The troops.

Are rallying.

Tiffany is bringing us lunch and food shopping for me this afternoon. My Mom is watching the kids while I go to the Orthopaedic. Jeannie and Henry are entertaining us on Friday, and Sara keeping us company on Friday night while Nate is at school. I have Brooke coming on Saturday and caught a ride to the baby shower I'm attending, so I don't even have to drive (driving hurts, as it is my right leg). My girlfriends are my safety net, and once again they are coming to my rescue. I got in bed at about 8:30 last night, and went right to sleep. However, my nagging stupid pain woke me at 2, and I couldn't sleep, finally giving in and searching for cute one piece bathing suits on Athleta and Title Nine, reading up on swim buoys, and labrum tears, and envisioning my new life as a non weight bearing kind of girl. I was picturing a lot of tears and frustration. Although I swam competitively from 6-14.....I haven't swam a lap for exercise since.....well, about 14. I haven't owned a one piece since then either. I rolled over (ow) and checked my phone to find texts from friends wishing me well and offering up meals and to take the kids, and I just felt overwhelemed with gratitude. It made me cry. If I have to be hurt, being hurt and loved is the way to go, I suppose. Having community is what this ride is all about, isn't it? I mean, how far you can run, or things like getting married or having a baby or losing a parent or a pet......none of that is anything without people to celebrate or mourn it alongside you, you know? I don't know how people do it on their own, or without friends to carry them along when they are in need of a shoulder (or in this case, a leg) to lean on.  People to be happy with you when you are happy, and people to encourage you when you need some encouragement, and people to cry right along with you when you cry......we all need that so much. I don't know if we will be in this town forever, but in moments like these, when I see the little life that we have made for ourselves here, I think that we can never leave. That there is no price, no job, no amount of money, that could make me leave here, make me leave this community of friends and of love and of family. Because I don't know how I'd do it without this.

I had a long talk with my Uncle last night, right before bed. He is a PT, and I talked with him last week when this first happened. He was relaxed about it then, saying that it was just gait related from babying my toe, and would clear up with rest, ice and stretching, most likely. He talked me off the edge again last night (reminding me to stick to the internet for like, facebook, not for researching and self diagnosing when in pain, always a good reminder for the neurotic like me, who lives with the proverbial cart before the horse)......anyway.) He told me to print out my weekly training mileage and my last few descriptions of my runs to bring to my appointment with me today. In looking back (I've never been more grateful for daily mile!) I was really reminded how GOOD I have been feeling. The thing that surprises him, and makes him a little slow to think stress fracture, is the rapid (like, immediate) onset of this injury. I know the exact moment that it happened. Last Monday, at the very end of my 7 mile run, (the run itself was entirely pain free) with Tiffany on the treadmill. I turned to talk to two friends, and I got this zinging struck by lightening pain in my hip. My friend Danielle SAW it happen, as she saw the look of pain cross my face. The strange thing about that is that that isn't really how stress fractures present. They are grinding, wearing, repetitive, happen over time sort of things that get worse and worse and people keep running on sort of things. So, I admit that that did give me a ray of hope, because he is right. I was feeling 100% fine, except for the toe, and then BAM, I was hurt. So. I guess I could think about this to the point of insanity, but instead I will sit here on a beautiful day, drinking my tea and waiting on my kids to wake up. We are hitting the pool early so that we can get home for lunch courtesy of Tiff and the Dr at 1:30.

We had our first day at the pool yesterday, and it went swimmingly, even with me being gimpy. Luke and Julia are little fish, and they seem to have lost none of their swimming acumen over the winter, which was a relief to see. Jake wore the puddle jumper for the first time, and it was a hit. I did a lot of sitting on the edge of the pool (it is one of those beach entrance type pools, which is ideal with young kids) or standing in the water, as since I can't get anywhere fast, I have to be close. I'm devastated at the notion of possibly being on crutches (I can't envision this working, at all, with my life, unless we hire Brooke full time for a bit, which would be expensive, to say the least).....and I'm really upset at the thought of things like the PTM or the zoo being difficult here for a few weeks as I'm gimpy......so I'm determined to make things as fun as possible for the kids while I am laid up, which right now means no time in kids zone and lots of time with me at the pool. They are thrilled, so I'm going with it.

I'm staying off of google all day. I'm focusing on gratitude. I'm not taking those stupid pain pills (which I tried again with dinner.....then saw in the side effects "may cause sleeplessness", sweet. Awake and in pain. Awesome pills, doc. Thanks! I'm enjoying what is now officially my first week without exercise since December 2010, when I took the entire month off very intentionally because Christmas was too overwhelming with the baby, and the holiday, and the three kids so young. Deep breaths. Dr today. Good juju.