in march cassie and i took a semi-cross country trip to minnesota. besides the blizzard, 35mph cross-winds, and a tornado, the drive wasn't too bad. :) cass was a trooper and a great co-pilot. i stayed with steph and david for a night and got to see steph's new yoga studio (it's beautiful!) and attend one of her classes. if you are ever in des moines, iowa, you should stop by studio om. i spent most of my time at sister sarah's house to help out while maddy finished the last two weeks of her hardest phase of chemotherapy. she navigated those stormy waters well and has now entered the maintenance phase of her treatment. she has energy, feels great, has been back at school almost every single day, and has a big smile on her face most of the time. it is so great to see! she'll be in this less intense phase for the next 18 months if all continues to go well.
while i was in minnesota my grandpa was admitted to the ICU in grand forks, north dakota, with a severe case of pneumonia. getting to grand forks to visit him was a bit tricky because the flooding red river had closed all but one bridge into the city and that one was nearly under water too. he was in pretty rough condition when i saw him and he was later transferred to fargo, nd, where he died at the beginning of may. he had a good 88 years of life and we're all grateful that his soul is free from his suffering body. he was the last of my grandparents and his presence will be missed.
although the last two trips to minnesota have been for less than uplifting reasons, it has been wonderful to see my family so frequently. kieran turned three last week and luke continues to grow like a weed. he is definitely giving his brother a run for his money in the weight category. it is possible that i have seen my family more than pete in the last couple of months. the survey has had him off on adventures from san diego to puget sound. he finally learned how to shoot a gun so he can protect himself from polar bears when they do work in the arctic (hopefully in 2010). he has also officially added 50-ton boat captain (madeline thinks he should start driving a cruise ship and take us with) and truck driver to his list of titles. i keep hearing from the scientists that he's going to get rookie of the year so he must be doing something right.
if your summer travels bring you to the west coast, let us know...we'd love to see you!
be well.
soberanes point, big sur, ca
poppies in full bloom at the pinnacles national monument
kieran's 3rd birthday!
madeline with auntie steph
the whole foley family plus my mom's brother and sister
