Even the best laid plans can fall prey to the economy.

Jack's first birthday is right around the corner. We had a low-key affair planned: some family and friends would gather at Claim Jumper for a nice dinner, and Jack could enjoy smashing one of their delicious cupcakes as we sang Happy Birthday to him. Claim Jumper was the perfect restaurant for the occasion: we don't eat there too often, but the food is always delicious, and best of all, they were open on Jack's Birthday, which falls on Christmas Eve. Our reservations were set for 6p.m.

Then yesterday I saw some disturbing news. I am a "fan" of Claim Jumper on Facebook, and they had updated with a message about store closings. I saw that two locations in California had been closed, and I worried that ours may be on the chopping block too, as Claim Jumper is currently in a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. I scoured our local newspaper for some information, and found precious little about our local restaurant, so I asked my Facebook friends for more information.

Our Claim Jumper closed on December 13, 2010, the week before Jack's birthday (and, because every injury needs a little insult, on our anniversary, too!).


I have a few layers of upset going on here.

First, we had reservations. We were having out of town family and friends come in. And we never got a call about the restaurant closing. I found out only through research based on a Facebook post.  I'm lucky to have found out at all.  I imagine an awful lot of people who also have reservations for various days weren't so fortunate.

Second, that's a lot of people put out of work the week before Christmas. Shame on whatever powers-that-be that decided they couldn't make this work until the new year. I can't imagine that a restaurant who regularly had long waiting lines for dinner was hemorrhaging money.

Third, since before Thanksgiving, Claim Jumper has been advertising that they are open on Christmas and Christmas Eve, and it offered special menus of food for the holidays, encouraging families to spend their holiday at Claim Jumper. I bet a lot of people are going to be very disappointed when they show up on Christmas for a delicious meal to find a closed restaurant and no explanation.

Finally, it seems like every other restaurant on God's green earth closes at 4p.m. or earlier on Christmas Eve. It was beginning to look like we'd be eating Chinese food or visiting a deli for Jack's first birthday. The thought made me want to cry.

Fortunately, my husband found that one of our local favorites is open on Christmas Eve, and would be happy to accommodate our little party.  It wasn't what I had imagined - Claim Jumper has a lot of good memories and significance for our little family - but it will be just fine.

I wish I could say the same for the Claim Jumper employees who find themselves out of a job right before the holidays.

A Senseless Death and Sadness.

I was perusing Facebook on Saturday when I saw that a former high school classmate of mine, Tony, was distressed over the loss of a family member. While I don't really know Tony or his family, my entire high school class connects regularly on Facebook, so I was concerned and began reading further.

I learned that his seven year old son had been killed in a snowmobile accident that day. His son was on the neighbor's snowmobile and accidentally grabbed the throttle. The neighbor tried to hit the brakes to stop, and the machine flipped and ran over the boy. A terrible, tragic accident.

I can't imagine what his family is going through. I don't want to imagine it, but I can't stop thinking about them. This little boy was obviously the world to them. Brendan was his daddy's little shadow - he even sat on the bench when his father coached games at the high school.  Tony's Facebook page is full of photos of his son playing football, loving his family, and just generally being a sweet little boy and his parents' pride and joy.  And he leaves behind a sweet, adorable little brother too. I can just imagine the two boys, so inseparable, and now the one is alone and confused. Right before Christmas.  How can Christmas ever be the same?  I cannot imagine the agony in their hearts. 

One day, everything is normal.  Work brings some frustrations, some jerk cuts you off on the freeway and puts you in a bad mood, the electric bill is higher than you expected, and the world seems like it is working against you.  But you never know how much you have until you lose a big part of it.  It makes those little things seem so foolish, so trivial, so ridiculous.

Brendan's funeral is today. His father's Facebook updates have been absolutely heart-wrenching, and I've cried with every one.

That's the thing about these senseless tragedies: we relate to them. We realize that, there but for the grace of God do we go. There's no one to blame here, and while there is plenty of second guessing by the family - all of those horrible, soul-crushing "what ifs" - this is one of those things that could happen to anyone, be it with a snowmobile, a car, or just walking down the sidewalk. Accidents happen, and sometimes they can be tragic.

I hope that someday that family will find some peace. 

I need to go hug Jack. 

So to answer a Jack FAQ...

No, he isn't always smiles and happiness.

Sometimes, we have faces like these:

But usually he's happy.  His meltdown moments are rare so I was glad to have the camera today to capture these shots for the "show to future girlfriends" file.