Happy Birthday Kev!!

My firstborn just had his 15th birthday. He happened to have a swim meet, in Soldotna, on his birthday so we all drove down for that and yelled happy birthday at him all day:) Yesterday we took 7 of his closest friends in to Anchorage for dinner at Red Robins and a movie. Debbie and Ryan came with and helped haul in kids. We had a great time, movie was kind of stupid (Dragon Wars) but we had fun anyway. Five of the kids crashed at our house last night. I love hanging out with his friends, I wish I could adopt all of them. I'm just glad they all like to hang out here. It's a little strange having a 15 year old, since I remember almost everything about that year in my own life, sure doesn't seem like 20 years ago! Happy Birthday Kev, we love you!!!

My little brother got out of prison yesterday too. Robin picked him up and we took him into Anchorage, fed him, and put him on the plane back to Fairbanks. All day I just had a pit in my stomach. It is so frustrating that we can't do more to help integrate these prisoners into society. He has fetal alcohol syndrome, which makes it a little harder for him to function in this world, and he has nowhere to go once he gets to Fairbanks. And to make matters worse we can't really take him in because he is on the sexual registration list, due to a conviction of statuatory rape, because he was caught having consensual sex with a girl who was under 16, when he was 19. My sister, Dana, picked him up yesterday and gave him a warm place to sleep, for a couple of nights, and then first thing tomorrow morning I am going to go on a mad search for some kind of assisted living for him. We just want so badly for him to make it but he also has to want it just as bad. He has found it easier to be in prison though because he always has a warm place to sleep and food in his belly. It's the easier route, ya know.