Welp, my brain is definitely working this surgery thing out while I sleep… the other night I had my first surgery nightmare. I woke up in recovery and the doctor told me he had bad news. He had to amputate my whole leg and I needed to learn to ride my horse one legged. Yup folks, apparently that’s the worst thing my brain can think of.
We’re now 11 days away from surgery. I really am kind of excited in a weird way. I miss riding. A LOT. And until I have the surgery, I can’t do it. Really, there’s no other alternative, so at least once I get through the worst of it, I’ll be on the road to recovery and actually healing instead of in this frustrating limbo.
We’ll see how it goes over the next couple weeks! Here’s to some dreamless nights!
My last post about my ACL was one of cautious optimism. I headed into physical therapy with that optimism, but very quickly learned that if I want to get back to the way things were, I’m going to need surgery. In the end, it was a really easy decision.
My surgery is scheduled for Friday, April 22nd. I probably shouldn’t be, but I’m ridiculously excited to actually have a date. It finally feels like things will be back in my hands, that I’ll be in control of my rehab. I can’t wait to get past that first awful week and into physical therapy!
Between now and then, my job one is to get that leg as strong as I can get it. I was amazed at how quickly I lost muscle tone in the two weeks that I was on crutches, something I’m told by my physical therapist will be much worse after surgery. So, I’m working it… quad squeezes, leg lifts, and soon the bike.
I met with my surgeon today to discuss my options with regard to my poor, torn ACL.
Right now, my knee is still a little too swollen for him to tell 100% if it’s a complete tear or a partial tear. He can tell from the MRI that it’s definitely torn though. A partial tear would open up a door to a non-surgical solution. Essentially, I can work through lots of physical therapy to build up all of the muscles in and around my knee to help support it if the tear is partial. If it’s a full tear, I’ll pretty much need surgery without a doubt.
Here’s what I really liked about this surgeon – he’s not rushing me into surgery, but we have a game plan. It’s still a very viable option, but we’re going to give it a month of PT (which I would be doing if I had surgery anyway). After that month, I’m going to meet with him again and he’ll mess around with my knee some more. That will tell him one of two things – it’s fully torn or it’s not (that month is enough time for the swelling and fluid to go down). If it’s fully torn, we do surgery. If it’s partially torn, I have a choice to make based on how I feel the therapy has gone – if the knee feels great, I can try life without part of my ACL. If I don’t like how it feels or am worried about future stability, then we go into surgery.
I feel like I’m rambling, but I’m so so so excited to have a plan and something to work towards. Over the next couple weeks, I get to start weaning myself off the crutches (seriously, I’m so amazed at how weak my leg muscles have become over the last two weeks) and then the brace. I start PT on Tuesday, so in addition to biking and swimming (my only two approved activities) I’ll have some exercises to work on.
Tonight I continue the tradition of watching the Grammys and live blogging – I’ll be updating throughout the show, so check back frequently for updates!
For the 5th year in a row, LL Cool J is hosting. I’ve said before, I love him as a host and can’t wait to see what he has in store this year!
We’ve lost quite a few of my favorite composers and musicians this year… I can’t wait to see how they honor them!
The Clothes
LL Cool J’s suit: he seriously has the best style! Loved the simple tux with the cool LL lapel pin.
Carrie Underwood‘s performance dress: it was so pretty and feminine! I loved the flowy bottom and fitted top!
Ariana Grande: Her dress was really pretty! Love a good red dress!
Selena Gomez: I wanted to like her dress, but it did something weird to her boobs. It needed a little more life!
Demi Lovato: Her simple black slacks with white blazer was stunning! She looked great!
Karen Fairchild’s (Little Big Town) all black ensemble: Was it pants? Was it a dress? We may never know. It was an awesome combination and I loved the black leather/lace combination!
Anna Kendrick: First of all, I loved her simple black dress with the halter top. Stunning. Also, if you need a good laugh, follow her on Twitter.
Beyonce: Ugh… I don’t like this one. Is it old fashioned? Is it not? Is it see through? Not my cup of tea.
The Performances
Taylor Swift: I honestly think I like her better as a pop singer than I did as a country singer. She still has the awesome lyrics, high energy performances, and fun feeling, but it fits much better in a pop setting. I’m not going to pretend like she’s the best singer ever, but it feels more honest now.
Carrie Underwood & Sam Hunt: I loved the way they wove their songs together – I love “Take Your Time” and, of course, “Heartbeat“, one of my favorites from her latest album.
The Weeknd: The man can sing, has great style, and I loved the section of him singing accompanied by just a cello and piano.
Andra Day and Ellie Goulding: I hadn’t heard much of Andra Day, but absolutely LOVED her performance. What a stunning voice and really great control! I’m not a huge Ellie Goulding fan, but their duet actually worked!
John Legend, Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, Meghan Trainor, Tyrese: Tribute to Lionel Ritchie (Person of the Year). I love me some John Legend – like a lot. John Legend singing “Easy” is near perfection. He’s on my concert bucket list – I must see him! Demi Lovato did a great job on “Hello“… I was impressed! Luke Bryan was an odd pick for me on this one, but I think he held his own. Meghan Trainor was just ok for me too… I wasn’t totally in love with her version, but did like her new hair. Tyrese’s “Brick House” was ok as well. I loved that they brough Lionel Ritchie up to sing “All Night Long (All Night)“!!!
Little Big Town: They are seriously one of my favorite bands ever… I love the harmonies, the songs, and just about everything they do. This version of “Girl Crush“, complete with classical string backup was absolutely amazing!
Stevie Wonder & Pentatonics: Tribute to Maurice White – seriously, is there anything Pentatonics aren’t doing these days? They’re awesome!
The Eagles & Jackson Browne: My heart still hurts that Glenn Frey is gone… I can’t imagine that this performance was easy for any of the band, but there’s no better way to honor him than a little “Take It Easy“. They kept with the style of the Eagles – simple, harmonies, pure. Well done.
Tori Kelly & James Bay: Their acoustic duet was really nice. I love people that stand and sing at each other. Both have amazing voices!
The cast of Hamilton: So this is new… a live Broadway performance in the middle of the Grammys! Definitely a musical I’d like to see! They performed the opening number “Alexander Hamilton”.
Kendrick Lamar: I liked the jailhouse theme followed by the African bonfire… such a cool stage setup!
Adele: Bruno Mars introduced her and mentioned that he helped write “All I Ask“… which makes me love it even more. It’s an amazing song with the most beautiful lyrics. I wish I was blessed with a voice like her… I could listen to her sing the alphabet!
Lady Gaga: Tribute to David Bowie. I am a little biased in that I work for Intel and we’ve partnered with Lady Gaga for this performance – so cool to see technology used in such a unique way! I could not have picked a better person to pay homage to David Bowie… Lady Gaga really did him justice! For me, this was one of the best performances of the night!
Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr, & Bonnie Raitt: Tribute to B.B. King. I absolutely love Chris Stapleton and think he was the perfect pick for a tribute like this. I am not super familiar with Gary Clark Jr, but absolutely love him after this performance! And you can’t go wrong with some Bonnie Raitt! Their performance reminded me of Mike and I sitting in a little bar on Beale Street in Memphis… perfect blues!
Alabama Shakes: I’m still a little peeved that they won best rock band over the Foos, but I can’t fault their music – they have a cool sound!
Pitbull, Robin Thicke, Joe Perry, & Travis Barker: Pitbull’s performances are just always so fun and totally make me want to dance!
They Got Robbed!
Little Big Town: They should have won song of the year for “Girl Crush”. Period. And why does Taylor Swift always lose her shit, even when she doesn’t win? She can’t be that happy for Ed Sheeran…
The Foo Fighters: honestly, none of the other people in that category are rock bands!!! Are you kidding me?
Chris Stapleton: Let’s be real, he didn’t stand a chance against Taylor Swift in the best album category, but musically, he should have won. By a lot.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be splinted, packaged up, and sledded down a mountain by ski patrol? No? Well, I found out the hard way…
Yup – those are my legs and my skis, strapped into a sled.
Let me rewind to the beginning. My sister won tickets for a day of skiing through work and decided to take me as her skiing buddy. Last week was a really long week for a wide variety of reasons, and both of us were super excited to have a “mental health day”. We headed up to beautiful Squaw Valley, got our skis, and hit the slopes.
We were having a wonderful time. The runs there are ridiculously long and it was an absolute blast. We were getting close to the end of the last one and had decided that we would go grab some lunch when we got to the bottom.
Then, I fell. It was not anything dramatic, or exciting, or spectacular. The edge of my downhill ski caught funny and as I fell, my boot stayed hooked in, and my knee twisted awkwardly. I heard and felt a very audible “pop” – much like bubble wrap. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel much pain. Then I tried to stand up. I instantly felt super queasy and clammy. Kati and I got me over to the side of the run where I decided to sit for a while. I tried to stand back up and get my boot back into the binding, but my knee felt super squishy and started to hurt. I knew right then that something was really wrong.
My sister skied down the hill to find the ski patrol, who came up pretty quickly. They were super funny and took really good care of me. They splinted my knee, strapped me into their little toboggan, and skied me down to the medical center, where there happened to be a sports medicine specialist (talk about good positioning!). He took some x-rays that showed nothing was broken, moved my knee all over the place, and told me I had torn my ACL.
We headed home with a brace and crutches, and the small hope that maybe the doctor at the resort (who probably sees five of these a day) didn’t know for sure. I have spent the past few days at my parents house because we’re having our floors replaced and mine is a hot mess. They’ve taken such good care of me, giving me plenty of time to rest, ice, and elevate! I went to my doctor who sent me over to the orthopedic specialists. They did an MRI and yesterday I got confirmation that my ACL is completely torn.
I had my pity party, a good cry, and now I’m ready for action. Surgery is pretty much the only option if I want to get back to riding and the other activities that I do, so now I’m waiting for my surgery date. I will be happy to talk to the doctor, find out which surgical options are best for me (there are a couple different ones), and to ask all of my questions. Most of all, I just want to get it done so that I can get to work building my muscles back up and can get back on my horse!
It’s taken me a couple of days to pull my thoughts together on this one. On January 18, 2016, Eagles member Glenn Frey passed away at the relatively young age of 67. The Eagles have always been one of my very favorite bands, and there’s not many snapshots from my childhood that don’t play in my head to their music. I learned to sing harmonies to their songs and learned to appreciate amazing musical talent. Glenn co-wrote many of my Eagles favorites, including “After the Thrill is Gone”, “Desperado”, “Doolin’ Dalton”, and, of course, “Hotel California”. In addition to singing lead vocals on some of my favorites (“Tequila Sunrise” and “Take It Easy”) with the band, he also held his own as a solo artist (“The Heat Is On”).
In college, I was lucky enough to get to see the Eagles live in San Diego with my family. I must admit, Don Henley had my attention (I love his voice), but the band really wouldn’t be what it was without Glenn as well. The show was amazing and his voice and musicianship will be missed.
I’ll leave you with a link to one of my favorite songs the Eagles performed once they reunited, “Hole in the World”. Rest in peace, Glenn.
I had a serious to do list today. I was going to work in the yard, clean up around the house, and catch up on some tv shows I have taped. Instead, I abandoned it all and headed over to the barn to ride. I spent most of my weekend over there in between rain storms and I can’t stress how therapeutic it’s been!
I read the quote below the other day… I’ve searched high and low for the author, but can’t find him/her.
“Religion is a person sitting in a church thinking about kayaking. Spirituality is sitting in a kayak thinking about God.”
As I sat there on Sue’s back and just looked out at the lake, I felt a calm come over me. Call it God, call it relaxation, call it just enjoying the moment. It was great. I could even feel Sue relax under me. There was something so spiritual about being out there, one with my horse, in the great outdoors.
The housework will always be there, but moments like this are far and few between!
As always, we had our annual New Year’s pig roast. I’m pretty sure that even if I didn’t send out an Evite, people would still show up at my house. This was the 12th year and I have a feeling we’ll be doing it forever!
The day starts with the dressing of the pig in the morning – once it’s all stuffed with potatoes and other yummy spices, it’s put on the spit and starts cooking.
Headed for the spitReady to cook!
This pig was a little bit smaller than we’ve done in the past couple years – so it went on around 10am rather than earlier in the day.
After the pig goes on, we wait. People stop by all day to check in on it and enjoy the “cracklins” – basically the tasty skin that starts to form as it cooks. Mike has a special marinade that he pours on throughout the day that makes it taste even better!
Enter a caption
Finally it’s time to cut the pig up. It’s quite the process that requires skilled butchers… or just a bunch of dudes with electric knives.
Creating a cutting strategy
We had a blast this year, as always. We never really know how many people are going to be there, and every year it’s a great mix of people we’ve seen every year and new faces. Our friends and family all bring side dishes and we get to sample all sorts of amazing cooking! We celebrated both the New York (9pm) countdown as well as our own west coast countdown. It was a wonderful time!
Winter is a tough time for cowgirls, especially cowgirls with day jobs. It’s dark for what feels like most of the day. It’s cold. And don’t even get me started on the rain…
Knowing that I hadn’t done much ride over the period of a couple weeks (only once, actually), I decided that a wise move would be to turn Sue out for a bit in one of the pastures to run his jollies out.
And run he did.
It was amazing to watch. I love nothing more than to just stand there and listen to his thundering hooves and watch him romp. He ran around for about 20 minutes until he was covered in sweat. It was such a beautiful thing to watch and just made my heart sing.
Every year I do an annual recap, published on December 31st. It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to look back on the year, reflect on the good and the bad, and to prepare for the new year. Without further ado, I give you 2015.
January
Jan 2: Katie goes riding. I took my niece, Katie, riding. She was the cutest little rider and we had a ton of fun!
Katie & Missy
Jan 4: Stuart Scott dies. I had the chance to meet him a long time ago and he was a really cool guy.
Jan 23 – Jan 26: Moonshine Manor. We went to Bodega Bay with the fire wives and their hubbies for Bobby’s 40th birthday. It was a blast! #bcbc40.
February
Feb 8: Schooling show with Sue. It was cold, it was wet, and he ran off with me. But we nailed that pesky right lead!
Feb 21: Crab feed with the fire wives and husbands. Always a fun time!
Brad Rides
Feb 22: Brad goes riding. I took my nephew, Brad, riding. He showed up in boots, wranglers, and a hat… just about melted my heart! And, in true boy fashion, just wanted to ride fast!
March
Mar 5: Sue has his teeth floated. It was really cool to spend the morning
Working On The Front Teeth
watching Sue get his teeth worked on by the dentist! The vet was very patient with me and answered all of my questions. Sue was a champ!
Mar 7: Behind the Cellar Door. Our annual wine
Wine Tasting
tasting trip was amazing! I love that Amador county does this every year.
Mar 15: Chickens! I went to the feed store and came home with 10 chicks. Seriously, my husband loves me.
Mar 28: Garth Brooks gone wrong. Horribly wrong. Anna + Red Bull = no good.
April
Apr 13: Schooling show with Sue. This show was the first one that we
Chloe, Sue, & I
made it through all of our classes without being disqualified! It was a great experience and we had so much fun. Even Chloe got in on it, sitting for a minute or two on Sue with me.
Apr 19: Finished the chicken coop and moved the chickens in. I built my own chicken coop with my own two hands. It’s still standing and I love it – so do the girls!
My First Tattoo
Apr 25 – 26: Monterey getaway. We had some free passes to the aquarium, so we decided to head out to Monterey for the weekend. The weather was beautiful and I got a tattoo!
Apr 25: Seahorse tattoo. I got my first and only tattoo… a seahorse on my right ankle. The tattoo and placement are very special and meaningful to me – it’s on my right ankle which is my “bad” foot and also matches where Mike has his tattoo. I’ve always loved seahorses and what they represent – tenacity, perception, patience, and contentment.
May
May 26: Septic tank overflows. The Sweet Pea man is my new best friend. Yuck.
June
Jun 5: My brother in law, Nate, is pinned as a peace officer. So proud of everything he went through to get there!
Jun 6: My 10 year anniversary at Intel. Time flies when you’re having fun! Honestly, I can’t imagine working anywhere else!
Jun 6: American Pharoah wins the triple crown. What an amazing horse!
My people
Jun 10 – Jun 16: Newport Beach trip. Despite a brief bout of seasickness, losing an engine 8 miles off the coast, and a flat tire on the way home, the trip was a blast! We caught lots of fish, visited Catalina, and paddle boarded along the beach.
Jun 20: First time working cows. I had no idea what I
was doing or how my horse would react. As it turns
Working cows
out, we both loved it! We started with buffalo before moving on to cows and have not looked back!
Jun 23: James Horner dies in a small plane crash. He’s my favorite composer of all time.
Jun 30: Legs transforms to “Bruce”. On this day, we discovered we had a rooster.
July
Jul 4: Dad’s surprise 60th birthday party. My parents share a birthday
Surprise party
(cool, huh?) but this year was a special one for Dad – his 60th! We threw him a surprise party at my house. We sang, we ate, and we celebrated. It was a blast!
Jul 22: Plantar Fasciitis. I got a cortizone shot (my first ever) in the bottom of my foot and a boot for 6 weeks. At least I could still ride!
Jul 26: First egg from our chickens! It was amazing!
August
Aug 4: Jury duty. Did my civic duty and thankfully got excused!
Aug 22: Felix and Mask come home. Yup, I added to the zoo – two barn cats who have taken to hunting!
September
Sept 4: Brady joins the family. Shadow is not impressed. Through a series
Meet Brady!
of fortunate circumstances, this handsome fella joined the farm and we haven’t looked back since! He’s a kick ass dog that loves to go places, meet new dogs, and hang out at the ranch!
Sept 9: Butte Fire starts. It was a scary few days for me since not only was the fire about four miles from my
Butte Fire
house, but my hubby was out there fighting it. So many lost their homes, animals, and lives. It was devastating to see, but truly amazing to watch my community come together!
Bareback!
Sept 18-20: Cowgirl Posse Trip. I look forward to this weekend so much! This year was even more exciting because my friend Jamie bought a horse and came along as well! The trip was great – Brady got to come and I had my first ever bareback ride on Sue!
October
Oct 2 – Oct 4: NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno. This was so much fun! I went with my friends from the barn and we did just about everything in 3 days! I saw my first horse auction, watched the pros compete, and bought my first chaps and hat!
Oct 4: Schooling Show with Sue. We won our first ever ribbon – third place
First Ribbon!
in our rail class! The ribbons mean so much more to me – it’s the hours of work that Sue and I put in together that finally pays off in those few minutes in the show pen!
One!
Oct 10: Juliette’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 1st Birthday. Julsey had her first birthday party! She has quite the little personality – so different from Chloe!
Oct 15: Bought a horse trailer. I’m so excited to now
Truck & Trailer
officially have just about everything that you have to have to own a horse! We’re independent now! I got a beautiful Turnbow two horse slant… and the truck pulls it like a dream!
Oct 15 – Oct 25: 4th Anniversary road trip. This year we covered Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama!
Oct 22: Our four year wedding anniversary!
Crimson Tide Game
Oct 24: My first Crimson Tide game! Roll Tide! One of the best parts of visiting Alabama was spending time with my great Uncle Banny. He’s my grandpa’s younger brother and it was just great to see where they grew up. Spending time with him was like seeing Grandpa (who died in 2003) again!
Oct 30: Bought an Apple Watch. It replaced my Fitbit Surge and I absolutely love it!
November
Working Cows
Nov 7: Worked cows with Sue. Working cows is always fun! Sue seems to love it (he’s what is called “cowy”, meaning he loves chasing them) and I have a great time too!
Nov 8: Schooling show with Sue. This show was particularly special to me, because we won our first blue ribbon. We got it in the trail class, which is something that Sue always seems to like doing, but was especially special because one of the obstacles was the water box – something that Sue has been terrified of. Not only did we conquer it, but we won! The ribbon represents more than just winning at the show – it symbolizes hours of us working together to overcome that fear and build trust in each other. I’m so proud of my boy!
First Blue Ribbon
Nov 15: Jamie’s bridal shower. My good friend and riding buddy Jamie is getting married in early 2016 – she’s marrying one of Mike’s really good friends. It was so awesome to go to her bridal shower and spend the day celebrating her!
Nov 26: Thanksgiving & Mike’s birthday. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year and it was a blast!
Nov 29: Stretch the chicken is killed. It was bound to happen, but it was still sad. One of my favorites, Stretch was known as a chick for stretching her head to see everything. Not sure what got her, but I buried her, where she was “resurrected” three weeks later…
December
Dec 6: Schooling show with Sue. We placed second in our rail class and
Show Posse
reserve in our ranch pattern class. Some random guy took a picture of our barn all on horseback waiting for our classes – I made it black and white and think it’s amazing!
Dec 12: Chloe’s 3, let’s have tea birthday party! This little girl sure does love a tea party! She was so busy decorating her tea cup with stickers that she didn’t want to open presents!
Dec 20: Annual cookie baking at my parents house. I absolutely love this
Making Cookies
tradition – it’s so nice and cozy at my parents and now that my nieces are getting a little older, they’re starting to participate too!
Dec 24: Christmas with the Blankenheims/Guzmans. It was a different kind of Christmas – a snow storm and a crash into a power pole took out the power to the entire county. Christmas Eve mass was cancelled, which felt really weird, but we had a great time celebrating with the family!
Dec 25: Christmas with the Smithsons/Barcklays. We had the best day – Kati and Nate made an amazing prime rib and we had a blast watching the kids with all of their new toys!
Visiting with Oma
Dec 26: Christmas with the Zenos/Myers/Jones. Besides having an amazing breakfast and hanging out with the family, I got a chance to visit my Oma, who suffers from Alzheimer. It was hard, but it was so wonderful to spend time with her!
Down The Road I Go 