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

on the road again. . .

Well, sort of.

Shawn is home now, and back on the road again. . .as much as he can be, that is! (Which really isn't much!)

Kelsey's Dad moved a big 'ol recliner into their house for them, which has been a great help. Unfortunately, Shawn has to spend a lot more time in it than he'd like. His first week home he joked about having a "babysitter" with him all the time. When Kelsey was working, there was always someone close by to help him. This week, however, he's trying to reinstate a little independence, assuring us all he's big enough to be on his own.

Believe it or not, he has actually been putting in a few hours at work!

We laughed the other day when Kelsey told us that this experience is preparing her for parenthood! She's been setting her alarm to get up and check on him and make sure he's up on his medicine. Plus, by the time she gets him down the stairs, into the car, and make sur

e she has his medicine and water packed, she has to plan an extra 30 minutes to get anywhere on time! One thing is for sure, Kelsey has been incredible through out all of this! Our family is amazed by her goodness and strength- we are so glad Shawn's got her! And he is the first to brag about his top-notch nurse!

Shawn really has been a great patient, and both Dr. visits last week went really well. Both the trauma doc and his orthopedic surgeon felt like everything was moving along great, which was of course super news! Shawn has continued to be pretty emphatic about using as little pain medications as possible, and is, amazingly enough, pretty much surviving on a few Tylenol a day. We all laugh about the continued arrival of new bruises- which keep showing up at different places in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors! But, like everything else in he's dealing with, according to Shawn, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

We continue to be amazed at his strength and determination throughout this whole ordeal. The other night our family was gathered together. In time, the conversation turned toward the accident and all the miracles that occurred. Kelsey commented, "This must be why miracles don't happen very often, it takes so much coordination to make one happen!" We are completely humbled by the many, many miracles that continue to surface regarding the accident.

Shawn's mom was telling us how many people keep suggesting to her that Shawn must have something very special to accomplish during this life here on Earth. But, she went on to say that she and a friend were discussing this very thing when her friend told her, "You know, maybe the only thing he is supposed to do is to live each day of his life the very best he can every day he is here."

Isn't that true for all of us? It's amazing how something like this makes us sit back and look at how we are spending our days. When it's all said and done, it may not be the "fireworks" of it all that really matter. You know, the big and important things we all seem to think we should be accomplishing.

Maybe it's the little things. And maybe the part that really matters is that we do those little things the very best that we can, every day that we are here.

Heavenly Father, thanks for the reminder.

day 5- he's coming home!!!!

(Doesn't he look proud of himself in this picture? Or maybe it's just all the drugs. . .)


So. . .He is either really charming or really grouchy, because he miraculously talked them into letting him come home. (He seems to be pretty adept at pulling off miracles this week.)

We were all surprised to hear the news, but when we asked him about the change of plan, he explained, "They gave me a list of things that had to be done, so I just did them."

There you go.

Anyway, we are all so glad he's back in town!

P.S. . . .A little side note about visitors:

Shawn still has a ways to go in his recovery process, so if you could call before showing up, that would be great! This way, he (or Kelsey, at least) can make sure he's minding his P's and Q's. Also, with all the bugs going around, please, please make sure you don't come if you have any friends of that sort hanging around. He has some respiratory issues that could be a problem if every one's not careful.

Thanks for understanding. . .you know there's not two more social butterflies than Shawn and Kelsey, and they would love to see you all! Let's just keep him on the gettin' well road!


PPS. Yesterday Shawn was telling his sister that he wished he had been able to get his house painted before the accident. These were his next words, "I don't know how steady I'll be on a ladder."

Yip, you read that right.

So, if you happen to be driving by and see him making an attempt at any foolish endeavors, (ie: ladders, planting trees, etc.) PLEASE help us out by making an intervention. Seems he's into checking things off "his list" these days.

We're just thinking that his luck might eventually run out.


WELCOME HOME SHAWN! WE LOVE YOU!

day 4 - workin' hard

Today was a great day for Shawn, but boy, did he work hard!

He is so determined to come home. If there is anything he thinks he can do that will help him get better faster, he is going to do it! (And don't try to tell him he can't!)

This morning when the doctor came to do rounds, the conversation went something like this:

"I hear you're spreading rumors around here."

He responded, "Oh really? What's that?"

"They say you're telling everyone you're going home today."

"I am!"

"Not on my watch you're not."

The Dr. is thinking more along the lines of Monday, if Shawn is a good boy. But Shawn, on the other hand is thinking there are too many days between now and Monday! Every time someone walks in the door he asks "what do I need to do?" . . ."tell me what I can do to get this moving along". . .

One of the things they told him he needed to do was to have a few accomplishments in the little boys room (if you know what we mean). He immediately pointed to his catheter and said something to the effect of, "How am I supposed to do that with this? Get this out so we can get 'er done." So, out it went! (Much to his dismay, the gettin' 'er done part isn't always so easy!)

With the help of his buddy Cam and the physical therapist, he walked a ways down the hall with his "old man walker". But when he found out he would need to master the crutches and stairs before going home, he soon had the therapist back giving him lessons on the crutches. And when she suggested he work on those for a while before tackling a couple of stairs? No way! He did those too. The first time, she told him he was doing great, but was a little shaky. So he did them again, turned to her, and said, "I wasn't shaky that time, was I?"

Same thing when it came to getting out of bed by himself. As soon as he found out he would need to do it by himself, there was no helping him! With this boy, it is definitely mind over matter! He matter of factly explained that he believes you can push yourself a lot more than you think, and then the next time, it will be easier to go even further.

The nurses and therapists were loving him. They said it's fun to have a patient who is so motivated. (FYI, they say the young male patients are usually the biggest wimps!) They told us it is fun for them to have the tables turned. Instead of begging, pleading, and dragging Shawn, he's the one pushing, prodding, and insisting they let him do it!

If all of his hard work doesn't pay off, he told one of the nurses that he has a plan B. He and a few friends figured out that if necessary, they can repel him down from his window and make a quick escape if need be. . .

We're thinking he's had enough excitement this week. Let's pray he sticks with plan A.

so good

Shawn's friend, Casey Earl (who was also the driver of the semi) and his wife Kristen came to visit Shawn and Kelsey tonight. They were able to visit for almost an hour. Kelsey said it was "amazing" and left her speechless. It was so good for both of them to see each other and have a chance to talk. According to Kelsey, it was one of the coolest things she has ever experienced.

To Casey- Shawn and Kelsey want to thank you so much. Again. . .thanks for Tuesday. And for coming to visit. It was so good.

And especially. . .CONGRATULATIONS! (Casey and Kristen are new parents!) Shawn and Kelsey are wishing you the best with Macey!