December

Gateway(If you ever need a hat, go to Urban Outfitters.)



Black & White Party
(Two favorite faces: Raymon's and Jennifer's.)


Abby's birthday
(For some reason, she didn't want SB's shorts from her surgery.)

Sara Beth's new life in a wheelchair

November

Brittney & Ryan's Engagement (Exciting!)
RS Appreciation Dinner


More BYU Football

Cabin Trips

Even more BYU Football

Thanksgiving/Quinn's haircut

October

Sara Beth's birthday
BYU Football

Baby Dax/Arizona

Tara & Scott's Wedding

Halloween

September

Fall semester just finished. (Um, yay!) Here are some things that happened.

Ward Directory Photos


Orange Party


RS Broadcast & Karaoke



Fall Color Drives

Recommendations

If you are looking for a quick Christmas book read, I have a couple suggestions. Both are very short, delightful, and humorous. And, of course, they leave you thinking about what the true meaning of Christmas is.

Post-op check up

Today, I had my 1 week post-operation doctor appointment. Dr. Faux (pronounced "fox," awesome, I know) took off my old, bloody bandages. It was so neat to finally see my foot/toes. Hallelujah, the toes are still there! I also had some x-rays taken. They took out a piece of my bone and put in a screw to hold the bone together; you can see it in the x-rays. The human body continues to amaze me everyday. Learning and looking at the body has always been an interest of mine and even more since my surgery; my appreciation of it has increased. The body knows how to heal. For the first couple days, I could not put any weight on my foot without a zing of pain shooting through my leg. But now, I can stand and put my left foot down with about 5% of my weight on it. So awesome!

Chillin' in my hospital room (Do you see the hose hooked to my gown? It blew cold/hot air into my gown; that's why I'm all puffy.)

My lovely mother--I'm so grateful that my parents came up to assist me

I had to mark my foot and my doctor had to sign my foot so that they were working on the correct one

Pre-surgery--do you see the curve?

Post-surgery--do you see how it's straight? (I know the big toe is over a lot, that's because I have a toe spacer to wear there.)

Profile view of the screw

Right after the bandages came off--I quickly took this while Dr. Faux stepped out of the room to get some new bandages

Dear Abby pushing me in my wheelchair--such a sweetie

Surgery

Tomorrow at 7:15 AM, I am scheduled to report to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center Outpatient Surgery. Crazy! I am having surgery on my left foot. I get to miss school Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. That's kind of cool. I have never had surgery or general anesthesia before. I am a little nervous.

So, now you may be wondering why I am having surgery on my left foot. It is because I have a bunion. Yep, a bunion. What is a bunion? I will tell you. A bunion is one problem that can develop due to hallux valgus, a foot deformity. The term "hallux valgus" is Latin and means a turning outward of the big toe. The bone which joins the big toe becomes prominent on the inner border of the foot. This bump is the bunion and is made up of bone and soft tissue. What causes bunions? Bunions are most often caused by an inherited faulty mechanical structure of the foot. It is not the bunion itself that is inherited, but certain foot types that make a person prone to developing a bunion. I have to thank my gramps for that; he had bunions removed on both feet.

Anyway, the orthopedic surgeon says I need to be off my foot for the next few days. Which means, I get to lay on the couch and watch Christmas movies while sipping hot chocolate. If you would like to join me, just stop by. Also, if you ever want a really good laugh, google bunion surgery; some hilarious articles and pictures come up.

Comparison of a regular foot and and a foot with a bunion

My feet

My feet (again)--you can really see the bump on the inside

What the operating room will look like

The shoe I get to wear for 6-8 weeks

This is hanging on my rear view mirror until March 10th

I saw that these shoes are an alternative to getting surgery

The 3rd graders made gingerbread houses today--very fun and cute