Random updates

Don has the flu. REAL bad. As in 102.5 degree fever, fetal position on the floor, constant pain, sleeping all the time bad!

As for other, slightly better news, we have a lot of that...

First off, Don's parents: His dad ran for election for cemetery commissioner in NH, and election day was Tuesday. Unfortunately, he lost, but he didn't get stomped. His first foray into politics, even! I'm so proud of him for putting himself out there. He's a pretty cool guy. Wacky, but cool.

Don's mom is doing GREAT! For all of her troubles, it looks like she's finally seeing the sun. She's even being baptized on April 9. Tonight I booked a flight for Don so he can be there to surprise her.

Don's applying for a job with Alcoa. He had one interview and had to go to the plant to take an aptitude test, and we found out today that he passed! Hopefully this will lead to a job offer! Alcoa's got a great reputation in the community. He'd get a huge raise, free insurance, lots of advancement opportunities, etc. It would have to be easier for him than what he's doing now!

I talked with my stepdad Bob on Sunday for the first time in weeks. I feel so guilty... I've been such a self-absorbed brat! He's lived alone in Atlanta for almost 2 months now, and I have yet to send him one piece of mail or even call him. I have absolutely no excuse. I feel horrible! It's one of those deals where time simply got away from me. I didn't mean to ignore him; it just happened. But I'm proud of him too, because he's adjusting much better than I thought he would. He's starting to explore the city, taking himself out to eat and meeting people at church. After our conversation, I talked with my mom for awhile. I think that maybe I'm starting to see some of why God's allowed all of the craziness in their lives... this move may have been the best thing that could've happened for Bob prior to his retirement. I can tell he's growing as a person, taking risks, and gaining confidence. I hope this will translate into an easier adjustment for him a year from now when's he's no longer working.

Hmmmm... what else... hopefully soon I'll have some good news of my own to share. And NO, not about babies!! At least, not yet!

Tonight I finished reading "The King of Torts" by John Grisham. It wasn't bad. Grisham's novels have lost some of their appeal in recent years... I think he's running out of ideas. I had "The Broker" from the library for 4 weeks but never could get into it. I've also been reading "Rachel's Tears", the story of Rachel Scott, a 17-yr-old who was killed at Columbine. Her parents wrote the book and include copies of excerpts from her journals. It's heartwrenching to read, especially where she wrote about knowing she would die within a year.

Sometimes I wonder what people would think about me if they read the stuff I wrote about when I was 17. I sure wasn't as focused on God as Rachel was in her journals. Yes, I had my faith then, but the guy-of-the-moment always got the spotlight. How different would I have been then if knew I would die in a year? How different would I be if that were the case right now? It's a sobering thought. I would like to tell myself that I'm where I want to be as a person, but that's far from the truth.

Guess I'd better hit the sack and get some rest. I'm trying my best to ward off the flu bug!