Here is an awesome picture of my scar from surgery. Where there are no sterry strips that is part of the scar from the first surgery and the rest is from the second one. They did have to recut some of the old scar for the second surgery so that part is more tender than the rest. We measured it and it is 6 inches long. WOW!!!!! But for the most part I am doing really good. Walking and doing a little more every day. Kirsten is here and we had cake for her birthday yesterday. She is so funny!!!! She cooked us spaghetti one night and couldn't figure out how to use the electric can opener. And then she was serving up dinner she put some on my plate and asked if I wanted more. I told her yes so she was trying to scoop more but every time she scooped could only get four or five noodles on the scoop. I was laughing so hard! Mabye you had to be here but I thought it was funny!!!

Daisy thinks she is a cat!!!!

Everything is going great! Mom and Michele have been great help and doing awesome. We have been visiting a lot and doing a few little craft projects with the kids. I am excited to see Kirsten and Missy on Tuesday. I hope Troy doesn't drive her nuts to fast. I haven't been doing to much. Just trying to walk a little every day and take it easy on the couch or in my comfy chair. It is getting pretty hot down here. I think it was in the 90's today. Hot Hot Hot!!!!!
I hope everyone had a great mother's day! I did! I got a new set of sheets. Two pillows, shams and comforter that all coordinate. I will take a picture and post it when it gets made.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!

I am sure you have all heard by now that I had a little accident Saturday. But I can tell you my side of the story at least so here it goes..... I slept in Saturday morning and Mom and Michele called to see if they were needed right away or if they could go get Michele a hair cut. So I told them we were all fine for a while. I was still in bed, the kids were in watching t.v. and Troy was around the house doing I am not sure what. About five minutes later Troy came in and asked me if I wanted something for breakfast. He brought me in a yogurt and I laid in bed and ate it. Then a few more minutes later I decided to get up and go see the kids in the family room. So I sat up and grabbed my trust old walker and off I went down the hall to say good morning to everyone. It was about 9:30 by now. I sat in a very comfortable kitchen chair that we borrowed from Great Grandpa and Grandma Merrill. I sat there for probable 15 min then decided I was going to get in the shower. I called for Troy and off we went back down the hall and he set up the bathroom for me to take a shower. Towel on the floor so I wouldn't slip and one hanging up for me to dry off with. Then he started the water. I got in and washed my hair and then my face. Then my ears started to ring and I knew from experience that was not a good sign so I sat down on the bench in the shower and called for Troy to come in. He came in and started to talk to me and I just told him I was going to pass out and I wanted to get on the bed. So he started to help me out of the shower and I just got weaker and weaker, so then we went to the floor. I don't recall much of what happened in between that point and actually getting on the bed but I do remember yelling at Troy to get me off the floor because I was sitting with my feet under my butt and it was hurting the muscles in my thighs really bad so he picked me up and then I woke up on the bed with a blanket over me and Troy on the phone with the 911 operator. Seconds after that an ambulance pulled up and I could hear the kids yelling,"its here, its here". The two EMTs came in and started taking my vital signs and then I got a nightgown put on me and carried to the gurney that was in my family room. Then they rolled me out to the ambulance and my neighbor poked her head in and asked if we were all right and then started talking to mom. We went to the hospital and were checked in at about 10:30 am and didn't leave until about
5:00 pm. It was a very long day but they did take x-rays of my back and my surgeon came in and looked at them and said nothing looked out of place. So that was good news. They also drew blood and found I am very anemic and have very low blood pressure. The combination of those two things and the warm water is what made me pass out. I am doing fine now and am taking it very easy. My right leg has some muscle pain in it from the position I went down on it when I passed out. But other than that I am doing good. My two moms and making sure I don't move a muscle without assistance and I have also received a few threats of butt kicking if I do anything to injure myself again. So with that all said(if you got this far) I am on the road to recovery and will take it a little more easy from now on.

Here are some fun pictures of the kids at Disneyland this year!

Cameron, Dustin, Shayah, Keegan, Jimmy and Sarah

Cameron, Jimmy, Dustin and Sarah
Dustin, Jimmy, Sarah and Cameron

I had lots of fun at Disneyland taking pictures of the kids and the kids had lots of fun riding all the rides with cousins, aunts, uncles and of course grandpa and grandma.

I am sort of reluctant to post this but everyone will find out eventually anyway. As you know I had a cat scan upon my doctors request because I have been having major leg pain in my right leg. Well he called me today and told me he looked over the results and he feels it is necessary to go back in and adjust one of the screws and chip some more bone away from the nerve. YEAH ME!!! He feels that will take the pain away. So off I go to surgery again. Thursday. I should be able to go home either Thursday night if he can do the surgery in the morning or if not I will be home Friday. This surgery will not be as involved as my last one but none the less it still is not what I wanted to do. God bless you all and lets hope this is my last surgery to fix this problem.
Love You All!!!!!

O.K first of all cat scans are not my friends any more. I got to the hospital at 9 a.m. and didn't get home until 4:30 p.m. I am so not kidding!!! It has been a very long day. It was painful to get the contrast dye injected into my spinal fluid and then I had to wait 1 hour until I could actually get in to do the cat scan so the dye could get down through the entire length of my legs. I was crying so hard I could barely catch my breath. Not to be graphic or anything but that is the truth. It flipping hurt!!!!! I am doing much better now. I have to drink a lot of fluids to flush to dye out. I have to sleep on the couch tonight because the dye is still in my veins and spine and it will be very bad if it gets to my brain. It has a slight risk of causing seizures. So I have to sleep with my head elevated at at least a 30* angel. I will be so glad when all of this is over and I can just move on with my life. I am getting so bored just sitting around or laying down. I have had a lot of time to think about what I do want to do when I am feeling better and going to school is one of my goals. I have been considering several career paths. But need to do a lot more research before I decide on anything. Here are a few of my thoughts....pharmacy tech, phlebotomist, paralegal, web page design, announcement design like wedding, baptism or baby births etc..., and medical billing and coding. Just to name a few. I want something that doesn't require a ton of school but will pay fairly good in the end and is enjoyable to do. If there is such a thing I am going to find it!!! Wish me luck!!!

I am going in to have a cat scan tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. It will be a five hour long process. Wow huh. I was kinda surprised to find out it would take that long. Troy is going to take me but I am not sure if he is going to stay with me the whole time. But he will be there to bring me home. I sure hope the doctors can find out what is going on with this leg pain. I am getting pretty worn out. Thanks for fasting and praying for me. I really appreciate it. I don't know what I would do without everyone's love and support! Love you all!!!