Passing the Beach Test

I almost posted a mega blog entry, but decided to split it up into two postings. The original posting was dangerously approaching the length when reasonable people would say, “ok, no human should write that much about their knee.” Hopefully the 2nd posting will be ready within one week’s time. It will cover my 32-week appointment and review of the report from the MRI previously discussed. I know you’re anxiously awaiting it.

Alright, the Summer of Travels (and delayed blog entries) is officially over. Multiple trips to DC. A long journey to Stockholm. But neither trip compared to, or could prepare me for, my first family Griswold Adventure: we drove from Dallas to Pensacola, Florida. 2 kids. 2 portable DVD players. A box full of granola bars and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. At least 17 “Are we there yets?” A packed SUV. 660 miles. 13 hours. Ah, the closeness and joys of family.

I was admittedly a bit nervous about how my knee would handle the beach, namely the unevenness of walking in the sand. In addition, I was concerned with my ability to remain steady when waves crashed into me, whether it was carrying my 4-year old daughter a few feet from the shoreline or wading into the deeper waters with my 7-year old son. The knee held up well. No issues whatsoever. Jim’s Knee 1 – Gulf of Mexico 0. Now, I’m not about to join the pro beach volleyball tour anytime soon; Karch Kiraly’s AVP record is safe. But only a few weeks ago, I wondered whether I would ever regain some semblance of athletics. Yet, at least for this trip, my knee actually felt “normal.” Maybe, just maybe, it even felt a little spry.

While the instability of my knee never strays far from my thoughts – I probably think about my knee probably every 10 seconds – after my first day I stopped worrying whether my gimpiness would prevent me from enjoying my vacation. That was a refreshing feeling. I can just picture my fellow ACI patients nodding approvingly. In fact, right now my immediate goal is that my knee reaches a certain level of comfort so I no longer think about it constantly. Pretty high bar, huh?

The lengthy drive didn’t crush my knee, either. I drove the entire way home, all 13 hours. Now, with kids, this wasn’t 13 hours straight. In fact, we probably stopped 3-4 times in the first 5 hours alone. You really can’t tell little kids to “hold it” or pee in an empty water bottle, especially a 4-year old girl. It’s just not happening.

My parents, on the other hand, were old school. The car never stopped, unless it needed gas. Maybe, just maybe, if I begged enough my dad would slow down the car to 55 mph and let me roll down the window and pee from the moving car. Of course, my dad first made sure the wind couldn’t blow back my urine into his prized Gran Torino.

I’m not medieval like them (just kidding, Mom and Dad. This trip gave me an increased appreciation of your parenting skills). Seriously, all the stops make the drive more bearable, and gave me plenty of chances to stretch my knee. Did you know that Hattiesburg, Mississippi has a phenomenal rest area? Top notch. They even offered free, freshly baked cookies. I highly recommend it.