Starting our marriage on the right foot

I must--absolutely must--begin this post by declaring to the world how amazingly happy I am to be married to Erin! As I was sure to share with her earlier that day in a recorded message, regardless of anything else that might happen that day, the most important thing is that we would pledge our lives to each other. We did!

Also for the record, we had a beautiful wedding day! Erin was stunning, the day was beautiful, love and happiness were all around--it was grand! Yes, there was an injury. All things considered, though, it was a small mishap in a glorious day.

The accident: we were having a photo shoot at Stony Creek Metropark between the ceremony and the reception. Our first location was the old Sheldon Estates in the park. We decided to take a picture with Erin and me on top of a stone table that resides on the property (you can see it if you follow the link above). We did note that the table was cracked, and we did test it...at least on one side. After the photo, Erin dismounted safely. As I stepped down--mostly ignoring the offers of assistance from other members of the wedding party--the table fell apart and half of it landed on the side of my foot.

For sanity sake, I won't recount all of the details from there. Suffice it to say that I tried to persevere, but everyone else realized that I was in shock and needed medical attention. Erin rode with me in the back of a mini-van (sprawled out on the cargo floor in the back) to the nearest emergency room. That is when we discovered the secret key to crazy-super-speedy fast attention in an ER: a wedding dress. The staff at Crittendon Hospital were fantastic and had us out of there really quickly. Initial diagnosis was a sprain, so I left on crutches with an Ace bandage and splint (air cast).

We were late for dinner, but we still enjoyed our reception! Some would say that the crutches actually improved my dancing! I do still owe Erin a dance to our wedding song, "Now Touch the Air Softly" by Peter Mayer. We did the best we could, but she deserves another opportunity sans crutches.

We received a call on Sunday with the radiologist report: suspected minor fracture in the foot. We were advised to enjoy our honeymoon and call for a CT scan upon our return. So, we headed to our Lake Seneca (Ohio) beach house retreat for the week, and Erin took fabulous care of me! Again, I owe her a relaxing retreat once healed.

Upon our return, we discovered the joys of HMO healthcare, primary care physicians, and referrals. As of today, we are aware of two minor fractures in one bone of my foot (left foot) near the ankle. I am wearing a weight-bearing boot that can be removed, although I am not yet able to really apply any weight. As such, I am still on crutches. Anticipating another 4 weeks of recovery, but perhaps getting into some mild walking in about 2 weeks.

And that is the story of how we started our marriage "on the right foot."