Today we got the sad news that my sisters Dana and Lora’s Mom Barbara passed away early this morning. Barbara Pellegrini Wentz was my Dad’s first wife and was always very kind to me. She was Dana’s best friend and was instrumental in the lives of Kallan and Anna. She lived a great life and will be missed. I spoke to Dana today and had a great conversation about her Mom, and the rest of our family. Her ability to stay truly positive in the toughest of times constantly amazes me.
Amy left on Thursday after spending a week with us. She gets quality time with Ava and gives Jessica and I some extra free time. We’re looking forward to having her back along with Tom, Trevor, Emily, Derek, Cole and my Mom for Thanksgiving. We will be celebrating Ava’s first birthday that day so it should be a great time. I’m using both my floating holidays that weekend and will have 6 consecutive days off. I haven’t had that much time off since we moved to San Diego and had to find a job.
Tomorrow I am testing for my blue belt in Gracie Jiu–Jitsu. It’s been almost exactly 6 months since I had my first class and have been hooked ever since. I’ve been preparing for this test for over a month, which is the longest I’ve ever prepared for any test in my life. I feel totally confident and ready to go, so I can’t wait for 11:00am tomorrow to come.
We’re heading to Vegas on Thursday for our friends Devin and Eve’s wedding. Thursday night I’m going to Devin’s bachelor party, then Saturday night will be the wedding. Obviously if we’re going to Vegas we’re staying at my Mom’s house, so we’re looking forward to seeing her. She’s always thrilled to spend time with Ava and its nice for us to get away from home for a bit.
My nephew Kallan is going to his senior Homecoming tonight so I hope he has a great time. Today Dana told me that QFC, his employer of the past 2 years, is paying for him to go to Bellevue College after high school to major in Retail Business Management. He’s a really great kid and he’s setting the perfect example for his little sister Anna. Both of Dana’s kids are amazing; Jessica and I have both said many times that if our kids turn out as good as them we’ll be in very good shape.