Life Experience part 2

So after I got my arm set I was in my first cast for 3 weeks. It took me awhile to get used to sleeping with my extra weighted arm but I managed. It was either on my right side with it up on my body pillow or on my back with it over my head. The over the head one proved dangerous at times when I'd twitch in my sleep and hit my head with a hard cast but I'm still alive ;) I was able to get off the pain killers pretty quickly so that helped. The doctor wanted me to stay in my sling as much as possible to keep the swelling down but the best feeling ever was to just let my arm hang at my side and let my elbow straighten out...amazing!!! So I went back after 3 weeks, in which my arm shrank a bit and I could move the cast about an inch up and down my arm, not good. So I got a new cast, still camo, that fit my now skinnier arm and was about an inch shorter than my last one and my what a difference an inch can make. With my first cast I could barely bend my elbow and I couldn't touch my left ear, let a lone my shoulder, but with the second one I could put my earrings in and touch my shoulder...hallelujah!!! I had one check up between my new cast and when I was supposed to get it off so I had a plan to try and put in motion with the doctor. I was supposed to get my cast off after Memorial Weekend, which meant that I'd have to go to Palm Springs with my extended family with a cast on that I couldn't get wet, so i asked him if I could get it off early so I could get in the pool and not have to worry about it. I blamed it on the fact that I didn't want to disappoint my 2nd cousins that I couldn't get in the pool and play with them, which is true but I did want it off by this point. He agreed, only saying that I better be careful with it...I agreed right on the spot! So I went back in 2 weeks and 2 days later and got it taken off and was given a velcro brace to wear when not in the pool. Early on I was given a stuffed animal horse that I affectionately named Quad that had a cast around his left front leg to match mine. So he got his cast off too!! The doctor told me to wear the brace like a cast for 2 weeks and then I could ween myself off of it. Well anyone who knows me knows that weening myself off something, like my brace, involves taking it off one day and never putting it back on...so that's what I did :) I had one more checkup after my brace was off and a few more X-rays and my bones are doing great. New bone is growing back where the break was and my strength is coming back. It still clicks and clunks when I use it but it's on the mend! :)

Quad

This is how I took my showers

I was so happy when the swelling went down enough to get my purity ring back on

(L to R) broken, right after they set it, 2nd cast

2nd cast...still camo...still awesome!!!

Getting our casts off!!!

Quad was so brave :)

Fresh out of my cast...it left really weird!!!

The brace I got

I'd say 85% better...just took this picture :)

Life Experience!!

Well I had a life experience that I've never had before and I hope to never have again...I broke my first bone or bones in this case. I was riding a very fun quad at a friends house and I had the shifting down pat! I had been circling the house for awhile and thought it best that I practice circling the other way, since you can't circle one way in the desert the whole time...so I proceeded to circle the other way. I have found that if you ask it nicely, a tree will move for you but apparently either I didn't ask or I didn't ask nicely enough but I rode straight into one without any warning and with it not having the courtesy to step out of the way...so needless to say I broke both bones in my left arm. Went to the ER right after that with my arm looking like a Charger lightning bolt and after a few X-rays the doctor proclaimed it was broken and the bones were off by 9mm...that's a lot. So the next day, which was Wednesday, Mommi and I went to Poway to see a Orthopedist to see about getting my arm set. The first words out of his mouth, besides hello, was you need surgery. Or he could try and manipulate it back in place, which had a 60-70% chance of lining it up enough that I wouldn't need surgery. Might as well try it! So the doctor gave me a rather large shot of Novocain right in the break and then the nurse hung my arm by my fingers and put a 12lb weight on my bicep to get gravity to straighten it out as much as it could. Then the doc came back in after 12-15 minutes of hanging and started what felt like yanking on my arm. I didn't watch what he did but it felt like he was trying to re-break my arm. Anyone who says you cant feel your bones or your bones have no feeling...they're lying!!! The Novocain helped but I could still feel my bones moving around in there and it hurt like heck!! Both the doctor and the 2 nurses were very surprised that I didn't scream, cry, shout or moan through the whole yanking process. I took more X-rays after that and got a cast. The doctor brought the X-rays back in and said my bones aligned perfectly!! Thank you Lord I don't need surgery!! Here are some pictures of my experience ;)

My Charger bolt...it was a lot worse before I got it straightened out before the ER

My awesome splint...Dad pointed out that my arm shouldn't bend there...
thanks Daddy!

Splint and sling

The contraption they used to help gravity out  before the yanking started

My arm after the yanking...perfectly aligned!!!

My totally awesome camo cast!!! ;)

2 weeks

Well just 2 more weeks until season is up :( We're doing one more little show, it's actually a silent auction, that different people will do choreography for. The pieces I've learned so far are fun and both, so far, are slow and not speedy fast...which is a nice break ;) Don't get me wrong I love fast dances but it's nice to change it up so you don't get stuck in one style or speed. So my last day on contract is March 16th which is the day of the show/silent auction. Hopefully everyone will enjoy it and it'll end on a good note :)

Don Juan!!

So for all of you people who look at my blog, thank you by the way, y'all get to hear about Don Juan first...aren't you lucky!! So I'll be performing at the Lyceum Theater in downtown San Diego Horton Plaza on Feb 14 8:00pm, Feb 16 8:00pm & 17 2:30pm...wow that was a mouthful! So far I'm a Gypsy and a random girl in Don Juan's dream...I can't say too much about it because it's a premier never before seen production but I do want to warn you that it is a more adult based show, just a heads up for you with small children. I know I was just saying how happy I was that Nutcracker was over but now I miss the stage and I can't wait to get back on it. We had a bit of a heating problem in the studio a few weeks ago when it got so cold, anyone remember that? So in the big studio upstairs we have 3 propane heaters, very old fashioned, that work great for heat. But over that week when it got down to 24 at my house the heaters wouldn't work, so we were all dancing with layers on. One day I had on a leo, tights, 2 shirts, a jacket, knee high socks, 2 pairs of legwarmers and stretchy pants...and I was still cold! So finally we got the heaters fixed and we all thawed out the next week. Onto another story, it's a well known fact that most guys, meaning like 90%, in ballet are gay. Which is unfortunate because some of them are pretty cute but we girls have no chance :-/ So in Don Juan there's a fighting scene and the guys have to like bounce back and forth in a boxing/sparing kind of move. Just because, I like to learn the guys part so when they do that boxing step I do it too but facing them. I find it very entertaining that I can do that bouncing back and forth more manly and aggressive then any of the guys can...the girls all laugh and agree with me ;)

Sam and I one of the days the heaters were out...it seriously never warmed up in that room!!

So if anyone is interested in coming to see me perform in Don Juan you can get tickets at sandiegoballet.org :)

No more Nut!!!!!!!!!

Hey y'all!!! So Nutcracker season is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It definitely is a bittersweet thing, all dancers gripe about the dancing and the music but we would all be really unhappy and lost if we didn't do it every single year. 6 shows in all and 3 locations from Montana to So Cal. Now we get 2 weeks off for the holidays and I don't know what I'm going to do with myself...besides turn my alarm off ;) I helped Alden with 3 jobs this last week with the Percheron boys and it was a lot of fun. It's been a while since I've done that and it felt good to be around those gentle giants again. Since I've been helping her as of late, I needed to dust off my cowboy hat and wear it keep rain out and heat in, since it rained on all 3 of the jobs I did. One of the jobs was right after a student show of the Nutcracker so I put my boots and hat on in the parking lot of the theater, thinking I'd be saving myself some time later. I had more time then I thought so I made a quick jaunt over to Starbucks before getting on the freeway. I was cold so I didn't bother to take my hat off when I went in to get my drink. The barista was looking down when I walked in and he said his normal speech "Hi welcome to Starbucks what can I get you today?" I think that's what he said. In the middle of the word Starbucks he looked up and saw me and paused for a good 2 seconds between star and bucks, I think the hat took him a little off guard ;) So I ordered my drink, he made it and then I left. I got called Ma'am more times in that Starbucks by different people then I ever have in my life...I should wear the hat and look country more often ;) Here are a few pictures from the jobs with the boys!!

Stuart, Cisco and Loomis :)

Diamond and Cruiser :)

Watching a helicopter drop off Santa

Me and Diamond 

Ricky decided to climb all the way up to my back...love this cat!!!

Nutcracker tour...Billings, MT

Well I've certainly had a full Thanksgiving weekend that's for sure!! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful time with your family...I spent Thanksgiving day with Mommy and the weekend with my dancing family so it was good all around ;) There's no through flight from San Diego to Billings, MT so we had to make a pit stop in Denver to kill time before making our connecting flight. Our plane got in to Denver later then we thought and our gate for the next flight was at the other end of the terminal (if anyone's been to the Denver airport you know what I mean, that airport is HUGE!!). So about 20 dancers were sprinting through the airport trying to get to our next flight before they started to board...and we made it!! We arrived in Billings and went to the hotel then to the theater for 2 run throughs with the local kids and orchestra. Everyone was a smidge bit crabby after 2 flights and dancing till 10pm so we went and got food at the Montana Brewing Company...their Southern Mac & Cheese is to die for by the way ;) Saturday we had dress rehearsal in the morning and a show that night. The show went well but I did end up whacking my Arabian partner in the face with my bun...he wasn't to thrilled about that, sorry Tim!! Sunday we had a matinee show and then all the dancers go out to eat and drink to celebrate after the last show, it's tradition. There are 3 minors in the company this year so after dinner we headed back to the hotel and got a good nights sleep while the other got back at around 4am looking horrid and walking a little lopsided. Our flight home on Monday left at 2:30pm and we got into San Diego at around 8pm...I used the dudes I was sitting with as pillows both on the way out and on the way back ;) All in all we had fun and enjoyed each others company. Can't wait for next year to do it again!!! Here are some pics of the trip :)

Waiting in the airport to leave San Diego
Me, Matt, Tim, Stephanie and Zoe

Plane #1...nap #1
Joe and I

He has a very ripped upper body so he made a very comfortable pillow ;)

Looking out the window...not sure where this is  but it's not Billings

Dinner Friday night...at 10pm
Sam, Joe, Max, Sarah, John and Tim

Before show #1

It snowed Sunday...yippee!!!!!!!!!
Zoe and I

Playing in the snow :)
Zoe, Sarah, Me, Joe and Chris

Waiting for the theater to open
Sam, Sarah and Zoe

After the last show...group pic!! ;)
Martine, Stephanie, John, Tim and Zoe

Green Arabian couple...I had so much fun with this guy,
he made it so easy to get into the part :) Thanks Tim!!
Tim and I

John's post-nutcracker therapy...the Beer Sampler, 8 different Montana beers
Regan, John and Zoe

Snow!!! So pretty!! :)
Zoe

More snow!!! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Diamond, Me and Cruiser :)