Pre-Op: The Painter's Smock

It's true. Look at me. I look like a pro and stylish young painter. My team , helped me put my outfit together and made sure my beret fit just right.

I had a lot of great and positive vibes swirling around me. Mom and Husband kept me entertained and all the doctors/nurses who came by were anxious to help and give me reassurance.

The Anesthesiologist was super cool. She truly put me at ease. She was also the one who led me from Pre-Op to the OR so we had a nice chat.

And I couldn't be more impressed with my Surgeon. He is a great doctor, willing to and open to inspiration. (more on that later)

Mostly, I know that it was because of good doctor's and LOTS AND LOTS of prayers that everything went so well and that I was so at ease. So thank you everyone. Your prayers really helped and pray that you will be blessed for ally our efforts.

Love you!

Post-Op: After the Recovery Room

This is a picture of me about 3 hours after surgery. I was told my lip was bigger just after surgery. So the swelling had already gone down, some.

Around 2pm, they brought me my special liquid diet lunch.

It consisted of:

80z of Apple Juice

6oz of Broth (chicken or beef)

40z of Lemon Ice

4 oz of JELLO!!!!

You'd be surprised how hungry you can get after surgery.

Strawberry Jello

Then after ingesting all that liquid, they wanted to be extra sure I was hydrated, so they had me...ya know....in....well...they called it a "hat". So I couldn't pass up the photo op and took a picture of my "hat" before it made permanent residence in the bathroom.

Getting up to use my hat. Mom was my super-nurse! She knew how to plug/unplug and organize all my IV's when I was mobile and made sure I didn't trip over them or cut them off.

I am so glad she knew what she was doing. I hadn't the foggiest idea what to do.

Day 2: Leaving a Day Early

Believe it or not, I left a whole day early. Doctors expected 2 days in the hospital, but I got out on good behavior. Well, my body was behaving well and healing very quickly. It also helped that I had a little button I could push anytime I wanted pain meds released into my IV.

What service!

You can definitely see a difference from the day of surgery to the second day. My lower lip isn't nearly as huge. Actually it looks pretty normal.

Here is an image of the tiny little cut they had to make on the outside of my face. Just where that little X tape mark is. The surgeon was able to remove diseased bone inter orally (from the inside of my mouth), insert the Titanium joint and screw it all together (or whatever they had to do)

My Franken Screws..

The surgeon had to put screws into my mouth and wire my jaw shut during the surgery, so as to keep my bite in place and jaw in line. Doctor thinks he'll be able to remove them at my appointment on Tuesday. Unless my jaw is deviating in which, he will leave them in and put rubber bands around screws to keep my bite in place.

Say Cheese!

Frowny face

Life Lessons from the HIgh Peaks

I had the opportunity to write a little blip in our ward newsletter.

I chose to write about a quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on patience.

There is something about physical exertion that builds character and teaches you important principles that you wouldn’t typically recognize.

For instance, I recently went on my first backpacking trip to the Adirondacks in upstate NY. This trip taught me plenty. I learned that the trail can be bumpy and arduous. The journey can be tedious. And I also learned there are a few things you can’t predict, such as wet, muddy weather, and old, relentless injuries. Don’t get me wrong, I had a pleasant time, but I couldn’t help but draw comparisons from my own life and path.

Life can be hard, monotonous, and sometimes downright sticky. Which led me to reflect on one particular principle: Patience.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s said, “Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can---working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed.”

Patience is not sitting on a rock on my pathway to righteousness, simply waiting for the highway of all my desires (even my righteous and worthy desires) to be built. I must stand up, strap on my boots and get to work! I need to move forward, putting one foot in front of the other, hoping that my hard work will bring me to my desired destination. Nor is it about hiking a smooth surface to eternal life. Patience is also about crossing bridges into the unknown or scrambling over the boulders of my fears and insecurities.

When we add the power of prayer and the purifying Atonement, we can face the difficulties of life with confidence. And the Lord will bless us, as we are patient.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear and shall trust in the Lord.”

(Psalms 40:1-3)

Unplug

I found this article today in the NY Times called "Your Brain On Computers: The Risk of Parenting While Plugged In".

..."talking and explaining things to children, and responding to their questions — remains the bedrock of early childhood learning."

Earlier this week I also read Elder David A. Bednar's talk "Things As They Really Are", from June Ensign.

"Our spirit and our body are combined in such a way that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character."

It was interesting to me to compare the Times article with Elder Bednar's. It just confirms my testimony of modern day prophets and apostles. These are inspired men. They are the mouthpiece of the Lord.

Posting can be difficult...

What to write about? I want my blog to be uplifting and encouraging to anyone who reads it.

Let's see uplifting...hmmm...pick a topic, Anna....uplift....

bras? hot air balloons? airplanes? plastic surgery?

Nope. Got nothing.

I'll get back to you when I have an idea.

Till then...

"I'll give you topic. Barbra Streisand. She's like butter."