A season of rejoicing

The three best pieces of news I've heard this week:

A family friend's husband came home for a surprise two-week leave from his deployment in Iraq. Surprised her at her office, and they gave her the two weeks off from work. I cried when I heard that. I'd been listening to Josh Groban's "I'll be Home for Christmas" ... sniff.

Two other family friends just came home with their Christmas present times a thousand - the baby that they finally, finally, finally were able to adopt two days before Thanksgiving. After years of heartache and disappointment, they have Emma, and Emma has two beaming, ecstatic, exhausted parents who can't stop smiling.

My robbed friend is A-OK. The jerk only got her phone, which was apparently all he wanted. He didn't hurt or touch her because she dropped the phone and ran like crazy. And she'll probably avoid walking 11th Street in D.C. alone from now on. I should remind her that 11th Street in Laramie is pretty mundane and is, as far as I know, mugging-free.