Enough Already!

My latest adventures the last few weeks have lead some people to state, "I don't think Alaska likes you anymore". True, this has not been my easiest year up here. But, I still love Alaska, and I hope it still loves me=) Last Saturday evening, after returning from the White Mountain ski tournament, I decided to take a spontaneous trip BACK to White Mountain with a couple friends of mine for a day..... we didn't get very far. I'm still not sure exactly what happened, as I blacked out for a minute- but I am pretty sure I just fell off the machine and slammed into another one (not moving of course). Leave it to me to hit the one stationary thing around us at that moment. This led to an even less planned spontaneous trip to Fairbanks where they medivacced me early the next morning....about 4 am. I got to experience the whole stretcher thing and everything- though I had walked right into the clinic and was able to move just fine. I also got to experience morphine- which I think they gave me way too much of. It instantly made my head fuzzy at a time when I was really trying to know what was going on around me.
The next day I spent in Fairbanks hospital...pretty much sitting around hooked up to IVs and getting pain meds I didn't ask for (except on a couple occassions)....and Nellie (Gary's sister) and her husband Brian who live in Fairbanks came to visit me. The next day I found out things were a little more serious than I first thought, and I had multiple fractures to my jaw and somewhere in my face, and was going in for oral surgery to get my mouth wired shut.
And they say- watch your weight and don't lose any. Right. Like I can stay the same weight being on a liquid diet. I will gain it back when I go to Fairbanks May 1st to get my jaw unwired and I can eat anything I want. No thought about calorie intake then- I will be full out gorging myself! And I look forward to it!
I feel pretty lucky nothing irreparrable happened- lost a few teeth- which will be a pain to get fixed- but I can. All in all, in another 2 months I should be back to normal- added a scar to my chin. At least in the meantime I can walk around while I recover, or I would be a bit unbearable.
So- will I "take it easy"? Of course- do not worry! I guess this means I will be a walking elementary ski coach, and my skiing is done early in the season, and I guess I won't be sledding as planned....however- no fear! I have already decided that snowshoeing won't do too much harm- and I have been wanting to get out and do that anyway. Also....ice fishing.....and finishing my parkie- and maybe having enough time to finish a painting I started.....
I am hoping to be back in my classroom next week- but I can't talk too loud, so I may need someone to help me be a voice.....hopefully it will work out.
Still need to update about the ski tournament and Iditarod- will get around to that soon!

I actually look better in these pictures than I do at the moment, as my face just continued to swell and my eye turned black, but it will go back down. I did get stitches in my chin and lip.
I won't show the really good pictures of my teeth here, as I don't want to freak my Mom out....but imagine what a B rated Zombie movie is like! I have a metal brace holding them in now until they aren't so loose....what is a little more metal in my mouth at this point?