Back, Late, but Here Anyway

I signed out at the end of April with the intention of being gone only a few days, maybe a week. Instead, it's been almost two weeks and I'm still behind. Just after I moved in (literally hours after we put down the last box) I got a call from my mom saying that my granddad would not live past the weekend, and I should go see him in the hospital ASAP.

Granddad was sick for a few weeks in ICU; he went in with chest pains, had open-heart surgery (triple bypass), had a stroke, contracted pneumonia, a staph infection, and on top of all that, he was getting dialysis almost every day. Mom, my sister, and I pulled shifts in the hospital waiting room with my grandma. The prognosis was positive until just before I got that call, and so instead of him getting better, he got worse. By Sunday night on the 30th, Granddad had passed away surrounded by just about every family member who needed to be there.

It's been a rough week since then. On Monday, I felt myself getting sick but brushed it off as allergies until I realized I had a fever, too. Turns out I have bronchitis--AGAIN. We spent the next few days preparing for the wake and funeral. It wasn't until just the other day that I was finally able to get online for more than a moment, clear out my messages, reassure my e-family that I was indeed still alive, and update my gallery, LJ, blog, and site.

The new pic for this week will be up by Thursday evening. I still don't have my scanner set up, which means I have to bring my pics to my dad's to get them scanned in. The Javelineer has been 'emotion' inked, and he'll be colored by tomorrow night. I think you guys will like the new pic for this week, too.

Thanks for your understanding and support! Your comments and faves mean a lot to me. Anyone who sent a request or comment and didn't get a response, please comment and remind me to contact you back.

Oh, and check the gallery for final versions of Nemerenth, Iyan, Daene, and the Messenger. All have been given backgrounds and should be available as prints as of Thursday or Friday, and all pics except Nemerenth, Iyan, and Daene are available on Cafepress on the usual selection of fun stuff. The last three will be set up later, but now I'm fried and I need sleep before I help my dad tomorrow.

Anyone ever notice when you move that you seem to have WAY more clothes and books than you thought you had??

CG