I got to spend a long, three-day Valentines weekend at Aunt Debi's, hanging out with all of her daughters. Each of the Brown women is as bold (or bolder) as Deb herself. In the ride over from Utah, I rode with the Aionos, and Heather and I chatted the whole time about how Heather is conquering the world, now head of genetics education at the University of Utah (her actual title is much more impressive). On top of that, she is raising three growing Samoan boys and was simultaneously the Young Women president to end all Young Women presidents. (Except for that swear word when we almost hit an elk herd outside of Carbondale.:)
Sarah was out boarding with her boys all weekend. I admire her independence, taking her boys to church, and the way she puts that soc degree to use, counseling at-risk girls and working in schools.
And then there's Katie, my lifelong cousin in crime, who stayed up and talked to me until 2 or 3 a.m. each night this weekend. We laughed about how we used to have girl bash-out parties at my house when we were kids; being the only girl with three brothers, I would sneak our female dog, Jenny, up to my room when Katie would spend the night, and all three of us would eat chocolate together at midnight—mind you, not enough chocolate to kill the dog. Katie was enjoying a weekend away from Ann Arbor, where her husband is pursuing a law degree at the University of Michigan. Katie works for the university and practically runs a Pottery Barn out there, for the discounts. :)
My own family, Coco, G, Jace, Holly, Boxer, and Janie, came up to join the party, and we soaked our bones in the "lover pool" as Xavier calls it—otherwise known as Glenwood Hot Springs. Then we snowshoed in five feet of snow.
Oh yeah, and Uncle Stan turned 60. We celebrated by taking him to "Rain-Ho" in the Glenwood mall and letting him go wild. And we formed our own live a cappella PeKing Acrobat band. Jace was the gong.
