Walk This Way

Though I'm not sure at what age I took my first steps, I never thought I would have to learn to walk a second time in my life. I really thought when I mastered it as a toddler that would be it.

I was wrong. I went an entire month without walking, at least without walking in my normal fashion. I hobbled all over the place, just didn't really walk. There were times in that month when I would be hobbling through the store with the husband and tell him my left hip hurt. I was putting all my weight on that hip because of my bum right foot.

Now that I'm back in tennis shoes, I'm wondering if I didn't seriously mess up my hip. It's a concern that grows more into an overwhelming fear with each day. I literally think about EVERY step I take. I try so hard to walk "normal". It seems no matter what I do I still come down strong on my left foot. My walking looks very clunky!

Today the husband and I were out shopping and he kept telling me to walk normal. It is frustrating because I can't.

I'm honestly worried that I may never walk normally again. I just keep praying that as time goes by I won't have to think about walking anymore. It will come naturally again.

"How's the foot?"

I have been asked that question more times than I can count in the past few days. It amazes me the number of people who are praying for me and my foot. It has truly been a blessing and I absolutely appreciate every one's prayers and concern.

I have to tell you the past few days have not been easy. In fact, they have been down right hard. Everyone told me the third and fourth day after surgery would be the worst, but that hasn't been the case at all. The first few days after being back in a tennis shoe have been the worst.

Thursday I got a little crazy and acted like I was instantly healed just because I put a tennis shoe on my foot. I started the day early by going to Mardel for the Educator's Sale. I wasn't in there very long, but I was in there long enough. When I finished there I drove out to school to see how the new building was coming along.

I went home after that, but I didn't stay down very much at home. I was so caught up in trying to walk like a normal human being again. I have never thought so much about every step I'm taking. I felt like I was learning to walk all over again. I figured to master walking normal again I need to practice so I walked all over our house. Thursday night I was off to Bible Study which means I spent a huge part of my day in my tennis shoes walking around.

By the time I got home from Bible Study my right calf muscle was cramping like something fierce. It would not stop cramping and I finally just lost it. I was bawling! I mean absolutely sobbing. My leg hurt but I was crying more out of tiredness and frustration. Up until this point everything about my surgery has been so easy. Andrew would just laugh at me and my hysterics which would only cause me to cry more. He finally managed to get me calmed down enough so he could do my toe stretches.

Friday I was the same way. My leg was still cramping, my foot was ugly, and I was just ready for it to be all better again.

After no sleep Friday night and cramping all day Saturday, I finally made a trip to Wal-Mart for some icyhot. Let me just tell you I think I've become an icyhot addict. I might not smell so good these days, but my legs sure feels better.

I also bought a new pair of tennis shoes today. Andrew and I decided I needed some wide shoes. I had no idea how hard it was to find a pair of shoes in wide. Lady Foot Locker and Champs don't even carry wide sizes. How crazy is that!! It was a frustrating process. I started just trying on every wide pair of shoes in my size regardless of how ugly they were. It seemed like every pair I tried on had no cushion. I ended up with a pair of nikes that are very comfortable.



So I had a few rough days but things are starting to turn around. The foot is good and the leg is feeling a little better each day. I just have to remember it doesn't heal overnight. :)

Mudbath & Tennis Shoes

I have never had a mudbath. Have you? I personally do not know what is so relaxing about laying in a tub of mud, but maybe that is because I've never experienced it.

Liam Bailey, however, has apparently really taken a liking to mudbaths. Monday the little guy had two normal baths. These followed the bath he got Sunday night. He looked like someone dipped him in brown paint. I tried to describe just how dirty he was to the husband. I had never seen him this dirty. He was absolutely FILTHY.

Last night when the husband and I got home from a Lowes & Wal-Mart run I opened the back door to let them in. Liberty came right in, but Liam didn't even come when I called for him. I hobbled around the house to look for him and I found him taking one of his glorious mudbaths. He had squeezed himself between the air conditioner unit and the house. I guess it nice and cool there.

He was again covered in mud.

I don't think this picture does the filth justice. HA!!

As soon as the husband put him in the water, it instantly turned brown.


He obviously like mudbaths. Maybe I should give them a try.

Now on to the tennis shoes. I'm officially back in them as of today. I had my 4th post-op visit this morning.

It started off just like the last three visits with x-rays and cleaning the foot. After that things got bad...at least for me.

The assistant was to show me how to do my toe exercises. These are to help me with range of motion and to keep my big toe from turning up.

He grabbed my toe just above my scare with one hand and the my foot just below my scar with the other hand. He holds the bone still in my foot and then bends my toe forward and holds it for 10 seconds. I instantly felt sick. I really hoped that was it, but no such luck. He then did the same thing but this time he bent my toe back.

It hurt so bad! It felt like if had pushed my toe even just a little more, it would have popped off. He and Drew both said I was turning green.

After he showed me my exercises, I was to put my tennis shoe on. I got my sock on no problem, but the tennis shoe was a different story. It hurts my big toe. I ended up having Drew put my shoe on for me. I just couldn't inflict that my pain on myself.

I had to sit there a few minutes before I could try to stand up. I really believe that if I had been standing I would have passed out. I got very hot very quickly and was feeling like I was going to throw up. Not good. I felt bad for not handling all this better. I knew I was being ridiculous, but I couldn't help it.

I finally hobbled out of there still on my heel only. I was scared to try to walk any other way. The husband brought me home and put me to bed. He offered me everything under the sun before he left for work. He wanted to make sure I was comfortable. Before he left, he told me I did good today. I instantly started crying. Here I was feeling like a big baby and feeling guilty because of it and he was telling me I did good.

He is the ABSOLUTE BEST!! I'm so thankful that he took off work this morning to go with me. God knew how much I was going to need him this morning.

Since being home I've taken my shoe off and put it back on all by myself. I'm put a little more weight on it and walked a little more normal. I know it is just going to take time and practice. Right now it is propped up and iced down. Because it isn't tightly wrapped anymore, swelling is to be expected. We're trying to keep that to a minimum.

A Little Randomness

**I have to use the computer hooked to our television right now. This means the TV is my monitor. I have to make the font HUGE in order to be able to see it without sitting at the foot of the bed. Why you ask? Because yesterday as I was sitting in the living room working on my laptop, I began to smell fire. The next thing I know I hear fire crackling behind me. My laptop charger was on fire Literally on fire!! When I tried to unplug it one of the prongs burned off and was stuck in the outlet. I managed to get it out, but according to my husband last night... I should have called the electrician in the family to do this. Oops! It was a little frustrating because I had just gotten that new charger last week. I have ordered a new one that will hopefully be here soon and last a little longer.

**Last night as I was laying in bed reading with the TV of and the house silent I heard firecrackers that sounded like they were in my house. I jumped to the ceiling nearly. I hurried and put my shoe on and took off outside. When I opened the front door I couldn't see anything but smoke. Once the smoke cleared I saw that there was a group of kids running at the other end of the street. A girl across the street said it was a group of boys and that they took off running. There is a slew of firecrackers on my welcome mat. That's how close they were. Needless to say I WAS NOT HAPPY. I started to call the police, but didn't see what good it would do as I couldn't identify the boys and they had already disappeared. I know that because I jumped in my car and drove around. I don't know what I would have done had I saw them, but like I said, I wasn't happy.

**I have been a HUGE prayer warrior for the husband the past week or so. I always pray for him, but lately I have just been heartbroken for him. Working 16 hour days in another state is not easy for him, especially when he doesn't feel appreciated for it. There are a ton of other details that go along with this but they don't really matter for my point which is this...my prayers are being answered. The husband has received some really good news about work. I have been praising God like crazy for the answered prayers these past few days. I love that I never cease to be amazed and humbled with God answers prayers.

**I have been in my surgical shoe 2 weeks and I have 2 weeks to go. I went for my 2nd post-op visit yesterday. My stitches were all under the skin except the knots on each end so they removed the knots yesterday. I had more x-rays and everything still looks good. I have to go back at least 2 more times to have my foot cleaned and rewrapped as well as x-rays done. I have to tell you...I'm ready to have my foot back to normal. It is healing so it itches like crazy, but there is nothing I can do about it. And this shoe...what a pain!! I can't tell you the number of times since my surgery that people have told me they hear that bunion surgery is the most painful surgery ever. My doctor even told me this yesterday. All I can say is that I am so glad no one told me before my surgery. I have had the best surgical experience of my life. Yes, I know it's my only surgical experience, but seriously...VERY LITTLE pain. The worst part has been staying down and wearing my surgical shoe. Other than that there was nothing to this surgery.

**I have decided that I want to work on the decor in my home. My home feels very blah to me. I'm not good at decorating though. I can't envision things very well. The husband and I spend 98% of our time home in our bedroom. No lie! I want to change that. I feel like some decor will help me. I have found some paintings I LOVE for my dining area on etsy. Problem is they are over $300. OUCH! Good news! I have a dear friend who paints and believes she can do something very similar for me for a much lower price. I'm excited about the few ideas I have. Be expecting some post wanting your input in the near future. :)

**June is at its end and I still have no motivation to work on anything school related. Sure it is my summer and I should enjoy, but I am teaching math in less than 2 months people. I need to be planning!!! Praying that motivation kicks in soon....like in the next week or so.

First Post-Op Visit

Yesterday afternoon the husband took me to my first post-op visit. I was more than ready for this doctor's visit. It was a chance to get out of the house and lately those seem to be few and far between. I was also very curious about what my foot looked like.

I was feeling pretty good when we arrived at the foot and ankle clinic. They called my name and the husband and I walked to the end of the hall to my room. Okay so he walked and I hobbled.

The nurse came in and laid this plastic on the ground under my foot. I immediately began to feel sick. Just how bloody and gross was my foot going to be? The doctor stopped by and let the nurse know that we needed to do x-rays. GREAT! More hobbling!

Going down to the hall to have x-rays done was just about more than I could handle. I thought I was going to get sick right then and there. Standing up for x-rays took everything I had. It was just plain awful.

After x-rays the nurse came in and started cutting off my bandage. Literally cutting it off. There was a lot of stuff wrapped around my foot.


I turned my head. Seeing my foot wasn't such a good idea all of a sudden.

Having it unwrapped and able to breathe felt really good. I finally got up the courage to take a peek. I didn't think it looked like bad at all. Not even a little bit gross.



The doctor said everything looked great! My bone and the pin they put in are exactly where they are supposed to be. I go back next week to have x-rays done again and have my bandages changed again. I was glad to learn that I will never have to change my own bandages. That is something that is better left to the professionals.

After we left the doctor's office, the husband rewarded me with a butterfinger ice cream bar. I LOVE these and they are getting harder and harder to find!!

We went by his office so he could drop off some paperwork and then we headed to Joy's. They had some crutches they were going to let me borrow. We ended up being at their house for several hours. Joy and I talked while the boys played indoor golf. They always come up with something to entertain themselves.


We ended up staying through dinner. Joy made us the most delicious chicken quesadillas! They were so good!! I only ate half of mine so Joy wrapped my other half up for me for lunch today.

After we left Joy's we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some food for me and some travel items for the husband. He left for San Antonio early this morning. I cruised around Wal-Mart on this bad boy....



Let me just tell you, they don't go fast AT ALL!! It was awful. The husband kept asking me if I was flooring it. LOL!!


This long day completely wore me out. I think I might have over did it. I was in pain by the time I got home last night and still had a little pain this morning.

It's much better now, but my tailbone is getting sore. Ha! Staying in bed all day every day can be rough on a girl.

Bye Bye Bunion!!

I woke up this morning to the sweetest text message from my little brother. He had to work today and couldn't come down to be with me during surgery even though he wanted to.

I really wasn't nervous this morning, but I was hungry!! Not being able to eat after midnight was not good for me. I busied myself with some last minute cleaning to help keep my mind off things.

The husband and I then drove out to my school to pick up my paycheck. On the way back from there, already running late, I realized I didn't have my insurance card. Not Good!! They told me to make sure I had it with me.

We stopped at home and searched frantically for it, but had no success. I called the surgical center and they thankfully said they had my info just to come one.

On the way to surgery

We got there about fifteen minutes late. My parents were there waiting on me. Before I went back I gave my daddy his Father's Day gift... a gift card to Gander Mountain, a local sporting goods store. I was afraid I would be too loopy afterwards to remember.

All this time, my sweet husband was on the phone. He might be physically here with me but bless his heart, he has been on the phone working nonstop today. His day off isn't so restful.

After just a few short minutes they called me back. My nurse was a sweet lady. I told her I had never had anything like this done and was a little scared. She took good care of me. She marked my foot so they didn't cut on the wrong one. In fact every nurse or doctor I talked to verified that we were cutting on the right foot. That was comforting.


She gave me this beautiful cap and gown to wear. Why on Earth I add to strip down naked to have my foot cut on is beyond me.


Anyway... she gave me my first ever IV. It wasn't bad at all. I normally don't have a problem with shots and needles as long as I don't see them, but this was new and wasn't coming right back out.

Feeling the fluid move through my veins was a little weird. Very cool though. I just kept thinking it would be cool to do something like this in science class, not that I can give all my kids an IV. HA!!

After I was all prepped the husband was finally able to join me. He stayed with me a little while and prayed with me. Then he left and let my Momma come visit. In no time at all my doctor had arrived and they were wheeling me back to the OR.


I'll admit the OR was a little scary. Even though there were nurses and doctors in the room, I felt all alone. And those big lights up above and all the white... just a little freaky.

An older gentlemen gave me my oxygen mask and was talking to me about how I was going to take a little nap. The next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery. The husband said it took about 45 minutes for the surgery and then I was in recovery for about 45 minutes. Not bad all!!

My parents brought me home while the husband went to have my prescription filled and pick up lunch for everyone.

I've just been laying around with the foot propped up. I have to keep it elevated above my heart until Monday afternoon when I go back to the doctor. I can't unwrap it or anything and I would really like to see it. She gave me stitches under the skin...would like to see what that looks like. I'm just curious.


I have to wear my surgical boot for 4 weeks, but I can walk in it. After that I have to wear athletic shoes for two months. That is going to be attractive with my dress pants at work. :) Won't me new students think I'm so cool!!

My sweet furbabies are taking good care of me. :) It amazes me that they know something is different.

I have definitely felt all the prayers that have gone up on my behalf. I wasn't anywhere near as nervous as I thought I would be. I never really got too nervous at all actually.

I have received a TON of calls, text, and messages through facebook today. I can't even begin to tell you how blessed and loved I have felt today. I have the best friends and family a girl could ask for!! I can't say thank you enough to all those you have prayed and loved on me already.

Tuesday Night Ramblings

I'm sitting here tonight feeling a variety of emotions.

I can't stop smiling. I feel God working on me and even though some of the things he is revealing aren't pretty, it is so incredible to know He loves me and cares about me so much.

One of my favorite songs says

Your love is extravagant. Your friendship intimate.

I love those words. Extravagant. Awesome, cool, neat, amazing, super... these are all words that I feel are overused. I'm guilty of overusing them. But extravagant?
You don't hear that word often. At least I don't.

Of course part of my smile has to do with the fact that the husband is coming home tomorrow. I am so stinkin' excited and ready to have him back. It has been a long 2 1/2 weeks.

It's looking like he won't be home long at all before he is gone again. I'm planning to finish my recovery in Dallas where he will be.

That's right surgery is coming up. In fact it is Thursday. The DAY AFTER TOMORROW! Yikes!! Either way for the next month I'm going to be in bed with my leg propped up. I'd prefer to do that in the same state as my husband. :)

I'm getting a little nervous about surgery. I don't find it a coincidence that the week of my surgery, the Bible study I'm doing talks about anxiety or worry.

God is good like that.

So I'm clinging to a couple of verses tonight. Verses I've know for a long time, but seem different to me today.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern. 1 Peter 5:7 (a paraphrase)

Lately I have really felt the need to memorize Scripture. In the past I've always wanted to do this just so I could say I knew Scripture. I've struggled with hiding his word in my heart.

Now I want to memorize Scripture so that I might not sin against him. I want the scripture in my heart to help me fight off Satan.

But I feel a little overwhelmed. I want to learn like a bazillion Scriptures instantly. God has shown me so many things in my life that I need to work on that it is hard to know where to start. And I wonder how important the reference is. Is it enough for me to know the scripture, or should I know where to find it?

I'm going to start with the two above. Worry is a big problem for me. Even though I "know" those two verses, I don't apply them very well. I'm not sure if they are truly hidden in my heart. Does that even make sense?

Sorry.. I know I'm rambling and I'm all over the place tonight. I'm honestly just writing as stuff pops into my head.

Would you mind sharing a scripture that you have memorized that has been particularly helpful to you?

Numbers

I am twenty-six years old. I have been married for six years. I have zero kids. Some people have a hard time understanding why that is so, especially when they know I want kids. All that together makes Mother's Day fill me with a range of emotions wider than I think I've ever known.

I have ten loving and caring sibling-in-laws. One of them understands what it is like to wait for a child. She waited ten years before trying to conceive and then another three before God blessed her with this beautiful little girl.

Jill blessed me Sunday evening with a mother to be gift. No we are not expecting, but someday I will be a mom. And that qualifies me for a mom to be. :) I was so surprised to receive a gift and even more thrilled when I opened the box and found this.


I posted about wanting one of these two months ago.
I can't wait to get it into my flowerbed. Mine is pink and green which go perfectly with our huge tree and nine azaleas.



There are seventeen days of school left. Two of those are student-free days.

My surgery is in thirty-seven days. I will not be able to walk or drive for at least thirty days afterwards. Right now all things in my life are measured around those thirty days. Everything must be done before the 17th of June or after the 17th of July.

Andrew will be going to Texas soon, possibly on the 15th of this month. The number of days he will be gone is MUCH bigger than I like. While he isn't one hundred percent sure, the number of days gone will probably be bigger than fourteen. I will be home alone with our two dogs during that time. I already have lots planned to keep myself busy.

With all these numbers, I might just be ready to teach math next year.

Happy Tuesday!!

The Big Day

I called yesterday afternoon and scheduled my bunion surgery. The big day is June 17. As soon as I scheduled it, I immediately felt sick to my stomach. Scheduling it just made it more real.

I know that I am not the first time to have surgery. I'm not even the first person to have this particular surgery. None of that, however, changes the fact that I'm scared.

I know I can't spend the next three and a half months worrying about this. I'm trying to focus on Matthew 6:34, which says “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

I know worrying is a sin. My sweet husband reminds me of this often. I'm a bit of a worry wart. I don't mean to be.

But I do know that I don't want to spend my life worrying and be scared from now until June 17.

Instead, I'm going to spend the next three and half months praying for peace. Or even better, complete bunion healing. :) I know my God is capable of that!

Plan B

For several months, the husband and I have been dreaming about vacationing here...


and here...



All of that flew out the window when we learned I needed surgery. The surgery means that no matter what we do, if we want to take a vacation it needs to be done before surgery day. That will hopefully be scheduled tomorrow.

I would love to do the grand canyon before the surgery, but the husband doesn't want me to be doing that much walking on my foot.

The husband said he would be fine just taking a week off work and spending it at home so he could rest. I, however, am going to be confined to our home for at least a month this summer, so I want to go somewhere.

Being the great husband he is he said whatever I wanted to do is fine. :)

I'm thinking a short relaxing vacation. Not a lot of going this time. Maybe this bunion could be blamed on all the walking we did in D.C. last year.

I'm drawing a blank on coming up with a Plan B for our vacation. Any ideas? I was kind of thinking Gulf Shores in Alabama or the beach in South Carolina. Anyone ever done either of these? Anything to do other than the beach? Any other suggestions? We are open to ideas.

Would You Rather?

What a fun game to pass the time! My sweet husband and his friends have come up with some of the nastiest "Would You Rather" questions I've ever heard. I'm talking make you lose your appetite for days kind of nasty. And of course they make these up while we are eating.

Today's visit with the podiatrist left me with my own "Would You Rather" question. She basically gave me three options.

Option #1: Get a cortisone shot, which she offered to give me today. This does not fix the bone deformity, but it takes away the pain. She said she injected herself two years ago and hasn't had any pain since. With this option the chances of me needing surgery some day are still very high. I did not take the cortisone shot today. Something about it just scared me a little. I wasn't prepared to take any sort of action that quickly. I needed time to think it all over.

Option #2: Go ahead and have the surgery. They would put me to sleep. While that terrifies me, it is definitely a lot less terrifying than being awake hearing the sound of them sawing away at my bone. I would wear a boot and be banned from driving and walking for a month. That's right. Very little to NO walking for an entire month. Crazy. After that month, it's another two months before I can run, jog, or do any sort of exercise. And probably a year before I'm completely healed. They put in rods to keep the bone in place. She said 9 out of 10 times this will permanently fix the problem.

Option #3. No surgery. There is a good chance that my foot will continue to get worse. Eventually my big toe will curve behind all my little toes. At this point they would no longer do bunion surgery. The pain is no longer at the location of the bunion. It is on the toe next to your big toe because it is up high since it is on top of your big toe. It rubs against your shoe and that is what causes pain at this point. There is an easier surgery to fix this. Forget cutting off the bone, they cut off your entire second toe. How crazy is that!!

So.... Would you rather have your bone cut off or your toe cut off?

I am going with option #2. Since I will need to be off my foot for a month, I am not going to do it during Spring Break next month. I'm going to wait until this summer. Once Andrew and I find out what our share of the cost will be, we will schedule a date. This also means that if we plan to take a vacation this summer we will have to do it as soon as school is out. Once I have this surgery there will be no hiking through the Grand Canyon like we were dreaming about.

I'm definitely scared about all this, but at the same time I have such peace about it. I know that it will all be okay. And option 2 is definitely better than option 3. The longer I wait to have the surgery the worse this bunion is going to get and the harder my recovery time will be.

This all means it looks like my summer will be spent wearing a not so fashionable boot and staying off my foot. I will just read and scrapbook all day. :) Only question is... who's going to bring me food. I might have to move my bed into the kitchen. HA! That would make for great pictures for my Project 365.

Mid Week Ramblings

Today has been the first day in what feels like forever that I was back to my routine. Even thought I was back at work yesterday, it was off because of a field trip. I always enjoy coming back to work after a break. I have the greatest students this year.

Yesterday, one of my students overheard me telling a co-worker that I might have to have surgery because of my bunion. So of course the questions were flying today. I described what was going on in my foot and showed them a couple of pictures on my computer. Naturally all the boys thought it was the coolest thing and the girls were sick to their stomach. Seriously, they have to put the nastiest pictures they can find online. The pictures and discussion brought the following statements from my students:

"Wouldn't it be cool if they cut your foot off, Mrs. Weaver"

"Yeah, then you could have a steel foot."

"Just don't kick us."

"Get an athletic foot so you can chase us down the hall."

"Then her right foot would be faster than her left one and she'd be running in circles like this." (He then demonstrated)

Aww. Gotta love 7th graders. Of course they make me laugh. I would like to take a couple of them to surgery with me. I'd be laughing to hard to worry.

If I have to have surgery on my foot, I'm really praying I can schedule it during Spring Break. It's not exactly how I want to spend my break, but I really don't want to miss any more days of school. Of course, it looks like Drew will be in Tulsa that week. No fun for me. I've talked to my little brother and he says he'll come stay with me a few days. My daddy will also be off work for the first part of the week if I need him. I'm going to need someone and not just to hold my hand. I could be wrong, but something tells me I won't be able to drive after they saw off a bone in my right foot.

Okay...on to things other than my disgusting bone deformity. I'm going to the EWomen Conference in Tulsa in just a few weeks. As of right now I'm going alone. Any of you ladies want to join me? I'm really going to be alone. Because their dates got pushed back, Drew won't be in Tulsa during this time. He's going a month later. This means I'm staying alone in a hotel room. I've never done this before. It will be strange, but I know I'll be fine. I'm looking forward to that alone time with God. And I CANNOT wait to meet Karen Kingsbury. This will be a dream come true for me.

We are also looking forward to attending a very special evening for my great uncle. He is being inducted into the Army Hall of Fame. This is going to be a complete surprise to him. He believes he is just speaking at an ROTC Ball, which he has done before. When we asked what we should wear, we were told that Andrew should wear a suit. Easy enough. But we were told I could wear anything from a dress I would wear to church to something very fancy. So now I'm completely clueless. What does one wear to an Army Hall of Fame induction?

Saw The Bone Off!

About a month ago I noticed that I was having some pain in my right foot. It was only at night when I was sleeping. And only when I laid on the inside of my right foot. As soon as I rolled over so that I wasn't laying on that part of my foot all pain went away.

I finally investigated, but my foot appeared to be normal other than slightly calloused. I didn't say anything to Drew. I didn't want to be a cry baby.

After another week goes by and I'm still having pain I finally mentioned it to him in passing, acting as if it was no big deal.

A another 3 or 4 days go by and I noticed that the bone right below my big toe on my right foot is sticking out way further than the one on my left foot. I mean it was BAD! I showed Drew. He told me to go to the doctor. I ignored him.

A few days later I showed it to our school nurse to get her opinion. When I got my shoe and sock off I noticed that my foot was now all bruised.

The bruising seems to come and go. Some days its worse than others. I thought maybe it was dependent on which shoes I wore, but nope.

She too told me to go to the doctor. But I just couldn't bring myself to miss a day of school over my foot.

On Friday the 5th I noticed it was hurting when I stood. Not a good sign.

I was supposed to go see the doctor the other day because we were out of school on Friday. But I was in a funk and didn't feel like going even though I woke up Friday morning because my foot was burning. It was inflamed BIG TIME!!

After it bothering me all weekend I resolved to go today.

The doctor declared that I have a bunion. I asked how to fix it? He said... saw the bone off.

Not what I wanted to hear.

He set me up an appointment with a podiatrist for Tuesday afternoon. We'll see what they have to say. But my doctor today pretty much said from his experience without surgery it will never go away and probably get worse.

Needless to say I'm freaking out a little. Although I'm trying to be calm until after my appointment Tuesday.

Hoping some of you might be able to help with that. Have any of you ever had a bunion? Did you have surgery or let it be?

Three Less

Well, Andrew now has three less teeth in his head. :) He is handling it very well. I did just fine at the doctor's off although I did get a little nervous after they took him back.

We have changed his gauze twice now and I do not do well with this. I see those bloody gauze and immediately feel like I'm going to throw up. Guess that why God made me a teacher instead of a nurse. :) He just took his first pain pill and dose of antibiotics.

As of right now, we are both laying in bed taking it easy. I figure you will find us doing this all weekend. :) Praying the bleeding stops soon. How long does that normally last?

Thanks for your prayers today for the both of us. We appreciate it.

Yesterday and Tomorrow

Yesterday was Liam Bailey's birthday. At least it is the day we claim to be his birthday. We know he was probably born sometime in April, but we don't have an exact day since he was found on the street as a puppy. Andrew and I decided the middle of the month would be as good a choice as any so we chose the 15th.

He of course had no idea it was his birthday but we celebrated all the same. He got lots of love yesterday and last night for dessert he got a birthday ice cream cone. Don't worry it wasn't that much ice cream. I held him and let him lick off the cone for a few minutes to get a good picture. I'll post those later. Then I put him down to make Lib a cone too. I broke off the bottom part of the cone and put them in their bowls. Liam Bailey ate like all the ice cream at once. We looked up and he was just chopping on this huge ball of ice cream. From the look on his face, he had to have had puppy brain freeze. :) I felt bad for him, but it was pretty funny. :) So my little guy is one now. He is a big boy. LOL!


Now for tomorrow - my big guy is going under. Yep. Andrew's oral surgery is tomorrow morning at nine. Pray for me. :) Seriously, he isn't worried at all and I am glad for that. I worry about and then I tell myself that is silly. There is no need to worry, people have this done all the time so I quit worrying. Then I think if I don't worry then something will happen so I start to worry again. It is a vicious cycle. In the end, I know he will be just fine. I just hate that he is going to be in pain. I pray that he handles this as well as he thinks he is going to. I want the pain to be tolerable.


So, if it seems that I have left the blog world for the next few days, don't worry. I'm just trying to be a good nurse.

Have a good weekend!! Love you all.

A Hodgepodge of Thoughts

1. Found out today that we are not going to be able to tour the Pentagon while in DC. A little bummed about that. The White House has still gotten back with our representative. They are pretty busy right so we are stilling waiting to hear on this one. Praying it all gets worked out and we get to tour the White House.

2. Andrew's appointment to have his three wisdom teeth removed is all set for the 17the of April. This is testing week for me at school - Benchmark YUCK! I talked to our testing coordinator and she has worked it out for someone else to give my group the test that day so I can be with Andrew. He of course thinks it is ridiculous for me to take off work even part of the day since there ARE others who could take him. But I need to be with him. It's my job! And I need to be there for myself. Besides, I want him to be by my side if or when this happens to me. Shoot, that boy will be lucky if I let him work at all that week. :)

3. My student J, is gone. He left today with no warning. He is in a place where they can properly care for him. I'm a little sad and we are going to miss him, but I know he is far better off.

4. Pray for Jill & Alex. I've shared their story briefly before. If you aren't familiar you can visit their blog. They did retrieval the other day and currently have four fertilized eggs growing and dividing. We are praying the keep dividing and that transfer back to their Mommy will be Sunday. If they do not keep dividing transfer will be Friday. Please keep Jill, Alex, and their four little babies in your prayers. We are believing that this is their time. God will answer their prayers.

5. And last random thought: FOR SALE!! I have some scrapbook toys that I have for sale on ebay. I have a cricut expressions with one cartridge, cutting mat, and markers. . I also have a sizzix with capital letters, lowercase letters, punctuations, and numbers. If you or anyone you know is interested, check them out on ebay.

Cricut

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270353861567&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm38%26_nkw%3D%2B270353861567%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1



Sizzix Machine

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIZZIX-Die-Cutting-Machine-with-FREE-Music-Note-Die_W0QQitemZ270353874139QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Die_Cutting_Machines_Dies?hash=item270353874139&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50



Uppercase Set

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIZZIX-Fun-Serif-UPPERCASE-Die-Set-26-Dies-Included_W0QQitemZ270353880148QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Die_Cutting_Machines_Dies?hash=item270353880148&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50



Lowercase Set

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIZZIX-Fun-Serif-LOWERCASE-Die-Set-26-Dies-Included_W0QQitemZ270353884871QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Die_Cutting_Machines_Dies?hash=item270353884871&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50



Number Set

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIZZIX-Fun-Serif-NUMBER-Die-Set-9-Dies-Included_W0QQitemZ270353889599QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Die_Cutting_Machines_Dies?hash=item270353889599&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50



Punctuation & Symbol Set

http://cgi.ebay.com/SIZZIX-Fun-Serif-PUNCTUATION-SYMBOL-Die-Set-8-Dies_W0QQitemZ270353895814QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Die_Cutting_Machines_Dies?hash=item270353895814&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A570|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

Catching Up...

1. This week has been awesome. Sunday's message is still with me and oh what a difference it is making in my week. I have been in such an awesome mood all week. Home group last night was great!! I've been looking forward to it and the get together did not let me down. We had good conversation with friends and some good Bible study. Winburns - I love ya! School has been really good this week too.

2. If you didn't see the comments Andrew left on my last post - He has changed his appointment to April 17th. He didn't realize he scheduled it for Easter weekend and he doesn't want to risk missing Easter Sunday at church. Also, he is only have three wisdom teeth pulled instead of all four. His change of date presents me with a decision to make. I'm not out of school on the 17th like I am on the 10th. I definitely want to go with him even though there are other people who could drive him and not miss work. The doctor told him he would be on his way home by 10:30ish. So my decision is whether or not I will take off all day or just half a day. I figure he will be knocked out all afternoon and won't really need me. But, I worry about if he does need me. I know Jill and Joy can both be here pretty quickly. I have time before I have to decide.

3. It's official. Andrew bought our plane tickets for DC yesterday. I am not real pleased with how he paid for them, but oh well. Thanks Mom and Dad Weaver. :) Having plane tickets makes it real. It's like now we can't change our minds. I am so excited. It makes me nervous too though. I'm still not real keen on this whole flying thing. I'm praying now for me and for the pilot. :)

4. I feel like I haven't blogged about my furbabies in awhile. Just so you know Liberty & Liam are doing well. They've enjoyed this beautiful weather the past few days. Liberty did something pretty amazing on Valentine's Day. She went from sitting on the kitchen floor to being on the kitchen counter. I was sitting on the counter crying and she knew she needed to be with her mommy so up she came. :) She got everything but her back legs onto the counter. We were impressed but home she doesn't make a habit out of jumping on the kitchen counter.

That's about it. That is all I'm thinking at the moment. I'll let you know if any other thoughts pop into my head. :)

My Poor Hubby

Andrew went in for his consultation today with the oral surgeon. The big day is April 10. They are taking all four of his wisdom teeth. I'm already scared for him. I know that isn't a huge deal and people have this done all the time but between my fear of the distance and need to constantly worry I'm already going crazy. He was telling me the process of them putting him to sleep. He is going to need a driver that will stay there with him the whole time. I immediately knew no matter what I wasn't going to school this day. Does he need me there, probably not. I need me there though. I need to be there for him for me. :) Thankfully that is Good Friday and I'm out of school. So I will be there with him probably praying through the whole thing. I was amazed at how fast this will be. They told him they start the drugs at nine and he would be on his way home by 10:30. FAST!! The good news is - we don't have to pay as much out of pocket as we thought.