Back in Laradise

This is how Koa travels (in the driver's lap)

Wow it's been a few months. OOPS! I seem to go through phases on this blogging thing and apparently the last few months I was in the "out" phase. In my defense,  I've been out of town/ out of state in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and Colorado. And most of the trips I didn't bring a computer along (though with my new iPhone I was able to access the necessary stuff :)) Anyways, I'm back in Laramie, WY a.k.a. Laradise so hopefully this will be the first of many posts that aren't nearly so far apart. ( I realize most of these photos aren't great quality but at least I've been documenting my adventures)

and Lizzy in her happy place

Here are some updates to start off with:
1. I'm 100% cleared to play soccer (or do anything else) which means the doctors think my foot is completely healed. It still bothers me when I do certain things but hopefully 2.5 weeks is enough to work out the rest of the cobwebs and get back to soccer for good.

2. I've been pretty self conscious about my weight lately as I realized I didn't fit into some of my summer outfits from 2 years ago (I guess that makes since that I didn't fit but still...). My average weight has been somewhere between 155-160lbs and lately (after nearly 5 months with minimal to no work outs) I was pushing 170lb. I realize it's not a huge deal but every pound feels like 10 during preseason and that's the last thing I need when getting back from an injury... Thankfully I've been able to get back into running, biking, and eating right without too much effort and am back down to 162lbs. Let me be clear I'm not really trying to lose weight I just want to feel healthy again.

Dinner of Champions

3. Tomorrow is my last day as a teenager. It's kind of a crazy thought but a welcome one I guess. Bring on the twenties.

4. WE GOT FISH!!! We are now the proud owners of 2 fish (there were 3). We plan on getting more but for now we got ones that are supposed to be pretty hardy and friendly to hopefully . One of them is fascinated with this glass Fanta bottle that we have in there and escapes the currents of the filter by going inside it. We are so proud of our smart little guy.

5. I passed out at work and hit my cheekbone pretty hard. I got a little black eye and a nice scrape but nothing too serious. It was like 100 degrees in the building (well 90 degrees to be exact), it was 9:00pm and I hadn't eaten since lunch but I was just about to get off work. I was exhausted from a few days of travel and sadly 9:00pm is past my bedtime. I feel great now and other than a sore cheekbone felt fine immediately after too. I guess I should probably not put off eating and drinking at work especially when  I practically work in a sauna during the summertime.

6. One of my friends had a little baby girl a few weeks ago and she is ADORABLE!!! The older siblings want to play with her so bad and can't wait for her to be old enough to play with them. Isn't she cute!

7. We got some family pictures taken and they turned out AMAZING. If you're in Nebraska or the neighboring states my dad's cousin did a phenomenal job! Here's her Facebook page and the link to her website is on there too. Kam Kloth Photography

 Well that seems to be it for now. Happy July and Happy Birthday to my dear friend Lauren!

Life is Good (I think)

So I'm several weeks into this whole foot being broken and screwed back together thing and I'm holding up better than I thought.  I'm in my third cast and I'm approaching six weeks on crutches but hopefully I get put in walking boot (still with crutches for a bit) on Wednesday. It's not too painful unless I'm crutching around all day or never got the chance to put it up during the day and, even then, it just throbs. So hopefully I'm on the tail end of recovery and should be back to my active self relatively soon.

Kind of blurry but the only pic I got of the stitches

Hopefully third and last cast

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IT'S SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!! No more school for a while and I'm not even doing any summer classes this year. This semester was MUCH better than last semester though I'm .5 percent away from my desired grade in one class and I'm praying when I go in next week to review my test I'll find a way to get that half a point back. But other than that grade I'm relatively happy with my grades and am excited to have some time off though I do wish I could go for a bike ride or wander around and take pictures both of which seem a bit difficult on crutches.

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I've only talked about this indirectly on here before but for some reason I'm feeling like I should be a bit more open which probably has something to do with not having anyone to tell but either way... I'm slightly nervous that some of the same struggles I had last summer are coming back. Let me explain a bit. I would wake up and feel purposeless and incomplete like I should be doing something in life that I hadn't been doing. I felt so bad that sometimes I wouldn't want to do anything but lay in bed. The feelings of hopelessness usually didn't fade away until the afternoon and then, just when I thought I was feeling normal again, they'd come back. It was a vicious cycle of restlessness, hopelessness, anxiety, some relief, and then back to the beginning. I would go days on just a few hours of sleep because I refused to wake up just to feel sad so my solution was just to not go to bed. Not the best idea with workouts, two classes, and what seemed like a never ending to-do list. I slipped further and further into a depression that seemed so dark that I may never escape it... But I did. I had a great support group and an amazing family that unknowingly kept me pushing forward even on the days that I had no desire to do anything.

Anyways, I'm slightly nervous that the vicious cycle is beginning again. I couldn't sleep at all last night and didn't end up falling asleep until 4:30am and when I woke up at 10:00am I felt so anxious I thought something was seriously wrong. My heart was beating so fast and I was cold but sweating. My roommate was packing up to head home for the summer so we just talked about random things for a while and I started to feel a bit better. This is how it started last year. And then today, had I not been hanging out with a friend, I probably would have just sat inside all day and watched a movie or something. Last year, at first, I just thought that it was my bodies way of telling me to take a break since I had been going non-stop since august with soccer and school but after a while I knew it was more than just catching up on sleep. SO I guess what I'm saying is that if you're the praying type I'd love your prayers for this summer and if your not send your good vibes :) I feel as though I need a constant reminder that I'm okay and trust God for that this summer.

I'll Stand (Even if it means using crutches)

It's been over a month since my last post for several reasons but I'm not too upset about it and don't feel the need to list the excuses :)  I've had a lot going on with the school year coming to an end and on top of preparing for final projects and exams, I've been on crutches for the last 2 weeks and have a good 10 weeks more of hobbling around.

Let me fill you in... Like I mentioned in a previous post I broke my foot early this spring season and after several failed attempts to heal it non-surgically, surgery ended up being the best option. I spent the last week or so in a cast before going into surgery Thursday morning. It all went well and I am now in a hideous old plaster splint thing with two screws holding my bones together. After 9 more weeks of casts and crutches the two screws should fix the foot problem for good. Needless to say everything takes longer on crutches and I've had to pray for extra patience as I learn to get around at a bit slower pace.

Frustration has been a big part of my life lately as having one leg completely out of commission doesn't exactly make life easier. I can't do the things I'm used to doing or even if I can the speed at which I do them is definitely slower. I have to sit and watch soccer practice, I couldn't participate in the athlete dodge-ball tournament that I won last year, (remember?) and even something as simple as making a bowl of cereal takes 10 minutes and lots of creativity. It's exhausting, time consuming, painful, and FRUSTRATING. I know God is teaching me something through all this even if I don't know exactly what it is yet. As hard as it is to trust his plans and timing I know that both are perfect and I must submit to his will in ALL areas of my life.

I will make it through! and how fitting? the song that iTunes is playing as I write is The Stand by Kristian Stanfill

"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is yours."

AMEN

Beginning of the Week Confessions

So I don't link up with the "midweek confessions" thing but if you've read my blog before, you'd know that I'm trying to be more open in my writing SO here's a few confessions :)

1. I broke my foot. I broke my left one in the fall and now I broke my right one. Not fun but hopefully I'll be back playing after spring break. Which means I could be training next week.

2. I'm home for spring break and kicking it with my dogs and parents for a few days. It's nice being home, eating my mom's home cooked meals, and rough housing with the dogs. And I love getting to catch up with a few people that I've missed while I was away at school.

3. Coming home typically means running a lot of errands and this time is no different. Shopping (especially since my parents just got back from a trip in the Caribbean the day after I got home), orthodontist appointment, car maintenance, and picking up a charger at the Mac store (left mine in WY). I'm sure there will be more errands to run still but I don't mind it.

4. I cut my hand on a coconut trying to divide it into smaller pieces. Note to self if it has sharp edges don't grip it tightly.

5. I am now the proud owner of a 2009 Subaru Outback Impreza Sport. My parents bought it new the day before my sophomore year of high school and I drove it up to Wyoming this summer and it's been with me ever since. But my parents are putting the title in my name (after I pay up of course) this week and then it's all mine. Unfortunately the insurance bill is all mine now too :(

This is my exact car... but it's not mine :)

6. My grades are still MUCH MUCH better than last semester with all A's and B's even in Medical Microbiology :) Can you guess which class I have a B in?

7. I hope I can get outside in Colorado Springs with my camera this break since the weather has been so nice.

Well that's about it for the week hope your pre-spring is going well.