29th Engagement Anniversary

I got through my surgery last Wednesday and I am currently recovering.

I haven't had a lot of pain in my leg/heel luckily (due to getting a nerve block), but I have had a few icky side effects from medication and I am trying to navigate my life with one leg on a knee scooter. I don't sleep all that great and I have to keep my leg elevated as much as possible. I cannot wait until I am able to walk normally, with no pain again. But, I am really doing pretty well under the circumstances.

 

And even though I am concentrating on recovery, I wanted to mark this date.

29 years ago today, Doug proposed to me at Anna Ruby Falls near Helen, Georgia. He asked someone at the falls to take pictures of the proposal and when we got the pictures developed, none of them came out - total blackness. We were so disappointed. This picture was taken very soon after our engagement. I look at us (we were so young) and see the innocence. We had no idea what was in store for us on our marriage journey - and it's been A LOT. And with all this nurse/surgery stuff going on right now, I said to him about the engagement anniversary, "No regrets, right?" And then we laughed. Gosh we have our moments. But seriously, life has thrown us more curve balls than we could have ever imagined. But thus far, we have gotten through everything stronger than before. We were definitely young when we found each other, but after all this time, I have no doubt we are soulmates.

I hope to be back blogging at least by next week. I will need to keep my mind as busy as possible while I also focus on healing.

Tomorrow Is The Big Day

I had every intention of starting to blog about our trip to Amelia Island after my last post, but life has been just crazy. I just didn't have time.

Tomorrow is my big surgery and I won't have time to blog about any of it before I go under the knife.

Since I will be non weight-bearing for 6 to 8 weeks, hopefully when I am feeling slightly better, blogging will give me something to keep my mind off of being uncomfortable and bored.

Last week was filled with doctor's appointments, meeting up with a few friends, last minute errands (like getting a temporary handicap parking permit for my car), a hair appointment, a therapy session and purchasing much needed items for my post operative life (like a knee scooter and a shower chair).

I am going to have to move into my guest bedroom on the main floor of my house for quite a while, so I need to shift my entire existence downstairs. I am going to miss being in my bedroom, bathroom and office. Those are my happy, safe spaces and I won't be able to access them for a while. But, I am very grateful that I have the guest bedroom on the main so I don't have to figure out some way to get up and down stairs.

I am also having to get things prepared for Doug. He's used to me doing a lot of the things around the house and now he will have to do literally everything - on top of being my nurse and acclimating to brand new job (yes - he has a fantastic new job at a different company, but that is another story for another day). Luckily Bri is getting settled into college, but we hope there won't be any significant bumps where she really needs us in the next week or so. We are missing her like crazy.

 

See, our life is absolutely bananas right now.

So, I will be getting a Haglund's deformity/Achilles tendon surgery. I will have 4 anchors put into the back of my right heel to secure the tendon after fixing the deformed bone. It's going to be a long, hopefully not too painful recovery. I pray this gets me walking normally again. I miss being to walk long distances with no pain.

I know I've asked for this quite a bit, but if you could keep me in your thoughts, say a prayer for me or throw some good juju my way, I would appreciate it. I have had a number of people reach out to check in on me and offer to help in some after I have had my surgery, and that is so unbelievably appreciated.

Please do the same for Doug because I am already A LOT for him to handle on a regular basis - just add in me being in pain, possibly nauseous and not able to walk. I just pray he won't any have time to file divorce papers. Heh.

It may be a little while before I am ready to see people, but I do hope it will be sooner than later.

Today is Mid Autumn Moon Festival...

This is my first one without Briana here, and we had absolutely no time to make cookies ahead of time. I don't know if I will try to see the moon tonight. I have to try to get some sleep for tomorrow. Everything just feels weird right now.

 

 So, I am going to run. Still have a bunch of things to do before tomorrow. I will try to update when I can.

I'm Missing Her

She's only been gone since Tuesday and I already miss her. 

 

Even though Doug and I ran down to the school to bring her a few more things she needed yesterday, I am missing her. I am grateful we are not all that far from campus. I know she was very happy to see us. Doug and I need to drive her car to her tomorrow (she couldn't park in the parking garage attached to her building yet due to all the move-ins this week), but I am still missing her. Even though a lot of the time she was closed up in her bedroom and ignoring us, I still knew she was in the house. This feels weird and strange. It is quiet. I don't have another kid in the house to distract me (except Doug - heh).

I think Bri is doing amazingly well under the circumstances of starting this very new, different life. We did have a significant missing home moment after a couple of days - which I talked her through. I knew that it could happen eventually. 

 

Briana made the choice to have the school select her roommate since it worked so great for her camps. Doug and I told her that could be a mistake and we desperately tried to talk her out of it to no avail. Her roommate showed up on Thursday after not contacting Bri at all this summer (even though they had names and email addresses). She is 20 and definitely more mature (a sophomore from Queens, NY) and not super compatible with Bri. I think they will be able to make things work (I pray), but this girl seems to have no interest in bonding with Bri up to this point. They cordially chat on and off, but that is about it. She seems to go off and do her own thing. I am very grateful that the other 18 year old freshman in Bri's suite (in the other bedroom) is filling that space because they are getting along wonderfully and spending lots of time together. Briana is already branching out - meeting and hanging out with new people. Her people. Her artsy people.

The diversity at this school is wonderful. So many races and cultures represented. It is how I grew up in Miami, and I am happy she will get to experience being with so many different kinds of people. SCAD is a dry campus, no Greek life (just clubs) and has rules about noise levels at certain hours and overnight guests, etc. I really like that.

She hasn't even started her classes yet, which will start on Monday. She has done some pre-course assignments, so luckily she has stayed on top of that. Because there are no classes this week and everyone is moving in and excited and nervous and all over the place and there are all sort of welcome activities - things can be a little chaotic. I am looking forward for everyone to get into their routines at school and then we will see how college life really is. It is hard to get a true read this first week.

And even though Bri is doing quite well, that doesn't keep me from worrying about her. As a mom, I hope she is eating ok and sleeping ok and feeling ok. And you can't do much to help at this point but try to listen. She's a college kid now and has to figure this stuff out on her own. She already went off campus last night with a few people for a Target run and to eat at a cookie place (both guys and girls). These are kids that she is just getting to know. My introverted Bri. I really am very proud of her.

So that is my update. I will worry about her whether she is doing great or struggling. I am a first-class worrier if you haven't figured that out. That's what anxiety does to you. I just want B to find a comfort level that will get her through the whole school year.

And I have a week and a half until my surgery. I am dreading that. I feel like I am drowning in life a little bit right now, but I'll survive.   

Just keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.

She's At College

 

We dropped B off at SCAD on Tuesday. She's been there a few days and seems to be doing very well. I am doing well, but I don't think the reality of all this is hitting me yet. It just kind of feels like she is gone for a week and then will be back. But, she will be gone until Thanksgiving, unless she comes home for a weekend or two during that time. I have so much I could write about regarding the move in, but I think I will write about our trip to Amelia first. 

Just know she is thriving right now. Classes don't officially start until Monday. She has had some pre-course work assigned, so she has been knocking that out. And she is being very social! My introverted gal is being social! Which is great. She has found her people.

This is the view from her room...

Nighttime view...

I'll be back soon to blog about Amelia. Stay tuned.

Amelia Island Vacation 2024 (With Some Then And Now Photos)

We had a wonderful time in Amelia Island at the beginning of August to celebrate Briana's 18th birthday and to enjoy some time together before Briana's college adventure. 

As with any of our vacations though, there are always challenges and blips. For example, I tripped and messed up my heel badly in Vermont last September. I struggled with heartburn/reflux issues in NYC in March/April. So this time, Doug ate some broiled oysters the second night we were in Amelia (not at the hotel) and ended up with a mild case of food poisoning. It really could have been a lot worse, but dang it, I wish it hadn't happened at all. He still managed to really enjoy the trip thank goodness, but he was very mindful of what he ate after that. Shockingly, even though I still struggle daily with my heel, I managed to keep it together this trip!

Other than that blip, the trip went great. The car ride to and from Amelia was great. The weather cooperated every time we needed it to (it would thunderstorm in the late afternoons and evenings). 

The Ritz Carlton was wonderful. Doug and I stayed at the Ritz in Amelia back in 2001 - right after September 11th. We had been all set to go to Atlantis in the Bahamas that October, but we were afraid to fly at that time and decided not to go there. We switched to Amelia so we could drive instead. We still haven't gotten to Atlantis - maybe one day. Doug and I remembered Amelia being so relaxing back then, so we decided to bring Briana there for our last hurrah before leaving for school. Again, it was great.

I have been a blogger since 2006 and before that (since I was in middle school), I was an avid scrapbooker. I just went back to look at one of my albums and found pictures from Doug's and my trip to Amelia back in 2001. I hadn't looked at these photos in many, many years. Definitely not right before our trip. I just noticed how many photo recreations we did on our trip without even realizing it!

Check this out ~

The back of the Ritz...

The pool area...

The shark...

 

 Relaxing poolside...

On the beach...

And here is an aerial view of the Ritz. The first shot is from a postcard I have (card purchased in 2001 but the picture was taken in 1994). The second is of the Ritz now (30 years later)...

It was so surreal to discover all of this today! 

So I will blog all about our trip over the next week or two. Briana leaves for SCAD tomorrow, so I need to keep my mind busy between that and my heel surgery on the 18th. Wish us luck and I'll be back soon!

Briana's 18th Birthday Recap

Finally getting to do a recap of Briana's 18th birthday festivities!

She turned 18 on the 5th, but life has been a bit busy this month, so here I go...

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We started our celebrations with my parents two days before Briana's birthday. We ate bbq at a delicious local place and then went to my parents' house to open gifts...

 

My mom had her dining room all decorated for Briana and bought her the most beautiful chocolate ganache cake. And they of course spoiled her with gifts...

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The next day, Briana had a nice dinner with two of her besties....

While Briana was eating Chinese food with her friends, Doug and I tried out the nearby poke bowl place and it was so good...

 

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On Briana's actual birthday, I made sure she awoke with balloons on her ceiling...

And I had decorations and presents ready for her...

We had a quiet morning per Bri's wishes, and then we opened her gifts in the afternoon...

The kitty Legos and musicals book were from my sister. I got B a Mei pillow to take to school.

 Bri absolutely loves chocolate chip cookies, so that was her request for her 18th. 

Her heartfelt gift was a pearl necklace and pearl earrings that Doug and I bought for her on her first birthday when we were in China 17 years ago...

She got all dressed up for our dinner out that evening...

We went to one of our very favorite restaurants "Cooks and Soldiers"...

The tapas and desserts at "Cooks and Soldiers" are phenomenal. Truly...

On the way home from dinner, the sky/clouds were absolutely beautiful. It felt like our loved ones who are no longer physically with us were acknowledging Briana's special day...

 

Then finally, we took a trip to Amelia Island to celebrate Bri's birthday and her soon-to-be college journey (which I will blog about separately)...

The last night we were in Amelia, we took Briana out for yet another amazing birthday dinner at a restaurant called "Salt"...

The food was absolutely delicious. And Bri got a special treat...

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I think we celebrated Briana's birthday quite well and it lasted for quite a while! LOL! It is hard to believe she is now considered an "adult," but that is what she is now.

She is going off to college in a couple of days to learn all about what she loves and she is going to do great, artistic things in her future - I just know it! She makes me so proud!