Welcome, Maile Elizabeth!

We've made (well, okay, technically our friends have "made") a lot of brand new friends lately. REALLY brand new. :) And here's one of them. Meet Maile Elizabeth Reynon, daughter of our friends Julie and Raul. Isn't she cute? She's just over eight weeks old. Our friends Liz and Maya came into Sacramento from L.A. and San Francisco, respectively, for the birth of sweet Maile Elizabeth (pronounced, "Miley") (Liz has taken to calling her M. Elizabeth, but that doesn't seem to have caught on with Julie and Raul!) We recently met little Maile at Tom and Maya's wedding in California, but were saving all those pictures for a separate post. (We're behind. Sorry!)

We'll highlight some of our other new pals in posts to come.

Our Trip to Wisconsin and Chicago

As you may know, we take vacation the last week of every June in celebration of our anniversary. This year, because of various complications with Brian's work, we had to take our trip one week early, the third week of June. We went to upper Wisconsin for half of the week, spending time with our friends Seth and Jen and their families, and the second half of the week alone together in Chicago.

Seth is a colleague of Brian's, and his wife, Jen, is an accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Seth and Jen have, like us, been together since high school. They both grew up on Lake Superior in Superior, Wisconsin. Both of their parents now live right on the lake, in beautiful lake houses that they welcomed us into on our visit. We had a wonderful time. We boated on the lake, lazed around campfires, drinking wine and listening to the loons (okay, and 80's music), and took a day trip out to Madeline Island. (The pic above right is us with some interesting locals-- "Shame" and Costello-- don't ask!) We stayed a few nights with Jen's parents in their house on Lake Nebagamon, and a night with Seth's dad, where we stayed in the lighthouse next door to the house! It was definitley our first night in a lighthouse-- but we hope not the last!

After our time at Lake Superior, we drove through Wisconsin down to Milwaukee, Sherry's dad's hometown. We called Jim from Milwaukee, and he gave us a tour of his hometown neighborhood in downtown Milwaukee over the phone-- his old house, the corners where his parents owned pubs, his local church (see right) and park. He couldn't remember some addresses, and even cassled us back when he found them. He was so excited to share that history with us, and sounded so happy. It was the last time we would speak to him.

After our tour of Milwaukee, we headed to Chicago, where we spent the next several days celebrating our anniversary. We took the architecture boat tour, went to the top of the Sears Tower, had cocktails in the Signature Room at the top of the Hancock Tower, toured to the Field Museum, rented bikes and rode up and down the shoreline, explored the city at night, went to a concert in Millennium Park, and had a fantastic time. We ate at two notable restaurants, Blackbird, and for our anniversary dinner, Tru. (Click italics for links.) Both were wonderful. The highlight of the trip was catching the Chicago Cubs v. White Sox game, where we were able to cheer for Sherry's high school classmate, Derrek Lee, who hit the ball out the park and had a terrific game. Go, Cubs! Go D-Lee!

We had such a fun, all-American vacation! For the rest of the pics from our trip, click here.

Dad's Funeral and Our Trip to California

We've just returned from our trip to California for Dad's funeral. I (Sherry) arrived two days before Brian and spent some time with my sisters Stacy and Jodi. Brian arrived on Wednesday, and we met for dinner at the Mission Inn (which became a sort-of Ground Zero for our family during this time) with all of my living siblings on my father's side (my half-siblings, Jodi, Kristi, and Alan, and my sister, Stacy). It was both an evening that was both comforting and sorrowful, filled with hugs and long conversations, laughter and tears. Jodi had brought the many, many emails of condolence she had received from guys who had served in the Air Force with my Dad, from his early days at March AFB, to his service in Japan (where Matthew, Stacy and I were born), and beyond.

Thursday, the third of July, was Dad's funeral. The recitation of the rosary and funeral mass were held at Saint Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church in Riverside. It was the most beautiful service I've ever attended, with each of Dad's children taking a significant part. Kristi, Jodi and Stacy made most of the arrangements. Jodi gave the eulogy, Alan and Stacy read scripture verses, and I read the poem, High Flight, below.

After the mass, the funeral procession made its way to the National Cemetery in Riverside. There, Dad was given full military honors, including the flag folding, gun salute, a bugler playing Taps, and -- a surprise for all of us -- an Air Force flyover. Jodi had mentioned that some of the guys at March AFB were trying to orchestrate a flyover for Dad's funeral, but we did not assume that it would happen. When we saw the flyover, we were floored.

My father loved planes and loved flying, and he served proudly for many years in the Air Force. He was a Vietnam veteran, and one of the servicemen who evacuated Saigon when it fell, almost six months to the day before I was born at Tachikawa Air Force Base in Japan. (He spoke of the heartbreak and helplessness of having to leave so many people behind.) He taught Jodi the ropes, pinned on her Air Force wings, and the two of them held the distinction of being the first father-daughter boom team in the country. He loved the tradition of the military, and he loved his country. He would have loved and been humbled by the way that his service had honored him on the 3rd of July, and would have been proud when the flag was presented to his family "on behalf of the President of the United States, the Department of the Air Force, and a grateful nation."

After the funeral, we all convened, exhausted, in the Presidential Lounge back at the Mission Inn and tried to relax with our family and friends. The next day, appropriately, was the 4th of July, and we spent it together as a family, first by the pool at the hotel, and for dinner and fireworks at Stan and Kristi's house. Stacy, Brian and I met with Liz and Phil for brunch the next morning, then flew home.

This has been an extremely difficult time. Dad struggled with cancer, but still nothing prepared us for his death.

Our family is thankful to everyone who has made condolence calls, wrote and sent condolence cards and letters, brought or sent beautiful flowers, came to our house to cheer us up, shared their own experiences with the lost of a family member, covered projects or shifts for us at work, or attended the services. Having such wonderful friends and colleagues has been a great comfort to us during this time. To see all the photos from the week, click here. You will be prompted for a password that many family members will already know. Friends or family members who do not know the password can get it by emailing Sherry or Brian.

Dad's Obituary

Dad's obituary can be seen by clicking here.

Also, please note that the funeral is at 11:30 a.m., not 11 a.m., as originally listed below.