where do we begin. . .

Shawn and his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Howard Richter

First and foremost, we are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for allowing us to be here together a little longer. And for watching over Casey and protecting him and everyone else involved in the accident.

Second, we are truly grateful for Casey. We believe he was a huge factor in saving Shawn's life. He was aware of the situation and an alert driver. We can all take a lesson from Casey and be more aware of what is going on around us.

Next, we are so blessed to have such amazing parents and families. We will never be able to repay everyone for the kindness and support everyone has shown us. As soon as they received that first phone call everyone put their lives on hold to be there with us. It was so nice to be together during those first, scary days. It's hard to explain the strength we felt from that and hope that bond will never be broken. We know it was not only a scary time for us but for all of you as well. Thank you for staying strong and for holding us up. We truly felt loved.

Kelly, thank you, thank you , thank you. For the many hours you have put into making this blog. As you all know, we are not bloggers, but it was extremely helpful to let everyone know how Shawn was doing and to get the facts out. We know many people have enjoyed reading it. Thank you again for taking the time to do it. It has been very uplifting for us and many others.

And to everyone else, all we can say is THANK YOU. We have been reminded of how many great people we have the opportunity to be associated with. Friendships truly make our lives brighter. There have been so many cards, meals, treats, visits, phone calls, comments, texts, and emails. We could never repay so many people for the kindness shown to us. They say life is not about what you have but about who you have in it. We have the best friends, neighbors, and community anybody could ever be blessed with. Thank you.

As far as our progress, Shawn's health is doing great. The doctors have said everything is healing properly and that it is all truly a miracle. Once February hits, the snowmobile season is going to be "limited to trail riding". Ha, ha, ha. But, hey. . .it's better than nothing. Shawn is back to work, and somewhat back to normal life.

If we can hope for anything through this experience, it is that we never go back to our old normal. We can only hope that neither will any of you. This experience has been our reminder that every day is special, and the only thing that matters is what we fill those days with. We beg everyone to stop and make decisions on what is really important and not what we need to get done. In the end, work will still be there. But the experiences and relationships we have with our family and friends and those we love is all that truly matters.

Once again, thank you to all. Be careful. . . Enjoy life. . .and don't be strangers.

Love, Shawn and Kelsey