Happy Father's Day!!

(written on 6/20)

Hey Everyone!

I am home in NJ and it has been a great start to a great week, despite it being only Sunday. 24 hours into my trip home, and I feel as if LA is from another life. Just today, I went to church, said goodbye to my pastor who is moving, saw my grandmother, celebrated Father’s Day by going to Outback Steakhouse, treated my dad to Toy Story 3 in 3D. What a first day, right?

First of all, Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I know I have told you this 100+ times, but thanks for everything. You are great, and thank you for supporting my dreams, especially when others around me do not. Your faith in me is what helps carry me miles beyond what I thought I could do. So thank you.

And to Dubbie… I know you are not here on Earth, but I know you are around. Happy Father’s day to you too. We all miss you so much, and we took pictures together in the Memorial Garden to make sure you knew you were not forgotten. We love you.

Home is great. The weather, although humid, is perfect. High around 88 degrees, I can wear my summer dresses I left behind, and I can open all the windows to enjoy the fresh breeze come through my window (plus we don’t have air conditioning, so we don’t have a choice). I love feeling comfortable in my surroundings, everything is familiar, has its place, and is beautiful. I cannot get over how green everything is! Maybe that is life in the CA desert I am now adjusting too, but the grass, plants and trees all look exceptionally luscious. June is the absolute best time of year to be home. The weather is great, may get an occasional thunderstorm, everyone is out and about, all is in bloom, and you hear the night time insects outside to their own rhythm. There is no place like home!

So Toy Story 3, what a good movie! It was a different story than I thought, but I loved the animation, the creativity, and the sense of family and adventure. It was really great to watch it with my brother, sister and Dad. Awesome first day. Could it get any better?

Until tomorrow…