today is ah-mazing!

free at last, free at last, yeah yeah..... but really, i am so free of those crutches & the knee machine. the dreaded knee machine! 7 weeks - done! i am walking & it feels good. today is the official day of freedom, but honestly i cheated & started walking a little on wednesday.... shh...

but yes i logged a whopping 131 hours & 42 minutes on the knee machine. imagine if i had done the prescribed 6-8 hours a day how many more hours that would be??? i think on the best (worst) of days i probably logged about 4-5 hours. but no more i tell ya!!

even though i was tied to this thing for 7 weeks, it really did help! ;)

it feels great & it's a beautiful fall day here! the weekend is supposed to be awesome & i can get out & enjoy it! only thing missing now is my husband..... but the time will come. counting down now..... not much longer!! but then we go back to guam.... which i have mixed feelings about. i strangely miss guam. but i do not want to go back for the holidays.... i want to stay here, watch the leaves change, feel the brisk air, see my breath in the cold, celebrate the holidays for realsies with the correct season. not hot jungle. just doesn't go. but we have one last thanksgiving & christmas & then we're off to somewhere that hopefully has seasons (4 of them)

where lena can bundle up like this.....

such a cute snuggle bunny!!

no nuts this year

i really can't believe it is almost christmas time. could that be because it's so hot & tropical here, or most likely that i'm not in a tutu & pink tights hearing waltz of the flowers for the umpteenth time? it really hit me the other day, that i am unemployed. this is both good & bad..... good because i literally could do whatever i want whenever i want (with some understandable exceptions) & bad because whatever i want whenever i want mostly revolves around running errands, cleaning house, watching tv & going to the gym. not so glamourous. missing that sugar plum schedule right about now. i'm gonna try to remind myself that it's still winter & christmas & new years are all right around the corner, even though i haven't heard a single note from nutcracker & i'm wearing shorts & flip flops..... oh & maybe the biggest christmas celebration obstacle we face is that the schultze house is seriously lacking decorations...... no tree, no lights, no wreath..... just a sad little red bow. but i like that bow & it's our start, our new guam life. and in all honesty it really is hard to feel like celebrating when your family is halfway across the world. that is a difficult reality to face. but there will be visits, oh yes, there will be visits.... it's just a matter of time. (and $)
in other news, our car is on the island! been to the dmv twice now (my new guam drivers license & our temporary driving permit) only one more time to go...... to register the car officially.
& all i really want for christmas this year is our computer!! it's on it's way!!

someone pinch me

TODAY! today i'm going to see jeff! we have the weekend together & then next week we'll be making our way back home..... TOGETHER! i get my husband back, after 9 months apart!
on another note, i'm really enjoying the freezing, wet weather of the north (northern south, so i can't complain too much, but it's not florida) getting a good taste of the season before moving to a seasonless island...... but honestly, i haven't seen fall in 6 years, the trees are incredible, the crisp air, i love it! well, i've survived without seasons for this long, what's 2 more years? taking it in while i can..... going to put on a sweater & my rain boots!!!