I’m failing at this blogging business. I know this because I couldn’t even remember
my password to log into my blog. Fail. I feel like I’m seriously slacking. I attribute this to:
A)
My lack of creativity, I just haven’t been
feeling the writing bug recently.
B)
Lots of trips and a crazy work schedule (who has
time for frivolities like a random online scribbling?).
C)
Visitors, namely, my sea-star. Which, for the record, I’m not complaining
about, it was so great to see her!
D)
My achy, breaky back. Why you ask?
No apparent reason. I just like
to complain about my old lady woes at any given opportunity, even if they have
absolutely no correlation to the conversation at hand.
However, on the note of my back, I would like to talk about
just how grateful having all these back problems has made me. Weird, I know, but let me explain. I know in my last blog post I pontificated a
bit on my back pain and what was going on, but since then I have learned much
more about why I’ve been having this chronic (yes, chronic; it has been going
on for over six months now) back pain.
When the pain I was experiencing started limiting my physical activities
and making it virtually impossible for me to run without having my left leg go
partially numb, I decided I should probably see the doctor again. Good call.
Had I not done that, who knows what further damage I would have
caused. The doctor sent me to get an MRI
and some x-rays where they found a bulging disc at L5 to S1, spondylolisthesis,
a pars defect, arthritis, and a generally very straight spine with no curvature
until L5 to S1, at which point, my spine curves at a rather unstable 90
degrees. To get all this news was
disheartening to say the least. I’ve
spent a lot of time lamenting the fact that I can’t run anymore, or do any other
sort of high-impact activity. But I
can’t say that in some ways it hasn’t been a blessing in disguise. It has made me appreciate just what my body
was (and hopefully someday will be again) able to do. How many people have been in tragic accidents
and lost a limb, or even limbs, and will never even be able to walk again? Or what about people who have been paralyzed
and will spend the rest of their lives in wheelchairs? When I think about things like this, I’m
grateful that things aren’t worse. I’ve
also learned that patience really is a virtue - one I still don’t really have,
but am learning to acquire. Even so, I
can’t say these back problems are something I would like to have, but I am a firm believer
that all things happen for a reason.
Cheesy, and cliché, I know. But I
also know for a fact that I’m a person who could often use a lesson on being
grateful. Hopefully there will come a
day when I can run again and do all the things I used to do, but if that
doesn’t happen, at least I can always be thankful that I’m not bedridden, in a
wheelchair, or missing a limb. Things
can always be worse!
On another note, the note of my sea-star (aka
sister, aka Anna Montana, aka she who shares my similar DNA), she did come
visit this past month, and it was (mostly) a blast! It was so great to see some family and spend
time with her; it was just like having my own little piece of America for a
couple of weeks! While she was here we
got to do a bit of traveling, to include Ireland and Amsterdam (pictures to be
posted below). I must say, I’m glad
we’re both adults now. Why you might
ask? Because when we were younger, we
kind of disliked each other… probably more than a little bit at times. We got into nasty yelling matches, and
occasionally resorted to hair-pulling, and dare I say biting… That’s not to say that we didn’t love each
other, we just had a lot of differences that, as kids and teenagers, seemed
insurmountable. But I think things have
changed. It was almost strange to carry
on actual adult conversations, and to do so without arguing (don’t get me
wrong, we had a couple of little tiffs while she was here). It makes me so thankful for family. Being in Germany can be hard with being 5,000
miles away from your family and only getting to see them once, maybe twice a
year, so seeing some family was really a highlight of this Summer. And now I’m getting mushy, which is not my
style, so I’m going to stop while I’m ahead.
Anyway, I’m going to put up some of my favorite pictures from our trips
below. Please enjoy my fine
picture-taking skills… as most of you probably know, artistic abilities run
rampant through my veins. Ha.
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| We climbed all the way to the top of this castle to kiss the Blarney Stone. We will now (supposedly) speak eloquently for the rest of our lives. |
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| I thought this would be an artistic shot. I clearly thought wrong. |
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| About to begin my journey towards eloquent speech. Heaven knows I could use it. Word vomit, anyone? |
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| Anna feeding zer horse on our little jaunt around the castle grounds. |
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| Anna and me at the Cliffs of Moher. Never have I seen two more attractive people. Ever. |
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| When in the Netherlands, pose awkwardly by a giant wooden clog... |
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| ... or just look like you weren't ready for the camera. |
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| At the 4th of July celebration on the Air Base. We 500 percent rocked the Hello Kitty look. |
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| View from the Landstuhl Castle. There are some redeeming qualities about living 5,000 miles away from America. |
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| We made cookies for the boys on Anna's last night in Germania, and they were delish! |
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| The cute boys we made the cookies for. This picture is before they both got convinced to have Hello Kitty face paint as well. We won that one. |
