Oliver and Leigh negotiating some high-level “eating of his green beans” in exchange for “making forts when we get back to the house.” Serious shit.

KINDA DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE: Leaving Michigan always sucks. Sucks even more this time, not wanting to leave Mom. Had to get back out to Portland to check in and get the shop in order a bit. Leah is with Mom all this week, then Mom heads down to Detroit to be with my sister Sarah. She’ll be down there for a month, then out to Portland with all of us. We’ll be out west for Christmas. Sure is gonna suck to not have Dad with us, but we will prevail.

Wrapping up this month back home, and trying not to lose my shit, I need to thank so many Michigan people for helping our family out. The meals, the cookie plates, the baked goods, the condolences, the warm words, the concern…all of it. Thank you for loving our dad and taking such good care of us. Thank you from little ol’ me, and the Draplin family as a whole. Appreciated.

And of course, to Mom for watching over all of us, and Leigh for helping out so much, and Leah-n-Oliver for filling up the house with joy, tantrums and dinner negotiations, and sister Sarah for wrangling so much of the “after someone dies” stuff that a family gets blasted with. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. So good to be home, with all of you.

Now I have to fly back to Portland and my first flight is already late into Chicago. Fun times.