Put the car on jack stands and use the floor jack to position the cradle (both wheels are removed....careful with the support for the brake lines) after attaching the top shock mount. Attach the lower mount and release the "keeper".

 

And start the bolts by hand & wind them in as much as you can by hand..
Helps avoid cross-threading..

 

Finally updating this thread with a small report. My apologies for the delay.

Shock replacement went flawless. I purchased 2 Monroe rear shocks from Advance Auto. They were $32 each and I had a $10 off coupon, so that helped a little.
This was a pretty easy job. If you can remove the wheels yourself, then you can replace the rear shocks. Although I did find that the upper shock bolt was a different size from the lower shock bolt. Who comes up with this stuff? Anyway, the total time took me less than 30min and the ride is back to what is should be.

Thanks for all the help.