Best entry today from dad! Very moving, and DON'T REMIND ME WE DON'T LIVE just a half hour away anymore.

Sometimes that reality hits me; truly a tender topic of missing you all. Yet, building our own life together (case and I) is grand!

MIKE! Do tell me the music on the end of dad's cd (he sent) is yours! It's realllllllly good.

I was thinking to myself...oh wow this is my favorite song on the bend it like beckham sdtrk....then wait this seems to be Mike (or Justin!).

You guys rock! Have I told you that lately. My brothers that I brag about to my semi friends at work. And they nod, saying "how neat", YET NO! Get a clue people you have no idea the talent in these guys.

And they're my bros! YES! I love being your sister.

Matt ----Crown Him is soooo...good thanks for the memory.

And a laugh maker from Justin: "It's cold, like a warm day in the morning, at night."

"so many cute, fat seals just squirming around" ====such great figurative language Trace! (just taught the kiddies this todayHA!) A+++++ for you. And it was good to hear from you, seems like forever.

I almost wanted to pick up and drive down there the other day and rent a surf board! I want to hike Torrey Pines too!

Also, late---r in the summer we should totally hit up Channel Islands Nat'l Park ---it's off of L.A. TOTALLY AWESOME place in my opinion with no people--- just a couple campgrounds you hike into a couple miles. You have to boat over on a (small fee) service, key word: islands!

Tracey mentioning the fireplace at that restaurant, reminded me of Tahoe Joe's. I don't know if you noticed Mom and Dad but there was a huge fire place behind the front check in ladies that had a huge cobblestone structure and 2-4 openings to the four sides of the restaurant.

I'm just pumped b/c we are going to attempt that large and in charge fireplace idea for our main living floor (when we ever build a place).

Like you walk in the house and there's the 8 foot wide fireplace centrally located.

The actual fireplace way open with a post about 2 feet thick each on the corners, sort of separating rooms. You can see the SAME fire from each room!

But these rooms don't need much privacy separation anyway. Rooms like the kitchen, front sitting room, family room back right corner. The bathroom. :)

Wait, I'm disclosing all our floorplan secrets too early. Secrets? heh okay then.

And why wasn't I an interior decorator? I remember in 9th grade we had a career assessment and according to my "abilities and interests (HA!)" I would make a good interior designer. hmm.....:)

"Someday: incorporation." That's my secret motto, for opposite day meaning. You know where you say something but you want to mean the opposite, so you say "nooo...it's opposite day"...

Like, "oh someday I'll do what I dream..." That's weak!

But we know God is certainly expanding my (and no doubt everyone's) likes, abilities, and interests daily thru "other methods of work".

Often we do hang onto our own ideas and desires (i.e. Justin's one entry). Trusting God completely? Yeah! I'll try that. For real.

This life is so amazingly blessed! I have no, absolutely NO room to complain. Thank you Lord.

p.s. one of the "teacher aides" that we are friends with found out today that she's fired (at the end of the year). Pray for her, she's also having major surgery on her neck too this summer.

Friday's Case's birthday! Nothing special planned. Cake, dinner, a lot of coaching baseball for him. Me not so much! Only 5 games left! Only 26 or so days of school! Woo!

I've been having marathon blogs, right! It's fun, and certainly....we should all take some slower minutes of our day, and read like we mean it.

A lot of the times, I find myself, psycho-ly rushing through each blog page and skimming, and then moving onto the next one.

Stop it! ---that's a quote from either Justin or Mike when they were 3 yrs. old, and we would keep mocking or hitting them. And....laughing. HA!

In conclusion: Stop reading blogs fast. love you all peace