These jellies were so gorgeous! The lights in the aquarium change colors and make those squishy little fellas look so magical.
And here are a few of my favorite photos from the day:
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Monday, September 27, 2010
Old Stuff
Forever ago, or maybe it was just Labor Day (I can hardly tell the difference anymore), Chris and I took the kids to the Florida Aquarium. It was awfully crowded, being a holiday and such, but we still had a good time.
These jellies were so gorgeous! The lights in the aquarium change colors and make those squishy little fellas look so magical.
And here are a few of my favorite photos from the day:
These jellies were so gorgeous! The lights in the aquarium change colors and make those squishy little fellas look so magical.
And here are a few of my favorite photos from the day:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Happy Birthday, Gramps
Today was my grandpa's birthday. It's also the anniversary of the week he collapsed, which ultimately led to his death earlier this year.
We took his ashes to the Florida National Cemetery today. I don't fully know why it wasn't done earlier. I guess it just wasn't time.
I don't know what I expected. It's been nearly a year since his passing and we certainly mourned him. But family gatherings (there are many) have begun to feel normal again. I still get a little emotional from time to time when something reminds me of him. Sometimes it's a wistful smile and sometimes it's a tear.
I don't want to say I thought I was "over it" or anything unfeeling as that. I just feel like I've come to terms with his absence.
So much so that I didn't really prepare my children (or myself) for what today would bring.
My grandpa, like most of your grandpas, was a veteran. He was honored with ceremony and a flag was presented to my grandma. The flag ceremony was so moving. So, so moving. From a distance, far behind us, taps rang out in the misty, cloudy afternoon. My grandpa's brother, a retired minister, spoke some words of Scripture and led us in prayers and a hymn.
Emma wept with abandon and so did I. I couldn't even choke out the first verse of "Abide With Me." My grandma was less the stoic matriarch and more the sunken, bereaved widow than I have ever seen her.
We drove out, past the crisp, neat rows of white headstones and the rain began to fall in earnest. My little nephew slept on, unaware.
We all stopped and shared a bolstering meal.
And I baked a cake - a birthday cake.
When there is a birthday in our family, we all gather for cake and an awful rendition of "Happy Birthday." Many of us are musicians and most of us sing rather well, but there is something fun in singing wildly off-key as a group. My grandpa loved this tradition. He would laugh and laugh, joining in with his own recognizable baritone.
So we sang and ate cake and celebrated his birthday one last time as we said our last goodbyes. Why now? Why so late? I guess it was finally the right time.
We took his ashes to the Florida National Cemetery today. I don't fully know why it wasn't done earlier. I guess it just wasn't time.
I don't know what I expected. It's been nearly a year since his passing and we certainly mourned him. But family gatherings (there are many) have begun to feel normal again. I still get a little emotional from time to time when something reminds me of him. Sometimes it's a wistful smile and sometimes it's a tear.
I don't want to say I thought I was "over it" or anything unfeeling as that. I just feel like I've come to terms with his absence.
So much so that I didn't really prepare my children (or myself) for what today would bring.
My grandpa, like most of your grandpas, was a veteran. He was honored with ceremony and a flag was presented to my grandma. The flag ceremony was so moving. So, so moving. From a distance, far behind us, taps rang out in the misty, cloudy afternoon. My grandpa's brother, a retired minister, spoke some words of Scripture and led us in prayers and a hymn.
Emma wept with abandon and so did I. I couldn't even choke out the first verse of "Abide With Me." My grandma was less the stoic matriarch and more the sunken, bereaved widow than I have ever seen her.
We drove out, past the crisp, neat rows of white headstones and the rain began to fall in earnest. My little nephew slept on, unaware.
We all stopped and shared a bolstering meal.
And I baked a cake - a birthday cake.
When there is a birthday in our family, we all gather for cake and an awful rendition of "Happy Birthday." Many of us are musicians and most of us sing rather well, but there is something fun in singing wildly off-key as a group. My grandpa loved this tradition. He would laugh and laugh, joining in with his own recognizable baritone.
So we sang and ate cake and celebrated his birthday one last time as we said our last goodbyes. Why now? Why so late? I guess it was finally the right time.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Family Fun
We had big-time, family-style fun today. There are lots of us in our immediate family. The current count is eleven if we are all present, but it will be twelve come October (thanks Joe & Mindy!). How do you transport eleven and a half people on a family excursion? Well, it helps to have a brother who's in a band and whose band has a big van for tours.
We stopped in Tampa to have lunch at Chipotle. Yum. Unfortunately, we don't have one here in Lakeland, so eating there is a real treat. Then we all walked across the street to the cupcake shop. I don't remember what it was called, but know this: all the boys ordered the Guinness and chocolate flavor. Andrew had a s'mores one with freshly-torched marshmallows on top and Emma got a pina colada one. Me? Well, I didn't get one. They didn't have any vegan ones. Dang allergies.
Then we headed over to Channelside in Tampa to watch "Up." It was really a sweet little movie. I definitely enjoyed the story, but I thought the score was really striking. It sounded so classically Disney - magical and swooping, sweet and sparkling.
It's such a blessing to have our family close by and to be able to do things like that together. I think it has made a world of difference in the raising of our children.
On another note, I don't know if you noticed the little progress meter over there on the side, but my mom's birthday (February was a long time ago!) shawl is finally finished! It's so soft and beautiful that I wanted to keep it for myself. But I didn't. She has waited patiently and I think she likes it.
In case you were wondering (and you all know you were), the pattern is the Japanese Feather Stole by Anne Hanson of knitspot.com. It was a pretty easy pattern, even though I'm not by any stretch an experienced knitter. It came together smoothly and beautifully and my fingers really loved the 100% cashmere yarn, too.
Daily Bliss: laughing so much my face hurts
Wake-up Playlist: My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
We stopped in Tampa to have lunch at Chipotle. Yum. Unfortunately, we don't have one here in Lakeland, so eating there is a real treat. Then we all walked across the street to the cupcake shop. I don't remember what it was called, but know this: all the boys ordered the Guinness and chocolate flavor. Andrew had a s'mores one with freshly-torched marshmallows on top and Emma got a pina colada one. Me? Well, I didn't get one. They didn't have any vegan ones. Dang allergies.
Then we headed over to Channelside in Tampa to watch "Up." It was really a sweet little movie. I definitely enjoyed the story, but I thought the score was really striking. It sounded so classically Disney - magical and swooping, sweet and sparkling.
It's such a blessing to have our family close by and to be able to do things like that together. I think it has made a world of difference in the raising of our children.
On another note, I don't know if you noticed the little progress meter over there on the side, but my mom's birthday (February was a long time ago!) shawl is finally finished! It's so soft and beautiful that I wanted to keep it for myself. But I didn't. She has waited patiently and I think she likes it.
In case you were wondering (and you all know you were), the pattern is the Japanese Feather Stole by Anne Hanson of knitspot.com. It was a pretty easy pattern, even though I'm not by any stretch an experienced knitter. It came together smoothly and beautifully and my fingers really loved the 100% cashmere yarn, too.
Daily Bliss: laughing so much my face hurts
Wake-up Playlist: My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mothers' Day Weekend
I had a very nice Mothers' Day weekend. I hope you all did as well.
Saturday found our family as busy as ever, maybe even more so. Andrew was due to arrive at his first-ever Lego Mindstorms competition at 7:30 AM. I don't think this is an official club yet, but they are planning to create one locally, so this was something of a practice round.
They all built and programmed their bots and brought them to a local school to compete.
My son does not always wear a redneck hat. Their team's acronym is B.R.R., so they are Team Brrrr. They were all supposed to dress like lumberjacks (get it? Team Brrr? Timberrrr?). Obviously, the flannel shirts got ditched within an hour or two of the Florida sun rising. So, he's left with just a redneck fishing hat, borrowed from my brother.
They won a teamwork award, so they didn't go home empty-handed, which is good. Most of the teams had older kids on them and had more experience (Drew's club is only three months old or so), so I think they did really well, all things considered. Their bot didn't complete all the challenges that were available because they just hadn't had the length of time to prepare that some clubs had, but the things it did, it did well. And from what I understand, that's commendable.
I snuck this photo on Sunday morning of my champ, seriously reading the funnies, holding our birds. Sorry it's dark, but when you're sneaking around with a camera, there isn't much you can do. He's growing up so much.
It's been very hot and very dry lately. We are all waiting impatiently for the rainy season to begin. Especially the bees. They need to drink somethin', y'know? My neighbors bees have begun to get very excited about watering-time in our garden. We go out twice a day, morning and evening, to make sure nobody's too thirsty and the bees all buzz about excitedly. They burrow into the black soil and, abdomens throbbing, suck down as much water as they can. They are so focused that we are usually able to observe them up close.
Here's one on Andrew's milk weed:
They tend to congregate at the holes in the bottom of our upside-down vegetable pots. There were at least eight bees under this very same pot this morning!
And some of them take the lazy way, just landing on top of whatever is open and wet.
Know why I love these bees so much?
Fresh honey. How can you not adore a little somebody that makes you fresh honey?
That's what I gave my mom and grandma and sister-in-law for Mothers' Day - honey from my neighbor's bees with a little tag that says "Happy Mothers' Day, Honey!" Simple, but very sweet.
I spent my Sunday doing absolutely nothing. It was very difficult. I mean, I know I needed it and everything, but it's hard for me to just...do nothing. My needs were taken care of, though, by my wonderful hubby and two amazing kids. My card at breakfast promised me the following niceties:
From Emma, a back rub and shoulder massage
From Andrew, "unlimited free drinks all day"
and those things made me cry a little bit.
Oh, and? Emma and I picked blueberries on Saturday because I made blueberry ginger pie for our Mothers' Day lunch. Oh yes. I did.
I sat around all day on Sunday, getting my shoulders rubbed, having my ice water re-filled and eating blueberry ginger pie. This motherhood thing is really working out for me!
Saturday found our family as busy as ever, maybe even more so. Andrew was due to arrive at his first-ever Lego Mindstorms competition at 7:30 AM. I don't think this is an official club yet, but they are planning to create one locally, so this was something of a practice round.
They all built and programmed their bots and brought them to a local school to compete.
My son does not always wear a redneck hat. Their team's acronym is B.R.R., so they are Team Brrrr. They were all supposed to dress like lumberjacks (get it? Team Brrr? Timberrrr?). Obviously, the flannel shirts got ditched within an hour or two of the Florida sun rising. So, he's left with just a redneck fishing hat, borrowed from my brother.
They won a teamwork award, so they didn't go home empty-handed, which is good. Most of the teams had older kids on them and had more experience (Drew's club is only three months old or so), so I think they did really well, all things considered. Their bot didn't complete all the challenges that were available because they just hadn't had the length of time to prepare that some clubs had, but the things it did, it did well. And from what I understand, that's commendable.
I snuck this photo on Sunday morning of my champ, seriously reading the funnies, holding our birds. Sorry it's dark, but when you're sneaking around with a camera, there isn't much you can do. He's growing up so much.
It's been very hot and very dry lately. We are all waiting impatiently for the rainy season to begin. Especially the bees. They need to drink somethin', y'know? My neighbors bees have begun to get very excited about watering-time in our garden. We go out twice a day, morning and evening, to make sure nobody's too thirsty and the bees all buzz about excitedly. They burrow into the black soil and, abdomens throbbing, suck down as much water as they can. They are so focused that we are usually able to observe them up close.
Here's one on Andrew's milk weed:
They tend to congregate at the holes in the bottom of our upside-down vegetable pots. There were at least eight bees under this very same pot this morning!
And some of them take the lazy way, just landing on top of whatever is open and wet.
Know why I love these bees so much?
Fresh honey. How can you not adore a little somebody that makes you fresh honey?
That's what I gave my mom and grandma and sister-in-law for Mothers' Day - honey from my neighbor's bees with a little tag that says "Happy Mothers' Day, Honey!" Simple, but very sweet.
I spent my Sunday doing absolutely nothing. It was very difficult. I mean, I know I needed it and everything, but it's hard for me to just...do nothing. My needs were taken care of, though, by my wonderful hubby and two amazing kids. My card at breakfast promised me the following niceties:
From Emma, a back rub and shoulder massage
From Andrew, "unlimited free drinks all day"
and those things made me cry a little bit.
Oh, and? Emma and I picked blueberries on Saturday because I made blueberry ginger pie for our Mothers' Day lunch. Oh yes. I did.
I sat around all day on Sunday, getting my shoulders rubbed, having my ice water re-filled and eating blueberry ginger pie. This motherhood thing is really working out for me!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Max
Here's m'new nephew, born on Thursday, states away from me. That's way too far away.
His name is Maximus Solomon. And I know just what you're thinking, but don't worry. Genetics foretell that he will definitely grow into such a big name. It'll be a cinch, probably.
Mom and baby are doing fine, from what I hear.
The blankie I'm knitting for him is coming right along, but now that he's here, I have to really hustle!
His name is Maximus Solomon. And I know just what you're thinking, but don't worry. Genetics foretell that he will definitely grow into such a big name. It'll be a cinch, probably.
Mom and baby are doing fine, from what I hear.
The blankie I'm knitting for him is coming right along, but now that he's here, I have to really hustle!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Grace
We had the pleasure of visiting with my grandpa today. His journey back to health has been and will continue to be long and difficult. He has been released from the hospital into a nursing home, which we are calling a rehab center, but my mom and dad sprung him loose for the afternoon and brought him to their house for some fresh air.
He still isn't allowed to eat or drink, so he has a feeding tube along with his oxygen tube. I can't imagine having nothing in my mouth for months! His spirits are good and he likes to joke around with us, just as always. But, there are moments...
He'll grow quiet and shake his head, wondering aloud, "Why didn't God just take me home?" And I have no good answer for that - nothing that isn't a platitude. I think the loss of dignity is just as painful as his physical state. He has found himself in situations that are more embarrassing than I could have imagined and has had to accept his state of helplessness with grace. And he has certainly done just that.
My mom has experienced a new kind of grace, too. She has found it within herself to care for him, and has shared with me how amazing it is to discover the ability to do things you would have considered unsavory at best, as a loving gesture to a parent.
We came by the house to visit him this afternoon and found my mom giving him a pedicure, soaking his feet, clipping and filing his thick, yellowed toenails, lovingly massaging lotion into his parched skin. My dad pulled out the clippers and gave him a haircut.
The dogs all barked and ran in circles when he vacuumed the hair off Grandpa's shoulders.
It was beautiful, really.
He enjoyed the sunshine and the breeze, felt refreshed from the "spa" treatments, and it wasn't long before he was tired out and nodded off to sleep in the leather recliner that had been positioned in the living room just for him to enjoy.
DAILY BLISS: Chocolate cake for breakfast!
He still isn't allowed to eat or drink, so he has a feeding tube along with his oxygen tube. I can't imagine having nothing in my mouth for months! His spirits are good and he likes to joke around with us, just as always. But, there are moments...
He'll grow quiet and shake his head, wondering aloud, "Why didn't God just take me home?" And I have no good answer for that - nothing that isn't a platitude. I think the loss of dignity is just as painful as his physical state. He has found himself in situations that are more embarrassing than I could have imagined and has had to accept his state of helplessness with grace. And he has certainly done just that.
My mom has experienced a new kind of grace, too. She has found it within herself to care for him, and has shared with me how amazing it is to discover the ability to do things you would have considered unsavory at best, as a loving gesture to a parent.
We came by the house to visit him this afternoon and found my mom giving him a pedicure, soaking his feet, clipping and filing his thick, yellowed toenails, lovingly massaging lotion into his parched skin. My dad pulled out the clippers and gave him a haircut.
The dogs all barked and ran in circles when he vacuumed the hair off Grandpa's shoulders.
It was beautiful, really.
He enjoyed the sunshine and the breeze, felt refreshed from the "spa" treatments, and it wasn't long before he was tired out and nodded off to sleep in the leather recliner that had been positioned in the living room just for him to enjoy.
DAILY BLISS: Chocolate cake for breakfast!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tons of Fun
I had tons of fun tonight with my sister-in-law. She came over to keep me company and we made popcorn (NOT the microwave kind) and watched "The Importance of Being Earnest." That is by far one of my favorite movies. Probably because I haven't seen the play, which is probably way better.
I laugh harder with Mindy than just about anybody else - so that, in combination with a hilarious plot, made for a belly-aching, giggly evening. Sigh. Just what I needed.
I'm flying out to reunite with my family tomorrow, and I'm ready to see them. It's been so fun being alone for a while. My to-do list, however, did take over and caused me to have less relaxation than I had anticipated. I did find my paper brain (see my other blog for info on that one...) and that has helped me to feel a little bit more on top of things, even if it mostly gave me more to do. Well, not so much more to do as all the things I had neglected to do while my brain was missing.
The total, awesomest, best thing I did was make my own bath stuff! I've always wanted to try it, so I grabbed all kinds of good kitchen stuff and started stirring and mixing and formulating. My friend Becky asked if I wore a lab coat. I told her it would be difficult to try the products out in a lab coat. Turns out that I make a mean sugar scrub and also a very relaxing milk bath. It's always good to be aware of new things that you are good at.
DAILY BLISS: My sister-in-law being just who I would pick for a real sister, if I had gotten one. Isn't that cool? We might not have gotten along at all. These things happen.
<3 Christy
I laugh harder with Mindy than just about anybody else - so that, in combination with a hilarious plot, made for a belly-aching, giggly evening. Sigh. Just what I needed.
I'm flying out to reunite with my family tomorrow, and I'm ready to see them. It's been so fun being alone for a while. My to-do list, however, did take over and caused me to have less relaxation than I had anticipated. I did find my paper brain (see my other blog for info on that one...) and that has helped me to feel a little bit more on top of things, even if it mostly gave me more to do. Well, not so much more to do as all the things I had neglected to do while my brain was missing.
The total, awesomest, best thing I did was make my own bath stuff! I've always wanted to try it, so I grabbed all kinds of good kitchen stuff and started stirring and mixing and formulating. My friend Becky asked if I wore a lab coat. I told her it would be difficult to try the products out in a lab coat. Turns out that I make a mean sugar scrub and also a very relaxing milk bath. It's always good to be aware of new things that you are good at.
DAILY BLISS: My sister-in-law being just who I would pick for a real sister, if I had gotten one. Isn't that cool? We might not have gotten along at all. These things happen.
<3 Christy
Friday, March 23, 2007
Things to Brag About
This was Report Card Day! Both kids came home with straight A's (Emma's were straight S's, due to the kindergarten grade scale.), and I am so proud of them!
Andrew turned in his very first science project, and I was so glad to have it over with.
I made a cake for my grandma's birthday. I'm proud of that too.
We celebrated my grandma birthday at her house with my aunt and uncle (who live so far away we haven't seen them but once in three years) and the whole family gang who live here already. There was this moment that I looked around the room and listened for just a minute. Here were 13 or so people, some of whom liked each other at the time and some not so much, all crammed in a tiny room laughing and telling stories. There were constantly two or three conversations shooting across the room at the same time. It was really loud and probably would have been uncomfortable if they were just friend-people. But this was family. Liking each other at the moment doesn't have to matter. Seeing each other often doesn't either. Somewhere along the line, through blood or through legal documents, you're linked. And that's enough.
DAILY BLISS: Surprise Coffee on my desk this morning. OH - and did I mention that my kids both made straight A's?
<3 Christy
Andrew turned in his very first science project, and I was so glad to have it over with.
I made a cake for my grandma's birthday. I'm proud of that too.
We celebrated my grandma birthday at her house with my aunt and uncle (who live so far away we haven't seen them but once in three years) and the whole family gang who live here already. There was this moment that I looked around the room and listened for just a minute. Here were 13 or so people, some of whom liked each other at the time and some not so much, all crammed in a tiny room laughing and telling stories. There were constantly two or three conversations shooting across the room at the same time. It was really loud and probably would have been uncomfortable if they were just friend-people. But this was family. Liking each other at the moment doesn't have to matter. Seeing each other often doesn't either. Somewhere along the line, through blood or through legal documents, you're linked. And that's enough.
DAILY BLISS: Surprise Coffee on my desk this morning. OH - and did I mention that my kids both made straight A's?
<3 Christy
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