Surgery #2

On July 9th Tim underwent his second surgery - it was a total shoulder replacement for his right arm. We had our two week follow-up today and the surgeon said and I quote "It looks beautiful!" For someone who has seen Tim in so much pain for so long I can't tell you how emotional it was to hear those words. We have three more weeks of immobility and then we start the physical therapy. The surgeon, Dr. Saterlee, in K.C. has a lawyer in St. Joe who will forever be in his debt. From the first x-ray that he saw to his review today, he has said that there was nothing average about Tim's shoulders. They were as bad as he has seen and should have been done ten years ago. I might add that we sought help ten years ago and was told that nothing could be done. Dr. Saterlee literally had to rebuild the entire shoulder. This process has been excrutiatingly painful to say the least for Tim but I can't tell you how proud I am of him to face this daunting process and keep his spirits high. He is an inspiration and keeps reminding all of us that it could be much worse. We simply could not have gotten through it without everyone's help. Mom and Dad Meyer came out from July 8th to the 11th to lend lots of support during the surgery week. June (otherwise known as Grambug) has been here since July 8th and "rented" a room at the hospital to be with Tim 24/7 until he was released on July 12th. Jerry (Ouchy Pa) arrived on July 13th with the beloved Lucky dog. June and Jerry remain in St. Joe offering endless support and tons of home cooked meals. As so often happens during difficult times, we have been humbled at how much love and care we receive from our parents and families. The inspiration to endure this continues to come from Mary and Kate who have been tremendous about helping daddy and being quiet (most of the time) because daddy has a big boo boo.

Walking Lucky

As you can see Mary considers formal attire appropriate for any occasion whereas Kate believes that you can never be too casual.

Birdfeeders

One of our favorite pasttimes is feeding the birds. We hang our feeders in the tree in the frontyard so that we can see them as they come to feast. I am convinced they are actually pigs disguised as birds since I can go through a ten pound bag of birdseed in less than a week.

Bathing Beauty

It's a rough life but someone has to do it.

As they say - girls just want to have fun!

Our beautiful girl

On a rare quiet moment I caught our Mary in a moment of contemplation. I treasure these times watching her absorb the world around her and discover who she is in the process.

Our animal lover

Katiebug went to the petting zoo at the 4th of July fair in Fort Collins. She fell in love with this pony and would not leave his side. Fortunately, he was a very patient pony who tolerated all of her hugs and kisses.

The Piano Women

Making memories and cake

Mary had a wonderful time making chocolate cake with Grambug. She had the most fun sampling the goodies.

Just another day commuting in Colorado

Tim and I had an adventure today navigating the Poudre River in the mountains in northern Colorado. I had so much fun that I was ready to go again as soon as the trip was over. It took us over two hours to travel twelve miles. My wish is that everyone could join us next summer for round II!