Farewell Dear Uncle

Yesterday, my dear Uncle Tom passed away. It was very unexpected and sent shockwaves through my life. I can't conceive of a world where he doesn't exist.

All day I've been telling my sweet daughter memories of Uncle Tom... spending summer after summer at his beach in Laguna... the infamous "sparkler dance" and "Labor Day Swim"... the time he arranged for me to be a ball-girl for the now-defunct California Surf soccer team... the time we flew together in a little five-seater plane to Mammoth for a ski trip... the many Ram's games we attended with him, making ice-cream sunday's in the Coca-Cola box... the time he took me, upon graduation from college, to the venue "auditions" for World Cup '94 (and as a result helped get me a job with the Organizing Committee)... the many, many, many talks we had about life and all its wonderful opportunities... the time I wrote to him, asking him to be my grandfather after his dad passed away... the day he met Lee... the day he met Amelia May.

My list is endless. I am sustained by those memories and thank God I have so many to comfort me. He was a remarkable man. An example for me to follow on how to live a great life - one filled with humanity, compassion, productivity, faith, education, and most importantly, family and friends. As he saw it, everything is possible. He, just like my dad, would never let me think small. Life is too important and precious to be lived small.

Uncle Tom... I miss you terribly and love you with all my heart... I always will. Give Aunt Betty a kiss for me.

Road Trippin’ with the Easter Puppy!

Mom and Dad usually write these things, but I'm gonna take a shot at this one. There were three things that made this past weekend's Easter trip to the beach so great.

The first... no more backwards riding in the car for me! I'm a forward-facer now and it's soooooo cool. Who knew how many great things there are to look at on a road trip. Gus and I hung out in the back seat and saw all kinds of interesting things - like the baby alligator crawling around a parking lot. I wanted to get out and pet it, but dad said "no" in a tone of voice I hadn't heard before. I guess he doesn't like cute 'gators. He does like big tigers though and we saw three huge ones at the mall. Yes, at the mall. (In case you're wondering, I didn't get to pet those either.)

The next great thing about this road trip... being able to show off my new trick. I can walk! That's right, nothing can hold me back. I'm off and running. We walked everywhere. While dad, Uncle Scott, and Grandbuddy went to play golf, mom, GG and I window shopped at Barefoot Landing. We had a great time. I walked everywhere. People kept looking at me, so I'd yell "hello" at them and wave. They seemed to like it because most folks waved back. (In case you're wondering how golf ended up... Grandbuddy smoked daddy and Uncle Scott. From what I hear, he has a beautifully straight shot off the tee.)

The last thing that made the trip so great... I got to eat ice cream. I LOVE ice cream and Grandbuddy loves giving it to me! Vanilla is my favorite, although it's also the only flavor I've tried. Ice cream makes me happy and it makes Mom really happy too. She's always talking about going to get an ice cream "treat".

The beach is always so much fun, but this time was really special. The Easter Bunny found me and brought me a really beautiful outfit (it has pink tulle on it!); I got to go swimming in the pool (it was soooo cold!); my Uncle Scott came with us (we played together a lot!); and my Grandbuddy and GG spoiled me with love (I'm very lucky!).

I can't wait to go back!

Tootles,
Amelia

PS... you can see a few more photos from our Easter weekend by clicking here.

Houston, we have lift off!

Check it out... Amelia is a walker! She's been linking a few small steps together for weeks now, but today we made a giant leap. 35+ steps, but who's counting?! I've learned that as the photographer, you have to keep your excitement low-key, as to not distract the performer. Many times I thought I was on the verge of finally capturing the elusive "walking video" only to derail the new walker with my shouts of excitement. Duct tape across my mouth did the trick!