Do I want to know?

I'm sitting working on some copper wire wrapped gemstones....and Logan is playing on her computer. Bushi is asleep on the loveseat behind me. Tom is out on a 'mission'...it's a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Logan: Mom?

Me: Yes?

Logan: How do you spell "mosquito"?

Me: Mosquito? [This is not a third-grade word]

Logan: Yes.

Me: (pause) Uh....well, what are you doing? [Thinking she's playing a spelling or sentence game]

Logan: I'm writing a letter.

Me: (pause) Oh. (long pause) to whom?

Logan: God.

Me: [Oh, now what?] Uhm..... just do the best you can I'm sure he'll understand.

Chaos settling....

We have been home for nearly 2 weeks now...after a really eventful and busy end of Feb and beginning of March:

Thomas had a conference (Governor's OEM Conference on Emergencies) in Denver from Feb 21-28th, so we all three went to Denver for that week. Saturday morning we left and arrived at our friend Aron's house, where we hung out until late afternoon. We had sushi reservations with our friends; Aron, Kegan, Jeff, Judy and the three of us. All you can eat sushi is something that hasn't caught on in Durango yet, regrettably!

After an awesome stay with Aron, we headed to the hotel for Sunday-Thursday. Sunday we also got to spend some time at St. Joseph's Hospital with Thomas' uncle Chris, who was undergoing treatment for leukemia. He was in good spirits, and it was wonderful to see him and his wife, Christina...even though we wish it had been under better circumstances.

Monday, 2/21 , I spent in the Court of Appeals lobby, scanning 600 plus pages of 'the record' on the custody appeal for Logan. It sucked, suffice to say. I also spent a good portion of the week in Denver working on my brief for the appeal, which I turned in on Monday, March 2.

The rest of the week with the conference went quickly. We had a nice hotel room and we were quite comfortable; Logan got to swim and I got to run errands and do some bargain hunting I had been wanting to do. We stayed with friends; Christy and Jason Ward, my cousin Anne and her family, and a night in a B&B for us courtesy of Grandma McNamara so we could see Chris and Christina (and family) again towards the end of our visit as Chris had left the hospital and was home, pending hope for options to treat his leukemia.

We had planned to head home on Sunday, but Thomas was afforded the opportunity by the county to attend a training/certification seminar for the new emergency radio system; his being trained and certified will save the county over $250,000 in the next few years. So, we did not head home until Tuesday, March 3- and we arrived rather late- tired and road-weary.

Wednesday we attempted to return to home life, however, we received a call that evening that Chris did not have much time left, perhaps a few days at best. This was very sad news, and we planned to return to Denver within the next two weeks to ensure we had more time with Chris and family if possible. Regrettably, we received a call Thursday morning that Chris had passed on that morning (about 7 a.m. MST) and that plans for the funeral and family arriving were in progress. We elected to not keep Logan out of school for more time, so she was set up to stay with friends here in Durango to attend school.

Thomas and Taj made the second trip up on Saturday, March 7th, to attend Chris' funeral on the 8th. We were surrounded by the McNamara clan; Dad and Mike had flown out from CA, Barbara and Gary, with Gail and Stacy and their children, Christina and Kyle, Tyler and Paige, Stephen and his wife Lise from NJ with their three children; Matt, Ryan and Kelsey, Mark and his wife Shanie, and their children; Jess, Joey and Katie, and then Ricky and his wife Anne, and their two boys; Christopher and Gavin. This was also added by cousins and extended family- so we had a very large group of east-coast accents to set off the few west-coast and mountain dialects in the house. I have told Thomas many times, I adore his family, and though I wish it had been under better circumstances, it was wonderful to see them all. We also are very thankful to our friends Jeff and Judy, for letting us bunk with them, and for spoiling us rotten with food and drink on our visit.

Sunday, March 8th, we attended the memorial for Chris McNamara. Chris' service was attended by the family, and a very large group of friends and neighbors. The church itself was standing room only, and an outdoor tent had been arranged with video monitors to view the service. Thomas and I were near the back doors of the church, and we found the service to be beautiful, moving, and very much embodied what Chris was, and is; full of life, and laughter. He is loved and missed by all.

The following Monday, March 9th, after nearly 3 weeks of running around, we again prepared to return home. Most of the McNamara family was flying out on Monday, so a long breakfast with various family, and goodbyes around.... everyone returned to their homes with their love and memories of Chris.

Thomas and Taj drove home through Colorado, and as we neared home, battled a bit of a snowstorm over Wolf Creek and the southern San Juans. We arrived home late on Monday night, with Logan still at her friends' house. Thankfully, our friends had known we would be late, and they were more than happy to take Logan to school for us on Tuesday. It was a good thing, as Taj came down with cold/flu symptoms on Monday night, and by Tuesday was rendered 'inoperable.' Thomas followed on Wed/Thurs with his own bout with the bug. The following weekend we spent, the whole family, in our respective beds with TV and laptops, resting.

Here we are now....two weeks later; Logan is recovering from her bout with the flu, and will be returning to school, yet again, tomorrow. Thomas and Taj are recovering with simple fatigue and weakness, however most of the other symptoms have moved off to their next target. Hopefully, Taj staying in the house for the last 2.5 weeks has minimized her exposing others, and with Logan home most of last week, she's kept from spreading it as well.

We will miss Chris. It was wonderful to spend more time with our family, though the situation was less than ideal. It was wonderful to see our friends in Denver, and spend time with them, though we were run ragged with errands and obligations in between.

We are now home....and recovering...and looking to the first signs of spring in Durango. We wish all of you our best, our love. Happy Spring.