So. Yesterday was one of my favorite kind of days.

My Uncle and Aunt were here from California and the kids and I spent most of the day with them.

I just love them.

I love all of my Aunts and Uncles, I really have the best ones.

I think so anyways.

But Uncle Bob and Aunt Helen hold an extra special place in my heart because my Uncle Bob is my dad's brother and my dad and him were always close. The best of friends and most loyal brothers.

Uncle Bob feels like that last link to who my dad was. Well, him and my Uncle Bill, but I don't get to see him as often.

And so time spent with them is just very valued by me. Plus, they are lovely people. I just love them to death.

They were only in town for yesterday, so we spent as much time with them as we could. Starting with lunch at my house.

This was extra fun because it wasn't just my Aunt and Uncle and Mom, but it was also my dad's childhood best friend, Don Wall.

He grew up with all of my Uncles, but he was Dad's best friend.

Gosh, they met in like Kindergarten and stayed close friends until dad died.

They also grew up in that great era when everyone's name was nicknamed. So like my dad's name was Ed, but everyone called him Eddie. And my uncles name is Bob, and everyone called him Bobbie.

But they still call Don, Donnie.

I just love it.

I haven't seen Don since my dad's funeral. Which is just a shame because he also represents that part of my dad that is gone. That part that wasn't father or husband or family man.

The part that was friend.

My dad and Don used to sit at our dining room table and talk for hours and hours about the past and laugh so hard, both grown men were crying.

They were so funny together. Like, I died laughing, and I didn't even know what they were talking about half of the time.

Since I was a little girl I have always, always wanted to write a book on my dad and his brothers and their friends growing up as little boys in the fifties, and going off to join the military either right before Vietnam or during, and traveling the country, getting into all kinds of trouble.

Like these men had the toughest childhoods. Like, seriously, awful. But somehow they came out of it laughing and with great memories. Mostly memories of getting into trouble.... But those are kind of the best memories.

Yesterday they told all kinds of stories about hitch-hiking over the place when they were little boys. Like first and second graders. Or serving in the military and how awful it was, but yet so entertaining now. Or how terrible my dad's stepmother was. Or playing cards.

My Uncle said, "The good old days? No thanks." And I just have to laugh.

That's one of the things I miss most about my dad being gone, just the remembering that went on with either his brothers or his old friends or us. He was an amazing story teller.

And the worst part is that my kids will never get to experience that.

Anyways, more than just memories of my dad, I love spending time with my Uncle and Aunt.

Growing up, for whatever reason, maybe because we lived so far away from family, or because I was younger than all of my cousins, I don't really know, but I felt like we weren't close to anyone in our family.

But now that I'm a grownup with an adult perspective on life, I can see that we really are very close to not only my dad's side of the family, but my mom's too. My cousins are some of my most favorite people in this world.

And my Aunts and Uncles are the most giving, most wonderful people, probably... Ever.

I am just very, very thankful for the family that I have. And that I am blessed with amazing, successful people all around me.

Seriously.

And here's some more exciting news.

Hopeless Magic will be Live to buy ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!

Woot.

So, let the countdown begin.

And to celebrate the release of my second book, I am giving out quotes.

I tried making a Facebook page for it and doing the quotes there.... But I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to technology.

First, nobody knew about it.

And then I don't know what I did, but it included every single person in my friend's list.

I still don't know what is going on.

Anyways, there are more quotes on that page if you were curious for more.

But here is Tuesday's quote.

"One of your students just took a serious ride on the crazy train," I replied glibly, taking a seat in one of his leather chairs.
"What do you mean?" Concern flickered in his eyes.
"Seraphina just tried to stab me to death in the girl's bathroom," I answered, more put together than my shaking hands believed I was.