For those who did not know....my dad had to have his right leg amputated below the knee in an emergency surgery May 16th. He had been fighting off infections from his latest ankle surgery last year and with different types of medications had (thought) been given a green light. Well so much for that. One day he was fine and by the next day his foot was huge, flaming red and hurt to move at all. He went into the emergency room on Thursday evening, was admitted & they preformed surgery the next day. The xrays done in at emergency showed all bone in his foot had just disintegrated and was starting to move up the leg. That was not the case six months ago. He only had to stay in the hospital a little over a week and is now home. He is in a wheelchair at this time and after some healing he will be moving to a prosthetic leg. Which in the end will be super. He will be able to go on walks, play golf and have a much better life than what he was putting up with. My mom was just sick that he wouldn't be able to golf anymore. He seems ok in the wheelchair but still has issues. For most people they have their other leg to support them to get up, down, it & out. He on the other hand has a left knee that is in need of a replacement and will not support any weight. That surgery will have to wait a bit now. He was planning on doing it in July or August but will now have to wait until they are fine with the amputation healing & walking around with the prostetlic. In the end, a bionic man!!!! Just say a few prayers for quick healing, strength and a positive spirit. I know this is the better choice for the future. He has more to do!!!
I am also including some pictures of Nic at his track meet. What a great guy!!
Our New Deck in Progress
D1260 Endless Love(Set of 10) $22.95 US/ $25.50 CANWhen the giddiness of love makes you feel playful, we've got your fanciful feelings covered with a stamp set full of fun flowers and quirky flourishes. Available February 1-29, 2008 only. Use Blocks: 1" × 3½" (Y1002), 3" × 3" (Y1006), 4" × 4" (Y1008) With a minimum qualifying purchase, get your Stamp of the Month at a great discount or FREE!
If you are interested in a current Idea Book or to purchase your scrapbooking supplies just email me at iscrap_4_fun@yahoo.com.
Nic & his friend Justin both received snowboards, boots & bindings for Christmas. I took a Friday off while they were on Christmas break and drove them up to Crystal. 
Here they are getting ready to get on the lift. I just sat in the lodge & read all day. They came in a few times for lunch, water, snacks & a warmup. Nic received enough money with Christmas presents to pay for a few lift tickets. His next trip is this coming Monday (school ski trip) and probably Saturday after that. I miss those days of skiing, but being older I am not that into being so cold & eating snow when I fall. It has been years since I skied. 
A group of us went on a 8 mile hike in the mountains.
We had to hike two miles to the trail head due to a slide that took out the road.
Hong's wife is hiding under her hat & Nic just turned his head before I could click the camera.
John & Tina are all smiles
matter how many times I got a picture I was unable to get a smile out of him. He did acknowledge me with a quick glance in my direction though. This was his first and probably last parade. He has decided not to continue band next year so he can pursue other electives (weight training & conditioning), wonder where that came from STEVE!!!
e received three or four inches and it stayed around for awhile. It was cold & icy enough that the kids missed over 5 days of school. We are not used to snow in this part of the country so kids stay home. They have to make up those days so they will have some longer days in February, a missed scheduled day off and a few days tacked onto the end of the year. I sure hope we start earlier this next year so the kids are not almost going into July.
is going up. Once it is all done we will have the railing/stairs & floor all redone with a nice stain color. We are embarking on a large home improvement project all at once so we can enjoy it all for several years before we even decide to move. As I have stated we are not moving until Nic graduates (he is in 7th grade) or even later. We really want land in Montana & we need to be at more of a retirement age for that one.
.bmp)
