Every year I tell Mandee and the boys that I don’t want them to waste the money on a present for me.  Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don’t.  This year I made the comment once again but of course they didn’t listen.

If you know me you know I am a bit of a coffee snob.  I use a french press at home and have decided that is as good as it gets.. period.  So when I opened my present and it was a drip coffee maker I wasn’t overwhelmed with joy.  You never want to take a present back when you get it from immediate family but Mandee knew by the look on my face that is exactly what was going to happen.  After much deliberation we decided to replace it with a Keurig since it was so diverse in the drinks it can make and Mandee is always wanting to try new tea, hot chocolate and even sometimes coffee.

I went into it very skeptical but I am happy to admit that I was wrong.  Don’t get me wrong it isn’t as good as a cup of coffee from a french press but it’s pretty close.  Even better there is no cleanup.  With the press it is a pain to get everything clean.

So the lesson here is… sometimes it is good that the family doesn’t listen.

Blake had his final checkup on Monday and it couldn’t have gone better.  He was given clearance to go back to work and most importantly for him.. start driving again.  Mandee went riding around with him later that day and it was like riding a bike.  He still has to work on his strength to get ready for tennis next spring but he is pretty much back to normal.

Now that he is through his rehab I want to send out some thanks to those who helped during the entire situation.  All the grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends who did and would do anything to help Blake out.  I also want to thank Blake’s friends who came over and just spent time with him when he couldn’t do much but watch tv.  Hunter, Matt, Drew, Hayden, Nick, Nate, Brenda and Rylie are the ones I remember. (sorry if I missed anyone)  I want to thank Mandee for keeping it together when she could have easily broke down and made herself sick.  Blake deserves a huge thank you for being mature past his years and taking on this situation as a challenge and staying positive.  The entire thing could have been much harder on everyone but he made it as easy as possible.

Mostly I want to thank Bryce who really went out of his way to help Blake and us whenever we needed.  He did everything asked of him and more.  He never once gave us any attitude or did anything other than want to help.  Alot of kids in that situation wouldn’t have handled it the same.

Mandee and I are both very thankful for all of our friends and family but most of all we are thankful to have two very kind, thoughtful, respectful and most importantly caring children.  Thank you Blake and Bryce, we love you!

Today Blake had his first follow-up appointment with the Neurosurgeon in Wichita to read his latest x-rays.  It was a very good appointment and left us even more confident that he is on the right track to get back to 100%.  He still has six weeks of back/neck brace but so far so good.

We are a month into the three month recovery and all is well.  Blake got new x-rays today in preparation for his appointment with the Neurosurgeon next week.  Here are some of the better x-rays we received but they are still tough to read due to his scoliosis so don’t be too worried when you see the views of his entire spine.  It is pretty obvious where the broken vertebrae is but we have no idea if it is better or simply the same as a month ago.  Blake is very mobile and still has no pain and is in great spirits.

The little dots are due to his back/neck brace..  he isn’t full of shrapnel from Vietnam!

With the Honda out of commission Mandee had a long week trying to find just the right new car.  After many phone calls to different dealers across the state she found what she wanted.  It is a fun little crossover with all the features she was looking for.  We tried to buy locally but there just wasn’t anything we wanted for the money.  We ended up going to Salina yesterday to pick up her new Nissan Rogue.

If you see her coming I would recommend staying out of her way since she will probably be playing with all the gadgets making her even more dangerous than normal.

Tonight is our first prom as parents.  Here are the pics before the prom.  The boys and their dates look nice.  Hopefully the boys have a lot of fun and don’t get into too much trouble after.

Even though Blake and Bryce are done with soccer on Saturday’s it doesn’t mean I can sit on my a— playing xbox.  Here is a sweet save by my nephew Tabasco.. yes that is his real name.

Well the day didn’t go as well as planned but it wasn’t horrible either.  Overall the team is ahead of where we were last year so that is a plus.  One of my main goals for the team was to improve and they are holding up their end of the bargain there.

Here is a link to the Hays Daily News story.

Our second varsity meet is in the books.  After a rough start for the team we came on strong.  Taylor Ermoian dominated the tournament going 3-0 and taking first place.  Blake and Bryce had a rough first match but figured it out to go 2-1 to take third place.  Ben Glassman’s road to third was much like Blake & Bryce’s.  Hunter & Cody had a tough day all around going 1-2 taking fifth.  Overall the team took third place and built confidence as they went.

Our next meet is our only home meet of the year starting at 1pm tomorrow (4/11/11).  If you have time you should come out and enjoy some quality tennis.

I remember watching Nick Charles growing up.  He was never an influence or someone I thought much about.  Now that he is dying of terminal cancer I am thinking of him.  This very short video from CNN will make sure I think of him often.  He has a great attitude and is thinking about what is important in life.  With all of our daily struggles we should take a break and try to live with a different philosophy.