Macy's Boo Bash

Jo's 15th Birthday

2009 Ravalli County Fair

Sunday @ Sue's

29th Annual Tracy Family Reunion

Summer Fun!!

If time flies when you're having fun........we must be having a blast!! What a beautiful summer we've had so far. It's been busy, but we wouldn't want time to be bored, would we?? First off, I feel like I've joined the land of the living again, as Dr. Behm has "finally" allowed me to break the bond that I've formed with "the boot". I can honestly say "Parting is such sweet sorrow!!" Even though I'll be spending a couple weeks in an ASO lace-up ankle brace till I build some confidence and finish up my physical therapy, I can see that I can finally lead a somewhat normal life again!! (Even if it will be a new normal.) I had my last aqua therapy Wednesday and felt great about being able to do a little jog on the underwater treadmill. Even though you only bear about 25% of your body weight under water, I felt it quite an accomplishment. Tara had my speed up to almost 5MPH which doesn't sound like much, but compared to my limited walk of 2.4MPH uw walking, I was really moving........ I'll now do two more weeks of land therapy to try to get a little more movement.......it is pretty achy, but I'm hoping in time, I'll have a normal gait again and be free of some of the pain. I had out-patient surgery on the 26th of June and had one of the pins removed. I was having some serious pain which caused me to have to quit therapy for a few weeks and after a quick exray found that from movement, the screw had wallowed a hole in the two bones. Immediately after the surgery, the pain was gone and I was back on the road to recovery. God Bless Dr. Behm.......he has been the BEST!!
Taylor and Erika are keeping busy.....Taylor's been working at Donaldson's Concrete again this summer. He'll be taking a break after today to begin a little summer fun. Next week, he'll be taking off on the Classroom Without Walls Backpacking trip. He and twelve other "select" high school students and three teacher/chaperones will be hiking into the Beartooth Wilderness for seven days. He had a semester class of preparation for it. They'll be learning about the ecosystem, fishing, habitat, cooking, survival, backpacking and team building. What a great experience this will be as he really enjoys the outdoors. When he returns from there he'll head off to California to visit a special someone. He's really looking forward to this, although admits he may look a little out of place in his Carharts and Western Boots.....Oh, well. While there, he'll go to an Oakland baseball game, visit the beach, see Lil' Wayne in concert and of course experience life in the fast lane. When he gets home, it'll be time to start Soccer practice....and before long--his senior year. Erika's also been kept busy. She spent the first month of summer playing on a traveling softball team--The Bitterroot Sparks. She was honored to be asked to play. The team was made up of girls from Florence and Stevi with a couple from Corvallis, and one from Bonner and Missoula. She had a great time playing and made new friends, most of whom were always before "the competition". She's also finishing up Driver's Education and is eager to get on the road. Thankfully, Montana has the Graduated Driver program now so we'll work into the full license slowly. She's doing great with her learners permit...... and corrects her dad and I on our faults. She's really blossomed into a young lady.......got her braces off in June and chose to donate an eleven inch pony tail to Locks Of Love. Wow, talk about growing up overnight--she's really looking forward to high school.
Well, time to prepare for the weekend.....Mindi has her 10 year class reunion this weekend and I'm doing dinner for the icebreaker dinner tonight. We'll enjoy having Macy Mae for the evening. We're all looking forward to the family reunion next weekend. Hope to see you there.

'Til next time~~~Celebrate Summer~~~

Erika's Growing Up.......

Macy's ONEderful

*~*Let Your Light Shine*~*

Las Vegas Fun

Way To Go~You Made It

A Little Slice of Summer

We'll Sing In The Sunshine.....We'll Laugh Every Day.......

Three cheers for summer. It's hard to believe it's finally here. We've wasted no time falling into a busy summer schedule...seems everything's happening at once. First off, we were happy to celebrate school ending with promotions and graduations. Tony's son, Kyle, had his promotion from Hamilton Middle School on June 3. He's grown into such a fine young man......we're all looking forward to watching him compete on the HHS Golf Team next year. First, though, he's off to a great start with the South West Montana Youth Golf Tour. Keep up the good work, Kyle!! The day after his festivities, Bret, Erika and I flew to Vegas for a quick get away and to attend the wedding of our neice, Whitney (Bret's sister Shelley's daughter). What fun!! Neither of us had been there for twenty some years........my, how it's changed. We saw most of the sights....... thank heavens we took the wheel chair! We covered lots of miles. I couldn't have done it on crutches. The wedding was great, Whitney is beautiful, we love Keith and welcome him to the family. It was also great to get together with the Allen family. My luck hasn't changed, I didn't "hit the big one" on the slots. Maybe next time.
Unfortunately, Taylor wasn't able to join us on the trip this time. He had finals at school, important class time for his Classroom Without Walls and the Montana Cup Soccer Finals. It was a good time for us to test his "18 year old" independence. As far as we know, he did great! We were bummed to miss the Montana Cup.........especially, as his team won the championship beating Butte (in Butte?!?!) in overtime. He'll begin his summer job at Donaldson Brothers Concrete on Monday. It's hard for us to believe he'll be a Senior when school begins again.
Also, while we were away, we were sorry to miss out on the celebration in Spokane for Debbie's daughter Erin's high school graduation. She's such a sweetie......and all grown up. Looks like she won't be a UM Grizzly afterall....she's decided on Western Washington University in Bellingham. Congratulations, Erin, and Good Luck to you!!
We got home Sunday, in time to prepare for Erika's 8th Grade Promotion. We had a barbeque to celebrate Monday night. Tuesday night was the ceremony, followed by a party and dance. Since then she's been to a birthday/sleepover at Como Lake, an "End of the Year" party at a classmates house, and today, a paintball party. Our little social butterfly!! She's really looking forward to High School. Yikes......two in high school next year. Taylor and his friends assure me they'll take good care of her. (Something to be afraid of!!) Bittersweet for Bret and I....after twenty-eight years, we'll finally have the last one in high school.
I'm still plugging away with my physical therapy. Ugh. It's been kind of a disappointing week as I've had more pain with the healing ligament. I'm not sure, but maybe Vegas was a little too much. I see Dr. Behm for my check-up on Monday. Keeping my fingers crossed that surgery to remove one of the pins is still a go on the 26th of June. I never dreamed I'd still be gimping around in July or possibly August. It was fifteen weeks on Thursday......long enough!!
OK....time to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Enjoy the day!!

~*~*~*Celebrate Spring*~*~*

***Sunny Saturday Fun***

Mother's Day

In The Merry Month Of May.......

And the green grass grows all around, all around........... Finally! We've had a very busy month!! Thanks to Bret, things have really shaped up around our house. The garden is planted, the perrenials are all up and thriving and I was even able to get all the flower pots planted this weekend. It feels so good to be out enjoying the sunshine.
I've added some new slideshows to my site today......Spring Fever has hit in full force. There are so many things happening!!! My camera has been quite busy! Beginning with our Mother's Day dinner at the Steakhouse. As always, everyone had their best smiles on. Then, Erika, Baili and Crissy had their annual piano recital. They all did so well!! It's really fun to see their progress every year.....Erika finished up her track season this last week. It was fun to watch her compete again. She did the 100 hurdles and a couple of the relays. She did great was happy with how she did, bettering her times in all events. Of course, the social part of the sport appeared to be quite important, too... there always seemed to be a cute (male) Darby Tiger athlete not too far from her most of the time. Yikes!! Are we ready for this.?.?.?.?
We were thrilled to have Anthony, Caydence and Eamon spend some time with us last weekend. They had such a great time together. After a trip to town to buy sunglasses and sunscreen, we took them fishing to Tony's pond. They were all lucky to catch fish, and even though none of them were brave enough to "kiss their catch", they had lots of fun and laughs. As the fishing began to get "boring", we paddled and rowed to the other end of the pond to view the turtles sunning themselves on the logs. They were very entertaining, and surprisingly, weren't bothered by us invading their territory. Bret and I felt fortunate to get the kids back in the car without any extra passengers.... We stopped in town to grab a picnic lunch and headed to Canyon Creek Hide-Away for the kids to eat and play awhile. Once again lots of Kodak moments there. They played and played, loving having Auntie JoJo along. They have so much energy!! We must have tired them out, as the ride back home was pretty quiet......a nice end to a busy day!
My healing is slowly moving along. Therapy still three times a week. I had a visit to Dr. Behm the first of last week. Being that I'm having some pain again, he's put me back on crutches. Ugh! Apparently, my "syndesmosis" or the ligament that holds the tibia and fibula together was completely torn and is very slow healing. Once again, he stressed that I shouldn't have any pain with my recovery. Consequently, I have to take my time getting down to one crutch (without pain) and eventually off of them, again. Because of this, I won't see him until June 15, at which time he'll decide if I'm ready for surgery to remove the screw which is now holding those bones together. It's tenatively scheduled for June 26th. OK, so my twelve weeks was up last Thursday.......the light at the end of the tunnel is dimming. Or, as Dr. Behm said, "Hopefully, it's not a train!". Not funny!! I'm beginning to see why my PT has said this won't be the best six months of my life and I'm better understanding their meaning of the traumatic break I had. It's been a loooooonnnnnngggg haul......is there an end in sight??? I'd like to think I'll be out of the boot by August 1st, if not sooner. That would be five months plus...Oh, well, I'll continue with my positive thinking.
Well, better get something ready for the BBQ. It's sure great to be able to cook outside again. Until next time.........enjoy the gorgeous weather!!

Eleven Weeks and Counting....

Time for another update.....and wow, what an eventful week...I feel like I'm back in the land of the living. My first accomplishment was getting behind the wheel and "On The Road Again". I'm sure Dr. Behm's reasoning for my not driving for ten weeks was to keep me from doing so much running around and to keep me off my feet. Well, I guess I'm making up for lost time.....seems like I'm on the go every other minute.
I've been doing therapy three days a week, and really feeling it. My therapist is a sweet, young Butte Irish girl, Tera Mahoney. She's a bundle of energy and encouragment and has me going strong. Apparently, the idea is to not have any pain with rehab, but until now, I've believed in the "No pain, no gain" theory. Well, I need to change that way of thinking, as I'm apparently working things too much and having a lot of pain. My achilles tendon is screaming!!! I'm guessing that ten weeks of non-movement isn't going to be turned into movement too quickly. I do two days of aquatherapy and one day of land therapy. The aquatherapy is wonderful. It's the only time I can put any weight on my leg without my "boot". I'm able to walk on the underwater treadmill, do leglifts, squats, and other stretches in the water. It's awesome. The land therapy consists of stationary bike peddling, range of motion exercises and more stretching. She also does some deep massage and ultrasound treatments and oh, they hurt so good. Once again, my patience is being tested, as I want to do it all right now. I'm back to icing and elevating.......working to keep in the comfort zone. Hopefully, I'll find the right balance of exercise soon. Now I know why Dr. Behm asked if I still had pain pills.......I thought (or hoped) I was beyond needing them. As for getting around, I'm down to one crutch, but can't be without my boot. Walking with the boot is fairly easy, though. Even though you walk on that leg, the boot offloads the pressure on the ankle, so it absorbs the weight. At this point I'm dreading being without the boot.....like I've said before, we've become best buddies and don't go anywhere without each other. My security.
Another highlight of my week was being able to go back to work. At first, I will be spreading appointments out each day until I can work up to a full schedule. I've found that I need to sit with my leg up in between customers, as swelling is still a problem. I also have a stool on hand which works great to sit on while wrapping perms or blow drying. I have such an awesome clientle.....thank you to them for being so understanding and patient with me.
What a great weekend I had. I had a double bonus with it being Mother's Day and my Birthday. Saturday, Bret's mom treated Erika and I to a tea at the Marcus Daly Mansion. What fun it was. The mansion volunteers set beautiful tables with a light lunch and beautiful desserts along with tea and lemonade. Following, we were able to go on a self-guided tour. Even though we'd been through it before, they're always changing things. It's such a beautiful landmark. Thank heavens for the elevator. Saturday evening, Dad treated the Mom's and families to dinner at the Steakhouse. Good times!! Sunday...church and breakfast and a relaxing day at home.

~*~*~*Whoo-Hoo*~*~*~

Finally....a little freedom.....to drive, to work and the hard part....to learn to walk again.....Wow!! It's been nine weeks since my fall, and alas, I feel like there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. I had a check-up with Dr. Behm on Thursday and hit the trifecta. I was so excited to hear I'd be able to get some normalcy to my life again. He was very happy with how things were looking, feeling and moving and wants me to begin adding a little weight (with crutches, of course). If only it was as easy as it sounded. My mind is saying "Go For It", but crazy as it sounds, it's REALLY scary (not to mention, painful). Hopefully, little by little I'll trust my mind. It'll also help when I begin therapy on Monday. He has recommended aquatherapy, which will allow me to put full weight on it while in the water. Fortunately, we have a new PT place in Corvallis with a therapy pool. It's pretty neat as it has a "built in" underwater treadmill. My first thought was how I'd get into the pool, but they've assured me they'd use the hydraulic chair till I could use the stairs. Whew, the relief.
Along with all this good news, we had to have a little chat about what the future holds. Back when I had the surgery, he'd said that ten of the eleven pins/screws and the plate would be permanent, but there would be a decision to be made on number eleven. Well, I guess the time's coming for that decision. Number eleven is the long screw that was put in to hold the tibia and fibula together for healing. It can be left in, but it will eventually break. Ugh! Sometimes, when this happens, there are no problems, but there's always a chance of some discomfort and pain. Once it breaks, there's no way to get the "inside" (fibula) piece of the screw out without extensive surgery. The surgery to remove it before it breaks is quite simple.....outpatient....they put you under, just a small incision, unscrew it, steri-strips, and you're on your way. The ugly part of it is, he won't remove it until the fourteenth week and then you're in the boot for an additional two weeks. Yowsie!!! Sixteen weeks total....that's a long time. Well, at this time I'm leaning toward having it removed. With being on my feet so much at work, it seems logical that I wouldn't want to risk the chance of problems down the road. Maybe better to give a little extra time now than a lifetime of pain and worry. And as for the boot, we've kinda bonded....I don't go ANYWHERE without it (well,except the shower).
On a happy note and something to look forward to, I've made reservations for Bret, Erika and I to take a trip to Vegas the first week of June. We'll be meeting up with Bret's family for the wedding of his sister Shelley's daughter, Whitney, and her great guy, Keith. Erika will be in the wedding....should be fun!! Unfortunately, Taylor will miss out. He's unable to miss any classes for his Classroom Without Walls project and it's also his State Cup for soccer. Never a dull moment around here. Sorry we'll also be missing Debbie and Tim's daughter Erin's high school graduation in Spokane that weekend. Congrats and Best Wishes to her!!

Spring weather seems to finally be here to stay this time. Bret's mowing today and thanks to him my flower beds are looking beautiful with the perennials coming on. He is so good to me. I'm so thankful and appreciative for all he's done for me. My biggest blessing!! Looks like after all I may be able to help him plant the vegetable garden in a few weeks. I've got so much to look forward to...........

St. Francis Youth Living Wax Museum

Three cheers for Erika and Kyle on their presentation at Church today. Fifteen seventh and eighth graders presented the Living Wax Museum of the Saints. Each student had to choose a favorite Religous Saint, study and gather information on their chosen Saint and create a posterboard with photos and facts to share with the Parish and Religous Education Classes. They also had to dress like their Saint and be able to answer questions pertaining to their chosen One. Erika chose St. Joan of Arc and Kyle chose St. San Pasqual. Each student was assigned a Knight of Columbus to help with their project. Special thanks to Nick Hooper for allowing Erika to use his "real" K of C sword to complement her costume. It was really neat to see what each was able to come up with. It's a fun way to learn and they were quite creative.

Woodworking Wonders!

One of Taylor's favorite hobbies/past-times these days is archery. Not only has he enjoyed hunting with his bow, but he's become involved with it by joining the competitive archery team for 4-H and has also joined the Men's League at the local archery hangout, The Elusive Moose. He's made many new friends and really enjoys being involved in all areas. One of his special new friends is Dale Dye, former (Ret.) Ravalli County Sheriff. They became aquainted in the men's league and have become good buddies. Taylor was honored when Dale gifted him one of his custom recurve bows which just needed a little finish work. He graciously helped Taylor with the sanding and finishing and Taylor is so proud it. It's beautiful!! Dale joined us for Taylor's 18th birthday dinner and I was happy to get some photos. Taylor, wanting to do something special for Dale, decided to make a "custom" sign for his bow shop, Trail's End Archery.....He designed and created the sign as a project for his woodworking class at school. It turned out awesome and Dale was very happy with it. Super workmanship on both projects, guys....... Happy Hunting!!

Happy Easter!!

Spring Has Sprung!!

What an awesome week-end!! Spring has sprung and it made for a wonderful Easter. We were kept very busy with the kids and grandkids and a great time was had by all. Mindi, Glen and Sweet Macyn came down on Saturday....Glen spent the day with Tom snowmobiling, which left the day wide open for Mindi and I to do some shopping and getting things ready for Easter. We were joined by Erika, Crissy Belle & Macyn....and then met Katie in Stevensville in the afternoon to get Eamon, too. We took in Taylor's soccer game in Stevi until the wind and Macyn's patience cut it a little short. At home, Rick and Baili joined us for pizza, along with Tab and the kids. Of course, the kids were anxious for egg dying, so we finished up the busy day in full color. Easter morning began with baskets for the little ones and Eamon enjoyed finding eggs the Easter Bunny had left around the house. Then off to church for Easter services. Home again for a quick nap and then to Grandpa and Grandma Lubke's for a beautiful dinner. Katie and her friend Chris, along with Mindy Nicole joined us for dinner, followed up by another egghunt in the backyard. Grandpa Bill is feeling much better and getting stronger each day.....he was even able to sit on the back deck and watch the egghunt for awhile. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for him. It's great to see him getting back on his feet.
Speaking of getting back on feet.......I'm over halfway through my recovery and seem to have turned a big corner. The "boot" continues to be a blessing. It's much more comfortable than the cast and it's like heaven to be able to move it around a little. I'm really happy with the movement I have so far. I'm so ready to begin driving and get back to work again. In the mean time, I've gotten much better operating my crutches and am trying to be patient until I can put some weight on it again. Once again thanks for the positive thoughts and help........I'm indebted to so many people.

Happy Spring!!

Dear Ol' Dad

Please keep my Dad in your prayers as he deals with some health issues again. He had an obstruction early in the week which has corrected itself, but is now working on getting
re-juiced, as he gets dehydrated so easily. He seems to be on the mend, as his humor is back in check.
It's amazing how he is able to rebound, but can always use your thoughts and prayers.
Thanks......


****Update: Just talked with Mom and Dad came home from the hospital this afternoon (Saturday). She says he's feeling good, but is really weak and will still need some time to recoup. He'll have time now to sit back, relax, rebuild and enjoy the Final Four.....Please continue to keep him in your thoughts.....Sue