Tis the season!

Yesterday was by far the most social, fun-packed day I've had since before surgery...and by the time I got home around 2:30AM, my jaw muscles felt similar to the way my leg muscles did after I ran the half marathon! The doctor never said anything about talking restrictions, so I'm thinking I should be OK--but I definitely gave my jaw a work-out. It was worth it though--so fun to see so many friends, dress up in holiday attire, and catch up on what I've missed in the last two weeks. Everyone was so complimentary on how my face is looking, so even though I can still notice the swelling, I'm feeling fine about going back to work and to my normal daily routine.

I spent the afternoon doing the Virginia Highlands Holiday Home Tour (that's my neighborhood) with a couple of friends. Each stop on the tour always has food from neighborhood restaurants, and two of them had soup this year, which made me happy! Then I started out the evening at the Bain holiday party. I always look forward to the party, and this year's was a lot of fun as usual. It was a little strange to see everyone since I feel so removed from the office even after only being out for two weeks (and also a little strange to be sipping on a Diet Coke all night instead of wine!), but I'm really glad I was able to go. I even got to enjoy a few treats--the buffet had mashed sweet potatoes (I had a small plate-full!) and there was a hot chocolate bar after dinner...complete with marshmallows, different varieties of whipped cream, peppermint sticks, chocolate shavings, etc. Amazing! After the Bain party, I made a stop at Sarah and Andrea's Christmas party and got to catch up with a lot of my favorite ATL friends.

I was surprised that I wasn't in more pain when I got home after all that talking. My jaw just felt a little sore, but I was more bothered by the hooks on my braces--they poke and jab in my lips when I talk a lot. I'll be glad to get those off soon. Back to the oral surgeon tomorrow for another check in--I'm hoping I get the OK to get back to some low impact exercise and get an overall good report on how things are looking!

Here are a few pictures from last night...

This one is me and my friend Catherine at the Bain party (special thanks to Krisanne for picking a bridesmaid's dress that I've been able to wear so many times!):

Here's a dance floor action shot of me and Lindsey that features a side profile view:

And here's one of me and Andrea at party #2 (sadly I do not own a tacky Christmas sweater so I just had to go with festive green):