THE REST OF THE STORY...

I have been thinking and working on this post for a few weeks now, and it's like I'm at a loss for words.

When something like this happens, it's hard to put it into words.  To describe it to the point where people understand. And it's also hard to remember all that happened.  My emotions are a bit unstable and when I start thinking about the entire experience....well...I cry.

When Doug and I got home from the hospital, he lead me and my spinning, swollen head carefully to the bedroom where my bed and I started our love/hate relationship. We spent the rest of that day sleeping.  Heidi had taken my kids to her house, so it was just us.  I wasn't in a whole lot of pain at this point and didn't want to take any pain meds because of how they make me feel.  One of the reasons for the lack of pain was because of the nerve damage that was done.  I was numb from the upper right side of my lip all the way up to the middle of my scalp.  I was grateful for the numbness. Until my head would itch and I couldn't feel the scratching...torture!

Later on that evening, Heidi brought the kids back.  They walked quietly into my room. They hadn't seen me yet and I was still pretty out of it.  My sweet Savannah started crying immediately and saying how sorry she was that I got hurt.  Jillian and Isabelle had a whole lot of questions and hugs and kisses for me.  And my Payton hugged me, told me that he loved me and quickly left the room.  Doug found him upstairs crying.  He expressed to his Dad how he didn't like to see me hurt.

By Friday, the swelling in my eye had gone down enough for me to open it. I had a little bit of blurry and double vision from the swelling, but other than that, my eye was fine. But the dizziness...oh the dizziness is what kept me from doing things. It was almost like my brain was delaying. I would turn my head, and then my brain would turn...and turn...and turn. The song "I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning.  Like a whirlpool it never ends.." kept coming into my mind. The nausea was...well, nausea. I was hardly eating anything and I was crying.  A lot.  Anytime someone would come see me. Tears.  Anytime I would think about how much my husband was doing for me. Tears.  Anytime, for any reason. Tears.  I guess it was more like uncontrollable sobbing. I was already an overly emotional person. I didn't think it was possible to be more so.  But.  I.  Was. (still am, actually)

The swelling and bruising moved into my other eye.  At this point, Doug said I was looking like an Avatar.

Word spread pretty fast about the accident, and we were inundated with phone calls, messages, prayers, visits, offers to take care of the kids,  cards and meals.  I've said it before, but I have never felt so loved by so many people in my life.  I was so touched by every one's willingness to help and how much they cared.  I loved all the effort that people made to make sure I knew they were thinking about me. 

The swelling started moving down my face and gave me sort of a jowl.  Chewing food was near impossible because of the pressure it would put on the fractures.  I was spending all day...every day in bed.  I would have to call Doug in when I needed to use the bathroom.  And showering was an interesting event.  We put a stool in the shower and Doug would stay there making sure I wasn't falling over.  The "dizzies" (which is my name for the constant brain turning) were just crazy! 

 This was a particularly bad day. 

Looks like I had iodine all over my face.

After about a week of doing nothing I was getting pretty sick of it.  So, one evening, I got up...very slowly.  I was feeling terrible at the fact that Doug was doing everything.  Laundry, dishes, cleaning, taking care of the kids and still trying to do his day job.  Thankfully meals were being brought it from members of our ward, so that was one less thing he had to worry about.  But I felt guilty.  I went into the family room and started picking up a few things.  I was moving the speed of a snail.  Actually slower than that.  I shuffled into the kitchen and started wiping down the counters.  And then...I was overcome by the strangest sensation.  I have never really passed out before.  Obviously I was knocked unconscious in the accident, but I don't remember that.  Things started to feel distant and I could no longer stand.  My legs started buckling and I was falling.  I had started calling out for Doug and thankfully he was right behind me.  He caught me in his arms and slowly laid me down on the cold tile floor.  Waves of blackouts kept coming and going.  I laid there for a good 15 minutes or so. I went back to bed and the nausea began.  I spent the night vomiting, which is horrible in and of itself.  But with a broken face it's amazingly painful!  The next morning I was supposed to be going back to Harborview to meet and talk with the surgeons.  We thought about cancelling...but I just wanted it done.

So, we went.  Very early morning for us.  My appointment was at 8:30 and we had to drive 2 1/2 hours to get there.  It was a very long drive. I brought my bowl to puke in...just in case. It seemed that the episode I had the night before just intensified everything. More dizzy.  More nausea.  More  miserable.

We got through the snowy roads and to the hospital in pretty good time.  It was the day before Thanksgiving but we had left early enough that the roads weren't bust yet. We did the valet parking and asked to parking attendant to bring me a wheelchair because there was no way I was walking.  The attendant came back with one of the biggest wheelchairs I have ever seen.  I felt like a little kid in this thing with my legs dangling.  Doug and I laughed at this.  We wheeled our way through a very complicated building and met with the surgeon.  He told me I needed surgery to repair my cheekbone.  I met with an optimologist to clear my eye issues and did all of the pre-op registration.  But the biggest thing for me this day was when the doc prescribed me little magical patches for my nausea.  They are sea sick patches that you place behind your ears that make the nausea go away.  The ride home was longer (the traffic) but better because of the magic patches!

(Some of the lovely flowers that were brought to me by some lovely people.)

Though the magic patches took my nausea away, they had some side effects.  Dry mouth.  So dry that when I would drink water, the water didn't even feel wet.  And my throat stung.  It also caused my bottom lip to explode in cold sores.  The pictures don't really capture them, but they were pretty impressive.

This picture makes Doug laugh.  This was the day before surgery...

Of course, just when I was starting to look somewhat normal...I go under the knife.  I've never had surgery before and the nerves were hitting me pretty good.  All the doctors and nurses were super nice and informative.  They took good care of me.  They told me of the different possibilities that this surgery could have. Screws, plates, and extra incisions under my eye.  And they said it would take about 1 1/2 hours to do.

They marked me up...

Put on this very stylish cap...

and went to work.

(If you look close enough...you can see that my right cheek is flatter than my left.)

After surgery pictures...so awesome!

45 minutes later the surgeon came and told Doug that everything went fantastically.  The only incision that was made was up under my upper right lip.  They had to cut the muscle away from the bone to get to it and just popped it right back into place.  Everything lined up perfectly and no pins or screws were needed.

A little background on why I think it went so well...

The Sunday before my surgery, my Bishop asked my ward to fast for me that my surgery would go well and that my recovery would be quick.  I was very overwhelmed and touched when I heard this.  It feels weird to be the one that people are doing this kind of thing for.  And I felt very undeserving.  Lots of other people joined in on the fast as well.  I believe that is why it went the way it did.  Lots of faith from lots of people.

I guess I was in a lot of pain and had a bit of nausea afterwards.  I was pumped full of several different kinds of medications...and fluids.  They had put a breathing tube in during the surgery and my throat was very raw as a result.  Note to self; after having a breathing tube in, DO NOT eat anything salty.  Specifically sea salt fries from Wendy's.  Just stick with the Frosty only.

I was supposed to stay overnight, but because everything went so smoothly they sent me home.  My discharge nurse was the best!  She took care of me like a mom and really seemed genuinely concerned about my well being.  I probably paid for them, but she sent me home with 2 hospital pillows to make the ride more comfortable.  Which...it did.  Thank you discharge nurse whose name I can't remember.

Well, if eating wasn't hard enough...it just got harder.  I had to continue my soft diet during which I consumed quite a few Frosty's.  I had to avoid sleeping on my right side and any sort of contact to my cheek.  Too much pressure would, obviously, push the bone back out of place.

So...back to bed I went.

I started to get a little nervous of getting bed sores and my body was sore from laying all the time.  I would get up to sit in the family room every once in a while though.

Unfortunately, the pain was super uncomfortable so I broke down and started taking the prescribed ocycodone.  After only 4 days my body was already developing, let's say...an 'increased desire' for more and a few nights of the most intense headaches I have ever had in my entire life (no exaggeration), I was done.  It only took about a day and a half to 'detox' myself.  Man those things are powerful!

Me and my crooked smile!

Two weeks after surgery.  Exactly 4 weeks after the accident.

The effects of the concussion were still happening and I was still moving very slowly, but I was making progress.  I decided that I was going for my first outing since it happened.  Payton and Savannah's school Christmas concert was on and I just didn't want to miss it.  I put on a pair of jeans, and some make up and we went.  I was exhausted, but thrilled to see my kids up there.  They were ecstatic that I was able to go. 

 One of the hardest things about this whole situation was feeling like I was missing out on life.  I felt very disconnected from everything.  I know that I was being prayed for, thought of, worried about, visited.  But, the loneliness and monotony starts to ware on you.  In those moments I would think about a few people that have suffered much worse things than what I was going through and how I wished that I would have shown those people more love and service in their time of need.

This was a bit of a turning point for me.  Thankfully I was able to go out and participate in getting things ready for Christmas.  Still had to be careful and didn't go or drive anywhere alone, but I was living a little.   I wore myself out every day before Christmas, but I was just so glad to be up and at 'em.  Because I hadn't really been using any muscles...whatsoever, I would get sore from just walking around and my knees were tender and tight.

Things were still numb from the accident and the surgery but slowly coming to life.  

Every once in a while I would get a little electric shock to different parts of my face.  Proof that the nerves were trying to reconnect.  Not very comfortable, but a good sign. 

About 3 weeks after surgery. Me with my surgeon, nurse Charlie and an intern at my post-op appointment.

I really wish I could remember names better...

When I was finally able to go back to church, I wasn't prepared for the overpowering emotions that came that day.  I was so overwhelmed with the most incredible feeling of love.  Everyone was so amazing and so happy to see me and I them.  Being with all those wonderful people again made me realize how important they all are to me.  Every one of them.  When the young women walked into the room for our lesson...I can't really put into words how I felt in those moments.  I love those girls and was so happy to be with them.  

There is no way that I will ever be able to express my gratitude to everyone who has helped me through this little incident.  I will hold onto every special moment that I shared with my friends, loved ones and family that I can.  I am so grateful for the time spent laying on my bed and couch with my friends beside me showing me support and making me laugh..and me making them cry.  Lots of people saw me at my worst.  A weak, un-showered emotional basket case.  But I am so blessed to be surrounded by true friends who just cried with me and saw me through it.  And are continuing to do so.

The most incredible thing about this has been my husband.  On top of doing everything and taking care of me and the kids...he has had to endure the effects that the concussion has had on my mental stability.  The doctor warned us that I would heal much faster on the outside than I would on the inside and it's so very true.   It's like I have the worst PMS ever...all the time.  I'm still healing.  My face feels weird and is still numb in places and the incision is healed but there is scar tissue and the muscles are so tight.  And I have headaches.  Every day.  And I get tired of it.  But there is Doug.  Always here, never complaining.  Happy to do things for me and sad when I am sad.  I have a greater love and appreciation for the person that he is.  I am truly blessed to have him.  Honored, to have him.  He has made this journey more bearable and I love him with every single bit of my soul.

I'm still having 'the dizzies' and not really able to do anything too physical. I've had a  few episodes of short term memory loss, I'm more irrational than I should be and carrying a little more crazy in my pocket then before...but I'm gonna be OK.    

It's been an interesting and humbling experience and obviously one that I will always remember. I've learned a lot...appreciate more...and see the deeper beauty in those around me. The love and support that was given to me and my family through this was nothing less than remarkably phenomenal.

Hitting the Wall

It's a running term.  When running a long distance race, runners often describe the point where they 'hit the wall.'  Meaning they feel like they just can't go any further, their body is giving up, they want to quit.  But in most cases, mind over matter works and somehow, someway, they just keep going.  They push and cry and wince in pain, but they get over that wall and cross the finish line.  Victorious.

This story is a little different.  No proverbial wall of which you can mentally break through or climb over.  But an actual wall.  One made of bricks, real... cinder block...bricks.

November 17th

Doug and I had just got back from our amazing Hawaiian get a way and I was floating through the cold Washington air smiling.  We got home around 2 am Wednesday morning still covered in the salt of the Pacific Ocean.  That night I headed off to mutual sporting a cute little Hanauma Bay tshirt and a tan!  It was a combined activity night and Wiffle Ball was the game of choice.  We divided into teams...boys against girls...decided where the bases would be in our little gym and started things up.  We got through the first couple of innings and us lovely ladies were up by a few runs. (Yes we were boys...no arguing.)  The boys were up to bat and somehow I ended up being the pitcher for this inning.  I'm not sure how many boys had been up to bat when my little 'accident partner' came up.  He hit the ball right back to me, I got to it pretty quickly, snatched it up and  took off running at a full sprint.  I was pretty determined and had a little internal battle with myself 'throw the ball to the person on 1st base, or continue to chase him down to tag him out'.  Well, I decided to chase him down and tag him out.  I was almost there, I saw him...reached for him...and that was the last thing I remember.

What had happened? Well, apparently just before I got to the youngin he tripped and fell to the ground...then I tripped over him sending myself flying head first into the corner of the brick wall. I dropped to the floor (or rather on top of the poor chap) unconscious.  From the reports of those there it was...scary.  One of the leaders (Mr. Andy Marshall) got to me first.  He rolled me over and was pretty surprised at the growths that had immediately formed on my forehead and right eye.  He was a little freaked out at one thing in particular.  There was a strange round formation just above the outer corner of my eye in which he feared was the result of my eye being out of the socket.  (It wasn't)  Accompanying that was a yellow brownish liquid leaking out of my eye.  I was also making some very strange grunting and snorting noises. They cleared all the youth out of the gym and ushered them into the Relief Society room, where, with no leader to prompt them, they prayed for me.
Another leader, Ben, who happens to be a State Patrol officer bypassed 911 and called his buddies at dispatch and my friend Jill made the call to my husband and got an ice pack.
My Bishop and Andy were at my side, trying to get me to answer questions and after coming to, they tried to keep me that way.  I can't really describe what I was feeling.  I remember coming to and seeing my Bishop to the left of me and hearing  my name being called in the distance. In a way it felt like I was dreaming.  I had no idea what was going on and I just couldn't figure it out.  The harder I tried to figure it out the more scared I became.  Nothing was making sense.  In those moments, I did the only thing that did make sense...I started to pray.  I didn't know what was going on, but I knew that I needed my Heavenly Father.  And those men kneeling beside me knew that I needed Him too, so they gave me a blessing. I can't tell you the actual feelings that everyone was having in those moments.  But from what they have told me, what I have heard, they were scared for my life. 
The paramedics arrived, got a neck brace on me, strapped me to the stretcher and rolled me out to the ambulance.  A few minutes later, my husband was there.  When he got the call from Jill, he had just put the kids to bed.  So, he got them back up, loaded them in the car and did about 95 to get to me 15 minutes away.  By the time he got there, things were making a little more sense.  I heard him call my name when he got into the ambulance and I couldn't help but cry.  It was such a relief to have him there with me, to feel his hand in mine.  I needed him. 
My friend, Jill, took my kids home and Doug and Bishop followed me to the hospital.  The next few hours were spent vomiting (which is extremely hard to do with a neck brace on) getting catscans and waiting.  The strange round thing on the corner of my eye had by this point gone away. Text messages had been sent out to several of my friends who rushed to my side.  I don't remember a lot of the conversations that were had, but I remember being so thankful that they were there.  So thankful that I had them.  I love them.  I was also so thankful to have Bishop there.  I remember seeing him at the foot of my bed and it bringing me a lot of comfort.  I think he even squeezed my toe at one point, maybe just to let me know he was there.  I love that man. 

Doug wasn't shy about taking pictures with his phone and told me I would thank him later.  Which is true.  Who wouldn't want to document this??  He also teased me about looking like a Klingon. 

The results of the catscans were that I had 3 facial fractures (eye socket, sinus and cheekbone).  No bleeding or swelling on my brain and my spine was fine.  Along with the fractures...a pretty severe concussion.  The doctors there felt it necessary to transport me to Harborview hospital in Seattle, 2 hours away because of their excellence in facial injuries.  So, they prepared me for transport. (Which meant another uncomfortable neck brace) Let me tell you...I was locked and loaded. They strapped me in so tight, I wasn't budging for the biggest bump we might hit on the way.  Back into the ambulance I went.

Doug headed home to grab a few things and to check on the kids and then started the drive up to Seattle. (It was now about 2 AM) My friend, Heidi releaved Jill of her kid watching duties and ended up staying the night with them. 

To say that I was uncomfortable on this little ride would be an understatement.  I was in pain, and they were still giving me pain meds and anti nausea meds, but my body was hurting.  Being strapped to a stretcher for 2 hours stinks!  I started complaining to the paramedic about my spine and tailbone and he had pity for me.  He ended up tilting the stretcher on its side, taking the pressure off my spine.  Oh, sweet relief.  The next few hours consisted of doctors and interns coming in and out of my little curtained room asking me the same questions over and over checking my vision and giving me more and more medicine through my 2 iv's.  I felt miserable and so cloudy headed.  The doctors informed me that they were pretty sure that I was going to need surgery to repair my cheekbone.  I was to come in a week later to talk details with the surgeons.   

 They cleared me to go home but I couldn't really lift my head off the pillow from the dizziness and Doug wasn't ready to drive back.  He was absolutely exhausted having had only 4 hours of sleep the night before.  So, they let us sleep for a few more hours, even bringing my hubs a small somewhat reclining chair in replacement of a plastic one.  A bit later, I got checked out, wheeled out and headed back home.  I made sure that I had a container to vomit in...just in case. 

As we drove I tried to wrap my head around what had happened.  Tried to remember the details.  It was too much for my dizzied brain.  I had no idea what to expect from all this.  And I had no idea that this was only the beginning.


To be continued...

Another Halloween...Even More Pictures

October 30, 2010

There really isn't a whole lot to say about Halloween that can't be said in pictures. 

Payton as a Pokemon Trainer...

Savannah the Cowgirl

Jillian the Fairy

Isabelle the Fairy

Yep...I even dressed up this year.  I'm a pretty tough pirate, so I wouldn't mess with me!!

We did the same thing that we have done for the past 7 or 8 years and went to the Trunk or Treat.  A little hectic but the kids got candy and were therefore satisfied.

A CUT ABOVE...

the shoulders that is.  Jillian has been begging me to let her get her hair cut short ever since we chopped off Savannah's.  Well, after dealing with gum, tree sap, candy and a myriad of other things in her long golden hair for the past year, I finally said YES!!  About a week ago, I took her down to the local salon to my friend Tanda.  I feel bad because Jilli isn't a sit still kind of kid.  So Tanda's back was feeling it.  But she endured and did a great job.  I didn't agree to letting it be as short as Jillian wanted it (chin length) but I was good with just above the shoulders. 

BEFORE

AFTER

(I tried to load a pictue of the back...but for some reason it didn't work)

So here she is, in all her glory.  I must say that we (especially daddy) love it.  It does make her look older and a tad more sassy!!  Which matches her personality perfectly!!

CLARISSA the CONQUEROR 

I dub myself that today because I conquered something that has been weighing heavily on my floors for several months now, and that is no exaggeration. 5 (over flowing) baskets of clean laundry have been sitting there...haunting my dreams...crying out "just put us away!!" for 3 or so months now. It has tormented me every day, but there was always something else that was more important to do, like exercise and catch up on all the shows I am missing on hulu.  The guilt stared me in the face, every time someone had to dig through those baskets to find something to wear.  It got even worse when my husband came home and told me that he had had a conversation with a lady about laundry that day and he had told her that he and the kids practically live out of laundry baskets.  REALITY CHECK!!  Well, today was the day.  I put every single article of clothing in its proper place, and my heart and floors are singing 'Aleluha!'  I forgot that we even had some of those clothes.  It's quite pathetic, I know.  But laundry is just something that I totally stink at keeping up with.  Some people rock at it...get out every stain...have every item of clothing organized...fold and put away each load as soon as it's out of the dryer.  Oh, how I envy those with such talent.  Sometimes I keep up...wait, no.  That actually only happens when my mom is here taking care of me and the house just after I have had a baby.  It's almost magic really, when she is here.  We put a piece of clothing in the dirty laundry and then it reappears in our drawers or closets almost instantly.  It's a beautiful thing.  I just don't do that.

I will say though that I took a load out of the dryer after putting all the other clothes away and folded it and put it away right then and there.  YAY ME!!   Doing this today, I did realize something.  WE. Have. Too. Many. Clothes!! 

So, my accomplishment of the day...I conquered the baskets of laundry.  Sounds so small and silly.  But I'm proud of myself and I will take even the small victories in life.  And I do consider this a victory.

Perfect Conditions

The moment I got out of bed this morning (which took me forever to do) I was dragging.  I felt so...blah!!  My stomach has been acting up again the last week and as soon as I put something in it...it said "Hi-yah."  I was also super tired!  So, I just kind of moped around the house all morning in my pink polka-a-dot robe.  The hubs decided to work from home so he got to hear me complain.  I knew that my feeling of 'blah-ness' wouldn't go away if I didn't start doing something.  So I did a little...very little...house work.  Then ate some delicious lunch made by my personal chef Douglas.  After the food settled, it dawned on me, "My husband is home.  I can go for a run!"  It was almost like a shot of adrenaline.  Just thinking about going running, totally changed how I was feeling.  I haven't been able to do much running the last couple of weeks and was a little scared because I believe I have shin splints (ouch!).  But I was going for it.  I tried out an interesting new outfit (sorry, no pics).  I wore leggings for the first time for a run.  Which in and of itself don't make the outfit terribly interesting, but the stuff I wore with it did. (gray shorts over the brown leggings, long sleeved brown shirt, short sleeved Spider Man shirt over that, and an orange Bondi Band).  Sounds awesome, huh?

Anyway, I walked outside and OH MY GOODNESS!!  It was so beautiful out there.  I was expecting some chill in the air, but there wasn't.  It was about 65 degrees, no breeze, clear skies...perfection.  I almost skipped to the car with the excitement of my 4 year old when she hears a Michael Buble song!! 

 I just chose to do a little personal 5k (which actually ended up being 3.54 miles) around Onalaska.  I figured out a good little loop that's just shy of a mile.  I parked, did some stretching and breathed deeply.  It smelt so lovely out there, it felt so lovely out there.  I was ready to run.  And run, I did!!  I had my handy dandy rhythmic companion with me that just put even more skip in my...stride!  Last time I did this course, there were two little mangy mutts that kept running and barking and nipping at my ankles when I would run past them.  As I rounded the corner where I was expecting them to be...not a single bark.  They were no where in sight.  I sort of giggled and sighed in relief.  Having dogs chase or bark at me raises my blood pressure a little. 

I was feeling great!!

My shins weren't bothering me and I ignored the pain in my hip, I just ran!  I enjoyed every single moment.  Every hit of my size 9 1/2's to the pavement. It was pretty exhilarating. Some runs are brutal and long and painfully painful.  This was not one of them.  It was perfect.  I didn't really want it to come to an end.  I could have run further and I wanted to, but hubby was waiting for me at home getting things ready to take the older two kids riding.  So a little cool down and I was back in the car with the windows down.  I just thought about how good I felt.  So much better than I had this morning.  I do believe I smiled the whole way home.  It's amazing what a little run can do for you some days!!!

"He's gonna be a soccer player...he is...he is!!"

~Billy Madison~

You know those annoying parents that are on the side-lines yelling and screaming at their kids and how you wish they would just calm down and relax and stop making such a scene??  Yeah...that's me and Doug!!

Don't worry, we aren't yelling or screaming out of anger...it's pure excitement and encouragement.  It's hard to not do it.  People have been pretty surprised to see 'laid-back, cool guy, Doug' yell so loud.  They thinks it's pretty funny.  We have calmed down a little since the first few games.  But only a little.

This is our first year of soccer, and we are loving it.  Payton and Savannah have great schedules that have been super easy to work with.

Payton really loves this game.  In most sports and activities that he does, he hasn't been very aggressive and loosing hasn't seemed to bother him too much.  This time it's different.  He is getting more aggressive (still not aggressive enough for his crazy parents) and he really gets effected when he does something wrong in a game.  He plays goalie a lot...and when the other team scores on him, he is not a happy goalie!!  Since this is his first year, he is still has a lot to learn about dribbling and positions.  But he really is doing a fantastic job.  I love seeing him out there.

And then there's Savannah.  Ummm...yeah, she's pretty much a natural.  This girl is a little short for her age, but man, can she move those little legs of hers.  She really gets aggressive and isn't afraid to kick like mad and throw a few elbows!!  Her games are less intense than Payton's and they really are out there having a great time.  But does that keep us from being the annoyingly loud and obnoxious parents??  Nope, sure doesn't!! 

(Hair ribbons courtesy of Veronica!)

So, I'm thinkin' that I dig soccer!! I am a proud momma of Payton and Savannah.  I will absolutely be encouraging my little soccer players to sign up again next year.  And I have a feeling that we will only be louder!!

*COMMUNITY*

I think this word describes this weekend perfectly.  The first thing I think about when I hear the word 'community' is, of course the hilarious TV show, that I probably shouldn't admit to watching.  I kid.  Anyway, I think of where I live.  It's a small place with no stop lights and a lot of good people.  This Saturday was the 2nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival.  There was talk last year of a run to start off the all day festivities...but it didn't happen.  But the tides changed a bit and they had one this year.  I decided on Thursday that I would do this 8K jog through picturesque Onalaska.  So, I went for a little 3 mile run and had second thoughts about doing it.  But Saturday morning rolled around and I was up and dressed.  We got a call from our good friend, Ron Lambert (who, by the way, is training for a half marathon) saying he had also decided to do the run and was pretty insistent that Doug do it as well.  Well, there went my babysitter.  Thankfully, Ron's wonderful wife, Jill was willing to wrestle my kids while the rest of us....ummm...ran.

One of the main reasons I decided to do this run, on this day, was because it was officially LiveSTRONG Day.  With my mom having had ovarian cancer and now still undergoing after effects and testing for thyroid cancer... I wanted to do this for her.  LiveSTRONG is a 'community' of people who have been effected by Cancer in one way or another.  I wanted to share that with the people that were there and passed out some wristbands. I am wearing 6 of them along with my LiveSTRONG shirt.  No...I didn't over to it.  I probably should have been decked out head to toe in yellow!!

My friend, Kim was there to run as well.  Hi, Kim!

Always the joker, Doug had to break the incredible nervousness by being silly.

The course was...interesting and a little confusing at times.  Several people went the wrong way and ended up running further than expected.  Oops!  Doug and I were together pretty much the entire time.  Except I decided to ditch him so I could use my last bit of strength and energy to sprint to the finish.  My official time was...54:51 and Doug's was 54:56.  I felt a little bit better about that time when we found out it was 5.3 miles, instead of just 5.

Who has two thumbs and won 1st place overall???  THIS GUY!  Jesse was speedy mcspeederson and took the coveted Apple Plaque for the guys.

I think one of the reasons Ron wanted Doug to run is so that he could beat him and then tease him about it! 

 Ron did so amazing, finishing 8 minutes before us.

And what's that in our hands you ask???  Why, they are 1st place ribbons.  That's right, sister (or mister) we all got 1st place in our age divisions!!!  OK...so there wasn't that much competition, but you know we will brag about this for a while.

Yep...KIM TOO!!

After waiting around hoping to win some of the cool raffle prizes after the race (where Doug, did indeed win something...a coffee mug!  I know, you're all envious), we ran home for a hot second so Doug could shower and then hustled back for the parade. 

 The kids enjoyed all the candy that was thrown at them.

A camel???  I guess so.  His name is Curly.

After the parade, we wondered around the town a bit.  The kids insisted on going to the petting zoo.  Doug went back for the car and I took all the kids with me.  There were a few baby cows, chicks, Curly the camel, guinea pigs, alpacas, one nice goat and two mean goats that I wanted to punch.  Isabelle and her cousin Gabe were the first to reach the furry bullies.  As soon as they got there, it was like bumper cars goat style.  They started head butting them!!  I was not happy and bolted the 5 feet distance to kick me some goats.  I picked my belly up and her blood curdling squeals were intense and drew in every one's attention.  Thankfully it scared them more than anything and there was no permanent damage done.  Isabelle, however was very timid around the other animals the rest of the time.  "But they will beat me up!"  Poor thing.  After that we headed into the schools for some craft browsing and song listening.  This A' Capella group (above) was so good.  I got super excited when they started singing Rag Time Cowboy Joe...a song that my Grandmother taught to me and I now sing to my kids.  I have never heard it anywhere else.  It made me smile and of course I sang along.  It was a good morning in Ony and felt good to be a part of something like that.  I look forward to it next year.

We made it home in time for me to shower quickly and head up to Rochester.  I think another part of 'community' is supporting friends.  My fabulous friend, Traci informed me that her daughter was in the play Wizard of Oz.  I didn't think we would be able to make it, but it worked out.  We went to the 3 o'clock showing and witnessed Raquel being a cute little munchkin!!  Unfortunately, Traci had decided that her husband would go to this showing and she would go to the 5:30 one.  So, I didn't get to go be with her, but it was a cute play and my kids have been singing the songs and reciting the lines from it for the last 2 days.

After a quick bite to eat at DQ...chicken basket with gravy and Texas toast, yummy... I headed back home to drop the kids off at my sis-in-laws and change into some fresh running clothes (which included killer tube socks) and I went right back into Centralia for another run!!

I think 'community' also includes doing things for people you don't know.

Tressa and Jesse (whom I DO know) organized a 5K run (3.1 miles) to help raise awareness for Joubert Syndrome.  A fellow blogger they know has a son fighting it.  

 After driving around Borst Park for a while, trying to find everyone I was beginning to think I was in the wrong place.  Soon my friend Heidi showed up and we were lost together.  Thankfully we received a phone call and were lead to the starting line.  Apparently my vision is worse than I thought.  They had been there the entire time.

Anyway, all was well and we were happy.  Tressa had put together some fun swag bags complete with glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets so we could be seen running in the dark, a whistle...just in case you got lost (and I'm surprised no one did, cause it got pretty dark out), some FunDip and awesome hand stickers for our rear ends.

The course was sort of a loopy back and forth thing.  I was a little sore from my run that morning but soon fell into 'auto pilot' which usually happens around mile 2.  I will admit...I am afraid of the dark.  So when the light really started to fade and the path became harder to see, I got a little nervous.  I took careful strides and hoped to not trip over the speed humps!!

Heidi's son, Drake was a running machine.  He kept up with the big boys the entire time and ran the whole way.  I was super relieved to cross the finish 'light' (car headlights) and got the time of 38:something and waited for the rest of the awesome people to come in.  As Raya came in, she informed us that the course was actually 6.2K, so just shy of 4 miles.   Everyone else came in and stellar awards were handed out.  I'm glad that I decided to be a part of this great little event.  Thanks Tressa and Jesse.

Yeah...we are all awesome!

~

And last, but certainly not least...our church 'comminity'  It was General Conference weekend.  What more can make you feel like a part of something then that?  It still floors me when I am sitting there singing or listening to those amazing speakers, that millions of other people are doing the same thing...at the exact same time.  Community, indeed.