weekly grams

A LIL BIT OF jersey, ct, and in between. -leo, kittens in ct, dad's flowers, strawberry rhubarb pie, 80degree pool water, turquoise water can, colorful rug, drive over the tappan zee.

tale of a bone

an update:

about a week and a half ago i met with Dr. Kane at his north jersey office. i explained what had been going on and he took a look at my MRI which to much disappointment was blurry and didn't show what he needed to see. he did a physical exam to see how stable my coccyx was and said that he felt it was fairly stable but he wasn't 100% sure. he ordered a special x-ray to be done and gave me a shot of cortisone (which didn't do anything) and i was on my way home.

yesterday was my second appointment. i went to his office location and on the first floor was the radiology department that he had trained staff to give this special x-ray. they took a picture of me laying down first, then one where i was sitting. the object was to show if there was any movement in my tailbone. i brought the images upstairs to Dr. Kane for a "wet reading" and right away it was obvious where my pain is coming from. a normal tailbone has a slight curve at the bottom which mine showed in my laying down x-ray. in my sitting picture, the bottom two vertebrates are completely rotated upwards and almost don't even look attached to my spine. below is that image of me sitting. it's very hard to see as it was taken with my iphone, but you can very faintly see the curling up of the last two parts of my tailbone. that movement is what causes my pain, and that movement is why i'm having surgery in two weeks.



at this point i am extremely nervous. it is a major surgery with a 6 week recovery and up to 4 months before i can sit comfortably again, however i am excited to get this over with and excited for the long term ability to sit without pain... and wear jeans again!

kittens

THIS WEEKEND WAS SPENT IN CT at my parents house due to 3 doctors appointments this morning for my tailbone (more on that tomorrow)... pete got bored while i was getting my hair done on saturday and ventured into the animal shelter down the road. he came back to pick me up with these two in the car. surprise mom + dad! meet your two newest kittens! after much discussion on names we came up with Hobbes for the one on the left and Stark (yes game of thrones.. that stark) for the one on the right. we loved playing with these balls of energy all weekend -such a cat lady.

evolution of a dress.

after a recent question regarding my wedding dress... i thought i would share with you what every bride goes through: the hunt/find/process of that ever so special white dress.

THE INSPIRATION. 

i stumbled upon this dress online and began my hunt for a similar one. i loved the silhouette.. having a gymnast body (forever big arms) i knew i wanted to highlight the part of me that was smaller... my waist.

the first time i tried my dress on, our song was playing on the radio.

 and that lace... it stole my heart that lace. i knew in 5 seconds it was the one.

so then came the attempt at the sweetheart neckline. i knew it would be more flattering, and unfortunately if the seamstress was to "cut the fabric" that would have added an expense i wasn't willing to pay for on TOP of alteration fees.... so they scrunched and pinned to make it look like this. not TOO bad, but...

when it was officially sewn it came out like this... uneven, wrinkly, and NOT happy. after a full out hysterical cry session in the car on the way home. we devised a plan to "sign out" the dress from the bridal salon and with the help of my aunt we called her seamstress Maria to save the day. 

she cut, she sewed, she re-did all the lace, she hemmed, she bustled.. she was my wedding dress lifesaver and i owe her a million thanks.

 because in the end... it turned out looking like this.

professional photos by kris+kristen

happy day.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY to the best dad in the world. this picture couldn't sum it up any better. shirtless from gardening outside + my brother who stole it. me with those killer bangs. 

love love love you!

over the past week

OVER THE WEEK pics taken via instagram. -blue moon beer, turquoise chuck taylors, boat yard, mini golf w. friends, sprinkle covered chocolates,  julie & lauren, violet hunter rain boots, twinkle bedroom lights.

locked in.

IN LOVE WITH THIS amazing idea on how to tell your keys apart. Stat Key sells customized keys to spice up your key ring with a variety of different styles: stars, hearts, puzzle pieces, oh my! the kitty cat is on my personal wish list.


-available at select Ace hardware stores or shop designer keys online.

over the weekend

ON A LIGHTER NOTE, following yesterday's post... saturday was the MRI day, followed by sleeping and the celtics losing game 7 (not single, but multiple tears).. but sunday, oh sunday was one to remember. pete and i packed up a cooler full of snacks and raspberry beer and went to sandy hook. we found the cutest little strip of private beach in horseshoe cove... ocean on one side, a little inlet on the other.. set up a picnic and soaked up the sun. after an intense game of cards, our friends nichole & suraj came in by ferry from NYC to spend the day with us.

you know when you have one of those days where you don't really do much, but the company just causes pure happiness. that was sunday. with nichole's dog bella running wild in the sand, we sat, toasted beers and chatted about life. then we made our way to pier village for burgers at stewarts, and mojitos at tiki bar. spending the day with them made us want to move to nyc and be their neighbors. -i miss that girl oh so much, but who knows? maybe one day we will be city dwellers...

tale of a bone

NO PICTURES TODAY. just a quick story. of a poor little tailbone. for those not interested, by all means, carry on.. but for anyone going through tailbone pain i would like to first off state that you are not alone. i have decided to document this story due to my astounding discovery of how little there is out there on this specific injury, and yet how many people suffer on a day to day basis. if my process helps just one person. i will be happy.

it began with a sled when i was young. landing on a rock caused a bruised bum which healed thankfully in a couple months. then it was a gymnastics meet in high school with a tumbling pass that ended up right on my butt causing a fractured vertebrae in my spine and 2 years off from the sport i love. my tailbone took a few months to heal, my back, a little longer.

then came june of last year. my girl's state competition was down south in wildwood, NJ where they are known for their boardwalk, roller coasters, and fried food. i love heights and of course went on the big wooden rickety roller coaster with the thought in my head of letting myself "go up and down. enjoy the experience LA!"  big. huge. enormous. mistake. a month later the pain began. and if you haven't experienced a bruised or broken tailbone it is hard to explain. you can sit on a very hard surface for your butt bones keep the weight off, but anything soft, forget about it. the worst is driving. you get in the car and for five to ten minutes you are fine.. then that ache starts to slowly creep in and any bump, turn, or movement makes you see stars. 

for a year now i have been going to a chiropractor who works on my tailbone, stretches the tight tendons that connect there, and lasers the area to try and offer some relief. but much to my being hopeful the pain has only gotten worse. i can no longer wear pants, jeans, or any sort of stiff material. sweatpants have become my go to for they are all i can sit down in. driving is miserable. sitting in bed or on a couch is worse. and the thought of being pregnant one day (a dream for pete and i) and not being able to sit...  my quest to fix my poor bum has begun.

as a gymnast i have had many injuries. broken toes, ankles, a knee, my ribs, and back. they all hurt of course but none i would sit and write a novel about on a blog. there is so much information about these common breaks and injuries, anyone can just google and get the knowledge they need. this tailbone is so rare, hardly anything is written except for one website my aunt found that has offered some personal stories. my goal is document this journey, however it may end up, and shed some personal insight to those who have the same problem... or just warn people to not let themselves smash up and down on roller coasters.

with that said, my first doctor's appointment last monday was a bit shocking. the word surgery was said. there aren't many options for tailbone pain. manual manipulation (which i've had for over a year), shots to numb the pain (a temporary fix), and lastly removal of the tailbone. this surgery is so rare, there are only a handful of doctors who perform it. so here we are. with an MRI done on saturday, i am waiting for the results and anxiously counting the days to wednesday when i meet with a surgeon who has done this type of procedure. Dr. Kane is his name and i will be a happy person if i feel comfortable enough to let him take out the bottom of my spine. the "not knowing" part is the worst.

-so this is just the beginning of a journey that i hope will help others and if not, will be a documentation of my experiences where hopefully i can look back one day and say, "remember when..." as i SIT not stand ;)

an engagement

(a few of our engagement pics by our great friends kris + kristen)

TWO YEARS AGO, pete asked me to marry him at sunset out on the shoreline in ct. aside from our wedding day, it was the happiest day of my life. that day i knew i would get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. it's been a roller coaster past two years and i wouldn't have had it any other way. thank you husband, i love you.
x.

shuttle enterprise

 

SHUTTLE ENTERPRISE.
on its way to the USS intrepid.
how cool is my husband's job.