This Is Only Once In A Life Time.

We have to go back to the Friday before we began our trip to Disneyland. Why? Didn't you read it? We have to. Because I said so. Because it involves my thumb. My poor poor thumb. I went in for a Cortisone shot for the trigger finger. The surgeon gave me 2 options and expected me to choose one. NOW! The first was the Cortisone shot. Duh. Isn't that why I'm here?! But he said that because of my diabetes it may not work. So I may be in for the second option pretty quickly. The second option was this..."Surgery". He would go into my thumb with a needle and with that needle, cut the casing around the tendon to loosen it so the triggering would stop. Um. I opted for the shot. He said it's cheaper anyway and then if it doesn't help I needed to just come back and get the "surgery" done.

So he got the needle with the Cortisone and the big bandage and the cup with the alcohol and swipes in it. He dowsed my thumb with alcohol and then asked if I was ready. I asked if it would hurt. He stopped. Then he said it would sting. So I looked away and he shot me. Now at first it was just a sting. But that was just the initial sting of the needle going in. When he pushed that Cortisone in it quite literally felt like bubbles and rocks going up my thumb. Yup. Bubbles and rocks. I yelped and bit my lip and tried not to cry. The yelping brought out the dad in the surgeon. He tried to soothe me. Then he took the needle out and stuck the big bandage on it to stop the bleeding then said it would be numb for a while. I said I was going to Disneyland the next day and he said it wouldn't be numb that long.

So I left and began all the stuff I had planned that day so we would be ready to leave early the following morning. Have you ever pondered the importance of opposable thumbs? No? I have. Many times over. I have dropped things enough to know just how necessary they are. We are quite amazing creatures if you think about it. Oh, plus we can drive and cook and stuff. Way better to have opposable thumbs and be able to drive, etc, etc. Could you imagine being an elephant and the calluses on your hands? And no opposable thumbs to open a bag of chips. Amazing! I don't know how elephants do it.

As the numbness wore off I could feel the tenderness where he shot me. It was tender through the weekend. And my joint was still not bending. So I figured I'd just make the appointment for the "surgery" when we got home again. BUT!! And that's a big but! The pain and tenderness AND unbendableness was gone by Sunday. It still triggers a little but it doesn't cause excruciating pain! YAY! And as the week went on the triggering got better and more subtle. It still does it sometimes, but no pain and I don't drop stuff.

So Saturday morning began early. We needed to be to Daniel's folks' house by 7 am to meet everyone to start driving out. We chose the speed we would go and got on our way. Our mantra for the whole trip was "Once In A Life Time!" We won't ever come back so enjoy it and don't whine. The trip out was long and boring but the kids stayed busy with movies and their DS games. Daniel even surprised the kids with a couple of new DS games. We got into Anaheim while it was still light out, got checked into our hotel and were amazed we were actually there!

That night we all went to dinner at Denny's and then hit the sack. On Sunday morning we went to a nearby ward's 11 am Sacrament Meeting. You could tell this was normal for them because the man who gave the opening prayer prayed that all the visitors would enjoy their vacations and be safe and travel home safely, etc, etc. When they did ward business, they called a new Cub leader and said that with only 1 Cub Scout in the ward, they would be combining with Anaheim 2nd ward's 3 Cub Scouts to have a terrific program. Daniel and I just glanced at each other. At one time Alison and I had 17 boys in our Wolf Den. And that's only the 8 year olds!! After Sacrament Meeting, everyone else in our group decided to stay for the rest of the meetings and we decided to leave. Yes. That's just how it went. But we got to the car and began driving away and Daniel asked one of the kids about the hotel key card. That began a frantic search for the only key card we had brought to church with us. We went back to the church and searched the parking lot, the car, the halls and the chapel. No hotel key card. I calmly told the children they would have to stay in their Sunday clothes the rest of the trip and we would have to beg for food and since our tickets were in the safe in the room to which we had no key, we wouldn't be going to Disneyland. They were sad for about 2 seconds. They know me too well. And don't worry. This won't be the last lost key card. We lost a few key cards this trip. We got a new card and got changed and then went to walk around town. The kids loved this tree for some reason. So this is our first picture of our trip...
And Isaac...

While the rest of our family went to see the LA temple, we went to the hotel pool and took naps and stuff. Because we couldn't stand another moment in the car. But we were rested and ready to go on Monday morning. The plan was to meet at grandma and grandpa's room at 8:30 and head to Disneyland. To see this guy....

Now I will just tell you this just once. This thread of blogging is so my family has a record of our trip to Disneyland. It isn't necessarily for your entertainment. Although I think I can guarantee a few entertaining moments. But if you find it boring or anything similar, just remember, you've been warned. We only got one day's worth of pictures but I've got many days of story to tell. So stick with me. Or don't.