Start of a New Year

Wow it HAS been a long time since I posted.  And it has been such an eventful time as well.  I finally got the boot/cast off my right leg in August, oh the joy of being able to wear a shoe!!  Now maybe I will be able to get into something besides a sneaker without it killing my foot (though the left one still needs some help).  But alas, good times unfortunately could not last.  I had a minor stroke September 2nd, and this was a BIG wake up call for me.  I was very lucky in that when the stroke hit me I was only a couple of miles from UAB Hospital and was able to get myself there very quickly!!  Yes I drove myself, I knew from when my oldest daughter's grandmother had a stroke that I had only a short amount of time to get treated before permanent damage happened.  And I knew that I could get myself to the hospital faster than an ambulance could get to me and get me there.  So with this wake up call, I decided when I was back on my feet by the end of October that I was going to start taking better care of myself.  So I started eating better, and getting more exercise, etc.  I dropped 10 pounds before Thanksgiving!! Woot!  And I was very careful over Thanksgiving to watch what I ate!  I was so proud! .... Of course then the "Fickle Finger of Fate" had to poke its nose into my business and as I stepped out my back door into my parking area at the house, when I stepped down I broke a bone in my LEFT leg right above my ankle and fell hard on a metal tower on my ribs on my right side!!  Ok... OUCH!!  At first I thought I had a severe sprain, and Nicole and Scott (thank goodness they were there and heard me crying) got me back into the house and I pulled my pants leg up and realized that my bone should NOT be at the angle it was in.  So they got me into the car and off to the ER....  Ok can someone please remove the black cloud that is following me around??  Please?  So Christmas was kind of tough to deal with since I was on crutches and could not get out easily to shop for anyone or even to help around the house!  Poor mom had her hands full trying to help me!  Of course then poor Nicole ends up with stomache flu for a week, the poor thing lost 10-15 pounds that she really could not afford to lose!!  But we are all doing better now.  I am finally off the crutches and able to walk with a cane a bit, and Nicole is putting back on the weight she lost.  All in all the end of the year was starting to be better!  So with that thought I am looking forward to a better year for 2010, with Nicole graduating from high school this year I am already having empty nest syndrom!!  I have my house up for sale as well as my truck, we are downsizing in preparation for when Scott graduates from college in a couple of years and we all migrate back towards the west coast.  At least that is what we are hoping to do!!  Signing off for now, I will try and post pics later and get better at posting more often!!