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Left the house early yesterday and went to see my brother in Newport Beach. We took his car from there and hit up a nifty little diner south of Laguna Beach on PCH, had breakfast, and talked about family stuff.

He is awesome, my big brother. Funny and smart and caring and kept me laughing most of the morning.

Got to my parents' house and had the discussion with dad - power of attorney, plans for the future, etc. - "just in case" stuff that he wanted to get clear.

We also upgraded him to DSL instead of dial up. AND after a fun lunch at Denny's, we took him to the mall and hooked him up with a cell phone!

My dad, at 77, is finally smack dab in the middle of the digital age.

After the big phone purchase, I had to find presents for my two adorable nieces - our next stop. Found some nifty princess jump ropes, and a fishie for another adorable child up north.

My nephew and family live in a wonderful condo complex in Poway. Beautiful surroundings, a lovely home with a cute little doggie, a nice deck area for outdoor entertaining or just to sit with a cup of coffee in the sun. Terrific canyon behind them.

The girls are blooming. (And the jump ropes were quite the hit!) The elder one is an attractive, saucy wench, a charmer and will be a handful as she gets older. The younger one is all long curling ringlets, cute little glasses, and a sweetheart face. Intelligence radiates out of both of them - I do hope I get to spend more time with them in the coming years! Girls are so different from boys.

All in all, a terrific family day. The hard stuff is done.