After ten long weeks...

...Bob is finally home. Still a long road ahead but I know he can do it. Debbie, Sophia and I went down to St. Louis to welcome him home on Thursday. We actually arrived at his house before Bob and Teresa made it home from the hospital. As we were sitting in the kitchen waiting for them, it occurred to Debbie and I that perhaps we should have stopped somewhere for a "Welcome Home" balloon, or something. Nah. Instead, I quickly took a piece of paper from the printer and improvised. Not quite the welcome he deserved but c'est la vie. We were fortunate to share his first meal at home with him and his family. Best damn meal I've had in a long time. As Debbie, Sophia and I headed downtown to our hotel for the night, I was pointing out the St. Louis Arch for Sophia to see. When we finally got close enough, Sophia asked, "What do you do with that?" I explained how you could take an elevator to the top of the Arch to get a view of the city. After a short moment of silence, my 4 year old niece said, "Excuse me. I'm not doing that!" Don't you just love kids? Especially when they're not yours?!

Happy Birthday to my brother Joe who turns 48 tomorrow. Damn, we're all getting old!

Happy Birthday Lauren

While today is Lauren's birthday, we actually had the "birthday dinner" on Tuesday night due to scheduling difficulties. Lauren's birthday dinner is always the same. Barbecued ribs (with Rick's homemade sauce), tomato and fresh mozzarella salad, baked potatoes with sour cream and absolutely no vegetables. And let us not forget the traditional Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. Also always the same. Mint chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate cake. I won't tell you how badly I was ripped off on that cake. You can see how small it is. The damn cake was $28! OK, I had to tell. I couldn't believe it. Next year I think I will try Coldstone Creamery for the cake.

I had to include this picture. Obviously, the Anderson pyromaniac gene has been passed down to Justin and Lauren. And, obviously it has rubbed off on Jeanne (whose arm is in the forefront of the photo) and Joe. No, the smoke alarm did not go off. Look how happy Justin and Lauren are!

So a great big HAPPY 19th BIRHTDAY to our Galooger!

I would also like to extend my sincere wishes for a happy and safe Thanksgiving to all. There are many things I am thankful for this holiday, far more than I could ever list. Here are just a few, not in any particular order, except for the first one.

Bobby's strong will to survive this ordeal (Bob always bragged about being the toughest of the Ubriacos. He wins. I won't ever argue that point with him again.)

My kids and the fine young people they have become

My adoring husband whom I love with all my heart and soul. I couldn't make it without him.

All of the Ubriacos and Andersons, those close and far away

My dog Ozzy and my adopted kitties Jethro and Ringo

The sun and the moon and the stars

Last, but not least, wine

Not Much to Blog About

At least not anything funny or uplifting. Most of you know by now that my brother Bob was in a terrible car accident on October 26. He is still in intensive care and probably will be for some time to come. I have been going down to St. Louis, where he lives, each week to visit him, although I don't think he knows I'm there. This has been a very difficult time for my family. So the blog has been neglected because I find it hard to write about anything funny. And the things that I usually blog about seem so unimportant at this time. But I do want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes. Bob needs them all. He is the best big brother a girl could ask for and a loyal blog reader. While he never leaves comments on the blog he does email me frequently with comments. I miss those emails. I miss my brother.

Its Official

Lauren will be attending University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana beginning August 18th. That would be 144 days from now. Not that we're counting or anything. She is very excited as are we. She came home from school yesterday and told me that they were done learning for the year. She proceeded on with this long diatribe about why she wouldn't be learning anything the rest of the year. When Rick came home and I told him this, he was like, "What?" I simply pointed to Lauren and had her explain to Rick. I'm relatively sure she had this speech rehearsed since she repeated to Rick, almost verbatim, what she told me. Who cares. She's in at U. of I. and that's all we care about, now. Congratulations to the newest Illini as she joins a long list of family and friends, including Bobby, Michael, Carolyn and Debbie. LONG LIVE THE CHIEF!!