One Car Family

After three years of being a two-car family, we're now back to one. We're doing this so we can have enough budget for our student loan which comes due next month. Today I watched as a college student drove away in our car after having paid us $8,500.

Almost immediately, we felt the inconvenience of being a one car family. Tomorrow is a family reunion and Alicia and Joe had plans of going to Salt Lake City for a farmer's market. We were talking about our plans this afternoon and suddenly we realized that it was not possible and our plans had to change.

So, as soon as our budgets can take it, we'll get another car but until then, we're adapt.

Visiting Grandpa

I'm pleased to report that Dad is recovering well. The Emily, Ethan, Jason, Claire, Joe and I visited him at the rehabilitation wing of the hospital this evening. He's coherent, he speaks well, smiles and jokes, can feed himself and his gaining mobility. Last week the swelling in his brain finally stopped and he was sent to the rehab wing on Thursday. He could be there for several weeks - even months. We all have high hopes of him regaining strength and returning to most of the ability he had previously. I don't know if walking is possible but it would sure be wonderful.

When I took the kids to visit him in ICU last week they were a little spooked seeing him lay on his hospital bed with wires and monitors all around him. Today he was sitting up in his bed with not even an IV hooked up to him and the kids reacted much better to him. Claire was still reluctant to succumb to Grandpa's attempts to make her smile but everyone else was much more comfortable. I'm excited to see if this stroke thing will slow Grandpa down enough that he'll be able to spend a bit more time with his grandkids. That'd be great.

Flu

So that sickness thing that started at the Hoen cabin has blossomed into a full-force epidemic in the Christensen house. In the course of the last two days all eight of us have gotten the flu. This morning was particularly awful because Joe, Alicia, and I were too sick to help out with the kids so they were free to eat snacks all day, play the Wii on Sunday and stay in pajamas. I helped them with vital needs but other than that, we were all down.

This is the sickest I've been in 20 years. I'll spare you the details but let me just say that it was ... nevermind.

Joe's Visit

In the midst of all this drama with my Dad's help, we have a welcome visitor staying with us in our home> Alicia's youngest brother Joe is visiting from Canada for a month. He arrived yesterday much to the elation of our visitor hungry children. The last time we had one of Alicia's brothers with us for an extended period, he got really bored and ended up leaving way early. This time, Joe has to deal with just the opposite - five little kids running around, very excited to spend any time possible with him. If anything, we won't be bored, he'll be overwhelmed while he's here.

But we're hoping that he'll enjoy this trip despite the adjustment of going from a home where you're the youngest of a quiet house with no other siblings, to a place where five little people are boisterously running around the house every day like Oompa Loompas. Hope he survives.

But tonight as a nice kick-off to his trip. We participated in a Canada Day parade through out neighborhood. We had out car decked out with baloons and maple leaf shapes and the whole family got into throwing candy to kids on the side of the road.