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My mom’s boyfriend passed away yesterday from a heart attack. He was not in good health and had cancer in most of his right lung. He didn’t have a whole lot longer to live, but the heart attack was still unexpected.
I admit, I didn’t have a lot of respect for R. I think my mom deserved better. They had been together for at least fifteen years or so and he was part of the family. I was (am) happy if my mom was (is) happy. And now she’s sad. And I’m sad for her.
It’s Ok…
To hate waiting at the Secretary of State office.
To want to dress better at all times because of the way Italians dress. They are not slobs and it’s so refreshing.
To not put off going to the dermatologist because you think you have basal cell carcinoma - or another mole/spot that needs to be checked. Just go already!! And use sunscreen.
To wish you had an assistant to do all the crap work so you can focus on the fun stuff - like golf outings and wine tastings.
To wish you were better at golf - for all of those golf outings.
To still be happy that you only spent $100 on your wedding dress.
To already be planning your next vacation even though you haven’t put away everything from your last vacation yet.
To absolutely love three-day weekends and wish it were the norm.
To send hand written notes and paper cards. The joy of receiving something personal in the mailbox far outweighs the cost of stamps.
Remember the basement issues we had? Here is a good place to start. We had to tear down the paneling, seal the wall, and put up a wall of drywall. Then mud and finish that, then paint, and also add new wire for, and hang, sconces.
Where it all began…
Cracks are filled, still need to seal the wall.
We’re getting there…
After this weekend, we have a finished wall, lights that work, a super clean basement (I washed the whole floor and the panel walls), and a new rug.
It’s a beautiful thing.
We also stained the deck. And planted some flowers here.
And here.
I was at an event last night where I had to wear a name tag. I was talking with my friend when a couple other women came over to give us some information. The one woman looked at my name tag…
Her: Are you S’s sister…wife…?
Me: Sister. (Looking questioningly at her because I don’t know her).
Her: I’m best friends with Erin Lastname.
Me: (Looking at her questioningly, looking at my friend questioningly) I don’t know who that is.
Her: They were together (Erin and my brother - S). She’s with TJ now…they have a baby.
Me: (light bulb) Oh! Yes, the one who cheated on him (S) with TJ while they (Erin and S) were engaged. I remember.
Her: (not giving up) Yes. So, he has a baby too, right?
Me: Two of them.
Her: Two? That’s nice.
Me: Mmhmm…Yeah.
Thankfully, that was the end of it. That was one odd, awkward situation.
I love the crime report in our local paper. Every week, they print the past week’s reports summarized into a paragraph or so.
Deputies were called to a home for an assault. The 28-year-old man who called reported that his ex-girlfriend poked him in his chest as they argued while exchanging custody of their child. He was adamant that the female be prosecuted for assault.
Seriously? Buddy, you have way bigger issues than this.
A woman, 50, reported she was nearly struck by a tennis ball at the Community Tennis Center. The woman believed the ball was served intentionally in her direction by a 51-year-old man with whom she is acquainted. The ball missed her, but she demanded criminal charges be brought against the man for injuries she might have suffered if the ball had struck her.
I just wonder if the woman was the opponent of the man who served the ball, because then isn’t it the point to serve the ball intentinally in her direction?
I’m working on a written summary of our trip to Italy, complete with historical facts about the places we visited. Yeah, it’s not going so quickly. I want to get it finished soon though before I forget some of details.
One odd thing we noticed in Italy was the dogs. Except for one Maltese and a few Yorkies, all of the dogs were mutts. They didn’t look like any particular breed other than a lot of them were short and long like Daschunds. So we decided that they pick their dogs by small, medium or large and by black, brown or white.
The people-watching was great! Between the locals and the tourists there was always something/someone interesting to observe. We could usually tell the locals from the tourists because the locals were more laid back - and a lot more stylish. And the tourists were usually in a rush, taking pictures, and dressed not-so-stylishly.
There are a LOT of tiny cars and a LOT of scooters. And there is, at least to our untrained eyes, very little traffic direction for all of those tiny cards and scooters, and yet they all seem to flow easily (albeit crowdingly) in the direction they’re going.
We didn’t buy many souvenirs. A book from the Vatican with pictures of all the buildings and artwork. Sometimes I got sick of taking pictures and wanted to soak it all in. Other times we weren’t allowed to take pictures (Sistine Chapel), so the book is a good compilation. Some postcards - those kind of pictures I could never take on my own. And 3 pieces of glass artwork from Murano while in Venice. One is for us, and one each for our moms. I gave mine to my mom last night. She loved it. I knew she would - it’s exactly the kind of piece she likes, and in the right colors. It is quite pretty. E and I laughed, “You realize that whatever we get our moms, we are probably going to get back some day.” Especially from his mom since he is an only child.
Italy was (is!) AWESOME! As in, I can’t even use the word ‘awesome’ to describe anything else anymore. I had such a great time with my husband (still feels funny to say that)! We saw as many sights as we could (pictures here are just a tiny tiny sampling), ate a ton of food (it has been proven that I can eat pizza every day and still not be sick of it), and totally wish we would have had the foresight to book a couple extra days in Rome once our tour was done. We will definitely go back.
I love LOVE glass-blowing! My Grampa used to do it - first for work, then creatively - and he has made such amazing pieces. And who wouldn’t want to watch this guy work?
Pisa. Yes, of course we did the pictures of ourselves holding up the Tower. We’re cool like that.
E is on the Spanish Steps in this picture…can you find him?
The Pope. THE POPE!!!!
Tomorrow I leave for my honeymoon and I have more knots in my stomach than I ever did for the wedding.
I’m the kind of person who doesn’t really get too excited until I actually arrive at my destination. THEN, finally, I am on vacation. Unless it’s a rambling road trip - that’s different. Otherwise, there’s always flight delays and other issues that can crop up. Not pessimistic, just very cautiously optimistic.
Neither E or I have been to Italy before, and new experiences are always cause for me to overthink (worry) about everything.
I’m pretty sure, though, that it will be so beyond wonderful that I will not want it to end. Wish me luck.
Funniest part of the wedding: The looks on E’s dad’s and stepmom’s faces when they see me, standing behind the priest, making the throat-cutting motion to let them know not to take pictures during Communion - as they had their cameras up and ready to snap away.
The pre-wedding weekend was an idea we dreamed up to give us a chance to party with family and friends before the wedding. Because the wedding was so small, we weren’t going to be able to invite everyone and we weren’t having a traditional party-reception.
Friday morning I woke up, got dressed and ran errands. E had to work. He was done by noon, so we had some lunch together then he took a nap. We left the house around 3:30 or so headed to Macatraz* for our pre-wedding weekend. It rained ALL the way there. The weather forecasts were for rain all weekend. We had dinner in the city and watched the wind whipping and the waves crashing on the water. E’s dad/wife found us, so we ended up hanging out with them for a while. The rain let up enough that we made a break for the car and checked into the hotel.
Saturday dawned partly sunny and the rain wasn’t supposed to come until that evening. So we headed to Macatraz with high hopes. We arrived to a fairly warm wind. We left our luggage at the hotel until we could check in and took off on our bikes. We ran into some people we knew and stopped to chat a few times. Finally, we set off for a real bike ride around the island. It was a beautiful day…windy and sunny, some clouds, but nice. We went back to the place where we got engaged. We wrapped it up after over an hour of biking. We met some people for lunch. After that, E met up with some friends to go to the bar, and some girls and I went to the spa for treatments. I got an hour-long massage that was wonderful and just what I needed.
We all got ready to go out and met for dinner at a restaurant. Seating worked out perfectly - especially considering we hadn’t really planned anything or made reservations. Dinner was loud and fun, and the restaurant even had a guy doing card tricks so that was fun. After dinner, we headed to a bar up the street and grabbed a bunch of tables there. There was live entertainment - just two guys with a guitar and drums. We had a lot of drinks and by the end of the night, just a few of us were left. We had a lot of fun dancing and laughing at other people dancing. We left and made it back to the hotel around 1:45am. My brother and a couple other friends decided to hit the hotel bar for another drink, but I was done. E was done too since he passed out as soon as we got to the room.
Sunday was another beautiful sunny day. E was still sleeping, so I got up and got ready and ran into my friend in the hotel lobby. She and her husband were going for a walk, and she said my family was in the hotel restaurant. So I hung out with them for a bit, then walked them to the ferry. I wandered down to Starbucks for a big fat coffee. Then I headed back to the room to see how E was doing. Not too well. But he sucked it up and showered and got ready. We checked out, then had lunch with a group of friends. We decided to head out after that.
The weekend was so awesome! The weather cooperated perfectly. Everyone had a great time. And everything worked out more perfectly than we could ever have planned. Thinking about it afterwards, I can not imagine having to had to party like that AFTER a whole day of wedding, pictures, dinner, and all the stress that goes along with it. It was casual and fun and I didn’t have to worry about a dress or anything. And it was so nice to have the day of the wedding devoted to just the wedding and our close family and friends.
*If you live in Michigan, you probably know what I’m talking about.
I woke up early-ish and went for a walk. Walked to the bagel place to get our favorite bagels and cream cheese. Picked up some other things to try out our new espresso machine and walked home. I woke up E with the promise of coffee and breakfast. Then we cleaned up a little and I logged into my work email to see if anything was going on. Not much, thankfully. E and I went for another walk. We set up a game plan for the day. We went to lunch, and E dropped me off at home so I could start getting ready, and he went to wash the car. My mom came over and she and I went to the church so E could finish getting ready at home by himself. We arrived at the church just as the guy was delivering flowers. They were a bit of a disappointment, but oh well. Other people started arriving, so I went to the room to get dressed.
My dad came back and we walked to the doors to wait for our cue. I could hear the music. Finally it was our turn, so we started out. I was looking at everyone there and totally not looking at E. Don’t ask me why. I wish I had been. When we finally got to the front and I looked at him his little chin was quivering so bad. It was so sweet! We stood in front of the altar while the opening song was sung. Father had some comments and then we went to sit for the readings. My dad’s fiancée and E’s mom did a great job with the readings. Then, after the sermon, it was show time. We said our vows and exchanged rings. Neither one of us cried and we did a great job!
E and I participated in the ceremony by bringing up the gifts and helping to minister communion. That was nice, and I think a nice surprise for the family. We hadn’t told anyone we were doing that. After communion, we were called up for a final blessing, and as Father said, “it’s time for the big ol’ smooch”. We walked out after that and it was over. It did happen pretty fast. I think our participation in the mass really helped us be in the moment instead of just spectators.
We greeted everyone and went back inside for pictures. That went smoothly and quickly. Then it was off to dinner. Dinner was great! I think everyone had a good time and enjoyed themselves and the food. There was a few instances of clinking the glass for E and I to kiss. It was fun until my nephew decided it was a good idea and had a hard time not clinking. No one stayed too long so we were home by 8:30 or so. We opened some sparkling wine and opened presents. Everyone was beyond generous and we received some lovely gifts.
I fell asleep on the couch and went to bed without washing my face or anything. I woke up around midnight and THEN got up to wash my face and brush my teeth, and went back to bed. And today is like any other day except I am married. E left for work, but my group told me they didn’t want to see me today. So I’m going to get started on thank you cards and go pick up some things for our trip.
Today is my last day of work before I get married.
