Why Ben had no vacation time last year

Isn't Bradley's tummy so cute??? Talk about pure guilt on my part. Poor guy was in pain. And, hey. This guy is a total stud. The docs said it took longer to get the kidney out cause of his muscle! Aren't we such a cute brother/sister pair?

Aren't I just SOOO cute?? Just kidding. I think this was the afternoon they plugged new hardware (thanks to Bradley) in. However, the anesthetic was super powerful for me and I honestly was pretty out of it until about 10 that night, as you can tell. I did make them get rid of the oxygen tubes pretty quick, and by Thursday (surgery was Tuesday) made them take the morphine pump. It just made me feel lousy anyway. So, some of the fun stuff disappeared pretty fast. Others hung on a little too long.

Mom brought the teeth with her to get a laugh and have fun. She did the best things for us while we were in the hospital. Brought us things to do, kept us company, and even (thank you thank you still) gave us ipods to pass the long nights when they come check on you at least every couple of hours. Let me tell you, that saved my sanity. I just could not sleep and would have gone nuts without something to listen to. She had preloaded it with songs and books to pass the time.

Bradley got feeling a little better and this was the day he was released from the hospital.

We were told to walk a lot to help speed healing. Well, we each had started heading to the other's room (they put family members on opposite ends of the wing so you HAVE to walk more) and we met in the middle. Boy, doesn't that look fun? Walking down a hall with two hospital robes on to cover ....... areas, both of us dragging IV poles.

Caitlyn I guess wasn't too thrilled with the way I looked the first day or so and preferred to be wtih Bradley, who looked great from the get go. She wouldn't get that close to my bed for two days! Glad she had him and my parents and grandparents.

This was a real learning experience for me in some ways. I wasn't worried about surgery. I knew things would be fine. However, all those who rallied around us and supported us in SO many ways was really unexpected and touching. My grandparents came from back home to be with us, a lot of the farmers Ben works with surprised us by helping with medical expenses, my parents were there from the beginning helping and doing all they could. Ben and Goose were of course a great comfort and all those who helped take care of Goose while I was in Salt Lake for a couple of weeks. I woudn't have gotten along without my mom gone after getting back to Idaho if it hadn't been for Amy. (Then again, I think most days I would be pretty lost without her... lol) Last but most certainly not least, there is Bradley. What a sacrifice. I can't even imagine what he had to go through. Things are so much harder on the donor than the recipient. I am forever grateful for his willingness to help me when I needed it, even when it was something he did not have to do. Love you, Bro!