Crazy trailer dream!

I woke up this morning from a dream where I was riding with my mom in her car (!) towing a travel trailer when she took a corner too sharp and it swung around and disconnected. I told her she needed to stay in front of it and use her bumper to stop it. Somehow she was able to let me out of the car so I could stop traffic and she went back in front of the trailer. So here I am on the middle of Magnolia in Riverside trying to stop traffic while mom drives off with the kids in the back seat and a runaway trailer.
*sigh* When will it end!?
I was going over all the updates with a friend this morning and realized that many of the loose ends are being wrapped up. Namely, we heard from our car insurance medical adjuster and he said that there won't be any problem covering 100% of our medical expenses, including PT and such. I start my PT Monday! Work has been OK but still little pains with certain movements. David is supposed to be able to start to use his arm this Thursday, but the orthopod here can't see him until the middle of August. We'll have to do something about that!
I had a fabulous birthday week! My friends, family and co-workers spoiled me rotten. I tried to go for a birthday month, but I think they are all too exhausted from the week!
I had three! birthday cakes and the kids led me on a scavenger hunt for my presents. In the picture is a web with a clue that they tied up. Heather Parker made the adorable high heel cupcakes and Carol Scott and her niece made the cute pink cake.

Staples Out, Broken Camera...

The kids are at Sea World today with my awesome brother and his awesomer wife! The two of them took their 4 kids plus my two! David just didn't feel like he would have the energy to make it around the park and I am in a dental lecture on direct composites that I need for licensure.
My head feels so much better since David's awesome sister, Dana took out my staples. (We have the awesomest family!) You wouldn't think it would be so difficult to get a staple remover in her sweet hands, but Dang! You would have thought I was asking for some very invasive, dangerous, expensive medical item that requires extensive training and governing to use. I was willing to throw in the towel after several phone calls and trips to Walgreens and CVS, but not Dana! She found the elusive instrument in Riverside and could not be dissuaded about driving to get it. After all that it was only $1.50! I have taken out David's staples a couple times and Dana had watched them being removed from her son, who is 15 and makes frequent trips to the ER like any well adjusted young man does. She was a natural! Even with all the effort to get the remover (I even tried calling Veterinarians without success, "My dog had surgical staples placed out of state..."), having Dana remove them was so much better than hours in an ER.
I have mentioned that the people who stopped at the scene of the accident were great. We left the scene with both iPhones, both iPads, both cameras, my and Vivy's glasses, and my purse. Everything of significant material value was with us. (And so was everything of immeasurable value!) Turns out, the small pocket camera isn't working but we should be able to get the pictures off. The kids had that camera for most of trip, so it will be fun to have the trip recorded from their point of view. What a small loss, considering!
We learned that when borrowing or lending a vehicle, the insurance is not not that of the driver, but rather, the insurance stays with the vehicle. It makes sense, but surprised us none the less. Did I mention that we have the awesomest siblings?!? Oh yeah, and, not only were we borrowing the Yukon from Dana, my brother technically owns the trailer. We had him doing the shopping and negotiating and gave him the money for it, so it is registered to him and we never got around to transferring the pink slip. *sigh*
We have not heard confirmation that the vehicles have been totaled. Hopefully the insurance companies will get everything rolling next week.
At least our awesome siblings still love us! Or they fake it really well! ;)

7-4-12: Happy 4th!

We had a great time at the game last night! Luke and his cousin, Teegan, we're laughing and screaming at the fireworks after the game. They were hysterical! Luke is right behind Teegan making the same face in the picture.
This morning, Vivy and my mom decorated her golf cart for the parade and I drove the golf cart all around the park with the 6 kids-my two and my brothers 4. After, we had a great BBQ and spent the day at the pool. We are a little more sun kissed than when we started the day.
Vivy just said that she is glad we aren't on the road for the 4th of July. "I mean, how sad would that be?". Lol! Love that girl-always making lemonade!
I keep hoping the images of the accident and feelings of being lifted and flipped will go away, but it may be some time. It comes to mind often and David and I talk about it a lot. Every time I close my eyes to sleep, I am right there, back in Wyoming, on the highway. I know the kids are feeling it, too. Time. I know it just takes time. Tomorrow will be a week already and I will be ready to have my staples removed. I am hoping to get a staple remover in David's hands and not have to go to another doctor. Everything feels really good and (almost) ready.
A woman linked to my blog and posted a you tube video of a travel trailer flipping. It gave my stomach jitters to watch it. In the video, they were going slow because a lane was closed so instead of flipping the truck, it lifted it and suspended it up in the air, but the trailer tipped the same direction and the corner that lifted first in the video was the same as with the Yukon.
I am not savvy enough to embed the video on here from my phone, sorry! Maybe I can figure it out if I open up the laptop tomorrow.

Ready for Gory Pictures?!?

So, now that we are back in SoCal, everyone who might be upset by the pictures has seen the worst of them (the moms!). Looking back at them, I guess they aren't too bad. The worst was after David's elbow had been sufficiently irrigated to clearly see the tendon torn and a thread still attached and the bursa sac, etc, but I couldn't bring myself to take a pic at that point. Not so much because it was too nasty, but just out of respect for David who was having a difficult time with the ensuing discussion of surgery an starting an IV. Man, I wish I had, though.
One of the things we were hoping to do on the slow trip back was to catch a baseball game and it turns out my brother and his family had tickets to go to a pre-4th of July celebration game tonight! We got tickets for the Lake Elsinore Storm, a AA or AAA team; I'm not sure which. We will spend tomorrow at my parents senior park where they are having a big BBQ. They also have a parade in the morning an we are going to decorate my mom's golf cart and the kids will get to be in the parade! When I used to have my red convertible, I used to decorate it and my dad would dress up as Uncle Sam and ride as the Grand Marshall! That must have been 17 or 18 years ago!

Eeewww- see the blood on the headliner!?! Can you believe I washed that blue shirt an all the blood came out!!

7-2-12: Simple Pleasures!

I was able to wash my own hair this morning! My head was sooooo sensitive that even the gentlest touch would drop me. But not anymore! The staples are getting a little itchy! Yay, healing underway! I helped David get cleaned up this morning and he had much more strength and stamina standing and supporting his arm today.
We had a lovely breakfast at the hotel. The kids get such a kick out of making their own breakfast decisions. Luke, especially loves the idea if a big buffet! I imagine that won't change anytime soon!
We checked in at the airport and were on the early side so the attendant came out for curbside service! She was very patient as we shuffled weight around as only Alaskans are so adept at doing. Each of our eight bags was very near 50 lbs. I started to tell her our last name, The Clampitts...she already looked us up and knew we were The Wages, as we were the largest party on the flight. Anyhow, after all the bags met weight restrictions, she didn't even charge us for baggage at all! Another example of everyone being so great to us!
I am not sure if David would openly admit it, but he mentioned to me that yesterday's two hour drive was a good reminder of why we did not rent a U-Haul to drive the trailer contents back to California. He was fairly uncomfortable in that short period of time.
David has commandeered Vivy's pillowpet. The kids have been great keeping themselves entertained when we needed rest or were with doctors, etc. They have watched more TV and had more screen time then ever! I guess that is the good thing about usually rationing it-when they are allowed to, they'll watch endlessly. Kind of how you most want what you can't have... Well, they have had it these last few days!

7-1-12: Leaving Rawlins

We said our last goodbyes to the trailer and I was able to get ahold of the social worker of the hospital to come by and pick up all the household items. She said some women at the local shelter could really benefit from the items. I also gave her all the unopened food and paper/plastic utensils. It felt good to know it was not going to waste! When I was at the hospital during David's surgery (before my shower or change of clothes even) she stopped by to see if I needed anything. I had left the scene of the accident without shoes so she went out and bought me a pair of flip flops and brought me down a clean shirt so I didn't look like a mass murderer. She was so thoughtful! There are so many people that were so good to us! The first day I stopped by the trailer, the tow-guy, Dave, encouraged me to clean out the fridge. I bagged everything up (I kept a few things for the few days we were in Rawlins.) He said he would give it to the mechanic. Well, today, Dave said he looked through the bags and kept the homemade jam and pickles that were in there! I thought that was great, and I'm sure my mom, who made them, will be pleased that they are being appreciated.
The orthopod stopped by and changed the dressing on David's elbow and it looked great. He checked out my staples and saved me a trip to the hospital for re-eval. Everything looks great and we both feel much better by the day.
I just noticed that in the picture, Luke is showing off his battle wound on his elbow on the picture! Too funny; he is all boy, for sure.

7-1-12

Had to double check the date! Wow, July already. It's about 5am and I can't sleep and I can't even toss and turn!! Lol! My right head and shoulder are still sore so I can sleep in exactly one position, and with enough pillows it is quite comfortable. David's injuries are his left side and he is in the same boat. We have a king size bed in the motel and we have like 12 pillows on it! Both of us are managing our pain very well with Tylenol and Motrin.
The orthopedic is coming to the motel today to change the dressing. How awesome is that!?! After that we are meeting the guy who towed the vehicles to let David go through it and make some final decisions.
Jan is driving us to Cheyenne later in the afternoon after everything is packed and flying back to SoCal on Monday morning. It will be good to be back with family and give my momma a big (but gentle) hug!
This is a picture of the kids in the ER with us. They had a big open bay with three beds and the kids slept most of the night. I just kept looking at their sweet little faces, so grateful!