Back on the Horse
Anyone who knows my husband knows that he’s a “get back on the horse” kind of guy. True to form, Dust had a “get back on the horse” kind of week.
I think the Ham Shoot left him with a little more confidence. He’s been standing a little taller, that’s for sure! Before the Ham Shoot, he didn’t really want to get out and about as much. I think he wanted to wait until after his next surgery to get back into things.
This is a guy who HAS to go to the gym on THE DAY we have a baby! He just can’t stand to not be busy! He has to be going, going, going all the time. The pace of things since the accident has been good for his healing, but boy has it been driving him nutso!
So this last week, he went to work! Well, kind of. He drove around with his boss/friend to a few job sites, saw a few guys, and went into the office for a little bit! The Greens are just such great guys with great big hearts.
We went to church for the first time since the accident! It felt so good to get back! It was so fun to see so many of our friends from our ward.
Dust turned Coley's bed into a toddler bed. We were hoping to keep him in a crib forever, BUT when Daddy was unable to lift more than 10 lbs, Daddy decided to be independent (also very true to form) and get Cole out of his crib himself.
My mom came down the stairs to hear Dust, "Ok, Cole. You're gonna have to help me out a little bit. Swing your leg up here. Swing the other one over too. And hop out. High five! We did it!"
Noooooooooooooo!!!! That was the end of bed time as we knew it.
He even practiced a little driving! And did really well!!!
And for the biggest “get back on the horse” moment of the week… Dust went hunting!!! On a Ranger!!! With a seatbelt, of course!
I was a little nervous before he left. For obvious reasons! But mostly I was nervous, because hunting is something Dustin absolutely loves to do. Most things, whether he loves to do them or not, have proven to be pretty frustrating for Dust since the accident.
It felt just like normal life again to hear him talk his dad into joining him and his cousin Jon; to see him pack his hunting gear and prepare his stuff for the next day. I even loved hearing his alarm at 5:30 am!
There is no cell service on the mountain they hunt on. That’s what they tell the women-folk anyway. Either way, we have to wait until they are heading home to hear from them.
My phone rang at about noon and I immediately knew that I was in trouble. This hunting habit just turned a little bit more dangerous now that I am on board. Anything that makes him sound that happy is something I approve of. Don’t quote me on that. I may decide to erase all evidence of this at some point in the future.
Dust’s vision is still a little blurry (mostly because of the ointment we have to put on his eyes), but he could see really clearly through the binoculars and the scope of a gun. He will have to make a little change and shoot left handed, but I’m confident he’ll adapt quickly.
They saw tons of animals and had a blast. And I breathed a sigh of relief that things went so well!!!
What makes him happy makes me so very happy!
Oh, I just love this man and his gumption! I am so proud of him – who he is and what he does.
I was reading in his work journal when he was in the hospital the first time and two of the quotes he had written couldn’t be any more fitting for who this great man is:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit. Our character basically is a composite of our habits. Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.”
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the awareness that something else is more important.”
I know I promised Ham Shoot photos, but we are getting a little slideshow together. But here's a sneak peak!
In other great news, the feeding tube is out! Can I hear another HALLELUJAH!?
Dust wanted me to be sure to include a little something on here about all the news attention we have received over the last few months. We are so happy to be able to share our story with so many people. That being said, we definitely are not seeking out the media. Each time someone from the news calls us, we try to figure out some way to get out of it! “We are going to see the Christmas lights with our family…” “Oh, that’ll be so perfect! Can we come interview you there?” Ha ha. “Sure.”
We reluctantly decide to share our story with them. We know that it is an important message to share. We feel so blessed to have been given all that we have been given and we have promised our Heavenly Father that we will testify of Him and His power when called upon to do so.
That is not an invitation to call us to do so. Ha ha.