But baby its cold outside...

Last weekend, Brad and I braved the freaking frigid cold to see Broadway’s "Beauty and the Beast” musical. It was supposed to be a girls night, because we didn’t think the boys would want to go, right? Wrong. Apparently our manly Alaska men didn’t want to feel left out, so it became a triple date. And dude as always… Broadway delivers.

When I was in high school, our drama club would go once a year and see a play on Broadway. I’ve missed it, and especially since living up here in the stupid arctic, it’s nice to have a taste of real life every once and a while. Brad and I have tried taking advantage of it every time there’s something good playing at the Atwood Concert hall, we went to Lion King, and Fiddler on the Roof, both amazing, but Beauty and the Beast is definitely the best.

Afterwards, we checked out some ice sculptures and warmed up in our favorite bar. After weeks in the house because my my stupid knee, it was nice to get out with some friends, even if it was 10 below. That was the best part of the night.

All excited before the show…

Afterwards...

Brad doing inappropriate things to Adam...

The ice sculptures.

Brad doing inappropriate things to Mickey...

The train.

He’s not wearing a scarf or gloves...

My comically large cup of diabetes hot chocolate….

Yes I did share...

The friends...

The sweethearts...

The group.

Knee update

So firstly, those long overdue pictures….

Christmas morning 2011

Crying in the hotel room

The foot massage (also note the chick flick)

My balloon

Now the update.

Happy Friday the 13th guys and I have bad news. My stupid knee is definitely going to require surgery. The MRI results came back and it turns out I not only completely blew out the ACL and MCL, but I also tore the meniscus. I was given a referral to an ortho-surgeon which I have yet to schedule, and a 90 day profile for physical limitations (i.e. no running) and mobility restrictions. So the mobility restrictions thing is a huge problem. I can't deploy or PCS until it's lifted on April 2cd at earliest! Meaning I’m not going anywhere in March, and according to my Doctor, I’m probably not leaving until July. I still haven’t gotten my official orders yet and they can’t give them to me until the restrictions are lifted. I'm stressing out BAD because, depending on how long this whole process takes, my assignment may be switched. If I already had orders in hand, I would have a more likely chance of keeping my base, but because I don’t, I could get stationed somewhere else completely. Oy Vey, my timing couldn’t have been worse.

I do plan on batting my eyelashes and pleading for the orthopod to write a letter saying I will be able to leave in March as planned and get the surgery at my next base. It probably won't happen because I am at risk of further injury every time my knee buckles (which is constant). Brad keeps saying obnoxiously mature things like "just worry about your knee, everything else will be fine". I was super bummed. I tried calling my mom but she wasn't home so I ended up bawling on the phone with my dad for like 20 minutes. Then the calls/texts trickled in from my grandparents and siblings, then finally my mother. I spent like 5 and half hours on the phone getting some much needed therapy from the people that know me best. I’m feeling much better now and am just trying to remain calm about this whole ordeal :)

2012 Hollah!!

I (like many) love the start a New Year. The clean slate, the fresh start, the optimistic resolve. It's when we decide to get healthy, amend broken relationships, save the planet, and be a better person. But why wait until January 1st to make those self improvements? I think a quiet introspection is invaluable year-round.

However, I don't want to feel left out, so I made a small to-do list and I'll try and stick with it. If I fail, I won't stress about it. Also, checking things off a list is just oh-so-satisfying.

Some of these things are comically mundane, but I'd like to do something daring, something creative, something healthy, spend some time in nature, try something new. Travel. Get smart. Assuming the world doesn't end, I'll hopefully be a little more well-rounded by next year.

So here we go, in no particular order, 12 things for 2012 :)

1. Visit a new US city

2. Go bungee jumping or skydiving (doesn't matter which, it's for the free-fall)

3. Watch the sunset from a mountain top or tall building

4. Run a 10K (with my recent injury, I now have something to prove)

5. Get a manicure

6. Read The God Delusion (I've read some of it's quotes and it so far I love it)

7. Try cross-fit

8. Get that stupid CCAF already

9. Try a 5 day cleanse (!)

10. Learn to knit-- complete at least one project (haha I'm getting so domestic)

11. Go horseback riding

12. meditate :)

‎~If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning~ Mahatma Gandhi

The ski accident

I'm behind on this thing and still haven't recounted the tale of my injury. I seem to have lost my camera which is why it’s taken me so long. I wanted to add the pics.

Brad and I had planned on spending Christmas at our favorite ski resort. We exchanged our few gifts Christmas Eve and left early the next morning for Alyeska. Skiing was perfect. We had 8 inches of fresh powder and visibility was perfect.

So here's what happened.

I was skiing to the left and caught an unexpected edge which caused me to fall forward. My quadriceps were on fire, so I think I may have inadvertently straightened my legs in my attempt to catch my balance. Bad move because the squatting position helps protect the knees. My right ski stuck in the snow, therefore my body was falling forward and my leg and ski stayed straight. I heard two surprisingly loud pops and felt excruciating pain in my right inner knee.

I sat on the trail for a few minutes. It had already started to swell, but the pain had reduced to a dull throb. Then I stood up. I could bear weight ok using my poles. I tried taking a step, and my knee buckled out from under me. I called ski patrol, then enjoyed a lovely sled ride down the mountain.

It's very embarrassing to say that I just fell over, but it's true. I wasn't swerving to avoid hitting somebody and I definitely I wasn't doing any crazy jumps. The trail we were on was quite steep but it was also well groomed so it shouldn't have been a problem. I'm by no means an advanced skier, but I'm also not a novice. I consider myself intermediate, but obviously I'm not sure now, because intermediate skiers don't just fall over. I may get lessons when we move to CO.

I feel like such a dork. I was skiing too fast (trying to keep up with Brad) on slopes that were perhaps beyond my capabilities. By the way, he didn't even know I was hurt!! He just thought I was really slow. He waited at the bottom of the run for like forever. When he finally figured out something was wrong, he had to take the lift back up and ski back down to me. Just in time to help me onto my sled.

My immediate thought was that I tore my ACL. What with the popping, the swelling and the instability. My doc said it could be that or MCL or a meniscal tear. Or any combination of the three. The physical exam didn't tell us much, except that I completely jacked it up (gee thanks I didn’t know that already). They x-rays looked fine but that obviously just means I fracture anything. So I have physical therapy and an MRI scheduled.

So I've spent this last week and a half on my couch. With a brace and crutches. Brad borrowed an ice man machine from the ward and it's become my best friend. Seriously, I've been icing the crap out of it. Myy doc said it was full of blood and if the swelling doesn't subside, he would need to aspirate it. Sorry, no I don't needles. Same reason I don't have any tattoos. They make me want to throw up. Needles. Not tats. I’m getting off topic...

Anywho, the swelling has gone down substantially and overall I'm feeling optimistic. I've been taking a number of lovely medications. I still can't straighten it completely or bend it past a 70 degree angle, but physical therapy will help that.

Also on the bright side, I discovered my man is a nurturer. Not only has been doing all the cooking, cleaning, and catering my every need, he held my hair and rubbed my back when I was retching up my percocet. This is the first time in our marriage that he has had to take care of me like this, and I LOVE it. I may never get better ;)

I’m having sort of the best night ever.

One of these kinds of nights.

Brad’s out with the boys; and I’m home with my wine and bubble bath, currently rockin' out to my beloved Eminem’s “Beautiful” on pandora.

This is happiness.

The Jingle Bell 5K

In the past month or so, I’m going to guess that I’ve gained about 5 lbs. I’m not sure exactly how much weight I’ve gained, but all I know all of my jeans are giving me serious muffin-top these days. So, on tuesday, I heard about this jingle bell 5K to benefit arthritis and thought perfect! I love any good cause that gets me a free teeshirt. So I signed up for it with a few friends.

Here’s the thing though, I absolutely abhor running. I only do it once a year because the Air Force tells me too. I believe that whole “runners high” thing is a conspiracy. I have not actually ran since my annual PT test in July, and I haven’t ran a 5K since SEP 11th, 2008.

Oh I work out some… I like yoga. It makes me physically and spiritually happy, and it makes my muscles strong and flexible. Swimming is my cardiovascular exercise of choice (although I haven’t done that lately either) because it doesn’t hurt and I don’t feel myself sweat in the pool. I consider myself a basically healthy active person. I’m just not a runner. However, I’m a relatively stupid impulsive person, so I layered up, tied some jingle bells to my shoe laces and joined my much healthier friends for a little run along the coastal trail in 27 degree windy weather.

I actually did really well considering my lack of any preparation whatsoever, and honestly, it didn’t completely suck. My run time was 30:29 (I have my awesome pacer Nali to thank for that) and I didn’t stop and walk once. I managed to sweat through 2 layers of clothing and I actually passed quite a few people. I forgot about how cold my lungs were, or the frozen buggers in my nose (TMI?) and I listened to the jingle bells ringing on my shoes and the snow crunching with every step. Fun fact, I love the sound of snow crunching under my feet, sometimes I find my self accidentally stomping in public just to hear it. Not so fun fact, running on snow is much like running on sand. It takes twice as much effort to get where you need to go. But I digress. 30 minutes and 29 seconds later, I was a bit excited to finish. Running is awful but finishing feels so great.

our “after pic"

Anywho, I went home feeling oh so healthy and productive. I gave Brad a bunch of crap about how lazy he is (even though the only reason he didn’t come was that I complained he’s too fast for me) and pretty much danced around the house in a mood of euphoria.

But I forgot to stretch.

I didn’t do it immediately after running because it was too cold. As soon as I stopped running the wind just cut through my wet shirt. So I took that picture with the girls and hurried home.

And so the dramatic ending to my saga.

Upon waking this morning, I discovered that I have lost the use of both my legs. Every muscle/joint from my butt down is stiff and aching. And it’s not just my legs; my abs, mid-back, and both thumbs (yeah thats right) all hurt too. I’m walking like an 88 yr old lady with a bilateral hip replacement. I can’t walk up and down the stairs and I’m holding my pee because it hurts to sit down, and once I’m down it hurts to stand back up. I may be exaggerating just a little bit, but I swear, I’ve never been so sore in my life. I’ve been painfully stretching all day, I chugged some muscle milk, popped some pills, and I took a hot bath, all with no improvement. I even tried calling my parents who are both psycho long distance runners, but they didn’t answer because they obviously don’t love me.

And so I am reminded why I hate running. And as far as my dilemma with those love handles, I plan on throwing up my food until they disappear (kidding people!!!).

Thanksgiving 2011 (a.k.a longest post ever)

We had a quiet Thanksgiving this year. It was just myself, Brad and my bro-in-law Jeremy.

A quiet Thanksgiving is always kind of weird to me.

I always get a sense of nostalgia this time of year. I used to spend all the holidays at my grandparent’s house. With aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and all of my 11 siblings there. The house was full of NOISE. Children running around playing. People talking over one another. Beer. Football. Laughter. Disfunction. Chaos.

I miss every detail.

However, I do not want anybody to think I am unhappy this year. I was unhappy last year because I had to spend the holidays without my beloved. No, I am nostalgic but very very happy.

This is our 4th Thanksgiving together and my first time cooking a legit Thanksgiving dinner.

And. I. Rocked. it.

I spent all day cooking in sweatpants and a yoga top. I didn’t put on normal clothes until 5 minutes before the turkey came out of the oven. The only sounds were my music in the kitchen and the football game in the living room. I delegated all the tedious tasks I usually dread to Brad. Every few minutes I took a cutting board out to the living room with instructions on how I wanted the fruit/vegetable cut, and he brought it back a few minutes later done exactly as I had asked. It was completely stress-free.

Everything turned out great.

Behold….

...my excitement over my first turkey ever...

...my turkey-carver husband and me...

...my brother in-law looking like he wants to start without us...

..my little Alaskan family...

… and my turkey-eating husband :)

The day after Turkey day (or recovery day as I call it) we went skiing.

Saturday was a bit lazy for me. The boys however, stayed busy building a snow cave.

After the snow-cave, they apparently still had a little energy left over because they wrestled for like five minutes. I should have taken some pictures, but I was just sitting on the stairs watching it, afraid to get in their way. I saved Jer’s glasses that were hanging off his face but was unable to save him when they rolled under the table and a chair fell on his face. By the end, they were sweaty and breathing heavily, and smiling.

The battle wounds.

Here’s just a few more random pictures of...

Jeremy shoveling my driveway.

The Charlie Brown Christmas tree on our trail.

Nali’s big stick.

And the view from my street.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.