Last week got off to a pretty rough start. Being the clumsy fool that I am, I slipped walking around my house. I caught my balance with my injured side, causing more soreness in and around my ankle. I immediately got ice and propped up my foot. At physical therapy the following afternoon, my ankle felt tired. Luckily, my ankle loosened up and started feeling better when I started moving! My therapist did a lot of manual work on my ankle at the end of the session, so I was much improved when I left.

The next day, I woke up early to go to work. The shop owner gave me some seated jobs, so I didn’t overuse my ankle. Even though I wasn’t on my feet the whole time, I was tired by the time my 6-hour shift ended. I had no time to rest, because I went straight across the street to meet my roommate from the ship at Starbucks! She had gotten home 5 days before and was about to leave for a vacation with her boyfriend. After a month apart, we had a lot to catch up on! We ended up grabbing a bite to eat at Naan Sushi so we could keep talking. I ordered edamame, miso soup, and a spicy small plate of ceviche. It was bittersweet hearing what I’d missed on the ship. Although I know it was good for me to go home to recover from my injury, I hated missing the last month with my cast and friends onboard. I suddenly got really exhausted, so after nearly three hours together, we said goodbye. I’m so happy she lives nearby, and am looking forward to meeting up again after Thanksgiving.

View from my spot on the couch

Wednesday I took my time getting moving. I bummed around all morning, sipping coffee, taking a bath, and reading. Mom picked me up after her workout and we grabbed a quick lunch at Celebrity Bakery. I had the Cranberry Chicken Salad Plate, and particularly enjoyed the pumpkin mini muffin on the side. Almost immediately after, I headed to physical therapy. My ankle felt stiff, but, like Monday, loosened up during the session. I took a long shower afterwards, and took the time to style my hair for only the second time since I came home. I met my best friend for dinner at Del Frisco’s Grille. She is also struggling with an injury, so we were able to sympathize with each other. We had a great meal and good conversation, but ended the night early.

Thursday morning I woke up extra early to go to the chiropractor. I first saw this chiropractor over five years ago to help with some lower back pain. I’ve seen him periodically since then, and was surprised when he said I was possibly in the best shape he’s seen. He said I was not as tight as usual, and was pretty balanced, considering I’d been in a boot. He still worked on loosening my calf and my right leg, which has had to work up to 3 times more to support my injured left side. Feeling refreshed, I drove to the boutique for work. It was the first of three days of a jewelry trunk show, so there was a lot of traffic in the shop. The jeweler and some of the regular customers are really funny, so I was laughing throughout the day. Just before leaving, I modeled a sweater for a customer, so she could see if it would fit her daughters. I left before she checked out, but I hope my modeling helped make a sale!

I drove straight from the shop to a dance studio in Southlake. I am going to sub for some classes after Thanksgiving, and my friend invited me to watch her teach so I could get a better idea of the levels of the students. I haven’t been in a proper dance studio in months, so it was fun to be there! I’m looking forward to teaching, but even more than that, I’m looking forward to dancing again. Hopefully I can start in 2 weeks. In addition to seeing my friend, I saw one of my old ballet teachers. She was always supportive of my dreams to dance professionally, so giving her a hug and a quick update was really nice. I’m excited to see her more at the studio.

Earlier in the week, I decided I was overdue for a massage. Mom and Dad were as well, so I made three appointments for Friday at Elixir Salon and Day Maker. We arrived early, so I had time to flip through a Luxury Homes magazine before being taken to “the cabana room”. Each room has a theme, and it seemed fitting that mine was a cabana. The beach mural on the wall took me back to the Caribbean. My massage was fantastic. I didn’t want to stand up when it was over! Unfortunately, we had to hurry to find lunch before I went to physical therapy. We stopped at Zoe’s Kitchen for salads, and then I went to my session.

Bosu squats

I tackled a new exercise on Friday. I had to do 20 squats while balancing on a Bosu ball. It took me a few attempts before my achilles tendon loosened enough to do a full squat, but I felt quite proud when I finally got the hang of it! Some of the next exercises felt easier than usual because my achilles had stretched out. The session ended with some manual work and 10 minutes on ice. I felt like I had hit a plateau earlier in the week, so I was relieved to have pushed to a new level. Since then, my ankle has continued feeling stronger and more “normal”. I have a long way to go before I am fully recovered and dancing again, but I’m getting better every day!