found this book under the bed, half finished from last year. tip: don't read it right before bed. it had me awake thinking long after samantha was asleep, which is rare! really, really good book.
some updates on Colton:
"Update on Colton from his mother:

Talked to Colton again (thursday) night and he is so, so anxious to see us. He was feeling a little more pain, but this morning they did a quick surgery to clean up his wounds and the Dr. said that after the initial discomfort from the cleaning subsides, he should feel less pain and have less swelling. He had to get a breathing tube again for the surgery, so we may not get to talk to him again until we see him. He's doing well and if he continues to do well, it looks like he'll be headed to the US on Sunday!!! Most likely to Bethesda - I guess Walter Reed is now part of the Naval hospital there. Still pretty sketchy on our travel details; happily, Scott and I and all of Colton's siblings and little Leila will be going out together. I'm so excited!!! He wanted me to thank everyone again and let everyone know he is fine."
"Just a quick update on Colton from his mom:
- He is doing so very well, his throat is much better now that he's been without a breathing tube for awhile. We had a wonderful, wonderful conversation, I'll just share a couple of things. First, his buddies were just amazing how they took care of him so well. You can only imagine the love and gratitude that we feel for all of them. Second, he told me that the moment the explosion went off, he made the decision to do this well and to make it as easy on everyone as possible. And he certainly already has. He'll be flying to Maryland in the morning, so I've got some bags to pack! Love to you all and many, many thanks again."