Loving the Midwest

Here is the quick and dirty run down of my last week...

Monday: I went to the hospital for surgery preparation. I met with the anesthesiologist real quick, then was confined to my room for 3 hours of waiting. It was pretty hard to sit and contemplate surgery whiteout the comfort of friends or family, with the added bonus of no food or water. I tried to entertain myself by reading books on my iPad, then playing games. At one point, I tried to turn on the tv with the big red button on what appeared to be a remote. A couple seconds later the nurses were running down the hall to ask if I was ok. Whoops! Finally it was time for surgery. They rolled me into the OR and began preparation. I remember the nurse/anesthesiologist starting the line in my arm and saying "ok here we go". I looked at Dirk and said, "wow, this stuff really works!" and then I woke up in my room again. Dirk says I said "guten nacht" before I went under, and then I also gave him Lisa's phone number after surgery while still completely dillusioned. I found that one out on the drive home when he asked if I wanted to try and call my wife again. I said sure, and he started messing with his phone and handed it to me. I asked how he got it, and he told me I gave it to him... No clue! I got home that evening and began my relaxation. A good dinner and some refreshing of my Deutsch with Dirk's girlfriend, and it was bed time.

Tuesday: I spent most of the day just relaxing and recovering from surgery. It was actually really enjoyable to sit on the couch and waste my day surfing the Internet, updating my various technological gadgets and trying to write back to people on emails.

Wednesday: I began my day with some physical therapy at Dirk's clinic. Then we went for a stroll through Cologne to check out some of the sights. I saw the huge cathedral and the shopping district. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to see a new city. That night Dirk scored us premium VIP tickets to the Bayern Leverküsen vs Valencia Champions League football/soccer game. It was pretty sweet for my first experience at a European football game. "Our" team winning made it all that much better.

Thursday: Let the day of travel begin. Cologne to London to Houston to... Marriott Houston Airport. Took an unplanned bump because of travel complications between Lisa and myself, so instead of arriving in Minneapolis on Thursday night, I would arrive lte Friday morning.

Friday: HAPPILY arrived to Minnesota and greeted by Lisa and her grandparents, we began the drive to Lisa's parent's house. I enjoyed simply sitting in the back seat and watching the fading colors and farm fields go by. We arrived at Lisa's parent's in time for a good lunch. After catching up with them a bit, we didn't know what to do. Our main mission of simply arriving had been accomplished! I decided to go play 9 holes with my father- in-law. I'm happy to say that my golf game is as average as ever, but I did take home three bucks more than I went there with!

Saturday: My first run of the off-season! I went with Lisa to a local park, and we went around the small, wooded loop they have. Lisa took it easy on me, so I wouldn't get too discouraged. I successfully plowed through about 20 minutes of running mixed into a total of 30-some minutes (Lisa's entire run). It was a lot of fun, and I wasn't even too sore afterwards or later at night.

Sunday(today): I am prepping for another shot at running and walking. Although it has only been a week since the season ended, I am a little stir crazy just to be active, and I really want to enjoy the Autumn weather! Small fact for thus Sunday: the Packers play the Vikings in MN. All I can say is that I am in the minority here! Wish me luck.