Surprise Visit to Raleigh

As we expected, Lori and I have missed having our respective sister. She was feeling homesick and I was missing my sis so I booked a get away flight and went to see her for the weekend. Nothing too eventful, just hanging out with Lori and Dave. They picked me up on Friday night and took me out to dinner at one of their new favorite restaurants, Firebirds.

On Saturday we went out in search of an afternoon outdoors. We found a park and took a short lake-side trail hike. Of course we had our frisbee so Lori and I spent a while doing one of our favorite past times. Lori said throwing the fris on the beach is her favorite thing in the world to do, but we didn't have a beach so we had to make do with a grass field. Later in the day Lori and I went for mani/pedis for some relaxation and sisterly chat. In the afternoon Lori and I went for a bike ride around her neighborhood and of course, stopped at a a park to toss the disc some more. I didn't have a hat so I left my helmet on to catch the frisbee. I'm sure I looked like a dork, but safety's first!

That night we went to a sports bar to watch the Gators play LSU. Milo was in town and staying with George, and they met up with us to watch the game. We won, of course!

The next day we went to church in the morning and then headed to Durham to see Duke's campus. The architecture was impressive and the campus was very pretty. We managed to find Duke Gardens. Much of it was not in bloom, but we did find a flowery area and took some pretty pictures. There were lots of families, children, dogs, walking around and playing in the grasses. I would like to see the Gardens during the spring, because I bet it is very colorful and relaxing.

We decided to go to Chapel Hill for lunch and found a fun place called Spankey's on Franklin Street. I had a very good club sandwich and the best chili I've had in a very long time. We walked around UNC for a bit, which I remembered enjoying from when Alex and I were there before. Cool campus.

Enjoyed the Tyuses, even if only for a few days. I'm thankful for having a sister and appreciate having such a close bond with her. I can't wait to see them as the holidays get closer.

Race for the Cure

My favorite morning of the year. The Rack Pack was in full force again for our 5th Race for the Cure. The sunrise was beautiful and the good energy, emotion of the day, and slight cool front made for a very enjoyable morning. Alex and Maggie ran the 10K, I ran the 5K, and Mom walked with a new friend. The day reminds us how thankful we are that there have been advances in cancer research that kept my mom and our dear friend Becky with us as they battled through cancers. It also gives us hope that one day there will be a cure. And until that day comes we are grateful to all those who spread awareness, devote their work to research, and give hope to those affected with the disease.

I love my mom. She is so strong and my example of how a woman should live her life. I'm glad that she is here still to teach me things and share the exciting times in our life.

Moran Homecoming

This was back in September.

Mike and Rachel came down for their annual fall trip to hang out and go to Gainesville to watch the Gators. George flew in too, and Neno and Adina were going to go to their first game. They picked the Tennessee game, which turned out to be a tough ticket. We were not able to get enough tickets for everyone to go to the game, but we hung out in the Gameday atmosphere and had a nice lunch at Cafe Gardens.

The Gators won the game but the night was a little bit of a bummer since the game and trip didn't work out like we would have hoped. Oh well, there is always next time.

The week also coincided with Mike's birthday. We had a BBQ and played games like Catch Phrase, Guesstures, and Cribbage. I won them all!

Fun with the Morans

Alex and I went down to Boca because Neno and Adina wanted to take us snorkeling in the Keys. We woke up early and made the drive down to Key Largo. We had a nice breakfast while the sun came up and then we got all our gear and headed out. We sat up in the crow's nest of the boat. It was a beautiful ride out to the reef. Snorkeling was fun but within a half hour the rocking and sea-sickness set in. I did every mind over matter trick I know, and made it back to dry land with minimal damage.

On the way back to Boca we stopped at the Indian Casino. Neno and Adina have been very excited lately because they both won $1000 recently playing high stakes bingo. Unfortunately for us, no beginner's luck. At least we got to eat at the all-you-can-eat buf-fet.

Here's me. A big dork.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sux

We went to the Rays game last night for the second game of the series. The previous night the Rays won in extra innings thanks to Longoria, so we were hoping for an equally spectacular show. Bonnie's friend Christopher was able to get us a great pair of tickets in left center field. I have never had outfield seats, but I really liked them. We were in the second row right over Crawford's shoulder. The night was full of excitement for the outfield... I think we had 5 home runs come our way. Anyway, the night was a success. The Rays won 6-4, we got to hang out with Bonnie and meet the very enjoyable Christopher, and even found Janice and Darryl in the traffic jam.

Here we are in our second row seats. The seats we sat in had permanent name plates screwed into them. Alex's said "Ugly" and mine said "Trouble". Whatev!

"Who is enjoying the Rays game with his beautiful wife?.... This guy"

Gran Rosie

My mom's mom, my "Gran" would have been 100 years old today. It's too bad she passed on when I was only 11, but we all feel like we've known her for her whole life and her memory lives on today. She was as elegant and classy as they come, yet she was simple and a lover of family, friends, and animals. She was sweet and caring, and funny without knowing it. We could sit around and listen to Gran stories all day and night and never tire of hearing about her. She leaves behind a legacy of beautiful and strong women, all of us having a piece of her we carry with us today. Anne and Kathy, Jill (Katelyn and Kiley) and Deb, Lynn and Lori. What a woman she was! She always used to say, "How Green was my Valley", an appreciation of how rich and full her life was. We miss you Gran, and are thankful for the time we had you.

Here is my Gran with her husband, affectionately called Dutch, and baby Anne

Fun with the Heidens

Maggie and I went to Chase's house for a play date. It was fun to see Janice, my best teaching friend, and her son, Jacob for a few hours. The dogs had fun chasing after each other. Maggie had to adjust to spinning her wheels on the wood floors, and was tempted to swim in the beautiful pool, but restrained. We took the dogs for a walk to the park and they caught frisbees. Here are the pups. Aren't they adorable?