The Story Of Us: March 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Spring in the Dakota's

Shorts and snowball fights? Only in the Dakotas!

It was 70, but the drift in our yard still had some melting to do. It got in the way of the neighborhood soccer game, but don't worry...kids know what to do when snow makes soccer impossible.

Monday, March 29, 2010

My show's back...

Gonna be a sad season.
Rest In Peace Captain Phil.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

What's up in Mobridge

I've become a neglectful blogger. I'm trying to get back to it. Here's another attempt.
What we have been up to.

Brooklyn has found her place in Middle School. She has made some wonderful friends and is beginning to feel like a part of the group. She found her Tiger pride when the Mobridge girls basketball team made it to state. She enjoyed going to all the home games in her Tiger gear, and, thanks to some friends, a few away games as well.

Now that spring has sprung, she has begun practice for track. She doesn't know what events she will be taking part in yet, but the Track Meet schedule will have us all over the state in April.

Aside from a busy social calander, and everyday track practice, she is also in the Middle School concert choir and plays electric guitar in the Middle School band. She still enjoys reading and writing and her favorite material continues to be Harry Potter. A recent poem I found in her backpack:

A Dad

What is a Dad

He's a joke thats not funny, but still makes you laugh.

Someone who picks you up when you're down.

The person who dusts you off when you're hurt.

He also makes you smile no matter how sad you are.

He's irreplaceable and he's all yours.

You miss him when he's gone and love him when he's home.

And yet, we don't teat him right at times, but he still loves you.

You don't realize how much you love him until something happens or you think about all the things he does for you.

I think thats a Dad.

Rylee continues to be the social butterfly. She has more friends than I can keep up with. She loves to ride bike, go to the park, or chat with friends and family via Facebook or text. (Don't bother calling, she's not a phone person.)

School continues to come fairly easy to Rylee. The Mobridge schools use a different Math program than the Carrington school's did, and that has taken some getting used to, but she works hard and does well. Rylee joined the Mobridge Tigers Music Choir which is an elementry school choir. She has extra practices after school and enjoys the performance opportunities this choir offers.

Rylee tends to be the only "Girls Girl" in our house. She's concerned about fashion and style and is always quick to let Brooklyn and I know when we are "behind the times".

She recently bought her own sewing machine (worked her butt off earning money) with plans to launch her own clothing line in the future.

Ryan continues to work hard at the store. The Mobridge store is much bigger and also has grocery, which is something totally new to Ryan. He's done some traveling, helping with other stores, and going to food conventions and seems to be figuring out the world of grocery.

He did some ice fishing on the river this winter and a bit of archery deer hunting as well. Still trying to fingure out the best fishing and hunting spots, but don't worry, he allows plenty of time for it!

This is a picture of the river this winter. Ryan spent plenty of time drilling holes and waiting for fish on all that ice.

As for me, aside from becoming an expert at one armed cleaning, dressing, mothering, etc., I'm staying busy with dance and loving it. Each week is better than the last as I get to know the girls and figure out the personality of each class. These girls keep me young, and yet, have an uncanny ability of reminding me how old I'm getting! Last week, one sweet little 6th grader asked me if someday we could warm up to music from this century. Sure, if you can find me something with a great beat that's not about sex. Both girls are enjoying dance also. They have become amazing helpers with the younger classes, especially the pre-school class, which is only a 1/2 hour but leaves us completely exhausted.

Before the break I had planned to do a mini triathalon in May, but not being able to swim puts a damper on my training. This week I got back in the gym and am putting all my efforts into running and biking with the hope that I'll be 2/3's ready and will get the OK to swim in enough time to be ready for the race. Also before the break, I was doing a little waitressing at a hotel resteraunt. Not being able to lift anything brought that to a grinding hault and I miss it. It was kind of my social outing each week. Not knowing anyone in a small town can be isolating and that job got me in touch with a lot of people. The owners of the hotel have been very nice and are now training me to do some office work and sales. They are letting me work as often as I want, whatever hours I want. It's not as much fun as goofing off in the resteraunt, but I do enjoy having a purpose each day, whether my plans are dance or the hotel, I'm able to keep busy.

Rusty continues to be the love of the girls life. They aren't too interested in any other boys yet, and I'll keep it that way as long as possible. He drives me crazy, but every kid needs a pet, right? Below is a picture of him with his friend Chevy. Chevy is Josh and Kristin's puppy. Les and Joyce's grand-puppy.

We have kept our weekends filled with trips to Carrington for various reasons. Birthday parties, dance competitions, house issues. We have renters in our house that are very interested in purchasing this summer. It's bitter sweet. We need to sell the house, but I love that house so much! No plans to move back to Carrington though, so we need to sell.

We were in Cgtn a few weeks ago for the Jamestown Dance Competition. Normally I have been a coach at that competition, but with only a few weeks under our belt in Mobridge, we weren't ready to compete. But we couldn't miss seeing our Carrington girls dance and so we went to watch.

We are looking forward to Easter and the hopes that we will have some visitors here in Mobridge (hint, hint... Les and Joyce.) Also, with the great upcomming event called summer, we are hoping to see some Utah visitors. (Hint, hint... family.) We can't wait for our first summer in Mobridge. With the river surrounding our town and the warm, humid weather, I'm pretty sure we are going to be in heaven.

Thats it for now. Maybe I'll start taking more pictures now that it's spring and beginning to be pretty again.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

The difference between my girls...

Brooklyn began texting me the minute she heard I was in the hospital with a broken. Her texts went something like this:
"Are you OK?"
"Does it hurt a lot?"
"I don't want you to have surgery."
Etc.
Rylee also sent a text.
Hers said, "I was, and I swallowed my gum."
Never did find out what she was.
Gotta love their personalities.

Friday, March 19, 2010

My Wrist

As you may know, I broke my wrist.

Two weeks ago, Carla, Anna and I decided we needed a girls weekend. Rather than do the usual shopping day, we decided skiing was the healthier option. Healthier for our bank accounts, and also healthier for our bodies.

As we neared the massive hills of western North Dakota, Carla began having reservations. This would only be her third time on skis, and memories of a few painful falls were messing with her confidence. So, Anna and I, supportive friends that we are decided we'd snowboard. You know, level the playing field a bit.

We put on our gear and headed to the top of the bunny hill.

For the sake of honesty, I will tell you that the hardest, most black diamond hill in North Dakota looks like a short bunny hill, by Utah standards.

Now, I was never a snowboarder. I grew up on ski's and opportunities to ride any hill are few and far between in the Dakota's. That being said, I'd been on board a time or two and felt just fine on the bunny hill. After a few runs, I told Anna and Carla we needed to ride a real hill. They talked me into three more runs on the bunny hill.

Carla got out her camera to video mine and Anna's skills. After a false start and a few laughs, I took off, made it to the bottom, and fell. It was not a hard fall. Carla and Anna can be heard cheering on camera. But I instantly knew my wrist was in bad shape.

The girls skied down to me, and I told them I'd hurt my wrist. They helped me pull my glove off, and then I watched the blood drain from Carla's face. I was deformed. (A description that was later confirmed by the E.R. Doc.)

Anyway, Anna and I went to the ski patrol hut for ice, while Carla went to get my car. The super nice ski patrol staff informed me that I'd better not eat or drink anything, because I was headed for surgery. I also secured Ryan and I jobs next year as weekend ski patrol (on ski's, not snowboards.)

A few hours later, after a long wait in ER and a painful set of x-rays, the Dr. comes in and says he has good news.

"Not broken." He says in a cheerful voice. But as he lifted my ice pack, his smile drooped and he informed me, "I can't be looking at the right films. You are obviously deformed." A statement which brought on an inappropriate amount of giggling from me and my friends.

And so he left the room to double check my films.

Another hour passes. The Dr. comes back and says, "It's hard to believe, but your wrist is not broken." He then grabs my fingers and bends my wrist backwards, increasing my pain level from "Oh, about 8." To "Get me a bucket Dr. A@@ hole, because I think I'm going to puke!"

"This can't be right." he says.

No kidding, thinks me.

He leaves the room and another hour or so passes. This time he comes back with the orthopedic surgeon. You see, there was another girl named Nicole in the ER with a hurt wrist. Hers was not broken. He'd been looking at her films.

Me? I was about to be prepped for surgery.

So, Ryan packed up the kids and headed to Bismarck. They arrived while I was in surgery, and then we all went back to the Radisson for a nice, drug induced, sleep.

Had my two week appointment yesterday. Saw the x-rays from before the surgery, and after with the plate and 6 screws embedded in my bone. Everything is healing the way it should. In 6 more weeks I can start physical therapy, and maybe 2 weeks after that I will be given the OK to lift something heavier than 1 pound.

Carla and Anna have some cool pics of us before the fall, and of my deformity. Maybe when they read this they will get off their lazy butts and send them to me. :)

I have a few pictures of the way it looks now. Yesterday they put me in a removable splint, so I can take it off and look at the prety colors of old bruising.