Thirty-seven years ago today . . .
these two kiddos (my god we were young) walked down the aisle and said, "I do."
Today . . . we'll be walking down a different kind of aisle. This time, we'll be looking for our seats at Hamilton in Chicago. (Because you can't just see it once.)
Enjoy the rest of your week. (I'll be back on Monday!)
Surprises. . .
especially heartfelt surprises . . .
are so very special!
And when they're so, so perfect. . .
and when they're from such a special friend. . .
and when they're stitched with love . . .
Well. Off-the-charts wonderful!
Thank you, Carole! I love it.
(Read all about this vey special shawl over at Carole's today.)
. . . look like L-O-V-E!
Today, my kids should be getting these little Valentine monkeys in the mail.
(Because they're never too old for a hand-knit surprise.)
(And totally worth every fiddly stitch.)
Ravelry details here.
(Those ears just kind of kill me. . . )
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Funny Valentine Monkey outtakes:
Swimming Monkeys
Monkey Mug Shots
Dear Tom,
So yesterday, I was driving around town . . . running errands . . . and this song came on. Coldplay's Clocks. And I got thinking about clocks. And time. And your birthday. And I got to wondering just how many of your birthdays we've celebrated together.
So I counted them up.
Today makes 39.
We started out with your 21st. It was December 20, 1979, and I picked you up at Stapleton International Airport in Denver. You were a senior at Boise State; I was a junior at the University of Wyoming. And we had a whole month together for semester break.
Remember that one? I gave you a giant afghan I had crocheted! (And we still have it.)
Back then, we looked like this . . .
Turns out . . . there have been 38 more of your birthdays together, counting today.
We've celebrated your birthday with parties. We've celebrated quietly at home. We've had birthday breakfasts and birthday lunches and birthday dinners. One year, we were getting ready to move and packed a few boxes on your birthday. And you were only days away from defending your PhD thesis on another birthday. There was the now-famous "Chocolate Vesuvius Incident" on your birthday in 1995. We've celebrated your birthday on vacation while skiing in Steamboat Springs. And we celebrated your birthday in Akumal, Mexico once.
That's a lot of celebrating your birthday together!
Time.
It flies. It marches on. It waits for no man.
I couldn't really imagine all these birthdays-to-come unrolling before us back in the airport parking lot in 1979. Yet . . . here we are. Thirty-eight birthdays later.
Happy birthday, Tom.
I love every minute I get to spend with you!
XO,
Me
My daughter, Erin, has always been . . . her own self. Unique; imaginative; smart and creative. And totally out-of-the-box from the get-go. It's been fun - and always a bit of an adventure - to watch her grow up; to watch her unfold.
When she went off to college, she met her match in Keith. The two of them just . . . fit together from the start. And it's been a delight to watch them grow and unfold . . . together.
No one would ever use the word "conventional" to describe either Erin or Keith. They do things their own way! Always have; always will.
So when it came time to plan their wedding, I knew we'd have fun with it. As the mother-of-the-bride, my biggest goal was to make sure Erin and Keith had a wedding day that was perfect . . . for them. That their wedding turned out be just what they wanted -- even if it was a bit out-of-the-box; a day that would make them happy.
Sometimes, they embraced tradition. (Tom walked Erin down the aisle, for example.)
And sometimes, they did not. (They had a cake as part of their "dessert buffet" -- but no "wedding cake" and no cake cutting ceremony.)
The wedding was small and intimate, with a venue only blocks from the beach.
There were games to play and costumes to try on. A friend performed a poem (poetry-slam style) that she wrote just for Erin and Keith (so powerful and moving that there was not a dry eye among the women at my table).
There was jazz and some spontaneous dancing and cornhole match-ups and even an appearance by Party Duck (because friends can surprise and delight).
But mostly, there was love and joy.
I feel like I met my goal: The day was lovely and relaxed and fun . . . just the way Erin and Keith wanted it to be!
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(And - just because I'm sure you're all dying to know - I wore the silver sparkle shoes!) (Both of them.)
The wedding was just lovely last weekend.
The weather was perfect.
There was much laughter and fun.
And so much joy!
I'll share more over the next few days. I just wanted you to know that . . .
it was wonderful!
Just a quick little check-in to let you know that I'm climbing aboard the Wedding Crazy Train today.
Houseguests.
Last-minute details and decisions.*
A transportation schedule that looks something like a battle strategy.
(You know.)
But mostly . . . so much love in my heart.
I'll be back next Tuesday to tell you all about it.
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* I still haven't made a final decision about my shoes. Maybe I'll wear one of each???
The weather forecast here yesterday called for heavy cloud cover. But, once again, the weather forecast turned out to be . . . WRONG!
We had some clouds, sure. But all afternoon we had clear eclipse viewing!
What a spectacle!
My dad nabbed an approved pair of eclipse glasses just days before the eclipse -- and he was more than willing to share. So we gathered in the backyard for a little eclipse party.
We tried a bit of everything when it came to watching the eclipse (because Science).
The humble colander (complete with requisite dog hair)
The tricky binoculars (with modification).
Old-school pinhole box camera (thanks Amazon Prime).
Everything worked -- but nothing was quite as awesome as watching with the eclipse glasses!
Here is my very favorite photo from yesterday . . .
(Makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it!)
It was a great afternoon. So much fun!
And . . . speaking of amazing spectacles . . .
Today is our anniversary. 36 years. And all of them sunny!
Last night, Tom took me to the 75th anniversary celebration of the Kalamazoo chapter of the American Chemical Society.
Yeah. I didn't do so well on the trivia challenge. But they had wine, so I was good!
The celebration was held at the Kalamazoo AirZoo - a unique and popular aviation museum here in town. I was excited to go . . . because I have never actually been to the AirZoo. (I know. It's one of those wonderful community treasures that you send visitors to all the time . . . but never quite make it there yourself.) Tom has been there; my dad has been there; my kids have been there. But me? Not until last night.
It was a great venue for an event like this. Guests could take in the museum, get a drink, and then gather for the dinner and presentations.
There are tasteful "rides" for kids, full motion flight simulators, and something called 4D Missions Theater. (These last two came with the caveat that you might want to try them before dinner. Yeah . . . no thanks; think I'll just skip those. . .)
There are really cool interactive "experiences" throughout the museum -- hands-on activities to explain flight concepts like air flow, lift, and circuitry.
And let's just say this . . . once a science-nerd, always a science-nerd!
Tom had fun exploring (playing?) at all the interactive stations -- but he especially loved launching rockets.
The big feature of the evening (and the topic of the guest speaker) was the SR-71B Blackbird (U-2 spy plane). This is the plane that Gary Powers was flying when he was shot down in Soviet airspace back in 1960.
So . . . what did the AirZoo and the presentation about the spy plane have to do with chemistry? Why . . . I can't really tell you. Because it wasn't really clear that it DID have to do with chemistry! It was just a fun, celebratory evening for science nerds! (And the people who love them.)
Plus . . . swag!
Now we have commemorative, his-and-hers pint glasses to remember our date with science!
Have a great weekend.
“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.”
— Helen Keller
“Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.”
— Leo Buscaglia
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fill the world with love.
Happy Valentine's Day!