I don't know if anyone is still keeping up with the shutdown news, but:
It's official, the government is being reopened again!
Source. On Wednesday night, Congress voted to end the shutdown and avert default. There's a lot of controversy around it though since a lot of people think it's just going to be a temporary fix and that everything will just begin all over again in a few months, as funding will only last through to January 15.
I'll be honest, I don't really know much more than that so I'm not really sure how to feel. But for the time being, my dad is going back to work tomorrow, and hopefully we'll get our retroactive pay soon.