Latest News

From 6/4/09
Life in Cedar Rapids has changed quite a bit in the past year. Things are slowly returning to a "normal" state, but it's disproportionate -- some buildings are rebuilt/remodeled, and in arguably a better state than before; others are dilapidated, vacant or just plain abandoned. Large swaths of the community are barren, peppered with stripped or crumbling houses, and many people are still struggling to get answers, let alone restitution/compensation. For those who don't see it everyday, it's easy to forget that there's still plenty of suffering; for the rest of us, there's still the usual anger/sadness/numbness.

My family? Fortunately we're in pretty good shape. Tricia's law firm was back in its offices within the month, though the lower levels of her building remained vacant and rebuilding until earlier this year. Killian's daycare reopened by August, and they're putting the finishing touches on the restored gymnasium and basement office area this summer. My firm benefited greatly from the generosity of one of our local clients, Western Fraternal Life Association, who housed us for four months while our building was gutted/dried/rebuilt, and we returned by mid-October. There's still much of the downtown area which is not in place yet, but each week sees more and more progress.

In personal news, as Killian approaches 22 months, we're facing a summer not only filled with toilet-training fun, but we learned last week that the K-man will need glasses for farsightedness. Killian is becoming quite verbal, mobile and each day he impresses us with his cognitive leaps. He's able to enjoy his newly-built swingset on the East property, as well as his new toy room, what with the big basement-finish project now completed. Mom and Dad enjoy being able to head right out to the backyard from our walkout basement, as well as indulge in the lazy comfort of our new theater room and recliners.

We'll no doubt have more updates as the summer progresses. In the mean time, all our best.

Love, Brad, Tricia and Killian


Also be sure to check out


www.SLIGHTLYAMUSING.com