Underwater Galapagos pictures

We got back our underwater camera pictures from the Galapagos. Unfortunately only a few came out good, but they were fun to look at. I'm working on editing them to get them to their best. To see all pictures go here. This has also re-energized me to post a day by day itinerary with pictures and all our photos up on Fotki. Be on the look out!

A sea turtle

Nathan playing with a sea lion

Amanda underwater

Jesse underwater

A busy saturday

Yesterday we had a busy day! It started off with an estate sale in what I thought was going to be an historic home... but ended up being a tiny house built in the 70's. Nothing worth purchasing, and the architecture was pretty awful. Afterwards Nathan and I went to the Durham farmer's market to get some of the late season tomatoes, basil, arugula, pea shoots, beans, and eggplant. We also treated ourselves to breakfast. I had a plum ricotta roll and Nathan had a okra feta tart. We also took home a sweet potato chorizo empanada (which was delicious!). After our early morning, Nathan dropped me off at home and headed to Manball (basketball with men). And I waited for Michelle and Alex. They came to visit us since last time we were in Charlotte we only got to visit with Lily.

Our visit with Lily and Michelle

We had lunch at Toast and then went to the Duke Homestead Harvest and Hornworm festival. We watched the most pathetic moonpie eating contest - I think they only at 2. Then we walked around the homestead. It was such a beautiful weekend and it was nice to get outside. My leg is starting to feel so much better and it was almost like I was normal. Here are pictures from the visit:

Hornworm Alex and Hornworm Nathan

Hornworm Alex and Hornworm Amanda

Actual horn worms... they were really BIG!

Alex throwing a hand made ball through a hole ("just one more time"). Amanda and Michelle looking lost.

This tractor had a name: Kate. The man with the tractors said the others he brought had names too but not fit for kids ears... Alex seemed to enjoy Kate.

Michelle, Amanda, Alex, and the sun!

After Michelle and Alex headed home, Nathan and I went over to Ben and Sarah's to have dinner at S&T soda shoppe. Everyone splurged and out did ourselves on diner food. Ben and I had a chocolate shakes that we decided tasted like liquid coco puffs... this was not a good thing. To top it all off we all got ice cream... and they do not skimp! You order a milk shake and you get enough for three people. You order 1 scope of ice cream you get three. Needless to say all of us ate every bite.

Here is Laurel and Ben with their single scoop ice cream.

The whole table with our insane milkshakes.

Poor Tom Brady!

I just heard that Tom Brady may have torn his ACL. I would not wish this injury and recovery upon anyone let alone, the Patriots' star QB!

ACL surgery - day 16 Thursday

My leg feels like a big log (with nails being hammered into the knee sometimes) that has been stuck to my hip. I can move it ok in PT and pretty well while walking around, but while trying to get to sleep or trying get work done (that's a joke) it feels like a log.

Last night was the worst! I am off my narcotics and I am on regular advil and extra strength tylenol. I still have my ice cuff but that does not bring me as much pleasure as it used to. It just makes my leg cold and does not ease the nagging dull/sometimes sharp pain. I have had to sleep on my back for the last 15 nights and that stinks! since I love to curl up and sleep on my side. I wake up and my log is cold and in pain. I try to readjust - taking off or putting on my ACE wrap, changing my pillow set-up, taking off or putting on my ice cuff, sitting up, nothing really works. I get at most two hours of full sleep before I am awakened by the loggy-ness of my leg and try again to readjust. I can only imagine what having a baby will be like (no we are not pregnant! that would be awful right now!), but hopefully then all my appendages will be working and not in pain.

Speaking of work I have tried to start doing some... but it is horrible. I get all sweaty because my computer is really hot. It takes me 30 minutes to do something that used to take me 30 seconds. Did the medications do something to my brain? I can't concentrate!!! And there is really nothing much to distract me here. I have my stereo remote and I'm listening to NPR. This is something that I used to do at work. When I turn the radio off, I doze off. Sometimes I turn the TV on, but today nothing was appealing. We have DVR and all the shows which were so interesting only days before (ie Jon and Kate plus eight; Janice Dickenson's Modeling Agency - please don't cringe) can no longer hold my interest. The dog loves being out all day but he's not very distracting either. I am starting to not feel bad that we put him in a crate while we are gone during the day, because all he does is lay in his little bed in front of me. Sometimes he barks at the mail person... but only sometimes (not much of a guard dog), and he can do that in his crate.

Tonight's outing is going to the dog park. It is actually very pretty here, and I hear on the radio that tomorrow will be rainy! Boo! Rain is good, but I do like looking at the sunny outdoors. I am afraid rain may make me more depressed than I am with my current state.

ACL surgery - day 15 Wednesday

Today was like so many other days - boring.
These days are starting to run together... so I've decided to write highlights. You know the day is boring when two of the highlights are meals that most people have every day.

1. Had lunch outside on the porch with Nathan. The weather was beautiful! I tried a new soup from Trader Joe's the apple butternut squash. Very tasty.

2. Tried to start back at work. I've been thinking about work and so I thought it was time to start back since I was off my narcotics and my head was a little clear. I wrote a couple of emails, signed onto my computer at work, and chatted with Kyle via Google chat. I moved a few files around... and this took almost all afternoon. What I did should have only taken 15 - 20 minutes. I could not concentrate. I even forgot how to log onto my computer... It's only been 15 days! I really need to get going because not this coming weekend, but the weekend after, we have the Genetics Department retreat at Atlantic Beach where I have to present a poster. It is only to the department so I'm not stressed. But I still need to get something together!

3. We cooked dinner (1st time in a while). Tuna tacos - yum! I say "we" because I helped slice up the onions and peppers before my leg started hurting. We ate outside again. I love fall weather here! I think Nathan doesn't like cooking when I can't help because we usually cook together. I also think he likes using my leg as an excuse to get out and eat at different restaurants. Going out to eat is a good way to get out of the house in the evening too.

4. We went over to Michelle and Mark's to pick up some stuff we had left at their house on Monday. While this visit was only for about 5 minutes, it meant I got to get out of the house, and I got to see little Camden!

5. I walked around Kroger and people stared at me. This is the first time I have gotten so many stares... it was weird. Do I look like the Bionic Woman? The security guard offered the jazzy, but I am through with those! I needed to just walk around a little while Nathan picked up ice, yogurt, and prune juice... my new favorite juice since I've been on narcotics - you get the picture.

6. I did PT. It went well. I am able to do many of the moves by myself, which is nice for me and for Nathan because he doesn't have to assist me for ~45 minutes of the evening.

7. I took a shower by myself! I even got in the shower without assistance. Nathan did, however, help me get out. I am afraid that I will slip with my wet feet.

ACL surgery - day 14 Tuesday

Today was a big day! I had two appointments which meant I spent a lot of my day outside of the house.

It started off with an 8am PT appointment. We schedule them early so Nathan can get me there and home and then be at work at a reasonable hour. Today was so much different then just one week prior. I was able to dress myself, with only Nathan helping me with my sock and shoe on my bad leg. I even grabbed my own breakfast and crammed it in my pocket. The week before I was very helpless.

PT went really well. I am making progress, but was told to expect things to go slowly. The big news is that I can pretend to walk normally because they changed my brace so it bends 70*. I am pretty good at walking with my crutches. We came home and I was so tired. I took a nap and watched some TV while Nathan went to work for a few hours.

Around 2, Nathan came home to take me to my cardiology appointment. When I made the appointment I was so surprised that I could see Dr. Blazing so soon! Before when I have seen him it has taken several months to get into the office. We went to talk about why I had so many complications after the surgery and if this is to be expect if I were to have any other surgeries or stresses on my body. All in all it was a good appointment. I really felt like the doctors listened to what I had to say and I didn't feel like I was rushing them, which is so often the case when you go to the doctor.

After my appointment we headed over to Old Navy and World Market and I used some gift cards that I had from God only knows when... Unfortunately I can't wear any of the clothes for a while because my outfits consist of athletic shorts (to fit over my brace) - none of those cute shirts match Carolina blue.

On our way home Nathan suggested we go to Guglhupf and get take out. What a great suggestion! We had the roasted beet sandwhich with blue cheese and a side of German potato salad, cold leak and potato soup, and the scallop nicoise salad. All were very very tasty! - I want to give a shout out to Naomi for her gift of several nights out!

What a long afternoon! I took a nap on the couch and later that evening I got up on our kitchen counter and started doing some of the PT moves that I had learned that morning. Some of them required my leg hanging off and that was not possible on the extra soft bed or couch. Nathan cleaned off the counter and it looked like the PT bed... just a little harder. Here is me on the counter:

ACL surgery - day 13 Monday

Today is labor day, and Nathan has to work. He had to take off 2 hours on Friday to take the dog to the vet because of his ear infection and he has to take off most of the afternoon tomorrow to take me to the cardiologist. I was dreading sitting at home all day while I knew that others would be out at spending their day off at the beach.

I contacted Michelle and Mark and they were so kind to have me sit on their couch during the day even though they were preparing for a picnic and taking care of Camden. Nathan packed me up a bag full of all the things I need during the day. I also came with a cooler full of ice and my little cooler cuff machine. It was like I was moving in!

I had a lot of fun watching Camden. He wasn't so much into me holding him because I was stationary and he likes to move. But I did get to play with him a little bit and just watch him. I also had some good conversation with Michelle and Mark. Towards the end of the day I even got up and moved to the kitchen and helped chop up figs. We had bought a ton of figs at Costco that Saturday and we contributed figs for a salad and a fig pesto. It was yummy, although Mark and Michelle did the brunt of the work for both of these dishes.

The picnic was nice, and we were joined by Nathan, Andy, Laurel, and Christian. Michelle and Mark made beer can chicken, the best homemade bread ever, and banana ice cream. We had shrimp, fig pesto, and spinach artichoke dip for apps and pasta and potato salad with the fig salad for dinner. Yum! This made me get an appetite back. Here's a pic of Christian holding Camden while we were outside playing ladder golf:
Today was a great day, indeed!