i'm working on my lesson for sunday. it's largely about the resurrection of christ, but in reading the outline, one of the scripture sets meant to be covered set off a spark.
the scriptures tell of the encounter between two disciples on the road to emmaus and the resurrected savior. what is striking about this story is that though they were considered and called disciples, they did not recognize the master as he traveled with them.
recently, in a discussion about youth conference, mom and dad mentioned an article that had appeared in the washington post. the article, as i had been told, had a similar theme, or rather posed a similar question, would we recognize (a) master?, and detailed an experiment conducted by the post to elicit an answer to the question.
a violin prodigy and virtuoso was asked to put on 'street clothes' and play in the l'enfant metro station here in the district. he agreed, and everyone in the know watched and waited. the results were shameful in the sheer lack of interest or recognition.
joshua bell earns $1000 per performance minute, yet in l'enfant plaza, he earned just over $32 for the 43 minutes during which he played some of the most difficult pieces in existence.
very few people stopped, or recognized the difference between a 'common' street performer, and this master violinist. most just hurried by, anxious to get to their tasks for the day.
in my case at this particular moment, the application is as i have mentioned..that question of recognition. do i understand enough..am i in tune enough...have i studied enough, that i would know the master if he came? but the story certainly has a broader context as well. it serves as a reminder about priorities, about the way in which we choose to live our lives. are we living lives that would allow us to stop, to appreciate, and to recognize the gifts around us?
for my part, i find a modicum of success from time to time, but mostly i am probably a miserable failure. often a little too self-absorbed. a little too hurried. a little too ignorant. a little too ungrateful.
the article, accompanied by video snippets, though long, is well worth the read (and the watch), and served as a poignant reminder to me to vigilant about striving to become a little less self-absorbed. a little less hurried. a little less ignorant. and a lot less ungrateful.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
california
more details will come next week regarding the quick trip to california. the short story is this... jesse flew home on monday. i flew to california on tuesday. we had picked up our copies of harry potter on saturday (aaron, your feelings are noted..no need to slam me), knowing i would have plenty of travel time. this was the only book i packed, as i was challenged by and succeeded in checking NO bags.
for those that have traveled with me, you will know how significant this is. but, i had two layovers, and was certain any checked bags would not arrive with me. i couldn't take the risk, so i packed only a small rollerboard and a backpack. no room for an extra book...which frankly, i wouldn't have considered anyway, as it had never occurred to me that i would finish so quickly. but, i did.
***spoiler alert***
i knew snape wasn't bad! and i'm shocked that the trio all survived.
***spoiler concluded***
overall, i enjoyed the book, but wasn't sure what i would read on the return trip. nonetheless, that was way down on the list of things to stress about.
i arrived at john wayne airport, and was met by cousin-in-law, jenny.
on the way to tustin, jenny got a call from the neighbor saying that drew had poked himself in the eye (no, 'it's all fun and games until...' jokes) and had a visible scratch on his cornea. when we arrived, jenny contacted the advice nurse, and eventually it was determined that mick would take him to the walk-in.
mick and drew were joined by brad, while jenny and 9 year old rachel (or as i like to call her...'mini me') caught up on life and enjoyed girl time.
i spent wednesday morning with rachel, who is entirely too intelligent for her age, and when jenny made it home from work, i headed out for a mani/pedi. i was short on time, but felt that this was a necessity before my afternoon appointments. when i called to find out if they could fit me in, i asked if it would be possible to do both at the same time, since we don't really do that here (pedicure first, manicure second--i have no idea why) and had to laugh at myself when i arrived and saw that the salon was setup solely for that purpose. they did an excellent job, quickly, and cheaply, and it was back to the donahoos to change for the afternoon.
my meetings went well, although i was suffering from a powerful and sudden migraine. despite the challenge, i felt good about my presentation.
after a successful pit stop in aliso viejo (more details next week), i headed back to mick and jenny's to change, take some migraine medicine, throw on my glasses, and throw up, before heading out to meet jesse, who made the hour and a half-ish drive to treat me to a very nice and much appreciated dinner in santa monica.
i'm not sure which of the above (or a combination of the three) helped, but my migraine dissipated as quickly as it had come (hours after it's onset of course--but that is far better than days!), allowing me to thoroughly enjoy the company (and food) at dinner.
though i had no thursday obligations, i knew that jesse had to work, so i tried to send him home at a reasonable hour. i sort of succeeded.
thursday was travel day. jenny saved the day by providing a book for the trip home.
ironically, i had been hearing about this book from anne, and had been mildly curious. in the end, i had mixed feelings about it. i will likely go on to book 2, but not until i've finished a couple of other books on the night stand.
whatever the result, i consider the trip a happy success. i was able to spend time with people i care about, and hopefully make some headway in other areas as well.
as a sidenote, the 'odd' photos in this post are courtesy of rachel and 'photo booth' on my mac.
to give you a better sense of rachel, let me share the most memorable of our interactions:
me: i need to get my nails done tomorrow
rachel: (within 10 minutes, puts down a printout of a google map showing the nearest nail salons) here you go!
rachel: (scrolling through the ring tones on my phone and encountering justin timberlake's 'sexy back'--anne's ring tone). hmmm. this is kind of inappropriate.
rachel: have you put your makeup on?
me: no. i don't usually wear makeup.
rachel: well you don't need to. you're really pretty.
is there any wonder why i love this girl?!
for those that have traveled with me, you will know how significant this is. but, i had two layovers, and was certain any checked bags would not arrive with me. i couldn't take the risk, so i packed only a small rollerboard and a backpack. no room for an extra book...which frankly, i wouldn't have considered anyway, as it had never occurred to me that i would finish so quickly. but, i did.
***spoiler alert***
i knew snape wasn't bad! and i'm shocked that the trio all survived.
***spoiler concluded***
overall, i enjoyed the book, but wasn't sure what i would read on the return trip. nonetheless, that was way down on the list of things to stress about.
i arrived at john wayne airport, and was met by cousin-in-law, jenny.
on the way to tustin, jenny got a call from the neighbor saying that drew had poked himself in the eye (no, 'it's all fun and games until...' jokes) and had a visible scratch on his cornea. when we arrived, jenny contacted the advice nurse, and eventually it was determined that mick would take him to the walk-in.
mick and drew were joined by brad, while jenny and 9 year old rachel (or as i like to call her...'mini me') caught up on life and enjoyed girl time.
i spent wednesday morning with rachel, who is entirely too intelligent for her age, and when jenny made it home from work, i headed out for a mani/pedi. i was short on time, but felt that this was a necessity before my afternoon appointments. when i called to find out if they could fit me in, i asked if it would be possible to do both at the same time, since we don't really do that here (pedicure first, manicure second--i have no idea why) and had to laugh at myself when i arrived and saw that the salon was setup solely for that purpose. they did an excellent job, quickly, and cheaply, and it was back to the donahoos to change for the afternoon.
my meetings went well, although i was suffering from a powerful and sudden migraine. despite the challenge, i felt good about my presentation.
after a successful pit stop in aliso viejo (more details next week), i headed back to mick and jenny's to change, take some migraine medicine, throw on my glasses, and throw up, before heading out to meet jesse, who made the hour and a half-ish drive to treat me to a very nice and much appreciated dinner in santa monica.
i'm not sure which of the above (or a combination of the three) helped, but my migraine dissipated as quickly as it had come (hours after it's onset of course--but that is far better than days!), allowing me to thoroughly enjoy the company (and food) at dinner.
though i had no thursday obligations, i knew that jesse had to work, so i tried to send him home at a reasonable hour. i sort of succeeded.
thursday was travel day. jenny saved the day by providing a book for the trip home.
ironically, i had been hearing about this book from anne, and had been mildly curious. in the end, i had mixed feelings about it. i will likely go on to book 2, but not until i've finished a couple of other books on the night stand.
whatever the result, i consider the trip a happy success. i was able to spend time with people i care about, and hopefully make some headway in other areas as well.
as a sidenote, the 'odd' photos in this post are courtesy of rachel and 'photo booth' on my mac.
to give you a better sense of rachel, let me share the most memorable of our interactions:
me: i need to get my nails done tomorrow
rachel: (within 10 minutes, puts down a printout of a google map showing the nearest nail salons) here you go!
rachel: (scrolling through the ring tones on my phone and encountering justin timberlake's 'sexy back'--anne's ring tone). hmmm. this is kind of inappropriate.
rachel: have you put your makeup on?
me: no. i don't usually wear makeup.
rachel: well you don't need to. you're really pretty.
is there any wonder why i love this girl?!
lara's wedding
the much awaited day has come, and now gone, and i am pleased to report that lara has traded her sedar for a wood.
jesse and i arrived on time, and while i attended the sealing, he killed some time (a few minutes of which, as i understand it, were spent napping) in the visitor's center. when the ceremony was finished, we met up and waited for the happy couple to exit the temple.
lara looked gorgeous, and the dress she had been so worried about getting in, fitted as though it were made just for her.
as usual, i didn't take many breaks from photo snapping, and jesse was right behind me with alternate angles. after the group and family portraits, the crowd thinned, leaving myself, jesse, angela (who was in from florida), and another girlfriend of lara's to follow the couple and the official photographer around the temple grounds.
i have watched many photographers, and was really pleased with this one. with one or two exceptions, i liked the poses and the places she shot them in, and especially liked how much 'leeway' she gave me. instead of being annoyed by the fact that jesse and i were taking photos over her shoulder, she made sure we got the shots we wanted, and gave me helpful tips along the way. she was an absolute pleasure, and if the photos turn out well, i think i may have found my own official photographer when the day comes:)
when we had finished our unofficial photography duties, we headed home. initially jesse and i had planned to make a trip to the hazy center between the festivities, but hunger prevailed. i got started on lunch, and angela called needing food and somewhere to hang out until it was time for the ring ceremony.
since that and the reception were held close to home, it was convenient. it also provided the chance to spend more time with angela while here, and the three of us enjoyed lunch before heading over.
the ceremony and reception went smoothly, and i was thrilled to see and interact with many friends--some of whom i have not seen in some time!
eventually the happy (and i'm sure, relieved) couple was on their merry way. goodbyes were said, jesse and i spent the evening relaxing.
favorite pics are here, the rest are here.
jesse and i arrived on time, and while i attended the sealing, he killed some time (a few minutes of which, as i understand it, were spent napping) in the visitor's center. when the ceremony was finished, we met up and waited for the happy couple to exit the temple.
lara looked gorgeous, and the dress she had been so worried about getting in, fitted as though it were made just for her.
as usual, i didn't take many breaks from photo snapping, and jesse was right behind me with alternate angles. after the group and family portraits, the crowd thinned, leaving myself, jesse, angela (who was in from florida), and another girlfriend of lara's to follow the couple and the official photographer around the temple grounds.
i have watched many photographers, and was really pleased with this one. with one or two exceptions, i liked the poses and the places she shot them in, and especially liked how much 'leeway' she gave me. instead of being annoyed by the fact that jesse and i were taking photos over her shoulder, she made sure we got the shots we wanted, and gave me helpful tips along the way. she was an absolute pleasure, and if the photos turn out well, i think i may have found my own official photographer when the day comes:)
when we had finished our unofficial photography duties, we headed home. initially jesse and i had planned to make a trip to the hazy center between the festivities, but hunger prevailed. i got started on lunch, and angela called needing food and somewhere to hang out until it was time for the ring ceremony.
since that and the reception were held close to home, it was convenient. it also provided the chance to spend more time with angela while here, and the three of us enjoyed lunch before heading over.
the ceremony and reception went smoothly, and i was thrilled to see and interact with many friends--some of whom i have not seen in some time!
eventually the happy (and i'm sure, relieved) couple was on their merry way. goodbyes were said, jesse and i spent the evening relaxing.favorite pics are here, the rest are here.
jesse's visit
it is safe to say that i had a fabulous time hosting jesse last week!
though it's been four months since we have seen each other, it felt like no time at passed, and though i can't speak for him, i had a really wonderful time.
rather than recap the nitty gritties, i thought a 'highlight reel' might be more suitable. (photos below and on smugmug are a combination of both mine and jesse's.)
in chronological order:
1. raleigh
spending time with colby and julie is always a good time. this trip was made even better by the fact that i didn't get a speeding ticket (which happened the last time i went down), i still made it in record time, colby took me to sonic, cooper climbed the stairs, we saw harry potter in imax 3d, and jesse and colby replaced my brake pads (which had gotten so bad that every time i braked they made an awful grinding sound my radio had been masking for who knows how long) for a whopping $20 price tag...along with an iou for baked goods.
2. dc
my agenda for our dc day was ambitious and we didn't even come close. we never made it to the art gallery or archives, but we did hit the history museum, spy museum, washington monument, and the lincoln, ww2, korean, and vietnam memorials. the most enjoyable part of the day for me was enjoying a leisurely lunch at the sculpture garden cafe. it was delicious, and made for a perfect place to wait out the passing rain storm.
3. tubing
tubing is one of my favorite local outdoor activities. there is just something about floating by harper's ferry that is both relaxing and entertaining. because it was technically a weekday, the river was pretty quiet, so we were able to take our time, and didn't have to negotiate with other tubers when we decided to repeat one of the more fun rapids. harper's ferry itself was also enjoyable, and made even more so by the yummy peanut butter chocolate ice cream i had.
4. buffy
what can i say..it's buffy! the pre-show was immensely enjoyable--particularly the random volunteers who were asked to reenact a classic angel/buffy scene with the twist of the girl playing angel, and the guy playing buffy. they did a hilariously incredible job, and jesse and i were both awed that the girl needed to prompting from the screen on her lines. she had it down pat.
the show itself was a sing-songy good time, and though i never did get jesse singing along, he was happy to blow bubbles, pop confetti, and sport vampire teeth as necessary. i recognize what a surreal experience this must have been for him and the others who are not familiar with the show, but he was an excellent sport.
5. gettysburg
not too long ago, i heard from a very good high school friend that she would be in town. it had been years since we had seen each other, though we have tried to stay in contact as often as possible. the fact that jesse was in town made a meeting slightly more complicated, so the most obvious solution was to have her join us for our gettysburg excursion.
unfortunately, my tour guiding skills have turned out to be less than stellar. i simply don't have the recall that allows for interesting stories or significant events relating to places like gettysburg. fortunately though, the electric map served as a good jumping off point, and the auto tour julie and colby had lent us helped fill in the gaps. to do it right would have required more time than we had, so we did what we could and enjoyed the company and the scenery. and i enjoyed one of the best neck massages i have ever had, thereby resulting in my new secret nickname for j: 'magic hands jesse.'
again i realized that my tour guiding skills were less than stellar, but we listened to the electric map presentation and utilized the auto tour julie and colby had lent us, to work our way through the points of interest. we were there for several hours enjoying the scenery, the history, and the company, before making the drive home.
6. udvar-hazy center
like many of you, jesse saw a lot of pics of the hazy center after my party in april. i had sold it well and he was excited to see it. this was the last thing we did before i dropped him off at the airport on monday, and it was a fantastic way to send him off. he absolutely loved the museum--it's nearly impossible not to, and we spent hours wondering in and amongst the aerial artifacts. in fact, we spent longer than anticipated, so he was slightly later to the airport than initially planned. but, he made it, and made it safely back home.
all in all, it was a great time. as was the case in march, jesse took incredibly good care of me, and i can only hope that i did, in some small way, do the same for him.
though it's been four months since we have seen each other, it felt like no time at passed, and though i can't speak for him, i had a really wonderful time.
rather than recap the nitty gritties, i thought a 'highlight reel' might be more suitable. (photos below and on smugmug are a combination of both mine and jesse's.)
in chronological order:
1. raleigh
spending time with colby and julie is always a good time. this trip was made even better by the fact that i didn't get a speeding ticket (which happened the last time i went down), i still made it in record time, colby took me to sonic, cooper climbed the stairs, we saw harry potter in imax 3d, and jesse and colby replaced my brake pads (which had gotten so bad that every time i braked they made an awful grinding sound my radio had been masking for who knows how long) for a whopping $20 price tag...along with an iou for baked goods.
2. dc
my agenda for our dc day was ambitious and we didn't even come close. we never made it to the art gallery or archives, but we did hit the history museum, spy museum, washington monument, and the lincoln, ww2, korean, and vietnam memorials. the most enjoyable part of the day for me was enjoying a leisurely lunch at the sculpture garden cafe. it was delicious, and made for a perfect place to wait out the passing rain storm.
3. tubing
tubing is one of my favorite local outdoor activities. there is just something about floating by harper's ferry that is both relaxing and entertaining. because it was technically a weekday, the river was pretty quiet, so we were able to take our time, and didn't have to negotiate with other tubers when we decided to repeat one of the more fun rapids. harper's ferry itself was also enjoyable, and made even more so by the yummy peanut butter chocolate ice cream i had.
4. buffy
what can i say..it's buffy! the pre-show was immensely enjoyable--particularly the random volunteers who were asked to reenact a classic angel/buffy scene with the twist of the girl playing angel, and the guy playing buffy. they did a hilariously incredible job, and jesse and i were both awed that the girl needed to prompting from the screen on her lines. she had it down pat.
the show itself was a sing-songy good time, and though i never did get jesse singing along, he was happy to blow bubbles, pop confetti, and sport vampire teeth as necessary. i recognize what a surreal experience this must have been for him and the others who are not familiar with the show, but he was an excellent sport.
5. gettysburg
not too long ago, i heard from a very good high school friend that she would be in town. it had been years since we had seen each other, though we have tried to stay in contact as often as possible. the fact that jesse was in town made a meeting slightly more complicated, so the most obvious solution was to have her join us for our gettysburg excursion.
unfortunately, my tour guiding skills have turned out to be less than stellar. i simply don't have the recall that allows for interesting stories or significant events relating to places like gettysburg. fortunately though, the electric map served as a good jumping off point, and the auto tour julie and colby had lent us helped fill in the gaps. to do it right would have required more time than we had, so we did what we could and enjoyed the company and the scenery. and i enjoyed one of the best neck massages i have ever had, thereby resulting in my new secret nickname for j: 'magic hands jesse.'
again i realized that my tour guiding skills were less than stellar, but we listened to the electric map presentation and utilized the auto tour julie and colby had lent us, to work our way through the points of interest. we were there for several hours enjoying the scenery, the history, and the company, before making the drive home.
6. udvar-hazy center
like many of you, jesse saw a lot of pics of the hazy center after my party in april. i had sold it well and he was excited to see it. this was the last thing we did before i dropped him off at the airport on monday, and it was a fantastic way to send him off. he absolutely loved the museum--it's nearly impossible not to, and we spent hours wondering in and amongst the aerial artifacts. in fact, we spent longer than anticipated, so he was slightly later to the airport than initially planned. but, he made it, and made it safely back home.
all in all, it was a great time. as was the case in march, jesse took incredibly good care of me, and i can only hope that i did, in some small way, do the same for him.
Monday, July 23, 2007
not an actual post
just a quick note to say that i have not fallen off the face of the earth.
jesse headed back to ca today, and i head there tomorrow, so i haven't had nor will i have time to breath for a little while longer.
during the last few days, i have been in five states, and there are about 600 pics between j and i that i am hoping to work my way through while spending uncomfortable amounts of time in airports (and adding two more states to the list) over the next couple of days.
bear with me..and keep your fingers crossed that all goes well in california!
jesse headed back to ca today, and i head there tomorrow, so i haven't had nor will i have time to breath for a little while longer.
during the last few days, i have been in five states, and there are about 600 pics between j and i that i am hoping to work my way through while spending uncomfortable amounts of time in airports (and adding two more states to the list) over the next couple of days.
bear with me..and keep your fingers crossed that all goes well in california!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
let the madness begin
i have been preparing for my life to get crazy, but it happened a little sooner than expected.
though i was supposed to teach today, on friday, i was feeling completely overwhelmed at everything i needed to accomplish before jesse’s arrival. especially since the day after he leaves, i will be heading out to california for a couple of days (if you want more info on this, feel free to email me!).
as such, i called the trusty sunday school president, and he let me off the hook. so, saturday was ‘prep’ day. i cleaned my car and my room, hunted for water shoes (for tubing day), and took care of a few other things before hopping in the shower and getting ready for lara’s ‘bachelorette’ party.
lara picked me up and we headed to ned devine’s, where we met up with two other friends, kathryn and valerie.
kathryn had gone to great lengths to make this a memorable evening for lara, and aside from attaching her veil immediately upon arrival, she whipped out a book she had created with tasks to be accomplished.
tasks included things such as practicing putting the ring on her betrothed’s finger, having someone put a garter belt on her, practicing eating cake by feeding and being fed marshmallows, and practicing the aisle walk by finding a gentleman to escort her to the bathroom. each task had an assigned point value for an attempt, as well as successful completion. each task had to be witnessed by one of the ‘witnesses’ in the bachelorette party, and signed off on by the gentleman helping to complete it. the goal was to reach 100 points, which would ensure a successful marriage. all props were provided, and the book was attached to a sash that read simply ‘bride.’
it was clever and absolutely darling, and of course made for a fun evening as we perused the bar looking for willing victims. lara was a good sport and i am happy to report that she achieved her goal and is now guaranteed that successful marriage!
the music wasn’t fabulous, but there were a few songs that allowed us the opportunity to hit the dance floor. though kathryn and valerie are both ‘new’ to me, we all had a great time!
after lara dropped me off at home, i had just made it inside the door when i saw a car with a giant birthday cake on top of it pull up in front of the house. it was 1:30 am, so i couldn’t fathom what might me going on, and i went out to check on it.
i was shocked to find susie and sarah chapman exiting the car.
as a part of lynn’s delegate campaign, he ‘and company’ created a float and participated in the leesburg fourth of july parade. on the float was a giant cake that said ‘happy birthday america.’ the chapman’s had altered and customized the cake and brought it over to celebrate mom’s birthday today!
though i had hoped to see her initial reaction this morning, i slept in, and when i did get up, i got the best news ever.
as a part of the agreement allowing kate’s move out of state, kendyl’s father ronnie gets her for six weeks this summer. they met kate half way yesterday to pick kendyl up, but since they are not required to ‘share’ her, we had no idea whether we would see kendyl or not. it was a wonderful surprise to have them offer to bring her to celebrate mom’s day.
mom, dad and i were all like expectant fathers..pacing the floor, looking out the window, and waiting for her arrival. finally she came, and i think it was a miracle none of us broke down in tears.
it’s been almost exactly a month since kate and kendyl left, and we have all felt every minute of it. last week when i called kendyl to wish her a happy birthday, she got off the phone and said ‘i love you tara,’ which of course, was my emotional undoing.
to see her today was the best thing any of us could have wished for. though she was tired, she was excited to see all of us, and we got to spend a couple of hours with her while getting caught up with ronnie and his fiancee jess. as it turns out, they are moving about five miles from us, and are planning on sharing her much more than we could have hoped! this is especially good news to me, since i have no idea how much longer i will be in the area, or how many more opportunities i will have to see her.
eventually, it was time to say goodbye, and kendyl, who has always been hit or miss about affection (i think she takes after me in that regard!), made the ‘goodbye’ rounds. she gave nana kisses, then said to me ‘want kisses?’ of course i said yes, and she ran into my arms and gave me big kisses. then we went to find papa, at which point she said ‘i need kisses!’ how darling is that?!
it did all of our hearts wonders to see her today!
the rest of the evening involved a celebration of mom’s birthday at the chapman’s, and a fireside by one of my favorite local speakers ever, before returning to the chapman’s for dessert.
all and all it was a fun AND productive weekend. i had a lot to accomplish since so much of my time this week and next will be spent playing and traveling. one more day of work, then it’s on!
though i was supposed to teach today, on friday, i was feeling completely overwhelmed at everything i needed to accomplish before jesse’s arrival. especially since the day after he leaves, i will be heading out to california for a couple of days (if you want more info on this, feel free to email me!).
as such, i called the trusty sunday school president, and he let me off the hook. so, saturday was ‘prep’ day. i cleaned my car and my room, hunted for water shoes (for tubing day), and took care of a few other things before hopping in the shower and getting ready for lara’s ‘bachelorette’ party.
lara picked me up and we headed to ned devine’s, where we met up with two other friends, kathryn and valerie.
kathryn had gone to great lengths to make this a memorable evening for lara, and aside from attaching her veil immediately upon arrival, she whipped out a book she had created with tasks to be accomplished.
tasks included things such as practicing putting the ring on her betrothed’s finger, having someone put a garter belt on her, practicing eating cake by feeding and being fed marshmallows, and practicing the aisle walk by finding a gentleman to escort her to the bathroom. each task had an assigned point value for an attempt, as well as successful completion. each task had to be witnessed by one of the ‘witnesses’ in the bachelorette party, and signed off on by the gentleman helping to complete it. the goal was to reach 100 points, which would ensure a successful marriage. all props were provided, and the book was attached to a sash that read simply ‘bride.’
it was clever and absolutely darling, and of course made for a fun evening as we perused the bar looking for willing victims. lara was a good sport and i am happy to report that she achieved her goal and is now guaranteed that successful marriage!
the music wasn’t fabulous, but there were a few songs that allowed us the opportunity to hit the dance floor. though kathryn and valerie are both ‘new’ to me, we all had a great time!
after lara dropped me off at home, i had just made it inside the door when i saw a car with a giant birthday cake on top of it pull up in front of the house. it was 1:30 am, so i couldn’t fathom what might me going on, and i went out to check on it.
i was shocked to find susie and sarah chapman exiting the car.
as a part of lynn’s delegate campaign, he ‘and company’ created a float and participated in the leesburg fourth of july parade. on the float was a giant cake that said ‘happy birthday america.’ the chapman’s had altered and customized the cake and brought it over to celebrate mom’s birthday today!
though i had hoped to see her initial reaction this morning, i slept in, and when i did get up, i got the best news ever.
as a part of the agreement allowing kate’s move out of state, kendyl’s father ronnie gets her for six weeks this summer. they met kate half way yesterday to pick kendyl up, but since they are not required to ‘share’ her, we had no idea whether we would see kendyl or not. it was a wonderful surprise to have them offer to bring her to celebrate mom’s day.
mom, dad and i were all like expectant fathers..pacing the floor, looking out the window, and waiting for her arrival. finally she came, and i think it was a miracle none of us broke down in tears.
it’s been almost exactly a month since kate and kendyl left, and we have all felt every minute of it. last week when i called kendyl to wish her a happy birthday, she got off the phone and said ‘i love you tara,’ which of course, was my emotional undoing.
to see her today was the best thing any of us could have wished for. though she was tired, she was excited to see all of us, and we got to spend a couple of hours with her while getting caught up with ronnie and his fiancee jess. as it turns out, they are moving about five miles from us, and are planning on sharing her much more than we could have hoped! this is especially good news to me, since i have no idea how much longer i will be in the area, or how many more opportunities i will have to see her.
eventually, it was time to say goodbye, and kendyl, who has always been hit or miss about affection (i think she takes after me in that regard!), made the ‘goodbye’ rounds. she gave nana kisses, then said to me ‘want kisses?’ of course i said yes, and she ran into my arms and gave me big kisses. then we went to find papa, at which point she said ‘i need kisses!’ how darling is that?!
it did all of our hearts wonders to see her today!
the rest of the evening involved a celebration of mom’s birthday at the chapman’s, and a fireside by one of my favorite local speakers ever, before returning to the chapman’s for dessert.
all and all it was a fun AND productive weekend. i had a lot to accomplish since so much of my time this week and next will be spent playing and traveling. one more day of work, then it’s on!
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