Breaking The Silence...........

It's been very quite on my blog!  Too quite!  Well...... I know I mentioned an adventure race in my last post, that I was supposed to do but that never happened!  A week before the race, on father's day, second last week of school, my 12 year old son, Clayton, was involved in an accident.  Without going into details, we are very lucky that he is still with us!  With the help of a guardian angel and the quick and calm thinking of his older brother, Nelson (who saved his life!), Clayton's injuries pale in comparison to what could have been.  He was rushed to Children's Hospital in London, where he underwent surgery on his arm.  He suffered an open and compound fracture to his humerus.  It was pretty shattered and he lost two small pieces of bone.  A titanium (sweet!) rod was put in and a couple of pins to hold things together.  He also chipped his Tibia (shin bone), broke his collar bone, and bruised his lungs.  Although he still doesn't have all his movement back in his hand (due to nerve damage), the doctors are optimistic that he will make a full recovery.  We celebrate every bit of progress.  He is determined, incredibly strong, and so positive!!  We can all learn something from his amazing spirit!!  What a way to kick off summer!!  ;)

(X-ray post surgery and home coming after a week in the hospital!)

Although I tried not to let the accident consume me by the "what if's", the recovery process is a reminder of how grateful I am and how awesome and valuable life is!

We spent time at the beach, looking for beach glass and enjoying small pleasures that we knew Clayton could take part in.  My daughter had a very busy travel soccer schedule so it was awesome she could join us!  I'll take whatever time I can get!

(Beach time!  We used rubber exercise bands (so Clayton could go in the water) to support his arm while the clavicle was healing and keep his arm somewhat stable!  It worked!)

July flew by!  No racing and no trail time.  Crazy!!  I was still pedaling but it was to commute back and forth to work.

August was a little more exciting!  We spent a few days at Boyne Mountain.  Trail finally!!  I was able to get out for a few MTB rides.  Wow..... I miss that place!!  So much fun!  We also went kayaking, rafting/tubing and boating on Torch Lake (beautiful!).  It was a great mini vacation!

(New adventures!!)

(Morning and evening rides.  All just minutes away from the front porch steps!!)

At the end of August, I celebrated my 40th birthday!!  It was pretty low key but non-the-less I welcomed the new decade!

(Time flies!!)

(Caught in action...... Clayton got out for a bike ride! Shhhh.... mom made sure he was safe!!)

Summer went by so fast!  I missed out on some of my favourite races.  I miss the people, friends, the race excitement (minus the nerves!), and the atmosphere!  No races, no training...... (at least not for 2014!)

I hope to get out often for trail rides over the next couple of months.

I crave the freedom, the flow, the challenge, the effort, the sound, and the feeling of trail!

Hope to see you all out there soon!!

Cheers,

Sue