The Smith Family Times

Boo!

Rob meets a fellow crime fighter at the school Trunk-or-Treat

(Susan): Still in my chair. Blogging isn't working from my laptop very well.  Seems I can get one sentence and  a picture or two in and then nothing.  Maybe Rob can straighten me out.  Rob is running a full service orthopedic ward and doing a very fine job.  The kids are pumped about trick or treating tonight and Tessa managed a little sleepover last night for the first time since her surgery.  Slowly we heal.

I was trying to see the back of my knee and figure out why it hurts so much.  But it scared me too too much to look any further.  I guess this will be my costume

A New View

(Susan):  Here is an attempt to blog from my laptop with me as photographer.  A sure crowd pleaser as I am stuck in the recliner now times 7 days!

Susan Michelle's Operation

(Rob:) The blog returns! Hello from the Smith Family Orthopedics Ward! 

Susan is recovering from her knee surgery Thursday, where her ACL was replaced, her lateral meniscus was repaired and some general smoothing was done on some bone roughness. It was outpatient surgery and things went well. Her knee hurts quite a bit and she'll be out of work for a while. Tessa has been giving her lessons on crutch walking.

Here she is smiling, before her regional block wore off and the pain got bad

Talking to Zanny today with support from Jack

Tessa's recovery proceeds on schedule-- she's walking without crutches now and her knee bent to nearly 70 degrees yesterday. Here she is walking with her therapist, Michelle:

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We had our friends over last weekend to play cards and enjoy a few cocktails (except for me, I was on call)

Here's Susan with Gerred, who has "Can't  Keep His Eyes Open For Photos Syndrome"

Gerred's wife Holly with other friend David:

(Gerred and Holly will be moving soon for a new job in D.C., which we are all bummed about but happy for them and their great new opportunity)

In keeping with the "swingers" theme, here I am with David's wife Julie:

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Update From Denver: Gramma Judy was in the hospital for most of the week but was able to come home today. She's had a really rough time of it lately, and we're looking forward to visiting her next weekend.

When Tessa and I went to Gramma's House at the Lake of the Ozarks 2 weeks ago, we retrieved a bunch of old photo albums. Here's one of the pictures, from University Hospital in Iowa City, May 24th 1965 (that's me in the blanket):

 

Gramma's House

(Rob:) Tessa Jean and I took a road trip this afternoon to Gramma Judy and Jerry's house at the Lake of the Ozarks. They officially moved to Denver last summer, but some of their stuff wouldn't fit on the moving truck and had to be left behind. Jerry drove back this weekend to pick up the rest of the goods.

Gramma Judy had intended to come along, but wasn't feeling up to traveling right now. We know she wanted to have another look at the old house, so Tessa brought along her web video camera for a virtual tour of the homestead. Maybe someone will watch this and want to buy it!

(The music is Chris Whitley's "Wild Country")

 

Almost as good as being there in person! 

We love you, Gramma Judy!

Baltimore follow-up, and much, much more!

(Rob:) Well, the Baltimore trip was pretty grueling, but we made it home pretty much intact. The flight out leaves at 8:30 PM, and with the time change and all we don't get to the Baltimore hotel until around 1AM.  Here's Tessa enjoying some nice hot microwave mac 'n cheese at 1:30 while watching Countdown with me:

The next morning we get up early, enjoy a nice hotel continental breakfast if there's still time, then sit in gridlock beltway traffic on the way to the doctor's office. We hurry as fast as we can to get there on time, so we can be seen THREE HOURS LATE. After our five minute visit, we haul @$$ back to the airport to barely make it on the plane home. (Ask me sometime about my experience with the Southwest flight attendant Tuesday if you're interested in seeing my head explode.)

Here's Tessa killing time by drawing in the exam room:

  

The news from the doctor was good, the leg bone is healing in gradually:

He wasn't able to give us a time for removal of the fixator yet, but hopefully we'll be looking at sometime in late November or early December. Tessa was hoping for this month, but she understands that this really can't be rushed. We'll go back next month after the election and see what things look like then.

Please have a good thought for Susan-she's having a pretty rough time right now. Her knee injury is worse than we thought. The MRI she had done this week shows a pretty significant injury (ACL rupture, meniscal tears, etc.) that will likely require a surgical fix.

Proves my new cynical T-shirt slogan: "Things can always get worse!" Just watch CNBC or Bloomberg for five minutes tomorrow and find out for yourselves.

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In a desperate attempt to bring joy to the masses in these dark times, I give you:

MEN HOLDING BEER!!!

 

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Next up:  Rob's Political Corner! 

(If you believe Saddam Hussein attacked the World Trade Center on 9-11, Senator Obama is a Muslim, and dinosaurs went extinct 4000 years ago because of overhunting, skip this next part and just click HERE to go to Fox News instead)

I was able to meet our future first lady Michelle Obama last week at a K.C. fundraising event- Here I am with her and Kathleen Sebelius, the diminutive governor of Kansas:

 

I felt a little bit like Tony Orlando. 

Only 26 more days until the election. Let's start a pool to predict when Senator Grumpy McGrumperson and Gov. Caribou Barbie, their campaign bereft of any positive ideas, start digging up the bones of Reverend Wright again. 

Here's a clip of Bruce Springsteen stumping for Senator Obama and playing "The Rising": 

I was looking back at some of our old blog posts and found this interesting snippet from July of 2004 (click HERE to read the whole thing):

"Seriously, I did watch a speech tonight by a guy I had never heard of before today: Barock Obama, a state senator from Illinois who has suddenly become a US senatorial candidate and rising national political star. I was very impressed by his message and style tonight, and I think we'll all be seeing more of him in the future."

Okay, so I spelled his name wrong, but you gotta admit, pretty good prediction, eh?

Back to Baltimore, #2

(Susan):  Sorry about the paucity of blog entries.  I don't know quite what to write.  Tessa has been so emotionally distressed that I have lost a month.  I am thinking that with physical pain, you can take a pill.  With this emotional pain, I am at a loss.  I am pretty sure we have cried every day since July 9th. Lately, more so.  

Rob and Tessa are off to Baltimore tonight.  Another x ray tomorrow may give us an estimate of when the cage will come off.  Tessa cried for a hour last night because she is afraid the doctor will tell her tomorrow that she has failed. Tonight as they left, her ankle was hurting terribly and she wasn't wanting to even put any weight on it. Hopefully, it is just nerves about her visit tomorrow and a little strain from walking and stretching her ankle more.  She is learning to walk with one crutch this past week and even a little with no crutches.

Last Saturday, Tessa  made a selfless decision to let me go play volleyball.  She really wanted me to stay home with her, but finally decided I should go and have some fun. My knee decided to bend sideways as I ran out of bounds to gather the ball.  A simple move. Now,  I am on crutches too and having an MRI tomorrow. 

Grampi and Grandma D. came this past weekend to care for the crutch walkers. Some homemade pumpkin bread and apple crisp and the be-all-end-all, apple squares hot from the oven helped a little with our recovery. 

Wish Rob and Tessa safe travels and good reports.  I am afraid that without a definitive date of release, Tessa will be very discouraged. She is so hoping to be free by Halloween, but I think Thanksgiving may be more realistic.

In the mean time, we will eat corn candy. . . . . . .

These are not the same candies featured in my ears

Ahhhhhh. . . . . . . apple squares fresh from the oven!

Apple square eating buddies!!!!

Mr. Sam tried his first apple squares finally.  He likes them!!!!

2nd grade self portrait

Vote for change, people!

Learning to walk again

Here are the states we still need for our postcard extravaganza:

Oklahoma

Washington

Alaska

Mississippi

North Dakota

Virginia

Alabama

Arkansas

Connecticut

Indiana

New Hampshire

Vermont

Rhode Island