Soccer-Through thick and thin

I'm a soccer player. Have been for forever. It's my life. It's my defining feature. I'd say, to know me, is to know soccer. My first injury came during my freshman year at the University of Tennessee @ Martin. It was season ending. Tore two ligaments in my left ankle. It was a dumb injury. Conference finals and I decide to do a kick-ass move~~The Rainbow~~during warm-ups. It was 8 am, the grass at Eastern Illinois was freshly cut, the morning dew made the ball glide accross the grass. Local/Regional media were there, our player passes stuffed in our bags, it felt like the big-times, I suppose. I was pumped, jittery, couldn't sit still...PUMPED. The cast and crutches lasted about two months. Fun.

After I moved home from school, I began playing back with my traveling select team. We'd win the Missouri State Cup and travel to Regionals (Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio...) year after year to compete with the areas best. Back in my hometown, I joined a local club that houses both competitive (woman's league) and non-competitive (coed league) teams. I played both, at the same time. Other than a few concussions here and there, some nasty blisters and rolled ankles, I hadn't been sidelined since college.

That lasted maybe six years, until a gorgeous spring night in April of 2007 when I collided hard-core with my own keeper. Apparently, he never saw me defending the opposite team's player and came out of his box to attack the ball, all the while ripping my left leg in half. Or at least that how it felt! That collision landed me in the emergency room, with nothing but a pain pill. So I called my sister to get her orthopedic surgeon's number to dissect exactly what had happened. I suffered a Triad Tear. Awesome. Tore my ACL, MCL, and Meniscus. (My sister too suffered a torn ACL just six months prior--and would you believe her surgeon told her that statistically, if she had any siblings that, too, played ball, they now had a 25% higher chance of suffering the same injury) Might have been helpful had she told me this prior to my accident. :) I guess we proved that stat to be true!! Did people/parents ask me to quit playing? To save my body, for, I'm only 26? Yes! Did I consider retiring? Ever? Nope. So three months of rehab, surgery, and another four months of rehab and I'm back on the pitch.

Been about two years now of consistent playing and nothing has seriously caused me to miss the action. My favorite time of soccer season....Tournament time!! It has now arrived and I am unable to to participate due to the bun in my oven. I will say it's a different felling being sidelined for pregnancy, than being sidelined due to injury. One is so damn obvious...hello cast, braces, crutches, limping, etc. And the other, right now, is just fact. No other factors, no big belly, no pain, just the fact that I know I can't get out there and risk any sort of injury to belly or body at this time.

The comforting and exciting thing I am looking forward to, though, is having my husband, or parent's bringing my child to my games. I love the idea that I will still be playing as a parent. Probably coaching again, (which is another caveat of my soccer career), and sharing the indescribable joy of the game with my family.

So, this weekend, while my favorite of the 3 major indoor tournaments in St. Louis is in full force as I speak, I sit back, cheer on my sister and count down the months until I am back! Look Out!!

Here are a few soccer injury photos of myself and one of my sister....and Yes!!! The game is worth the pain!!

A Rolled Ankle

Some nasty blisters...but we won!!

Dear Surgery



Recovery!

Sissy's Recovery

A Baby and A Beer

Okay, to touch base and get ya'll up to speed, Yes, we are expecting our first child in July of 2010. We have decided to be surprised by the sex of the baby and even though I can find out at my next appointment, I'm going to tell the technician NO! We didn't set out to get pregnant, be we definitely didn't try to NOT get pregnant. After the wedding we mutually chose to let things take their course. 4 months of that and BOOM! Time to gear up for our own family!! We are super excited and we were from the get-go, but I must admit, the fun quickly subsided with the 24/7 feeling of nauseousness, monster-knockers that were sore as could be, and not seeing the light of day after 7pm. I mean...Holy Hell.

But that was then.

I am 16 weeks along, and from everything the doctors can tell me~mama and baby are doing perfect and I'm feeling great!! Lots more energy, reading tons of fun prep books, purchasing some maternity clothes here and there..(although non fit yet)--it's all so fun-feeling again. Sharing stories with my mom, hearing her experiences, and those of close friends, too. It's all coming together and I'm trying to take everything in stride, not getting overwhelmed and enjoying each step as it comes.

But I won't lie and tell you I'm patient. Never was, Never will be.

This pregnancy thing is fun and all, but I want to meet my baby, hold my baby, hug my baby, feed my baby, talk to my baby....

I really just want a baby and a beer. Now.

Please.

Guest Blog #1 "A Blog About a Blog"

Hi Guys!! Kelli again~okay it's guest blogger time! I'd like to say that every Wednesday is going to be our "guest-blogger' day, but I can not commit to that. Please forgive. So, without further ado, here's my hubby, Patrick.

A Blog About a Blog

For my first blog, I would like to issue a warning to whoever may read this. (Not that I expect anyone to). Please don't take anything I write serious because if you know me, I am rarely serious and I am not taking the blog too seriously, seriously. I am not going to intentionally, (I said intentionally) hurt feelings, insult, offend or demean anybody. I will occasionally use words that I may not know the meaning of, and may not fit into what I'm talking about. In all realization, the two people that read this, including my wife and I, are not going to find this entertaining in the least bit.

So, moving on, the reason I agreed to do this is because my wife Kelly, (I changed the spelling of her name to hide her identity from stalkers that I read about who frequent these blogs, myface or spacebook, or whatever the shit it is-but I will get to that some other time) repeatedly asked me if I wanted to be a guest poster during a football game, so eventually I agreed because I have never written a post or been on a poster. So there you have it, first blog complete.

P.S. I think blogging is stupid, no offense.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Had an extra-large slice of Drama Pie this afternoon.

Sooooo

-When the dog bites

-When the bee stings

-When I'm feeling saaaad

-I just simply remember

-My favooorite thingsssss

And then I don't feel so baaaaaad.

Introduction to the blog world

Welcome to our blog: Watching the River Run.

We are newlyweds who lead super-active, family & friend-filled lives. Kelli is a 28 year young Leo, and Patrick is a 31 year old Sagittarius. Catch that? Ha! We reside in eastern Missouri, suburbia life of St. Louis. I, Kelli, chose this blog name from the song, "Watching the River Run" from one of my favorite bands, 'Loggins and Messina'. If you research the lyrics, you may find that you have your own take on the meaning, which to me is what makes music amazing art. Watching my parents listen to this song-namely my mom, and watching her fill up with tears EVERY.TIME she hears it, I know that her and I find this song to relate the River, to life. Watching the river run~~watching the days, years, and life go on, the happy times, the sad times, and all the times in between. Growing older, becoming wiser, and accepting the fact that life won't slow down, you've got only one to live....so live it!


Thankfully, our parents raised us on some damn good music from the good ol' days, and I'm glad to say that genre (60's and 70's) is the majority of the music that my husband and I listen to. (Don't get me wrong, I can still boogie to some pop/house music) But be it Classic Rock, Folk, Country (old country), Rock n' Roll, Blues, R & B, Bluegrass, or even some bubble-gum music...we plan to keep the good vibes rollin' with our children. ~~Speaking of which, our first-born is due July, 14th 2010~~

I've toyed with the idea of starting a blog for awhile now, watching friends document their lives through words, pictures, or the occasional video~but I've just sat back and watched. It took some convincing, but I've been able to secure my husband Patrick as a "guest-blogger" once a week! I hope you find him as funny, smart, clever and articulate as I do.

So! Welcome to our River.