SHOWER!!

Well, I wish I had exciting news to report on today, but I am afraid I have done NOTHING all day, but sit on my bottom with my foot elevated :) I thought I would love being waited on by mom and sis (Dad got lucky that the electronics show was this week in VEGAS!) but I am feeling quite helpless! I wish so badly to be able to get my own food and drink, or go from the bed to the couch, even to pee by myself (TMI?), but I can't yet. I know I will get there!

Something amazing did happen this afternoon though...I GOT TO TAKE A SHOWER!!!! Thanks to Emmy, I enjoyed a nice, HOT shower this afternoon, and I must say, it was HEAVENLY!! I can't get my foot wet for a couple of weeks (Yes, it is as disgusting as it sounds!) so I had to wear my special leg "protection" or as my Doc calls it, the leg condom! There it is below...

It is quite an amazing invention! It is like a really thick latex, flexible, boot! You pump the air out of it and it just suctions right to your leg and allows no penetration! It is a lifesaver in the shower! So, needless to say, I felt like a new woman after my shower!

It is still FREEZING here! I have not even been outside and I just get cold looking out the window. Hey, at least it snowed :) I don't mind it being so cold, just as long as there is snow on the ground to justify it! Here is another pic I snapped from the chair in the living room this afternoon as I watched all three of my babies play in the snow. My dogs really do bless my spirit :)

Road to Recovery...

Whewwwww...I made it! I am glad January 7th has come and gone! Yesterday we arrived at the surgery center at 6AM!! I was greeted by a VERY perky pre-op nurse named Susie, who took very good care of me before I went under! I was really nervous all morning about this surgery because my first one, a year ago, was HORRIBLE! The anesthesia team was awful and the nurses didn't care one bit about you being comfortable or nervous. So, Susie had already won the award in my book for nurse of the year! My doc came by to see me and signed off on the foot they were taking the hardware out of and off we went in to surgery! I got myself up on the operating table and don't remember one thing after that! (No Versed this time Jeannie ;)) The next thing I remember is waking up around 10 in recovery and seeing all of the nurses sitting around a table reading magazines! (Can we say cushy job?) Once I came to, they got my mom and got me out the door and on to recovery at home. The anesthesia didn't agree with me this time, but we wont get in to that. ;) Mom got me home and in the bed and has been taking very good care of me! I slept most of the day, but tried to stay up to watch Alabama win the national title! Can i get a ROLLLLL TIDE? I am not as sleepy today and not in much pain at all! I am anxious to get up and walking in the next few days! Well, as Tracy would say, PEACE AND BLESSIN'S!! I will be back in the next few days for more updates!

My babies Lola and Izzie keeping me company today :) AND the HUGE foot!

Tomorrow...

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day! Hopefully my foot will finally be on the road to recovery! I just got done taking a nice HOT bubble bath (That is what I was really thankful for today, but I didn't take of pic of that ;)) and feel all clean and ready for that 5am alarm to go off and get this over with! I go in around 7:30 and should be out of surgery within an hour! Hopefully I will be resting in my bed by noon! Here goes nothin...

Relax...

Today was such a relaxing day! I slept late, took my time getting ready, and just went at my own pace! One of my FAVORITE things in the whole world to do is get my nails done. No matter what kind of day I am having, if I just get my nails done I feel pretty and feminine!! So, that's what I did today. If you live in Nashville, I HIGHLY recommend Signature Nails! It is the bomb.com (yes I just said that :)) Since I have been home over Christmas break I have been getting so many manis and pedis because on Thursday I am having foot surgery :( Last February I went in for a routine Bunionectomy (No, I am not 85) because I had horribly painful bunions on both sides of my left foot. That surgery was NOT a piece of cake either! I could not walk for 2 weeks, had to lay in the bed in pain and just deal with it. WELL, I have been having problems with swelling of my foot ever since the surgery. Thursday they are going back in to my left foot to remove the 3 screws in hopes that it was just an allergic reaction to the metal. If you pray, feel free to shoot some up for me and if you don't, just send good vibes my way :)

So, that was my day today! Just trying to soak up these last few days of walking around and doing whatever I want!

You can see in this picture how much bigger my left foot is than my right! Hopefully they will be the same size again after this surgery!

Nana

Brrrrr! Is everyone else as cold as I am? I have not been able to warm up all day! I feel like if it is going to be this cold, there should be snow on the ground! Can I get an AMEN?

Do you ever have those days where you look at your watch and it is 3PM and you wonder where your day went? I had one of those today! Today my sister picked me up and we grabbed a sandwich to-go from my Nashville fave, Bread and Co. and took it over to our Nana's assisted living place to eat with her. Nana is my only living grandparent, so I try to spend as much time as I can with her while I am in town! I can truly call this woman my hero!! She is seriously amazing and has been through so much, yet never complains! EVER! She is an 89 year old spitfire, but doesn't look a day over 75 ;) She still has her mind too! (She is one of the few over at her place that can remember if she ate or not that day!) I LOVE going over there to visit her because I just think old people are the cutest! They have loved on us their whole lives, and when they get old it is our turn to love on them, and I DO! The things that come out of their mouths just crack me up! It is just like they have lost their filters as they have gotten older. Nana is still getting used to living alone, so it has been a tough couple of months, but I think she is finally getting the hang of things! We lost our grandfather, known as "Da" in March and it has been so tough on all of us, especially her. They would have celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary this year! Did you hear that? 64 years!! I have never seen love like theirs before and I can only HOPE to have what they had one day! I love getting to spend time with Nana, just talking about everything! You really can tell the woman anything and have no judgments passed, no questions asked! The woman has the most servant driven heart I have ever seen! She is a prayer warrior and such an encouragement! Her favorite thing to say (started by my late uncle, Rick) is "We may not have much money, but we sure have a lot of Love!" Nana would give anyone the clothes off her back if it were OK to go nakey! She has helped us out more times than I can count and she wouldn't want it any other way! I wish everyone could have the privilege of knowing this sweet, sweet lady! So, today my blessing of the day is my hero, my Nana :) Words can not even express how much I love this woman! I could talk about her all day if I could! I hope everyone stays warm tonight :)

There she is, Nana!!

This is the front of her "resort" as I like to call it! They have it pretty good here! There are a few things they could change, but the place is 4 star on the inside!

Home

We finally made it home from Atlanta! The 3.5 hour drive felt like forever, but we made it. I got to spend some sweet sister time with Emmy this weekend. One of our favorite things to do is travel and stay in hotels. It doesn't matter where it is, we just love the hotel life. I know, it is so weird! We take a bunch of little weekenders together and I must say, I treasure every single one of them! I could not even imagine my life with out a big sister. We have so much fun when we are together and she is truly my best friend! We have been to Atlanta a million times, but this trip was so fun!! We got to spend some time with one of my roommates, Katie, and her family and discovered a new restaurant that we WILL be returning to next time! They had the most divine Maytag blue cheese chips for an appetizer and I had a fried egg grilled cheese BLT for dinner. Yeah, you read that right! It was DELICIOUS! It is a mouthful to say, but totally worth the wait at this place! Our waiter loved our "Smiles" he said and even hooked us up with a Tai Calamari dish! So, if any of you are ever in the big ATL, I would HIGHLY recommend Buckhead Diner! We also got a great rate on our hotel on Priceline! We scored the 4 star Grand Hyatt Buckhead for 70$ a night! The average rate this time of year is 160$ so we really saved! (More money to shop with :)) Do any of you use Priceline? I am a little obsessed with it now!

Of course there was shopping, shopping, and more shopping! We tore it up in Buckhead!! Phipps and "club" Lenox were hoppin' as usual too!! I got so much good stuff for GREAT prices!! My splurge this trip was a pair of Tory Burch flats that I have had my eyes on for a few months now. Tory Burch is my weakness! They are pricey, but worth EVERY penny if you are like me and love a good flashy flat! They are also very comfy on my crazy feet!! (More about that wednesday!) So, all in all, ATL was a huge success!!

On our drive home, over Monteagle mountain I could not help but just look out over God's BEAUTIFUL creation and be even more amazed. Do you ever have those moments when you just look out the window and see things in a new perspective? Well, we were driving and the mountain was just dripping in ice and everything was so glittery (I LOVE glittery!) and just majestic!! The Lord just amazes me every single day with his creations!! I can not even imagine how amazing Heaven will be like! It was just one of those moments where I felt like, who could not believe in a God when looking at this? I know this picture does not even do our beautiful drive justice, but it was gorgeous driving around that mountain!!

I hope 2010 is off to a great start for everyone! I hope everyone is blessed with good health, great family and good friends this year!!

Izzie :)

Okay, It is officially a new year!! I hope everyone had an amazing (and safe) night ringing in the new year. Personally, New Years always seems to let me down. There is so much pressure as a 20 something to have all of these plans and have the perfect outfit. Well not this year!! I spent New Years with one of my fave people on the planet, My beautiful big sister, Emmy. We went and saw "Did you hear about the Morgans" and ate a nice dinner at Bonefish Grille, and I must say it was a very nice evening. I love spending time with her while I am home! (The movie was pretty cute too! I would recommend it!)

So...My picture of the day? I really could think of nothing better to post about today than my precious little girl, Izzie. She has blessed my life beyond belief and I seriously take about 10 pictures a day of her. She is the last person I see before I go to bed and the first to great me when I wake. No, she is not a "real" child, but she is my child. She is my gorgeous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I received her last year (2008) as a Christmas present and to say that I am obsessed with her is a serious understatement! Her sweet little face will cheer anyone up. She is the cuddliest little muffin in the whole world and does not leave my side when I am home. (And be prepared, I will probably blog about her a lot, as she is very entertaining!) So, today on January 1, 2010 I am thankful for my little blessing, Izzie :)

She has her "crazy" lips in this picture :)

I hope everyone eats their black eyed peas and collard greens for good luck this year :) My sister and I are headed to Atlanta to get in some much "needed" shopping!!

"Cheers to a new Year!"

(Sorry, had to throw this one in too :))