It's been a rough couple of days

I have a few minutes to do a quick update on how things have been going. It is with great sadness that I write that my Uncle Vance passed away on Thursday. I know that if he were to survive the stroke, he would have lived a life dependent on constant care and may have never regained his speech and memory, but it is still a significant loss to our family. We have had to face some great losses in our family. Uncle Vance's passing will definitely leave a mark on so many of us. As always, I am in complete awe of my dad's strength when it comes to handling the loss of a loved one. This is just one of the many reasons that my dad is my hero! I love you, Pop. I collected some more articles about my uncle, which I posted below.

Other rather sad news I have to report is Shawn came home from his soccer game Thursday with a swollen ankle. He was in so much pain and was unable to sleep that night. He iced and elevated his foot all night yet in the morning it was still super swollen. I feared the worst but I didn't say so to anyone. We ended up getting into our family doctor first thing Friday morning and received the bad news that his ankle is broken. I seriously was about to start crying when I heard the doctor utter those words. The doctor put Shawn in a splint until the swelling goes down. Then on Wednesday he gets a cast on. We were told it should take between 4 to 6 weeks for him to heal. This couldn't have come at a worst time. This is our last weekend of packing and the moving trucks arrive on Tuesday. Shawn is officially unable to help with any of the packing and lifting boxes now. I told him the best thing he can do to help me out is to keep Inara quiet so that I can blast through the rest of the packing and get everything else done in the next couple of days. I feel so bad because I know Shawn is seriously kicking himself in the butt. He even apologized to Kristi today for all of this. Seriously? Who apologizes to other people when he gets a broken bone? That's the kind of guy Shawn is though. He feels so horrible because he knows others were counting on him and now he feels like he's letting them down. He is truly self-less at times. I am so worried about the pain he's in, and he's beating himself up for adding to my stress level. Yes, I think I am now going to crack, but I don't blame Shawn for it. I do blame the 200+ pound guy who took Shawn out of the soccer game. The good news is I think Shawn is officially going to retire from playing soccer. Heck, it only took him breaking his ankle to hear those words I've been waiting so long for. At least he went out on top: he scored 4 goals in Thursday's game. Hey, I've got to keep looking for humor in all this. Well, I best get back to packing while Shawn and Inara are sleeping. Hopefully I'll get to relax for a few hours and enjoy some of the Oscars tomorrow. Too bad I'll be doing laundry while watching though and feeling guilty for relaxing. I'm just wondering if all the events of the last week are signs that I should not be moving to Colorado. Everything just reminds me how important it is for me to be close to my parents. They are the two pillars who are getting me through this emotional, tough time right now. God how I love those two!

Here are the latest articles I found on my uncle.

This is an article with words from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
http://www.pe.com/localnews/sbcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_D_firecapt23.419339c.html

Here is another news article about my uncle's passing
http://www.firefightingnews.com/article-US.cfm?articleID=45679

Updated Rim of the World story on my uncle
http://rimoftheworld.net/columns/neufeld/captan

I also came across a couple comments in a chatroom of sorts at www.wildlandfires.com/theysaid.html

From 2/21:
Had the pleasure of working along side Capt. Tomaselli on the Butler 2 fire. He was a riot! So much experience, so easy going and a great all around guy.
Our hearts are with Jim and his family during this difficult time.
ES

From 2/20:
Re SBC Fire Captain Tomaselli, how he's doing:
Our hearts and prayers are with you, Jim, and your dad . You have done so much for the fire community. It is our time to be there for your family. I would hope to see that all that you have helped will be there. I have had the experience to meet your dad. He was a guy that you could talk to till the sun went down and beyond. I have not heard any news since the crash. I would hope that updates could be posted on this site. signed Former BDF Firefighter