Taco Tuesday one year later…

  Aug  2, 2010

Machines! I'm not sure I was hooked up to enough.

One year later and I still eat just as many tacos as I did before my crash, if not more.  A year ago today my Papa had to feed me broth while visiting the ICU.  It is only fitting that he and I go to Taco Tuesday tonight!

crazy hole in my lung!

I tried to make the best of the breathing excersises but the faces didn't lessen the pain.

Three days in the ICU connected to many many machines! Luckily I had my trusty bear by my side and friends and family pouring in my room to check on me.  All I remember of the ICU is saying “oouuuch” like E.T. every time a nurse or doctor came in my room.  They really gave me no choice, after all they are the ones who put the red glowing thing on my finger.  It’s like they were begging for E.T. impressions.  I also remember the amazing massage boots they had on my legs but soon discovered why most people hate them when all the beeps of ICU were gone.  Loudest boots I have ever worn!  Apparently I yelled at the nurses for taking out my catheter and asked for it back.  You try getting out of bed to pee with all the ribs on your left side cracked…not an easy task!  One of those broken ribs jumped over and punctured my left lung.  Can you see the hole?  The x-ray is flipped so the hole is on the right side.  They gave me a “fun toy” to play with to bring my rib back.  The goal was to see how much air I could suck out of the little devise which i’m pretty sure they discovered in a torture chamber somewhere.  I’m not sure what was more painful, the forced breathing to bring back my lung or the staple in my head! A chest tube was put into my collapsed lung to also help bring it back so it once again could bring air in and out.

August 2010 chest tube scar

August 2011 You can hardly see the scar

Two of my amazing new friends who convinced the doc to allow them to remove that darn staple.

The scar on my side has healed up nicely and no longer looks like the cat butt one of my friends affectionately dubbed the mark.  The day my doc came in to take the tube out I looked at him and aggressively said “are you the one who put the staple in my head?”  He said so matter-of-factly “Yes, I did that.” My only response was “WHY!”  He said something about needing to close up the gash quickly so they could asses the rest of me.  I mumbled something about that sounding fair than abruptly asked “CAN YOU TAKE IT OUT NOW?”

To be continued….

A Peaceful day by the lake

While visiting Tyler in North Carolina this April a quaint dock owned by the club where he works gently called my name.  The day was my own as Tyler was off at work ,so I followed the unrelenting tug of the dock.  Out the door and a quick left found me on a road canopied with trees.  Oh how I love a road nuzzled into trees! The golf course proudly displayed itself around each bend as if to remind the patrons of its greatness.  Past a few beautiful mansions including one with waterfalls coming out of the walls and some equally inviting little shacks.  Everything along the path whispered “look over here”.  The Y in the road brought confusion at first but the proper path was quickly found.  Passing a few more distinct houses brought confirmation the dock would soon be near.  There it was the little wooden gate marked NO TRESPASSING, MEMBERS ONLY.  I had made it!  An excitement filled every part of me as I opened the gate and walked past the forbidding sign.  The narrow winding path was tucked in and hidden from the world as to create the feeling of an oasis as you walk over the trickling stream.  I find myself sitting on a tranquil private dock with no one around.  It is peaceful and surrounded by beauty.  The sun is playing hide and seek with the clouds as the birds sing back and forth to each other.  There is a light breeze which passes by every now and than if just to check in and say hello.  The fish are not the hunted as of yet but are themselves the hunters as they randomly surface in the gentle flowing water.  It could not be a more peaceful day.  There are landscapers somewhere off in the distance manicuring lawns bringing remembrance of other life.  The spiders webs sway in the breeze.  A car or two pass by on a distant road to or from a job reminding me of the blessing to sit on a dock soaking in God’s beautiful gift of creation.  The feel of the warm damp wood of the dock beneath my cold bare feet.  The sun about to burn my back as the wind comes just in time to bring relief.  The sun returns to warm me once again.  The taste of the creamy, cool, tangy yogurt on my tongue.  Jumping orange fish thrusting their entire bodies out of the water.  Returning with a splash and the sound of a child pulling his finger out along the inside of his mouth (pop!).  Returning him once again to his common place of dwelling beneath the surface of the water.  A giant black ant exploring my belongings canters away with the shoeing of my finger.  The reflection of the water dances perfectly synchronized along the side of a nearby boat enclosure.  The wind brings a creek as it passes threw the stacked canoes.  The sound of the seldom cars driving by harmonizes with the lul of the weed whacker somewhere off beyond the lake.  Phantom kayakers make their way down the lake laughing and smiling as they live out an adventure.  The sky rumbles in the distance foretelling of the coming storm.  The white clouds drift openly in the pail blue sky.  No shapes can be detected in the thin blankets of white puff.  The trees offer an endless variety of green hues.  Little paths seemingly leading to nowhere add to the lackadaisical feel of the day.  planes fly overhead unseen which I can only assume resemble the Red Barron.  If one came into sight I’m sure a red scarf could be seen swaying in the wind around the cockpit.  The fish play high jump as the little white pedals fall from the trees decorating the water below.  The birds converse as of to tell of the beautiful day.  Peace is found and clarity begins its restoration.  The day is a success and I head back to the house thankful that I have a God who loves me so much!

Somethings never change.

This month marks a new decade for me as I hand over my 20′s to embark into new territory.  While change and the unknown can sometimes be a bit daunting it has been discovered while many things in my life may come and go there are some things that may never change.

In the midst of unpacking my Mom found this paper the other day which i wrote some time in elementary school.  After almost falling out of bed from laughter while reading I couldn’t withhold from sharing the funniness with all my friends!

“I have a brown teddy bear named Space.  He has a big head, white stomach, feet and paws, brown eyes and a very cute face.  I thought he was shy until this one day.  I brought him to my grandma and grandpa’s house.  I was walking and carrying Space in the forest behind their house.  Then I saw a great climbing tree and I wanted to climb it.  So I set Space down, put my foot on a branch, and stared to climb.

I got all the way up to the top of the tree, and I couldn’t get down! I yelled for help, but nobody heard me.  I thought I would be up there forever.  Then all of a sudden, I saw my teddy bear get up and walk away.  I was so startled that I almost fell out of the tree, but I caught myself.  In about 5 minutes, he came back with my grandpa who was frantically looking for me all day.  When he saw me, he climbed the tree and carried me down.  I was very happy when I touched the ground.  When we got back to the house we all, including my teddy bear, had some hot pie my grandma had just made.  Now I KNOW he’s not shy.”

This child at heart may be turning 30 but I still have Space, I still want to climb, and I still love PIE!

Did you find this as funny as I did? I thought it was pretty funny!