Category Archives: Gratitude

Seasons of friendship

I am blessed with friends. So very, very rich in friendships going all the way back to early elementary where I still keep in touch with friends from the old neighborhood. I collect friends along the way. Cherish them. Keep in touch. It’s why I send so many Christmas cards and the dang post office sure keeps me saving my pennies so I can continue to do so.

Friendships have many seasons though.

Right now I am in a dry season. We are in a dry season. Not to say we are out of friends, but merely because life is so busy. Everyone. So. Busy. We are just in a season in our life where our kids keep us rockin’ and rollin’ and that’s not going to stop anytime soon and guess what? Our friends. They’re in the same season. With their kids.

Of course, we live 4-7 hours from our dearest friends and so I think sometimes we just feel it more acutely. The friends we have here are nice, but so very different in beliefs and seasons in life than we are and so it puts us in a weird place.

Someone once told me that the friends you make when your children are very young are friends for life. I agree. I just wish we weren’t so dang spread out. That we would get more visitors. That money wasn’t always an issue and we could go nilly willy and visit whoever and whenever we pleased. That life would slow down a little. But then, that IS life isn’t it? Always ebb and flow. Change and change again. It’s the way it is.

I’ll likely take a trip north in a couple of weeks to visit friends and hope to get in a maximum number of hugs and chats in my always too short trip. I’m scheduled to shoot across to the state another weekend to have some one-on-one with an old friend. It’s all good. I’ll take what I can get, when I can get it and soak it in.

In honor of Padre

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Father’s Day. I’m going to say my Hubby had a good one, because it’s my blog, not his. But……perhaps he’ll chime in on the combox (as he does from time to time) and confirm or deny. However, here’s the breakdown of the day:

No work today. With new schedule of alternating Sundays today was day OFF. Win #1
Due to no work, he woke up early to ride his road bike. Sunday morning+no traffic=20 sweet miles Win#2
Our girl was home from Life Teen Camp at Hidden Lake after being gone all week Win#3 (actually #1)
Family Mass together. Sort of. Our girl was BEAT from getting in so late and our boy is still struggling with church, so 1/2 the kids and sweet Mama and donuts after Mass bringing us to Win#4
After getting in the garden and bleaching out the A/C and cleaning the filter because, you know, man stuff, he opened presents. Behold my new addition to my Pinterest board: Candy bar bouquet and sweet sentiments from the kids because….love language=words! Win#5
Lunch at my step dads with most of the siblings and kiddos in tow….we beat the rain, ate hot dogs, the boys and dad jumped off the roof and made it home for a little nap. Win #6
To top it off….World Cup. Win#7

Focusing on the amazing man and Father my husband is, how much he loves our kids, how hard he works for our family and the continuous efforts he makes on a daily basis to be the best man he can be. He is a blessing to me and our kids; we adore him!! For that I say Happy Father’s Day, today and everyday! XOXO

Icing on the cake

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Last weekend we celebrated our 20th Anniversary with a vow renewal and gathering afterward…you can see more about that here, but the thing I loved the most was being surrounded by our family and friends. Now. There are some of you reading this that might be sad because you missed it (and it WAS great), BUT this is NOT a slight or rant on you missing it. It was our fortune to be married in June. Who knew that 20 years later June would be the month of finishing school, graduations and the general crazy busy that ends school and begins summer? Who? Not my 24-year-old bride self, that’s for sure. Anyhoo…….as much as we would have LOVED to have each and every one of our family and friends present, it’s just not a reality. Life and all that. That said……

The people who were supposed to be there were. It was a neat gathering. ALL of our kids (and with our 16 yo’s recent crisis of faith–that says a lot). Many of Hubby’s AA friends came, and that is a diverse group of pretty cool people. Truly. We had friends come from church, and for the few friends we have there….that was a nice feeling. Hubby’s parents were there. Probably one of the very few times my father in law made it to church. A continued grace in healing of a strained relationship. My grandparents were there, right up front with us and my grandmother kept her claustrophobia at bay so that they could be on the front lines where they have always been. Fraternity brothers, to which I can never say enough good about this group of guys. Friends from our old city who drove 4 hours for a date weekend; this was an extra special because of the time we were able to spend with them the night before catching up.

My fear of getting up in front of the ENTIRE. 9 A.M. MASS. to renew our vows was real. When Hubs started getting emotional prior to Mass, he almost brought me over the edge (so I had to threaten him with bodily harm and eggplant…he doesn’t like eggplant). During the ceremony, I remembered our priest’s advice and just kept my eyes on Hubs, and the priest. It worked. Thankfully I followed those instructions because toward the end I snuck a peek at the parishioners and holy cow! The looks of love and sweet smiles on their faces. NOW I know why our church opts for this manner of vow renewal. Talk about a witness. I would never have made it had I looked out. Also, the fact that our only response was “I do” rather than repeat the entire wedding vows was a HUGE help. Death by publicly speaking heart-felt vows and all.

The graces were real. The love was real. The friends are real. The icing on the cake.

Now hopefully life will get real and get our friends here throughout the summer for some visitin’!!!

20 years…let’s do it again!

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I’m still processing a beautiful morning but for my friends and family who couldn’t make it to our 20 year Anniversary Vow Renewal…a few pics.

I have more pics. I have more words. Perhaps later this week. I’ve got lots of words. After 20 years I’ve got LOTS to say on marriage. I’m thinking a little marriage series. Like I said. Processing. For now. You’ve got this.

9 a.m. Mass and BOOM right in the middle….a little vow renewal. In front of God and everyone. Again. Neither of us cried. Neither of us got the usual hysterical nervous giggles. Neither of us passed out. All good. All. Good.

Enjoy!