I really enjoyed our family home evening last night. Wade conducted the meeting, Jason picked people for song and prayer, I gave a quick lesson on pioneers, and then we played some Rock Band, Rhiannon's choice. We played for quite a while--Jason and Rhiannon played the guitars, Wade sang, and I tried to keep up on the drums (easy setting).
In the middle of one particularly loud song the doorbell rang. It was the Nation family! They have 5 cute kids, age 7 and younger. They made some delicious, still-warm chocolate chip cookies for us and handed over this adorable get-well card, too. Jon, the oldest, had drawn this big picture of my face with "sparkles" in my eyes because he thought I was a great Primary president. How's that for feel-good stuff?
That evening I had made a choice to stay home and be with family instead of going to a farewell girls' night out for a friend who was moving. It was the only night they could do it. To be honest, the g-n-o sounded like TONS of fun, but I was very tired and wasn't excited about getting around on crutches all evening. So I bailed and stayed home. I felt guilty for not making that effort to go, but in the end, that relaxing family time was just what I needed, and I was very happy I was home to thank the Nation kids personally for their kindness!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Rich and Donna Sheen Family Reunion Recap!
Over the 4th of July weekend we flew to Texas for the first ever Richard and Donna Sheen Family reunion. We all agreed it was a huge success and worth repeating! Home base was at Brant and Chris's home in Sachse--we appreciated their willingness to do that and definitely enjoyed being all together there, eating crazy awesome food, playing games, watching movies and soaking up their good A/C. We definitely missed Jordan and Amelia and their family, though--hopefully they'll be able to join us in 2013!
Here were some highlights:
Wednesday--eating divine TX bbq at Big Daddy's with Aunt Chris
Thursday--lots of shopping, especially at Kohls; fishing with Uncle Brant; watching Wade jump at the scary parts in Jurassic Park
Friday--viewing Napoleon Dynamite on Brant and Chris's big screen; greeting the rest of the family guests as they arrived and getting to see our nephew Beck for the first time; yummy haystacks meal by Chris and Brant, with this fabulous chocolate/strawberries/pudding trifle for dessert. Swimming at the Vance family's pool was really cool--Tommy and Brant entertained us with some sweet acrobatics off the diving board, too!
Saturday--Hawaiian Falls Waterpark! Boy, was that a blast! The only two bummers were not having Brant and Chris there (a/c problem getting fixed) and making a dumb mistake--note to self, sunscreen is different than moisturizer with sunscreen! Otherwise, it was crazy fun! Many thanks to Mom and Dad for spoiling us with our very own cabanas and cabana boy! That night they spoiled us more with free movie tickets--mostly we split up and went in different groups to XMen, Cars 2, and Transformers. Perfect sandwiches with all the fixin's by Tommy and Lydia at the waterpark, and Rudy's BBQ with creamed corn by Logan and Amy. The homemade rootbeer was cool, too!
Sunday--church, family home evening and rockin' talent show; family trivia game; then I have my little accident just before our group picture. Derrick and Traci treat us to one of our favorites for dinner--Nachos Fantabulosos!
Monday--lunch at Cici's, thanks to Jason, discussing the reunion and planning for the next one (AUSTIN, TX, 7/4/13, baby!), and going to a baseball game and enjoying fireworks in Frisco!
Tuesday--checking out Tom and Lydia's cute new house, group lunch at Whataburger's, and making a farewell stop for snow cones at Bahama Buck's with Brant and Chris (soooooooooooo good).
I am really glad that other people took pictures because I remembered to take out our camera maybe 5 times the whole week. Boo! Oh, well--here are the CA Cushings' contribution to the picture pile! Notice there are lots of smiles--it was a wonderful, happy weekend. Thanks for the memories, everyone!
Here were some highlights:
Wednesday--eating divine TX bbq at Big Daddy's with Aunt Chris
Thursday--lots of shopping, especially at Kohls; fishing with Uncle Brant; watching Wade jump at the scary parts in Jurassic Park
Friday--viewing Napoleon Dynamite on Brant and Chris's big screen; greeting the rest of the family guests as they arrived and getting to see our nephew Beck for the first time; yummy haystacks meal by Chris and Brant, with this fabulous chocolate/strawberries/pudding trifle for dessert. Swimming at the Vance family's pool was really cool--Tommy and Brant entertained us with some sweet acrobatics off the diving board, too!
Saturday--Hawaiian Falls Waterpark! Boy, was that a blast! The only two bummers were not having Brant and Chris there (a/c problem getting fixed) and making a dumb mistake--note to self, sunscreen is different than moisturizer with sunscreen! Otherwise, it was crazy fun! Many thanks to Mom and Dad for spoiling us with our very own cabanas and cabana boy! That night they spoiled us more with free movie tickets--mostly we split up and went in different groups to XMen, Cars 2, and Transformers. Perfect sandwiches with all the fixin's by Tommy and Lydia at the waterpark, and Rudy's BBQ with creamed corn by Logan and Amy. The homemade rootbeer was cool, too!
Sunday--church, family home evening and rockin' talent show; family trivia game; then I have my little accident just before our group picture. Derrick and Traci treat us to one of our favorites for dinner--Nachos Fantabulosos!
Monday--lunch at Cici's, thanks to Jason, discussing the reunion and planning for the next one (AUSTIN, TX, 7/4/13, baby!), and going to a baseball game and enjoying fireworks in Frisco!
Tuesday--checking out Tom and Lydia's cute new house, group lunch at Whataburger's, and making a farewell stop for snow cones at Bahama Buck's with Brant and Chris (soooooooooooo good).
I am really glad that other people took pictures because I remembered to take out our camera maybe 5 times the whole week. Boo! Oh, well--here are the CA Cushings' contribution to the picture pile! Notice there are lots of smiles--it was a wonderful, happy weekend. Thanks for the memories, everyone!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Mom on crutches
You know how the Google search box will start filling in words for you, like it knows what you're going to type? Most of the time that works pretty well for me. I had to laugh this morning, though, when I tried typing "mom on crutches." I got to "mom on cr" and then Google supplied this phrase: "mom on crack rock." Lovely. I'll admit I am taking Extra Strength Tylenol like clockwork during the day and a prescription med at night. I can't remember what it's called, and I'm not ready to go to the trouble of going downstairs to find out--more on that process later. I think it's like Vicodin, but at a lower dose.
For posterity's sake:
Sunday night, the fifth evening of our Texas vacation for a spectacular, better-than-we-could-have-ever-imagined Sheen Family Reunion in Sachse, TX, I took a wrong step off the sidewalk and broke my foot as I was leaving Brant and Chris's home for the reunion family picture. I was in strong sandals, my left foot kind of slid off the edge of the sidewalk, and I crumbled on top of myself. The first thing I asked for was a bandage for my knee because it was bleeding a tiny bit. I tried to walk a bit, and it hurt, but not as bad as the other two times I'd broken my foot (age 14 on the trampoline, and then when Rhiannon was still in her crib). Right then and there I should have sat down and screamed for some ice, but I can be really silly sometimes and wanted to be in that family picture. No one knew the extent of my injury, and neither did I, at that point. Rhiannon and Wade walked with me and let me squeeze their hands tightly as I hobbled along down this trail. My brother Tommy, a radiology tech, was very concerned and offered me a piggy back ride, which I should have taken but didn't. That's when others started to know I was hurting. My mom looked at my foot and gasped. I remember hearing all these voices behind me asking me if I was okay at one point on that never-ending walk to the picture site, and I turned around, crying, and said, "Please stop talking about it!" Then I put on a happy face, gripping Mom's arm in the picture, my foot hurting more with each passing second. When the photographer wanted to keep taking shots of our little family, I finally started crying and said, "I'm sorry, I can't do anymore." Jason got me on his back and carried me to the car. (Later he concluded that he needed to get stronger and I needed to get lighter! Ain't that the truth!) We got some ice from Brant and decided to go back to the hotel, where I kept ice on my foot all night and got around the room and to the bathroom by crawling. Our sweet kids were all attention and kindness--I could tell they were very worried so I tried to keep it cool as much as possible, but they knew I was in pain. Rhiannon didn't even want to look at my foot, and I don't blame her--that night it looked like there was a big bubble on my foot!
Early the next morning, July 4th, I was a mental mixture of gratitude and depression, so grateful that I could manage a sponge bath in the tub on my own, so depressed about all the things I was going to need help with. So grateful for the help I'd already been given, so depressed realizing how out of shape I was, thinking that it would be a LOT easier if I was 20 pounds lighter and had crazy awesome muscle strength. So grateful my right foot was okay! So grateful I had the support of family, but so embarrassed about creating this drama during the family reunion. So depressed, so depressed, so depressed.
We got to a Care One clinic and were the first to be seen at 8am--Jason had preregistered the night before online--it was awesome! In under an hour I had x-rays, was diagnosed with a Jones fracture, and then I was given a walking boot and crutches, plus a prescription and instructions to keep weight off the foot, keep the boot on except for showering, and see a doctor when we got back to Texas.
Crutches make me tired.
That day I spent most of my time in Brant and Chris's cozy living room, besides going to Cici's for lunch and then a minor league baseball game in the evening. I'm glad I went, but I'll admit it wasn't a walk in the park. The stairs to our seats made me break out in a cold sweat because I hadn't mastered stairs yet (and still haven't). The game was fun, though hot, and the fireworks at the end were wonderful! Somehow I managed to hobble from my seat all the way to the parking garage and then face my fears and go up a flight of stairs--the elevator wasn't working. At that point all I wanted to do was get to the car and turn on the A/C full blast--it was HOT!!!!!!!
Tuesday we went out to Tommy and Lydia's cute place in Denton, had lunch at Whataburger, and then I sat around some more at Brant and Chris's! I'm doing a lot of that!
Wednesday I faced the music and survived the airport experience. The hardest part was entering and exiting the planes on this tiny little ramp--I had to walk sideways with the crutches. Getting through security was dumb--I got a body scan by hopping into this circular thing and standing with my arms over my head. Jason said we had it easy--there weren't many people around and people were patient with us. I sent grateful prayers heavenward for not needing to use the bathroom on the airplanes. I did get a couple wheelchair rides, and I made a new friend, Sandy, when we were waiting for our Inyokern flight. She was an older woman--I plopped down next to her, the closest spot to the exit ramp for the plane, and we bonded over our disabilities--she was legally blind and said she worried about falling a lot because of her tunnel vision. She also liked to talk about religion a lot. It was fun and sure made the time go by quickly!
Now we are home. I've got a doctor's apointment set for next Tuesday. The best way I can describe being a mom on crutches is that I am taking things one hop at a time. One minute I feel like Superwoman because I managed a grocery-shopping trip, by driving in the van, hopping to a motorized cart, and letting Rhiannon and Wade do all the rest. The next minute I am terrified that at some point I'm going to fall and break my good right foot and then where will I be? I'm icing my foot at night and during the day with bags of frozen, shredded zucchini. I'm getting cleaned up by taking "kneeling" showers. It's very uncomfortable. I'm still figuring things out--I know I'll make life easier for myself and my hard-working family members if I can think ahead a little bit, but right now I'm very "in the moment," need help constantly, and it drives me CrAzY.
Yesterday I "Googled" about my injury. I didn't stay on the computer for too long because all I could find, over and over again, was that Jones fractures take a long, long, long, long time to heal. Like months, not weeks. So I got off the computer, took a deep breath, and decided to wait to hear what the doctor has to say about my third-times-a-charm Jones fracture, located in the same spot all three times.
I am so grateful for concerned family members and friends. I feel terrible about this burden on my family, but Jason and the kids are up to the challenge and have been so caring and considerate. I'm glad I can use my hands. I'm thankful for my strong right foot and the workout my arms are getting. One important thing I'd like to do is get a priesthood blessing for a full recovery. I said I wanted one when we were in Texas, but I didn't ever ASK for one, so I will make sure that gets done this weekend.
Once I get the camera up here, I'll do a very happy, fun post on our Sheen Reunion! It was AWESOME!!!!
For posterity's sake:
Sunday night, the fifth evening of our Texas vacation for a spectacular, better-than-we-could-have-ever-imagined Sheen Family Reunion in Sachse, TX, I took a wrong step off the sidewalk and broke my foot as I was leaving Brant and Chris's home for the reunion family picture. I was in strong sandals, my left foot kind of slid off the edge of the sidewalk, and I crumbled on top of myself. The first thing I asked for was a bandage for my knee because it was bleeding a tiny bit. I tried to walk a bit, and it hurt, but not as bad as the other two times I'd broken my foot (age 14 on the trampoline, and then when Rhiannon was still in her crib). Right then and there I should have sat down and screamed for some ice, but I can be really silly sometimes and wanted to be in that family picture. No one knew the extent of my injury, and neither did I, at that point. Rhiannon and Wade walked with me and let me squeeze their hands tightly as I hobbled along down this trail. My brother Tommy, a radiology tech, was very concerned and offered me a piggy back ride, which I should have taken but didn't. That's when others started to know I was hurting. My mom looked at my foot and gasped. I remember hearing all these voices behind me asking me if I was okay at one point on that never-ending walk to the picture site, and I turned around, crying, and said, "Please stop talking about it!" Then I put on a happy face, gripping Mom's arm in the picture, my foot hurting more with each passing second. When the photographer wanted to keep taking shots of our little family, I finally started crying and said, "I'm sorry, I can't do anymore." Jason got me on his back and carried me to the car. (Later he concluded that he needed to get stronger and I needed to get lighter! Ain't that the truth!) We got some ice from Brant and decided to go back to the hotel, where I kept ice on my foot all night and got around the room and to the bathroom by crawling. Our sweet kids were all attention and kindness--I could tell they were very worried so I tried to keep it cool as much as possible, but they knew I was in pain. Rhiannon didn't even want to look at my foot, and I don't blame her--that night it looked like there was a big bubble on my foot!
Early the next morning, July 4th, I was a mental mixture of gratitude and depression, so grateful that I could manage a sponge bath in the tub on my own, so depressed about all the things I was going to need help with. So grateful for the help I'd already been given, so depressed realizing how out of shape I was, thinking that it would be a LOT easier if I was 20 pounds lighter and had crazy awesome muscle strength. So grateful my right foot was okay! So grateful I had the support of family, but so embarrassed about creating this drama during the family reunion. So depressed, so depressed, so depressed.
We got to a Care One clinic and were the first to be seen at 8am--Jason had preregistered the night before online--it was awesome! In under an hour I had x-rays, was diagnosed with a Jones fracture, and then I was given a walking boot and crutches, plus a prescription and instructions to keep weight off the foot, keep the boot on except for showering, and see a doctor when we got back to Texas.
Crutches make me tired.
That day I spent most of my time in Brant and Chris's cozy living room, besides going to Cici's for lunch and then a minor league baseball game in the evening. I'm glad I went, but I'll admit it wasn't a walk in the park. The stairs to our seats made me break out in a cold sweat because I hadn't mastered stairs yet (and still haven't). The game was fun, though hot, and the fireworks at the end were wonderful! Somehow I managed to hobble from my seat all the way to the parking garage and then face my fears and go up a flight of stairs--the elevator wasn't working. At that point all I wanted to do was get to the car and turn on the A/C full blast--it was HOT!!!!!!!
Tuesday we went out to Tommy and Lydia's cute place in Denton, had lunch at Whataburger, and then I sat around some more at Brant and Chris's! I'm doing a lot of that!
Wednesday I faced the music and survived the airport experience. The hardest part was entering and exiting the planes on this tiny little ramp--I had to walk sideways with the crutches. Getting through security was dumb--I got a body scan by hopping into this circular thing and standing with my arms over my head. Jason said we had it easy--there weren't many people around and people were patient with us. I sent grateful prayers heavenward for not needing to use the bathroom on the airplanes. I did get a couple wheelchair rides, and I made a new friend, Sandy, when we were waiting for our Inyokern flight. She was an older woman--I plopped down next to her, the closest spot to the exit ramp for the plane, and we bonded over our disabilities--she was legally blind and said she worried about falling a lot because of her tunnel vision. She also liked to talk about religion a lot. It was fun and sure made the time go by quickly!
Now we are home. I've got a doctor's apointment set for next Tuesday. The best way I can describe being a mom on crutches is that I am taking things one hop at a time. One minute I feel like Superwoman because I managed a grocery-shopping trip, by driving in the van, hopping to a motorized cart, and letting Rhiannon and Wade do all the rest. The next minute I am terrified that at some point I'm going to fall and break my good right foot and then where will I be? I'm icing my foot at night and during the day with bags of frozen, shredded zucchini. I'm getting cleaned up by taking "kneeling" showers. It's very uncomfortable. I'm still figuring things out--I know I'll make life easier for myself and my hard-working family members if I can think ahead a little bit, but right now I'm very "in the moment," need help constantly, and it drives me CrAzY.
Yesterday I "Googled" about my injury. I didn't stay on the computer for too long because all I could find, over and over again, was that Jones fractures take a long, long, long, long time to heal. Like months, not weeks. So I got off the computer, took a deep breath, and decided to wait to hear what the doctor has to say about my third-times-a-charm Jones fracture, located in the same spot all three times.
I am so grateful for concerned family members and friends. I feel terrible about this burden on my family, but Jason and the kids are up to the challenge and have been so caring and considerate. I'm glad I can use my hands. I'm thankful for my strong right foot and the workout my arms are getting. One important thing I'd like to do is get a priesthood blessing for a full recovery. I said I wanted one when we were in Texas, but I didn't ever ASK for one, so I will make sure that gets done this weekend.
Once I get the camera up here, I'll do a very happy, fun post on our Sheen Reunion! It was AWESOME!!!!
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