I fought the knife and the knife won....

It was last Sunday morning...
7:00 am. Getting the crock pot ready to have my family over for dinner. The very last ingredient was the juice of one lime... The knife and I had never met before, it was brand new and the sharpest knife I had probably ever used. I pretty much poked it straight through the lime and into my hand. Severing 2 tendons in my left middle finger. I called my friends to take me to the ER.
I recieved 2 stitches and after 6 hours they sent me home telling me I need to schedule surgery. I met with the Dr on Tuesday and he scheduled me for surgery the next day. 6 more hours, anesthesia and one splint later I was sent home.
I started physical therapy yesterday and will begin my long road to recovery...
Here are a few photos~
After ER...

After surgery...

At physical therapy I was able to see how they turned my fourth inch slice into a 2 inch zig zag pattern...

The physical therapist made me this custom splint!

The giant cheese I need to wear while sitting and sleeping to elevate and help prevent swelling...

August 19...

I so often wonder how it has already been 2 years since I have seen her face, heard her voice, touched her soft skin. My heart aches with such a huge void.
Her presence is felt so often, but I still miss her as much today as I did the very first moment she was gone.
I wish I could hold her hand just one more time and tell her that I love her.
There are so few words that can properly express what it is like not to have her here anymore. To know that she is gone.
Does your mind ever really accept it, does your heart ever really know it? I think somehow we don't fully understand the reality of such a devastating loss. I think our hearts would never fully recover. It may not...

Somehow she continues to give us so many gifts~
Her final resting place is a gift of beauty and peace for my family and I to enjoy. A place to spend time together, alone, or share with special friends...
She gave us so many gifts in her life and continues to do so now that she is gone.
She gave us the special place we can go to be close to her.
To enjoy the beauty of this incredible world we live in.
To be surrounded by mountains...
a lake...
giant rocks perfect for picnics...
amazing wild flowers...
indescribable beauty...
Where every step that is taken the entire way is filled so much with her.





Dear mom,
I am not always certain of much in this life, but one thing I will always know is how proud I am to be your daughter.
My life have been so blessed because you are my mother.
For you, I will always be grateful.
I love you~
Tiff

Sacre'-Coeur

Next to Montmartre~
Sacre'-Coeur!

Montmartre...

A quaint little place that I never would have found without Charlie and Vicki~
Montmartre...
I think it was my favorite place in Paris!

Rain by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can't do a handstand--
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--
I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.
~ Rain by Shel Silverstein

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower...My Iron Angel.
What an amazing experience in so many ways.
I went to the first level, it was so high up~ 376 feet I just now read, wow it seemed higher.
This is where I met some of my new friends Vicki and Charlie from Iowa~ (I think she will send me a photo of them soon). Charlie asked me to take their picture so I did and we all started talking. We were waiting together in line to get to the top~
The top is 905 feet above the ground, AAAAHMAZING!! :)
How beautiful and incredible is the view from up there~

Its shadow on the park below...
The amazing city ~ Paris...

The buildings don't have a lot of color, at least that is what I noticed from up there!
Here are a few photos from the Eiffel Tower~
And one Vicki took of me!

Happiness is like a butterfly (or dragonfly) :) which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Openheim