I don't know if you have ever had a moment where you are trying to process something in your brain and you start reacting before your brain totally finishes processing. I had one of those moments today.
I had been in Idaho Falls at an appointment. I had Logan with me. I didn't get away like I had expected and so my good friend, Linda Gibbs, picked Conner and Natalie up from school and was watching them at her house. I went and picked them up as I was coming into town. I knew Linda had to be to work and so we were in a bit of a hurry. When I got there, I unbuckled Logan and he came in with me. Conner was all ready to go but Natalie didn't have shoes on. So upon leaving Linda's house, I start trying to figure out if I should carry Natalie down the steps and to the van or if I should just let her walk down the steps and then I would carry her to the van. My brain had decided that the steps were clean and dry and she could walk down the steps and then I would carry her to the van. However, I immediately leaned forward and went to carry her. That split second of indecisiveness was enough to through me completely off balanace. I fell forward. We must have also fallen sideways because we ended to the side of the stairs in a bed of lava rock. Me right on top of Natalie. Linda had been behind us and rushed to pull Natalie out from under me. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't like people to know I am hurt and I usually jump up screaming that I am okay. Not this time. I laid in the bed of lava rock screaming out in pain. Once Linda had gotten Natalie out of the rock, I notice that she is bleeding profusely. So Linda takes Natalie in the house to get her cleaned up. Thanks so much Linda. Those of you who know me know I don't deal well with blood or puke! Conner and Logan are standing there looking at me, scared. Natalie had left a lot of blood behind. Her pink coat and princess backpack were now more red than they were pink and there was quite a bit of blood on the sidewalk. I was still laying there in the bed of lava rocks trying to figure how I was ever going to get out of there. I tell Logan and Conner to carry Natalie's things to the van and I will be there in a minute. It took everything I had in me to get up and hobble to the van. Linda finished cleaning up Natalie and brought her to the van. I start heading home. I tried to reach Bryon at the school. He wasn't available so I left a message on his voicemail. You see I had had trouble sleeping lately and would be wide awake at 3 or 4 in the morning. This particular morning I had been up since 4. My appointment in Idaho Falls had also been very emotional for me. Anyone who knows me also knows that I love a little power nap in the afternoon. So I told Bryon that I had had a little mishap and was going to go home and have a power nap. I had a month's worth of groceries in the backseat. I told him I would carry in the refrigerated and freezer stuff but would need his help unloading everything else upon him getting home. But do not call me, I would just see him when he got home in a couple of hours. Well my mind quickly changed upon getting home. It took me a good 20 minutes to hobble from the van into the house and Natalie's nose had began to bleed again. Bryon came home and loaded Natalie up in the van to take her to Community Care. He asked me if I was going to go with them to have the doctor look at my foot. I do not like to go to doctors and try to avoid them at all costs. I told Bryon, "I am badly hurt NOT dead!"
Natalie ended up with two little stitches on the side of her nose. I am still paying for my little mishap. The very next day, my foot was still not doing any better. I have had a broken foot before and felt like I hadn't broken anything. However, this happened on a Thursday and on Saturday of that same week we were going to be taking our Young Women to Salt Lake to attend the General Young Women's Broadcast. I was going even if I had to go on a stretcher. I knew we were going to be walking all over Temple Sqaure in Salt Lake City. When all the kids were at school on Friday morning, I took myself to Community Care. They x-rayed my foot. Sure enough it wasn't broken but just very badly sprained. The doctor told me he was going to give me an air cast. I told him I was glad because on Saturday we were going to Temple Square and I would be doing a lot of walking and was hoping to get some support for my ankle. Upon hearing how much walking I would be doing, he opted to give me a walking boot. I wore the walking boot that day, Saturday to Salt Lake, and Sunday. By Monday I figured my ankle was feeling pretty good and I wouldn't wear the boot for all the little puttering around the house stuff I do. (The doctor at Community Care never told me how long I had to wear it). However, if I do any sort of exercising or walk any sort of long distance, that sucker swells up the size of a watermelon! On Monday I went to the doctor for a list of about 10 things I was hoping to talk to him about. While I was visiting him, I mentioned in passing about my fall. He looks at my ankle (which was NOT one of the 10 things I went to talk to him about). He found out I had a walking boot and had worn it only for a short amount of time. He told me I am to go back to the walking boot for a good week if not two!
