Dedication

---

A lot has happened in September. I had originally planned to just use this blog site for my '09 trip to New Zealand but have decided to modify it a little to lead up to that trip and include other stuff going on in my life. My dad died on August 29th at the age of 89. He had been declining for approximately 2-3 weeks. After surviving an untreatable blood condition 2 years ago his passing was sad but not unexpected. Two weeks later, Sept 9th, I lost my youngest son, Matt, age 34. Matt had suffered a severe brain injury at age 7 and even tough he was very functional we constantly lived with concerns of seizures which ultimately caused his death. I have not even begun to cope with his passing. He was a great guy and inspiring in his courage and strength. I have decided to dedicate this trip to his memory. I have nearly completed all the planning, reservations etc. thought the trip isn't until February. Here are a couple of photos of Matt and his art. My wife and I are going to NYC in a week to visit my older son, Travis. I'll post back then.

---