Still here...

It's been a week since little brother's wreck. We are still hanging out in the same chairs of the ICU waiting room. Visits with him have been very roller-coaster. Some days he responds well, and then he'll throw us all with a non-responsive day. We have learned that he's blatantly honest while sedated, and has made comments that have had us rolling. The part of the brain that suffered injury in the wreck is the part that influences behavior/personality, so we are waiting to see what this will mean. He will speak to us, but usually just a yes or no answer. He told the nurse on more than one occasion that he couldn't sleep cause "those people were messing with him." Today he has been much more responsive, asking for his BoSox hat, and for allergy medicine (but not too much). When his wife told him she couldn't wait for him to open his eyes and give her a big kiss, he replied, "you can wait." He hasn't opened his eyes since the wreck, but the Drs have assured us this isn't unusual with a brain injury. While it will be a long slow road, he is expected to make a full recovery. Thanks to those that have stopped by and offered comments and prayers. I would never have imagined spending my Thanksgiving in a hospital waiting room.

The 28 hours I spent in Louisiana

There's nothing more fun than the prospect of a trip back to my hometown, especially knowing that you will be making the return trip the next day. But nevertheless, we sat out on our grand adventure at 7:30 Saturday morning. Traffic was actually manageable and Will only asked "how much longer" twice the entire ride. Thank you dear 8 pounds 6 ounces baby Jesus for that Nintendo DS!

We had about 2 hours to rest (where rest means play with puppies) before heading up to the stadium for some tailgating... and some serious Louisiana heat and humidity! I started the game in one shirt...

And had to change because it was too heavy.

But it was worth it to see my Bulldogs beat MSU 22-14 in their home opener. Such an awesome feeling to hear the stadium erupt in How bout them Dawgs? and watch the team celebrate on the field.

Sunday we headed out to the Monkey Ranch (the young un's nickname for my parent's land) for more burgers and hotdogs. Dad fired up the largest grill I've ever seen to cook for extended family and a couple of evacuees. I have a feeling he still would have used the super grill without the extra people :)

Food was shared, stories told and sticks fetched. We even took a walk down to the pond to make room for dessert. You know it's a good day when you end a meal with homemade banana pudding!

And before we knew it, we were back on the road again. Back on the road traveling 7 mphs and staring at the back of a moving van for an eternity!

The trip took two extra hours as we found ourselves in the midst of evacuation traffic. My family should be ok in North Louisiana, catching the remains of Gustav sometime Wednesday, but I know there are so many people we passed today that have no idea where they will be next week or what they will have left. My heart was sad for those we passed that had stuffed their vehicles with all they deemed important, and the many we saw stranded on the side of the interstate with hoods raised. But I know that one thing Louisiana people are is strong and they will make it through again.