Fast Forward - Part 1

I'm fully aware of the fact that I may be the worst blog poster ever but my intentions are good. I didn't update my blog while I was on vacation because, well, I was on vacation. I'm sure everyone understands. But to fill everyone in, I'll give a brief synopsis of my time off up until New Years:

- I took Kara on her first backpacking trip and it was AWESOME! We were in the Weminuche Wilderness in southwestern Colorado near Durango. We were in the woods for 5 days and 4 nights and hiked around 25 miles. Check the Picasa Photostream link for pictures of our adventure.

- We also went camping in Rocky Mountain National Park for a few days and hiked, fished, and watched the elk chase each other around.

- After 19 years, my dad drew an extra special elk tag for a unit in northwestern Colorado. I tagged along with my dad and our friend Les. Kara even joined us for a few days. The trip was unbelievable, we saw a ton of wildlife, hiked all over in amazing country, and enjoyed the best of Colorado's beautiful fall weather. Best of all, the elk were in the peak of the rut (breeding season) and the bulls were bugling and fighting like crazy all week. My dad was able to fill his tag on the 7th day of the season with a nice bull. Again, check the Photostream for images.

- I saw a hand and wrist specialist and decided to have surgery to correct an issue that's been giving me pain while throwing for several years. The surgeon, Dr. Karl Larsen, moved one of my thumb tendons and shaved down part of my radius. I was bummed that I needed the surgery but very hopeful that I wouldn't be limited as much by wrist pain in the upcoming season.

- I made the drive from Colorado Springs to LaCenter, Washington to meet up with Kara so we could road trip all the way back to San Diego. We went all the way down the Oregon coast, stopping along the way for fresh seafood (my favorite). We spent a little time in Redwood National Park, visited one of my friends in Reno, and drove down to San Diego along the eastern side of the Sierras.

- I spent Thanksgiving with Kara and her parents in Honolulu. It was incredible! We were in the water every day, went hiking, boating, paddleboarding, snorkeling, sightseeing, etc. It was great spending some time with Kara's folks. They're usually really busy when I visit them in Washington. I can't wait to go back someday and maybe visit some of the other islands!

- Even after a few months off, my groin and lower abs were still causing me pain. After seeing a few more docs, I decided to have surgery to repair what's referred to as a sports hernia. As opposed to a regular hernia, which is a tear in the abdominal wall itself, a sports hernia is a blanket term for a chronic strain or tear in the ab muscles or surrounding fascia. There are apparently a few ways to fix this and I opted for the laproscopic option (smaller incisions, less invasive). I had the procedure done in LA by Dr. Craig Smith. He put two layers of Mylar mesh in behind the muscles in my lower abdominal region. The idea is that the mesh is absorbed into the muscles and the scarring cures it in place and strengthens the area, much like re-bar in concrete (as it was explained to me). The first few days were awful and the first few weeks only a bit better but by the time I returned to San Diego from the holiday break, I was able to start working out again.

- For the holiday break, Kara and I went first to Alabama to visit my grandparents (my dad came down too) and then to Colorado to see my mom. While in Alabama, we fished (big surprise there), ate delicious food, and relaxed. Kara didn't even suffer an attack from a wild animal this year (last year it was a sting ray). As usual, Colorado was a blast. We played a ton of card games as well as a game called Bananagrams. It's sort of like Scrabble but way more fun. I even got to reconnect with some family members I hadn't seen in several years. Of course we also had to squeeze in an ice fishing trip (my favorite winter past-time).