Astronauts are sexy

If I wanted to be an astronaut, I'd apply to NASA.

This Saturday night is our Round 3 finale in Sydney. The finale party theme is "Midsummer". Think Shakespeare...little flowers...enchanted forests...romantic gowns...Grecian (or Roman?) goddesses...fairy princesses...and then Kate in space boots. WTF?

So my ankle, the one that caused Kate's Princess Diaries last week, was getting better. I stopped using the crutches on Tuesday. I haven't walked on it too much since - my limp got better each day. I went to boot camp on Wednesday but I did upper body work only and really looked after it there.

But the last couple of days it's flared up even worse than last week. I've got bruising and pain up both sides of my leg halfway to my knee, swelling, it's hot inside and hot to touch and overall just very painful. Various advice saw me back at hospital yesterday, to check for a fracture that may have been missed last week, or...DVT. (Deep Vein Thrombosis / blood clot). When I was told this could be the case, I crumbled on the inside for a few minutes. Please, no. Then I stopped crumbling and thought well, if that's what it is then that's what it is! I really really didn't want this to be the case but I knew I could tackle it.

Barbie on her way to boot camp

I went to boot camp yesterday morning- well, I renamed it "crutch camp"- stupid idea now that I think of it, but I wanted to go! I know I went to boot camp the other day but that was with no crutches and my foot was feeling ok. Yesterday's boot camp theme was "sparkly shiny superstars." Well, my crutches were shiny! (I love my boot camps - I took this photo on my way there because I looked down when I was in the car and it made me smile- where else could I wear my glitter Barbie dress (appropriately) on a Sunday morning??) ;)

Anyway- I had to go along for a few reasons other than training, but at the back of my mind, I thought I could join in to a small extent- I could sit on my yoga mat and do upper body exercises with my arms only. That lasted all of 2 minutes- it wasn't very practical to maintain or safe, so I stopped and just watched. It killed me on the inside, not participating!

I tried...

On a side note I did have a little moment that made me smile. My first boot camp was a week before my 1st round started, it was in the rain and I was teary from intense nerves. Yesterday it was a week before the next round starts, it was raining and I was sitting there teary again. But this time because I desperately wanted to participate! Cool change :) So I sat on my yoga mat in the rain, watching. My sparkly boot camp friends trained in a circle around me at one point which was lovely. :)

Anyway! So after boot camp I went to get my leg/ankle checked. They X-rayed it and I had an ultrasound to check for DVT because of the pain and bruising and because of my recent history.

HOT.

I have no signs of fractures or DVT. Very lucky. Apparently it's just inner bruising (Adima?) and inflammation. But before I found this out, the doctor said to me that I would have to wear a moon boot for 1-2 weeks. (!!) A MOON BOOT. My brain flashed, my mind was ticking over, trying to process this. Now I'm not usually a shoe person but all I could think of was "I'm gong to look like an astronaut at finale!" :( 

I was so upset - and angry - and frustrated - and when I remembered that I had the finale workout and other workout events that I want to do, I was devastated at the potential possibility that I may not be able to participate much.  I'm not used to this wanting to exercise thing, in the past an injury would have been an awesome 'real' excuse.  "Can't.....have an injury.....what a shame...." ;)  Now it's a total hindrance!

I say this lightly of course but at this point I didn't even care about DVT, all I was concerned about was having to wear a space boot as part of my finale outfit, and the workout. I don't think they wore moon boots in Shakespeare's time. :(  I don't even know what I'm wearing to finale yet which is stressing me out. But I know that space boots were so not one of my thoughts!  I guess the thing is, when you don't feel beautiful in the lead up to an event like this, you already have no self confidence.  So to have to wear this on top of feeling un-pretty, was tough to hear.  Although one of my friends said we can dress my space boot up which is pretty cool. :)

SO. Today I'm going to embrace my inner astronaut and go and get my boot fitted. Then I'm going to go and find a finale dress. I say that with so much confidence but I actually have none. I'll just try to - thinking positive here! Then even though this is the last thing I feel like I deserve right now, I'm going to book in some beauty stuff and start using several vouchers I have at home- prizes and gifts that I haven't redeemed yet. I have a Triumph voucher and a cupcakes voucher (not for me!), a manicure voucher and a beauty treatment voucher.

Bottom lip for the camera

And I'm going to book in to get my hair cut. This is a big thing for me- I rarely go to the hairdressers, and when I do it's a $20 trim from the one hairdresser I've found who actually listens to what I want. I'm not one of those girls who spends hundreds every few months on cool new styles and colours. It's not me and I rarely go anyway because I'm really attached to my hair. When I was 16, half of it fell out due to an eating disorder. Then a few years ago half of it broke off from a hair illness that's caused by intense stress. Because of this, a few years ago I had to get my hair chopped more than I wanted to fix this up. It has since been uneven for years and each time I go, my hairdresser evens it out just a little bit more each time. And I mean only a little bit because she knows that I study (AKA death stare) her through the mirror to make sure she doesn't take too much off. ;) I told you- emotionally attached. That'll happen when you've lost half your hair, twice! Anyway finally now it's long enough that I can get an even cut at the length I want. So it's kind of exciting :)

Thanks Nicole for the photos :)

So there we go. Pushing the comfort zones a bit this week. I have an issue with being pampered at the moment but I will do this anyway. I have no belief that I will find a dress to the ball but I am believing that I will. I'm going to be brave at the hairdressers- this is a good thing! And I'm choosing to believe that astronauts can be sexy. I'll figure out the exercise thing after I have it fitted- the doctor said I am definitely allowed to exercise, just as much as I feel comfortable in the boot. And as for finale, well we'll dress the boot up, and maybe I can start a new trend. Forget heels and ballet flats for formal events, try space boots!

Shelf talk the self talk, astronauts are hot...if you believe they are.

I wonder if space boots come in pink...

:)