the graduates

i've had the blessing and privilege to watch these two go from spunky little 10 year olds - (rachel, always eager with a hug and a snuggle; brad, always wanting to talk my ear off about a book, or a knife, or a gun) into incredible young adults (some things never change). and, as i prepare for the next chapter in my own life, i am so grateful to have been included in a few of theirs. technically, the twins (and their brother and sister) are my first cousins, once removed, but i claim them as nieces and nephews... which makes me one proud aunt!

There was also a really touching moment where two former students were finally able to receive their diplomas.  Brad makes an appearance at about 1:05.

a date with sandy

my recent trip to hollywood, fl (near ft. lauderdale) was memorable for a number of reasons.

in no particular order:

1. a reunion with one of my best friends from high school - 18 years after the fact

me and amanda on naples beach at sunset

thanks to the wonders of email and facebook, we've casually stayed in touch through almost two decades of separation   we've made the attempt to get together during my travels before, but something always came up to prevent it--the most dramatic of which was a nasty fall (mine) on the way into a 7-eleven, resulting in a torn mcl (my second knee injury in six months).  finally, closer than i've ever been to her hometown, i was absolutely determined to see her.

between us, it took three hours of drive time to meet in naples, fl.  we had settled on the beachside restaurant at the ritz carlton, where we knew we could spend a few hours catching up and watching the sun go down over the atlantic.

we seemed to pick up right where we left off and i couldn't have been happier than to sit across a table from my long-time friend, sharing a meal, and the highlights and lowlights of the last 18 years.

2. my first hurricane!

my co-workers did not believe me when i told them that florida had welcomed me with beautiful sunny weather.  instead, they were greeted by heavy winds and rain.

befores and afters

as it would turn out, sandy was much kinder to florida than to the northeast, but we were in awe of the wind and waves on the normally mild atlantic.

3. checking off TWO diners, drive-ins, and dives restaurants

first up, sonny's famous steak hoagies.  i had the #90 (plain with onions), with provolone and green peppers, and i've gotta admit, it was pretty good.

kevin, me, eli, and greg, after stuffing our faces full of steak

i've spent years looking for a steak and cheese sandwich that could compare to the best steak and cheese that ever existed.  i don't entirely know what made that particular sandwich the best sandwich that ever was, but i spent much of my youth praying that dad would make a stop at trio's in dupont circle on his way home from work.  that prayer was often (though not often enough) granted, until the day that trio's ceased to exist.

i never had a chance to discover all the secrets of the trio's steak and cheese, but i do know that the 'steak' was marinated ribeye.   and while ultimately, sonny's (also) marinated rib eye steak and cheese sandwich did not dethrone trio's, it was darn good.  in hindsight, with a lot more cheese, it might have been a true competitor.

greg and i checking out the menu

next up was grampa's bakery and restaurant, where it was clear that the 'bakery' and the service were the real treasures.

iris (maybe 'gramma'?), our waitress, was fantastic.  we spent a lot of time chatting about the experience of filming the show, what guy fieri ate, liked, didn't like, etc.  all while enjoying the complimentary danishes, which, even though i'm not a danish lover, were amazing.

we all ordered the breakfast sandwich and shared chocolate chip pancakes while i satisfied an intense craving for hot chocolate (something about storms!).  aside from the perfect danishes, the meal was par for the course diner food, yet the experience was a highlight in my ddd adventures.

4. the glass-bottom pool

the weather didn't exactly cooperate with our hoped for jacuzzi time, so when the rain stopped temporarily on friday night, we decided to go for a midnight swim.  the real fuel for our fire being the unique pool on top of pool layout at the hotel.

on the upper floor, an infinity pool which formed a sort of 'bridge' over the pool passing underneath it.  what made it even more unique was that a portion of the top pool had a glass bottom, which could be seen from the pool below.

greg and i were itching for a photo opp, which is the only reason that swimming at midnight, in the middle of a hurricane, seemed like a good idea.

i had the benefit of going second (so i learned from greg's failures) and eli was able to capture these awesome pics.

after our photo experiments, we decided to end the night with a dip in the hot tub.  little did we know, things were going to get even hotter when, due to the weather conditions, an electrical fire broke out in the stairwell from the pool up to the lobby.  since it was nearly 1:30am, i ended up walking through the entire lobby in my swimsuit (why i didn't grab a towel is beyond me) to alert the hotel staff.  just one more piece of evidence that my 'emergency' streak is back.

5. no flight delays

we weren't sure if sandy was going to let us leave florida.  eli and i had scheduled our exodus for saturday morning, and since we both had plans that night, we really wanted to get home.  almost unbelievably, there were no flight delays, and in fact, it was the smoothest travel day i've had in some time!

not exactly feeling like celebrating

Did jealousy turn deadly?

Victim's dad says the accused killer and his son argued over a woman

By Russ Rizzo
The Salt Lake Tribune

Article Last Updated: 07/04/2007 01:26:26 AM MDT

John P. Bloxham, who is suspected of murdering Todd Rogers, formerly of SLC.

A former Utahn killed in Virginia Saturday was allegedly gunned down by a leader in his fiancée's LDS ward, and his father claims jealousy was the motive.

Police arrested John P. Bloxham, 41, of Alexandria, Va., and charged him with the murder of 31-year-old Todd Rogers, who grew up in Salt Lake City.

David Rogers, of Crofton, Md., said his son had planned to announce his engagement to his girlfriend, Carrie Johanson, on Sunday.

On Saturday night, Todd Rogers was driving from her house to his own home in Manassas, Va., and Bloxham was a passenger in his Chevrolet Avalanche.

Bloxham works with Johanson at the U.S. Census Bureau, David Rogers said, and is an Elders Quorum counselor at her ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Bloxham confronted Todd Rogers and the two argued inside the vehicle; then Bloxham shot him several times with a handgun, police said. Bloxham jumped out of the truck, and it crashed into another car in a Beacon Hill neighborhood, police said. Bloxham then allegedly fled the scene.

A neighbor responding to the crash offered Todd Rogers help, and he gave the resident his parents' telephone number, David Rogers said.

"Tell my mother I've been shot," he told the neighbor, according to David Rogers. Then Todd Rogers reportedly said, "It was John."

Police later arrested Bloxham at his home and booked him into the Fairfax County jail, where he was being held without bail.

Johanson had told Todd Rogers that Bloxham had had watched her from outside her house, David Rogers said.

"She had mentioned to Todd that he existed. He's out there," David Rogers said. "Todd is a peaceful guy and thought he could handle it peacefully, no big deal."

Todd Rogers grew up in Salt Lake City and played football for a brief time for Taylorsville High School, his father said. He earned his bachelor's degree and a master's degree in mechanical engineering at BYU and served an LDS mission in Brazil.

He moved to Virginia from California to take a job with Micron and to find a bride, his father said.

"He wanted to come to where there were more single women," David Rogers said.

steph forwarded me a link to about this story in the salt lake tribune. as i read, i realized that i knew the girl named in the article. first freak out. this is me and her in october 2005:


then she sent me a link to the second article, which had a picture of the accused murderer. and then i realized, i know him too. second and bigger freak out. this is he and i from the same time frame:

my heart breaks for carrie, who has already had her fair share of trauma, and needless to say, i'm feeling terribly unsettled.

a state of mourning

today, the state of virginia is awash in burgundy and orange. it is hanging on trees, it is flying from cars, it is being worn by the slew of virginia tech alumni, family, and friends, that reside here.

i have considered over the last few days what i would say regarding the recent events, or if i would say anything at all. but i find that some things ought not to be kept silent, even if the words lack eloquence.

in large part, i have stopped watching the news. i find that a daily reminder of the atrocities humans are capable of perpetrating on one another is simply more than i can bear. i have the great blessing and curse of feeling too deeply, and were i to allow myself to get caught up in the wave of evil that exists in the world, i would simply drown.

news of monday's tragedy, however, was inescapable. and so i have read, and i have watched. i find that in times like these, i am oft reminded of a quote by c.s. lewis, from the screwtape letters. the devil speaks, and says:

we have made men proud of most vices, but not of cowardice. whenever we have almost succeeded in doing so, God permits a war or an earthquake or some other calamity, and at once courage becomes so obviously lovely and important even in human eyes that all our work is undone, and there is still at least one vice of which they feel genuine shame. the danger of inducing cowardice in our patients, therefore, is lest we produce real self-knowledge and self-loathing, with consequent repentance and humility.

and therein lies the irony. i find that whether it be a terrorist attack, a tsunami, a sniper, a hurricane, or a disturbed mass murderer, i never have so much hope for humanity as i do in the aftermath of tragedy.

heros are born, families join together, an appreciation for life is remembered. people are kind to one another, selfless and sacrificing. they are respectful and thoughtful. and they express love in their words and actions. the human race is never so wonderful and lovely as they are when coping with disaster.

so, while this week's events seem senseless and heartbreaking, the lives lost will not have been in vain, if we let those deaths remind us to be better than we are.