I'm just past ten months in to this new life of nerve damage and muscle spasms. I still have lots of moments through the day when I forget I'm paralyzed, and part of me hopes I'll never get used to it as I continue to recover. I'm still way too early in this process to settle in to a routine. And yet, part of life demands it. I have to take my medication at each of my six alarms; I have to get out of bed each morning; I have to teach my class every day. Well, I get to. I have the privilege of each of those routines. I also have the privilege of a few less regular activities. I get to have conversations with students about the Holy Spirit; I get to read my friend's grad school application; I get to make Indian food in my kitchen with a British guy and a Swiss woman who drove across an international border to see me (full disclosure: it was like a half hour drive but sounds more impressive when I mention they went to a different country). Jo and Lydia came to visit last week, and their company reminded me that I'm so blessed in this recovery. I have an incredible support system that has lasted ten months with no signs of weakness. There is still a lot of recovery left, and I'm grateful for all of you still encouraging me - sending me emails and leaving comments - almost a year after this life changing event. Another routine I have is medical check ups. I have a routine appointment with my urologist next week, and I'm hopeful for some signs of improvement to come in that department. I'd be really grateful if you'd join with me in the prayers for this particular routine that is the most complicated and difficult to adjust to.

My last update was a bit of a downer, and I try to be honest about my emotions on this blog. Honestly, I'm so blessed in my life. I really do feel overwhelmed with insurance and physically uncomfortable due to muscle spasms and stiffness, but that's not my whole life. I don't want you to think my life is all roses and chocolate chips (particularly because this country does not have chocolate chips), but I want you to know that those difficulties I face are not the end game. [...]

There is a lot of personal information about me on the internet, and I don't really feel like I have a lot to hide, but I still try to have some sense of decency and decorum when posting updates here. I've hit a huge snag in the insurance part of my recovery process though, and I hope you'll have the grace to let me keep quiet all the dirty (or in this case sterile and disinfected) details and be satisfied just to hear that my insurance is wanting me to pay for necessary medical equipment that totals hundreds of dollars a month. These are far from luxury items, and it's not a matter of choosing not to use them. They are absolutely necessary. Every day. Multiple times a day.[...]

Hippos are my favorite animal. My little Ellie back in the States drew me a picture of one which hung in my room and was one of the few drawings I brought with me to Germany; she also always remembers to take pictures of the hippos at the zoo when she visits so she can show them to me. One Christmas season, I sang "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" too many times and my parents decided to inundate me with Christmas hippos (perhaps so I'd never sing the song again...). I honestly can't tell you where my delight with hippos came from, but I'm even more delighted with words and their origins. [...]

I just submitted the last late assignment for my first quarter grades, and it's a little disheartening when your Bible students submit work copied off the internet for their quarter project, but it gave me reason to think about my own recovery. I had a super intelligent student realize that he'd slacked off too much in my class the last week of the quarter and had a D when he should have had an A. In an attempt to boost his score just a tiny bit, he handed in the quarter project a week late and barely half completed. The assignment wasn't remotely what it should have been, and a simple Google search produced a paragraph he'd quickly copied down hoping to get points for - unfortunately for him the paragraph didn't even fit the requirements for this project. [...]