Oh yeah, I moved

Hello. Remember me?

Seriously, folks, a lot has been happening as of late in the land of 1 J. D. Hein: some exciting and some just terrifying. Serious, my emotional life over the last month or so has pretty much stretched the spectrum of possibilities.

First of all, Paige and I moved. When we originally relocated to Sacramento, we never intended our apartment in Natomas (a Northern Suburb of Sacramento) to be anything more than a temporary oasis. It was really just a stopping off point for us as we moved into our first post-law school legal careers. We actually got the apartment about 2 weeks after the CA bar exam. Paige had already taken up a position as temporary legal assistant with the Sacramento County Office of the Public Defender (like, the week after the bar exam) and we were running out of time living out of Paige's sister's college apartment in Davis, CA. So, we got a small, cheap apartment with AC and a swimming pool (ehem, my car's a/c went out at about the same time, so both of these items were a must). Now, almost 8 months later with us both working as attorneys (and getting paid as attorneys) we decided to move into a complete house and closer to downtown Sacramento. Our "little castle" is immaculate. I promise to take pictures this weekend and give you all a tour.

So that was the happiness as of late. Well, that and buying new things to put into the home. The sadness was really two deaths that befell my family and my family at my work.

My Grandmother, Edith, died Sunday, May 8th. She was 79 years old. Of all of my grandparents, she was the one I was by far closest to. I always felt we appreciated each other's personalities and we could always have conversations where we would argue and polk-fun (inside joke) but walk away with smiles. She was witty and sarcastic, but very cordial and a good storyteller. Most importantly, she knew that I loved her and I knew she loved me. Unfortunately, she had been struggling with her health over a long period of time and also with the passing of her husband and my grandfather. There were countless times when we thought she was nearing the end, but she would bounce right back and be on the road to recovery. The last I had heard, she was even thinking about making a trip to CA for my wedding. But alas, it was not meant to be. I will miss you, Grandma. But I know you are now in a better place and are again sharing Salemville Slushes with Grandpa.

I did get to go back to Wisconsin to be there for the funeral. There I got to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts and uncle, as well as my entire immediate family. It was a somber event, as one might expect. It also snowed. Yep. As bitter cold as my grandfather's funeral was back in November of '02. Luckily we got to warm up at my uncle's restaurant, the Kingston House, and regal in old stories about Grandpa and Grandma at the old farm. After the funeral, I spent the rest of the weekend at home with my parents and siblings, just hanging out at the home. I got to play with my sister's dog, Moxie, and the family dog, Champ. Champ had been struggling with mites about 6 months ago, but now has fully recovered and actually weighs more than he did before the bout. On Saturday night, we actually met up with some friends for drinks to talk about weddings, before flying back Sunday morning.

The second death was much more unexpected than my grandmother's passing. It actually befell the family of my co-worker and friend, Scott. His family lost its 15 month year old baby girl, Hannah Rose, last week while I was in Wisconsin. The circumstances of the death of the child make it an extremely terrifying story to tell. As the story has been all in the papers around Sacramento, I am not going to rehash it here. However, if you would like to read what occured, please start here and follow the Sacramento Bee's ongoing coverage.

The funeral for Hannah was very sad. Scott, while emotionally spent, was so strong in the face of this tragedy. The interplay between the overwhelming love shared by family members throughout the service and the amount grief and pain pulling back at the same time was a very difficult experience even for me. I cannot imagine the feelings and thoughts the family and Scott must be having. My heart goes out for them.