Vacation, Updates and Being a Day Maker

We had a wonderful little jaunt to Hebgen Lake, Montana for the weekend. Tolan's parents were there with us (I don't think we could have made it "on our own") and we had a great time relaxing, enjoying the lake and spending time together! Tolan and I were both careful not to overdo it, so I stayed off the boat completely, and he stayed on the boat, but not on the water. The kids loved the boat and being pulled in the tube, though they did have a scary episode when the tube got detached from the boat and Lindi got dumped out in the middle of the lake. Trenden jumped in the water to try and pull them back to the boat. Thank heavens they were all wearing life jackets! A nice break for our family in one of our favorite places on Earth!


My family on the dock at the lake.


The kids eating ice cream at Mooseberrys in West Yellowstone.


All of us sitting around the campfire outside the cabin. The kids loved roasting marshmallows and making smores!


Grandma Brown, Tolan and Daven on the dock, relaxing!


Grandpa Brown helping Trenden and Casen learn to use the sling to shoot rocks across the lake.

Progress: So a bit of good news today! I was looking in the mirror at my smile and I tried to move the right side of my mouth...and it worked! Not a lot, only a very small bit, but I was able to move the corner of my mouth about 1/4 of an inch! That is the first time I have been able to control it at all since before my 1st surgery! Hooray! Also, my eye is still not great, but if I stay indoors and keep it protected, I can read again! I re-read Harry Potter #7 at the cabin this weekend and was able to focus enough to see the words. There were times my sight was too blurry, so I covered up my right eye and used my left, but again this is progress. The first reading I have been able to do in months!

Setbacks: I could hardly call life normal if there weren't setbacks along with the progress. :) I have not been sleeping lately, and I can't quite figure out what is going on. For several days now, I have laid in bed all night without any rest at all, until the very early (4-5am) morning hours when I finally drift off. In the hospital, my doctors recommended that I see a neurologist for my restless limbs and sleeping issues, and I think now that I will have no choice. So, I called my doctor today to see if I can get a recommendation for a neurologist and some sleeping aids to get me through until I can have an appointment. I really believe my lack of sleep is slowing my recovery process. My body is so exhausted, yet I cannot get the rest I need (at night or in the day...just can't go to sleep at all right now). So, if we can get this taken care of, things will be much better (and I will be less grouchy with my kids and husband).

Neutral: So this could be progress or a setback...depending on how you look at it! When trying to fall asleep last night, I laid on my right side and was able to get comfy after the initial pain of putting pressure on my scars and titanium plate in my head. However, after about 1/2 hour, I had terrible pressure and pain in my head, so I had to quickly change positions. The docs say I will get used to the plate in my head, but it still feels so foreign to me, hard to imagine I will ever get used to it. Still, I did rest on my right side for a few minutes...progress??!!

I spent over an hour on the phone with the insurance company this morning, going through stacks of bills. (Everyone can relate to that, I am sure!) It was a frustrating process, but I dealt with some very friendly people, and that made a huge difference. In the end, a manager actually said she would take all my paperwork and put together a spreadsheet with the insurance info on it, so I would know exactly which bills to pay and for how much. Wow! What a nice little blessing for me right now. No more mass confusion with the bills. A friendly, considerate employee made all the difference. Shelly at EBMS was a "day maker" for me today. Rather than making it more difficult for me, she made my day with her attitude and helpfulness!

So, the take away for the day: It doesn't matter what you do, you can always be of service and make someone's day brighter! So, be a day maker for someone today!