new york city

last weekend i had the pleasure of joining my family and my extended family on a journey to new york to discover our family lineage. it was so much fun! fun to visit ellis island and the tenament museum. ok, fun might not be the best word. we had a fun time with each other...but those places and the stories they tell are quite somber. it was a moving experience. it was also great to see my dad and brother...who i don't get to see often enough. (portland sort of does that to people). this is a picture of kirk and i on ellis island. we were aiming for 'christmas card picture' quality...but i think mom is going to be disappointed again.

and this is the whole clan. i was so glad to find the roots of my liberal blood (kirk's height and my voting record don't match anything else in our four-person family).
and this is my dad's picture of st. patrick's cathedral. he is proud of it, so i thought i might as well post it here. kirk and i each lit a candle for grandma, how could you not?!