Distractions........

Everyone needs distractions from the stress and strain of everyday life. For Jan and myself it was a weekend trip to Williamsburg with good friends. We visited with Josh and Lillian, ate too much, went to a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater (where I won the award for the stupidest solution to the mystery) and walked around the historic area. For Katy and Brittany the distraction involved a quick trip to Denver to hang out with Jan's sister. Brittany drove to North Carolina last Wednesday and they flew flew from Greensboro to Denver returning on Sunday. How do Seth and Eli distract themselves from the horrible reality they live every day? Apparently by playing Halo 3. For those of you who live in a cave, Halo 3 is the newest and best war game for the X-box. Apparently you distract yourself from war by playing war.....a novel concept. Now this isn't just sitting in front of your TV playing by yourself or with a friend. Getting 150 feet of Ethernet cable allows you to wire four cans together and now you can play with up to 16 people from the comfort of your own little room while your friends are happily bedded down in their own rooms.
We talked to Eli this morning and all sounds well. Their room has become a place where friends hang out.....just like home. One of the things I miss most about the boys being gone (and I'm not talking about being in Iraq....I'm talking about being grown, married and having their own places) is all the friends dropping by and hanging out on the stoop. The patio used to be a happening place....now it's quiet. But the tradition apparently continues in Iraq. Seth and Eli have a way about them that draws people to them. Maybe that's their role in this war...just to make the people around them feel a little normal as they hang out together and have some fun. Maybe instead of picturing them as soldiers I'll picture them on a mission trip - building relationships with their fellow soldiers and bringing a little piece of down home hospitality to their can.
Eli forwarded some pictures this morning. Look for them on the blog later today.