Friday morning, March 8, 2013, started as a typical teacher work day, I let myself sleep until I awoke on my own, then headed to Safeway to grab some fixins for our staff pot-luck luncheon- and of course treat myself to a Starbucks.
There was no urgency in my commute to work this morning as I had - miraculously- finished all grading (over 100 tests with multiple concepts to score) AND entered and submitted the 3rd quarter grades all before I left school for the day on Thursday.
While busying myself with house keeping tasks in my classroom my phone rang. Seeing it was my little brother Nik, whose wife is expecting a baby girl in a few short weeks, I answered the phone in an excited auntie voice- expecting the baby call.
Confusion set in... why was his voice so shaky and sad.... this didn't match my expectations... as the words he spoke settled into comprehension, my heart stopped... my dad had been in an accident, he had a broken neck, and was currently in the ER. ....No, not the happy baby phone call I had been prepared for.
The drive from Palisade to St. Mary's has never seemed so long, I don't think there has been a time where so many thoughts passed through my head in such a short amount of time. Was he paralyzed, was he critical, was he stable, would he walk again, would he work again, would he be in a wheel chair, would he live to see tomorrow, how did it happen... Nor do I think there has been a time when my emotions changed so abruptly and dramatically - one minute sobbing cries to God, then the next calm explanations to my husband, only to return to sobs and pleas to be strong when I arrived at the hospital.
Walking the sterile halls of the hospital to Trauma room 2, I straightened and braced my shoulders to receive what ever was waiting for me on the other side of the curtain. My first glimpse... his feet moving and wiggling - this sight alone gave my heart hope and strength to see the rest for I KNEW he would walk again. The sight was not pretty, but I can't say it was worse than I had expected. He had a neck collar on and was covered in blood that came from multiple facial lacerations. The worst that I could see was one on his cheek to almost his ear, it went clear through to his mouth.
Trauma T.V. shows, such as Grey's Anatomy and ER, have done a significant disservice to the reality of ER room activity. There was nothing that was urgent, or rushed about my dad's ER stay. I expected the Dr.s to be making fast decisions in an effort to immediately improve my fathers sate of being. Instead the process of x-rays, doctor evaluations, administration of pain meds and, ordering MRI consumed several hours, through all of which he received no pain meds. Maybe the lack of hustle and bustle was a good sign, he was stable, and they were able to make smart, informed decisions on the best course of action.
The initial diagnoses were in, my dad had sustained injuries that included a fractured C-2, compressed C-3, Teardrop fracture of C-7, small fractures in lower vertebrae, broken rib on left side, fractured orbital bone and blown pupil on right side, broken rib on left side, multiple facial lacerations, a cut on his calf, and NO SPINAL DAMAGE!!!!
Hours after arriving in the ER they took him for an MRI then up to surgery to repair the lacerations on his face. Finally, about 4:00 he was taken to a room in the ICU. The Dr. updated us on all the lacerations he had to repair, which were more numerous that he had first thought. He was unsure of the severity of scaring, and nerve damage - only time would tell.
There is a strange time vortex that occurs in the hospital, it's as if time simultaneously speeds up and slows down; a day turns into the longest day of your life and in that same day hours have slipped past unnoticed. I found my self leaving ICU late Friday night suspended in this vortex, the outside world was still moving forward, a whole day had past where it seemed everyone went about as usual, I was stepping back into reality with the same trepidation as stepping onto a high speed moving walk way for the first time, not sure if I would maintain balance.
Situations like this tinge the world a different color, people look different as if a transparent material separates my reality from theirs. I observed this strange sensation as I stopped at the grocery store on the way home - miraculously I remembered we needed milk. I couldn't help but look at the people around me and wonder at how normal they looked- did I look normal too or did I have the look of someone who has been through hell and has yet to return?
It dawned on me in that moment, how my day had truly come full circle- no not full circle that would imply that things ended exactly how they began and that is not the case. Maybe my day came full spiral, beginning in one location of one reality and ending in the same location in an alternate reality. I'm not sure how long I stood staring at the milk options with an almost comatose gaze upon my face, maybe only a second, maybe longer, but am stunned with how dramatically your life can change in less than 12 hours.
I do have hope and peace in the knowledge that all that has changed in the course of one day, 12 extremely long - yet slipped away hours - my dad was alive this morning, and he is alive now, and he will live tomorrow and the next tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Las Vegas 2013
For the past 4 years we have traveled to Vegas during the doldrums of winter... for a soccer tournament.
Though the destination screams "PLAY! PARTY!" it typically turns out to be a well needed relaxation trip. Just enough heat to thaw my frozen Colorado bones, just enough sun to tint my winter white skin, and just enough city (restaurants, shopping) to tide me over till spring soccer season.
This year Madison's team played in the LV Mayors Cup; this tournament draws teams from all of the United States and even internationally! There were teams from all of the western states of NV, AZ, CA, but there were even teams from states as far east as Pennsylvania! Madison's team was placed in a bracket that included a team from NV, the #3 team in CA (#15 in the nation - we are #250), and a team from Vancouver Canada! Though the girls didn't win a game they played some pretty competitive soccer against some great teams.
Nevada: Lost 1-2
California: Lost... by a lot... it was incredible to watch this team play! They had some incredible plays, were incredibly fast, technically sound, and at least one of their players were invited to play on the national team!
Vancouver Canada: Tied
Their record earned them a consolation match, which pitted them against another Canadian team, this time from the province of Alberta.
It was a fun experience to play international teams, one of the customs in international matches is to give the opposing team a token from where you are from. Each of the Canadian teams gave our girls pins (which were quickly attached to their soccer bags) from their province. Our girls gave the other teams post cards from Colorful Colorado!
Overall this tournament was one of the best we had played in, it was pure soccer with very few dirty plays - unlike the Colorado league we play in where it is common place to be assaulted and come away with multiple bruises or injuries from foul play.
We did a bit of shopping at the outlets, I got a summer dress, and Madison got outfitted with a summer wardrobe... B got a hat.
We dined at a fancy steak house called the Golden Calf at the very end of the strip on Sahara. From the outside it looks old and maybe a bit shady, the inside is pure "old skool" mob boss! The a la carte menu and enormous steaks (with prices to match), and a bottle of bubbly, set our bill at almost $500.00. When Madison and Tia looked at the bill I think their jaws hit the floor. But- what the heck- you can only splurge like that once in a great while, so why not do it in Vegas!
This may be our last trip to Vegas with Madison's club soccer team. Right now she is pretty sure she will only play school athletics in high school, and not continue with the local soccer club. Which made this trip all the more nostalgic.
Though the destination screams "PLAY! PARTY!" it typically turns out to be a well needed relaxation trip. Just enough heat to thaw my frozen Colorado bones, just enough sun to tint my winter white skin, and just enough city (restaurants, shopping) to tide me over till spring soccer season.
This year Madison's team played in the LV Mayors Cup; this tournament draws teams from all of the United States and even internationally! There were teams from all of the western states of NV, AZ, CA, but there were even teams from states as far east as Pennsylvania! Madison's team was placed in a bracket that included a team from NV, the #3 team in CA (#15 in the nation - we are #250), and a team from Vancouver Canada! Though the girls didn't win a game they played some pretty competitive soccer against some great teams.
Nevada: Lost 1-2
California: Lost... by a lot... it was incredible to watch this team play! They had some incredible plays, were incredibly fast, technically sound, and at least one of their players were invited to play on the national team!
Vancouver Canada: Tied
Their record earned them a consolation match, which pitted them against another Canadian team, this time from the province of Alberta.
It was a fun experience to play international teams, one of the customs in international matches is to give the opposing team a token from where you are from. Each of the Canadian teams gave our girls pins (which were quickly attached to their soccer bags) from their province. Our girls gave the other teams post cards from Colorful Colorado!
Overall this tournament was one of the best we had played in, it was pure soccer with very few dirty plays - unlike the Colorado league we play in where it is common place to be assaulted and come away with multiple bruises or injuries from foul play.
We did a bit of shopping at the outlets, I got a summer dress, and Madison got outfitted with a summer wardrobe... B got a hat.
We dined at a fancy steak house called the Golden Calf at the very end of the strip on Sahara. From the outside it looks old and maybe a bit shady, the inside is pure "old skool" mob boss! The a la carte menu and enormous steaks (with prices to match), and a bottle of bubbly, set our bill at almost $500.00. When Madison and Tia looked at the bill I think their jaws hit the floor. But- what the heck- you can only splurge like that once in a great while, so why not do it in Vegas!
This may be our last trip to Vegas with Madison's club soccer team. Right now she is pretty sure she will only play school athletics in high school, and not continue with the local soccer club. Which made this trip all the more nostalgic.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Ordinary is Extraordinary
My blogging has lagged, truthfully our lives are so full and busy with ordinary day to day living, I don't consider it "bloggable".
I don't know if it's seeing the despondent home lives of many of my students, or if I am awakening to a new definition of splendor. For when I reflect on a typical evening, what once seemed dull and familiar has begun to shimmer with the radiance of extraordinary.
The specific event I ponder could be an excerpt from any of the pages that may document my family's lives: the boys have left for an evening of wrestling, leaving Madison and I with errands to run, and indulging in dinner out and a sweet treat. Then spending the rest of the evening, just her and I, perched on the couch laughing as we play with the Split Pic app on my phone. Our creations, a few of my favorites I share below, are not what lend the gleam to this memory, it's the normalcy in which we spent our evening and its stark contrast to how many of her peers will have spent theirs. We engaged, partook, and connected with each other. Investing the most priceless gift of all, time.
There is a beauty that seems to be fading, like the sunlight leaving the day, its out of my control and I fear it will be lost for ever. This beauty, called family, is being forgotten among the very people who chose to creat it. This beauty called family is disappearing and replaced with complacency and selfishness.
Just as the radiant rays slip over the horizon, there is a moment when all heavenly light seems lost. But then when it is darkest, twinkling lights appear at their brightest, and maybe that is what I am seeing in my life. What was ordinary, maybe even unseen, has become spectacular and extraordinarily beautiful.
It is beautiful, it is rare, my ordinary life is truly extraordinary.
I don't know if it's seeing the despondent home lives of many of my students, or if I am awakening to a new definition of splendor. For when I reflect on a typical evening, what once seemed dull and familiar has begun to shimmer with the radiance of extraordinary.
The specific event I ponder could be an excerpt from any of the pages that may document my family's lives: the boys have left for an evening of wrestling, leaving Madison and I with errands to run, and indulging in dinner out and a sweet treat. Then spending the rest of the evening, just her and I, perched on the couch laughing as we play with the Split Pic app on my phone. Our creations, a few of my favorites I share below, are not what lend the gleam to this memory, it's the normalcy in which we spent our evening and its stark contrast to how many of her peers will have spent theirs. We engaged, partook, and connected with each other. Investing the most priceless gift of all, time.
There is a beauty that seems to be fading, like the sunlight leaving the day, its out of my control and I fear it will be lost for ever. This beauty, called family, is being forgotten among the very people who chose to creat it. This beauty called family is disappearing and replaced with complacency and selfishness.
Just as the radiant rays slip over the horizon, there is a moment when all heavenly light seems lost. But then when it is darkest, twinkling lights appear at their brightest, and maybe that is what I am seeing in my life. What was ordinary, maybe even unseen, has become spectacular and extraordinarily beautiful.
It is beautiful, it is rare, my ordinary life is truly extraordinary.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Making the Pendants: A Bit More Detail
To make these pendants I first started by gathering photos from friends and family. Finding the right picture was a bit tough. I needed one that had enough contrast that when I changed it to black and white it would show up clearly on a see through piece of paper aka transparency. I also needed photos where the subject was centrally located so I could trim the photo to fit in desired pendant. (Allison, this is why you haven't received yours yet, I can't make the photo you game me work.)
After I had an idea of the photos for each person I went to Michael's and looked for pendants that would best fit the shape. There were 3-4 to choose from that varied greatly in size and shape. I tried to modify a pendant that had glitter or confetti in it by cutting off the back plastic of the pendant, but didn't get good results. I would stick with the pendants that open and a photo can be placed inside easily. I ended up going to Hobby Lobby for the last few pendants, as I cleared out the selection at Michael's. They had a few but they were less unique - just a circular metal ring that holds 2 pieces of glass, or there were rectangles. I also picked up some chains that coordinated with the pendants in the jewelry making isle to put the pendants on. Some had clasps, others didn't, so pay attention to that. If you have a bit more money you could purchase chains at a jewelry store.
Once I had the photos, I pasted them into word (lame I know, but I didn't have to learn or purchase a new program to edit the photos for this project) then adjusted color/brightness/contrast to black and white. I made several of each photo some high contrast, some lower contrast, because I didn't know how the picture would look on the transparency. I made sure to have the document size at 100% so I could adjust the size of each picture to fit in the pendant with out actually having to print a lot of copies. I just held the pendant up to the computer screen to adjust the size.
Once I had the color and size right I printed the document. I used this as the master to copy the photos onto transparency paper. If you have a printer that prints on transparency paper you could print directly to that. You can go to FedEx for this too, they can even do colored pictures onto the transparency, which looks pretty cool too!
After I had the photos on the transparency paper, I chose which version I liked best. This was different for each photo as they all had such different backgrounds to begin with. To cut each image out I traced the shape of the pendant using a visa-vis marker (one that comes off with water), then cut just inside that line. It took a little bit of trimming to get them just right, but I also didn't have to make the edges perfect, (counter intuitive to my perfectionism) if I was close you couldn't see that they weren't straight or just a bit off.
Next was the process of attaching the pendant to the chain. For this I needed needle-nose pliers. For some of the pendants I also needed an extra ring to attach, others had a ring on it that could be opened and reclasped around the chain. If the chain was long enough I didn't put a clasp as it slipped over the head easily. Some of the shorter chains needed a clasp added.
That's It! Super easy, not too time consuming, and a completely original piece of jewelry!
Materials List:
Pendant
Chain Necklace
Clasps for Chain
O rings to attach pendant if needed
Photo
Transparency paper
Scissors
Visa-Vis or other marker that wipes off with water
Needle-nose pliers
Computer & Program for minimal editing of photos
After I had an idea of the photos for each person I went to Michael's and looked for pendants that would best fit the shape. There were 3-4 to choose from that varied greatly in size and shape. I tried to modify a pendant that had glitter or confetti in it by cutting off the back plastic of the pendant, but didn't get good results. I would stick with the pendants that open and a photo can be placed inside easily. I ended up going to Hobby Lobby for the last few pendants, as I cleared out the selection at Michael's. They had a few but they were less unique - just a circular metal ring that holds 2 pieces of glass, or there were rectangles. I also picked up some chains that coordinated with the pendants in the jewelry making isle to put the pendants on. Some had clasps, others didn't, so pay attention to that. If you have a bit more money you could purchase chains at a jewelry store.
Once I had the photos, I pasted them into word (lame I know, but I didn't have to learn or purchase a new program to edit the photos for this project) then adjusted color/brightness/contrast to black and white. I made several of each photo some high contrast, some lower contrast, because I didn't know how the picture would look on the transparency. I made sure to have the document size at 100% so I could adjust the size of each picture to fit in the pendant with out actually having to print a lot of copies. I just held the pendant up to the computer screen to adjust the size.
Once I had the color and size right I printed the document. I used this as the master to copy the photos onto transparency paper. If you have a printer that prints on transparency paper you could print directly to that. You can go to FedEx for this too, they can even do colored pictures onto the transparency, which looks pretty cool too!
After I had the photos on the transparency paper, I chose which version I liked best. This was different for each photo as they all had such different backgrounds to begin with. To cut each image out I traced the shape of the pendant using a visa-vis marker (one that comes off with water), then cut just inside that line. It took a little bit of trimming to get them just right, but I also didn't have to make the edges perfect, (counter intuitive to my perfectionism) if I was close you couldn't see that they weren't straight or just a bit off.
Next was the process of attaching the pendant to the chain. For this I needed needle-nose pliers. For some of the pendants I also needed an extra ring to attach, others had a ring on it that could be opened and reclasped around the chain. If the chain was long enough I didn't put a clasp as it slipped over the head easily. Some of the shorter chains needed a clasp added.
That's It! Super easy, not too time consuming, and a completely original piece of jewelry!
Materials List:
Pendant
Chain Necklace
Clasps for Chain
O rings to attach pendant if needed
Photo
Transparency paper
Scissors
Visa-Vis or other marker that wipes off with water
Needle-nose pliers
Computer & Program for minimal editing of photos
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Painting at the Palette
For my mom's birthday (in August) I took her to The Palette (in October), and am finally sharing it (in December).
The Palette is a painting studio where you are led through a simple step by step process of painting a masterpiece! Lots of music, very little pressure, and a complementary glass of wine all make for a successful finished product.
We had a lot of fun, and I only mistook my pair water cup for my wine cup once... or twice.
The Palette is a painting studio where you are led through a simple step by step process of painting a masterpiece! Lots of music, very little pressure, and a complementary glass of wine all make for a successful finished product.
We had a lot of fun, and I only mistook my pair water cup for my wine cup once... or twice.
Creativity for Christmas
This year I made photo pendants for some of my Christmas gifts. It was super easy too! Just took a photo of their kid(s), copied it on transparency paper, then cut to fit inside a glass pendant.
Addicted to the Sky
I've been pruning my Camera Roll, and was reminded of the awe and wonder the ever changing sky instills in me.
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