Last month, we got news that our close friends Mindy and Barrett Adams lost their 5 yr old daughter, Trinity, on September 16th, so we got some flights and flew out for the funeral.
We have known Trinity since just a few hours after she was born, and she went through a lot in her short life, so it was especially hard news to take, and there was a lot of crying. The funeral was really nice (one of the most light-hearted I've ever been to, or at least as far as funerals go.), and it was good to be there for Barrett and Mindy. (Mindy and Kristie were each other's Maid and Matron of honor, and have been best friends since high school. Scott has known Mindy since they were like 11, and Barrett since they were in high school.)
We spent some time with them after the funeral, and talked about Trinity. She was born with a severe heart defect called Hypo-plastic Left Heart Syndrome. I'll likely butcher the details, so go to http://www.trinadams.com/ for the details. Basically, though, it's fatal without a complicated and risky series of open heart surgeries at 3 different stages in childhood. She spent months in the hospital, and in her first two plus years, she suffered, and overcame, way more than anyone should ever have to in thier entire life. Her parents suffered right along side her, but eventually were able to see her come home and live a life outside the hospital. She spent her last 3 years learning and playing, learning to talk and dance and walk. She got to play with her cousins, go to Disneyland, Hawaii, and lots of zoos and other fun places. She never was made to feel different, unwanted, or inferior. She lived a life where everything and everyone was her friend.
We'll miss seeing her grow up, and we wish we could have been there for the happy times, but it was good to know that the helpless little baby we knew from before we moved to Colorado was able to grow into a happy little girl.
Barrett, Mindy and Trinity
Scott, Kristie, Barrett, Mindy, and Rich at Mimi's in Gilroy the day after the Funeral. Rich is Mindy's Brother, and he dedicated the grave. He also made a really nice temporary headstone.
We drove through a new urbanist community, (that's a fancy architecture term for a new development where everything is built to look extra quaint and perfect. Think Truman Show.) to see what all the hubbub was, and Kristie noticed that we drove by Wisteria Lane. (Just like in Desperate Housewives). The street had perfect little houses with perfect little lawns, and picket fences. I got Kristie to pose as the hot neighbor that moves in and obsesses over her yard, while secretly killing off people, and stealing all the other ladies' husbands.
Why spend 20 bucks on a green screen pic of yourselves in space when photoshop is free?
This is like the second biggest building in the world. Its so big inside that clouds form and it rains in there when its dry outside.
The rocket that they sent to the moon. When the rocket launches, you have to be like 4 miles away or the sound will make you deaf instantly. If you are within like 1.5 miles, it will kill you. Its huge. About 30 ft across and as tall as a 30 story building. 
I'm sitting on a (very worn out) sign that says "please to not sit here"
Us, on top of the very windy observation deck. That is the space shuttle and all its assorted buildings and stuff between us. You can only see the tip because they're getting it ready to launch. It's only out there for a month before a launch, so were lucky to see it at all.
A closer view. The red tip is the huge fuel tank, and the shuttle itself is hidden by a massive moving clean room, where they work on the shuttle and keep all kinds of experiments that go on the trip.
While we were walking around, we saw this alligator, and a huge turtle (top middle).
Here is the Shuttle they let you walk inside of. The flag is backward because the shuttle is on its end when they launch it.
This is what gross pizza looks like in space. 