Morocco Camel Ride

When we arrived in Morocco, just inside the border, there were several men with camels giving rides for 1 euro. The rides were about 30 seconds long and it looked like the camels were probably being kept busy all day long. Every time a bus load of tourists came into the country it looked like they were stopping. The owner of the business or the individuals were raking in quite a bit of money. But as you can see Emily, Katie, and I jumped at the chance. How often does that chance come along ...?

Spain---Incredible!

I'm going to write more later about our trip ... but for now here are the pictures that start at LAX, then Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, Torremolinos, Morocco, and Ronda ... We had an absolutely incredible and exhausting time.

Celebrating with Bruce and Reminiscing our UW Nav Days

Yesterday, the UW Nav group gathered together to celebrate with Bruce Alexander who has stage four melanoma. He's not expected to live much longer, but our time together did not focus on sadness. It was a celebration of the impact he had on our lives and so many others. We laughed, we told stories, we "caught up," and we cried. The faces were a little more weathered, some had added a few pounds, some--less hair, more gray hair ....but our quirks, sense of humor, mannerisms hadn't been affected by the passage of time. More importantly, the same spirit of unity that drew us together for God's purpose all that time ago did the same for us yesterday. It still amazes me how God takes people from all walks of life and weaves their lives together to accomplish great things for Him. God was glorified by our gathering together and will continue to be glorified by Bruce and his legacy. Finally I have to say a special thank you to Mary Beth, Spencer, Mikaela, Isaac and Pierce for sharing Bruce with us yesterday.

Now a word about Mary Beth, and many you know her far better than I ..... but isn't this picture just So MBA!!? I heard her say to her kids ...."Come on you guys, now let's do a crazy one,!" just before I snapped the picture. I love it that she has not lost her sense of humor. This is the kind of fun that we had on Saturday!

RUN FOR THE ROSES 07

Every year in May it's the 'Run for the Roses.' Roger and Jim host the annual Kentucky Derby party at their home in Lancaster. It is a terrific event with plenty of food and friends. Part of the event includes the annual ladies hat competition. As you can see there were some great ones. A big thank you to the hosts for putting on such a fun and creative event each year.

Oregon Slide Show

Emily, Katie, and I met mom, Barry and Aunt Sandy in Klamath Falls Oregon in October of 2006. We stayed at the Running Y Ranch. It was a relaxing week vacation staying in the chateau. Crater Lake was absolutely beautiful; it was our first visit there and it was incredible. The girls went to a fall festival party and enjoyed pumpkin painting, a hay ride, horseback riding, and a petting zoo.

Madison a.k.a. Maddie--The Newest Family Member

Maddie is the newest member to the Brown household. She's a 3 and a half month old Miniature Schnauzer with a bundle of enthusiasm and energy--in other words all puppy. She had a fun trip to a local school this past Friday where I was invited to read to a Kindergarten class. The kids were more interested in her than in hearing me read "Fox in Sox"--What a shocker ... a puppy or listening to a middle aged man read ... hmmmm ..... go figure. After that she wasn't quite as happy to have to make the trip to the vet to get her second round of shots. One more round of puppy shots to go before she's done :)

UW Nav/Bruce Alexander Reunion in Portland

Bruce has stage four melanoma and it's expected that he only has a few weeks left to live. I met Bruce through the Navigator Christian Ministry at the University of Washington during my freshman year. I saw him as one of the "giants" and a number of us became very close during our time there. Bob Kanyer, another one of the UW guys, has spearheaded a reunion of sorts for those of us who were there with Bruce at the UW. We're meeting this weekend at Bob's home in Portland--I pray that Bruce is still with us and will be well enough to make it. Perhaps that's a bit selfish of me, but I do want to see him again before he leaves us. Regardless, I expect that this will be a very powerful time for all of us who are able to be together this weekend. There are no words to sufficiently express my anticipation of being together with this group again. The memories we created left an indelible mark on all of us. On Friday, I'll be off to Portland to reconnect with some of the men and women who were part of this special group.

Winter Wonderland in Washington State

Grandma Frances

This is my Grandma Frances. She is 96 years old and will be 97 in April. She is an amazing lady and I am so grateful that we had the chance to visit with her for a little while when we were in Washington during the Holidays! Her husband Floyd died in 1963 and she never remarried. He was her love and no one could ever fill his shoes. I have no doubt that she had some would be suitors but Grandma wouldn't consider anything but a rare friendly dinner. Grandma's hair was a vibrant red. It has faded over the years, but she's never gone completely gray. At 96 her hair is still red. I remember she used to chew Juicy Fruit gum and she was always willing to give a stick of juicy fruit to her grandkids. I think that was always one of the first questions we would ask her. I love you Grandma!

Bruce Alexander

I remember the first time I met Bruce Alexander. I was a freshman pledge at Delta Upsilon fraternity at the University of Washington in 1982. Bruce came by to share with anyone who would listen. He walked right into my room (the door was open) and asked me what was going on and if he could share something important with me. Now I was laying up in my bed with a t shirt and my underwear on, but Bruce was on a mission and wouldn't be deterred. I had recommited my life to Christ earlier that summer after I had graduated from high school. What Bruce offered was an opportunity to grow in the basics of the Christian life through Bible study and discipling. Through Bruce I met Ralph, Tinker, Bob, Lance, Paul, Rob, Matt, John, Jim, Steve . . . . and the list could go on and on. Each Sunday morning Bruce would drive by the DU house in his little MG and pick me up to go to church. He knew how important it was to be involved in God's larger family. Over my five years at the UW, Bruce was the constant. I remember him meeting, dating, and marrying Mary Beth--even during that time when men are usually distracted, Bruce remain committed to being a spiritual guiding force in the life of many, including me. After I married and moved to California, I lost touch with Bruce, but his impact remains immense. I I am so blessed by the time I spent at the UW involved in the Navigator ministry and learning from Bruce and others. Learning how to seek God through prayer and how to abide in Him. Bruce's love for God, his commitment, and his friendship have forever shaped me. He truly is a gentle giant of the Faith.

Meet Robert

Over the past few months Robert and I have become very close. I'm thankful for his friendship and his love. The companionship that we have been developing is a source of strength and refuge for me. Robert is sincere, honest, fun, compassionate, loving and he is a family man. We have a tremendous amount in common. Just as I lost Travis, Robert lost his wife to a sudden death about four years ago. We have an uncommon understanding of each other and this bond that we share is treasured deeply. We share stories, memories, laugh, cry, and sometimes more powerfully we are just quiet together.

Guadalajara--A Summer Learning Experience 2007

I spent three weeks in Guadalajara in August, 2007. I lived with a woman and her son in a small apartment who took in students which was their main source of income. At one time there were three students in the home. I attended a language school called IMAC for 4 hours a day. My afternoons were spent exploring the city, mostly on foot. Each of the Saturdays that I was there I went on a tour a little further from the city with other students at the school. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, but I can say that after three weeks I was ready to be at home to sleep in my own bed and enjoy a little more privacy.

Travis--A Year and a Half Later

It's been 18 months since Travis passed. It's hard to believe that it has been that long. There have been times when just the minutes and seconds seemed to drag on forever and now, suddenly, it has been a year and a half. I think about him everyday, but now when I do it is with a smile instead of with sadness and pain. Time does heal. I added a slide show on the side bar of his 50th birthday party that was just a month before he died. I haven't been in touch with many of you for several years--Travis was my partner of six years. He developed a very rare form of lymphoma called sezary syndrome and died on August 30, 2006. He struggled with symptoms of his disease for over 2 years. He was finally diagnosed in December 2004. He spent the rest of his life in and out of the hospital. He returned home from his last hospital stay on August 24, 2006 and we had hospice care during the last week. They were absolutely fantastic. I was blessed to be at his side when God touched him and healed him forever .... what no doctor, friend, or family member could do.

Emily, My Cross Country Skier

This is Emily's first attempt at cross country skiing. She did a great job; especially for a Southern California Desert Girl! By the way Emily will be 15 this year in July and Katie will turn 13 in November! As all you parents know the time just flies by. Savor every moment.

Los Amigos--My Home away from Home

This is where I spend my days. I'm the principal at Los Amigos School in Palmdale. I love my work. We're a dual language magnet school and we teach our students both English and Spanish. The kids spend half of their time in each language beginning in Kindergarten. By the time they leave us in 8th grade they speak, read, and write both English and Spanish. It's an awesome program and we'd love to have you drop in and visit us sometime.

My Sis Tracy Enjoying a Winter Wonderland

Crater Lake Vist 10-06

This picture is from a couple of years ago when Emily, Katie, and I went to Klamath Falls, OR and spent time with my mom, aunt, and brother. We had a great visit and took a side trip to Crater Lake. This day turned out to be fantastic! It was warm with lots of sunshine.

Christmas Visit to Grandma's

Okay, I know this is March, but I just created this blog. Emily, Katie, and I traveled to Washington and spent a week at Christmas with Grandma Sharon in Pateros. The girls got to spend time with their cousin Megan, Aunt Tracy, Uncle Steve, Grandma Sharon, Mike, Great Grandma Frances--she's 96 soon to be 97, Uncle Duane, Aunt Jeanette, Aunt Sandy, and cousins Nathan and Brandon. It was terrific to see everyone. The girls also tried their hand at cross country skiing and did some sledding as well. We don't have a lot of chances to do those kinds of things here in the high desert of southern California.

Spain

I am getting very excited about our upcoming trip to Spain. We leave on Monday, March 17th, just a little over a week away and we return on Wednesday the 26th. Emily, Katie and I will be going with a group of people mostly from my school. Neither the girls nor I have ever been on a trip like this before. It will be so wonderful to share this experience with them. It will be a packed tour and I'm sure we will be exhausted when we get back. I will post pictures when we return to share this experience with you.

My Friends, Bruce & Mary Beth

Tuesday I received a phone call from a friend from college, Bob K. I was thrilled to have this message sitting on my desk when I got to work on Tuesday morning. I couldn't wait to call him back and reconnect. He told me that Bruce A, who was the best man in my wedding, was in the late stages of melanoma. It was shocking and saddening to hear the news. I have not stayed in contact with Bruce and Mary Beth over the years and regret that now in many ways. I was so thankful that Bob shared Bruce's blog website with me. As I have spent time reading through all that has been written it has drawn me into Bruce and MB's journey.

When that nagging voice inside your head tells you to take a minute and call an old friend--Listen to it!

The memories of my time with Bruce and Mary Beth have come flooding back in a beautiful way. I cherish them all!