Remember the ones you know and love who have made our costly freedom possible. And be grateful for all the ones you don’t know, have never even heard of.
Happy Veteran’s Day? More like HONOR Veteran’s Day. Let’s honor the honorable.
Category Archives: 3 Celebrations & Festive Events
Happy Birthday to “our Jovanie”
Rocky found a wife.
One boy. One chance to get the right woman. So many {{sooooo many}} volunteers for the position. Haha. But he looked around and saw Jovan, his “friend.” And he is a smart kid. He knew a good woman when he saw her. And he chose well. And we are so proud of him for loving her and marrying her. And we are so grateful she loves him back with such zeal and dedicated fervor. Together, they are creating one of the most beautiful families you will ever see. Rocky + Jovan = Averi (3) and Amelie Belle (1 1/2) for now…but sweet d-i-l promises me there will be more.
A great addition to the fam
Jovan comes from 2 gorgeous parents (both with amazing hair and over-the-top good looks). Italians from New York. And 2 gorgeous sisters. She comes from fervent Jesus followers and prayer warriors. She comes from good people. And she is proof to us that God loves us. He blessed us so.
Light-reflector
Jovan sometimes models for www.maydae.com
Happy-happy-happy Birthday, Jovanie. On an All Hallow’d Eve’ so long ago, a day usually draped in black and night, a light was born. Twenty-five years ago today, to be exact, a reflector of the love of Jesus Christ was born and the world can never again be as dark as it once was. Shine on, sweet girl, godly woman, and gift-of-a-daughter you are.
Here is my birthday card for YOU.
I love you, girl! I hope you will sense how much in the words on this “card.” You have to look closely, but it is full of hope and love just for you! (click to see larger)
Mon Pauvre Petits Arbres**
**My poor little trees
They were not done revealing their zenith, had barely begun to undress. Tsk. Pauvres bébés.
You can see the strees down the fenceline, still almost fully leafed, and my little raindrop tree is bowing low, as are the Christmas lights strung across the patio for ambiance – hanging very low, indeed! The grill looks like it has perhaps 3″ on top? They have threatened 6″…we shall see…
An Aspen in the backyard that is 12 feet away is practically hanging in the kitchen window today. Well, excuse me.
Bonjour, snow. Have mercy on my tree boughs, s’il te plait.
Heavy wet snow on leafy branches = no bueno
Happy Birthday, Sherri Cramer O’Neal! xxoo
Joyeux anniversaire à un ami très long-temps. Vous apportez beaucoup de souvenirs heureux remontant au moins à 36 ou 37 années …. qui était, vous le savez, le jour de votre naissance! Bénédictions, ma fille!
Holy matrimony, Batman!
44 days. FOURTY-FOUR days!
Yikes.
Interesting how many little details still need attended to even though Tredessa and Ryan have decided to have a tiny, intimate family wedding and a small happily-ever-after-dinner-and-dance celebration following. Two large families = still almost 100 people and a thousand details.
- Dress – drop-dead stunningly gorgeous on my little girl! {check!}
- Cute little church, where they will whimsically and reverently speak the vows that begin their new life together {check!}
- Cute little barn loft where two families will become one giant family and eat and drink and be merry with the newly marrieds {check!}
- Lots of amazing brothers and sisters and lifelong friends as attendants {check!}
- Family as witnesses:: parents and grandparents and aunts and uncle and cousins – bunches will be there {check!}
- Singing. laughing, crying – followed by awkward, but enthusiastic dancing {check!}
- HONEYmooooooooooon! Oh, baby! {check!}
If we’d invited everyone we love like fam and all our good friends, they wouldn’t be able to marry until 2013 – because it would take us that long to be able to get ready and there’d have been hundredssssssssssssss of people. Ryan and Dessa are LOVED. And they were just not open to waiting that long. Because of the, ya know, HONEYmooooooooooon! *smile.
So, small-family-wedding, it is.
They do have a website::
http://www.mywedding.com/ryanandtredessa/index.html
Stories, pictures, a place where you can suggest music for the wedding and reception. There is a blog they are calling He Said//She Said* and they will answer posed (perhaps even imposed) questions to see how their answers line up…or don’t, just for fun.
Check it out and cheer them on!
Ryan + Tredessa = true love and kisses and lots of kids (more grandbebes for me!!)
Oh…and if you are on Facebook, Tredessa posted a video from their Florida trip, where she went to meet his wonderful family. They were out in the blue, blue ocean and Ryan caught – – – a SHARK! Yikeronis!
Ryan catching his shark.
Tredessa just watching Ryan catch his shark.
In the golf cart heading out to hunt for alligators on the Florida trip.
Weekend wedding
Dave & Tara did the pre-ceremony music for Patrick & Tia’s wedding
They sang and read scripture out on the Red Lion Inn’s grassy lawns. It was early evening and the canyon was clear and lovely, fall just barely beginning to make its’ presence known causing lovely texture in the hint-of-changing leaves.
Tia’s amazing smile was absolutely contagious. It was a lovely setting for a beautiful wedding with amazing food! Congratulations, Patrick and Tia. Love you!!
Um, ok, yes :: it is a bit shaky. It was my iPhone and I was trying to “peek” around the shoulder of another guest to get the footage. How about that sound, though, huh? Between those super slim and gorgeous Bose speakers and a handy little piece of Apple genius, not too shabby. :)
Hunter-Magoo!
Happy Birthday, handsome boy.
Early yesterday morning, the first cold, wet, dark morning of the fall, leaning against the elevator door too ealry on a Saturday morning – didn’t you remind me what a gift you are when you ran and jumped up to hug and kiss me and say “Happy Birthday, Nonna!!” ? Oh, yes, you did. LOVE you, birthday boy!
Casa Bonita tonight? YES!
Happy Birthday, Rocky
How old are you now?
TWENTY-seven??? What? How did this happen?
I seriously had to think about that.
O, Bo. Your mama loves you like crazy. I cannot remember a day since you have been born that I didn’t think I had the most wonderful-cool-cutie patootie-hilarious-intense-zany-fierce-cuddly-strong willed-good smelling-pretty boy-handsome-loud and lovable-wry-talented-accomplished boy in the world. Since you got mobile, before you could even walk, you have been bouncing off walls, and hitting your head on the ceiling. You are made for things wild and high and free and the best is yet to be, son-‘o-mine. You’re still at the starting line with a vast, open-space kind of future ahead. Being contained is a travesty towards your very soul, for that is not how the LORD knitted you together. And I am loving watching Him coax you back into the holy wild. Watch out, world!
So here is my birthday card for you.
I started doing these photo things this year as a way to think about each of you, really ponder, really put into words what I SEE in each of you. And I pray about them. And I ask God to give me deep insights and show me what He sees, too. They come from simple mommy-love and they come from deep places of intercession and Holy-Spirit-insight. So much better than a Hallmark, I am telling you.
So, I hope when you read this you will open up your heart to RECEIVE it, too, to understand that it is a gift of words. But not just words – it is a gift of seeing you, understanding you, proclaiming over your life, and presenting who you are, from my perspective, to the world. It isn’t everything about you (though even I could go on and on), but it is a part, just as all my “birthday cards” for my loves have been this year. It’s a part, seen by the mommy who birthed you and loves you more intensely than she ever dreamed possible. From the depths of my heart to the feeble words I use to explain that, I hope you will accept this and know how very proud I am of you, you ornery little booger.
Images :: www.lilacphotography.com Words :: the mom
Yes, I used some Ellie-images again. I couldn’t decide between the serious side of Rocky (intense, sincere, tough, rock-n-roll) and the silly side (harassing and teasing, aggravating and delighting), so I did both. And I could have kept going.
Love ya, Bubba. Happy Birthday
One-hundred days until
Image from www.megduerksen.typepad.com, a very joy-filled blog!
Up, Up and Away
This week in Gunnison.
Dave is teaching for the county here. We went really-really-really almost-above-the-timberline high to get here, over Monarch Pass. Here is a sign Dave saw in the county building:
I am visiting lots of wedding sites and www.marthastewart.com greets me with a countdown each time I log in, which I have to say does not really thrill me.
So, like 75 days now…actually less. Luckily, though, Ryan and Tredessa are having a small family wedding, so we should be able to pull it off. I mean I have got all the talent in the world in my fam!
In other wedding news ::
Elise-the-Niece is getting married to Matt in 11 days.
This gorgeous beauty will be at my house, along with little Miss Sawyer by the time we get home. All the way from hot-hot-hot Texas!
Better bring a sweater, Stef.
Dave and Tara are celebrating their 8th anniversary today.
Love your love, my sweets. 8 very, very good years.
Rocky and Jovan will celebrate their 5th anniversary Friday.
Five beautiful years for two gorgeous lovers! Congrats, my sweets!
So
I am catching up on reading and writing and organizing my computer files and photos and downloading video and editing video and getting room service every morning. From Dave.
And I have suddenly realized I want to start thinking ahead to:
Yes. It is time.
UPDATE 9/14/11 :: Apparently rain in Denver = snow in elevations over 10,000 feet. Living in Colorado this long I should know that, yet am here, expecting up to 6″ of snow tonight, in flip-flops and a hoodie. Hehe.
Engaging.
So here is what happened in our familia on 9.10.11
Just after the proposal – sporting the ring.
Recently.
We are happy. Congratulations, you two.
UPDATE from MayDae.com ~
http://www.maydae.com/love/they-will-forever/
http://www.maydae.com/fashion/music/
A super-tiny family ceremony to follow in really short order. On with the business of being married!