Today is Christmas, and believe it or not, we are having a white Christmas here in Texas. It snowed all day yesterday and accumulated an inch or two - enough to make it a white Christmas. It is truly a special year. The best present our family received this year was contact with Joe's son, Brent, whom we have never met but hope to someday soon. He is 17 and lives in Reno, NV with his mom and step dad and little brother. We always knew he was out there but didn't know how to find him. Thanks to facebook, Joe and I were able to connect with his mom and we've been exchanging pictures and messages ever since. The best things in life are free, and family connections mean more to me than any materialistic gift. We hope to be a part of his life from this day forward and have lots of catching up to do for lost time.
I am recovering from another ankle and knee surgery the other day (Weds 12/23). The surgery in August on my ankle was to repair my ATF ligament, and apparently I also had a tear in a tendon and tendonitis on the other side, but for whatever reason the surgeon did not fix them. So I never healed up completely. I finally went to see a specialist and he fixed up the tendons. I also had new tears in my knee meniscus and the knee specilaist fixed those. I have learned the very important lesson that I should have seen a specialist in the first place. Had I done so, perhaps I woudn't have needed this most recent surgery. But it is a moot point now. I can only hope that this time is the last time and that one day I will recover to full strength in my legs. I do accept the fact that I will no longer be able to run or play soccer, but I do hope to be able to mountain bike, swim, lift weights, and do yoga/pilates to stay in shape. I've been in a brace, cast, or boot since April, so I can't wait for the day to come when I can wear normal shoes again!
It's been so long since I've written in this blog and a lot of news that I have skipped over. Thomas's skull fracture healed up fine. He turned 5 in Nov and started preschool again. He goes three days a week now, MWF, and is in the same class with a little girl down the street. So far that is working out great. Sierra just got an iphone for Christmas and is on cloud 9 about that! She is working at a math/reading tutoring center and of course working hard being a junior at high school. She took her SAT earlier this month. Zoe just got her first cell phone today and already lost it within the first few hours! Joe found it outside in the snow...doh! Thankfully it still works. My mom is here visiting from VA. This is the first time we've had her here for Christmas eve/Christmas. Usually she comes on Christmas day and stays a few days after, but we decided to try it a little differently this year to bring more joy into her life. Joe is doing a great job taking care of everybody and everything while I am recovering. The timing of my surgery is awful, as there is so much work to be done around the holidays and usually it's the mom who is responsible for the cooking etc. I am very grateful to have such a helpful and loving husband.
