Pain in the Ass... Literally...

Have you ever pulled a muscle? Like a legitimately strained muscle that took more than a couple days to recover? I thought I had pulled muscles before... I have battled back injuries and broken bones and all sorts of strange things, but none of it compares to the pain I have felt this week. I hurt/tweaked my back/hip in Maui (who knows how... maybe the plane ride, maybe running on the beach, maybe how I slept) but I dealt with it. I stretched and walked and worked and played through the pain. I mean, it's Maui... Ain't nobody got time to be hurt while on vacation in Maui... So I made it work and had a great trip.

When I got back, I tried to find a chiropractor. I tried out one who took some x-rays and did a posture test and told me I had moderate scoliosis and he could fix me in 3 months for a measly $2000. On that note, I found a different chiropractor who I like much better and didn't require any sort of commitment. After the adjustment I felt my normal 'soreness' that most people feel after being adjusted. But again, I pushed through it. Played out at the river and played in my first indoor soccer game in years! I spent the rest of the weekend stretching, drinking water and trying to get rid of my soreness which was a different soreness than I had felt before. Finally Monday morning while doing my usual morning stretches, something just gave up. I spent the rest of the day lying face down on the floor of my bedroom because I was in too much pain to even move. When I would get up and move, the pain was overwhelming. I felt nauseated and almost as if I would pass out. Tuesday I made an appointment with my doctor for the first time since I moved up here. He told me that I had a severe strain of my gluteal muscles and prescribed me some 800mg ibuprofen and some muscle relaxers. Rest, Ice, light stretching, and meds was all he told me to do.

So here I am almost a week later. The first couple of days I pretty much laid in bed or on the couch all day long. I ate only enough to take my meds (you know... don't want to get an ulcer on top of my strained muscles) and walked only when I absolutely had to. I finally feel like I am starting to get better, but I have a feeling this is going to be something I am going to be dealing with for the rest of the summer...

In summary... I pulled my ass... I don't know how exactly it happened... Seems like a series of unfortunate events and potentially bad decisions... But I pulled my ass... And yes... It literally is a pain in the ass...

A Taste of Paradise...

Our Beach

I recently got back from my first vacation in years. To be honest, I think it was maybe my first vacation ever. I didn't know what a vacation was until now. I got the amazing opportunity to spend 10 days on a beach in Maui with some people who I have gotten to know and love over this last year. I will save you the details of how I got the invite (it has to do with family friends and brother's girlfriend's parents and it just gets to be a little confusing), but I was a part of a group of about 30 people who took over a small hotel in Napili Bay on the coast of Maui.

Double Trouble

My trip started early Wednesday morning on June 5th. My flight left at 6:30 am and flew into LAX for an hour layover before flying the 5 hours into the Maui airport. There I got picked up and driven to the hotel by Juree, Ken, and Alyssa. Once we got to the hotel and unpacked a little, we made a quick trip to the market for some snacks and "essentials" (you know... shampoo, sunscreen, booze...) to tie us over until we went to Safeway. We then spent the rest of the afternoon laying in the sun in our suits and sipping on some tasty beverages.

A typical evening

The Roomies

The rest of the days were pretty much the same. In the morning I would wake up and drink some coffee on the front porch and watch the waves. My roommates and I would get some breakfast (which consisted of fresh cut pineapple, papaya, and other fruits and cinnamon toast and scones... and of course more coffee) and occasionally go for a run or walk. By 10 am we had our spots staked out on the beach. We passed the time by chatting, tanning, napping, swimming, paddle-boarding, snorkeling, reading, snacking, and of course drinking. The weather was basically perfect. Pretty warm most of the time (mid 80's) with occasional periods of heavy rain that  "stung like a thousand needles," as one of my roommates would say. Sometime between 3 and 5 we would usually pack it up and take showers, play some soccer, wiffle-ball, or football while munching on appetizers before having dinner around 6:30/7. Each 'group' took turns making dinners each night (the 'kids' made dinner the last night... Megan and I being the oldest of the 'kids' took the lead and made chicken kabobs... it was a good night). After dinner the rest of the evenings were spent doing different sorts of things. One night we went shopping, another night we went for ice cream, but most nights we tried to catch the sunset, played on the grass until we could no longer see and then played silly camp games or sat a talked in our room until we felt like we would pass out (which was usually no later than 10pm).

Chicken Kabobs

'The Kids'

The hotel was beautiful and simple. It reminded me how important it is to just relax and not worry about a schedule or making plans. No TVs or phones in the rooms which meant my only connection to the 'real world' was my cell phone which I often left in the room most of the day. It was exactly what I needed after a long, busy first year of teaching. I loved spending time with each and every person on the trip. My roommates were two of my students who graduated this year and it was so nice to spend time with them not as their teacher but as their friend. It was definitely the best vacation I have every had and I cannot wait to go back next year.

Perfect Sunset