and it is over....My worst nightmare of this wrestling season came true at Andrew's tournament this past weekend. He had to forfeit due to injury. Yes, his shoulder. It was the hardest thing for me to say to the coach that it was over but I really had no choice. He physically wasn't able to go on and there was absolutely no way that he would be physically ready to wrestle next week at States....so the decision was made to end it.. It started with his first match of the day....he wrestled a true 285 pound wrestler. He made a mistake early on and had gotten himself in a position of having to fight off being pinned. The other guy fell on him...yes...right on his bad shoulder....Andrew fought off this pin for over 1 minute and amazingly he did! He then went on to get a reversal and then he pinned his opponent. But...the damage had already been done. He had 285 pounds on his shoulder for over a minute....his pain was almost unbearable. At that time I should have stopped him from continuing on to his next match but I couldn't bear the look he gave me. He went on to wrestle again and had a tough match that he ended up losing...partly to the fact that he couldn't lift his arm and partly to some major officiating issues. (that is a whole other story that I am not going to get into.) He had to wrestle again 45 minutes later...he did pin this kid somehow but by this time he had tingling in all of his fingers....not a good thing. We begged him to make the decision not to wrestle....he knew that all he had to do was win one more match and he would still be going to states because he had enough wildcard points to get there. Stupidly we let him continue....not long into this match....Andrew took his kid down and then....he couldn't get up off the mat. He was in so much pain. It was then that I told the coach it was over....they had no other choice then to listen to me because they knew if they didn't I would have marched on that mat and ended it myself. Emotionally Andrew was crushed, physically he was crushed. It was such a disappointment to him but he knows that it was not worth it. That continuing on would have been disastourous to his football career and that is what he is working so hard for....not wrestling...and not some trophy to add to his collection. Fortunately though after being examined by the Sports Specialist on site he did not dislocate the shoulder (that would be bad and would mean immediate surgery) But he stressed the muscles and ligaments enough to cause swelling and nerve pain. With ice therapy the swelling has gone down. He still has difficulty getting dressed but there is no longer tingling in the fingers or numbness. I think he dodged a bullet. As hard as it is to see him so disappointed I am actually relieved....very relieved that it is over. Will he wrestle next year I have been asked....not if I can help it. But we shall see when that time comes. There is a lot to get through between now and then. Baseball is on his mind now....2 weeks and that starts back up. Hopefully he will be on the mend and okay to play....if not...then It is what it is and we will deal with that.

We did manage to have some fun this weekend despite the disappointment. Max loved his first time seeing that Falls. I think he might have enjoyed it more if the wind wasn't so bitter and the ice pellets hitting his face didn't hurt so bad but hey...It was gorgeous. Seeing all of the trees covered in the ice....just like a fairy tale. Grandma and Grandpa went with us and we all stayed in the same hotel. Relaxed by the pool and in the hot tub....ate lots of yummy food and just enjoyed being all together. The pictures from the Falls really do not do the beauty of them justice...they are awesome to see in person...it just makes you awestruck to stand near them.

So today I am going to unpack from the trip, do some laundry and then have a little me time this afternoon. I want to make a special card for Niki and get that sent out to her. My heart is still broken thinking about that family. My sadness over what happened this weekend at the tournament pales in comparison to the sadness that Niki is dealing with. Putting things in perspective.....a lesson they have taught me time and time again.