was mine, but I'm going to try to keep it on the down low from the other girls. Staff knows. OH how good it is to be around horses!!! Today I gave a lesson, it was wonderful and a piece of my heart, though full of God is enkindled again able to live in it's passion, with the gift that God made just for me...horses, and especially my girl. Two years and I'm home with her, with God, and I will rejoice in this gift for as long as He allows me to have it. Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad." And all I can say is AMEN!
And I continue to live happily ever after...
Of course if you know me or my blogs, you know that I learn many a new lessons every day, it is truly incredible. I should be a genius by now or something (or I just missed out on the common sense gene and am getting it through experience, :) ).
So here is what I've learned from Wyoming:
- Water bottles chill faster in a running river than the freezer (good thing there is one right out my door!)
- Leaving the window open while at work will inevitably mean it is going to rain. (All your books and bed get drenched when this happens!)
- Forgetting about the chicken you took out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge will make your nose cringe
- Still trying to figure out how to extract a DVD from a player that won't turn on. Have no idea how that happened. Ba!
- Buying HP7:part 2 tickets ahead of time and getting there right at commercials will save you a lot of time in lines. RIP waiting for new Harry Potter stuff. Cheers to finally moving on!
Well, for those of you who made it this far, thank you for taking an interest in my rather curious life, love you!
Oh yeah, before I forget. You know how when a rock hits your windshield, it leaves a big gap and then it spread in a unpredictable pattern across the glass? That is kind of what happened to my toe. A big gaping separation at the base which crawls up north (toward the tip), curves left (toward the big toe) and then travels south. Fun eh? Oh yeah, and when its taped and I walk normal I can feel that gap move...gross! Cheers!
Tracie
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