Where do we go from here?

It's Holly. Ted says he doesn't know what to type, so is leaving most of the blogging up to me.
Dropped my mom off at the airport this morning. We're on our own now, for a while.

Now, we have to begin picking up the pieces and piecing our life back together. Things have been so upside down and inside out since the beginning of April. It's hard to know where to start.

The house is super-quiet. Ted is zonked out on the bed, and Jack is snoring in his own bed.

The thunder is booming out the window. It's been raining a lot lately. My mom is known as the "rain goddess," but it's still raining and she's in the air somewhere over Virginia, speeding back to NH, so I can't blame her.

On Thursday, the weather got so bad, that a gust of wind blew our new grill clear across the patio, where it hit a planter, and fell over. Ted was on one side of the house, yelling to me, "The grill! Holly the grill!" Mom was on the other side of the house, looking out the window, yelling, "Oh my god, the grill! The grill!" I was somewhere in the middle, and couldn't see what was going on. Ted started running out of the bedroom, and realized he forgot his walker. He was crazy enough to think he was going out in that awful storm to pick the grill up. I haven't seen him move that fast in a long time! Ted and the grill survived, unscratched and without any dents.

Ted's follow-up appointment with the surgeon is tomorrow (Monday) afternoon. We hope that Ted's bandages will come off, and that the staples will come out. The poor guy hasn't had a shower in 2 weeks! The bandage has slipped a little, and we got a peek at what's underneath. He probably has more than 50 staples. They go more than halfway up his thigh, and we think they go down to his upper-calf. Overall, the incision is probably 18 inches or longer. Ted is hoping they'll take an x-ray and that he can get a peek at the hardware they put in. The knee they used is called the "stryker"

Last night Ted cooked dinner. He made a wonderful roasted chicken stuffed with fresh rosemary from our garden. It boosted his mood and his confidence that he got back into the kitchen to do what he loves to do.

Ted is finally able to do his leg lifts without assistance! He's very happy about that. Less than a week ago, he'd lay on the bed to do his exercises, and his face would be scrunched up in concentration, willing his leg to lift off the bed. He would get SO frustrated when he couldn't do it. Now, he can do 10 without breaking a sweat!

So, slowly now, we'll begin to pick up the pieces. Slowly we'll get back to our old routines, our old ways of doing things. Things will begin to get back to normal.

We're very happy that Ted is progressing so well! It has a lot to do with his willpower, and also, I think, all the support we've had from everyone. Ted and I have set many goals and worked as a team to get things done, but we were smart enough to realize this time, that this is a battle we can't fight alone. To know that there are so many people out there routing for Ted, and sending well wishes and prayers has helped Ted be strong and given him the will to get out of bed each day.

As things get back to normal, one thing is drastically different. We will make sure to enjoy each and every day, celebrate the little successes, and make it a point to spend more time with our friends and family members.

And every day, I'll hope and pray that the big bad monster we call the fu@%ker is gone for good.