Who knew crutches could be so fun?

Okay crutches themselves are not fun. But when people ask you "What happened".. thats when the fun begins. People will ususally believe anything you tell them so its fun to make up stories of what happened to my leg and why I am on crutches. My favorite story to tell people was I was rock climbing and I fell 75 feet. That is all I have to say, I don't even finish my story and they believe me. Their reactions are great. Okay really? How realistc is that. Not very. (At least I hope not.. or I'm never going rock climbing again) But lying to people you don't personally know is pretty fun. They probably think I'm way cool and do fun stuff. Little do they know that I just fell skiing. But who doesn't love a good story?!

I went to the Doctor about a week and half ago and he told me I didn't have to use crutches anymore so I GLADLY got rid of them. But my Phyiscal Therapist told me I still need to use them. (I know... they should really get on the same page) And since I go to Physical Therapy twice a week I pretend I still use my crutches. Really my crutches are sitting in my car for when I go to therapy and I walk into physical therapy with them and tell my therapist that I still use them. Probably not the best idea.. but my knee and its exercises are coming along very well so it all works out. I'm happy I'm not using crutches and my therapist is happy I'm still using them. Wait what?

But since I don't use my crutches I got cursed with the post-surgery itch. No joke. My legs and arms itch all the time. I wake up in the middle of the night itching like crazy. I have bruises to prove it. The post-surgery condition probably doesn't exist. But Karma is a ...... So don't lie to your physical therapist. And if you do.. buy some Cortizone cream, that helps a lot.

Torn ACL part 2!

I know all of you have been looking forward to the sequel of my torn ACL... so here it is. I had my surgery just over 2 weeks ago and boy was I excited for this surgery! (No exaggeration) Because everywhere I went I had the fear of my leg giving out on me. Whether it was going down the stairs, walking in heels, pivoting my foot, just about anything but walking in a straight line would make my knee give out. Not a fun feeling. Ha.. funny story: For my birthday the Capio's, Catherine, Susan and I went to go see a Mets game and Nicholas (5 yrs old) and I went to the concession stand to meet my friends (Cat and Susan) to come sit by us. (Their seats were a couple sections behind us) so Nico and I were just playing up there while we were waiting and my leg gave out on me and I toppled onto poor little Nico. The kid had no idea what was going on. Catherine and Susan thought I tripped over Nicholas but no, my awesome right knee likes to give out on me. Usually in this sort of situation I would get completely embarassed. But luckily for me... I'm not that way anymore ha. One of the security people saw me fall and ran to my rescue! He asked if I was okay and if I wanted a wheel chair. I kindly replied no thanks.. my knee does it all the time. So we all laughed and I limped back down to our seats. Happy Birthday Ashly. Go Mets!

Anyway.. back to surgery. I got my ACL replaced on a Friday so I had the weekend to be a little crazy on painpills and recover somewhat. My mom wouldn't let me go to church that Sunday, which I was totally willing to go to.. but she said Heavenly Father would understand that I couldn't go. When in reality.. we just got a new ward and she didn't want to be embarrased by her crazy daughter that was on crutches and painpills to make her look bad. I mean come on.. she's gotta make a good first impression to the new ward members. But I certainly didn't fight that fight and argue with her. I stayed home and read my scriptures all day. I pick my battles.

I have to be on crutches for 4 weeks after surgery. Little did I know that the pain from an ACL repair would keep me on some pain killers for a couple weeks. So I've been a little crazy the past couple weeks and there are people that can attest to that. Namely: Cole Ferrin, Jana Ferrin, Kristen Rupe, Conrad Rupe, Jenna Hyer, my parents and a few others who have asked me not to share their names. (Not really... I just can't remember who I have talked to and who I haven't in the past 2 weeks) So now my days consist of sleeping in, watching tv, having people wait on me, pushing me in wheelchairs when we go shopping. Yeah.. I'd say I'm living the life. EXCEPT for the fact that I have to hobble to my bed in the dark every night and that Utah decides to re-surface our street so we have to park at the church. So if I want to go anywhere.. I have to crutch to the church across 2700w and look like a fool. So if any of you are driving on there.. please don't hit me, and feel free to give me a ride to me car. Thanks.

Gifts and visitors are still welcome to come visit.

Back in Utah

As most of you know I am back home in the great state of Utah. Being home has actually been pretty great. The first time I moved home after New York I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I just missed New York! (What can I say? I love it there) So coming home this time, I was expecting the same feelings. But luckily, when I came home I had things to look forward to. For example: My little sister getting married, seeing my family and friends, surgery (yes I was excited) and to just be in the Salt Lake Valley. Funny the things you miss when you don't live in Utah. I missed people saying "Yeah just off of Redwood", or "down by the point of the mountain", just little saying like that, that you couldn't say anywhere else.

Now that things have calmed down a little bit, I'm starting to realize I miss New York, more and more every day. There is no place like New York City. Its just great and I love it. But... Utah is great too!!

Ashly <3 NYC.

Catching Fireflies!

Fireflies are probably the coolest thing about the east coast. Last night the kids and I were watching the fireflies. There were so many!! It was a perfect summer night. Matthew and Caleigh went and got a net to catch some of the fireflies while Nicholas was off yelling at George Lopez to get out of the yard and somewhere between him yelling and us going inside he thought he'd kill a firefly. So after catching a few fireflies and playing outside, Matthew thought it was a good idea if he buried the firefly that Nico killed. (sometimes he can have quite a tender heart) So we had a little memorial service for Mr. Firefly. He lived a good life. We had a great night.

Caleigh had a spray bottle for defense against George Lopez (the deer)
Matthew was very proud that he caught some fireflies! He is a great Firefly catcher-er.
Firefly murderer! Jk I'm sure it was an 'accident'

R.I.P. Mr. Firefly

Burial place

New York = Opportunity.

New York is always full of opportunity and excitement. Any man have I experienced both of those! I love New York so much its a little ridiculous. There is only 3 other people that I can think of that love New York as much as I do. Stacie Wood, My Dad, and Clarence Jackson. "Being in New York is like falling in love over and over again every minute." I heard that off of Glee, I couldn't have said it any better myself. Stacie once told me "When I feel about a boy the way I feel about New York... I'll know its love." Stacie.. I agree.

Last week I had the opportunity to go with a wonderful friend Clarence to see the Broadway play 'Sister Act' (quite hilarious) I'm sure most of you have seen the movie with Whoopi Goldberg in it. Well, this showing was very important because the President of the United States was speaking to the crowd afterwards. So they had Whoopi introduce the play and introduce Obama following the play. Obama just spoke about things for his re-election next year. It was a pretty neat experience to see him. And boy did everybody there love him! I seriously felt like I was in a movie. It was great. Everybody cheered, clapped, stood, yelled, and just loved Obama. It was pretty funny. Definitely something I will never forget, it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Who gets to see the President of the United States? And we had orchestra seating.. 8th row. Yeah we pretty much rock. Afterwards Clarence, and I went to dinner with a couple friends to a restaurant called 'Robert' that is in Columbus Circle and has an amazing view of Central Park and Broadway looking north. Thats only one of many great places that I have been to!

Torn ACL

First.. I currently work in New York as a nanny.

Some of you may know that I tore my ACL a few months ago. It happened when I was on vacation in February in Utah with the family that I work for. I got in a little over my head thinking I could do a harder run up at The Canyons in Park City. Boy was I wrong! I totally biffed it like 20 feet down the mountain! Ha my ski didn't pop off and my leg bent in a funny way and... SNAP! There went my ACL. I knew immediately that something was wrong. So like a person that needed help, I started yelling for help. Then some lady came skiing down and while I was laying there, she asks "Do you need help" I said "Yes" and she was like "oh, uh let me see if I can find someone". I'm pretty sure she wasn't expecting me to say yes. Luckily somebody that worked on the Mountain just happen to come snowboarding down. He helped take off my ski and called the ski patrol to come help me because there was no way I was making it down that mountain. I faint a lot. So while I was laying there I felt a faint coming on. I told him that I was probably going to pass out and he's like "are you okay" I told him yeah I'm fine.. I just faint a lot. He asked me if I had a disease and I was like no.. I just faint a lot. So I fainted and by the time I woke up the Ski Patrol guy named Ian was there. He asked me if I hit my head and kept asking me question after question after question. I explained to him that my knee (and my pride) were the only things that hurt. He asked if I wanted some people to bring up a sled to take me down the mountain. I of course replied "yes" while we were waiting I was sitting there cracking jokes with Mr. Ian. I am pretty sure he thought I hit my head because I was acting so weird and had passed out. While I was sitting there I told him that I was going to faint again and that it wasn't a big deal. He was just like Uhhhhh.. What can we do for you? I told him nothing.. So I fainted again. (Faint #2) then when I woke up the people with the sled were just about there. They loaded me in it and told me to hold on tight. (The ride down on the sled was more fun than actually skiing! Not really but it was an enjoyable ride. I think I laughed the whole way down because I felt like such an idiot). Luckily the tarp covered my face so nobody could see who the pathetic person was that crashed on the Easy hill... not the bunny hill but the one just above it. They loaded me into the gondola to take me to the first aid office. Ian rode in the gondola with me. As I was sitting there he was asking me regular medical questions and filling out the paper work for me. I started to get really hot and dizzy.. He's like "are you alright" I told him I didn't feel good that I was probably going to faint again. You guessed it. I fainted on the gondola. Next thing I know Ian is holding me so I didn't fall off the bench. What a nice guy. Long story short... I made it to the First Aid office without telling my employers where I was. They called me and asked me where I was. I replied "First Aid Office" Mirry was like "Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I told her yeah and that there was nothing she could do so I didn't call her. I just let them finish their day up on the mountain. While I was at the First Aid office a very attractive young man helped me take my pants off... (Don't tell my mom) JK but really he did. But I did have about 4 layers on.. so the kind sir helped me with the first 3. Then he had to leave :( and the doctor came in and told me I tore my ACL and MCL. Awesome. They put me on some crutches and let me be. Luckily my awesome older brother Conor was working at the Canyons and came over and comforted me (even though he claims he didn't do anything.. he was a huge help!!!) I started to get sick again and thought I was going to faint but Conor saved the day and brought me some Peanut M&Ms, some Mike and Ikes and a Sprite, and I haven't fainted since. The Capios met me at the First Aid office to see if I was okay and Nicholas was kind enough to welcome me with a hit to my knee with the following response "Does that hurt" I'm tough and say "no". Obviously I am not smart enough to realize that he is just going to do it again harder with the same response "Did that hurt". I screamed and smacked him with my crutch and asked him if that hurt him!... No not really. I just said yes and to please not do that again. Ha

My sweet mother, sister, and niece came to pick me up after Conor helped me to the Lodge at the Canyons to wait for them to come. On the ride over the kid driving asked what happened, and since it wasn't a very good story he told me to come up with a better story. So word on the street is I was doing a flip off of a jump down a double black diamond and biffed it, okay?

Couple words of advice if you tear your ACL. 1) Don't do it. 2) Don't faint 3 times

I am having surgery at the end of the summer so I will not longer fall down stairs, fall at Mets games, or just have my leg give out on me at any given time (Darn it). And hopefully 6 months after the surgery I will be able to run again. I think that is the thing I miss most. I can't run or jump and won't be able to do anything active for 6 months after the surgery. I will be on crutches for one month immediately following the surgery. (obviously)

Blog? Who blogs now a days? Me I guess... I'm not really planning on anyone reading this. I just have some time this summer to "Blog" So here it goes!!