Series of Unfortunate Events

Mark and I realize we aren't getting any younger...and Mark has definitely been reminded of that lately!!  He is 31, which is by no means old, but since he turned 30, he started having a series of unfortunate events.  We thought he might have just had a bad year at 30, but it seems to be continuing into his 31st year.  I really really hope this ends soon!!!  I thought it was just bad luck, and I hope it doesn't mean my husband is falling apart!

Warning...some of the pictures below are a little graphic...nothing that is too bad, but if you don't like scars, stop reading :)

First was Mark's achilles...he was playing basketball one Sunday night like usual, but he faked a shot and pushed off.  He heard a pop and thought he blew out the bottom of his shoe.  Once he took the next step, he knew it wasn't his shoe!!  He had torn his achilles tendon.  Surgery #1

Next was his hernia.  The doctor thinks that being on his crutches for his achilles tendon made him develop a hernia, but the men in his family are prone to have hernias, so I guess it was a combination of both.  I don't have a picture of it, but that was Surgery #2!

After a while Mark started noticing a black dot on his nose.  He thought it was a black head, but it really looked like someone stabbed him in the nose with a pencil!  He let it go for a while, but finally decided to go to the doctor.  The local doctor cut it out and sent it off, but we weren't too worried.  We later found out that it was a basal cell carcinoma.  Luckily, it is the "best" skin cancer to have...I guess?  The problem was that his surgery was a week before I was due to have Boyd!  He didn't want to have a big bandage on for all of those pictures, and luckily he got the bandage off on a Wednesday and I had Boyd on that Saturday. Surgery #3

Well...some good news in the midst of all of this....WE HAD BOYD!  He is an amazing dad!! This is an old picture, but look at the proud papa!!  You can hardly see the red spot on his nose :)

Ok...so we're not finished.  That would be a good Happily Ever After, but apparently Mark wants to continue getting hurt!  He was out trimming tree limbs with his dad one weekend (a weekend that I was off work and we had an entire day in Springfield planned).  He came home and showed me a picture of someone's knee cut open.  I didn't think it was him because he walked in just fine and didn't say anything.  I thought it was his dad, but then I noticed the boxer shorts in the picture and realized it was HIM!!  He cut his knee open with a chainsaw!!!

He said he didn't want to call me because he would have scared me, so he decided to wait until he got home.  Well, he probably shouldn't have gone all over Springfield on his knee, but I had this day planned for a while, so we suffered through it.  He really didn't have surgery this time, but as soon as he cut his knee, he said "Oh dad...I need some stitches."  He hopped the fence, went straight into the clinic, up on a table, and his dad sewed up his knee :)

His scar is worse than if he had gone to the hospital to have it sewed up, but this was faster and much cheaper...and his dad does good work! Surgery (kind of) #4

The most recent event came a few Saturdays ago while Mark was at work.  He was working cattle, and was standing on top of the tub (basically on top of bars trying to make cattle do what he wants them to do).  I wasn't there, but he described his fall as "I fell off the tub, but my foot decided to stay."  He twisted his knee to the inside and did something to his MCL.  At the time, he thought he tore it, and he was limping for days, but his ortho surgeon (that he has gotten to know pretty well lately) said it was just a bad sprain.  So...no surgery this time!!  We'll just call this one Injury #5.

I am on Spring Break, and Mark is off this Friday.  His dad asked him earlier this week what his plans were for Friday.  I know he asks because he needs help with something, so I waited to hear what he had in store for him.  As soon as I heard "trimming trees" I told Mark he was out!!!  I can't take another injury right now... :)

I realize that none of Mark's injuries are life-threatening and that most of them are not even too serious.  I always worry about him, though, and I never want him to hurt.  I hear stories about life-threatening illness and injuries, and I thank God that his have been so minor (he might not think they're minor...but....)  We are very blessed to have our health, and he is blessed to have a job (even if he gets hurt at work!)  We are also blessed with a healthy, precious baby...one that has changed our lives!!  I thank the Lord every day for these blessings, but I also pray that he keeps us healthy.  I know He will never give us more than we can handle with His help :)