Noodle Legs

I finally got to ski again yesterday! Granted, it was only green trail cruising so as not to further injure my knee - but it was worth it! The 2.5 hours of on-hill time were full of challenges. My fitness level is pretty much caput after 6 weeks of near-inactivity to preserve and heal my knee. The snow was challenging with temps in the 40s yesterday. I hit snow that was frozen, hardpack, loose granular, and slush. The heavy, wet spring snow is harder to ski in anyway, but scarier when you're afraid of hurting yourself. And fear was my biggest opponent yesterday. Fear of falling. Fear of hurting myself. Complete lack of confidence. Sure, I was in new boots on new skis, but I could handle myself. I was just afraid of hitting a bump too fast again and completing the tear in my knee.

Kind of disappointing to end the season skiing worse than when I started. :( But it was still good to be out! And boy am I sore today!

Knee Injury De-Mystified

I ended up having to go for an MRI last week to find out what was wrong with my knee. The diagnosis? Fluid behind the knee, bruised bones, and a partially torn ACL. The orthopedist was quite surprised by the tear. Since I'm not a 16 year old athlete (seriously, he mentioned that) and it's partially torn, we've decided to go with physical therapy instead of surgery. Therapy started on Wednesday. I can't believe how weak my knee has become in the 6 weeks since the injury. Still, I'm relieved to know it's not a full tear. On to recovery!!!

And the pain marches on...

My knee is still hurt. I'm now 3 weeks post-injury and it should have been feeling better by now. Instead, it's getting progressively worse. From what I've read, I'm starting to wonder if I have a meniscus tear or injury. I will be calling the orthopedist on Monday. Looks like there will be no more skiing for me this season. :( No work, either. Can't stand for my shifts. I miss it terribly.

Why am I so cold?

It's raining outside. Raining. All that beautiful wintery snow, the lifeforce that gets me through the dreary days of winter... and my source of part-time income... is melting away. And yet I'm COLD. Warm enough for rain...but cold enough to chill me more than usual. Odd.

Don't mind the meandering thoughts. I'm in a bit of a random mood right now.

The Irony...

Remember my January 25th post about how cramped we are but we're getting by and had no plans to move? That my dad pitched the idea of us moving in again but I said I wasn't biting? Some things have cropped up which have changed all of this for us...

It's a really long story so I'll try to condense as much as possible. My friend is going through a divorce and to help her out, I mentioned that the apartment upstairs was vacant (back in December?). Her son and my daughter love to play together so we thought it would be a good arrangement. Til one day when she got angry with me because she asked to put her jogging stroller in the garage and I told her there wasn't any room for it there. (There really isn't... the garage is a sore topic between Brian and me because it's 2-layers-deep of junk, mostly.) Well, she didn't like the answer I gave her so she called the landlord, complained to him about that (and who knows what else... probably our rent because she was telling me I don't pay enough, though who knows how she suddenly became an expert having never been a landlord herself). The next thing I know, I get a letter in the mail that our rent is going up $50/month, we no longer will have the garage included, he wants us to sign a yearly lease (that says things like if we move before the lease is over, he can keep our security deposit... we're currently month-to-month), and that he wants us to fork over a $600 security deposit. "Oddly", when this letter arrived, I had not heard from my former friend in a week (she usually calls daily).

Yeah, we aren't paying more money for less, especially at this house. It's not worth it. But there are 4 of us and a dog, and we're not really in a position to be affording more rent anywhere - and rentals are difficult, at best, to find with a dog - nearly impossible before April 1st, which is when all of these changes are supposed to occur. So the first thing I could think of was to call my Dad, remembering what he pitched recently.

I should know better because that's turning sour already. We put in our notice that we would be out by May 15th (and I had to explain to him that we are not signing the lease, just can't get out earlier because the place we're moving won't be ready until then) and Dad flaked on refinancing his house so he could make the changes necessary for us to move in. NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

There's a lot more to all of this and I'm trying to keep it brief but suffice it to say, I'll believe it when I see it regarding us actually moving in with my parents. Though if we don't, I'm not sure what we'll do.

Great friend I have, eh?

These Boots Were Made For Walking...

The boy walks! He was practicing with a step here and there for the weeks preceding, but on his 9 month birthday, he decided to celebrate by walking 12 steps across the living room! (And only stopped because he reached his destination!) I wish I wasn't exercising at the time so I could have photographed it! In fact, he's been pretty elusive to photographic proof. Or real life proof, for that matter. I'm sure many think I'm making it up, but he really does walk. Yesterday, I couldn't get him to stop and that silly grin plastered on his face the entire time is precious.

Then again, we're in trouble because he's REALLY mobile now! EEK!