family means too much,
friends are too valuable,
and life is too short,
to put off sharing with people,
how much they really mean to you,
and pursuing whatever it is that makes you happy.
[author unknown]

the obligatory family photo ;-)


on our winter hike


ryder and the snow couple


taken in one of the casinos


my friend's oldest


we're home from our NV vacation. it's always so awesome to see family and friends. this trip, we spent a week with steve's family in carson city, NV and then a few days with one of my best friends, gwenn, in vegas.

it was so great b/c the first two days in carson city, we got snow. the kids had so much fun playing in it and they built the coolest snow couple. we had such a blast with everyone and cherished every minute together.

gwenn and i are friends from our air force days. the last time we lived in the same state was 1998. we're both now out of the air force and military spouses--me, navy and she, air force. gwenn is a friend that i know i'll have for the rest of my life.

i truly am so thankful for the time i get to spend with family and friends; it doesn't happen nearly enough.

you can kiss your family and friends good-bye
and put miles between you,
but at the same time you carry them with you
in your heart, your mind, your soul,
because you do not just live in a world
but a world lives in you.
[frederick buechner]

and now...it's back to reality and playing tons of catch up.