Happy Halloween!Here we go a trick-or-treating on this Halloween nightGetting lots of candy and being full of fright!Knock, knock, knock! At the doorTrick or TreatCandy! Score!And a Happy Halloween to you and you and you.And a Happy Halloween to you!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!
My best friend and I used to get dressed up and go trick-or-treating in each other's neighborhoods. One, dark Halloween night, as we were walking through the neighborhoods, on the look-out for the houses with the best candy (You know, the ones who give out WHOLE - king size - candy bars! We skip the ones with the pretzels. Who wants pretzels on Halloween?!), we created this song:
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
"Sweet" #16
Surgery is just a part of my life. That doesn't make it easy, but it is what it is. Most of the time my surgeries are in Minnesota, so to have #16 at Mt. Vernon Hospital close to home was pretty sweet! Maybe my drugs are making me delirious enough to post unflattering photos of myself, but my surgeries have definitely played a part in who I am. Here is the story as it unfolded on October 14, 2011:
In the end:
5 screws in my foot
4 Percocets per day
3 pins in my toes
2 Oxycotin per day
1 cast on Thursday
A long road to recovery (8+ weeks), but my days are brightened by flowers, cards, care packages and visitors.
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| My arms are wrapped in warm blankets in an attempt to get my veins to pop up for an IV |
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| The nurse got the IV in on the *first* try! |
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| All ready to go! Don't worry, the smile didn't last long! |
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| The first few minutes in my room |
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| My first visitor: Paula |
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| I would fall asleep in the middle of talking or playing with my phone |
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| Kathryn came and saved the day! She fed me my dinner because I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to use the fork and spoon to eat it on my own. |
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| All by myself. In pain and pitiful. |
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| Sean and Amanda's surprise visit perked me up! |
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| Rough night. My roommate and I were ignored by the nurses for 3 hours. They got into trouble, but I was not a happy camper! |
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| If I can sit up for 1.5 hours, I can go home. |
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| I did it! Home sweet home soon |
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| Jay, the PT, teaching me how to pivot. This is key. |
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| All set to go! |
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| On my way |
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| How I pass the time most days |
5 screws in my foot
4 Percocets per day
3 pins in my toes
2 Oxycotin per day
1 cast on Thursday
A long road to recovery (8+ weeks), but my days are brightened by flowers, cards, care packages and visitors.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs
The first computer I learned to use was an Apple. The ipod has made this music lover's dream come true. I swore I would never get an iPhone. I gave into the hype and don't regret it for a second. My MacBook Pro captures my precious photos and the documents that signify late nights that lead to a MBA. The technological ingenuity of Steve Jobs transformed my life, making it more convenient and more fun! But, in his death, I am learning that he put the same passion into life as he did his work. His words are those to keep in my back pocket.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Water Slide with Sharks
If you have ever been to the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas, you know that it has many water slides. One of the water slides is surrounded by a shark tank. You board the slide at the top and along the journey through the tube to the deep water, you zoom passed some sharks! This experience is simultaneously thrilling and unnerving! The last month I feel like I have been on this water slide.
I love the thrills and the speed and the fun that comes with this unique attraction at the largest hotel on Paradise Island. There is no way I can say the last month has not been filled with thrills and speed and fun! I have been traveling almost every weekend to visit friends or to spend the weekend in NYC to see a show, celebrate FOCUS' 50th anniversary, and savor a super expensive but totally worth it brunch at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. This past weekend I also enjoyed seeing Les Mis at the Kennedy Center and spending some quality time with good family friends. Life has done anything but move in slow motion as I have jam packed my schedule with fun knowing that "house arrest" and a slower pace is just around the corner!
Amidst the thrills and the speed and the fun are the "sharks". When you zoom down this water slide at Atlantis, you intellectually know that you will survive. The sharks are not going to eat you as you zoom by them. But they are there. And you acknowledge them. And emotionally you get a little nervous that the highly unlikely situation of ending up in the mouth of a shark might actually happen. In the end, you do survive and are glad you rode the slide. I am blessed to have been joyfully dancing through life the last month, but the sharks have tried to butt in and break my stride. And in some cases, have succeeded.
Health problems have plagued me and my parents. My renter moved out of my condo, but left it a mess. Much has to be cleaned up before I can move back in. Surgery is in a week and I have yet to purchase "my wheels". Work is rapidly changing and I am the only person doing my job. I have been trying to be conscientious about completing as many tasks as possible while also leaving the files organized in such a way that someone can take over if need be. I spend too much time thinking about the things I am not going to be able to do for the 8 weeks that I have to hit the pause button on life as I currently know it. On the flip side, thought is put into the things I feel I can and should accomplish while on "house arrest". The argument in my head over what to do about online dating during this time period resembles a ping-pong match. The "sharks" are there. I know it. I see them.
If I reflect on the water slide at The Atlantis, it is the combination of the fun, thrills, speed AND sharks that make the ride what it is. The sharks are present, but they do not kill those who embark on the adventure. As you exit the tube, you plunge into the pool with joy! The joy overcomes the fear the sharks momentarily aroused in you as you zoomed by.
While I have had variations of my upcoming surgery five times during my lifetime, it seems different this time. Not only have I not had major surgery in 7 years, life seems more complicated this time around. Surgery is roughly one week away. I must remember not be to overcome by the sharks. I'm confident my friends will come and visit me. In fact, I already have some special, out of town guests lined up! I have been and will continue to be surrounded by joy and blessings. My upcoming surgery and recovery seems like a mighty big plunge! But, I am hopeful I will look back on the experience acknowledging the sharks, but being overcome with joy.
I love the thrills and the speed and the fun that comes with this unique attraction at the largest hotel on Paradise Island. There is no way I can say the last month has not been filled with thrills and speed and fun! I have been traveling almost every weekend to visit friends or to spend the weekend in NYC to see a show, celebrate FOCUS' 50th anniversary, and savor a super expensive but totally worth it brunch at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. This past weekend I also enjoyed seeing Les Mis at the Kennedy Center and spending some quality time with good family friends. Life has done anything but move in slow motion as I have jam packed my schedule with fun knowing that "house arrest" and a slower pace is just around the corner!
Amidst the thrills and the speed and the fun are the "sharks". When you zoom down this water slide at Atlantis, you intellectually know that you will survive. The sharks are not going to eat you as you zoom by them. But they are there. And you acknowledge them. And emotionally you get a little nervous that the highly unlikely situation of ending up in the mouth of a shark might actually happen. In the end, you do survive and are glad you rode the slide. I am blessed to have been joyfully dancing through life the last month, but the sharks have tried to butt in and break my stride. And in some cases, have succeeded.
Health problems have plagued me and my parents. My renter moved out of my condo, but left it a mess. Much has to be cleaned up before I can move back in. Surgery is in a week and I have yet to purchase "my wheels". Work is rapidly changing and I am the only person doing my job. I have been trying to be conscientious about completing as many tasks as possible while also leaving the files organized in such a way that someone can take over if need be. I spend too much time thinking about the things I am not going to be able to do for the 8 weeks that I have to hit the pause button on life as I currently know it. On the flip side, thought is put into the things I feel I can and should accomplish while on "house arrest". The argument in my head over what to do about online dating during this time period resembles a ping-pong match. The "sharks" are there. I know it. I see them.
If I reflect on the water slide at The Atlantis, it is the combination of the fun, thrills, speed AND sharks that make the ride what it is. The sharks are present, but they do not kill those who embark on the adventure. As you exit the tube, you plunge into the pool with joy! The joy overcomes the fear the sharks momentarily aroused in you as you zoomed by.
While I have had variations of my upcoming surgery five times during my lifetime, it seems different this time. Not only have I not had major surgery in 7 years, life seems more complicated this time around. Surgery is roughly one week away. I must remember not be to overcome by the sharks. I'm confident my friends will come and visit me. In fact, I already have some special, out of town guests lined up! I have been and will continue to be surrounded by joy and blessings. My upcoming surgery and recovery seems like a mighty big plunge! But, I am hopeful I will look back on the experience acknowledging the sharks, but being overcome with joy.
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