How does one get that much self esteem

That little black blur in the middle on the left is our chihuahua/boston terrier mix, Piper.

She meets the cows at the fence every day.

"Hey cows! Wanna fight?"

Always something surprising



She's not done coloring yet



Me: Hey Emmers, what are you working on?

Oh, I'm just drawing van Gogh's Starry Night.

Me: From Memory?

Well, Mrs. Nelson brought in a couple pictures last week.

Not bad for a 6 year old.

Officially

I had my very last physical therapy appointment yesterday. 

It feels good to be closing this chapter.

I left with a pinky swear promise that I won't be jumping off any tall platforms anytime soon.

Just regular running for me, none of that fancy stuff from now on.

For Boston With Prayers

Tuesday, I pulled my never before worn tough mudder tee from the back of my drawer.

I just haven't felt like I earned it....that whole tricky business about missing the last 4 obstacles and all.

But it seemed like the right time to show my support for Boston.

Lately

I finally finished my sister's Christmas (cough!) present.
Maybe they'll come in handy next year....

Two 100+ point words for me in back to back games....

....That NEVER happens!  I usually just get my butt kicked

The kids upgraded to my old bunk bed. 
I'm trying my best to be excited and not sad the babies are growing up so fast.

Shadow boxes for race medals (2011 and 2012)
Emma says: What'd you win a medal for....wiping??
I think there has been waaaay too much Wreck-It Ralph lately.

The Road To There Goes Through Here

Week 7 - 115 degrees flexion and 3 miles at one time on the recumbent bike.  And a fleeting thought as the physical therapist is bending and pushing on my knee, and I'm trying and failing not to cry....being able to bend my knee is highly over-rated.

Week 8 (two months) - added 4 inch step downs, 60 lbs on leg presses and squats to chair level to the rotation.

My two perma screws and one dissolving screw

Week 9 - added single leg toe presses, bridges, and 60 lb on leg presses with the wobble board.  125 degrees flexion, I should be at 130 by now...eek.  Have to work on it.

Week 10 - 130 degrees flexion without much trouble.  Yay!  10lbs added to the leg extensions.  And the therapist's encouragement "you may feel like you aren't making very much progress but in the long run it's better to go slow and steady about regaining strength".

Week 11 - 70 lbs on the leg press, 5 minutes on the balance board.  Done with leg brace now too.  Which makes stairs a lot easier!  It was always slipping down before.

Week 12 - Walking backwards, 6 inch step downs, stairs, stairs, stairs.

Week 16 - 80 lbs on leg press, balance board with ball toss, walking backwards, crab walking with resistance band.  I have 145 degrees flexion now.  Taking the next 4 weeks off, then it will be back to therapy to re-learn how to run safely.

Can I run yet?  how about now?  now?

5 months - My right quad is stronger but still not the same as my left.  New homework assignments:

-Jumping with feet together.  It's not how far I jump that matters most but landing as softly as possible.

-90 degree squats using an exercise ball

-90 degree squats on one leg

-110 lbs on leg press

These Is My Words

These is My Words (written by Nancy Turner) was another runner up book club choice.  The second I finished it, I wanted to read it again.  Like right then.  I enjoyed it that much.  But my to-read list gets longer every day, and who has that kind of time really?  Here I am a week later and I'm still thinking about reading it again.  I've also learned that there are two more books in the series.  I was sorry to see that there is not a box set of them yet.  That would have sealed the deal for me to buy them right now.

These is My Words, is written journal style and chronicles the life of Sarah Agnes Prine, as her family travels from New Mexico to the Arizona territory in the 1880s.  It describes the struggles of being a pioneer and the clashes with Indians along the way.  The first 20 pages are filled with heart break and loss but if you can get through those you will not want to put the book down until you have read every last page.

Anyone who is a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan will enjoy this book.  It is Little House on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years all rolled into one book.