New man in town.....

Carter Jay Yonke was born on Friday, October 30, 2009 to beaming parents Jason and Kari Yonke.

Kari and I go way back....way back to the "good old days" of Franklin Middle School. I remember meeting her the first day of 6th grade, the very first day of middle school. Her last name started with a K, mine with a L. Our lockers were close to each other as were our seats in many classes. We have been partners in crime ever since. Our daughters have grown up together, gotten in trouble together, and are certain to be in need of close supervision as teenagers when they're together.

We traveled to Fargo on Tuesday to meet the newest addition to the Yonke family. He couldn't have been cuter. Gym Dad and I were taken by surprise when we were asked to be the Godparents to this special little man. We couldn't be more honored. I cannot think of a greater gift than to be given the opportunity to create a special relationship with this child. It is a true testament to our remarkable friendship. My cup runneth over.......

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Valley of Fire State Park

I finally have found time to edit the photos taken during our trip to Las Vegas. Not sure exactly what happened those two weeks I was sitting in the recliner at home........but I digress.

Unfortunately, I didn't seem to take very many photos in Las Vegas. I must have been too busy carrying my drink.....errrr....I mean enjoying the sites to take out my camera and snap some shots.

I did, however, get some fantastic photos of the Valley of Fire State Park. The Valley of Fire State Park is located in the Mojave Desert, a little under an hour north of fabulous Las Vegas. It's name was acquired from the red sandstone rock formations and mountains that grace this amazing land. Being from the "great plains" it was some of the most stunning beauty I have ever seen. It was also unbelievably hot....very, very hot....like 115 degrees hot! And, no, the "dry heat" doesn't make one bit of difference!

Gym Dad

Brother J

Sister K

Gym Dad was attempting to stand on a very unstable sign....not too sure what he was trying to prove, but I got some hilarious expressions!

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Update.....

Well, this is it! The end my confinement is closely at hand. I have been giving the a-okay to go back to work on Wednesday. I am about at the end of my rope with this room, this chair, and daytime TV.

The doctor confirmed that my knee and leg are healing well. He took a portion of my stitches out (the rest will dissolve) and showed me a lovely x-ray photo of his handiwork. I was astonished by the size of the screws. They resemble the ones used by Gym Dad to hang drywall. No dainty hardware for me! I can now bear 10% of my weight on my leg which isn't much of a change from what I was already doing, but can progressively add more as I can handle it. Only two more months and I should be rid of my brace and walking unassisted......Lord give me strength!

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New & Improved Views from the Recliner.....

Sister K helped me improve my views by arranging my fall decorations around the house. Fall is my favorite time of the year for a few of reasons. It means that the curling season is around the corner, and fall brings about the start of college hockey. Not to neglect to also mention the colors of the trees, the first snow, and deer hunting. Thanks to Sister K I have new views from the recliner.....new and improved views!

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pa⋅thet⋅ic [puh-thet-ik]

–adjective

1.	causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness, sorrow, etc.; pitiful; pitiable: a pathetic letter; a pathetic sight.

2.	affecting or moving the feelings.

3.	pertaining to or caused by the feelings.

4.	miserably or contemptibly inadequate: In return for our investment we get a pathetic three percent interest. As you can see it is very hard for me to get any work done as of late. Crazy Canadian Kramer seems to think that he should have my undivided attention at all times. He is pathetic!

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Sunday Update.....

I'm not feeling sleepy tonight, even though I have every reason to be sound asleep right now. I watched the weekend fly by from my recliner. Gym Dad helped winterize the lake cabin while Sister K took care of me. She made, from scratch, a fabulous lasagna, and decked out the house with my collection of fall decorations. Thanks again K! These decorations make me smile and I could use a few new reasons to smile!

It was an exciting sports day. It was hard to keep up! The President's Cup, the Vikings, Nascar Racing, and the Twins. The U.S. took the cup, the Vikings are 5 and 0, Jimmy Johnson can go fly a kite, and the Twins STUNK! By the way, isn't base running a skill these guys should have learned in little league? Geeze! Rent a clue! It could have been an exciting series. Just for the record, I will be cheering from here on out for whomever is playing against the Yankees.

Even with the exciting boob tube action, I am going stir crazy sitting here day after day. Which is unfortunate because as I found out today trying to help Sister K with decorating, I am in no shape to be returning to my regular daily routine. Why can't I accept that my body needs time to heal? If you watched the video of my surgery, you can see that it was quite a traumatic ordeal for a body to endure. Again, I think this goes back to my inability to admit weakness. I shouldn't be walking by now, I shouldn't be out cruising the town, I shouldn't be grocery shopping.....I know these things...it is common sense. However, for some reason I still long to return to the mundane activities of my life. I'm less that a week post surgery! I have got a long road ahead. If I get through this without asking to be shot (...ahem...Rob...) it will be a miracle! The sedentary lifestyle is NOT for me!

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My new love....

Since being at home I have discovered that television sucks! I mean really sucks! We have somewhere in the ball park of 200 channels at our disposal....surely there must be something worth watching on at all times of the day, right? WRONG! Between infomercials, The Golden Girls, and international soccer I can't even find an episode of The Andy Griffith show to occupy my time. Heck, at this point I'd settle for a rerun of Matlock. I find myself aimlessly flipping through the channels trying to score 30 minutes of entertainment.

While doing just this, I stumbled upon Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show was created by and stars Larry David who was co-creator of Seinfeld. I LOVE this show! It is hilarious! I found myself laughing out-loud possibly with a few snorts! The Seinfeld references in every episode are undeniable. As I huge Seinfeld fan, the references remind me of the show I never missed. Kudos, Mr. David! You have done it again!

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