Things I Now Know That I Didn't Know Friday Morning

These are observations I am making, some funny and some not, on the current state of my existence with regard to my current living situation, which is a hotel in Salt Lake City.

1. I know more now about bacterial meningitis and what it does to an 8 year old little girl than I ever wanted to know. I also know more about terrible tasting coffee than anyone ever anywhere should know.

2. How many Hoegs can you pack into a car? into a tiny hotel room? into a tiny ICU unit?

3. We have to get sticker name tags from the front desk every day. My brother MH's picture is vaguely terrorist looking. Unfortunately, there is no picture retake day at the Primary Children's Medical Center Visitor's Desk.

4. It is possible to simultaneously carry on 20 different text conversations at once. Thank God for my unlimited text messaging plan and super fast thumbs. I bet my thumbs are World Record ready.

5. Even 900 miles away from home you still have to play the What is that smell? and Are these dirty? game by smelling your laundry.

6. It is possible for your brother, a somewhat shy and quiet man, to break your heart by leading your family in a prayer over a hospital bed.

7. Somethings are universal. We already found the closest Walmart, Target, bank, and convenience store. However, I remain unimpressed with the grid system of this city. The numbers confuse the hell out of me. Thankfully, my brother and Dad seem to be okay with figuring it out. How is it possible for two 300s to run perpendicular to each other?

8. We know a lot of people. And HH is a lucky girl to have many different grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles. This is what happens when you have blended families and remarriages. Because of this, we have almost every religious establishment working in her favor. Lutherans, Mormons, Catholics, Jews, and non-denominationals all praying for her. Not to mention the sheer force of positive thoughts being flung into the cosmos.

9. HH's main nurses have so far been men. They work 12 hours shifts. I'm sure we are due for new nurses as they probably go to days off. But both dudes are awesome. The day nurse is a machine. He also looks like Michael Vartan which is both awesome and distracting. He is very caring and never stops working to improve her condition.

10. As the nurse said at the hospital "Yes we have Wi-Fi. It is the only thing around here that is free." Which is not really true. They have been forthcoming with crappy coffee and small snacks. To be fair, I would rather a hospital focus on things other than their coffee. And a hospital isn't a hospital without caffeinated sludge.

I would also like to thank MK, AM, JB, and RO for all their help. MK and AM got me here and are watching my dog and turtle while I'm gone. JB took care of my family the first day at the hospital in Montana, all the way up to the moment they loaded JH and HH into the medically equipped plane and flew to Salt Lake City. And then RO picked me up from the airport here in SLC and whisked me away to the hospital.

People are very nice. Very nice. And I am humbled and grateful.