Tessa Jean's Operation

Whew. . . .!

(Susan): As all the family begin their respective journeys home, we put our feet up and sigh heavily. We all had so much fun, it is hard to say goodbye! What a treat to all be in the same place for the weekend! We were a little short without Jerry, and Lisa's kids, Gabe and Sam who will be our newest family members soon. We hope everyone had fun and will come again soon. Thank you Grandma Delores for running the Smith Manor Kitchen for the weekend! Now we start the countdown to our next big event, hardware removal!

Tessa and Gramma Judy relaxing before dinner

Zanny (Rob's sister) and her son Mitchell

Sam and Cody (Rob's brother) swinging

Croquet anyone?

Cake! (Batman cakes are not currently available)

Gifts!

Tom (Susan's older brother) with his fiancee Lisa and his kids, Katerina and Nate

David (Susan's younger brother) with his daughter Ava and wife Michelle (the Queen of Movie Trivia)

Little Ava loved the firetruck

Group shot of the Herzbergs

P.S. We have gallons of potato salad and beans left if anyone wants to come for dinner!

FYI: Rob's Law of Picnic Sidedishes--- At any summertime gathering where potato salad is served buffet-style, no more than 20% of the potato salad will ever be consumed.
This law applies in all cases, regardless of the amount of potato salad initially displayed for consumption, and also is not contingent upon whether or not paprika is sprinkled on top.
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS THIS RULE !!!!

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• Daily Movie Quote (Michelle is not allowed to guess on this one!):

"That kid's head's like Sputnik. Spherical but quite pointy in parts.
Oh, that was a harsh one, wasn't it? He'll be cryin himself to sleep tonite on his huge pilla'."

-- Friday's answer: "Pulp Fiction" (1994)

Jessica will be doing the "no-prize Batusi" very soon!

• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:

"I was headin' for a fall
Then I woke up and saw the writing on the wall
In the gentle evening breeze
By the whispering shady trees
I will find my sanctuary in the Lord"

-- Friday's answer: "Third Rate Romance" by The Amazing Rhythm Aces (1975)

Grampa Smith gets the no-prize on this country classic.

Let the Party Begin!

(Susan): Well, it is finally here! The combination Memorial Day/Rob and Tessa's big birthday blow-out bash with all the family is once again upon us. This year everyone is here (except Jerry) and we will have a very full house. In all the hub-bub of the week Tessa did not realize her cousins were arriving tonight and boy, was she ever happy to realize Nathan and Katerina were almost here (see above). The first load of our 17 guests arrived today. We have all four grandparents and Uncle Tom with his finacee Lisa here tonight.

Dr. Herzenberg called today. The X rays look good. Two out of four sides of the bone look strong. He wants Tessa to walk on her leg as much as possible and we are to take one of the six struts out of the frame for short periods to put more stress on the bone. This is a good thing and helps her form more bone. And the best news is we can schedule the removal for the end of June. We will have one more X ray the week before to be sure the frame can come off. If it looks good the removal process will be about a month early.

Tonight half of our company arrived and we made smores in our chiminea. Tomorrow Uncle Dave, Aunt Michelle and cousin Ava as well as Aunt Zanny, Uncle Jack and cousin Mitchell arrive by plane. Let the party begin. . . .


Hiding from the fireworks

Cousins Nathan and Katerina making smores

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• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"Sittin' in a tiny table in a ritzy restaurant
She was starin' at her coffee cup
He was tryin' to keep his courage up
By applyin' booze"

--- Thursday's answer: "Jammin' Me" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1987)

Uncle Tom is here to receive his no-prize live and in person!

• Daily Movie Quote:
"Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

--- Thursday's answer: "Shrek 2" (O.K., maybe this one wasn't fair since it's only been out 2 weeks, but when he said this line, I just about wet my pants laughing)

Click here for clip

(No correct guesses)

85 Sustained!

(Rob:) Tessa Jean had a great day! She was very pleased at her rehab triumph: 85 degrees! She's been doing extra work on her flexibility and it's definitely paying off! Just a week ago flexing to 60 degrees was a traumatic struggle. Soon she'll be taking her knee on a trip to acute angle city!

Here are her new X-rays contrasted with the ones from last month.

April ..................................................May

April.....................................May

The changes are subtle, but I think the bone looks more dense and the cortex mostly smooth and continuous. The films are now flying in a big brown UPS airplane on their way to Baltimore for Dr. Herzenberg to have a look at them. Best possible scenario: the brace comes off next month! Here's hoping!

Major huzzahs to our girl Fantasia for becoming the American Idol tonight! Sometimes things work out the way they should. We're looking forward ot a road trip to Ft. Lauderdale in August to catch the AI tour live and in person!

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• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"Take back your insurance
Baby nothin is guaranteed
Take back your acid rain
Baby let your T.V. bleed"

-- Yesterday's answer: "Lovesong" by The Cure (1989)

No-prizes out to Robert Smith fans Dr John, Jessica and Michelle (FYI: the freaky guy pictured above is Robert Smith, The Cure's lead singer)

• Daily Movie Quote:
"Hey, boss. Let's shave him."

-- Yesterday's answer: "Lost in Translation" (2003)

Jessica comes though with the no-prize twofer!

Fantasia 2004

(Rob:) Yes, I know there's a war going on, a presidential election is coming up, gas prices are through the roof with interest rates soon to follow, and the ice caps are melting, etc., but people- wasn't Fantasia AWESOME on American Idol tonight!??!!! The other one did a fine job (and seemed to manage several unintentional key changes on her last song, which is NOT easy to do), but man, O man, Fantasia is like the second coming of Aretha --
In fact, lets deem her "The Princess of Soul!
All hail her royal Bo -Bo-ness!!!!
Tell Mickey to start mopping, 'cuz there's a NEW Fantasia in town!!!
UH HUH!!!!
THAT'S RIGHT!!!!!

*Whew!*
- O.K., Let's move on...

Tessa Jean worked on her piano for a while after the show. She seems to enjoy playing when we can get her to actually sit down and practice. Tonight she told Susan that when she listens to music:
"I feel like I don't even have a brace on, and that I'm old enough to be in a band and even be the lead singer!"

Here's a pic of Sam and Gramma Judy out at the swingset today:

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• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am home again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am whole again"

--- Yesterday's answer: "Train of Love" by Johnny Cash (1958)

(No correct guesses)

• Daily Movie Quote:
"I was feeling tight in the shoulders and neck, so I called down and had a Shiatsu massage in my room..."
"Mmh, that's nice!"
"And the tightness has completely disappeared and been replaced by unbelievable pain."

-- Yesterday's answer: "Airplane!" (1980)

(No correct guesses)

Ogres and hairballs

(Rob:) O.K., you really need to go see "Shrek 2!" Gramma Judy and Sam and Susan and Tessa and I went out for dinner and then to the movie and I thought it was an instant classic! The cat (played by Antonio Banderas) had me in tears.

We had some excitement early in the film, when the manager came in to warn us that some severe weather was coming our way, and that we should stay at our own risks (we did). It's pretty stormy out right now with enough thunder that Hootie is all freaked out. You might think that after 10 years of surviving thunderstorms some of the terror would subside, but nooooo.

Tessa had a busy day today- we had to go meet her new pediatrician (the old one retired last week) and then go for a new leg X-ray. To my untrained eye, the bone looks great! Dr. Herzenberg said that if at least 75% of the outer surface of the new bone looked solid, then maybe Tessa could be separated from her brace sometime soon! We'll mail the films off to Baltimore tomorrow and then hope for the best!

Here is a picture of Tessa and Sam playing in the sprinkler yesterday:

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• Daily Movie Quote:
"Yes, he looked at me and said, "Doc," he said, "Some time, when the crew is up against it, and the breaks are beating the boys, tell 'em to get out there and give it all they've got. And win just one for the Zipper. I don't know where I'll be then Doc, he said. But I won't smell too good, that's for sure."

-- Yesterday's answer: "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994)

Correct guesses from Dr. John, Zanny, Pete, and Susan!
No-prizes all around!

• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"Trainman tell me maybe, ain't you got my baby
Every so often everybody's baby gets the urge to roam
But everybody's baby but mine's comin' home"

--Yesterday's answer: "T for Texas" or "Blue Yodel No. 1" by Jimmie Rodgers (1928)

No-prize goes to the Buckster! (Not really fair, because Buck and Jimmie used to hang out together)

A Perfect Day

Happy Belated Birthday to the Peach!!

(Susan): What a great day for Tessa! We had seven screaming, running, laughing and very happy little girls over this afternoon for an impromptu party for Tessa. The girls had a blast decorating the lions and making beaded fairies and bracelets. Then Rob picked Gramma Judy up from the airport and she brought an entire suitcase of gifts for everyone! We are all snoozing late this morning except Rob who went back to the hospital for rounds and probable surgery. We may see him at dinner time. It looks like rain so hopefully we will have a quiet lazy Sunday.


Decorating Anita and Yogi

A gift certifcate to the toy store, how perfect!

Cool Spiderman toys

Sticky Spiderman

He sticks to everything including Gramma Judy's head!
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• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"I’m going where the water
Tastes like cherry wine
Yeah, I’m going where the water
Tastes like cherry wine
’cause the water down here in georgia
Tastes like turpentine"

-- Yesterday's Answer: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana (1991)

(No correct guesses)

• Daily Movie Quote:
"We sat and drank with the sun on our shoulders and felt like free men. Hell, we could have been tarring the roof of one of our own houses. We were the lords of all creation. As for Andy - he spent that break hunkered in the shade, a strange little smile on his face, watching us drink his beer."

--Yesterday's answer:
"The Manchurian Candidate" (1962)

(No correct guesses)

75 Sustained, Again!!

(Susan): When I came home from work, Tessa immediately told me she had a title for Friday's blog entry: 75 sustained, 75 no pain." Well, she had pain, but she flexed to 75 degrees today. This is the first time since February 26th. She even rode an exercise bike and pedalled around five times! A week ago we were feeling frustrated because we couldn't get past 60, and a now we are ecstatic with 75. This whole process with her lengthening has been so filled with high highs and low lows, and I am always amazed at how quickly things change. Tessa's hard work and tears are paying off. This weekend we will try the exercise bike here at home. Thankfully, I vacuumed the dust off of it for the party last weekend. I'm joking. Rob uses it regularly.

Today is a birthday party for 8 little 8 year olds. Rob is on call so I am on my own. I'm planning to try and recruit my friend Beth into staying for the "festivities." Tonight we pick Gramma Judy up at the airport!!!

Turning in early

Sam says he doesn't want to grow up

If you hang the flowers no one eats them!

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• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My libido"

--Thursday's answer: "Lately" by Stevie Wonder (1980)

(No correct guesses, although Skippy gets partial credit for a cover version)

• Daily Movie Quote:
"Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life."
"Why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?"

--Thursday's answer: "Purple Rain" (1984)

(No correct guesses)

39!

(Rob:) We were so wrapped up in birthday festivities that the blog took a backseat yesterday. As you can see by the picture, Tessa Jean and I made out like bandits! Check out my cool new Broncos lamp and Tessa's Batgirl Barbie (complete with Batcycle!) Susan made dinner for us, then we had some tasty Oreo cake, then we watched the juggernaut we call Fantasia hurtle towards "American Idol" glory! I'm still a little bummed that Latoya is no longer around, but 'Tasia does have all kinds of Aretha-type soul, so I hope she gets the prize. By the way- only 2 more weeks until the Smith family heads to nearby Marshall, MO to see the Queen of Soul in concert!

The day ended with an awesome sunset that sent Susan running out to the front porch with the camera:

Today Tessa's class had field day. She wished she could have competed with the other kids, but was still glad to have the day out of the classroom. She's been pretty exhausted at school lately, sometimes having trouble staying awake in class. It might be related to working harder at home physical therapy or poorer sleep because of increased leg pain. We've been trying to get her to go to sleep earlier in the evening, but it's hard when the daylight hours are so long. School is out for the summer in about a week, and hopefully she'll be able to get the brace removed sometime soon after that! We get the follow-up leg X-ray on Monday.

Thanks for all of the nice birthday wishes and especially to my mom for plooping out a 9-pound, squished-up forceps-faced bowling ball with eyes on a spring morning back in 1965!

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• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"Well, I'm a man of many wishes,
I hope my premonition misses,
But what I really feel, my eyes won't let me hide,
Cause they always start to cry.
Cause it's time could mean goodbye."

-- Tuesday's answer: "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots (1994)

(No correct guesses)

• Daily Movie Quote:
"That's not Lake Minnetonka!"

-- Yesterday's answer: "Annie Hall" (1977)

(No correct guesses)

Eight is Great!

Celebrating on the Plaza

(Susan): Well, we started our day trying to beat a torrential downpour so we wouldn't get wet "crutching" (Tessa's new term for walking/running) into school. We didn't make it. Just as we got out of the car, it hit. I was trying to carry 24 cupcakes and hold an umbrella over Tessa's head and make sure my white linen pants stayed white. We got super soaked!!

Tessa had a good day at school. She was a little dissappointed she couldn't sleep in and had to go to school at all, but somehow she survived. She had Mr. Chris for land therapy and mustered another 65 degrees. She got her first birthday present from Ruth Ann, owl pellets. This is actually regurgitated owl dinners, fascinating for the identifiable skeletal remnants of unlucky varmits (hopefully a rabbit). They come with tweezers and magnifying glass for more detailed analysis. On that wonderful thought, we took Tessa out for her favorite dinner, petit filet and mashed potatoes at The Cheesecake Factory. We had surprise guests join us unbeknownst to Tessa; Beth, Bill and Abbey! Tessa chose the Godiva chocolate cheesecake for her fill in birthday cake. It was late when we got home, showered and American Idolled, so we are going to do presents tomorrow with Rob as he celebrates his 39th! Tessa rated her day an "8", which seemed fitting. She did tell Grandma Judy on the phone tonight she cannot wait to be ten because that is almost teenage.

Tessa and Abbey celebrate the roof top view of the Plaza

Ah, surveying the choices!

Make a wish!!

I am not old enough to have an eight year old

Soon to be the Birthday Boy

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• Daily Obscure Song Lyric:
"Leavin' on a southern train
only yesterday you lied,
promises of what I seemed to be
only watched the time go by,
all of these things you said to me."

-- Yesterday's answer: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (1987) by Whitney Houston
(FYI - Tessa's favorite song!)

No-prize goes out to Cindy (appropriately for this song, Rob's date to the 1983 Carlisle High senior prom!)

• Daily Movie Quote:
"There's an old joke. Uh, two elderly women are at a Catskills mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know, and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life. Full of loneliness and misery and suffering and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly."

--- Yesterday's answer: "The Usual Suspects" (1995)

No-prize goes to Carla- nice work!

7 going on 8

(Rob:) It was a beautiful day here in K.C.- 70's and sunny. After physical therapy, Tessa and I went to see a movie this afternoon: "13 Going on 30". I thought it was pretty good overall, especially if you like Jennifer Garner (Grrrrowlll!) It was a the latest in a series of movies where a clique of nasty teenage girls gets their just desserts ("Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen", "Mean Girls") and also the latest where a kid turns into an adult ("Freaky Friday," "Big," "Vice Versa," "18 Again," "Like Father Like Son," etc.) Tessa Jean really liked it, though, and it wasn't too raunchy despite the PG-13 rating.

Mondays are always the hardest of the week because her leg is tight from not much intensive stretching over the weekend. Today was pretty rough on her but she was able to struggle towards a 64 degree bend in her knee (the 90 degree bend mentioned last week was probably wishful thinking).

Tomorrow- she's 8!

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• Daily Movie Quote:
"You think you can catch Keyser Soze? You think a guy like that comes this close to getting caught, and sticks his head out? If he comes up for anything it'll be to get rid of me. After that... my guess is you'll never hear from him again."

--- Yesterday's answer: "A Christmas Story" (1983)

Click HERE to hear!

Congratulations to Zanny, who gets a major award!

• Daily Obscure Song Lyric (selected by Tessa Jean)

"Clocks strikes upon the hour
And the sun begins to fade
Still enough time to figure out
How to chase my blues away"

-- Yesterday's answer:
"(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding?" by Elvis Costello (1979)

(No correct guesses)
This song was written by Nick Lowe (Hello, Buck? Are you out there?)
If you haven't seen "Lost in Translation" (where Bill Murray does a karaoke version) go rent it right now!