Panama Update

My parents are having all kind of awesome experiences in Panama. From weird food, to lots of baptisms and alligators hanging around, they have experience alot! And they are handling it all like champs. 

Mom often writes home about the intricate bead work or hand stitching the women do. 

And they always have fun creatures to share about. 

Dads new pricey suit that he got for a great price since its PANAMA!

And yes, along with the jungle, they get the ghetto too. These are homes they have visited. Wow. Just wow. 

So proud of them! Dad recently told us he got locked out of the apartment and had to scale the building to climb up to his balcony and get to his house! What a guy! Angels I'm sure were boosting him up!
 

Comp seasons

Jan and Feb were filled with a myriad of competitions. I was very excited to take my gymnasts to a few competitions. Its amazing what they have learned and how fast the develop if given the right skills! look how darling these girls are!! (Don't let the cute leo's fool you, some of them are psycho!) HAHA!

Bri and Ry did comp bball and landed on the same team. It was so fun watching these girls succeed over and over again. There was only one team, Olympus, that they couldn't beat. They did so great and even Rylee was looking like a pro by the end of the season! 

 They finished 2ndin their division. Bri was a huge sport having to play an age group down, but it really helped this mama out by not having to go to double the practices and games. Next year they will be on separate teams so I hope they enjoyed the ride! I sure did. Chad even got to help coach a little. 

Celebrations

Ry was thrilled to death when she was picked as student of the month. She said she had never been picked before. 

It was fun to celebrate her and focus on something else other than my thumb...notice the thumb cast. (This was pre surgery). 

And in January I got to be with another one of my kids in the temple!! Brielle was finally old enough to go and on Jan 10th, and I couldn't wait to take her into HER temple here in Tooele! It was a very special night. We invited the Farris and Maughan families who also had kiddos who became of age. It was a special evening to spend together and celebrate our kids growing up!

G&G Hymas were also in town and got to attend with us. They let Clyde do the recording at the desk and also confirmations. 

Love this crowd so much!!!

 

A new year and a new thumb!

2025 did not start off with a bang....

One week into the new year, I was spotting a gymnast on an ariel at the gym and I felt and heard three AWFUL pops in my thumb. Oh it hurt SO bad. I jumped around and tried to shake it off but I knew something was very wrong. I finished the lesson, and taught an hour class while holding an ice pack. I couldn't use my hand at all. I was sure it was broken. I got in the next morning with the help of a friend to see a doctor. Not Broken! Phew! But what was wrong?

I met with the doc and he said it was probably just a bad sprain, but because I had heard 3 pops he wanted to make sure it wasn't more. He assured me that it was possible to tear thumb tendons but it was very rare. He gave me a brace and sent me for an MRI a week later.  It was the most painful week ever. I couldn't use my right hand to do anything and the swelling just kept coming! 

This pic shows the swelling around my thumb joint.

This one shows the bruising into my palm

Oh so fat.....

This one is the best one to show the major swelling in the web of my thumb. Oh I was miserable and taking lots of pain killer.

 

I got the MRI and still had to wait a few days to have it read and be seen again. The kids enjoyed coming up with thumb jokes to keep me smiling. I couldn't give a proper thumbs up for quite a while and the kids thought it was hilarious. 

The results were it. A complete tear of the UCL tendon that holds your thumb upright on your hand. Not only that, i also had a stennor lesion where the tendon had retracted behind a muscle. It must have been a pretty good snap! My original doctor didn't even know what that meant. He said in the 25 years he'd been a doc that he had never heard this term and told me he was going to google it during my apt. That made me very uneasy. After learning what it was he looked at me and very seriously said, no one in Tooele can fix that. You need to go into the city to a specialist. 

I was sent to a specialist in Bountiful...after another several days, and he scheduled me for surgery the next day. Dr. Huish was concerned because the longer you wait, the harder it is to be able to use your same tendon to re-attach because it's not viable anymore. I was nervous but SO ready to get my thumb fixed. At this point it had been 16 very long days. 

Chad was a very good nurse and kept my ice packs coming and my arm elevated and my drinks full. I wore this arm cone of shame for a few days to keep it elevated and on ice. It really was helpful. 

Dogs have a way of knowing when something is wrong and Jilly didn't leave my side for days. 

I was happy with how quick I felt better. I still had a long ways to go and a lot of PT to do, but I didn't feel too bad. It was weird to not really be in pain  but still be very handicapped. My kind friends brought me meals and I felt very loved and spoiled. It was nice to HAVE to be able to slow down and just rest and let my body heal. I was in this splint for a good 2 weeks and I was SO ready to get it off! 

PT started the day I got it off and was given a cute little pink removable cast. Everything was hard. My thumb was so stiff and continued to be that way for several months! But I was diligent in doing my exercises and therapy and it really helped. Weekly trips to Bountiful were a pain but it was exciting to see the strength return and flexibility. After 6 more weeks in that pink cast I got the go ahead to take it off. It felt weird but was glad that normal - ish returned quickly. 

The body is amazing and I'm happy with how this all turned out!