Eight Years!
Happy Anniversary to my Matty!
What a ride it has been the last eight years.
You have been everything and more to me than I ever could have imagined.
I am more in love with you everyday that passes.
Your heart holds the key to every happiness in my life. In our life together.
You are an amazing father. The love that you give to our four beauties cannot even be put into words. You give them so much and it all comes from your huge heart.
I cherish our marriage. Everything that it stands for. Love, trust, friendship, courage, passion, family, every single part of it no matter how big or small. I even hold tight the tough times we have endured together. The loss of pregnancies. Weeks of hospital bed rest. New careers. Learning how to become parents together, and sometimes questioning the decisions we make, praying that we are raising our children the right way. The difficulties all couples go through in the quest to be good parents, better parents. Not to mention, throwing the triplet card in there, which has been a huge challenge we never anticipated. I think we are doing an incredible job. The constant financial strain of raising four children on one income. The willingness you have to provide; never complaining about overtime shifts, doing anything and everything within your power to make sure that your family is taken care of.
For the last many weeks and those to come, since my knee surgery. Being the constant caregiver to the beauties as well as to me, on top of working long hours.
All of the support you give to me in every facet of our lives together.
You are my emotional strength, my rock. You are so much more to me than my husband. You are my best friend, my love, my partner in this crazy world. My Soul.
Have I told you lately...that I love you? Because "I do" Happy Anniversary Matt.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Oh yes...we did.
OCCRG has made the next leap! We have been accepted into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Apprentice Program. We are so excited, so pumped, ecstatic beyond what words can express.
We are so proud and excited to take it to the next level.
Congratulations to all the teams accepted into the apprentice program, including two of our sister teams the Des Moines Derby Dames and the Mid Iowa Rollers. Go Iowa!
OCCRG 2010 Posters
vs the Quad City Rollers.
(poster 2 of 2)
Our very first home bout.
Wednesday November 10th and Sunday November 21st, 2010. Think you have what it takes? Come check it out. Also recruiting support staff, volunteers and referees.
Saturday March 13th, 2010 vs the Paper Valley Flying Squirrels.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Looking Better
Looking better, although still looking gnarly. The incision is almost completely healed.
It has been the LONGEST 4 weeks of my entire life. I have 4 more long weeks before I can walk/put weight on/bend it, but I am getting there.
I begin physical therapy tomorrow morning. Looking forward to it, but also very nervous about it. It will also be a difficult journey so I am told by my surgeon. But everyday down is one closer to getting back to my normal life. Back to my normal activity. Back to my children, my husband, work, my home, and also...back on my skates. I miss them, and they miss me too.
BIG NEWS
Big Big News for the Old Capitol City Roller Girls today!
We have been accepted into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association / WFTDA apprentice program!
What a HUGE step we have taken as a team to be accepted! We have been working so hard.
What an amazing chapter that we have just opened. There are so many wonderful emotions going through my mind.
Also a huge congrats to the other 9 teams that were accepted into the apprentice program. Including two other teams in Iowa the Des Moines Derby Dames and the Mid Iowa Rollers.
What a Fantastic Reward for all of our hard work!
We have been accepted into the Women's Flat Track Derby Association / WFTDA apprentice program!
What a HUGE step we have taken as a team to be accepted! We have been working so hard.
What an amazing chapter that we have just opened. There are so many wonderful emotions going through my mind.
Also a huge congrats to the other 9 teams that were accepted into the apprentice program. Including two other teams in Iowa the Des Moines Derby Dames and the Mid Iowa Rollers.
What a Fantastic Reward for all of our hard work!
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Knee
After six plus weeks of intense physical therapy, there was not even a slight change in my knee. So after lots of research, talking with surgeons and many many tears, I opted to go ahead with the surgery to fix my knee.
The long recovery process went from really longer, to really really long.
I had surgery on September 9th.
I went in about noon, really nervous was an understatement. The pre-op stuff went really fast. They went over again what they would be doing. The surgeon told Matt that the surgery would last approx 2-3 hours. He explained that with knee surgery there is always a bit of a gray area and until they were in and could see the extent of things they can never say for sure. He explained where the incisions would be, and a little about what he expected. I donned that sexy hairnet, and kissed my husband and off I went. Tears flowing.
It was a four hour surgery, so I am told, I was pretty out of it when I woke. The replacement of my PCL posterior cruciate ligament was the most extensive part. PCL injuries are not "fixable, the PCL must be replaced. My PCL was removed and replaced with a "allograft" a ligament from a donor (cadaver part in my knee crazy cool and a little icky.) The graft was connected to my body by drilling into my femur and tibia to attach the graft with screws. My tissues grow and connect the graft tissue. My MCL medial collateral ligament was also a complete rupture, unlike the PCL the MCL can be repaired. My surgeon had explained that more than likely he would need to remove and use grafts from my hamstring to repair the MCL because of the amount of time that lapsed between injury and surgery, however, when inside, he was able to reconnect the tissues to themselves, saving me from yet another incision and another area to heal. Bonus! He also found that my meniscus was intact, another bonus!
After waking up, the pain was unbelievable. Those that know me know that I have an extremely high tolerance to pain. But WOW. The pain was bad. Due to the fact that my surgery was 4 hours long and that the recovery unit I was in closed at 7, an hour in recovery was not long enough for any one's comfort, so when they suggested staying the night in the hospital, there was no argument from me. Pain medicine through an iv works a lot faster than waiting for a pill to dissolve in your system.
I went home Friday early Friday afternoon. The car ride was awful, but we made it.
I am not able to put any weight on the leg at all. I am not able to bend the leg at all. If you have ever had to do either of those two things, you know how much it is almost impossible to do anything. So the last 11 days of my life have been very restricted to the chair, elevated, wrapped in the "game ready" ice machine. If you have never had to do that...you would be amazed how limiting it really is.
The first several days after surgery, not only was the knee is constant pain, even high as a kite on pain medication, but I was very sick to my stomach, vomiting is bad enough on a normal day, but when you add in having to crutch your way to the bathroom in a hurry and not to be able to bend over the potty, it's worse. Just ask Matty, who was stuck cleaning up after me. Yuck, awful. I was able to get another medication for the nausea and that seems to be helping. The puke bucket is still at my chair side though, at all times.
Showers are also a huge challenge. The long and short of that...I've had three in 11 days. I feel so damn pretty. Not. I do have to say my wonderful friend Tina came over and shaved my legs. She is wonderful for so many reasons.
I have been doing well not bending or putting weight on it. My body aches. My entire body. I hate sitting in a chair all day. I hate not being able to take care of myself. I hate not being able to care for my Beauties. My home. My normal day to day. I'm not good at letting others do things.
I meet with my surgeon in the morning. I really hope the 34 staples in my knee will be removed, because they suck.
I'm hanging in there. There have been a lot of tears shed the last 11 days. I have had a few pity parties. A few why me moments, and lots of reminders from myself and from others that I will recover and be better than ever. I will hopefully begin my physical therapy this week. My surgeon told me before the surgery that it will be a long recovery. Very intense physical therapy and that I have a lot of hard work ahead. Which I can handle knowing that I am a tough cookie and I will get through it. Full recovery and back to normal activity level is between 6-9 months, sometimes even longer depending on each individuals body and limitations.
So I promise myself to take one day at a time. One day at a time is all I can do.
Photos are 6 days post surgery. Two incisions, one very large and one small. Lots of bruising ans swelling.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
It's a-bout time
Saturday is approaching quickly. Cirque Du Slam is almost here. I am always super excited during bout week. Always. I spend every spare second making sure last minute details are taken care of. This week is the same in that I checking on everything, confirming times, menus, help and typing up vip lists.
But it is different for many reasons as well. This will be Sugar's first bout from the sidelines. Not on the track. The first bout where I am not lacing up my skates. Not pulling on stinky pads. Not nervous for that first jam of the night. The first night where I will be cheering my teammates on from the sidelines instead of communicating with them from inside the pack.
As I type this post, I fight back tears. Tears that I have little control of these days. Tears that I try to swallow during practices, watching my team/my friends skating, where I want to be too. Where I am determined to be again. Tears that come out of no where, and can last minutes or hours. I know that as an athlete, especially in such a physically involved sport, that injuries occur. They can happen at any moment. In Derby you often hear "it's not IF you get hurt, it's WHEN." I know that I am not the only one that has been on the sidelines due to an injury, but none the less, the cut still feels deep. It burns and stings to know that I will not be skating for an indefinite length of time.
I have always been a skater that values my place on a roster, my place within the team. I feel honored and achieved. I feel like a part of something big. Something great. I have always gone in with the attitude that all of the skaters that make each and every roster, work their asses off (literally) to get there. We practice hard, we prepare emotionally and we are team players. I cherish that fact that I have been with this team since the beginning. I feel honored and proud that I have skated in every bout with my sisters. I look back on how far my abilities have come since that first practice in November of 2008. When I was so nervous to fall down. I kind of laugh at being so afraid in the beginning. Comparing it now to my hard hits, the ability to absorb hard hits from other skaters and the amount of times I do fall and get my ass off the floor faster than I ever thought was possible.
That constant fear that my body is making decisions my heart doesn't agree with. The what-ifs. I know that I need to push those negative thoughts far out of my mind. I know in my mind that injuries happen. You recover, you heal, you push through it. But in my heart there is a constant fear of what if I am not able to skate again? Skate the way Sugar skates. Competitive. Hard. I have found so much for "me" in derby. So many things that make me a better person, so many things that were missing for a long time. A calming feeling within my own skin. So much more confidence than I have ever had. A place where I truly "fit in" and something that I love so much in heart, mind and soul.
I WILL be there, with my team, no matter what the outcome. On the sidelines or on the track. I will support them. Saturday will be a tough day for Toxic Sugar, and I cannot promise to keep the tears in, although I promise to try.
KILL KILL KILL! Beat those Sirens! I know you will!
And for the record...I still intend on winning the after bout party...
But it is different for many reasons as well. This will be Sugar's first bout from the sidelines. Not on the track. The first bout where I am not lacing up my skates. Not pulling on stinky pads. Not nervous for that first jam of the night. The first night where I will be cheering my teammates on from the sidelines instead of communicating with them from inside the pack.
As I type this post, I fight back tears. Tears that I have little control of these days. Tears that I try to swallow during practices, watching my team/my friends skating, where I want to be too. Where I am determined to be again. Tears that come out of no where, and can last minutes or hours. I know that as an athlete, especially in such a physically involved sport, that injuries occur. They can happen at any moment. In Derby you often hear "it's not IF you get hurt, it's WHEN." I know that I am not the only one that has been on the sidelines due to an injury, but none the less, the cut still feels deep. It burns and stings to know that I will not be skating for an indefinite length of time.
I have always been a skater that values my place on a roster, my place within the team. I feel honored and achieved. I feel like a part of something big. Something great. I have always gone in with the attitude that all of the skaters that make each and every roster, work their asses off (literally) to get there. We practice hard, we prepare emotionally and we are team players. I cherish that fact that I have been with this team since the beginning. I feel honored and proud that I have skated in every bout with my sisters. I look back on how far my abilities have come since that first practice in November of 2008. When I was so nervous to fall down. I kind of laugh at being so afraid in the beginning. Comparing it now to my hard hits, the ability to absorb hard hits from other skaters and the amount of times I do fall and get my ass off the floor faster than I ever thought was possible.
That constant fear that my body is making decisions my heart doesn't agree with. The what-ifs. I know that I need to push those negative thoughts far out of my mind. I know in my mind that injuries happen. You recover, you heal, you push through it. But in my heart there is a constant fear of what if I am not able to skate again? Skate the way Sugar skates. Competitive. Hard. I have found so much for "me" in derby. So many things that make me a better person, so many things that were missing for a long time. A calming feeling within my own skin. So much more confidence than I have ever had. A place where I truly "fit in" and something that I love so much in heart, mind and soul.
I WILL be there, with my team, no matter what the outcome. On the sidelines or on the track. I will support them. Saturday will be a tough day for Toxic Sugar, and I cannot promise to keep the tears in, although I promise to try.
KILL KILL KILL! Beat those Sirens! I know you will!
And for the record...I still intend on winning the after bout party...
Friday, August 13, 2010
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