Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Burn Notice!

Biggest regret: Well. There may be 2. 
First: Wish I had been able to take more pictures over the last 2 weeks
Second: Sure wish I hadn't tripped up the last step, carrying HOT WAX!!! 
I'm regretting to tell you no matter how hard I ever thought moments in my life were, these last 2 weeks have been what Hell must be like.


Tuesday morning, the day after I won 100 dollars for a personal goal, ACHIEVED, I tripped up our last step. The bubbling wax cascaded onto my hand, and onto the carpet. 
After screaming, and trying to wipe it off, I rushed into the bathroom. 
Cool water did nothing but waste my time, so what else was I to do with this hot wax, but rip it off. 
I did. At first, after seeing this, I thought, oh FEW!!! it only took the hair (lol)
 and after a second look, um.....nope. that was my skin, layers and layers of my hand. 
In a panic, I called Jeff, who met me at the trauma center, took the kids, while I had the remaining wax cut off, and my hand then cleaned and treated!!! 
I thought I had seen pain, and can't even imagine how people endure burns greater then this. 
I couldn't even look at the burn with out feeling pain. 
Even water lightly touching it would send me into a frenze. 
It remained elevated, above my heart, until just yesterday, from the great pain that would shoot into it. 
I began to worry if I'd regain any use of any of my fingers, if I'd develop carpal tunnel from the constant cramp my had was forced to surrender to. 
If my fingers would ever function as they would....
The next few days, I took 2 naps a day. Each over 2 hours.  
The pain was so intoxicating!  These last 2 weeks are now a blur. 
I wish I was kidding when I say it was horrible, but it was.
It was truly everything a nightmare could be, and more! 
I think some of it I may have been in a coma. lol
It was perfect timing that we just moved here, have meet only a select few people, barley know my way around town, have no friends, neighbors, family to help...just made coping all that more difficult. 
This is day 12, when I truly began
to wonder if I'd ever get my hand back!
BUT, we are onto the 16th day, and I am so happy to report an improvement. 
Like I said, my biggest regret was not documenting these last 2 weeks. 
Really, I was on survival mode! I'm just lucky all 5 of us are alive!!

(Most likely you are thinking 'what a baby' and you can think that! Think whatever you like! I know this is not a fraction of pain and suffering people endure, but for these 2 weeks, this was all I knew. I am just SO grateful it was not over more of my body, or a damaging accident occurred. I was unfortunate to have it happen, but so fortunate this was all that happened!) 


We missed documenting some great things!
* Like not doing my hair for 14 days STRAIT!!! 
(Hats and scarves can only look so good for so long. In fact, Jeff even said kindly 'so, when do you think you'll do your hair again?')
*An AMAZING family trip to Boulder (oh GOSH can't wait to go back for a girls trip in OCT!!!!!)
*trips to the zoo
*the colorado bike race
*the dinners we ate over 2 weeks (one of which was McDonalds!!! Never before has such a feast been had in the Sanders home! The kids were in heaven)
Jeff was a super star helping with the kids, food, cooking, cleaning, and putting up with the emotional train wreck of a woman that had eclipsed his former wife. 
BUT we did document some great events
LUCYS FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!!!
Story:
So, we live in Denver. Proper. Right by the zoo. 
We bought a house in Centennial. 
Technically, thats just 13 miles to the south! BUT, in morning traffic, it takes over 45 MIN to get there. 
SO.....to get Lucy to preschool by 9am, we leave at 8:15. 
Here is Lucy on the first day of Preschool. 
CORRECTION:
In my coma state, we managed to go the wrong day!!! 
This is Lucy, @ her school, at what was suppose to be the first day. 
She was heart broken, and devastated! 
I felt horrible! 


But THIS, this really is her first day! 
She was over the moon! 

What we have been doing is riding ourselves silly around our streets. 
We have great flat sidewalks, and our back entrance leads to an ally. (all the homes have back driveways/allys) it makes for the perfect place to bike!!! And we truly spend hours out there. 







We have amazing sunflowers in our yard, so, we harvested them, soaked them, and roasted them! 
What a yummie treat to have home grown sunflower seeds. 


While Lucy is @ preschool, the boys and I have 3 hours to kill (instead of driving home for 45 min, then driving back, only to drive home AGAIN) so this day, we went the littleton museum and farm. 
They loved it !



AND- not to forget our first camping excursion.  (this was BEFORE the burn) 
We headed to the highest (in elevation) city in the NATION....Leadville 
we LOVED the cooler weather, the festival, roasting marshmallows, hotdogs, climbing, 
fresh water lakes, a BUG FREE great outdoors, and our first camping trip in the great state of CO! 









Have extra peanuts? 
Why not turn it into homemade peanut butter? 

What our evenings look like around here. 
A shot from the patio, after dining outside, which we do daily. 

We haven't stopped yet!! 
In just 12 days, we'll move into our new home! 
We can't wait to see what types of adventures may follow!! 
Cheers. 


Monday, August 6, 2012

We moved....to DENVER

Sure enough. 
We packed up our favorite home in Falls Church, Virginia, and headed west, to Denver Colorado! 
Jeff drove the big yellow truck, and I putted behind, in the car, with 3 kiddos and my madre. 




              Our last treats, with great friends!!

And there she blows!!! The never ending truck!!! Funny how you pack things SO carefully, and then when they arrive, its like you threw them in, rolled the truck 15 times, and unpacked!!


            Highlights of the trip....as to not make this post the journey that it was in actuality.
*My moms bag got loaded in the back back of the truck, which meant we were then to live with her wearing the same clothes for 6 DAYS
*Loaded the keys to the car top carrier in the back of the truck, which meant we were short on space (and by now, short on patience)
* Packed up the house, packed up treats, special day activities, and generous gifts from neighbors.
* Mile 200 realized we had forgotten all the wonderful gifts, special treats, CD's and DVD's at home, in the cupboard!!! Thank heavens Walmart was in our future, where we could purchase DvD's
*SAME DAY.....arrived at our stopping destination for the night, West Virginia, only to find out there were NO HOTEL VACANCYS FOR OVER 200 MILESSSSSSssssssssssssssssssssssss

Please keep in mind, this has all happened in the SAME day, where upon loading the truck for initial departure, had BROKEN RECORD HEAT, 106!!!! 

*Miles driven the FIRST day, OVER 500 MILES.....to the closets hotel that had a vacancy, and we got the LAST ROOM!!!!  *we pulled in somewhere after 2am. We had driven since 11am!!!!!!



                   * We began the next day, after we all slept past 9:30 am @ the races....
                                                              CHURCHILL DOWNS!
                                                       Kentucky, state of the great race history! 
* As if we hadn't forgotten enough, we left our bathroom bag (with EVERYTHING essential, minus the children) in it, at our hotel, and realized it in Missouri! 
              At this point, things became very comical, and we found it fortunate that we had not left, lost  
                locked out anyone! It really became humorous, once we could bring ourselves to laugh! 

         


 * Day #3 St. Louis Missouri, where we took a journey to the top of the arch!


                      Day #4 You can't come through Kansas with out stopping for a BBQ!!!
                                   We did just that! Got ourself the best BBQ lunch in town, and
                                         ate the rest of our way through the great state!




On the 5th day, arrived at our beautiful casa!! 
I was sicker then a dog, but these pickles (the only food we could find) 
seemed to hold the kiddos off till we could get to a box, and find something real to eat (ha! Real.) 
Wasting no time, we packed up what food we could find, and headed to the zoo. 
We decided we all needed space from those boxes, and to get out and see our new neighborhood! 
We are just 2 blocks from the zoo, and love this temporary location! 



Oh Grannie! OH GRANNIE!! 
Everyone needes one of these! 
She was the babysitter for 5 days in the car as I drove, 
arranged and unpacked my entire kitchen, watched the children for hours on hours 
as we house hunted, cleaned, organized, cooked....
OH MY HEAVENS!!!!! How did I get delt this card? Thank you mother dear! 

The kids LOVE this nook. Its in the kitchen, and its prime spot for jumping, eating, snacking, 
coloring, playing! 

After my mom left, we celebrated our trek out west and headed to Casa bonita for some entertainment, 
food and clif diving.  (oh, and all you can eat scones) 





      

*Scoured countless neighborhoods looking for the perfect park. 
This is one of our favorites in Stapleton.  Not quite the average splash park, 
but it had enough water for us to wet our suites. 


The Zoo! It really is a great, shady, accessible, walkable, entertaining zoo. 
We've gone and gone, and will go again. 



One of our favorite hang outs! 
City Park!! 
Its one way traffic, but EMPTY of cars! 
We love to take our bikes, ride around the ponds, play at the playgrounds, have road races, 
chase the ducks, walk on walls.....its like a playground for the whole family!! 
(And yes, it borders the zoo, which means its less then a mile from our home!) 




Never with out his hat!! 
This was given to him by dear friends, whom we will continue to miss!!! 

What would a life in Colorado be with out a visit and taste from Hammonds candy!!??


Parade!!!?? 
You know what I'm about to say next!! 
I love a good parade! 
Our local Golden was celebrating 'Golden Days' so, why not pack a lunch and go!! 




How is your family watching the olympics? 
Ours is standing room only. 

If you haven't seen the 'magical berries' that grow at 'the girls house' 
then you are missin out!! 
These kids are up and down the street 1,000 times a day, picking all the berries of that poor little bush! 
Oh how we are loving being outside, in the day, enjoying the beautiful summer days. 
Even more so, the scrumptious evenings and the great breeze that comes through! 



And then there's Hank! 
Like I said, never with out the hat. 
Loves most his hat, then his puppy, and next his bike! 
What a stud. 


We have kept so busy since arriving here just 3 weeks ago, but I'm affraid if I stop moving, I'll realize what I've done (moving from V.A) and my heart will shatter into 1,000 pieces. 
I will miss so much, the breathtaking autumns, the great place of DC, 'the little city' Falls Church, Markets, Azaila Park, Splash Pads, being 5 hours from NYC, the diversity of the area, great runs on the trails, friends that we made for a life time....
needless to say, I hope we settle in here, and love it, but it will take some time. 
Oh my heart be still!