Utah: Dirtbiking & Grumple Broken!

It only becomes an official Utah trip after Jake has a chance to go dirtbiking.  This time I decided to hop back on the trail.  I haven't been on a dirtbike since Scarlett was a baby, so it took some getting use to.  But all the pink clothes definitely made me feel like a Power Ranger!  Ayeyaiyai!!!

It also becomes an official Utah trip with some sort of major injury or illness.  This year's award went to my dad.  He and Jake went out to Cherry Creek.  Grumple found this cool hill that he wanted to try.  Right before the top his front wheel hit a large rock and bucked him backward off the bike, down the hill, and onto his shoulder.  Jake stood at the bottom of the hill and watched him tumble down.  Dad sat up and immediately knew something was wrong with his shoulder.  He told Jake to go get his bike.  The hill was so steep that Jake had to get on the bike and ride it down.  After they were down the hill, Jake took Dad's helmet off and he drank some water and assessed the damage.  Dad said he could ride the 7 miles through the desert to the main road.  Jake helped him up on his bike, put his helmet back on and started the motor.  Then Dad drove with his arm straight down by his side.  Once they got to the main road, Dad said he could make it the last 7 miles on a dirt road to the truck.  Once they got to the truck Jake helped Dad get his boots off and into the car.  Their plan was to stop at the first emergency place, but my dad said he had enough adrenaline left to make it to Orem.  So they called my mom and she was ready to go to the ER when they arrived.  I don't think any of us knew exactly how bad it would be.

Before the nurses could cut off his jersey my dad had my mom shimmy it off his bad arm.  Way to save the KTM!  

After painful x-rays and testing, the found out that his clavicle was broken.  Not just broken... but totally snapped in half and sitting on top of itself!  OH MY GOODNESS!!!  Then the orthopedic surgeon sent my dad home!  Since this happened on a Thursday night and he doesn't do surgery til Tuesday... my dad had to wait the whole weekend with a floating broken bone!!  OUCH!!!

That weekend was stake conference and my dad was supposed to speak.  We all tried to talk him out of it, but he would not be swayed.  Broken or not, he had a message he needed to share and he knew that's where he needed to be.  He had written most of the talk earlier that week but needed to finish it up.  Unfortunately he couldn't move his arm to type.  So he sat on the couch with ice packs while I helped him organize the rest of his thoughts on the computer.  While we were working I heard a big "pop."  I thought the ice pack had made the sound but by the ghost white look on my dad's face, I could tell - it was his bone shifting on the other one that I heard.  OW!! and EW!!

The topic he chose to speak on was "Ask and ye shall receive... exactly what you're looking for."  I had the chance to go listen to his talk in conference that Sunday morning.  Jake stayed home with the girls and got them ready before we took them to Draper for church that afternoon.  So I got to sit and listen without any littles.  It was very peaceful.  And he did a wonderful job - even with his gimp arm.

Before and after his surgery.  The arrows show where the bone is supposed to connect.  Look at that plate and all those screws!  YIKES!  Bionic shoulder!

All the girls were so careful with Grumple.  One morning Siena followed Grumple upstairs.  I didn't think anything of it, but they came back down and he told me how she just followed him into his bedroom and helped him get his basketball shorts off the chair and helped him put them on.  How sweet!  They just rose to the occasion to help their Grumple.

Here's a little video Jake made to reenact Grumple's gnarly crash.