Bone Marrow Donation - One Year Later

I had a message today from someone at the National Marrow Donor Program informing me that the young boy with leukemia, who I donated bone marrow to last January, is doing really well! The lady also said that since it's been a year, I'll probably be able to meet him. This is incredibly exciting! When I was asked to donate blood cells to the boy over the summer, I feared that the marrow donation hadn't gone well, and this was a last ditch effort. Either that, or he needed an extra boost to beat the cancer. Well, whatever it was, it sounds like it worked! I can't call them back because of the holiday, but you can bet I'll be getting in touch with them first thing Monday morning! Stay tuned.

Holiday Happenings

There's no point in taking yourself too seriously in life.  My family gatherings wouldn't be normal if they weren't full of humor.  When Meezy and I showed up to my parents' house on Christmas Day and walked into a room full of relatives holding up fingerstaches, our first thought was, "Hey! Where are ours?"  My oldest nephew, David, thought it would be funny to bring them to the gathering, and he was right.  They were a riot.  My entire family got into the spirit.  I love these guys!

  Notice my dad's unique take on the fingerstache.  Hilarious!

Me and the hubs cheesing it up

Stealthy Daughters

My mom's birthday this year was quite a milestone - 60!  My dad isn't far behind her, and will be turning 60 in 2011.  They also will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in the coming year.  That's quite a lot of exciting events going on, so my sisters and I decided to get them something extra special on Christmas.  My mom has always wanted to go to San Francisco, but it's not necessarily high on my dad's list of things to do.  So, we bought the trip for them!  That way, my mom gets her wish, and my dad doesn't have to pay for it.  Win-win!  We went ahead and gave it to them now, so that they can decide when next year they want to take it.  We presented them with a check that should cover airfare and a couple nights' hotel accommodation, and just the stipulation that the trip must be taken before their 40th anniversary next December.  We took some video of us giving them the news on Christmas.  Good times!!

2010: A Year in Review

It's that time of year again.  Time to reflect on the happenings in 2010 that helped shape my life in one way or another.  As I look back on the last year of my life, I have to say that, despite a couple of hiccups, things were pretty fantastic.  I have so many experiences to be grateful for, and so much hope for many more great things in the future.  In all honesty, even the events that brought me to my lowest were great learning experiences and I can see the positive in them.  Here goes my year in review, in no particular order:

1) Donated bone marrow and later underwent apheresis for a young boy with leukemia

2) Took a quick trip to St. Louis to surprise my hubby with tickets to watch the 49ers play

3) Welcomed a new nephew into the world

4) Did various updates to our house including a new fence and new hardwoods

5) Ran the Warrior Dash and multiple 5K races

6) Watched some great friends get married in Dallas and Las Vegas

7) Took a Memorial Day getaway to Puerto Aventuras

8) Played softball, flag football, sand volleyball, and tennis

 9) Said goodbye to our exchange student :(

10) Fulfilled a dream of traveling to Europe and visited London, Monte Carlo, Paris, Amsterdam, Maastricht, Koln, and Bonn 

 11) Watched a Wimbledon final

12) Bought a new car

13) Cheered on my favorite teams

14) Restored my sanity in Washington, DC

15) Said goodbye to family friends and watched others do the same

16) Broke my kneecap
 

Parking Garage Etiquette

Do people forget common sense when they enter a parking garage, or do they just normally drive like assholes all the time?  I don't understand why it's so hard to follow a few easy rules in these situations.  I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they just don't know any better.  In that case, take note:

1) Drive on the right side of the road.  Just because you're in a parking garage, doesn't mean you've been transplanted to London and it's suddenly okay to drive on the left side (or in the middle).

2) When making a turn around a corner, do it so that you end up on the right side of the road.  If you're turning left, why would you cut it so close that you're on the wrong side after making the turn?  You're just asking to be t-boned. 

3) Drive slowly.  There aren't cops with radar guns in the garage, but that doesn't mean you should speed.  People do have to walk (or hobble) to their cars, you know. 

4) When you get to an "intersection," slow down and look both ways.  You don't automatically have the right of way, and sometimes other drivers are having a hard time seeing around parked cars.

5) Only take up one space.  I don't care how expensive or shiny your car is, it can still fit in one space.   In other words, this is not appropriate:

 (I bet they can't color inside the lines either)

Proud Wifey

Meezy ran a half marathon this past weekend and I was able to watch him cross the finish line.  Call me sappy, but I got a little choked up when I saw him finish.  The only reason he signed up for the White Rock Half was because I asked him to run it with me.  It was my goal to complete 13.1 miles and he was going to run to keep me motivated and increase my chances at finishing.  He was doing it for me. 

Over the past month, his work demands increased a lot, and he wasn't able to keep up with the training schedule.  He would do the long runs with me on the weekends, but that was pretty much the extent of what he had time for.  Then came my kneecap fracture.  It obviously put me out of commission for running the race, but I wasn't sure what it meant for Meezy.  He had no obligation to do it anymore, and I wouldn't have blamed him for quitting.  Despite that, he decided to give it a shot anyways, and did pretty darn well considering the situation.

I was so proud when I saw him coming around the corner and heading down the straightaway to the finish line.  Part of me was extremely sad that I wasn't running by his side, but the other part of me was extremely happy to see him conquer this challenge.  I hope we get the chance to cross the line together someday.

 He's in the bright yellow!

 Go, Meezy, go!

We had numerous friends who also ran the Half this year, and I want to give them a big congratulations!  It's an awesome accomplishment and they should be very proud.  Major shout-outs to Brian, Sharon, and Justin who ran their first Marathon and kicked its ass!  I'm in awe of those guys.

Ortho Update

I went back to the orthopedic surgeon yesterday for another follow-up appointment.  They took more x-rays and things still look good.  I took the brace off and the doctor wanted to see if I could bend my leg.  He put his hand under my knee and raised up.  The initial movement hurt, but once it got past a certain point, it felt fine.  It really just felt like something stretching (which I'm sure is what my tendons were doing after having been kept in a compact position for the past two weeks).  I can't raise my knee up to bend my leg on my own power, but at least it's a good sign that it can be bent at all.  The doc told me I should try to lift my knee up periodically like that at home, just to give it some exercise and flexibility.  I feel okay with that, because it really doesn't hurt to do it, and I'd like to keep those muscles/tendons from atrophying.  I tried the exercise a couple times last night before I went to bed.......bad idea!  I woke up numerous times throughout the night in pain.  I guess it was a little too much stress on my kneecap. It's so deceiving that it feels fine at the time, but the pain hits you later!  I'll have to figure out the best time of the day to do those exercises, so that my sleep isn't affected.

In other news, I regained a little bit of my independence.  Mainly out of necessity, I figured out a way for me to drive myself.  It's not the most comfortable position in the car, and I have to use both feet on the pedals, but it will work for now.  It was starting to get impossible to coordinate my work schedule with Meezy's, and then throw in my weekly doctor visits on top of that.  It's a lot to ask of someone to disrupt their workday to bring me to an appointment.  I'm glad I'm a little less helpless now, but you can be damn sure I'm going to use my handicapped placard whenever possible!