Attention 2009 - Turn Yourself Around

OK, so 2009 is not starting out great. I have a theory though. It could be the resident evil and his minions are having a last ditch free-for-all before Hope takes over on January 20th. It could be the old, evil ways kicking and screaming as they lose power. I pointed out to Wife last night that we all think January should be this great, new time - a fresh year, clean slate and all....but really, it's pretty much the start of winter. Cold, dark winter. Maybe the new year should start in March instead.

Of all the things that have happened, most have been tempered by circumstances making them better than they could be, if not actually "good." They leaky roof/ceiling only cost us $100 (which possibly made the problem worse, but it got us through Christmas) because the people who originally put on our roof and siding stood by their work and did the repairs for free. Wife's "check engine" light issue only cost us $410 instead of the $1100 we were first quoted. My cracked windshield was covered under our auto insurance. The odd flea outbreak (yuck! haven't seen a flea since we were last fostering a cat in our garage about 4 years ago) and Maddie's paw issue were easily resolved....$200 later.

Bigger issues - Wife's dad was hit by a car and won't be able to put weight on his leg for at least three months. This will mean some sort of transitional care until they can get him back into his own apartment. He will hate this, in part because he lives for his multiple long walks each day, not to mention needing the companionship of his cat. All really sucks...but still....considering that he was hit by a car, he is in relatively good shape.

Boy Wonder. We just do not know the cause for his dramatic weight loss. So far, as you know if you have been tracking progress on Wife's blog, the blood tests have not indicated anything seriously wrong. There will be more tests. So, far, the news is good, but overall, this is still very scary and we just want to know what is going on and how to make him all better.

Add to all of these little, and not so little things, the general stress of just barely having enough money to scrape by (thanks to student loans) and a crappy job market/economy as I am getting ready to graduate and pay back loans....well, it is a lot. I am pretty good at staying positive and believing that all will turn out OK, but some days are difficult. Wife is not nearly as good at seeing the bright side, maybe because she is more surrounded by the impacts every day. I can at least escape in work and school, but she must struggle with figuring out what the Boy will eat, getting him to the doctor, talking with the roofers, and all the every day stuff of laundry, cooking, dogs, breaking up the kid fights, and still trying to find some fun family time. It is a lot and she is about at the end of her rope. We could use not just this tempered bad/good luck, but some REALLY, TRULY GOOD LUCK. I know there are many in similar and worse situations right now. So, come on 2009, come on Universe, it is time for some HAPPINESS!