Wednesday, June 24, 2009

New Chick in my Brood

Our lives have evolved and now, we are back where we started, just the two of us,
but now we have many, many more people involved in our lives who love us and lean on us from time to time.

Empty nesters?!

Technically, that would be the term but when our friends proclaimed us empty nesters Sunday morning I was surprised. I had not even thought that my nest was empty. And technically, I still had family visiting and the house was full. The last to marry of course, was not present with us but we just added a new chick to our brood.



Instead of feeling empty, I felt full,

full of love for family and friends,
full of excitement over the future,
full of possibilities of the things unexplored....not empty.....just full.

We have been so blessed.

I am sure in weeks to come when 6:30 rolls around and it is time for supper and none of my little chicks come home, or I walk down the hallway through foreign looking bedrooms neatly decorated for guests, no dirt encrusted socks wadded inside out on the floor, nor toys scattered underfoot or books or magazines thrown around, no wet footprints between the bathroom to the bedroom; it will begin to dawn on me that this is again a new phase in my life.

I am sure then the silence will scream at me one day soon but not today.
There is much too much to do still.


Pictures will be posted later.
Trust me, it was good.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Bonita, bonita

Oh, wow! Time is flying by.

All I can even focus on right now is finishing this week so I can finish up the yard for the wedding. If you look at the wedding ticker you can see that we are now truly on the count down.

What a wonderful experience this preparation for this yard wedding has been.

Gaby's family has been just as involved in preparing the yard as we have been. Her dad is truly an artist with stones and her mother, a wonderful gardener, has cared for sick and dying plants that I had thrown to the side for lack of time. She has helped keep plants hydrated as they wilt in the heat while I work at school.

Caleb has shown some great skills in designing and building a pergola and Gaby and I have been the laborers doing odds jobs....mostly designing the flower beds and planting things. Gaby and Caleb have been in charge of lighting and wow! are they ever doing a wonderful job. When the sun goes down in this yard it will not mean the end of this party! It is so inviting and romantic. With a mariachi band and 200 plus guests in attendance it is going to be a night of fun and romance.

Muy bonita!!!

I can hardly wait to be able to spend the last days before the wedding finalizing everything without the school obligations hanging over my head and just walking around keeping things watered and enjoying the colors of nature in the yard. Of course, I can't wait until the wedding itself.

We have attended two "couple's" showers for the two of them. The first one was in the backyard of one of Gaby's friends in SA which was beautiful, romantic and very touching as the night wound down with the guests sharing stories of one of the two. We laughed. We cried. We enjoyed family.

The second couple shower was a fiesta celebration from our church family. It was a great celebration. Gaby's family was so impressed with everything. It was perfect! Festive! Fun! Family! What more could we ask for? Muy, muy bonita!

My thanks to all who have been involved. I have been so amazed at how our combined families have all jumped in to help out in their own way. In the beginning it was an overwhelming task to think of all that needs to be done but once everyone began to assist the task became fun.

Truly a celebration of love....among all of us!
I love you all so much.

Muy bonita!