ddickinson: Hello!
It seems like you have been having a rough time these last few months. I am very glad to hear things seem to be looking up, especially with Christmas soon approaching. Let's hope thinks keep improving for you and your family. And it is very nice to see you again.
*big hug*
Thank you for the kind words. :) Things never really seem to come a little bit at a time, do they? I still remember a quote from one of the Young Guns movies: "When troubles come, they come not as spies, but as battalions." That about sums it up.
Hopefully you're doing better, as well. *big hugs back*
LeoLR: It's good to hear that everything is getting better after so many troubles.
My best wishes for you and your family!
Thank you! Things are getting better, although I'm beginning to suspect that my grandparents are going to spend the next several years arguing over everything; they're both hard of hearing, and that combined with my grandfather's aphasia (speech problem) isn't helping. *sigh* I think it'll get better, but it's hard to listen to without wanting to jump in, which of course would just make it all worse.
For now, I think I'm going to keep an eye on the sale and see if anything interests me and is within our budget. Well, for the next few days, anyway - I've signed up for Secret Santa again, so I can't spend too much of our limited funds on stuff for me! :D
Stilton: That's a tense few situations you and people you care about have been put through. Its a little scary not only that things like that can happen, but that they can happen at more or less the same time. A long while back I had a similar bunch of things to deal with and it felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Sorry you had to go though it, but it seems like the worst is over and you can now get your breath back. Better also that it was November it happened rather than now; having Christmas to look forward to is probably good medicine.
Heya! Yes indeed. What made it especially bad was that the two brothers couldn't see each other to reassure themselves they were both okay. My grandparents saw my great-uncle after his accident, but after the stroke.... :/ We made it better by organizing a FaceTime call on Thanksgiving so they could see and talk to each other a little bit, which helped a LOT. Two grouchy old men, both choked up and smiling ear to ear, is quite a sight to see!
I am looking forward to Christmas, although this'll be the first time we've really had to juggle families: My husband's family and my family are both in the same area, and this time I think we'll have to go to one or the other on the actual day. We've managed to avoid it in the past, but my family's a bit tetchy even though aunts and uncles have always done the alternating-family-alternating-years thing. Ah well. I'm just happy we'll have the whole famil(y/ies) around for this one. That's the best gift I could've gotten this year. :)