I survived June and made it to July. A month down. That feels like a real accomplishment. 6 months since my hysterectomy and one month since I broke my arm. This summer is passing me by but this painful arm situation takes precedence over even missing the joys of summer.
I wish I could say that life was significantly better but it wasn't. I know I sound super dramatic but this injury is dramatic and there are support groups online full of the most depressed people with this injury. I had to stop following them because no one ever had good news or anything positive to report and I was already in the depths of despair. Bryn also came home sicker than a dog from Girls Camp and has been pretty miserable. We are a bunch of sad sacks these days.
Here was my big accomplishment at the start of the month... I could scrape my hair...by myself...into a pathetic side ponytail and was so thrilled that I sent this in the family chat. Tyler has gotten to be a pro at putting my hair in a ponytail when I need to leave the house.
Not much new here. Bryn and Tyler work. I doom scroll and write thank you notes to all of the people who have been so kind and thoughtful to us. I can do small tasks around the house and that has made me feel better. I vacuum up a storm. It makes me feel like I have some small purpose in life. I deadhead flowers outside and blow off the deck with the leaf blower. Same thing there. Sometimes Tyler takes me for little drives just to get out of the house. Tyler will drive me to the lake so that I can put my feet in the water and that is when I am the happiest.
The Fourth of July came and went. This year it was very lowkey. We were planning to go to Utah for the 4th but then we found out that Bryn had to leave for Florida for the FCCLA Nationals at 3am on July 5th so that was off... and then broken arm. Double off. So we stayed at home and tried to make the best of it. The weather was terrible. It was cloudy and rainy. Very gloomy. I didn't feel up to socializing with anyone but family.
Tyler, Bryn, I went to the movies. I could just sit there and not move. We saw the new Jurassic Park movie. Then we went over to the carnival at Riverfront Park and walked around and got hot dogs and cotton candy. I was happy to be out walking around.
Brynnie in her 4th of July outfit.
Karsy in his!
Kameron, Erin, Ailey, and Luke all went to the Provo Parade and then went swimming. They went to the fireworks at Thanksgiving Point that night. We were definitely missing them. Tyler made us smash burgers and we ate out on the deck and it actually turned out to be okay. We didn't go to the fireworks this year because Bryn had to pack for her trip. But we saw quite a few in our neighborhood anyway.
Tyler took Bryn to the airport at 3am and off she went to Orlando. I really missed her. She's been gone a lot this summer. I am glad that she is getting all of these fun opportunities though. We are really proud of her! She sent us fun pics and videos. We lived vicariously through her travels.
While Brynnie was living her best life in Florida...Tyler and I got to spend some good time with Reilly. The three of us went out to lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant and went shopping for baby clothes. We got a tour their new apartment before they officially moved in. It's fun to get Reilly all to ourselves once in awhile. LOL.
Back in Orlando...Bryn was having fun and learning a lot at Nationals.
Bryn and Ellie presented their project and WON GOLD!!
I am so happy that she had this opportunity to compete locally, statewide, and then nationally. It was a great experience for her. She loves to travel and this was so fun for her. To win gold was icing on the cake!
While Bryn was in Florida...Reilly and I had a little mother/daughter date. She picked me up and we got manis/pedis. Reilly found us a much more glam place to get our nails done that even serves complimentary fancy drinks. Yes, please.
Once Bryn got home from Florida, it was time for Tyler and I to take our little road trip to Oregon. Tyler got me all situated with my arm cushioned in the car and off we went. It felt great! We had such a fun trip! On our way we made a few stops... Bryn had recently been to the Columbia River Temple in the Tri-Cities and we wanted to see it too. Very pretty! It felt good to get out and walk around for a bit.
Tyler forgot his church clothes so we ran into the LDS Distribution Center so he could buy a white shirt to wear on Sunday. It was so pretty to travel along the Columbia River. The weather was sunny and gorgeous. We stopped at our favorite Petite Provence in The Dalles for a sweet treat.
We got macarons, Pavlova, and Tiramisu. Divine! We also went to my favorite thrift store and found some great smalls for my booth. So fun! I love The Dalles. Time was running short so we had to bypass Multnomah Falls this time. Sadness but it was crazy busy. We got to Silverton at 6pm. It is just as charming and magical as we remembered it. We checked into our darling Airbnb that was about 10 minutes from Tyler's mom and sister's place.
It was filled with gorgeous antiques and vintage finds. This was my all time favorite piece of furniture!
How dreamy is that?! It is now one of my life goals to find one of these for our house!
While unloading the car I ended up hurting my broken arm quite badly. I was rolling both of my suitcases down the hall (one in each hand) to the bedroom when the handle on the one I was rolling with my broken arm jerked from short to long and threw my arm into an excruciating 10 minute muscle spasm. Pain level 10/10. I didn't know what was happening at the time or what exactly I had done but it nearly took me out. I thought I was going to have to go the ER. Thankfully the spasm eventually calmed down and we were able to go to my mother-in-law's. But every so often for the rest of the trip...and month...my arm would suddenly spasm into a terrible 5-10 minute spasm. When it happened I couldn't do anything to stop it or seem normal when it happened. It was HORRIBLE.
Once I could function again we went to Judie and Lori's and had dinner with them. It was good to catch up with both of them. They have settled nicely in Silverton. Lori is loving her new job and area. We are so glad that things are going well and that they are liking it here. Tyler's mom looked better than the last time we saw her but it still takes us a bit by surprise to see how much she has aged. She is 81 and that alone seems shocking. I guess not watching my mom grow old and lose her vibrancy and pep might be a hidden blessing although I would still rather have her here...aging away...but it is hard to see parents lose their vigor and mobility. Lori and Judie both go to bed fairly early. Lori had to work for part of the day the next day so we bid them goodnight. We stopped at our favorite specialty market for some snacks, drinks, and food to have at the Airbnb. We had a delightful cozy night there.
The next morning we slept in and took our time getting ready. Our Airbnb was so pretty in the morning. Tyler said that he saw a whole bunch of bluebirds out of the window. We were on the hunt for some good donuts. Tyler found several donut shops in Salem, OR which was about 20 minutes away so we headed there. We found DayNight Donuts and King Donuts. Both were good but DayNight was better. It's so frustrating that we don't have good donuts in Spokane! While in Salem, a city we had never been, we decided to do a little exploring. Salem is not that charming...at least not the downtown. We were still bumming around in Salem around lunch time. We were thrilled to see that our one of our favorite Oregon restaurants was also in Salem. Cafe Yumm!!
We had the best lunch!!
On our way back to Silverton we stopped to see the covered bridge. Very pretty. Quite reminiscent of the ones in Iowa aka the Bridges of Madison County. The area around Silverton is so beautiful. We could totally live here! Lori wanted us to stop in and see her at work and meet her co-workers. She is the manager of Chase Bank in Silverton. It was fun to see her new workplace and meet the people she works with. Then we went across the street to the Farmers Market. Oregon berries are legendary and we wanted to see if they lived up to the hype.
The answer is YES!!
We met up back at Lori and Judie's house when Lori got off of work. It turned out that the Airbnb owners were in Judie's ward and they are friends with my cousins. Judie wanted to go out to eat so we went to their favorite restaurant and got something quick. We weren't really hungry because we had just eaten at Cafe Yumm and snarfed a ton of berries. But it was good to sit, chat, and belatedly celebrate Judie's birthday. We made plans for the rest of the day. Judie didn't have much stamina. She basically wanted to go out to eat, go for a drive, and then go back home. Just that much tired her out. We took her home and then Tyler, Lori, and I did some sightseeing.
We drove up to see the Mount Angel Abbey. It was gorgeous up on this high bluff and overlooks the Willamette Valley. It's a Benedictine community of monks that was built in 1882. It has a famous library and theology college. We could see Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helen's from up there. Very cool! There were some huge trees up there. Mt. Angel Abbey is known for a large giant sequoia tree that was planted in 1893. It also happened to be the Saint Benedict Festival. We got there just as it was ending. I loved hearing the church bells.
Mount Hood was super visible. It was a GIANT! It was incredible to see some of the other mountains in the Ring of Fire from up there too.
After that we headed back to Judie's house. We got updated on all of the extended family. Tyler's brother continues to be a piece of work. He still doesn't want contact with anyone but his mother and even that is extremely limited and must be on his terms. We've known that for awhile and have honored his wishes. The cherry on top of it all was that he was then annoyed and offended that he and his wife weren't invited to Ailey's wedding. LOL. You can't have it both ways dude. Pick a lane. Good grief. I am so over a-hole family members.
Judie and Lori were able to facetime with Ailey in Utah and then with Bryn in Spokane which they really enjoyed. Kameron and Erin were in Rexburg for the weekend and Reilly, Hunter, and Karson were in Priest River visiting Hunter's cousin and his family. Reilly was able to send some pictures and videos of Karson to Judie. We had a nice evening with both of them and then they were ready to turn in early for the night. Tyler and I were definitely NOT ready to do that so we headed downtown. We walked all around downtown Silverton. There were all kinds of people out and about and live music playing. We grabbed a late night dinner at the Thai restaurant that Lori told us about and then walked around by the river. It was such a gorgeous night. We had a great time!
The next morning we got up to go to church with Judie. We had some makeshift church clothes going on. Tyler was dressed in joggers, his distribution center white shirt, a tie from the thrift store in
The Dalles, and some tennis shoes. I was in a dress and flip flops...my sandal strap broke up at Mount Angel the day before. We looked...interesting. LOL. But I knew how much Judie wanted us to go to church with her. I love it when our kids are home and come to church with us. I didn't think that my cousin and her family would be there because it was the fair that weekend and her kids are very involved in FFA. They raise animals and sell them at the fair so I was thrilled when my cousin Wendy walked into church!! Her family was at the fair but she came to church. She sat with us and we talked and laughed our heads off all through Sacrament Meeting! Good times!
It was so fun to see Wendy and catch up. Judie headed into 2nd hour and Tyler and I stayed in the foyer talking to Wendy. Then the three of us left. We went back to visit with Lori at the house and Wendy headed to the fair.
Look how gorgeous the hydrangeas are in front of the church! They were everywhere and HUGE!
We had a good visit with Lori and then Judie got home from church and we said goodbye. Tyler drove straight to the Portland IKEA which was about a half hour away and on our way home. We always have a running list of things we need from IKEA. Our nearest IKEA stores are in Seattle and Portland. We found the things that we were looking for and a few other things too. Tyler got to eat his favorite lunch at the IKEA cafeteria. LOL.
The man loves his IKEA meatballs. That's a no for me. I ate dessert.
We also made a stop in Hood River and then headed home. This is my favorite road trip. It is the perfect length and has some gorgeous scenery. There are so many places that I like stopping at along the way. Unfortunately on our way home we got a panicked phone call from Bryn. She was having a huge allergic reaction. She had been on antibiotics since she got home from Girls Camp. She had one day left of her prescription and suddenly started having issues. She was home alone and broke out into hives...everywhere...and then started having trouble breathing. She took Benedryl and things got worse. (Ailey and I are both allergic to Benedryl and this same thing happens to us but Bryn has used it before without any issues.) She drove herself to the Urgent Care where they monitored her for an hour and a half in case she needed an epipen and because she was home alone. They finally released her to go home but told her to take Zyrtec and to call 911 if things got worse. They told her that they would be calling her to check on her and to make sure that she answered her phone. The doctor called us on the road to tell us how she was doing. We finally got a hold of Reilly who had just gotten back from Priest River and she and Hunter headed directly to that house to stay with Bryn until we got home. Thankfully we were only about 2 1/2 hours away. It was pretty terrifying for all involved. Reilly and Hunter doordashed dinner for all of them and they, along with Karson, were a good distraction for Bryn who was pretty freaked out. By the time we got home she was doing better. Thank goodness! What a scary situation!
Bryn was pretty miserable and had horrible residual joint pain for quite awhile. She could barely sleep and walk. The hives and joint pain lasted for almost two weeks. She had to miss going to Youth Conference that next weekend because she still had hives and was miserable. Poor kid!
Tyler had his yearly check up with his GP. He has lost weight. The Ozempic is working but it has some terrible side effects and Tyler basically feels like crap. That is supposed to subside after a few weeks. I hope so.
My arm spasms continued...like a horrible charley horse... sometimes I could lean into it and it would subside but sometimes it just had to run its course. I felt like I lost any ground that I gained with my arm due to these horrible spasms. It was so frustrating! I had another orthopedic appointment and another x-ray. I had horrible anxiety going to that appointment because I thought I had injured my arm again and jacked up any healing that had taken place. Thankfully my appointment went well. I told the doctor about my arm situation and the horrible muscle spasms. I was prescribed muscle relaxers to help with that. They said it was most likely unused muscles waking up and freaking out. My x-ray showed that the bone was still aligned AND showed some new bone growth and callus formation. Yay!! The muscle relaxers helped. I have still had small spasms and some weird muscle *catches* but nothing like those debilitating spasms that I was previously having.
By midmonth I could walk one mile with Tyler pretty regularly. I could take a standing shower like a normal person and blow my own hair dry. I could also tie my shoes. I could finally sleep laying down on pillows like a normal person instead of sleeping propped upright and using a travel pillow around my neck. Progress. These small things gave me HOPE that healing and getting back to normal was on the horizon! It feels good to be resuming my life even just in small doses.
Tyler tended to all of my flowers in our flower beds and to my hanging basket but I still hadn't planted any planters or large pots. Bryn helped me buy flowers and then planted all of my planters for me. She did such a great job and it made such a difference to have all of my pots and planters filled with flowers.
Reilly continued to come over pretty frequently and brought Karson. He lights up our lives! I hate not being able to pick him up again. Tyler bought him a football to play with and he had fun with it. We got some cute pictures of him playing in the yard.
Reilly and Hunter moved into their new place. Both sets of parents helped them move. We loaded up our cargo trailer and it went pretty fast. I mainly entertained Karson. LOL. Then we went back the next day so that Tyler could do a couple of small projects for them. He installed their A/C unit and put in a new shower head and a few other things. I'm glad that they are all settled now and have a nice place to bring the new babies home to in a few months.
The momentous day FINALLY arrived for Bryn! Tyler took her to the DMV and she officially got her drivers license!! Woohoo!! Not quite as exciting to her...she also got set apart as 2nd counselor in the YW Older Girls Class Presidency. Ha ha!
Look at these cute pictures of Kameron and Erin (and Dwight). They are such a darling couple. They got two different sets of pictures taken. This was from when it was colder. I love having so many cute pictures of them.
Erin is working like crazy as a photographer and getting all kinds of clients. She is impressive!! Kameron spoke in his ward and Ailey and Luke went to hear him speak. I love that they are supporting one another and showing up for each other. It makes me happy. Kam's busy working for the car detailing company and driving LITERALLY all over Utah. It's a bit nuts. Both Kam and Erin are busy with school too.
Tyler's been busy with work and with his calling with the Activity Day boys. They have done all kinds of things...lots of sports and swimming...and they learned fire making skills and got to make s'mores. That activity was a hit! Tyler is scheduled to have hand surgery in a few weeks for his Dupuytren's Contracture and Carpal Tunnels. It is causing us a lot of stress. The timing is horrible. I am nowhere near being back to normal for him to then be out of commission for two months. It's also really stressing Bryn out and understandably so...she can't have two parents incapacitated at the same time. We've been struggling to make a decision about what to do. His hand is bad and he really needs the surgery but perhaps now is not the time.
I had still another orthopedic appointment and this time I got some great news! I can start weaning off the Sarmiento brace and can start PT. I also don't have to come back for another appointment for two months. I was elated! In even better news...all of our kids are coming up for our week at the lake!! I cannot wait to have them all here!!
I am so glad to be moving onto AUGUST!!
