Finally

Finally, I am back to blogging. It has been an extrememly eventful year! I have the final word on my back and neck issues. I have to have fusions done, and mutiple screws, pins, cages and rods put in my lower back :( So I have promised my boss that I would not do that at least until spring so she won't lose a supervisor over the holiday season. So basically, it means that I can't lift or be on my feet moving, or go up and down the ladders, etc. My co-workers have be awesome about this and I have never worked anywhere else where people have been so helpful and worried about someone's problems. We are a small bookstore so we do get to know each other on a more personal level, but still - these people have been AMAZING. After I have my back surgery, then we will worry about the spinal cord compression in my neck, which means more surgery, but I need to get the lower in good shape to be able to heal the upper faster. The oddest thing is that I have the feeling of an electrical stilmulation machine constantly going in the back of my neck. For those of you that have ever had physical therapy with one of these machines, you know exactly what I am talking about. So, I have been handling this ok, trying not to get too depressed about it, because basically there is nothing that I can do about the pain until surgery and then that is not even a guarantee that it will lessen the pain, and I will have to be in a brace for 6 weeks after the operation. I am continuing with the PT exercises and hoping that the pain will decrease somewhat as my back gets stronger. On the other hand, it's been a year of this and it is not much better - I have more stability, but the pain is still there.

I can no longer go up and down the stairs more than 2 or 3 times, so I save my trips, to check on the girls at night and when I absolutely have to go down there for something. My girls have been a huge help with the laundry, but now that M is having trouble with her legs because of her MS, she is not doing as much, so DH stepped in. I came home from work yesterday and he had washed and dried almost all the laundry. However, it was all on the living room couch, unfolded! LOL!! Can't complain though, it was all washed. He also cooked dinner last night. For those of you who know my husband - you know that this was a BIG deal LOL!!! He made steak. He is going through this HUGE health kick now that Mandi was diagnosed with MS and he had read that you can live without medicine if you follow a healthy diet and excercise. He made an appointment with a nutritionist and is researching supplements. I am ok with this as we all need to eat healthier and as long as he doesn't bring any weird herbal concoctions home, we will be good. I am good with omega 3 and B vitamin supplements as well as some others, but some of the stuff is just - well - let's just say different.

I have also been trying to teach our dog how to pick things up for me, but alas, if the item is not wrapped in food, or attached to his toys, he wants nothing to do with it. He is 5 years old and has been taught not to pick up the kids toys or stuffed animals and to never, ever put a book in his mouth LOL!! So now that I am trying to get him to pick something up for me if I drop it, (usually a book) he just looks at me like I am nuts. I might be. . . LOL!

On the sports front, JJ, Ty and Allie are all playing tournament basketball (does that surprise anyone LOL)! We are basketball from Saturday morning until Sunday night. Plus JJ made the school team and Ty is wrestling as well. JJ also starts practice for baseball in January. I would just like 1 month where the is nothing to have to run to - no practice, no games, no meets, NO NOTHING (ok, I know - bad grammar).

I will post a bit more later, as the mess on the dining room table is calling my name - I guess the laundry that I folded really does have a home of it's own to go to. I do have some new books to talk about as well as some photos to post. - See you soon!!