Yes, I'm still here. I've been overwhelmed with life lately and haven't been able to get much done. I'll try to catch you up.

First and foremost our hearts are with the Goldings. Still no news as the excruciating wait continues. He did undergo brain surgery which seems to have been successful and may save him further damage. Of course not knowing yet how much damage there really is that's only half a consolation. He does have feeling, though, in all four limbs, and Alicia (some of you may remember my friend Alicia from BYU) works with a lot of stroke victims and says that means he'll most likely lose his ability to speak. He was having trouble speaking before the stroke, and I hate to say she's probably right about that.

But still, like I said, we don't know anything yet but are hoping for the best for him and his family both.

So, having said all that it's difficult to whine about all my only-slightly-obnoxious problems. Things are actually pretty good for us. Everyone's healthy again (FINALLY!!!) and despite the never-ending money crunch the house has doomed us to, we're surviving.

Dane has a few days off while my car is in the shop, and that's been fun. It's so weird to see him in the daylight. It's great to have someone help with the kids during the day, and they're thrilled to have him there, too. Tuesday night I even got to go out. Yes, actually OUT of the house! Woo-hoo! :) I got to see Alicia, whom I mentioned earlier, and whom I haven't seen for (get out your slide-rules for this one) five years, and even then only in passing. So that was a lot of fun and I'm still laughing about a lot of stuff we talked about.
And then last night Dane and I stayed in together and drank a little whiskey (chased with diet root beer - I don't recommend it. ewwwwwww) and watched a REALLY COOL documentary called "Growin a Beard." It's about a Donegal beard-growing contest held every St Patrick's Day in a town called Shamrock, Texas. It was surprisingly short but very fun to watch. Dane wants to try it next year now but you have to bic-shave on New Year's Day in order to qualify. Then you have to try to grow a thick luscious beard in three months and shape it just right for the festivities. Sounds like a blast to me, but there's no way we could afford to go to Texas in March or any other time. Guess the days of the weird road trips just aren't quite back yet. On the plus side, though, he really does look weird without any facial hair at all. Oh, but don't tell him I said that! ;)