This month the United States Army celebrates its 235th birthday - happy birthday! In honor of that, Austin and I went to the Army Birthday Ball Friday night that his battalion puts on every year. Miss Kim came over to watch William so we were able to leave easily knowing he would be fine for the evening.
The balls are always fun - what wouldn't be fun about getting dressed up, seeing hubby in his uniform, and going out for an evening of good food, good company, good music, and good birthday cake? I always enjoy the festivities, but my favorite part of the evening comes at the very beginning and it chokes me up every time. If you've ever been to a formal military function or to a memorial such as the WWII memorial museum in San Diego you will have seen this display before. It is a presentation in honor of our soldiers who are still missing in action.
The ball began with a social cocktail hour, then everyone entered the ballroom through a receiving line, shaking the hands of the hosts for the evening. Once we were all seated, the color guard came in, posted the colors, and the national anthem was sang. After the national anthem formal toasts were made, such as "To the United States of America" - to which we all replied, "To the Union". We toasted the 4 branches of service, the president - I personally chose to sit out of the second toast of "To the Commander in Chief". Call me disrespectful if you want, but I just stood there silently - and Immediately after is when the POW-MIA presentation is made.
Because I can't say it better than the presentation is written out, I have copied the verbiage off the Internet and I'm including a picture of the table. As the MC read the following script, the color guard members took turns adding each item to the table, then bowing in silence.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE CENTER OF OUR GATHERING. YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THE TABLE SET BEFORE YOU. THIS TABLE IS SET FOR OUR PRISONERS OF WAR AND THOSE MISSING IN ACTION -- FROM ALL WARS.
THEY ARE NOT WITH US TODAY. THEIR CHAIRS ARE EMPTY, BUT SAVED FOR THEIR HOPED RETURN. LET US REMEMBER THEIR ABSENCE. LET US REMEMBER THE MEN AND WOMEN PRISONERS OF WAR FROM ALL BRANCHES OF SERVICE THAT ARE TOO OFTEN FORGOTTEN. LET US REMEMBER THEM.
THE TABLE CLOTH IS WHITE, SYMBOLIZING THE PURITY OF THEIR INTENTIONS TO RESPOND TO THEIR COUNTRY'S CALL TO ARMS -- SO THAT THEIR CHILDREN COULD REMAIN FREE. THE LONE CANDLE SYMBOLIZES THE FRAILTY OF A PRISONER ALONE, TRYING TO STAND UP AGAINST HIS OPPRESSORS. THE BLACK RIBBON ON THE CANDLE REMINDS US OF THOSE WHO WILL NOT BE COMING HOME.
THE SINGLE RED ROSE REMINDS US OF THE LOVED ONES AND FAMILIES OF OUR COMRADES IN ARMS WHO KEEP THE FAITH AND AWAIT THEIR RETURN. A SLICE OF LEMON IS ON THE BREAD PLATE TO REMIND US OF THEIR BITTER FATE -- IF WE DO NOT BRING THEM HOME. THERE IS SALT ON THE PLATE, SYMBOLIC OF THE FAMILY'S TEARS AS THEY WAIT AND REMEMBER. THE GLASSES ARE INVERTED. THEY CANNOT TOAST WITH US TONIGHT.
THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE RIBBON IS TIED TO THE FLOWER VASE BY A YELLOW RIBBON THAT WAS WORN BY THOUSANDS WHO AWAITED THEIR RETURN.
AS WE LOOK UPON THIS EMPTY TABLE, DO NOT REMEMBER GHOSTS FROM THE PAST, REMEMBER OUR COMRADES. REMEMBER THOSE WHOM WE DEPENDED ON IN BATTLE. THEY DEPEND ON US TO BRING THEM HOME. REMEMBER OUR FRIENDS. THEY ARE THE ONES WE LOVE -- WHO LOVE LIFE AND FREEDOM AS WE DO. THEY WILL REMEMBER WHAT WE DO. PLEASE HONOR AND REMEMBER THEM.
It is a somber moment and makes you really think about the people who went missing and are never heard from again. I can't imagine the empty feeling and the frustration with the lack of closure that these parents, spouses, siblings and friends must feel. After the presentation was over, we all raised water glasses rather than wine and toasted in silence.
It is thanks to hundreds of thousands of people who never made it home that we are able to celebrate the Army's 235 birthday. So Happy birthday to the army - and I send out a prayer to those POW-MIA's and their families: May God bless you and keep you. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Jun 12, 2010
Jun 9, 2010
The Essence of Patty
A few weeks ago Austin and I were going to the mall and I made him put in my band CD from my senior year of high school. I knew he wasn't at all interested, but I wanted him to hear me playing my piccolo solo from that marching season...and I may have just wanted to listen to it for my own enjoyment too. As we were scrolling through the songs to find my solo, we came across one that had a big oboe part. Patty played oboe, and every time I hear that song it makes me grin from ear to ear because not only did she knock it out of the park, but that particular song marked the beginning of our friendship (to me, anyway).
I met Patty at the beginning of her freshman year of high school, my junior year, and at some point during that year our groups of girl friends collided to make a group of 8. Alexis, Jenny, Ashley and I were all in the same grade and had been close friends since our freshman year, while Patty, Julie, Sarah and Lindsay were all close friends too. It wasn't until my senior year that Patty and I developed a friendship aside from our super-cool-girls-club though. And no, we didn't call ourselves that. I made it up just now, we weren't THAT big of band nerds. Except really, we were...sad to say. Moving on. Before our "winter" concert Patty had been struggling with her oboe solo and was getting really frustrated. It was a big part and she wasn't used to being the center of attention. Patty never was one for that sort of spotlight. One day she was really overwhelmed during class trying to get her part just right, and I stayed after class to somewhat console her. Then I tried to be as encouraging as possible leading up to the concert to boost her confidence. She had the part down, she just didn't know she had it down. I don't know if my support helped or if she just naturally got more comfortable, but when the concert came she absolutely blew it out of the water. She gave me a gift afterwards thanking me for helping her through it, and from then on she and I developed a deeper friendship than just that of 8 girls having sleepovers and playing Cranium. Yep, we loved Cranium!
It was pretty easy for me to become so close with Patty - I'm a great talker, like I've said before, and Patty loves to listen. :) It wasn't just that, though. Some people used to tease her for being so quiet, and I've even been asked how we ever became so close in the first place because of how quiet she is. But for me, that was never a problem. Not just because I had someone willing to listen to me gab on and on, but because I somehow knew how to bring out the talkative side in her too! I never saw her as shy or quiet or hard to get to know, to me she was just Patty.
Fast forward 9 years and I found myself flying into Houston to be a part of her wedding. I couldn't have been more thrilled! I've written before about how blessed I've been to have had such wonderful people placed in my life and had the opportunity to maintain relationships over the years, despite whatever distance there may have been. Patty and I stayed close through my being in college while she was still in high school (that was the toughest transition of all actually!), then we were in college together, I moved to Denver, she graduated and moved to Houston - yet still, here we are. She is one of my closest confidants and best friends to this day, so to stand in support of her as she and Keith exchanged their vows was truly my pleasure.
When I was asked by friends throughout the day of the wedding how Patty was doing, my answer stayed the same: She looks stunning, she's calm, and she's happy. But would you expect any different? One person said it best: Well, that's the essence of Patty!
I wanted to wait to write this post so I could share pictures of how beautiful the wedding and bride were, but I'm too impatient for that and silly me forgot my camera that day. The wedding was beautiful and not one detail had been overlooked. I hate to compare one wedding to another because I think weddings take on the characteristics and qualities of the couple in most cases. There's generally a white dress, a tuxedo, a tiered cake and maybe a chocolate cake on the side (if you're in the south, that is) - yes, those similarities are there. But each wedding becomes unique to the bride and groom, so they're pretty difficult to compare. I will say, though, that Patty's reception was probably the most beautiful reception I've ever seen. Beautifully decorated, beautifully orchestrated - just beautiful. I guess that can go back to my original statement of how weddings take on the characteristics of the couple. Maybe not Keith so much in the beauty aspect(hehe), but definitely Patty. Her beauty came through in her reception. She is one of the most beautiful people, inside before out, that I know and I saw that beauty shine all day.
Patty has forever criticized herself for being one of the most indecisive people in the world. At times, she is. However, I will credit her for being decisive when it matters. She may have struggled with bridesmaids dresses, flowers, table linens, and much more. But in her decision to love Keith for the rest of her life she never wavered. And that is what matters most. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Piassoli - and thanks for letting me be a part of your wonderful day.
I met Patty at the beginning of her freshman year of high school, my junior year, and at some point during that year our groups of girl friends collided to make a group of 8. Alexis, Jenny, Ashley and I were all in the same grade and had been close friends since our freshman year, while Patty, Julie, Sarah and Lindsay were all close friends too. It wasn't until my senior year that Patty and I developed a friendship aside from our super-cool-girls-club though. And no, we didn't call ourselves that. I made it up just now, we weren't THAT big of band nerds. Except really, we were...sad to say. Moving on. Before our "winter" concert Patty had been struggling with her oboe solo and was getting really frustrated. It was a big part and she wasn't used to being the center of attention. Patty never was one for that sort of spotlight. One day she was really overwhelmed during class trying to get her part just right, and I stayed after class to somewhat console her. Then I tried to be as encouraging as possible leading up to the concert to boost her confidence. She had the part down, she just didn't know she had it down. I don't know if my support helped or if she just naturally got more comfortable, but when the concert came she absolutely blew it out of the water. She gave me a gift afterwards thanking me for helping her through it, and from then on she and I developed a deeper friendship than just that of 8 girls having sleepovers and playing Cranium. Yep, we loved Cranium!
It was pretty easy for me to become so close with Patty - I'm a great talker, like I've said before, and Patty loves to listen. :) It wasn't just that, though. Some people used to tease her for being so quiet, and I've even been asked how we ever became so close in the first place because of how quiet she is. But for me, that was never a problem. Not just because I had someone willing to listen to me gab on and on, but because I somehow knew how to bring out the talkative side in her too! I never saw her as shy or quiet or hard to get to know, to me she was just Patty.
Fast forward 9 years and I found myself flying into Houston to be a part of her wedding. I couldn't have been more thrilled! I've written before about how blessed I've been to have had such wonderful people placed in my life and had the opportunity to maintain relationships over the years, despite whatever distance there may have been. Patty and I stayed close through my being in college while she was still in high school (that was the toughest transition of all actually!), then we were in college together, I moved to Denver, she graduated and moved to Houston - yet still, here we are. She is one of my closest confidants and best friends to this day, so to stand in support of her as she and Keith exchanged their vows was truly my pleasure.
When I was asked by friends throughout the day of the wedding how Patty was doing, my answer stayed the same: She looks stunning, she's calm, and she's happy. But would you expect any different? One person said it best: Well, that's the essence of Patty!
I wanted to wait to write this post so I could share pictures of how beautiful the wedding and bride were, but I'm too impatient for that and silly me forgot my camera that day. The wedding was beautiful and not one detail had been overlooked. I hate to compare one wedding to another because I think weddings take on the characteristics and qualities of the couple in most cases. There's generally a white dress, a tuxedo, a tiered cake and maybe a chocolate cake on the side (if you're in the south, that is) - yes, those similarities are there. But each wedding becomes unique to the bride and groom, so they're pretty difficult to compare. I will say, though, that Patty's reception was probably the most beautiful reception I've ever seen. Beautifully decorated, beautifully orchestrated - just beautiful. I guess that can go back to my original statement of how weddings take on the characteristics of the couple. Maybe not Keith so much in the beauty aspect(hehe), but definitely Patty. Her beauty came through in her reception. She is one of the most beautiful people, inside before out, that I know and I saw that beauty shine all day.
Patty has forever criticized herself for being one of the most indecisive people in the world. At times, she is. However, I will credit her for being decisive when it matters. She may have struggled with bridesmaids dresses, flowers, table linens, and much more. But in her decision to love Keith for the rest of her life she never wavered. And that is what matters most. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Piassoli - and thanks for letting me be a part of your wonderful day.
Jun 4, 2010
Happy Friday
This morning I woke up at 5 to do a workout video, but the playstation wouldn't work and that's what we use for DVDs. So, I went back to bed and decided I'd use the gym at work over lunch to get today's workout. Then lunch came around and I missed William too much, so I opted to go see him instead. Oops :)
It was fun though! Miss Colleen and Miss Tara were in the room at the time and they told me that William was having so much fun playing soccer earlier. Soccer??? He's 4 months old! But in keeping with the "summer" theme for the week today they taught the older boys to play soccer and William wanted to join in. I'll have to get the details later on exactly how it worked, but Colleen said he was so proud when he kicked the ball!
I got to love on him and cuddle for a bit - he had just woken up so he was extra cuddly, and then I had to head back to work. But there's no better lunch break than seeing my baby!!!
It was fun though! Miss Colleen and Miss Tara were in the room at the time and they told me that William was having so much fun playing soccer earlier. Soccer??? He's 4 months old! But in keeping with the "summer" theme for the week today they taught the older boys to play soccer and William wanted to join in. I'll have to get the details later on exactly how it worked, but Colleen said he was so proud when he kicked the ball!
I got to love on him and cuddle for a bit - he had just woken up so he was extra cuddly, and then I had to head back to work. But there's no better lunch break than seeing my baby!!!
Jun 3, 2010
Forever Precious
Sunday night, after the whirlwind had nearly ended, Austin and I were sitting at the gate waiting for our plane to arrive when we met the sweetest little girl in the world. I was holding William while feeding him a bottle. Like most girls her age, she had her eyes glued to him. I saw her whisper something to her mom, to which her mom responded, "You'll have to ask the mommy". With that, she came walking my direction.
"I like your baby:"
"Well, thank you!"
"Where is he from?" At this I had to pause and smile. The little girl was Chinese and her parents were American, so she must assume that all parents travel the globe to get their children. It was a precious assumption, I thought.
"He is from Denver. Where are you from?"
"China. My parents got me when I was 16 months old"
her dad chimed in, "And Kimberley, when we got you I think you were about his size"
NO WAY, I thought. William is only 4 months, no way he is the size of an 18 month old. So I asked, "How much did she weigh?"
"Fifteen pounds. She was 16 months, couldn't walk or talk, only weight 15 pounds but she knew how to wash dishes."
My heart broke. Her mom explained that when they first brought her back to America all she was comfortable doing was sitting on the kitchen counter and washing dishes like she had done at the orphanage. How sad is that?
Kimberley proceeded to ask me if she could hold William's bottle as he drank, then wanted to shake his rattle for him to keep him occupied. I obliged to both. She told me about her school, how excited she is for summer, why they were in Houston, about her 16 year old brother Kevin who has disabilities, that she can count to 120 in English and 26 in Chinese...she was adorable. After she finished counting to 120 (to prove to me that she could, in fact, do it) her dad said, "Kimberley, tell them your Chinese name". She said she didn't remember, so he told us what it was. I can't write (or speak, for that matter) in Chinese, so I won't attempt to tell you her name, but he said "it means forever precious".
And "forever precious" she was. I hope she keeps her sweet little spirit as she grows! Meeting people like that in the airport make the wait for your plane not quite so boring.
"I like your baby:"
"Well, thank you!"
"Where is he from?" At this I had to pause and smile. The little girl was Chinese and her parents were American, so she must assume that all parents travel the globe to get their children. It was a precious assumption, I thought.
"He is from Denver. Where are you from?"
"China. My parents got me when I was 16 months old"
her dad chimed in, "And Kimberley, when we got you I think you were about his size"
NO WAY, I thought. William is only 4 months, no way he is the size of an 18 month old. So I asked, "How much did she weigh?"
"Fifteen pounds. She was 16 months, couldn't walk or talk, only weight 15 pounds but she knew how to wash dishes."
My heart broke. Her mom explained that when they first brought her back to America all she was comfortable doing was sitting on the kitchen counter and washing dishes like she had done at the orphanage. How sad is that?
Kimberley proceeded to ask me if she could hold William's bottle as he drank, then wanted to shake his rattle for him to keep him occupied. I obliged to both. She told me about her school, how excited she is for summer, why they were in Houston, about her 16 year old brother Kevin who has disabilities, that she can count to 120 in English and 26 in Chinese...she was adorable. After she finished counting to 120 (to prove to me that she could, in fact, do it) her dad said, "Kimberley, tell them your Chinese name". She said she didn't remember, so he told us what it was. I can't write (or speak, for that matter) in Chinese, so I won't attempt to tell you her name, but he said "it means forever precious".
And "forever precious" she was. I hope she keeps her sweet little spirit as she grows! Meeting people like that in the airport make the wait for your plane not quite so boring.
Jun 2, 2010
I'm a Talker
When our friends Jan and Marty had their first child, a daughter named Maizeanne, at one point Marty told Jan, "I hope our daughter doesn't talk as much as her!" He was referring to me as I was riding in the backseat of their car, talking nonstop to absolutely no one.
I was a talker. On many occasions I can remember my talking being a topic of conversation even! For example:
~in fourth grade Mrs Turner tried moving me to a round table by myself because when I finished my work I was distracting to the other kids in the class. I wasn't bad I just wouldn't stop talking, so she thought isolating me might help. Nope, I kept talking just the same. Talked to the wall, talked to people behind me, talked to myself...talked, talked, talked.
~in fifth grade Mrs Baron told me "silence is golden" so I told her I don't like gold, I like diamonds.(this is still true, by the way, and my birthday is July 19) Therefore, I continued to talk. Again, to anyone or no one - really didn't matter. She didn't try isolating me, she just moved me to a table with other students who finished their work quickly so we would keep the talking contained to one small area.
~growing up my brothers shared a bedroom and obviously my parents shared a bedroom. I'm sure my brothers were jealous of me for having my own room, but I was jealous of the 4 of them because they had someone to talk to at night! So, King Louie, the Genie from Aladdin, and a few select other animals who made the cut that day would lay in bed with me and we'd talk, talk, talk. Because they were unfortunately mute, I would fill in the blanks for them.
~in high school I was in band...insert all the band nerd jokes you want...and I was the drum major. I'll pause here for you while you insert more jokes of me being the head nerd. Done yet? Ok, moving on. When I was trying out for drum major one of the band directors told me she was not at all surprised that I'd like to be drum major because it would give me more opportunities to talk, and sometimes people would even be required to listen!
You get the point; I like to talk. So it should come as no surprise that yesterday on William's Daily Report from his FIRST DAY at daycare the teacher's comments included "he talks a lot - and its so cute!"
You can conclude from the fact that he got a daily report and the fact that I am writing here that we did in fact make it through our first day of day care. Austin and I dropped him off with Miss Kim around 7:20 and after we took a few pictures, stood longingly at the door, and kissed him a billion times we were ready to leave. William was not phased by the whole thing which is just as it should be. I, however, was. I can hold back tears with the best of them under most circumstances, but that my friends was not one of them. I cried the whole way to work, cried some when I got to work, and cried periodically through the day. When I told Paula that I planned to go see him over lunch she said I was a "brave mommy" because she was afraid it would make it harder. She had a good point, and almost had me convinced not to go, but I'm glad I went.
William was so happy when I got there! Miss Kim, his main teacher and the one he really likes, was on her lunch break so Miss Jesse was the only permanent teacher in there and there were 2 floating teachers filling in. When I walked in the room the first thing Miss Jesse said to me was, "Helen here has a new crush. William is quite the flirt!" Helen is 3 months William's elder, trying to rob the cradle I see. I quickly stole William from one floating teacher before Helen could influence him anymore. Then Miss Jesse, who was sitting on the floor, grabbed a miniature beach ball and started playing with it in front of William. He watched as she tossed it around, then she held it directly in front of him to grab. It took a few times of me using his arms to grab the ball, but eventually he figured out how to wrap his arms around it and use his fists to hold it! He was precious and so very proud of himself. Seeing how interactive the teachers were with all the babies and how much fun he was having made it slightly easier for me to leave with the comfort of knowing he is going to be great.
His daily report at the end of the day explained the "Summer Theme" for the week which is carried out in all the classrooms. It told about the teachers singing "You are my Sunshine", the older babies in the room finger painting with summer colors, and playing with the beach ball. Then in the comments section Miss Kim wrote "William had a great first day, he did very well. He is so happy and he talks a LOT - its so cute!" It's 2:30 now and I can not wait for 5:00 to get here so I can go see what fun sorts of things they did today!
I was a talker. On many occasions I can remember my talking being a topic of conversation even! For example:
~in fourth grade Mrs Turner tried moving me to a round table by myself because when I finished my work I was distracting to the other kids in the class. I wasn't bad I just wouldn't stop talking, so she thought isolating me might help. Nope, I kept talking just the same. Talked to the wall, talked to people behind me, talked to myself...talked, talked, talked.
~in fifth grade Mrs Baron told me "silence is golden" so I told her I don't like gold, I like diamonds.(this is still true, by the way, and my birthday is July 19) Therefore, I continued to talk. Again, to anyone or no one - really didn't matter. She didn't try isolating me, she just moved me to a table with other students who finished their work quickly so we would keep the talking contained to one small area.
~growing up my brothers shared a bedroom and obviously my parents shared a bedroom. I'm sure my brothers were jealous of me for having my own room, but I was jealous of the 4 of them because they had someone to talk to at night! So, King Louie, the Genie from Aladdin, and a few select other animals who made the cut that day would lay in bed with me and we'd talk, talk, talk. Because they were unfortunately mute, I would fill in the blanks for them.
~in high school I was in band...insert all the band nerd jokes you want...and I was the drum major. I'll pause here for you while you insert more jokes of me being the head nerd. Done yet? Ok, moving on. When I was trying out for drum major one of the band directors told me she was not at all surprised that I'd like to be drum major because it would give me more opportunities to talk, and sometimes people would even be required to listen!
You get the point; I like to talk. So it should come as no surprise that yesterday on William's Daily Report from his FIRST DAY at daycare the teacher's comments included "he talks a lot - and its so cute!"
You can conclude from the fact that he got a daily report and the fact that I am writing here that we did in fact make it through our first day of day care. Austin and I dropped him off with Miss Kim around 7:20 and after we took a few pictures, stood longingly at the door, and kissed him a billion times we were ready to leave. William was not phased by the whole thing which is just as it should be. I, however, was. I can hold back tears with the best of them under most circumstances, but that my friends was not one of them. I cried the whole way to work, cried some when I got to work, and cried periodically through the day. When I told Paula that I planned to go see him over lunch she said I was a "brave mommy" because she was afraid it would make it harder. She had a good point, and almost had me convinced not to go, but I'm glad I went.
William was so happy when I got there! Miss Kim, his main teacher and the one he really likes, was on her lunch break so Miss Jesse was the only permanent teacher in there and there were 2 floating teachers filling in. When I walked in the room the first thing Miss Jesse said to me was, "Helen here has a new crush. William is quite the flirt!" Helen is 3 months William's elder, trying to rob the cradle I see. I quickly stole William from one floating teacher before Helen could influence him anymore. Then Miss Jesse, who was sitting on the floor, grabbed a miniature beach ball and started playing with it in front of William. He watched as she tossed it around, then she held it directly in front of him to grab. It took a few times of me using his arms to grab the ball, but eventually he figured out how to wrap his arms around it and use his fists to hold it! He was precious and so very proud of himself. Seeing how interactive the teachers were with all the babies and how much fun he was having made it slightly easier for me to leave with the comfort of knowing he is going to be great.
His daily report at the end of the day explained the "Summer Theme" for the week which is carried out in all the classrooms. It told about the teachers singing "You are my Sunshine", the older babies in the room finger painting with summer colors, and playing with the beach ball. Then in the comments section Miss Kim wrote "William had a great first day, he did very well. He is so happy and he talks a LOT - its so cute!" It's 2:30 now and I can not wait for 5:00 to get here so I can go see what fun sorts of things they did today!
Jun 1, 2010
P.S: PICS
I meant to include a few pictures from the weekend in the last post but was getting paranoid I'd get caught blogging at work. Ok, really I wasn't paranoid - pretty sure they've seen me a time or two. I just forgot :) So...
Picture #1: what occupied Austin and William before Patty's wedding (and my aunt mandy's dog q-tip)
Picture #2: family pic at the wedding...except mommy can't look at the camera
Picture #3: Happy Memorial Day from an All American Baby
Whirlwind Again
How often do I describe my weekends as “whirlwind weekends”? I feel like its often, but that might be because they really are whirlwinds. We flew to Texas Thursday night and flew back Sunday. While we were there we hardly had a moment to breathe.
We landed late Thursday night and William had been woken up multiple times between getting off the plane, in the car, etc so when he didn’t wake up at Austin’s parent’s house we just decided to let him sleep in his car seat! It seems uncomfortable but he was sleeping so good that we just couldn’t bear to wake him up. Friday morning he woke up at 7:45, which was normal since that’s 6:45 in Denver, and he was a happy little bear. Austin went golfing with Herb, so once I had William fed, dressed, and the car packed I went to my mom’s house so that William could meet his Aunt Mandy and Uncle Leon (POPLAWSKI). My mom, Mandy, William and I went and had lunch then made a quick stop at Ann Taylor Loft. I had gotten an email for 40% off en entire purchase, so they twisted my arm. My mom is dangerous in there though! Get this! Buy this! Try this! Did get some cute clothes, so I guess I can’t blame her TOO much.
Friday night was when the madness began. The rehearsal was at Northgate Country Club where the wedding would be on Saturday and the dinner was at Spring Creek BBQ. The epitome of a Texas rehearsal dinner: shiner bock beer, brisket, and blue bell ice cream. I was in heaven! I’ll add a side note here: Keith’s sister Jenna made a slide show of pictures and the ONE picture in which I appeared I looked awful. So maybe I CAN see a difference between 2007 and now! We couldn’t hang out long – William had been such a good, content boy and never made a fuss but he needed to get home and get to bed. Plus, that’s always a nice way to cover up how lame I am that I need to be in bed early too :)
Saturday morning Austin and I met Brittany and Michael at St Cuthbert for William’s baptism meeting. Before the meeting I assumed we’d just go in, run through the process, and leave but Father Desmond had a lot he wanted to share with the parents and godparents on the sacrament of baptism. I learned a lot and gained a deeper knowledge and appreciate for other things. And thanks to Brittany and Michael for being there – the one mother who had to tell Father Desmond that the child’s godfather couldn’t make it due to other obligations almost got her head bitten off! Pretty sure I almost saw steam coming from his ears. I know this may seem strict, we all have busy lives and other duties, but Father D had reiterated to us, and I’m sure to all the parents, the importance of the commitment to be a godparent and that if the godparents were not committed to be there then they are not the right choice. So thanks Brittany and Michael for reaffirming our decision :)
After the meeting Austin dropped me off at Patty’s mom’s house to get ready for the wedding while he went home and played with William. We ate fruit, I asked Patty, her sister, Keith’s mom and his sister a million questions (I tend to fill silences with questions), and we got our hair done. Once time rolled around we headed off to Northgate to get dressed and turn Patty into a Piassoli. I’ll write more on this tomorrow as I think weddings deserve their own post and this one is already long enough. But just in case you were curious – I had a BLAST. A-mazing. That’s all I’m gonna say. And Patty was stunning. That’s all.
Sunday flew by, and will also be covered by another post, and before we knew it time had rolled around for us to head to the airport again. William was absolutely exhausted and peopled-out, so I think he was pretty happy to be back on a plane and headed home to his own bed…if he knew that’s where we were going. As we were preparing to land in Denver the flight attendant got on the intercom and said, “Because tomorrow is Memorial Day, I want to say thank you to all our troops, at home and abroad, for serving our country and for the sacrifices they’ve made. For them and in honor of those who have given their lives, I would like to lead us all in singing God Bless America.” In a sweet, pure voice she led and I was surprised and pleased by the number of people that chose to join in. With that, we headed home to spend our Memorial Day resting and relaxing, preparing for the week to come. No better way to spend a holiday than in the comfort of my 2 babies' arms!
Happy (belated) Memorial Day to you all – and thanks to the people who give us the reason to celebrate.
We landed late Thursday night and William had been woken up multiple times between getting off the plane, in the car, etc so when he didn’t wake up at Austin’s parent’s house we just decided to let him sleep in his car seat! It seems uncomfortable but he was sleeping so good that we just couldn’t bear to wake him up. Friday morning he woke up at 7:45, which was normal since that’s 6:45 in Denver, and he was a happy little bear. Austin went golfing with Herb, so once I had William fed, dressed, and the car packed I went to my mom’s house so that William could meet his Aunt Mandy and Uncle Leon (POPLAWSKI). My mom, Mandy, William and I went and had lunch then made a quick stop at Ann Taylor Loft. I had gotten an email for 40% off en entire purchase, so they twisted my arm. My mom is dangerous in there though! Get this! Buy this! Try this! Did get some cute clothes, so I guess I can’t blame her TOO much.
Friday night was when the madness began. The rehearsal was at Northgate Country Club where the wedding would be on Saturday and the dinner was at Spring Creek BBQ. The epitome of a Texas rehearsal dinner: shiner bock beer, brisket, and blue bell ice cream. I was in heaven! I’ll add a side note here: Keith’s sister Jenna made a slide show of pictures and the ONE picture in which I appeared I looked awful. So maybe I CAN see a difference between 2007 and now! We couldn’t hang out long – William had been such a good, content boy and never made a fuss but he needed to get home and get to bed. Plus, that’s always a nice way to cover up how lame I am that I need to be in bed early too :)
Saturday morning Austin and I met Brittany and Michael at St Cuthbert for William’s baptism meeting. Before the meeting I assumed we’d just go in, run through the process, and leave but Father Desmond had a lot he wanted to share with the parents and godparents on the sacrament of baptism. I learned a lot and gained a deeper knowledge and appreciate for other things. And thanks to Brittany and Michael for being there – the one mother who had to tell Father Desmond that the child’s godfather couldn’t make it due to other obligations almost got her head bitten off! Pretty sure I almost saw steam coming from his ears. I know this may seem strict, we all have busy lives and other duties, but Father D had reiterated to us, and I’m sure to all the parents, the importance of the commitment to be a godparent and that if the godparents were not committed to be there then they are not the right choice. So thanks Brittany and Michael for reaffirming our decision :)
After the meeting Austin dropped me off at Patty’s mom’s house to get ready for the wedding while he went home and played with William. We ate fruit, I asked Patty, her sister, Keith’s mom and his sister a million questions (I tend to fill silences with questions), and we got our hair done. Once time rolled around we headed off to Northgate to get dressed and turn Patty into a Piassoli. I’ll write more on this tomorrow as I think weddings deserve their own post and this one is already long enough. But just in case you were curious – I had a BLAST. A-mazing. That’s all I’m gonna say. And Patty was stunning. That’s all.
Sunday flew by, and will also be covered by another post, and before we knew it time had rolled around for us to head to the airport again. William was absolutely exhausted and peopled-out, so I think he was pretty happy to be back on a plane and headed home to his own bed…if he knew that’s where we were going. As we were preparing to land in Denver the flight attendant got on the intercom and said, “Because tomorrow is Memorial Day, I want to say thank you to all our troops, at home and abroad, for serving our country and for the sacrifices they’ve made. For them and in honor of those who have given their lives, I would like to lead us all in singing God Bless America.” In a sweet, pure voice she led and I was surprised and pleased by the number of people that chose to join in. With that, we headed home to spend our Memorial Day resting and relaxing, preparing for the week to come. No better way to spend a holiday than in the comfort of my 2 babies' arms!
Happy (belated) Memorial Day to you all – and thanks to the people who give us the reason to celebrate.
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