Today was a fairly busy day, even though we hardly left the house. Brenn and I went to the hospital this morning for some blood tests, which went really well. We put on some 'emla' cream, which numbs the skin, on her arms, and headed off. Brenn was so brave this morning, she didn't cry at all! It was the first time that she was able to get a needle and not get overly stressed out. This is great news, it's just sad that she has enough experience with needles that she is okay with them putting them into her now. I guess it comes with the territory though. Having such a great morning at the hospital really set us all up for a really great day. We all had a lot of fun with each other today. When Brenn and I got back from the hospital, a couple of girls came into the house to do some arts and crafts with the kids, so Brenn and Samantha were both occupied for a good hour and a half which gave Christine and I a really good chance to get some things done that we have been trying to do for a few days. It is really nice when we have a chance during the day to get some stuff done. It is amazing that when I was working, I had more free time during the day at lunch or break time to get a couple little things done. When you loose those set times during the day, things really start to pile up quickly.

For a little drive today we went out to Metrotown mall for a couple hours after lunch. We rode the little train that tours through the mall, and then walked all the way back looking in a couple stores, and just really meandering. It was nice to go out together and just have nothing to do, letting the wind take us wherever it wanted. When we got back, I needed to lay down for an hour, I have really been having some trouble sleeping as of late, and while I was laying down I again could not sleep. This really is not uncommon for me, but, I sure hope that I will be able to get some sleep soon. I find when I am not sleeping, that my body gets really sore, and I get to a point where it even hurts to much to run, which I find further compounds the problem.

After I got back on my feet, a few people were in the house to make us another family dinner. They made Maui ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, potato, and Caesar salad, hot dogs, and around 10 different desserts. It was a real treat tonight. The ribs were amazing! There is still a lot of leftovers, so I am looking forward to lunch tomorrow, or maybe a midnight snack tonight (I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if I am unable to sleep tonight;). After dinner, another man was in to do some more crafts with the kids. The kids sure got spoiled today. They love having all the people in to do crafts with them. Two people in one day was a rare treat for them. Also tonight, one of the long time volunteers brought his game trailer for everyone to play in. he has built it all by his connections and donations. There is something like 4 networked PS3s, lots of other games, all kinds of activities. It really looks fun. I will try to take a couple pics of it, and post them, it really is incredible the lengths that the volunteers go to here to make us all feel better. It makes a really big difference.

Today was perfect for me. I had a really tough day yesterday emotionally, and just seeing all of the support that we are getting here really helped to start turning me around. Spending time with Brenn this morning was really nice as well. Lately it is really important for me to be close to Brenn, and make sure that she is okay. I know that sounds weird, of course I want to be with her right now, but it is more than that. Being with her makes everything better, I can't really explain. She is doing really well, and Samantha is really coming into her own down here. Sam had some trouble for a while, but as she has always done in her life, she has really adjusted to her new environment. She is such a great little kid, she is the comedy relief in our life, and without her, we would certainly not giggle as much. She really pushes her limits some times, but most of the time it's so funny that it is really hard to not laugh. I think that she really makes Brenn feel better most days, just having her close. This time in our life will affect the rest of all of our lives, and being together is really important. We all need our breaks, but the days that we are together are really great. It's good to be here, it's hard to imagine anything else, even though it's hard living in a communal house, and constantly be around other people, having our precious time together is irreplaceable!

Scott