oh what a night!

Last night was one of those unforgettable evenings with family who are friends and friends who are family. Chuck, Teri, Caylen, Joe, Brittany, Chase, Chas, Julie, Keegan, Hannah, and my sweet goddaughter Grace in absentia hosted the most amazing celebration of Sally and Matt...or Mally and Satt, as they are sometimes known. It is hard to put into words how generous and thoughtful and loving this whole evening was. And may I just say that no one can throw a party like this family.
It was a couple/coed shower with a Spanish theme, since Sally is a Spanish teacher and Matt and Sally love Spain and will be honeymooning there.
Sally really cannot speak of last night without tears of gratitude and awe. I understand that. I feel the same way.
Our sweet Sally is getting married to a guy that we love and adore and then you add on the blessing of so many incredibly wonderful people in their lives...it's all good.
Here are just a few pictures from last night:

love the perspective of this picture taken by Chuck  

another great picture by Chuck

Jack, Wayne, Matt, Bucky, Sally, Brendan, Grandma, Sue

Our friend Mark emailed both Jack and me today and said "I have never seen you two so happy. It makes me happy seeing this in you both. Just an observation from an old friend".
Well said. We are so so so blessed.
And in another hour or so it will be Sally's 25th birthday. My goodness, God is so good.

The week in review

OhI am now in that phase of the school year when everything is at full boil. I will be officially finished with this school year in less than nine days. So hard to believe and so much more to do. But that is okay. More than okay, because that means it is almost summer and The Wedding :)
Here are some of the happenings from last week....
Lowlights:
We had another episode of sewer/drainage issues and in the middle of it, we had a lot of rain. So we had more water in the basement. We don't like to talk about it, almost as if we don't talk about it, it doesn't really happen. I am so good at denial! The problematic roots have been dealt with and the clean up is pretty much done. Thank goodness we have our Ridgid Air Mover. It is a bit of miracle worker in getting things dry. It is my new best friend. If any of you want to borrow it, you are more than welcome!
Jack had another travel snafu on Friday. His flight from Albuquerque to Dallas was delayed on Friday night which meant that he missed his connecting flight back to Chicago. He was rebooked on a flight Saturday morning which then was delayed due to weather. Jack finally arrived back home around 4 pm on Saturday.
Highlights:
Our sewer issue was fixable!
Jack got home safely!
Sally and I had a lovely visit Saturday afternoon with Bill and Marie (Jack's folks) AND Marie gave me some beautiful skirts and sweaters. It was such a special time to spend a few hours together, just the four of us.
Wayne and Julie went to South Padre Island for a wedding of one of Wayne's fraternity brothers, followed up with a trip to San Antonio and Austin. They are enjoying a fun weekend with some of their very good friends.
We spent a lovely evening with Chuck and Teri on Saturday. They have been such incredible friends to us and we have so much history together. It doesn't really matter where we are, our dining room or theirs, Bohemian Crystal or Chicago Cut, it is comforting to be together. We spent the evening talking about death and weddings and kids and life. They have shared joy and sorrow and everything in between with us.
The bottom line about this week is that God's love for us is ever present, in the highlights and in the lowlights even more so. I am so blessed!

Happy Birthday to Kjell!

My nephew Kjell turned the big 3-0 yesterday. He was born just two months before Jack and I got married, so it's always easy to remember how old Kjell is and how many years we have been married. We wouldn't forget in any case because Kjell is just that much of a sweetheart. He has always been such a thoughtful guy and we just love being around him. I wasn't sure how we were going to celebrate the big day. I knew he had a big night out planned with his friends and Jack and I thought maybe we would stop in and have a drink with him and his friends. But yesterday morning, when we called him with birthday wishes, Kjell said he was available for lunch! He had met Jenny, Arne, Beth, Abbie and Nina for breakfast and had some open time until the evening. He came over around 1, we went to Nordstrom and bought him a classic button down dress shirt, and then went to Gibson's for lunch. We had the best time! Great conversation, a really nice bottle of champagne, and some salmon and tenderloin sliders (not both on the same bun!) and lobster bisque. We came back to our house and were just chilling when Sue (as in Aunt Sue, Mike's wife Sue) called. She was in the neighborhood and so we asked her to stop by for a quick glass of Chandon. I love unexpected fun like that! Kjell took off for his big night out and Sue stayed for a bit longer to visit. Later Wayne stopped by home on his way out to Wheaton for Kjell's party.  It was another fun spring Saturday and a great day to turn 30.
Happy birthday, Kjell! We love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated Mother's Day at Franconello's. What a great spot. We have enjoyed a few memorable Mother's Day dinners there over the years. It is always good to be together as a family, though we missed Wayne who was in New Orleans for a bachelor party. We were also missing Mike. He was always the "class clown". You never knew exactly what he was going to say, but he always made us laugh.
It's never easy for a mother who has lost a son, no matter what the holiday... or regular day, for that matter. That void is always there and no one else can fill it. On Mother's Day, I say a special prayer for Marie (my mother-in-law) and my sister Jenny as well. And I think of my mom, who is reunited in Heaven with Tommy.

Shower time!

Last Saturday, my dear friends Cathy and Christy threw the most lovely shower for Sally and Matt. God bless Cath for being so flexible. She wasn't able to come because her son, Adam, was graduating from the University of North Carolina with his MBA that same day, but she said to go ahead. Jean pitched in and helped with the hostessing duties including making (among other things!) her awesome brownies.
The shower was so wonderful, from start to finish. It began at noon, with sparkling wine (Chandon, of course!) and appetizers. Lunch was served by 12:30 and included tenderloin sandwiches, salad and cheesy potatoes. The tables were beautiful! Christy and Cath used the same florist that we are using at the wedding, Sadie at English Garden Flower Shop, and the centerpieces and favors were gorgeous!!! So pretty, it made me cry.
We had dessert while we opened presents. And there were so many presents to open!!! Jack and Matt showed up just in time to see all the present opening action. Hard to process how generous people are! Amazing.
Sally and Matt had to borrow one of our Escapes to transport the gifts to Matt's house (soon to be Sally's house, too!). Sally called later that evening, crying with gratitude for the thoughtfulness and generosity of all.
You gotta love celebrating these happy events. I treasure these times. And the people who make them happen and share them with us.

Matt, Grandma R. and Sally

Aunt Sue, Beth, Susie and girls

Nina, Sally and Abbie

how gorgeous are these flowers?

Caitlin, Lauren, Sarah, Sally, Breezy, Meredith, Cassie and Abbie and Nina

Christy, Sally and Jean...And Cath, in spirit!
 

Such an emotional time!

With Sally and Matt's wedding 53 days away, we are finding ourselves getting that lump in the throat more often than not. We could not be more thrilled about this union. No reservations about Matt and Sally getting married. None. But it is such a huge milestone, such a giant threshold to cross. After work last Thursday, I was chatting with Eileen, my boss and friend, and she said, "She will walk up the aisle, get married and when she walks back down, everything will have changed". Waaaaaa. That's what we want for our girl, absolutely. But that also means that time continues to pass and I am getting older (you know it is always about me since this is my blog) and really, times they are changing. How could that be???
I am so sorry that I have not yet posted about the bachelorette party or the incredibly lovely shower that Christy and Cathy threw for Sally on May 11th  or Mother's Day or anything.
It also happens to be a crazy time at work and I am working hard to keep up and finish this school year strong. Sally is even more busy, with her future brother-in-law's college graduation this weekend and then a trip to Vancouver with Matt when he receives his actuarial fellowship thingamagig.
It's all good. Take a deep breath, Patty.
I promise to post some awesome pictures and details of the festivities soon.

Spring in the City

Matt's bachelor party and Sally's bachelorette party are both being held today. The bachelor party began with a Cubs game/roof top and after a few hour break, will continue with dinner and a trolley/bar crawl. The bachelorette party begins at 4pm with drinks at Sarah's (the MOH) apartment, followed by dinner and a trolley/bar crawl. Matt and Sally both included their parents in the fun,though we are the only ones from the older generation invited. Obviously, we won't stay for the whole event, but Jack and I decided to get a hotel room downtown for the night, just to be safe. That's where I am now, relaxing and enjoying some peaceful down time before the fun begins. I am going to meet Matt's mother, Mary, at the train station in a bit, then we will cab it up to Sarah's.
I just finished walking around the Loop. It is a beautiful spring day, 60 degrees and sunny. Such a gift to be here and celebrating a wonderful young couple !
Praise God!