Becky Rolls: Week 1

On Thursday, Becky went in for surgery to have her foot operated on. She's had a lot of pain in both feet which doesn't lend well to walking and being on her feet all day as a teacher. She finally went to see a podiatrist and we scheduled the surgery for this summer. It was originally supposed to be for earlier this month, but because of overscheduling at the hospital, and since this wasn't a life critical procedure, she got bumped (and with no free round-trip tickets, either!). She needs surgery on both feet, but we opted to go with her right foot now that its summer and she doesn't need to drive as much. She'll have the other foot done some time before the end of the year.

She had a bunion removed, a titanium screw put in to hold her toe in better alignment, a bone spur scraped from the top of her foot, and the tendon released in her little toe to release the hammer toe. The surgery went well and without any complications besides the regular pain you would expect from such an operation. She has a hard time walking around, and has a difficult time with the crutches, but manages quite well scooting around on a wheeled office chair we had at the computer desk. (I won't tell you how she gets up and down the stairs.) ;)

She was a little disappointed this week when she found out that the State Peruvian Festival would be held here in our town at the local park. (Apparently there is a high concentration of Peruvian immigrants in our city.) Since she would have a difficult time navigating the crowds or using crutches, I rented a wheelchair for her and took her over for most of this afternoon. The festival was supposed to go from 10-4, so when we got there at noon, we assumed it would be in full swing. True to the laid back Latin nature, they were still setting up. We went around to some of the vendors, who were selling some native crafts (imported from China I believe) and purchased an authentic Peruvian nativity box to add to our collection. We got some Papas Huancainas which are potatoes covered in a spicy cheese sauce and garnished with hard-boiled egg and olives. It looked a bit unappetizing, but was actually pretty tasty, although it was a little too much for Becky's upset stomach. (She's had a really hard time with the Lortab pain killers which causes her to get sick to her stomach. The Dr. changed her prescription today to Percoset, and she seems to be doing much better---but a little bit more groggy.) We also shared an Inca Cola, which tasted so good on such a hot day. It reminded me a lot of Guarana' from Brazil.


The festival entertainment which was supposed to start early, was rescheduled to start at 2 pm, and didn't actually start until 3:30 pm. When it finally did start, the BYU folk dancers performed some Peruvian folk dances in full native costume. Becky was in absolute Heaven and it made me happy to see her enjoying it so much. I think she was getting a bit tired of being stuck on the couch at home and it felt good to get outside. It was a hot day, but comfortable in the shade with a nice breeze for most of the afternoon. Using the wheelchair today gave me a new respect for ADA guidelines. It was incredibly cumbersome trying to navigate around and finding a route to get her there. Even simple uneven joints in the sidewalks created real obstacles to get around.

Here are some of the BYU dancers. I asked Becky if these costumes would pass the BYU Honor Code?

On the 24th of July we stayed home and helped Becky through the day after surgery. We grilled some hamburgers and I thought it would be fun to try Juicy Lucy's. My sister Shari just returned from Minneapolis where my nephew Cam and his wife Cecia recently moved and Shari raved about the Juicy Lucy's there. It piqued my curiousity, so I looked them up and found out they are a double patty hamburger but with american cheese sealed in the pocket between the patties before cooking. They lived up to their name! They were very juicy...and I have to admit they were some of the best burgers I've grilled! (Except Anna preferred a hot dog, Sara thought they were way too much meat, and Becky didn't feel like eating with an upset stomach.) Daniel and I enjoyed them.