A Romantic Getaway (August 2023)

 

Nothing makes a Romantic Getaway romantic quite like a box of Happy Shapes. 

We didn't even buy the cereal! Still romantic.  

This post is comprised entirely from phone pictures I took and texted to my children while John and I were on an overnight trip to Rome. I suppose I should try to edit them someday since they're the only evidence of our trip, but when pictures are this terrible, why bother?

John surprised me with a trip to Capitolfest! We watched classic films for a day and a half straight and ate ice cream in the dark. The only thing more romantic than Happy Shapes is eating ice cream with your best friend in a movie theater. I loved every minute of this trip. John is the greatest.

I took a picture of ice cubes for Millie, who exclaims, "Aren't they just so cute?!!" over ice cubes like no one else I know.

Book earrings, also for the Bumpkin.

The theater was gorgeous and full of lovely architectural and art deco details. I couldn't help but take crummy snapshots to send to the girls.

All of the silent movies had live music as their soundtrack, with professional organists and live sound effects, and the curtain opened and closed over the screen for each show. ROMANTIC.

I caught John using the working phone booth to call me...while we were on the same floor. 

Also romantic. 

And here's a picture of a handsome, defeated man. While waiting for the first show, he pulled out some board games. Anyone who knows my history of gaming with John knows that I win one out of every hundred games, and that only if I'm lucky. 

Guess what, folks? Not only did I get to spend time alone with this gem of a man, but he let me beat him in one, solitary game. I'm the luckiest girl.  <3

And if you find it funny that this, of all games, is the only one at which I beat John, it's okay. 

I think it's funny, too.

Aidan Goes to the Eye Doctor (August 2023)

 

Once a year, Aidan sees an eye specialist in Syracuse. Usually John and I make a date of it, but this time he had to work, so Aidan and I flew solo. 

Like many pictures I take on my phone, the main purpose of these was to text to family members so they could be jealous of our good fortune. 

Jim Thorpe From the Phone (August 2023)

 

My sister Sally from Ohio (a.k.a. Aunt Sarah J.) hatched a plan to bring us to Jim Thorpe,  nearly all expenses paid. The older three girls were gone at darn Poiema, but the rest of us had a few days of getting away from all things wedding. I didn't know how much I needed the respite until we were on the road, and my heart soared to be riding away from all the chores with most of the people I love best. I don't even think I took my big camera on this trip, because these are all from my phone. That's how invested I was in taking high-quality pictures like the one below. 

My brother Pete's doctor's office building has two apartments above the office, and one of them was without a current renter. Sarah and the boys stocked the apartment with beds, chairs, furniture, books, and toys, and made our stay there a true delight. 

We ate our first-ever Domino's pizza thanks to her generosity, too! This was one of the highlights of the trip.

John sent Piper and Luci and I on a date for coffee, so we sent a picture to the oldest three to-- how did you guess?-- try to make them jealous.

We stopped at Rainbow's End for candy and then the library. Sticky fingers and books are a winning combination!

Sarah is an incredible cook with an enviable ability to season and spice, so I took pictures of the food to text to the girls who were down South. I can't remember if I sent them or not, so hopefully these terrible snapshots will still make you three jealous a year and a half later.

Talking in their backyard while the kiddos played in the pool was another highlight. Bliss for my children.

And, YES, that bright thing infringing on the corner of the frame is indeed a bouncy-house.

Spontaneous purchase of a bouncy house to delight children and cousins alike? A resounding YES.

This is Sarah in a nutshell.  (And now you all wish you had a Sally from Ohio, too.)

Wedding Much?! (August 2023)

 

I took these so Annika could see invitation progress while she was down South. I post them here because they're on my phone. Sorry.

230 adults invited. 225 children invited.

Now that's an ideal percentage for wedding guests! Modern brides with adult-only cocktail hours, take note.

John made me a delicious sub. As usual, I texted this picture to make my children jealous. (Because that's what a loving mother does, that's why.)

A Picture Worthy of Its Own Post

 

So many, many, many things fell off the map for a year straight while I wore the hat of a reluctant wedding planner-- home education, weeding the gardens, canning the harvest, feeding my children, clothing my children, etc., etc.

As head of the Ketchup Oversight Committee, I realized my oversight when I looked in the cupboards and refrigerator to take the Ketchup Census.

Surely we deserve some kind of award for this. 

The Only McGamma

When Mildred was born 22 years ago, Grandma Owen arrived the same day, though she lived six hours away. She cradled Millie in the hospital before we even made it home.  She had warmly welcomed me into the Owen family, but this was my first introduction to the deep reservoir of love she held for her grandbabies. 

We lived in Buffalo when Annika and Susannah were born, which was farther yet, and she cooed over each one of them during their first days of life, too. Every time John and I welcomed another "cunning" baby, from Piper and Lucinda all the way through to Mallory Mirth and sunshine Glory-girl, we knew she would join unstintingly in our joy, greeting each child soon after birth with limitless love.

Through the years, she poured love and unbridled generosity on the entire family, but her greatest delight remained in her grandchildren. At every family gathering, a common sight was Grandma sitting with her lap overflowing with children. Over the last year as we all faced the knowledge of her mortality, one of her comforts was that when God took her Home, grandchildren would be among those to greet her. She'd leave her grandchildren here for a time but would immediately be with the grandchildren we long to meet one day. 

On the evening of December 21st, the woman we can't imagine being without was absent from the body and present with her Lord. Our great loss is her great gain, yet we miss her more than words can say.

Until God fulfils our Hope, we love you. Kiss those grandbabies for us.