[Brian Update]

Hey everyone…apologies for the silence.  It’s not that I haven’t been up to see my mom – I’m still up there usually every three weeks or so – but I’ve just been a bit lazy about keeping this updated.  My visits have unfortunately been a bit shorter than they used to be – these days I’ve been flying up Saturday afternoon, returning back to LA Sunday evenings…we still get a lot of quality time together, it just needs we have less time to pack our fun into.  After taking a couple years off from triathlon, I’m training for a race (Vineman Half Ironman) on 7/19 in Sonoma…Saturday mornings are when I get my long training rides in.  Fortunately I can do my long training runs on Sundays in Sacramento as I’ve done every weekend for the past couple years when I visit mom.  I’m becoming pretty familiar with the running trails in Sacramento. 

In addition to our triathlon training, Summer and I also had puppy school on Saturday mornings with Sydney for six weeks…that’s behind us, and Sydney is a well-behaved puppy, with a few minor exceptions, so I guess school paid off!  Actually, I think we just got lucky with a great dog…

I just wanted to send a shout-out to my mom who gave birth to me some 40 years ago yesterday (6/26).  It’s unbelievable that I’ve turned 40 – I certainly don’t feel 40…though I did discover last night, thanks to my sister, that words do look sharper on paper when I wear reading glasses…hmmm…I guess some of the signs of age are in fact starting to appear, like it or not.  In any event, thanks to my mom…I’ve been reminded from time to time that my birth was not without complications…mom ended up in the hospital for a hernia, and I had some problems that, despite hearing the story numerous times, I can’t quite remember.  I think my sister knows all the details…she’s my personal “hard drive” for memories like those. J  So thanks mom, for all I put you through 40 years ago…I’m happy with where I am at this stage of my life, so thanks for raising me with endless amounts of love, and for being a wonderful influence on my life.  Hopefully I’m good for another 40 more, and then some…

There are a couple of highlights from the past couple months that I’d like to point out… As my sister mentioned in an earlier post, she took a day off from work on mom’s 65th birthday to take her to a local Indian casino.  Mom always loved the simple pleasure of playing slot machines, and, despite not hitting a jackpot, they both had a great time together.  Mom was surprised by a visit from her friend’s Linda and Janie who spent the afternoon tempting lady luck with mom and Laura Lee.  All in all, it sounded like a great day…and an exhausting day for my sister – the full day outings with my mom are unbelievably exhausting with having to transfer her from the car to her wheelchair multiple times (due to the fact that she’s so sedentary, she’s unfortunately put on a bit of weight which does no favors to the back…), worrying about toileting, etc.  On top of that just ensuring that mom has a good time…it really gets exhausting, so I appreciate that my sister took a day off from work to do that for mom on her birthday.

Oh, thanks also to everyone who sent text messages / left voicemails / signed Mom’s journal on her bday…my sister had fun sharing everyone’s love with her on her big day!

Coincidentally, Summer and I were in Las Vegas the weekend right before mom’s birthday (6/13-14) for some friend’s bachelor / bachelorette party, and I couldn’t help but be reminded that the last time that we were in Vegas together was when we brought mom ~6 months prior to her stroke.  That stands out as one of the best times that we had with mom.  I found myself getting a little choked up Friday evening as we walked past some of the spots that I remember mom enjoying so much  - the fountains in front of the Bellagio, etc.  That was an amazing time…it would be great to get her back to Vegas one of these days...

Speaking of mom’s bday, I visited the weekend before (6/13-14), and we had a nice, event-filled time, including a good dinner at the Zinfandel Grill, an evening concert at the park, yogurt, a movie (Randy / Olivia joined us for the amazing movie “UP” in 3D no less…), some shopping, and mom even got a facial.  Lots of fun packed into a short time…

One last shout-out I’d like to mention is the visit from Summer’s cousins Mike and Phyllis who stopped by to visit mom as they were passing through Sacramento on their way from Tahoe to San Francisco (I believe…).  Mom first met Mike and Phyllis when Summer and I took mom on a roadtrip to Mexico in 2006 for Summer’s family’s annual Thanksgiving gathering at their “palace” in Puertocitos Mexico.  That was the first time that mom met Summer’s awesomely warm family, and we all had a great time.  The fact that Mike and Phyllis thought to pay mom a visit after meeting her only once says a lot about their character.  They are great and tons of fun…we had a wonderful time with them in Greece for our Wedding.

Ok, time to go.  Summer has planned a big party for me for this evening (Saturday, 6/27), so time to get up.  She’s put a lot of time, energy, and expense into planning this evening – the details of which have been kept secret from me – and I’m incredibly thankful and looking forward to a great time. 

Hope everyone’s well…thanks for your continued support!

Love,

Brian