Family Time

The trip is not over yet! Just getting started.

I spent Sunday morning with my Mom and sister shopping before heading over to my Dad's house to celebrate his birthday. My Grandmother and Granddad surprised my Dad too by coming for a visit. I may have tipped them off that I'd be in town. Carmen made an amazing Mexican lunch with tamales, enchiladas, and pasole (have you figured out that I'm a little crazy when it comes to Mexican food?) and we ate and ate and ate. We could hardly move at this point so we parked it in front of the tube to watch the Dallas Cowboys embarrass themselves against the Packers.

On Monday, me, my Mom, and Riley hit the road to Bridgeport to see my Grandma and Grandpa. Fortunately, we made it just in time for the sunset over the water. My favorite part of the day out there. A glass of Prosecco in hand doesn't hurt either. I was introduced to their new little addition, Bella. She is the sweetest little squirt; they're lucky I didn't walk right out of there with her in my purse.

Tuesday was a fun day! Girls day at the Galleria! (You know, I'm learning a lot about myself writing this blog. I like to shop and I like to eat. A lot. Hmmmm.) We did some damage in Nordstroms before having lunch at Mi Cocina and since it was "Girls Day" we had margaritas. It was 5 o'clock somewhere. Micah joined us for a bit before heading back to work. We'll pretend like I didn't start crying outside of Williams Sonoma when we had to say goodbye.

We timed our trip just right so we had the pleasure of sitting in rush hour traffic for what seemed like forever. Twenty minutes on an on-ramp, really? Don't miss that. But it was worth the wait. Next stop was The Gonzales' house and the boys were in the yard waiting when we pulled up.

And just like old times, we grazed on munchies and drank wine while catching up. There was only one thing missing....Brad. The boys were sure to let me know they wished he could be there which made me miss him all the more. Tear. :*(

I'll give you two guesses on what Traci and I did on Wednesday......if you said shopping you'd be correct. Hey! It wasn't all for me.

My Aunt Kelli and cousin, Joel, were able to swing by before church so I was able to catch up with them, too. I can't believe how grown up Joel is getting.

We surprised the boys when they got home from school - we were going to see A Christmas Carol in 3D (and on a school night, waaahooo). Standing in line at the automatic machine went something like this:

Traci: Woah! $12.50 per ticket!!??

Me: Are they serious?!

Aaron: Why don't you just buy all Child tickets? They'll never know. They don't check.
Traci: Aaron! I don't think so! That would be stealing! I can't believe you said that.

*Micheal walks up from parking the car.

Michael: What's going on?

Traci: The tickets are $12.50 a piece.

Micheal: Woah! We should just get the Child tickets then. (Kidding, of course.)

It was classic. The conversation, not the movie. It was just eh. 3D effects were amazing but it's not exactly a Christmas movie where you leaving feeling all warm and fuzzy.

Since Brad and I aren't going to be around for the holidays, Michael decided he'd make a full out Thanksgiving Dinner. And he did. A big turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, the works. And it was absolutely amazing! We figured we'd try to cram in as much as we could while I was with them. So we had a big Thanksgiving meal with Christmas music on in the background and (jokingly) told the kids they were going to have to stay up until midnight to celebrate New Year's, too. But in sticking with tradition, we popped in The Grinch for a good laugh. We would have watched A Christmas Vacation too but it just didn't feel right without Brad. Maybe next year.

And that was the end of my trip. I gave the boys a big hug before they left for school. It makes it easier knowing I'll see them all in a few months.

Well, with the huge exception that Brad was unable to join me, that was quite possibly the best trip home. Ever.

Now Christmas is right around the corner which makes me a very happy girl. Pictures of our place to come soon!

Surprise!

If you know me, you know I love a good surprise especially if I'm the one doing the surprising. So on top of it being gameday in Stillwater (which I've missed greatly), I was beyond excited to surprise my Dad at the tailgate party.

The day kicked off with a good WalMart run. A tailgate wouldn't be a tailgate without Amy's famous Seven Layer Bean Dip. If you haven't had it, you're missing out so get there early because it goes fast no matter how much there is.

The weather was chilly and overcast but that made it all the more fun. And it certainly didn't seem to stop my Dad from fitting in a round of golf that morning so the big surprise would have to wait. In the meantime, I was able to catch up with my family, in-laws, sister-in-law, friends and of course stuff my face with delicious food.

Then it was time for the big surprise. My mom was getting updates from my Dad's buddy who he played golf with on where they were and when they would be arriving. So when it was time, I went and made friends with another group of tailgaters and hid in their tent. When I saw my Dad walking up I came up behind him and said "Happy Birthday, Dad." It took a good 3 seconds for him to process what he was looking at. "Heeeeeeeey! What are you doing here!"

We had a few more hours until kick off which meant plenty of time for eating, chatting, and my new favorite game - Lifesize Jenga. That's right, Jenga blocks made out of 2x4's and for the record, I won.

This may be one of the greatest pictures of all time (with the execption that Stephanie disappeared right when we were about to take it). Check out my Dad. I love it! Just one of the girls.

So we ran with it. (He's going to kill me for this.)

Stephanie and I went to the first half of the game then watched the rest at the tailgate sitting around the fire with the rest of the group.

The Cowboys beat the Raiders 24 - 17 which meant the night would not be complete without a trip to "The Strip." So for old times sake me, Amy, and Micah ventured to our old stomping ground, Willies, for a couple of drinks and reminiscing.

And that is where the night ended. The day was quite a success!

I'd love to do it again next year but next time Brad HAS to come with me. He was missed by all...especially me.

There's No Place Like Home

I wish getting back to the US was as easy as clicking my heels (carefully, of course) but since it's not, some serious planning was put forth. With OSU playing Texas Tech a couple of days before my Dad's birthday I figured it was the perfect time for a surprise trip home. A lot of my family was in on it and several friends but now that Facebook has become a part of our everyday lives, I had to keep in on the downlow so he wouldn't find out.

I flew from Frankfurt to DFW on Wednesday, November 11th where my BF, Micah, was going to pick me up. Little did I know, there was a surprise waiting for me! My other BF, Amy, showed up, too! Drove all the way from Stillwater on a whim to surprise me. Oh, happy day! Within about an hour of the trip, Amy suddendly "got the pig flu" and decided there was no way she was going to be able to work the next day. J.A.M (cheesy, I know) was back together, once again.

So what does one do on their first night back in Texas with her two best friends? Eat Mexican food and drink margaritas, duh. Then finish off the night with a glass of wine while watching Golden Girls. Perfection.

We spent the next morning being lazy and watching more Golden Girls followed by an afternoon of shopping. By the way, Target - I miss you dearly. The day ended with dinner at Cadillac Ranch. Best chicken fried steak in the whole world. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. When we got home, Micah decided she wanted me to dye her hair (I'm still not sure if she's aware that I've never dyed anything....ever) so I did. And it looked amazing.

We literally shopped until we dropped the next day. One of those trips where you have to return to the car half way through because you can't carry all of the bags for one minute more. Aaron, Micah's boyfriend, met us at the Galleria and we left from there to head up to Stillwater.

I love going back to Stillwater. So many good memories of college life and friends. A group of us had dinner at Kyoto, a rather impressive (for a college town) hibachi restaurant. Lots of laughs and then I crashed thanks to being super jet lagged. I just couldn't hang with the group that stayed up until 5 playing life size Jenga (we'll get to that later). Such a wuss.

And that brings us to Saturday. Time to tailgate! And time to surprise my Dad who has absolutely NO idea I'm in town. But for that exciting story....you'll have to wait until next time.

KÖLN...yeah, I can't pronounce it either

As promised, more exciting adventures from the Bingham household.

After much anticipation, my old colleague and lovely friend, Kristin, came for a visit. While it was a short trip, we packed in as much fun stuff as we possibly could. Granted I had only been walking about 2 days by the time she arrived, we made it work. (However, we could have sat on the couch for the entire week and still had a blast. The laughing rarely stops when we're around each other.)

We didn't do much the first day other than a little driving tour of Mainz and Weisbaden. But day two we were off! We had a gorgeous day (which are few and far between these days) so we hit the road to Cologne, or Koln as the Germans call it. Koln is just over an hour away and the drive was breathtakingly beautiful. I would have taken pictures of the gorgeous trees but I think shooting pics while driving on the autobahn is frowned upon.

After four failed attempts to follow the directions my stupid navi system was telling me, we found a parking garage and made our way to the cathedral. Just stunning.

We hopped on a tour bus to check out the city....plus it would have taken several days to see it all at the pace I was moving. Here are a few shots from our tour:

We had a late lunch and enjoyed a glass....okay, two glasses of the beer that is brewed in Koln - Kolsch. Delish! Very light and refreshing. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Koln, drink Kolsch beer.

We walked the streets, did a little shopping then made our way back to the cathedral to see the inside. Talk about feeling small. Check it out at night:

I just really liked this fountain.

The day was finished off with a visit to the Louis Vuitton store followed by a little gelato. Sidenote - the guy who sold us our gelato spoke FIVE languages. Five. Just sayin.

After a few more failed attempts of listening to dumb navi system chick, we found our way home.

Got a good nights sleep and we were off again the next day. Now I know it's beyond "touristy" but Heidelberg is still cool to me. I mean, come on - a really great castle sitting on the top of a hill overlooking the city. Who doesn't want to see that? Nobody. That's why when YOU come visit, we'll be checking out Heidelberg.

Unfortunately, it was the foggiest day EVER and the drive was less than appealing. And against my better judgement (due to "the foot") we made the trek up the super steep hill to see the castle...and the gloomy view below. It was still fun. A castle covered in fog just has this eerie feel that makes it more exciting. Plus Halloween was only a few days away....oooooohhhhhoooohhhh. Maybe it's a haunted castle....probably not.

I did catch these cool pictures on our way up the hill and inside the castle:

Pretty sure I'm turning into my mother...."look at the foliage, look at the foliage!" Mmmhmm. Trouble.

The highlight of the afternoon was at this cute little chocolaterie place where we ordered hot chocolate. They give you a glass of steamed milk and you drop a small bar of chocolate into the milk, letting it melt. OMG, if you like hot chocolate - this is the way to go. I had rum coconut and Kristin had bourbon vanilla. Super tasty! I brought several home to Brad since he didn't get to come.

The final day of the trip was pretty low key. Did some damage at the H&M in Mainz, always fun. Then finished the day off with schnitzel and beer at our two favorite pubs. Kristin made friends with one of the locals, Heinz. He'd had a little bit to drink and was devastated when we had to remind him that Kristin was married...which happened about every ten minutes. Good times.

Saturday morning the party was over and it was time for work. We spent the next week in Frankfurt doing a program with Dallas Fan Fares. We had the same team we had in Singapore plus a few more gals. While the program was a bit challenging, to say the least, it's always a blast seeing old friends.

Well, Germany misses you Kristin and so do I. I hope you can come back soon!

I Missed Halloween?

Dear Fall - where have you gone?

I swear it was just July a few weeks ago. Where has all of my time gone? I've missed so much....so it's time to catch up.

I realize Halloween was almost an entire month ago but it's never too late for this...

My dear friend, Amy, sent Brad and I a care package for Halloween. It included a pumpkin carving kit, my favorite pumpkin spice candles, Halloween candle holders, and floss...don't ask. So we spent one Saturday afternoon acting like kids and carving pumpkins just like old times.

Drumroll please.......

Taaadaaaaa!

The weather has been cooling off and Stella enjoys cuddling up with her blanket....and chewing holes in it.....

then turning it into a cape. You can't even get mad, it's too funny.

So Happy Belated Halloween!

And the Plot Thickens

An entire month has gone by since my last post and not because there was nothing to talk about. Maybe subconsciously I wanted to forget the majority of what's happened in that time; however, this blog also acts as my journal that I'll one day look back on for memories. And as crazy as it sounds, I don't want to forget what I/we have gone through these past two months. I know that there will be times in the future when life is going to get really hard again for one reason or another and I want to be able to look back and remember that we made it through this, too.

If He brings you to it, He'll bring you through it.

So we'll pick up where I left off.....

Two weeks to the day following "the accident" I was scheduled to travel to Singapore on a program with Dallas Fan Fares. I had doctor appointments A LOT leading up to it and they kept telling me I was healing well and it shouldn't be a problem. I was put on blood thinners so I wouldn't get a clot which can happen when you don't walk for a period of time and/or fly.

October 8th came and while I was doing everything I could to be able to walk, I was still on crutches. I made it to the plane just fine with the help of the wonderful staff of Emirates Air. I sat down in my seat and a few minutes later a gentleman informed me I was in his seat. Turned out we had both been booked in the same seat and it was a full plane.....almost full. Guess who was upgraded to business class on the fancy plane? That's right! ME!

Gourmet meal, champagne, a seat that reclines into a full bed - don't mind if I do.

I enjoyed the lap of luxury from Frankfurt to Dubai. And then reality set in when I was right back in coach for the second leg of the trip to Singapore (7 hours). About 2 hours into the flight I started having a sharp pain in the calf of my right leg. I got up to move around/hop around for a bit, I massaged it, I drank lots of water....still nothing. It was getting worse so I informed the flight attendant and she said she would go clear off one of the jump seats (where they sit) so I could prop my leg up. An hour later, I asked if she had any luck with that. "Oh yeah, we're working on it. I'll be back in a minute." Never saw her again.

Landed in Singapore around 11 pm, made it to the hotel and all I wanted to do was sleep. But that wasn't in the cards. I could have sworn someone was setting my leg on fire and driving nails into it at the same time. Let's just say I didn't get much sleep that night.

I met the team the next morning and was fortunately feeling a little better. We worked all day and went out for an amazing dinner at Raffles Grill (home of the original Singapore Sling). Mid-dinner, the fire and nails pain was creeping back. Sure enough, by the time I got in bed I was just writhing in pain. Another night of a lot of tears and very little sleep.

The next day was about the same. I felt better throughout the day but at night I could hardly stand it. I honestly wondered if my body would run out of tears. Little did I know....

By Monday, I had had it. I called a local medical clinic as they had a department specifically for international patients. If you didn't know this about Singapore (because I didn't), they have one of the top healthcare plans in the world. People travel from all over for treatment/surgery because of the doctors they have and the care that is provided.

The doctor I worked with was concerned that my right leg from the knee down was very cold and the rest of my leg and the left leg was warm. Oh, and the wound looked infected. Lovely. He called a nerve and vein specialist to get his opinion and he found the symptoms strange and said he would like to see me first thing in the morning. I asked if there was any way he could fit me in that evening because I didn't know how I was going to take another night of the pain. Sure, no problem. He had a surgery scheduled that evening but agreed to meet me in the ER before he started his rounds that night.

After a lot of questions and a few tests he had an orthopedic surgeon come take a look. Between the two of them they narrowed it down to a rare nerve disorder that can be brought on by a severe injury, something wrong with my heart, or a blood clot. Ummmm, scary. They wanted to admit me right away so I could get on several medications to start ruling things out.

After the initial shock that I would be staying in a foreign hospital alone, all I could do was laugh. One of those "are you serious?" moments. I shared my room with the sweetest lady from Australia who was having some "work" done (I promised I wouldn't tell, only me and her husband know). We chatted for a couple of hours and I felt so much better. Then my dear friend, Kristin, brought dinner and sat with me for awhile. When we're onsite at a program, you rarely have time to leave the hotel and you take every minute of sleep you can get so having her there meant the world to me.

The next morning, my doctors determined I did, indeed, have several small blood clots in my leg as well as an infection from the wound. Now that we knew what it was, it was just a matter of treating it. I stayed in the hospital one more night and felt like a new person by the time I left on Wednesday. I picked up right where I left off with work stuff, went to dinner with the girls that night, and actually slept like a baby.

All was good on Thursday until I noticed my foot was swelling big time turning my toes into little sausages. Uh oh. I called my doctor and he said to swing by his office. Unfortunately, the antibiotic tablets that they had prescribed were not working and the infection was back to where it started. I needed to be on the IV version of the medicine which meant another stay in the hospital. Lucky me.

I sat in bed while the nurses tried to get the IV in....and tried and tried and tried. I have small veins to begin with, add blood thinners to the mix and it's almost impossible to find a good vein. After multiple failed attempts, they called some special doctor guy to come help. Right about the time he got started, the old lady in the bed next to me starts dry heaving. Are you kidding me?!? Somebody just knock me out!

A couple more nights in the hospital and I was finally given the okay to go home....well back to the hotel anyway. No flying for me until I'd had another ultrasound and that would have to wait until Monday.

The ultrasound showed the clots were still there but they hadn't moved, which was good. He understood that I needed to get home but did not want me flying in coach (since that's likely what caused it in the first place) because I needed to keep my leg elevated. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for flying in Business Class, but geez! Do you know how expensive that is? Whew!

I was given strict instructions to find a nerve and vein specialist as soon as possible when I returned home. The hospital on the base was absolutely no help seeing as how Civilians living over here are treated as second class citizens (but that's another story). We were able to find one at the same hospital where I'd had the surgery (ugh) and they've surprisingly turned out to be great.

Everyday I got a little bit better. Within about a week of returning home, I was off the crutches and getting around pretty well. It's still not 100% but getting there.

There's so much more to catch up on but I'll save that for another day. The good news is - I don't have bad news. All exciting stories coming up and no more about "The Foot."

Until next time....

Since the Fall of the Wall

It's been a week since the wall came down. The retaining wall, not The Berlin Wall....obviously. And you'll be happy to hear the stitches are coming out tomorrow (well, maybe you're not but I sure am) and the doctors think I should be able to start walking by this weekend. Great news!

Since I've been on crutches for the past week, Brad has picked up the slack. And then some. He's up with Stella every morning (at 5 am, I might add) and does everything he can to keep her entertained and away from the foot...which she thinks is a really cool chew toy. And in addition to making sure I have everything I need without having to move much he does everything else, too. He does the laundry. He does the cleaning. He takes me to my doctor appointments. He does the cooking - and I'm not talking PB&J sandwiches and microwavable meals, he makes the good stuff. He's actually a pretty fantastic cook. Oh, and did I mention he's still going to work in between all of this? Am I lucky or what?

And when Brad isn't around, our neighbors have stepped in. They come by every few hours to check on me and take Stella for a walk. They made us dinner a few nights ago to give Brad a break which was really nice. We are truly blessed to have neighbors like them and are beyond grateful.

Brad and I ventured out....all of 20 yards in front of the house to visit the scene of the crime. The slab was propped up against the wall and just looking at it made me squirm. Gives me the heeby geebies just writing this. But I'm happy to report that since my little "incident" all of the retaining walls throughout the neighborhood are going to be replaced. Seems a little extreme but with all of the kids in our neighborhood, probably not a bad idea. I can't imagine if one of those slabs landed on a 5 year old...gives me chills.

When my foot is not propped up, that's when the pain sets in which means I've spent more time in the couch these past few days than I care to admit. But it's given me a lot of time to catch up on reading. And the German TNT channel (which is in English except for the commercials) is showing 2 episodes of Gilmore Girls everyday. Takes me back. Ahhhh, the good ol' days. Admit it. You love the Gilmore Girls.

Unfortunately, I've been sitting at this desk too long and it's time to go fill that void on the couch once again. Prayers would be appreciated as I truly need a speedy recovery. This accident has already ruined one trip, it'll be tragic if it ruins another.