Update from Utah

Melanie, Edison, Peter, and I have been in Utah since Monday night. Our time here is halfway done. It's going quickly. In an hour or so, we'll be on our way to Melanie's brother's wedding. That's the main reason we're here, but it's been perfect timing for us. My older sister had her first baby last week, my younger sister turned 21 the day after we arrived, and best of all, there's no snow to deal with at this time of year. It's been great. In fact, things have gone magnificently well—better than they ever have. Melanie and I are sold on visiting Utah during the spring/summer rather than during the winter, despite the fact that all the major holidays take place in winter. It's just so much easier not having to drive through the snow, put on fifteen layers of clothes and coats, etc. This actually feels like a vacation. It's great.

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing a handful of friends that I care greatly about. One of them I haven't seen in years, but I have a special softness in my heart for him. Living on the other side of the country, I miss out on a lot of events and don't get to hear many of the day-to-day things these people are doing. One of my friends got married in February, and I was just now able to meet the woman he married. One of my friends recently bought a house and has been working to fix it up. I got to hear a bit about that. One of my friends spent time living in L.A. and going through drug and alcohol rehab. That makes for some interesting tales. Not just because of the rehab, but because of L.A. itself—hobos who nearly race their shopping carts into oncoming traffic, transvestite crack-whores inadvertently flashing everyone on the bus, etc. Fascinating stuff, though sometimes I think it's good I hear about these things only occasionally.

Still on the agenda—Melanie and I hope to take Eddie and Peter to their first baseball game, to an aquarium, and to the admittedly awesome downtown public library. And, of course, we still have a few local eateries to revisit. We've done fairly well so far. In fact, I've been eating a bit too much since I've been here and I find myself frequently feeling quite stuffed. On the plus side, we've finally had some good Chinese food again. Thanks, Utah!

Pictures and more to come within the following week...