Chapter Next

Even with the temp in the high 90s, it feels like summer is coming to an end. We did as much back-to-school shopping as Hannah could tolerate ( three t-shirts and a whole lot of binders and college-ruled notebook paper) today. We had a great, rowdy dinner with the whole gang last night. Ashlie was a trooper even though she feared that smelling Dave's spicy jambalaya would not sit well with the all-day morning sickness she hopes will go away soon. For those of you who haven't heard, they are expecting another baby in April. To keep tabs on them, check out their very cute family blog at http://midgetfamily.blogspot.com. They have moved into their first home in a great, family friendly community called Daybreak. Benj told us that the other day he was out walking and a neighbor stopped him and said, "Oh, I know you, you are our new neighbors...the Munchkins, isn't it?" Bet none of you Midgets have ever heard that before. Ha!

We want to thank all of you who hosted Hannah on her Midwest journey this summer. She had a great time and it was such a boost to her independence. Thank you Laurie, Leslie, Chris, Eric, Tony, MacKenzie, Brady, Sherry, Dale, Grandma, Grandpa for showing her such a great time. She would like all of you, especially Laurie, to plan a trip out soon so she can return the

favor.

I also want to thank you for your support during my dad's crisis. Turns out he had pneumonia and a huge infection between his lung and chest wall. My older sister and I were there as the doctors tried to treat it with antibiotics. They finally decided surgery was the only option, and by that time he was so weak, it really scared us. They took him to surgery with a crash cart on the bed, just in case. And true to Stew Rose form, he was sitting up eating scrambled eggs and drinking coffee in the ICU the next morning. He spent another week and a half in the hospital but is now home and pretty stable, considering.

David survived the ribbon-cutting ceremony and related activities for the new Park City hospital. Yeah! It was a big deal. And in case any of you are wondering, the Model Healthcare System President Barack Obama has been praising ALOT lately, is indeed, David's healthcare system, Intermountain Healthcare. Obama mentioned the system by name in a recent address and just sent the Office of Management and Budget to town to learn how they do what they do so well. Woo-hoo!