Such a fun weekend

I am totally slacking when it comes to posting on this blog. Below is the entry that I started last Sun (5 days ago!). I never posted because it smacked of "Dear Diary, Today was a fun day! I blah blah blah..."
I need to get my creative juices going again!

family pic with the selfie stick, held by Julie

family pic/selfie stick take 2, via Abbie, notice the leans

It has been one of the best weekends! 

It started with a Friday night dinner with Matt, Sally and Otto. They came over to our house and I made pizza. So much fun! Whenever I can spend time with my kids, it's all good.

On Saturday, we spent the morning getting ready for the Sunday brunch we were hosting for Nina's 6th birthday. We did some grocery shopping, a little cleaning and cooking, then went to see the movie American Sniper. Wow. I found it to be such a moving and profound story. (A key point of that movie: Do you believe there is evil in the world? Um, yes, absolutely.) I cried for at least 5 minutes when it was over. It really touched me in ways I can't even describe. After the movie, we went to Matt and Sally's to let Otto out. They were in the city with friends for the day and Otto needed a break. From there we went straight to 5pm mass, then home for a quick dinner. We were in bed by 8pm!!!

Our family brunch on Sunday was so so fun. I feel as if I should add how much we missed having Susie there, but I hope you know that is a given. We were disappointed that Kjell, Lisa and Jake couldn't come, but Kjell had to work.  Nina and Abbie are at the ages where they really enjoy helping with cooking and hosting duties. Those are great skills to encourage. They also like to entertain with song and dance. We laughed more times than I can count.

Everyone left the get together by 4pm and Jack and I promptly took a nap. Of course. Wayne and Julie made plans to come back to do dinner with us, so we were back up and at 'em by 6:30pm. We ended up ordering pizza and just spent the evening rehashing the wedding and hearing more about the honeymoon. Again, a little slice of heaven for me, to get spend time with my kids. 

Wayne's watch

on the trolley on the way to the ceremony

There are many stories from Julie and Wayne's wedding day that still need to be told (and retold). There were so so many moments that were touching and memorable.
One especially poignant moment was when Julie gave her wedding day gift to Wayne. Here is the back story.
When my dad retired from IBM in 1984 (though he did continue to work for many years after that as a consultant), he received a watch that was engraved with his name and the date of his retirement. He wore that watch with great pride everyday. When Pawp died in 1987, he passed on the watch to my brother Tom. Tom also wore that watch with great pride, through the ups and downs of his life. As I am writing this, I had the memory of Tom asking me to hold on to it while he was getting his last chemo treatment for his brain tumor. I remember putting it on my wrist because I was afraid of losing it. After Tom died in 2007, Ann (his widow) very graciously passed it on to Wayne. Wayne was graduating from college and just starting his career with Kraft in Cincinnati. The watch needed a tune up (this brand of watch needs to be serviced about every 20 years and it is a significant amount of money) and Wayne was concerned about wearing such a nice watch in the early days of his job. We ended up keeping it at our house until he was ready for it.
Julie came to us shortly after their engagement to talk about the watch. She said she knew it was extremely special to Wayne and that she would like to have it tuned up/reconditioned/whatever the term is as a wedding present for him.
And Julie did.
On the day of their wedding, shortly after their "first look" (when the groom sees the bride for the first time if it is not going to be at the altar), Julie presented Wayne with the watch, now in top condition. The only people present were Julie, Wayne, the photographer and the videographer. Wayne said it took him at least a full minute to compose himself when he opened up his gift.
And what a gift that watch was.
That timepiece symbolized a tie to the past and the strong family bonds that were instilled by my father and brother and that can never be broken.
What incredible insight and thoughtfulness Julie showed. She knows her husband and what is important to him.
I cannot wait to see the pictures and videos of this special moment.
And we haven't even yet talked about Jack's best man speech.

look at all that bling!

A little weekend travel

Jack and I have been on the road for the past few days.

We flew into NYC on Friday morning. I love traveling with my honey for many reasons, not the least of which is the occasional upgrade to first class. That happened on this ride. And this time I also got to go through the TSA precheck lane. Upgrade + TSA precheck= great start to our trip. 

We drove several hours down the coast and spent some time in Maryland. We went to a cool pub named McGarvey's, based on the recommendation of friends. There were fighter pilot helmets lined up over the bar. So cool. 

Jack with the fighter pilots helmets in the background

me and my honey

We drove back to NYC today. It was about a 4 hour drive and it poured rain the entire way. The trip was pretty smooth; the only glitch was trying to navigate to the rental car return. Jack warned me that it was confusing and boy was he right!!! Signage was not good and it caused a few high stress minutes. Luckily Jack is always calm and it all worked out, even though we had to do a uturn on an access road with signs that warned "Low flying aircraft. No stopping on this road". 

God is always looking out for us!!!

lots of bridges!

Super Social Saturday/Sunday

How about that title for alliteration?
It has been one of those weekends when I had lots of fun social interactions. I love social interactions, particularly on my terms :)
Yesterday (Saturday) morning, Matt and Sally stopped by for coffee and some Kirschbaum's (they brought the donut holes and coffee cake- yum). Nothing better than visiting with my kids. They were on their way to do a little car shopping. I am pleased to report that they did buy a new car, a Ford Escape and it is just lovely.
Minutes after they left our driveway, my food blogger friend Lynn pulled in the driveway with a delivery. It was a HUGE piece of banana cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. It's enough for Jack and me to share for the next few days!! I am lucky that Lynn likes to share the fruits of her talent and that I live close enough to benefit.

total yum

I was out doing errands in the afternoon and had the pleasure of running into one of my favorite guys. Bob and I got to spend a few minutes catching up on life. I showed him pictures from Wayne and Julie's wedding and we chatted about his daughter's wedding. I was touched when he asked how our holidays were, in light of the loss of our Suz. Super thoughtful.

Bob!

We had a fun Saturday night out with our neighbors, Joe and Michele. We love love love them and spending time with them is always uplifting and fun. VERY fun. We had dinner at Mattone's, then went to a neighborhood bistro for a nightcap. It just so happened that we knew the musicians who were performing there. Loved seeing Cristen and Joshua and Cristen's parents, Marge and Steve. (NOTE: Marge told me she reads this blog! Yaay! Hi, Marge! thanks!)

I should probably not have touched Cristen's guitar!

After we closed down that bistro, we went back to Michele and Joe's and listened to 80s music and Jack's best man speech and chilled and visited. We almost slept over there :)

Today Sally and I went to a baby shower for Lisa, my nephew, Kjell's wife. Lisa and Kjell are expecting a girl in March and we are so thrilled! Jenny cohosted the shower with Lisa's mom and it was so sweet and fun. There were a few games, none of which I won. I was the very last person to get Bingo, but I was a good sport. I was channeling our Suz who always loved a good shower game with prizes.

Kjell and Lisa

Bingo!!! finally!!!

Tonight, Jack and I got to catch up with the newlyweds! Julie and Wayne got back from their Costa Rican honeymoon late last night.
We are watching the Golden Globes and getting our minds and bodies ready for another week. Hopefully, no days off due to cold and snow.

Winter break part 2

I had yesterday and today off of school due to extreme temperatures. Last school year I had 4 days off because of snow and extreme temperatures. In the ten years before that, I probably had 3 snow days off altogether due to weather. Some folks say we are getting "wussy", but I am not sure about that. Extreme temperatures (wind chill less than 20 below) are dangerous and I think our temperatures have become more extreme.
Yesterday, my alarm rang at the usual 4:45am. Knowing I did not have to get up to walk, I turned it off and fell back asleep. When I woke up, it was 9:00am!!!! I could not believe it. I do not know the last time that I slept that late, especially on a Wednesday. It felt great. I spent most of the day working on reports for work. I did not even go outside other than to make sure the cars both started.
Today, I got up at 6:30 and tried to go for a little stroll. Even though I was bundled up to the max, including a scarf around my face and three layers of clothing, it was too cold. At least I tried! I did end up going into work for an annual review for a student. It was great because it got me structured for the day. I even did a Target run afterwards.
Tonight, I am getting ready for a big work day tomorrow! Woo hoo!  Getting all geared up.

Here are a few pictures from the last week since I always like to include a few pictures :)

need a little light to read the label?

awesome lunch with Bucky

this is the cute dog that tried to steal Bucky's handkerchief

Julie and Wayne are married!

Happy New Year!
I am finally starting to recover from the most fabulous New Year's Eve I have ever experienced. Wayne and Julie were joined in holy matrimony on December 31, 2014 during a faith-filled 6pm ceremony, followed by a rocking fun reception that ran until 1am.
It was a magical night.
I would like to share with you a few thoughts that keep running through my mind as I reflect on Wayne and Julie's wedding season.

Married!

First, my new daughter-in-law is crazy talented. I knew Julie was artistic and had an eye for detail, but I truly came to appreciate the level of talent that she possesses. Julie made beautiful choices with colors and designs and all of the visual images. I had a glimmer of that with a necklace that Julie picked out for me last year. We were shopping together and I asked her to choose a necklace for me. She showed me one that I would never have chosen on my own. I bought it and every time I wear it, I get multiple compliments and comments. Wayne and Julie's wedding was beyond beautiful!

so beautiful!

love him so much

Second, when a couple is planning their wedding, it is "their show". It really doesn't matter what the parents want or think and the older generation should keep their mouths shut unless their opinion is requested. My mother-in-law and father-in-law have always been great about that and Jack and I have always appreciated that. Wayne and Julie often touched base with us, checking in for our thoughts on different matters, but we made it clear that it was their wedding and their choices. The result was a wedding ceremony and reception that reflected Wayne and Julie, their relationship with each other and their relationship with God. That is what a wedding is all about.
Third, I am so beyond blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people. My family and friends have always shown me so much love and support  And they are so fun and generous, too.

group hug with family

my gem of a son-in-law and his wife

I am proud of Wayne and Julie and who they are as individuals and as a couple. I pray that they have marriage that is always a source of comfort and support for them both as they live life together.
I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!