San Francisco Teacher Conference

Way back in the fall, we made arrangements to attend a teacher conference, Learning and the Brain, in San Francisco in February. With my neck surgery on Jan 31st and recovery, I wasn't sure I was still going to be able to go, but the week before the conference, I decided I'd be able to make it. Having just been cleared, I went back to work on the Tuesday after Presidents Day weekend, worked Tuesday and Wednesday, and then took off on a plane Wednesday night. I felt a little bad leaving my students after only being back for two days, but I did not want to miss out on anything else, after missing out on so much already the past two months. 

We had such a great time. The conference was ok. While there were a few sessions that were good (one, in particular, was amazing), and we were able to glean some good ideas and tools to take back with us, it was the company that made it fun. Exploring San Francisco with Tiffany and Jana in between sessions was so great! Jana was based in San Francisco and lived there for a while when she was a flight attendant years ago, so she was our tour guide. She's a great travel companion, and Tiffany and I benefitted from her expertise and sense of adventure. 

The conference was held at the Fairmont Hotel on the top of the hill, and it just so happened that President Biden was staying there at the same time on his campaign tour. His presence added some excitement to our time, and we spent hours watching the secret service and all the security people around the hotel. Because he was there, the entire area was blocked off, so we ended up getting dropped off at the bottom of the hill by our Uber driver when we arrived and had to hike up the hill with our luggage to our hotel. 

Roof-top Biden watch (and getting kicked off the roof by the secret service), Chinatown, magical ice cream, walking up and down steep hills, North Beach and the hot tub of garlic at The Stinking Rose, happy hour at the Top of the Mark, sneaking into a concert at the cathedral--lots of fun memories and adventures. I felt really good on the trip and decided all that walking we did and the fun time with friends was just what I needed to finish up my recovery and get back to normal life again.

Meanwhile, Greg held the fort down at home for Joel’s basketball senior night, a birthday party for Aubs with 10 of her amazing, fun (and loud) friends, a water polo tournament for Grant, drivers Ed for Aubs, and a district band ensemble performance for Joel (they took first!).

Basketball Senior Night

I missed being at Joel's basketball senior night, but I watched online from afar during dinner in Chinatown in San Francisco, and I had many friends texting me photos. I put together his poster before I left and loved going through those memories and seeing how little he and his teammates used to be and how much they've grown and changed. Joel has had many fun years of basketball but also had to persevered through injuries and some difficult roles over the years. He has put in a ton of work to play basketball at Barlow, and we're proud of him. Well done, Joel! Happy to celebrate you! 

Frames

2nd frame filled! Going through photos tonight for Joel’s basketball senior night and wondering where all that time went since he was a little guy with a big ball. Senior year is speeding by! Aubrey’s frame only has two spaces left, but we’ve got several left for Grant. :-)

45th Birthday Present

This was my FB post on my birthday. 

"Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I feel loved.

2024 has been rough thus far, though. 45 is the year I break, I guess. I’ve had intense back/shoulder/arm pain from what was diagnosed as a pinched nerve, since Jan 1st. After chiro, PT, X-rays, PCP visits & messages, lots of meds, and finally an MRI last week (during the freezing rain), I found out I have four bulging discs and a herniated disc at C7 and was referred to a neurosurgeon. Found out today I’m getting neck surgery for my birthday this year—on Tuesday! Praise God! I cried with relief when they called to tell me. This photo is one I snapped on Monday for my friend, Jane, who was asking how I was feeling. I was on the floor of my classroom on cushions at that moment. After not seeing students for 9 days because of the ice and snow, and with finals this week, I HAD to be there. It wasn’t pretty, but made it through. I am very much looking forward to some pain relief (eventually) and to January being DONE."

It all started on New Year's Eve. I noticed some shoulder pain when I woke up that day. It just got worse and worse and then I started having shooting pain down my arm into my hand and pinky finger. I spent the majority of January on my back. The pain got to be so excruciating, I could not stand up. The ice storm was a blessing because I wouldn't have been able to go to work anyway. I did some work from my back on the couch and floor. I don't remember any one incident that caused injury, but I did notice muscle weakness in my right hand in December. I wasn't able to grasp the stamp hard enough to stamp kids' papers like I usually did. I thought that was weird but didn't connect it to my neck issue until later when the doctors said that was an indication of a pinched nerve. I was on nerve blocker medication, muscle relaxers, and prednisone. The ice storm presented a lot of challenges, trying to get to doctor appointments (no one was able to get to work, including the doctors and office staff) and trying to get prescriptions.

I got into the neurosurgeon on a Friday, and he told me during the appointment that they'd try to get me in for fusion surgery within a couple weeks. That was disheartening to hear, but there was nothing else to be done. An hour later, though, I got a call from their office, saying they could get me in on Tuesday! So, I spent the weekend and that Monday preparing to be gone from work for 2-3 weeks. It was crazy making sub plans for that many days. Thankfully, I was two weeks ahead in my planning and had already made a bunch of copies for the start of the semester. That was the other crazy part. I was having surgery on the first day of the 2nd semester and wasn't going to meet the new students (about a third of my students in Eng 5-6 switched) until after I was back from my leave. Thankfully, I had a couple friends who were willing and able to fill in for me and did a great job. Megan did two weeks, and Natalie did one. They were lifesavers! I ended up being out for a full three weeks. 

It was a brutal recovery and improvement was SLOW, but after the first two weeks, I started feeling better. We were well-cared for. Friends and family brought meals, and Greg and the kids did everything that needed to be done. The first two months of the year were rough, but we made it through, and the surgery was successful, and I no longer have neck/shoulder/arm pain. May I never have to do it again, though!