100 days

 Yesterday I learned that the final words my brother heard before he was shot were filled with racial hate. I am not terribly surprised to learn about the racist recording that was captured on the body cam footage, but the news still brought me to my knees. The tragedy of Jae's death continues to compound. Trying to find a silver lining, I am holding onto possibility of hate crimes may be added to the mix of charges that the police officer is facing for murdering my brother. 

Of course, we will have to break through the 'blue wall' first, and that feels absolutely impenetrable. The establishment is designed to protect the police and all those involved. I may never break down the wall, but I can make a hell of a lot of noise around it!

On a positive side, yesterday marked 100 days until Christmas. My Countdown Snowman, which has become quite the tradition in our family, is now proudly waving in my living room. Be warned, because time is going to fly between now and Santa!

Weekend Wrap-Up

 Saturday morning I woke early and headed to pick up Robby. He asked to come home for the night because he needed more 'supplies' from his room and he wanted a home cooked meal. I love that he is only 80 minutes away. The close proximity makes honoring these requests a lot easier!

Even though he was only home for 30 hours, it was wonderful having a full house again. Saturday evening we built another fire and roasted marshmallows around the fire pit for hours. Robby has already accumulated quite a few experiences and stories during his month away. It was fun hearing him and Timmy exchange school stories. 

Yesterday evening Scott drove Robby back to school while Timmy and I went out on a special date for cheese fries and sodas. (He is still a very cheap date.) By the time Scott pulled back into the driveway the fire pit was blazing and more marshmallows were being roasted. Unfortunately the rain is supposed to roll into the area today so our fire pit will be out of commission for awhile.

Between spending time with Robby and cooking his favorite foods, we managed to get a few more boxes packed. In order to keep everybody focused on the goal, we have decided that we are only packing right now. We are trying to abstain from acquiring anything new or bring anything out of storage until we move. I did break one self-imposed rule by unpacking and setting up my Countdown Snowman. 

Who knows? Maybe he will be plugged into an entirely different house by Christmas!