Don't bother with resolutions....

I obviously didn't do a very good job about publishing all the things I had resolved NOT to do this year....as it is only January 4 and I have already seen one of the "biggies" blow up!

I'll explain...since May, 2008 I have spent COUNTLESS hours in orthopaedic surgeon's offices. I'll admit, a lot of it was my own fault, but still... First, after the accident, I saw Jeff (Dr. Jarrett). Bless him, there is most definitely a special seat in heaven for him some day. Then I had nerve issues with that injury, so I saw Dr. Malone...which was followed by elbow issues, which Dr. Wiley was kind enough to consult on. Then when that stabilized, it became apparent that my wrist still wanted to be the troublemaker, so I saw Dr. Floyd in Macon. Shortly thereafter, Carter broke his thumb, and we were back being thorns in Jeff's side, but not until he returned from a vacation(he obviously needs a break from us occasionally), in the meantime we saw Dr. Easom. Then I decided to have a back problem, too...so enter Dr. Banit, and that surgery. (Have I lost you...or have you just lost count of docs? Well, the answer for the quiz later is 6...) If you've never been to an orthopaedic surgeon's office, I'll pause a second and allow you to count your blessings.....okay, you back? I'm pleased to know you, because you are lucky! If you have been, you already know that they put up signs at the registration desk that say things like, "Dr. **** is 2.5 hours behind today. If you'd like to reschedule, see the receptionist. If not, please be seated." No matter how hard you try, you can't help looking around the room to see if people really *look* like they've been waiting over 2 hours. And don't ask me what physical signs I think they'd show, because I have no clue. I'm just telling you, panning the room is almost instinctive. So you sign and sit, mostly out of fear that a lot of people took the reschedule option and if you come back another day it could be a 3 hour wait...or worse. And it isn't any one doc--trust me (remember my credentials...I've seen 6, just in the last 6 months!!)--it is the whole specialty. I've decided (after many hours spent analytically waiting, mind you) that the slow-down results from the fact that ortho visits are multi-faceted. You have to get x-rays, casts, DME...it's always something there. It's like door prizes...you may only get pictures, or you may get something really intriguing like a bone stimulator or a traction device or a cast...but there's almost always some special orthopaedic reward for your wait! :)

SOOOOOOOOOOO....back to the point (there really is one...), I resolved to avoid these offices as much as humanly possible this year (now keep in mind we already know I have to have another wrist surgery in Feb. or March...). You know, I was planning to watch out for wacky ropes with attitude, and walk carefully while noticing curbs...the whole bit. But nevermind all that now, as tonight TYLER BROKE HIS LEG ON THE TRAMPOLINE. If you need me for anything, look for me at Houston Orthopaedic...I'm the one breaking the cell phone rule by texting in the waiting room...and trying to figure out what not to resolve next!

Here's Emme!

Isn't that the cutest face? She is a hoot! She always has a "who, me?" mentality....as if anyone else is chewing on the dining room table while we are eating!!

Yep, we are hooked on the French. How could those ears be anything BUT addicting??

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Us

Thank goodness it is over! :)

Well, the holidays are wrapping up, and I have to admit it is bittersweet! Seems December brought so much excitement, it is kind of hard to look forward to returning to the old routines of school and work! Since I didn't get around to Christmas cards this year (the aforementioned excitement of December had me in it's grasp...sorry!), I thought I'd share a bit about what is up with everyone.

Stacy and I went to the Dominican Republic with the gang from Blalock the first week of the month. We had a great time as we always do on those trips, but had to get back to the kids, finals for me, and Christmas fun! Speaking of finals...everyone should return to school in their old age like I have done...nothing really compares to the joy of school getting out for the holidays--talk about relief!! :)

The kids are all busy as ever and looking forward to spring sports in a couple of weeks. Tyler is still dragging along on his Eagle project for Scouts...you'll know if he ever finishes it, as I plan to rent a billboard on I-75 when he does!! Colby is planning to try out for the school soccer team, and is excited about another field trip to Washington, DC and New York the end of March. Carter is Carter....he just kind of spends his days seeking ways to pester older brothers, and has become a good friend to Parker. He does a good job of keeping Parker entertained, and has passed on his love of Legos to P.

And speaking good friends, we lost our sweet poodle friend Max the week of Christmas in a bad accident. Since I try to always honor promises I make the kids (friendly reminder to others to be careful what you promise when times are good....), we added Emme to the family on Christmas Eve. While Max could never be replaced, Emme has definitely brought an energy to our pack of older dogs. We're hoping to soon win the forgiveness of the older pack.... :) Emme was supposed to be a French Bulldog, but she is turning out to be more Crocodile so far...she can definitely chew! And those teeth are SHARP!

So there you have a bit of an update...I am making a New Year's Resolution to update more often and journal our lives a little better...so please check in when you can! We'd love to hear from you, too, so please feel free to leave us a comment! Have a great weekend! Love, Us

Welcome to the Durden Updates!

Welcome to the first Durden family post! We created this site to help us keep in touch with friends and family...all too often we just don't have enough hours in the day to keep up like we'd like! We hope you will check in often--we'd love to hear from you, so drop us a line in the comments!

Love,
Us