Updates

Happy late Christmas and early New Year.

As you might have expected, we accidentally spent some time back North and got to see all the family for the holidays.

The kids are okay for the most part. Hailee has a broken jaw and tons of black stitches on the side of her face (which Uncle Russ told her looked like cat whiskers and she hasn't stopped meowing since), but she is three and will heal in time. She will need a couple plastic surgeries in the future, but for now, she is well enough.

My eleven-year-old nephew was mostly just banged and bruised. He hobbled around pretty well and refused to take his pain medicine while we were there, so I assume the worst is not physical for him.
My sister-in-law is dealing with the loss of her husband in a way only a mother with four young children has the strength to do. The two youngest, ages three and five, know the words (they will stop a stranger on the street to announce loudly, "My daddy is dead!") but they don't fully understand the loss of their father. And although they are running around and playing and yelling like every other child their age with new Christmas presents, they both have reverted a bit and are having issues wetting the bed and sleeping alone. Jordan is acting out a lot. He blames himself (they were driving home from a friend's birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese that he had begged and pleaded his parents to allow them to attend). He is being loud and obnoxious in ways I have never seen before and is basically screaming for attention and comfort. Nine-year-old Hannah is just very, very quite.
I am grateful they have a large support system to help them going forward. There has been a huge outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and co-workers. My thanks to everyone.

So life goes on.

It was nice to get some snow for the holiday season while we were back home. I am rather grumpy now that we are back in SC because the high today is a humid 68 degrees.*

One last unrelated note: Guitar Hero is spectacular. Thanks Mom.

101 Things to do (or don't) before you die - #15:
Do get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Don't fall into a cheese rut. (Mmm, try Gouda or Muenster.)

- lada is the shiniest coin in the fountain

*I know, I know. I complain too often about the weather since moving to the South. Write something interesting and skip the small talk, you rightly say. This is the last time, I promise: Stupid weather.