UMass visits and Kezza learns to walk!!

Last weekend Jamie and Maia came to visit! Yay!!! It rained and it snowed... a lot. We spent way too much time indoors. We stayed up way too late every night. We probably drank too much (although we did have leftovers, so perhaps we are getting old!) I learned how to walk without crutches! I danced for the first time in months! James turned into a vampire. Vanessa lost her wallet and then it was found! George got addicted to wii. We definitely had an insane amount of fun. It was like being back at UMass, but 10 times better. I miss you guys!

I honestly don't even know what to write about that weekend. My absolute favorite part of the weekend was witnessing close old friends meet close new friends, and within hours EVERYONE was old friends. I love when that happens. I know I say it all the time. But I seriously love my friends. And someday, when I get married, holy crap is that going to be the best party ever!! (Yeah, I dream about the party, not the guy.)

I think it would just be best if I post some pics now :-) Some from me, most from Jamie. Some captions also stolen from Jamie. Enjoy!

Baseball & Beerster

Pics from this past weekend - First Rockies game of the season with James on Saturday, and BEERSTER on Sunday!! Best new holiday EVER.





Theme song by Ef (written in 5 minutes):






More pics can be found here (courtesy @mattgist) and here (courtesy @andrewhyde).

Baby Steps

I had another check-up with the doctor yesterday. X-rays were taken, toes were wiggled, extra screws were discovered. Apparently my foot was so floppy it required three screws instead of the usual two to secure things into place. I am also a "floppy-jointed" person in general, demonstrated when my doctor started grabbing random appendages - arms, legs, thumbs, and flopping them around like a rag doll. Perhaps I have more muppet-like qualities than I realized... (George).

Unfortunately, I am stuck in "das boot" for another 4 weeks. However, I can take it off to sleep (yay!) and can also start walking without crutches whenever it feels comfortable. Of course I tried to walk with one crutch immediately. Luckily I was next to the couch, so the fall was not so painful. In my head, I totally remember how to walk - but my foot seems to have forgot! This will take some practice it seems. Part of the problem is the boot itself. It has a lot of protection/padding, so it feel like wearing a 1-2" platform shoe on one foot. It also has a rocking bottom, supposedly to make it easier to walk. So you don't have to put as much weight on the front of the foot to propel yourself forward. However, when I step and my weight goes forward, ALL of my momentum CONTINUES forward and it feels like I will fall if I don't get my other foot forward FAST. This results in a really bad limp/hop .. not so much of a walk. Working on it though!

Stay tuned for video of my First Steps. Coming soon hopefully....

Top Ten Things I Learned While on Crutches

1. Don't put the keg next to the Irish girl on crutches.
2. Enjoy the pity party while it lasts.
3. If you can play it drunk, you can kick ass at it on one foot (pool, air hockey, etc.). Just ask James!
   
4. Go with the flow, and limit expectations. I *might* be able to start walking on Thursday, but I might not. I can't control it, so there's no point in getting upset about it.
5. Walking is NOT overrated.
6. Boulder is amazingly shitty when it comes to handicapped accessibility/parking.
7. Hiking is an extremely important part of my mental well-being.
8. Being carried to/from/around bars is humbling, but fun.
9. Apparently, I like to put myself in challenging situations to see how I'll react.
10. This spring/summer is going to fucking AWESOME. Boulder, you've been warned. (For a preview of the madness yet to come, check out these pics from Saturday.)

Kegs & Kites

I'm not really sure how it all began. I think it involved a conversation over happy hour about how awesome kites are. And how someone should plan a party with kites. And of course drinking would be involved ... Voila! Kegs & Kites was born. The brain child of George, Stepan, and Ef - it was as simple as it sounds. A free keg of Flying Dog, some kites (if you chose), and a park. What more could one ask for on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. How bout a small blizzard the day before and some sleds? Bring it on!




Stepan's Kegs & Kites photos HERE.