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i loved my grandparents. they were everything a grandparent should be. they were my heroes. i loved them all the same. however, my grandpa ortiz occupies the softest spot in my heart marked for grandparents. he passed away a few years ago. he had a good death. he was surround by his children, and all of us grandchildren were able to say our goodbyes by phone to his alert mind. by all counts, it was peaceful. painful, but peaceful. he was humble, witty, sarcastic, tender, and just perfect; an older (and shorter) version of my biggest hero, my dad. i had saved a message on my answering machine for 7 months after he passed away. a cute little message asking how i was, that he loved me, and that he was doing good. i played it all the time, imagining him telling me this from the heavens, and i always felt good. it was accidentally erased, and it was truly a new grieving stage for me. i no longer had his voice to comfort me at the press of a button. i cried all night when that happened. i have learned to hear his voice in other ways. i hear and see him in the goodness of my father.
i took this picture of the door to his shop the day of his funeral. he masterfully created great works of the hand, and proudly presented me with wood toys that grace the rooms of my boys. he is with me still
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me and one of my dearest friends, Heather Gibb, shared a love of photography. Heather, who has an amazing brain, added to this passion the education of photography, editing, and creating and has established herself a successful photography business. She does an amazing job. she has done many of my christmas cards, birth announcements, and the beautiful canvases that hang in my home. Visit her website (where many of my boys are featured) at http://www.heathergibbphotography.com/ she travels quite extensively, and even did my sister from New Yorks pictures. She also is full of energy and fun, which is why she is so important to me. There is always a laugh when Heather is involved. your the best heather! .JPG)
my man turned 40 on the 15th. after much debate on how to mark this momentous occasion, I settled on a celebration that would be fitting to the man of honor. I surprised him with a little jaunt north to Salt Lake City for a night's stay at the beautiful Grand America hotel. We were pampered through and through, and enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing "couples massage" in the hotel's beautiful spa. We ate well, slept well, and awoke the next morning to a delicious breakfast buffet with friends hans and traci. we went to a 1:00 movie (with all of the other seniors:) ), shopped, and on the journey home had our favorite steak and peppercorn sauce at Carvers Steakhouse. We are at a great stage Rob, and I look forward to joining the club with you in 2 years. I love you and must say, 40 never looked so good! You're as handsome as ever...
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