Five Brown Kids

 Still my favorite walk ever.  A jet ski racing through the sunset.  Geese flying in the sunset.  Water Skiier

Dear City Council, Sunday morning my two daughters and I were at the new Chavis park.  The oldest had track practice with a coach and the youngest and I were hanging out at the fabulous new playground. I noticed a trash bag up in one of the playground towers and alerted a maintenance man picking up trash. He climbed out to grab it and discovered a homeless man sleeping.  (That my daughter had passed multiple times to get to that crazy slide!) The maintenance man called 911, the police showed up to talk to the homeless man. It started off reasonably with the man sitting on a curb while the police man looked up information in his vehicle.  Then the homeless man jumped up and starting running, the police man tackled him, more police arrived and pinned him to the ground.  There was yelling and panic but fortunately no gun shots.  My daughter and I and two other families at the park quickly got out of the way.  Later I saw an ambulance pulling out of the parking...

Like my dad, I am sometimes compelled to write letters.  Here is one I wrote when an LDS stake in California was told to stop having the leaders of RS and Primary sit on the stand.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear North America West Area Presidency, I write as a former Mormon, former Primary president, former Relief Society president, former Young Women’s counselor and former de-facto leader of my Stake’s once very successful support group for African American members.  I walked away from the church and took my family with me (five kids!) when I realized that you wanted my labor, my brilliance, my expertise, my support and my leadership as a woman with absolutely no recognition, no decision making power and definitely no equality.  You used me and all women like me who show up for the church in herculean ways and are given occasional pats on the back and nothing more.  Now in my post Mormon life, I work for a g...

 Party details here.

My second year at the magical Paperhand Puppet Project show at the old stone amphitheater on UNC's campus. So much fun!

Last year we went to Cape Breton for a few days after the big family trip and it was so amazing we had to do it again.  We stayed at this unreal little Nordic Cottage and went on three great and very different hikes. Lowland Cove Loop , Fishing Cove trail and Squirrel Mountain trail.  I loved them all.  One evening we were so lucky to experience Table Doucet.  Every bite was interesting and delicious.  What a treat!

Mark's niece got married in Florida and I got to go with.  My god, the island was stunning. We walked the beach each day, lounged at the pool and beach, biked the golf cart path into town and of course spied on all the wedding set up and then attended.  It was the fanciest/prettiest wedding I've ever been too.  What a dream.  We arrived Thursday and ate dinner at the club house and then walked  along the beach while the sun set.  Our condo had the best beach side, pool side view. I could watch all the wedding set up happen.  Friday we picked up Mark's boys from the airport, lounged at the beach and then went to the wedding welcome party at the marina.  More lounging. Went to see the Banyon trees downtown.  Then got wedding ready.  After the beach wedding there was cocktail hour by the pool and then dinner in the clubhouse. And then back to pool deck for drinks, visiting, live music, photo booth, caricature drawings etc.  One fi...