The Surgery Tales

Oh yeah, you like that? Don't deny you wanted to see it up close. I know the four or five people that read this thing and you wanted to hear the tales and see the scars, well here you go...

So, I tore my ACL in my right knee playing volleyball. When it happened it didn't seem like that big of a deal... I thought it was just a hyperextention and then I heard some pops and couldn't walk without my knee giving out. So I iced it over the weekend and it balloons up and is crazy swollen come Monday and I figure I better go see the Dr and see what I did. I told her my story and she sends me to go get x-rays and an MRI... how fun. I get those done, she gets the results, and I get sent to an orthopedic specialist... fyi: when Dr do that it means bad news. So I go see him and he can tell just by moving my leg that my ACL is toast and starts talking to me about my options. All of which require me to take it easy for a bit which totally ruins my summer sand volleyball plans and really pisses me off. But in order to get the most use back of my knee I have to have surgery.

Surgery gets scheduled. I lose my job (you know that story). Awesome. I go to NYC to visit Cousin and she drags me all over the city. The big day finally arrives. Yippee.
I've never been put under so I'm expecting to be totally crazy, but I held my own in the crazy talk dept... or so I think. Before I go into surgery my dad decides to write on my left knee the words "wrong one" just in case someone gets a little confused or happy with a scaple. The Dr comes in and initials my right knee to mark the "right one" just in case someone can't remember what's going on and it's hospital policy... whatever. People keep writing on me. So, I'm doing fine with my IV, paper gown, and hairnet and they finally wheel me in. now it really didn't sink in until they started moving me into the operating room that I was going to be HACKED OPEN AND GIVEN A CADAVER BODY PART. But don't worry, as I was moving from the gurney to the operating table I heard a familiar sound that helped me know everything was going to be just fine...

David Cook singing "This is the Time of My Life".

No joke.

I started to giggle a bit and then realized that I sounded crazy and quickly stopped. Some Dr was talking to me about being put under and then the next thing I know I am being wheeled recovery and am shivering uncontrollably. Don't worry, RN What's Her Name to the rescue with Morphine!!! Yeah RN What's Her Name for saving the day!!!

So my parents are finally allowed to see me and we wait 4 hours to get me into my room. The time finally arrives and RN What's Her Name is pissed that it's taken this long and has given me ice chips and apple juice to keep me happy (Mistake #1). I was fine with the drugs, but okay. so she tells me that she wants me to go to the bathroom and change me into a real gown before I go up to my room (Mistake #2). So she makes me get up and drags me into the bathroom with my IV poll and all and sits me down and starts to help me change gowns when I tell her that I have to throw up, like now. So I do... all over the new CLEAN gown she just put on me. So I'm feeling pretty bad for her, but way better on the nausea side and I keep telling her, " I'm sorry I threw up on the clean gown. If you get me another one I promise not to throw up on it." I must have told her that about 3 times while she put the new gown on me.... so much for holding my own.

I get in my room and the pain is starting to come back and so I tell the new RN What's Her Name and she asks me "on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?" In my mind I start to go back to a Brian Regan comedy show I've seen about him going to the ER and the same question coming up... so all I want to say is 8, but I stick with 4 'cause it wasn't really that bad. New RN What's Her Name leaves and brings back something new... Demerol and boy is it super!!! If Demerol and Morphine were in a fight Demerol would totally win because he'd sit on Morphine and totally smother him because man, he's one heavy dude! All I remember saying after getting the Demerol was "I feel heavy" and "Am I slurring my speech?" and thinking "Did I remember to breathe just then?" I remembered, don't worry.

The night was filled with some lady coming to take my vitals every hour for the first little while and then beeping things and RN What's Her Name coming to my rescue to stop said beeping. Altogether though, it was pretty good for my first hospital stay. I got breakfast, saw my Dr, my parents came to rescue my from the horrible night they just knew I was going to have, lunch, some physical therapist put a belt around me and drug me around for a while with my new walker, and I was allowed to go home!!

Oh, that's right. You heard right...

I have a walker and I know that you're jealous.

I've decided that it's gonna be the latest and greatest craze and everyone is gonna want one. It really has been a lifesaver though. I hate crutches and wouldn't have lasted long on them, so my walker is the perfect solution. We are two peas in a pod.

I also have another contraption called "The Torture Chamber" or a continual motion machine. It basically bends my knee for me without putting pressure on the new ACL. I have to spend at least 5 hours a day on this thing and increase the degree of the bend 5 degrees everyday...

Can you see the horror?! I hate this thing, but it does what it's supposed to and actually helps a lot with loosing up the new ACL.

That's the story for now kids. Go and get yourself a walker! They are the new red hot accessories for the summer!

Daddy and Mommy and baby make three

Yay!! My old roommate Ricki and her hubby Tyler had there sweet little baby girl!

Hadyn Rae Smith is finally here!! She was born June 30th and was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 in. Both baby and mom are doing great and I so wish I could be there to see them!! I couldn't, so I sent them a quilt, bibs, and burp cloths.

Congrats on your little family you guys!! You will, no doubt, be some of the funnest parents ever!

I would so wear this

I found this shirt a while ago and to this day it still makes me laugh.

If anyone has the painting/shirt-making abilities to pull this off, give me a call.

I want one... or four... in assorted colors. I probably have the skills to do it but, let's be honest, I'm kinda lazy.

Bravo Nerd Alert

My name is Hollister and I'm a Project Runway-aholic.

I don't know what it is about this show that grabs a hold of me and drags me in ever season, but I love it and can't get enough. It's like crack for the sewers of the world and I'm addicted. So when I was on my bus tour in NYC and we passed Parsons I about came out of my seat which could have been bad because NYC has some low hanging street lights.

Then, later on in my trip, Amanda and I passed by a candy store that was still under construction, but had the most amazing window display. Project Runway dresses!!!! I almost jumped through the glass I was so excited. since it was going to be a candy store, they had the outfits from the Great Candy Challenge of Season 4.

Love. Love. Love.

Here are a few of the designs...

I should make a paper chain to count down the days 'till Season 5 starts...

July 16th baby!!

Fuerzabruta... the craziest show in NYC

I have no idea what Fuerzabruta means or what anything in the show represents, but I loved it! Let's go over some of the show, shall we?

The show starts off with one guy walking on a treadmill/conveyor belt and then he's running and then.... he gets shot... for no reason. Don't you worry though, he gets right back up and starts walking again. He starts to run again and goes through a door and then busts through a few walls. There was also a woman in a tank of water coupled with a man dangling on the outside of the tank twirling and moving with every move that she made while suspended from the celling... pretty fancy stuff.

We have some lovers stranded on either side of a giant twirling sheet of tin foil and they just can't seem to find each other. It may have something to do with the fact that every time they get close to the edges the people swinging it go a little bit faster... maybe they hate love? Next up starts off as dinner party and turns into an all out trash fest. These people have no respect for property at all. They destroyed everything and then danced on it! The nerve!

We move on to a lone man doing his own thing and then out of nowhere part of the celling drops and falls on him and all of the sudden he has the urge to dance like a crazy person. He in turn invites other people to come up with him and more celling drops and they start dancing like crazy people too. I guess there wasn't enough crazy people at the show so they come out in the audience and slammed some celling tiles over some folks heads and made them join in the fun too. I held my camera in front of my face so I was avoided, thankfully. I already dance like a crazy person. I don't need anymore, thank you very much.

The next bit of the show was quite spectacular. A large tank of water slowly drops from the celling and there are four women swim-dancing across the entire length of the room. The tank drops until it's right over our heads. The women dive across the tank, make faces at the audience below, and body slam the tank... all while looking graceful. How they managed that I have no idea.

We end with our treadmill friend again, but he's now joined with two others. They climb a ladder and run in the wind and then it's over and you still have no idea what it all means. The whole time everything is going on there are some DJs playing music and one for some reason has a power sprayer and is spraying the audience with it... and then he makes it rain and soaks about 1/3 of the audience up in the front. If you wanna take a stab at the meaning of the show, let me know. I'm still lost, but would totally go see it again.

New York, New York

So I made it back safe and sound from New York City. I had a great time with Amanda going all over town and back, but it really is good to be home. Let me tell you New york is great, but I rather not live in a mouse house... I really like my bathroom space thank you very much. I'll spare you most of the details of the trip and just highlight some of the stuff that happened on my fun-filled Fourth of July trip to NYC...

First stop: Pinkberry It's pretty good... I've had better. Oh yeah, that's what I said Karen. You wanna battle over it? Huh? Bring it!


I went on a double decker bus tour around New York and saw some cool stuff... the UN in session (flags are up... that's how you know), the Empire State building, and the Brooklyn Bridge.



While on the bus tour we passed a street corner where just after 9/11 a memorial was set up called "Tiles for America" which was very cool. There were tiles from all over the US. Some bearing the names of loved ones and some with words of love and hope. All in all it was very moving to see that even after the time that has passed that this memorial still stands today.... oh, and I got me a wicked sunburn. Polo shirt+top of the bus= necklace sunburn (not the most attractive statement I could have made for my entire trip, but what are you gonna do?)

I took the ferry out to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island too. The wait on the dock was very entertaining. There was a man playing the Adams Family theme song on a mini steel drum and another man that told me "you better take a picture 'cause you'll never see this again" and I'm sure he's right. He played John Lennon's "Imagine" ... on the saw.

We also ate/got the pee scared out of us at the Ninja Restaurant. It was a good time. We screamed, we laughed, we ate squid ink pork balls. We were adventurous and gained the respect of the ninjas... so that last part isn't true, sue me.

We had the famous frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity and red velvet cupcakes at Magnolia's Bakery too. There are some good eats in NYC, I'm not gonna lie.... except the "soft" pretzels... lies. They should be called "Pigeon Food" 'cause that's what they end up being.

We went to see Phantom of the Opera on the Fourth and it was great!! That is one show I could see over and over again and love it every time. After the show we got to hang out in Time Square all lit up and buzzin' with people including a man who knows me all to well. He tried to get us to go to some comedy show that was going on and told me that I was the type to be all "I was so wasted last night. I don't even remember what I did. Where's my underwear?" It's like he's known me my whole life!!! And i met another gem that told me "Girl, you know how to work it. You know you're special." What I did to deserve all this attention is a mystery to me... how lucky I am.

Thanks for a good time Cousin even when you left me stranded in the subway and drug me all over town with blistered feet. It was worth it! And yes, I still love you.

Team Jesse!!!!

Welcome to the end of an obsession... the Bachelorette.

So it came down to sweetheart daddy Jason and sweet snowboarder Jesse.

I'm sooo happy it ended with Jesse... I never doubted you for a moment bro.

Way to do it up Jesse!!!
I am still sad that Graham had to go home though.

So beautiful. So so beautiful.
Sigh....