Crummy Two weeks

First the break-in which happened 2 weeks ago today.

Then yesterday a call that my cousin Lance Corporal Nick Daniels, a marine was killed in Afghanistan. He was 25 years old. (My age) and was only over there a month and a half. Services at this point are pending.

From the ABC Chicago website:

November 6, 2011 (ELMWOOD PARK, Ill.) (WLS) -- The family of a Marine from Elmwood Park says he died while serving in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Nick Daniels, 25, joined the military in January 2010. He was a graduate of Saint Patrick High School in Chicago.
While a U.S. Marine Corps representative came to the Daniels family home Saturday to give them the bad news, the Daniels say they still have not been told any details about how their son was killed.
He reported for training September 3 and left for his first tour of duty in Afghanistan 16 days later. He served as a combat engineer.
"Everybody always thinks it's not going to happen to their family but it's real and it happens," said family friend Joe Pullia.
On Sunday night, Nick Daniels grandmother straightened out the Marine Corp flag outside the fallen soldier's Elmwood Park home. Daniels had only been in Afghanistan for two months when his family received news they hoped they would never hear.
"I worried about it a little bit but I always saw him as my bigger, older, brother and he was strong and would come out alive," said the Marine's brother Lonny Daniels.
Nick was the oldest of four children. His family that says while he never talked about joining the Marines, they weren't surprised when he signed up.
"He wanted to be fighting with the toughest, he didn't want someone weak next to him," Lonny Daniels said.
Lonny Daniels says his big brother was always up for a challenge and loved competition. Before enlisting, he coached football at his alma mater, Saint Patrick High School on the Northwest Side. Lonny says he will always remember Nick as cool guy who watched out for his younger siblings.
"I always aspired to be like him. He was always fast, athletic, the girls loved him," Lonny Daniels said. "He's really funny, probably one of the funniest guys. He had a really good attitude with everybody. Everybody loved him."
He told his brothers while he was up for the challenge, he didn't have plans of making a career out of the military. Lonny Daniels says his older brother wanted to become a police officer.
Nick Daniels is survived by his parents, two brothers and a sister. He told his mother the night before he left on a train for Afghanistan that he had plans to marry his girlfriend.
Funeral plans for Nick Daniels are pending.

Elmwood Park Marine dies serving in Afghanistan

Elmwood Park Marine killed in Afghanistan

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So, if having my house ransacked and several items stolen.. and cleaning up finger print dust for hours the following day, wasn't enough now this.

My blogging will be slower than ususal. All 7  months of work pictures on the house are gone, as they were amongst the several 1000+ photos, videos and documents that were on my laptop that was stolen.

I've started to redo the front door, but that's all that has been going on on the house front for now. I'll be picking up speed once again, in short order..

Bare with me guys.