The Ups and Downs of vacation

Today we got up, had breakfast and went east of town (Pierre) to a ranch that we have hunted prairie dogs at before. We shot a few dogs until about 11:00 am. Katie improved her distance record and shot one at over 300 yards. Tasha shot a couple, mom got a couple and Todd shot quite a few. We even had a little visitor who wasn't scared of us or the guns. It got hot and the bugs started biting so we came back to town. We had lunch, took a nap and then went to the local YMCA to swim at their COOL aquatic center. Those were the ups!


Then the down happened. While at the aquatic center, I went down the water slide followed by Todd. I didn't get out of the way quick enough and when he came down, he accidentally kicked me in the back of the head while I was still under the water. The force of the impact caused my ears to instantly hurt and fill with fluid. We had to make a trip to the emergency room here in Pierre to find out what was wrong since my ears constantly felt like they had water in them and were hurting (my right more than my left). By the time we saw the doctor, my left ear had quit hurting, but my right was just as bad or worse. Now, after ex-rays and an exam, they verified what Todd and I thought. I ruptured my right ear drum. They gave me a script for pain meds and told me there wasn't much else they could do. Todd is suppose to wake me once tonight and then I am to see my doctor at home later this week. I am feeling a little better now that the pain meds have kicked in, but as my mother-in-law said "We'll just have to play it by ear." :)