Time for an Update??

If you read my blog, you are probably wondering how I am doing, since I haven't posted in a LONG time.

My knee is really doing good. I walk now with (almost) no limp. I started physical therapy a couple of weeks ago. That has both of my legs pretty sore. I can sure tell I have been "babying" my legs for far too long, and it really does feel good to exercise them more than I have been.

I haven't posted a blog is so long, because I haven't been doing very much...therefore not much to blog about. One thing that I have been doing though, is browsing the web looking at things to do in New York and Greece.

Yes...I'm going!! The UPCI singles trip to Greece is coming up March 25th. We fly from NYC, so I asked my sisters if they would want to go to NYC and spend a few days there with me before I go to Greece. They were both excited about doing that, so we are going to NYC March 20th. When I leave for Greece, they will fly back home. My sister Verlaine, and I have been to NYC before, but Pat has not been, so we are going to show her all of the sights. I am getting so excited about both trips! When I return home, I will have only one more week off and then I will have to return to work. I'm not real excited about that, but I am really thankful that I do have a good job to return to...

I have been laying low, resting my leg, and reading. If I counted right, in the past 5 weeks that I have been off, I have read 11 books. I'm half way through the 12th one now. Oh, joy, joy!

You might be thinking, "laying low, not doing much, reading, browsing the web...she's probably getting fat!". Ha! That DID happen to me the last time. I gained 22 pounds in the 5 months I was off work in 2007. I still have 10 pounds of it, but was very determined to not put any back on while off this time. So far, so good! (Why is it so much easier to put it on, than to take it off...?) I am determined to get the rest of it off after I can move better.

The Amgen California Bike Race stage 4 ended here in Clovis last week. My son Ryan, and I went to see them at the finish line. It was a beautiful, beautiful day. Even though we stood there for a couple of hours before the bikers got there, it was kind of fun to see them come in. Lordy, they were going fast! I got some pictures, but not really very many good ones, because there was one guy in front of me that stuck his camera way out in my way....grrrr. They were handing out free chalk and letting people write in the roadway for the "Hope Rides Again". That has to do with Lance Armstrong riding again after his fight with cancer. So, when the riders came in, it really kicked up the chalk dust. There was a cloud of it!

There was one thing that really impressed me about the race. All of the racers had come in. There were a few stragglers, and then the last motorcycle escorts. Several minutes later, here comes one last biker. The crowd started cheering, whooping and hollering for him just like they did for the winners. It was great to see that. I thought, "at least he's not a quitter. He finished his course." He may have come in last, but come in, he did. We may not be running the swiftest in this race of life, but if we keep plugging along, we will still reach the goal.

This and That

Last Wednesday, Jan 21st, I had surgery on my right knee for the second time within 18 months.

The first time, the MRI showed a torn meniscus. It was very painful, and since I'm on my feet most of the 12 hours I am at work, it had to be repaired. So, off to surgery. The doctor did a lot of repair work on my knee, but said she didn't find the meniscus torn. Way too good! I was thrilled. After six weeks of physical therapy, and 12 weeks off, I finally returned to work.

My knee never did feel the same again. I couldn't kneel, or bend my knee all of the way, and the pain never did completely go away. I had a total of 2 cortisone shots, and a series of 3 ortho-visc shots in my knee, after I returned to work. (The ortho-visc shots are made with the gel from a rooster's comb and are supposed to help replace some of the gel in the knee.) My knee felt a little better, but after 10 months, I found myself back at the doctor with increased knee pain.

Another MRI showed that the meniscus was still torn. ARRGGHH! Nothing but surgery again, would work. I was not able, or ready to go through it again, so I waited for 7 months. The doctor didn't want me to wait any longer, because the longer I waited chances were that the tear would get too large to repair. Thus, the surgery last Wednesday. She finally found the tear and was able to repair it, along with the removal of some scar tissue, and a chondrotomy (repair of some cartilage).

All I know for sure is, that my knee hurts a whole lot worse this time around. Not just my knee, either....it hurts all the way down to the tip of my toes! At least there is hope of it getting better.

In other news. Just before Christmas, son #2 was finally called back to work after having been off for several months. Yeah! All three were working again, now. Then a couple of days before Christmas, son #1 lost his job. Today, son #3 was laid off. I despise this economy right now. We may all be living under the same roof again soon, if things don't start looking up. Wow. That would really be something. Y'all prayer for us, y'hear?

I suppose I should go to bed. This pain, and the vicodin has my body clock all messed up. It may have my brain all messed up too, and this post may not even make sense. G'night.

A Time of Restoration

Psalms 23:3 He restoreth my soul...

This week is prayer and fasting for the family of Truth Tabernacle. It is a time to let Him restore my soul. He does, in such a merciful way.

When I have beaten and bruised my soul through careless actions and terrible choices, He is faithful to restore it. He has restored my soul when I allow it to run empty. He will restore it when I fill it up with things that it's not made to hold. He has restored my soul when others have crushed it.

What if I had to face a future eternity with only hopelessness and fear? Thank You, Jesus, for loving me so much that You took my punishment for me, cleaned my slate, restored my soul.....

Friends

There comes a point in your life when you realize:

Who matters,

Who never did,

Who won't anymore...

And who always will.

So, don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future. Give these flowers to everyone you don't want to lose in 2009.

A good friend emailed this to me. I pass it on to you, all of the reader's of this blog. I would like to keep you all as friends this coming year.

God bless you all, and may you have the best year of your life, in 2009!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Tagged

After some whining on my part, I've been tagged by my friend and fellow blogger, Caroline.

RULE ONE: Grab one of the books closest to you, go to page 56, type the fifth line and the next two to five lines that follow.

RULE TWO: Pick five people who love books and who could receive the Bookworm award with honor.

From: A Continual Feast. Words of comfort and celebration collected by Father Tim, from the Mitford Years Series. Author, Jan Karon

Page 56

IV. Sing lustily and with a good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sang the songs of Satan.

I have recently completed the Mitford Series by Jan Karon. I read ALL kinds of books, but sometimes I just want to read something fun and enjoyable, that doesn't cause me to think. That's what these books are like. Father Tim is an Espiscopalian priest, with a kind heart, and many words of wisdom.

I always notice what my patients are reading, and if I haven't read that particular book, I ask them about it. That is how I heard about the Mitford Series.

I don't know if these five people are bookworms, or not, but I tag Sis. Linda Elms, Sis. Ronda Hurst, Sis. Karla Holley, Tracey Jacquez, and Catherine Roseberry-Meyer

Back to the Real World

Darren has gone back to North Carolina, and I have gone back to work. We had a really great time while he was here. We hadn't seen each other in 15 months, the last time being when I was in N.C. in August, 2007. Talking on the telephone is just not like seeing each other!

We didn't do very much this time around. We just felt like staying close by, and visting with each other, and my friends and family. This was the first time he got to meet Aaron and Daron. He met Ryan the first time he came here.

Here is a slide show of some of the pictures that I took while he was here.