Today was a very big day in our house. Nathan finally got the pins out of his toes! They were originally supposed to come out last week, but x-rays at that time showed that his toes weren’t quite healed enough. So today was the big day. He is now pin-less, in a new walking boot, and only using crutches as needed. Needless to say, he is very excited to finally be moving around a little more and seeing some progress.
This last month has been quite a learning experience, for both of us. As Nathan put it, he will “never take his toes for granted again”. (He probably will also listen to his wife when she tells him that hopping on one foot up stairs is not a good idea and certainly will not lead to anything good. That is, unless you consider face planting to be “good”.) Obviously the “in sickness” part of our wedding vows came unexpectedly and much earlier than expected. It was certainly challenging and stressful at times, but I feel like I have grown as wife. Not only that, my brain cells have gotten smarter! Thanks to this experience, I now know several new things:
1) It’s a good thing that I am not a nurse.
Because I would really be terrible at it. I have not had any professional nursing training, so I can’t be sure, but I suspect that good nurses do not repeatedly bump the broken bones (on accident, of course). Or kick them (also on accident). Or drop sherbet cups on them (again, an accident).
2) How to connect the sprinkler to the hose.
And where to place it in order to water the lawn. Also, that the hose is possessed and will spray water all over you when you attempt to turn it off.
3) Where to find painter’s tape at Home Depot.
That would be the second paint aisle. Not the first. And apparently, it only takes a salesperson one glance to realize that I do not belong in Home Depot.
4) The secret to Nathan’s homemade pizza.
One part of the secret is the ingredients. Another part is the process. And the final part is not overdoing it on the cheese, unless you want to fill your house with smoke and be forced to open all of the windows in ninety degree weather. Obviously, I learned this the hard way.
5) How to take out the trash.
It seems like this would be fairly obvious and straightforward. But it turns out, there is a method to the madness!
6) I can cook new things without using recipes!
Ok, fine. One new thing. But when you go from cooking two dinners a week to cooking seven dinners a week, you realize that you quickly run out of meal ideas. Last night, I was feeling creative. And tired of eating my same old garlic bread with premade Johnny’s Garlic Seasoning. So I got creative with some butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and mozzarella. And voila! I had cheesy garlic bread. EDIBLE cheesy garlic bread. SUCCESS!!!!
7) It is possible to take back our pop cans in a timely fashion.
Those of you who know us know that our garage is filled with bags, bags, and more bags of cans and water bottles. My dad got tired of it and “tricked” (Nathan’s words, not mine) Nathan into taking back pop cans one day. I have never been a fan of returning cans, especially alone. But with some helpful nagging from my dear old dad, I went alone to take back cans one day. And guess what? It wasn’t so bad! The trick is to go to Costco’s can return, and get there when they open. Their machines always work (hint, hint, Safeway), and they even have a call button for when the bins get full! I have made twenty bucks in the last two weeks. (No matter that I probably still have forty bucks more in the garage). PROGRESS!
8) My parents rock.
They took Nathan to doctors appointments, ran errands for me, and took back some of my cans. They even installed a special showerhead in the now non-leaky master shower so that Nathan could take a shower easier without getting his foot wet. I don’t know what we would have done without them.
9) My husband helps me a lot.
I knew he helped me around the house before. But I don’t think I fully appreciated how much until he physically couldn’t help me. He couldn’t kill the spiders, make dinner, carry laundry upstairs, or unload all the groceries from the car. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg with what he helps me with. I will never take his help for granted again!
10) And finally, my husband thinks I am a terrible driver.
See, normally he drives everywhere. But for the last month, he has been at my mercy. Apparently my tendency to drift, speed, and not use a blinker scares him. I believe his exact words were, “You are the worst driver I know. I never thought I would say it, but you are worse than Erika.” (I am really not sure who should be more offended, me or Erika. Erika says me. But I am not offended. He will eat his words when I become the next Danica Patrick. You don’t need blinkers in NASCAR!)
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Yes, the last month was challenging, but I am really grateful that we had this experience. I think we will appreciate things more, and be better prepared to handle future challenges. We still have a little ways to go on the path to recovery, but I am looking forward to things slowly getting back to normal!
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