Summer Time - Family Time

In July Rex and I took a trip to see my family from Alaska and be at my

brother Adam's wedding! Besides being a fun get-a-way it was a hilarious road trip

& a wonderfully bonding time for us as a family.


Rex & Chels in Seattle



Chels & cutie bro Andy in Oregon



John, mom & Andy



Beautiful Oregon Mountains

Adam & Tash... What a Sweet & Lovely Day!

...did I mention how much I love family expansion!

I keep acquiring more fabulous family members.



me and my wonderful brothers

Notice the remnants of a camping trip (yes bug bites). The unknown critters were clearly

determined to leave Adam with a little something for the wedding pics.

Congratulations to Kev & Jessie

Super sweet together, up to BIG things, & no doubt making a difference in the world!

I am so so happy for these two!

Some of the beloved TIBIA folks

A Few More From Ang & Kia's Wedding...

The Most Beautiful Wedding

Seriously, this wedding was unbelievable! Angeline & Kia are incredibly happy to be together & their love is INSPIRING. We all LOVE Kia and feel so blessed to have him in our family. I have a few pics from my sister and can't wait for more.

A few photos from Angeline & Kia's wedding...

Celebration

Rex's sister Angeline and her sweet Kia had a wonderful dinner for their family & many of their friends in preparation for their upcoming wedding. We are all overjoyed for them! Badieh (also Rex's sister) decided it would be fun for the whole family to match Angeline who was wearing black & white...so we did. Unfortunately I did not get pictures of the family together which I believe was the reasoning behind us all coordinating our attire.

Computer Malfunction

that's what's up...sent to the computer recycling world. I plan on getting a new computer soon. In the mean time I don't have much access. Luckily they saved my music/photos...this is the second time this has happened except there is no fixing it now. :)

Fun in Seattle

Driving from the airport to see my brother...clearly excited!
We aren't actually driving as we take the picture, that would not be safe.



With my mother, brother and his girlfriend Elysse.

Out eating fabulous seafood...I miss it already!

Thank you Andy and Elysse for taking such good care of us...love you both!

Headed to Seattle

I can't wait! I will be visiting my brother Andy, and my incredible mother will be meeting us there. This visit is long overdue... it has been 1 1/2 years since I have seen either of them. It won't be the entire family getting together, but I am in need of whatever I can get.

Ready for the Cold

People always bring to my attention the fact that I was raised in Alaska and should be used to sub zero temps. This is a misconception... I am not made for cold weather. I grew up in a rain forest and can deal with rain day after day even without an umbrella.

This picture was taken of me and my sister a few years ago in Dublin, Ireland. At the time we thought it was extremely cold, hence the winter parkas. You will notice the few people in the picture are not dressed with quite as many layers. That is because it really wasn't that cold.
I could use those layers now... Wisconsin winters last forever!

Expo Time

A few of the FABULOUS women I work with!

A Night on the Town

Not really on the town, we walked to Walgreens to get food.
There was so much snow we couldn't get the car out of the garage.

Yes, Rex is wearing my scarf as a hat...somehow it works.

Before the surprise snow fight...

Rex shows no mercy!

My Very First Blog

I have to admit I am slightly intimidated with the whole blog phenomena. I have put this off for a while...I just couldn't convince myself that I would be able to maintain entry after entry. Then I remembered why I decided to do this...I want to creatively express the feelings and thoughts that I am committed to getting out there. And in preparation for a family of my own I want to stay in touch with all the people I love who are spread around the world.

Still a few questions come to mind...

1) Will I write something too personal and regret it later?

2) Does anyone care that much about my life to take the time to read what I write?

3) Do I really want to spend time blogging?

Great questions I know..
These questions make me think of my dear friend Mojan who I have felt extremely inspired by. She started a blog about 5 years ago...I know 5 years of consistent posts!!! I look forward to her posts and pictures and although she lives in Haifa, Israel and I live in Milwaukee, WI I don't feel like she is very far away at all.

(By the way Moj, congratulations on your beautiful baby boy!)

Holiday Dinner

Every year Rex's work has a beautiful Christmas dinner. They generously hire a photographer to take pictures of the guests. This year we opted out of the Christmas tree photo, since we don't celebrate Christmas... we were given special permission to have our picture taken seated on the royal pink sofa. I am pretty sure the people watching wished they had done the same.

The photographer complimented Rex saying his pose was "internationally sexy,"

very James Bond & definitely masculine against the pink couch. I would have to agree.

Ski Hill

My nephew Jordan suggested an afternoon hike up Ski Hill, the closest thing we have to a mountain around here. It was a beautiful day and a nice little walk.


Rex and his mama


Brother-in-law Chris and niece Sheada



Sheada & Jo Jo

Happy Birthday Mam

Off to Scranton, PA...

The whole family decided to surprise Rex's Grandmother for her 85th birthday. She was delightful as always, full of energy & love, but what impressed me the most was her innately thoughtful nature with all of her guests. There had to be over 50 people who attended and she was a gracious host to all... welcoming them & introducing them to one another.

When it came time for us to gather as a group, share sweet memories and celebrate her life

she took time to include her own stories of each guest.

This is one AMAZING woman!

Mam with Rex's mom

Ellen with Sheada

The Fam

Cousin Hanna with Jordan