A Wedding in the Family

What a great way to end the month! Our niece, LuAnn, was married on Saturday to a wonderful young man, Eric. The wedding was held at Lou & Paula's home in the afternoon. Yes, it was a little warm, but that was soon forgotten in the joy of watching these two pledging their love and commitment to one another.

We had not met Eric before this weekend, but Lou and Paula had told us how much they have come to love him. To quote Paula, "He fits in our family just great!" And let me tell you, there's not a finer compliment, in my humble opinion, to be had! :)

Randy & I had gone over on Friday to help set up for the wedding and we got to meet Eric's family. What fun we had! Lots of hard work, but when you mix it with so much laughter, who cares how hard you're working! And when the end result is such a lovely wedding and reception, all that work was well worth it.

Paula and I are so blessed to have great kids who have chosen well in their spouses and boyfriend. I was watching our kids during the reception and it was such a pleasure! Our kids love each other and laugh and tease each with such abandon - what a thrill it is to see. And now our grandchildren are carrying on the tradition. I could sit and just bask in that feeling all day.

Sorry, got a little mushy there, but you know, I'm allowed - it's my blog!! :) I hope each of you have the opportunity to feel even just a small percentage of that each day of your lives. It's a terrific thing!

We leave tomorrow to go to my folks' for the week. I'm getting excited to see my cousin. It's been a long time since we last saw one another and her kids are all grown up! Lindsay & Reagan are going to come down, too, and my cousin has never seen Reagan, so that's going to be fun. I'll have lots to share next week, I'm sure.

Take care of one another! Until the next time . . .

Retirement is tough . . .

Whew! Life in the slow lane is rough! Having to get up each day and decide whether to sit out on the porch and read or sew, or watch a movie, or take a drive can really take a toll on a person! :)

We have had a very relaxing couple of weeks, finally. We've had the pleasure of catching up with some friends by having dinner together and spending lots of time with our precious granddaughter, Reagan.

While I was walking yesterday morning, I was thanking God for the many, many blessings in my life. He has given us so much more than we need and our family is doing well. I was overcome by His grace and mercy. It is truly an awesome thing to be able to say that you are at peace with your life. And at this moment in time, I am. I hope that each of you have that, too.

Well, I just wanted to check in since I hadn't posted anything for awhile. We have a quiet week coming up, but then this Saturday our niece is getting married. And then next week, my cousin who lives in England is coming to the U.S. and we're meeting up at my folks' house. I'm really looking forward to seeing her - it's been several years since we've been together. I can't even remember when it was, that's how long ago it's been! So, I'll have some pictures to share, I'm sure.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Keep in touch. Until the next time . . .

Spending time with Family & Friends

We started this month with a family gathering at Jason & Lindsay's house on July 1st. Since the 4th of July fell on a Wednesday, we decided to have our picnic early! It was a beautiful day, weather-wise; great breeze and not too hot - perfect!! This was Jason & Lindsay's first family party at their new home. It was fun seeing how much everyone loved the new house. Jason & Lindsay have done a wonderful job of decorating and making it a home already.

On July 2nd, we got to celebrate Kelly's 9th birthday. Amita & James had family in for cake and ice cream and presents, of course. Randy hadn't seen the girls since Christmas, although I had seen them in April when I had come home for a week. It's so hard to believe that Kelly is 9 already. Seems like just yesterday she was sitting beside my desk in her infant carrier! We loved being able to share in her birthday celebration.

The weekend was a little busier. On Friday, Randy finally got his satellite TV!! Yes, we have entered the 21st century of TV. He can watch SciFi anytime he wants now. I didn't realize how many original shows there are on cable now. Good grief, there's not enough time in the day to watch all the TV that's out there!!

Saturday evening we went to an outdoor concert at a local winery. Our close friends, Lee & Cheri, invited us to join a group of their friends at Nissley Winery. This is a great venue - it's only $14/person to get in and you can take a picnic dinner. It was lots of fun. Good friends, good food & good music - what more can a person ask for!!

Sunday was spent at Paula & Lou's. Our nephew, Joe, was in town for a friend's wedding and so the family gathered together to spend time with him. As always when our family is together, there were lots of laughs, food and loud talking. Joe looks so good.

Unfortunately, Jason & Lindsay were unable to be with us on Sunday because they had a prior commitment. But, Paula, Joe, Lisa & kids came to Lindsay's today so they could see them and the new house. Reagan wasn't very sure about Uncle Joe. He's soooooo tall and has a very deep voice. She finally warmed up to him about the time he had to leave. But, she had a great time with Jimmy, Kylie & Kelsey!

July seems to be shaping up to be a much quieter month than June, which is not a bad thing at all! :) We'll be spending lots of time with Reagan and just enjoying being close to family and friends again. Please keep in touch.

Until the next time . . .