Texas - Keith 1st Surgery - Oct to Nov 2023

After spending 2.5 months in NM, we went back to TX so that Keith could get surgery done on his two big toes which had arthritis.  The surgeries were 8 weeks apart and each had an elongated recovery so we decided to use the time to catch up with friends and family in the LA and TX area.

We only had one full day back in Colleyville to get settled before his first surgery.  We unpacked and brought stuff to our storage unit which is now really full!  We also had what Keith affectionally called his 'last supper' on Sunday night with his parents and sister at Perry's Steakhouse and Grill where we had a yummy meal of pork and several sides shared at the table.

On Monday, Keith had the first surgery on his right foot - the surgery only lasted about an hour and with an hour of recovery they were ready to send him home to Shawna's care! This kicked off the first two weeks of 'toes in the air' where he had to rest, keep his feet elevated for 23 hours each day and ice it every 30 minutes!  

Before surgery

Xray after (left) and before (right)

During this time, we got a lot of planning done for the rest of the year and for next year, caught up on some shows and caught up with friends over the phone.  Shawna also did quite a bit of cooking, feeding both Keith and his parents.  Margaret came over one night bringing take out for dinner and Shawna cooked one night for Peter making pasta and for Margaret and the kids making mussels and fish in curry sauces.  

Lot of this for two weeks

After the two weeks of house arrest and upon being 'cleared' by Keith's doctor, we started to venture out to see friends.  During the next two weeks, we caught up with the following people in the DFW area:

• Ernie and Miri - Keith worked with Ernie back in the Aimco days.  We met them for lunch at a yummy, authentic Columbian restaurant, Casa Vieja, where we shared a few appetizers for the table and then shared a beef brisket entree.

• Debbie - We went to Duke with Debbie.  We met up with her for dinner at Mr Max Izakaya, where we shared several yummy Japanese style 'tapas' for the table.

Dinner with Debbie at Mr Max

• Melanie - Shawna went to high school with Melanie at LSMSA.  We met her for lunch at Doce Mesas, a modern Mexican place.  We had a margarita and shared a brisket taco / chicken enchilada plate.

Lunch with Melanie at Doce Mesas

• Shawn - Shawna went to elementary school with Shawn.  We met her and her husband for dinner at Las Palmas, a trendy Mexican place in downtown Dallas.  We shared a yummy plate that had a mixture of Mexican items.

Dinner with Shawn at Las Palmas

• Michael - Michael is our godson.  We picked him up and went to dinner at Ra Sushi in Southlake where we shared a few appetizers and rolls. 

• Christy - Keith went to college with Christy.  We met her for lunch at Mi Dia from Scratch, a great Tex-Mex place where we had table-side guacamole and a yummy salmon for our entree - oh and we may have had a few margaritas as well!!

Lunch with Christy at Mia Dia

• Kris and Angela - Keith went to high school with Kris.  We met him and his wife for dinner at Esparza's in Grapevine.  We were a bit full from lunch so we just snacked on an appetizer sampler and of course more margaritas!

• Jake and Keith - Keith worked with them at Steak and Ale.  We met them (and Jake's wife) for dinner at Fitzgerald's in Ft Worth.  We started out with a few cocktails and then shared a wedge salad and blackened redfish - both very good.

Dinner with Jake and Keith at Fitzgerald

• Jordan and Mark - Jordan is our goddaughter.  We met her and her boyfriend for lunch at Chef Point Bar and Restaurant where we had a stuffed pork chop with pasta.

• Gary, Lee, Clark, and Bobby - Keith was in boycouts with them.  We met them and their spouses at Joe T Garcia's where we had fajitas and more margaritas!

The Boyscouts - dinner at Joe T Garcia's

• Boone - Boone is our nephew.  We picked him up and had dinner at Zen Sushi in Dallas.  It was fun to see him try sushi!  We shared a few appetizers and several rolls - great sushi place.

Dinner with Boone at Zen Sushi

• Bob & Ginny - They are great friends of the family and the parents of Peter, Keith's best friend from childhood.  We met them for lunch at Moxie's in Southlake where we each had a salad.

• Brandon - Keith worked with Brandon at LivCor.  We met him and his wife, Jess, at Jasper's in Richardson where we shared the wedge salad and braised short ribs for an entree.  Food was very tasty.

Dinner with Brandon and Jess at Jasper's

• Nikhil - Keith worked with Nikhil at Aimco.  We met him and his wife at their beautiful home in Dallas where Mythili made us an amazing Indian dinner.

Dinner with Nikhil and Mythili at their house

• The Blizzards - Keith served on Bob and Jo when we worked at Steak and Ale.  We met them for lunch at TruFire where we each had a yummy salad.  

And in our last few nights for this go round, we cooked dinner for Jean and Dick one night, making beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce and had Margaret over for dinner again where Jean made salmon.

As you can see that even in our 'down time', we don't stay still for too long!!