Friends and photos

I am still incapacitated by my poor black and blue and green and purple and oddly, orange... ankle! I somehow thought the doctor meant I would be feeling BETTER a few days in. I mean I do, yes, in some ways. So on a scale of 1-10 of pain, I was easily feeling a 9 Saturday night when I fell. I shouldn't fail to mention that I once (at age 19) had a horrific car accident that almost killed me, in which I broke many bones (pelvis, hips, tailbone, many ribs and punctured a lung undergoing surgery with no pain meds). Now I will assume adrenaline, flooded endorphins, shock, and possibly other things aided in my pain level. I don't remember very much pain, I remember the nurses and doctors wondering why I wasn't in a huge amount of pain. Hurt, yes, manageable, yes. This pain, the # 9 caused me to cry real tears and desire immediate help and I felt desperate. This was new for me. That said, I am still easily feeling a 6 or 7 with no pain meds, and I am out... I see the doctor tomorrow for follow up to see if I am doing something wrong or is this just going to be a long process... In the meantime, Ally is staying and taking awesome photos. As an additional note, we really appreciate her being here. She is hardworking and I would be in much worse shape without her! She truly provides excellent humour which is always useful.


I do not know where this tree is but the knothole is lovely! She sharpened and edited photos in the editing program that comes with the computer. I cant wait to see what she can do with photoshop!


Black and white photos are breathtaking, I like to see the color and the black and white together so I have shown a color one of the same road. This is a few blocks from our home.


Okay the sunlight in the color version is quite nice. We still have some fall colors, not in leaves but in roadside grass.


The kids love this photo, both the angle and black and white. This (I believe) is the cell phone tower just down the road.


Some native grasses, in high resolution. It really brings out the surroundings. The sky is intensely blue and the wheat colored grasses are beautiful in contrast.

I really miss Frank, but must say this is Tuesday of the 3rd wk. We have only 3 more days and I can say 1 month down and it hasn't been as slow as I feared. It hasn't crept the way that the first month of the last deployment has. I have allowed myself more emotional breakdown and actually broken down less for the allowance. The kids are a little older and doing okay, and I have confided in distant friends and family a little sooner rather than waiting to break down. I am also making sure I spend some quiet time with God every day and this helps to keep me grounded. Last but surely not least, I have my wonderful friend from Ca living in Ks now. She is 1.5 hrs from me and we regularly email. She is uplifting, understanding and kind. She listens to me when I feel down and always gives good advice. I think this deployment is and will be easier with her living near by. Her husband is a jack of all trades and can help me out of a pinch and they are both willing to come up and help if I call. I enjoy their company and my kids enjoy their kids, so I have a great situation this time. Last time I felt the same way, and yet am even more blessed this time and I am grateful for it.