Well, children, the truth is this: I didn't take a single picture at the wedding. There was too much going on! I'm counting on my siblings contributing theirs to the pot so we can put an album together for Mom as well as Jill & Matt.
It was a wonderful day, with lots of laughter, some tears, so many wonderful hugs & the sight of so many dear ones that my heart overflowed. The grands were great, even Charlie, who refused to perform his ring bearer duties and, instead, sat between his dad's feet during the entire ceremony. The Right Reverend George proved to be worth his weight in gold, providing a ceremony custom-made for Jill & Matt and causing the first of both the tears and laughter.
The sampler menu at the reception was a big hit, with literally something for everyone, from appetizers (starting with little tomato soup shooters topped with tiny triangles of grilled cheese sandwiches) to the last hurrah (mini milk shakes and mini Chicago-style hot dogs at 11pm). The exclamations of delight continued throughout the evening.
The photo booth was hysterical fun, with everyone in infinite combinations heading for the booth to contribute their own goofy reel for the album and for themselves. I think the group that provided the most laughter in the booth was my five nieces -- it's still making me laugh.
I am so grateful to my family for showing up in force for this event. Matt, too, fully appreciated the effort made on his behalf, and the rest of us just enjoyed being together to celebrate this much-anticipated wedding.
It was all good. Well done, my children. Best. Wedding. Ever. Really.

Happy New Year!

It's been a long time, I know. There's just been so much going on. And not so much, at the same time. We went to Las Vegas for both Thanksgiving & Christmas this year -- different on both counts. Didn't go back to IL because we'll be there the end of this month for the mother of all showers. A big tea party! What fun, huh? I'm really looking forward to it for so many reasons: seeing Patty, Julie, Julie's girls, my boys, etc; the shower itself, as we have a wonderful gift; we'll have Christmas with all the IL family. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it a lot. I miss my kids.

We started working on the 2nd guest room, turning it into my sewing room. I've given up trying to use the porch -- it's just too cold or too hot most of the year. No, I'm not Goldilocks! I just need me some hvac to make my workroom functional. I also needed better lighting & more outlets, so the move into the house really was inevitable. We'll put the queen from that room out on the porch & I'll use it for laying out quilts when we don't have guests. We'll still have the same number of beds, but the one on the porch just won't be air conditioned. On the other hand, nights are generally OK, even in the summer, & we can add warmth in the winter -- so no worries.

So. . . . we stripped the wallpaper, got all the goop off the walls & the holes patched. We even got it painted, although I'm not loving the color I chose. It looks kind of ill. I'm pretty sure it will be OK once I get the furniture moved in, but in the meantime? yuck.

The best news? I'm no longer an officer of my lovely group, so this year I can enjoy it more without stressing about each meeting. That's a very good thing. AND I don't have to attend board meetings anymore -- that's one evening meeting down! Of course, I have volunteered to serve on a couple of committees, so I'm not a complete slug. In fact, I'll be leaving one of them after next month -- too much stress for me on that one.

All the critters have survived to greet the new year, although we had to separate the cats last week. Little Grace was very stressed by Pearl & wasn't using the litter box, so we moved Pearl out of the bedroom & into the hall & bathroom. She now has 3 beds: in the hall, on top of the scratching post & inside a bathroom cabinet. She has said scratching post, as well as the track ball thingy & all her toys, with her food, water & box in the bathroom. She's adjusting pretty well so far, although I know she misses sleeping with me. Little Grace has returned to her own goofy, fully-present self & woke me up the other night sitting on my face! She's really happy again -- I guess she likes to be the only cat. Funny, because she didn't act like this when Blossom was alive.
So now you're fairly current with what's happening. Oh, my beginners' class is coming along very nicely. I have 4 or 5 regulars, & a new student will be joining us next week. I like doing this -- it gets my week off to a nice start & helps me to clarify my thinking about how & why I do things the way I do. It's all good, as I expect the rest of the year to be. Mostly.