Family

Funny what it took to bring me back to my blog. It was my brothers death that first prompted me to post here and then after I had gone dark for months as soon as my niece was in danger it was the first thing I came back to as a means to connect.

The update is good- the bastard is caught. Here is the recap for those who did not get the whole story. My 17 year old niece Sierra was starting her first day of her senior year on Thursday morning. She drove to school, parked in the student parking lot then crossed the street in the crosswalk to go into the school. One of those first day of the rest of your life moments when BAM! Out of nowhere a black Nissan truck going approx 30-35 miles an hour hit Sierra head on. She flew 10-15 feet in the air and landed 30 feet away from where she was hit. As she lay there the driver of the truck stopped, got out, walked over and asked if she was OK and if she needed an ambulance. She replied she was NOT ok and did need an ambulance and he then asked one of the students in the quickly forming crowd to dial 911 as he got in his truck and took off.

Sierra was then taken by ambulance to the hospital (after she was put on a back board and had C collar put on the stabilize her neck). She had some road rash, a goose egg on the top of her head and her knee has probable ligament damage and is in a brace. We will have to wait until the swelling goes down to see what the story there will be. In other words....the kid is a walking miracle. She was texting me later in the day and asked me if I thought it was Troy or my Grandma who caught her while she was flying through the air. I originally said both but my sister Toni did make a good point that Troy was never up before 1st period so it must have been Grandma.

The manhunt began with the Boone PD releasing the description of the truck and driver. I did what I could to pass on the info via Facebook and used some connections I had to get local TV stations (in Iowa) to cover the accident. Thankfully my friends came through for me and I am so grateful and thankful to everyone who reposted and looked for the bastard. I had friends telling me they were peeking into garages to try and find this jerk. I did not recommend that but it was appreciated none the less. Big thanks to WHO, KCCI and ABC who all did on camera interviews with Sierra and posted the description. Not that I doubted the police were doing everything they could but I learned quickly that 60% of all hit and runs never get solved plus Sierra is going to be OK so there is less urgency. So to have that much attention might have helped motivate the authorities just a bit more.

So Saturday am a report came through that the vehicle was spotted in Des Moines and the DSM PD had arrested him. Well that turned out to be a hoax however during that same period the vehicle was spotted in Boone. There was a female driving and when pulled over she told the cops that he boyfriend often drove the truck. The police went to his house and in a few minutes he confessed. As it turns out there are also warrants for his arrest in 2 other states so it looks like he is going away for a good stretch.

So to say it was an emotionally crazy week is a bit of an understatement. And it had been a touch week before that so yesterday I melted down hard core. Then today I find out a good friend of mine lost his brother last week and somehow it all came together for me.

Family......its all about family.

Chris and I have been in our little new roommate honeymoon phase and that has been great. It has been pure bliss having him with me here. I wake up every morning so overwhelmed with love for this man and we are building our life together. We are also building our extended family of friends and contacts and fuzzy critters. And then there is the family I was born to that is embracing Chris as he gets to know them. I love them all and am so blessed to have them all in my life.

Love.....family.......that's all I need.