over the river & through the woods...

[my grandmother's amazing yard]

[me & the landscaper ... that's my grandma!]

[the kids & their great-grandmother ... joe is in the glasses]

[me & my girl lauren]

hey everyone. gosh, i feel like i've been gone for so long! i've been in california visiting the 3 coolest kids ever. i love my niece and nephews so much. my sister and her husband have done the most amazing job with those children. they are smart, hilarious, thoughtful and polite. i love how much they genuinely love the family. when brent heard we were going to concord to visit grandma he said, "cool, i haven't seen her for a while." how many 11 year olds think it's cool to visit their 83 year old grandmother? awesome. the trip was so invigorating for me. i hadn't been to visit in 5 months almost! i didn't make it at christmas and i was so low around brent and joe's birthday, i didn't want to bring that to their birthday and i was just having a hard time accepting how depressed i had become. but all that love from the kids and the laughs with my sister and her husband and my mother and my father was outstanding. the visit to my grandmother's was a bit bittersweet as she will probably be moving this coming year and it could be the last time i would be in her house. so many memories in the house. amazing, wonderful memories - i know my mother and father do too. her yard is so amazing and she has done the whole thing herself over 40 years. i could shed a tear thinking about it. i took a million pictures and will make a movie soon.

thank you my wonderful family. i love you all more than i could say here or anywhere else.

p.s. the portland trailblazers want that home court advantage BAD! they are so excited right now that i can't think of any match up in the first round that they couldn't handle.

rip city uprise!