Where've We BEEN?

I know you're wondering why in the world it's been so long since I've posted. Well, we have a very good reason. On September 21 my grandmother's husband of 30 years passed away. The very next day we headed north in the minivan to be there for grandma. It took more than 26 hours for us to get there, but it was entirely worth the drive to see how grandma's eyes lit up when she saw us. I could tell she was having a hard time of things and it was nice to be able to take her mind off of things, if only for a little while. We got to see here four days while we were up there so that was fun.Another unexpected advantage was that I got to see my first military funeral (her husband was a Lieutenant in the Navy). The service was very moving and included the flag ceremony & presentation and the playing of taps on the bugle. I went to thank the military men after the ceremony but was so touched that of the whole speech I had prepared all I could get out was a little sniffle and "thanks". To make things even more impressive, the bugle player, as he shook my hand, said "Oh ma'am, you have no idea. It is my honor." What an incredible bunch of guys. I have so much admiration for those serving in the military.
But we are home now, hopefully for a while, and I'll try to catch up on my posts.

Bump Set Spike!

My oldest niece is learning to play basketball and getting used to making her kneepads meet wood. She's got all of the spunk you'd expect from a girl her age and she shows lots of potential play varsity when she gets into high school.

Here's a shot of her follow-through after whaling on the ball to serve it (they aren't allowed to underhand it anymore so they're all learning to serve overhand):Here she is in action, diving and to return a serve:Of course, at this age, the best reward for their win is getting to load up on insanity-invoking candy after the game: