Thank you for all the comments and concern. Things are somewhat calm and I feel better, but I know some things will never be the same as before. Life goes on and I’m trying to accept the fact that I cannot fix everyone’s problems. Time to put away the Christmas decorations and start a new year.

My husband got an X-box for Christmas and video games are not my idea of fun. I get bored sitting here watching him try to blow things up! So despite my mentioned vacation before, I’m still around.

Since there will not be many new shows on TV with the writer’s strike, I’m guessing our evenings will be filled with Lego Star Wars for a while. Ethan is in his own little world of Transformers and Lego’s.

I went back to the orthopaedic doctor Friday for a 2 week check-up and to get these stitches out. Ethan went along and brought a Fisher Price camera (a gift from Christmas). It was quite entertaining for him to take pictures of the nurse removing the stitches. Although, he had her in stitches by the time it was done and had told her my feet stink and I was on drugs. Lovely.

I’ll leave you with a few pictures of our visit courtesy of Ethan.

My Christmas didn’t quite go as planned. In fact, I’m swirling in the aftermath and feeling pretty low.

This is my favorite holiday. I love gathering and watching those I love open gifts I picked out especially for them, and seeing what everyone else received. As I looked through the pictures we took today, there were too many frowns on too many faces and broken hearts etched on their chests.

Every year there is one gift I choose that keeps me excited and counting down the days until Christmas. This year it was a recipe book I made from my Grandmother’s old metal box of index cards.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time preparing it and then had it printed for a few family members who I knew would treasure the memories it represented. Only today’s misfortune overshadowed any gifts that were given.

The day has made me regretful, tearful, confused and mostly sad.

The wrapping paper is in the trash, the wonderful gifts are put away and I should probably just forget about what happened, but I can’t. My feelings are hurt and I’m feeling pretty down.

I am technically on vacation until January 7th, so I’m going to take a break from here as well. It’s almost been a year since I started this blog and it has been a wonderful journal that has allowed me to express things I can’t say in real life.

Thank you for listening. I’ll be back soon…

So we were watching “A Christmas Carol” tonight and the part with Little Timmy comes on. My son points to the tv and says, “That kid has a gimpy leg like mommy does!”

Nice.

Yes, I’m hopping along fairly well since the surgery a week ago. No crutches though. Honestly, I ditched them after a few days this time around because I was about to kill myself getting around our house. I’m not the most graceful person, let alone hopping on one foot with two metal sticks to balance between.

My ankle and foot have not been swollen this time, which is great because it means my shoes all fit. But the soreness remains and the good drugs aren’t really touching it. Maybe I’ve been up on it too much though.

It wouldn’t be too bad, but they didn’t take the stitches out at my follow-up appointment Friday. The doctor said the incision was deep and needed to heal another week.

Woo Hoo for me!

My husband couldn’t believe I haven’t taken them out myself yet (which I’ve been known to do). I took home a lovely staple remover from the hospital after my three month vacation there, but I don’t like removing the stitches myself.

So if you all have some staples you need out let me know. I’ve had a lot of practice.

Do you all drive around and look at Christmas lights? As a kid we usually did. There were the houses we expected to go all out every year that we traveled past, and then of course we searched for new ones.

My father, who has a unique writing ability, loved to drive around like this. I can remember the hype one year as he talked about a new place he’d found and we were headed to. All the way there he built it up.

It had the biggest light show in the county. Red, white and blue. All lined up perfectly. Some flashed, some stayed on. Most were at ground level, but a few hung in the sky.

By the time we got there I was sure this would be spectacular.

Can you guess where we went? The airport. Oh yes, the runway.

I admit it was as he described, but I was totally disappointed. In a way it was humorous, but it should have been a warning sign of times to come in our relationship.