Where we've been. . .

In May and June life picked up the pace. I almost feel like listing all the crazy things that have consumed my days in those crazy seven weeks- but I won't. . .for fear that I might get exhausted and never finish this post. So I will talk about two major things that have consumed my time. One happy, one sad.

One sad thing . . . that has consumed our time is the sudden hospitalization of Dan's mom, Joanne. At the beginning of May she had to have emergency surgery to remove nine feet of dead intestine. We almost lost her and her recovery has not been easy to say the least. Watching your parents (who have been the source of wisdom, strength, and leadership in your family) slowing lose their ability to function and be independent is so hard. Al and Joanne moved in with us for several weeks while Dan and I remodeled their master bed and bath and cleaned up the kitchen and dining room. We also did many other projects (water heater, plumbing, clean out motor home and storage shed, etc.) We finished this part of the project on June 17th and moved them back in one day before our much needed vacation in the Caribbean. Joanne still struggles with adjusting to her unstable digestive tract but we are thankful for every day that we still have them here with us.

One very happy thing. . . is that my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary! We decided to make it a celebratory weekend. "The sisters" came from the north and we all rode to Laguna Beach in a limo for a very fancy dinner on the water. We then had dessert at the Montage while the sun set and then off to Disneyland to watch the fireworks. Sunday we had an open house and many of our good friends and family were on hand to celebrate the anniversary. We had great food and watched an amazing video that Ben put together. I feel so incredibly grateful that I have parents who are committed to each other and their family. They are loving and self-sacrificing, and always put God first in their lives. Needless to say it was a weekend I will never forget!

The juxtaposition of joy and sorrow is such a profound aspect of life. Isn't it?

To finish this post I will share (in part) one of my favorite poems of love which I feel very much applies to my parent's marital example:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
-William Shakespeare

A Fun Memory!

This past weekend I had a blast with all of the Northern California relatives! The last time I saw many of them was in August 2006 when Andy got married. This post is for Uncle Dean who loves to remember the infamous "Crab Pot Adventure"! For those of you who were not there, Andy's wedding was in Washington State.
We were staying on the shore of the sound where you can row out and drop crab pots. Free crab!!?? The young men in the family decided it would be great to stick a pot in the water and boil up a crab feast for all to enjoy; so after leaving the pots underwater for several hours Andy, Bob, Ben, Dan, and Jake all decided to take the row boat out to bring in the crab feast! Only. . .it was a little harder to row than they thought. Finally, Andy decided it would be easier to row all five of them himself! I can still hear Uncle Dean roaring with wild laughter at the sight of four grown men being rowed by the young and muscular Andy. After they finally made it back to the dock they unloaded their mighty catch only to watch the very law-abiding property manager throw crab after crab back into the water because they were females or too small to keep. (Only 1/16 of an inch too small!!!)


When all was said and done there were two crabs left to boil up- and they were delicious! Thanks for the memory! (P.S. This post is dedicated to Rachel who inspired me to post again!)