good friends and angels and waterfalls

We have had the great blessing of a few friends visiting this winter.  And whenever people visit, we get to take them to special places.  Like waterfalls. 

Earlier in the month some of our best friends came from Virginia.  I met this couple in the 90's when I was in graduate school, he and I worked together in a psychiatric hospital.  They adopted me into their family.  And I babysat for their sweet kids, who are now all grown up, which is a bit of a trip for me!  

He is our angel.  Gary had known him since college.  He introduced me to Gary's music in 1991, when I was a grad student in art therapy.  I became an instant fan.  I met Gary in 1993, at his encouragement, and the rest as "they" say, is history.

corner view~market

Farmer's market, McLean, Virginia, summer 2011.

Don't you love farmer's markets?  You can tell a lot about a place by their farmer's markets.  We have a tiny one where I live.  There are about twelve booths.  They just started it last year.  They get an A for effort.  The produce sold there is quite good, but it is nothing like the farmer's markets we have visited over the last year in Los Angeles, Italy, France, the above mentioned McLean, and even a small town in Indiana.  Gourmet foods, French pastries, handicrafts, soaps, clothes, flowers...all so unique!

night ball

We signed Shawn up for basketball this year, his first team sport.  After the clinics we had the option to put him on a team where he would be the oldest and one of the more advanced players, or the youngest and one of the more beginner players.  We chose the latter.  He is in the Junior Midgets league, having so much fun, and learning a lot more than basketball.  The season is half over, and here are the relevant stats thus far:  

The Sharks.   

Wins: 1

Losses: 4

Shawn's points: 2!  You have no idea how exciting this basket was!

Parent support at games: 120%

Lessons learned thus far:  

Patience

Cooperation 

Good sportsmanship 

Humility

Teamwork

________________

Value: Immeasurable

corner view~something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

Our wedding was a mixture of tradition and yet a unique creation.  I wore pearls and had a veil.  I carried flowers, as did my sister, who was my maid of honor.  We wrote our vows.  We read from the Bible and we read from Rumi.  We had lots of live music.  Our best friend officiated, and, of course, we were married in a garden.

I found this info on the internet.  I learned something this CV.  Our title phrase was taken from an old saying.

Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Here is the explanation, slightly paraphrased by yours truly.

A sixpence is a coin that was minted in Britain from 1551 to 1967. It was made of silver and worth six pennies.  The wedding tradition is English, and many sources say that it began in the Victorian era.

Each item in this poem represents a good-luck token for the bride. If she carries all of them on her wedding day, her marriage will be happy. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member, whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. The borrowed item also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family.  I love this part.

As for the colorful item, blue has been connected to weddings for centuries. In ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color. Before the late 19th century, blue was a popular color for wedding gowns, as evidenced in proverbs like, "Marry in blue, lover be true."

A silver sixpence in the bride's shoe represents wealth and financial security. It may date back to a Scottish custom of a groom putting a silver coin under his foot for good luck. For optimum fortune, the sixpence should be in the left shoe.

This summer we will celebrate our seventeen year anniversary.  This is a perfect valentine's day topic.  Happy Valentine's Day G.

what I saw today

I went up the mountain to get acupuncture from my favorite female doctor and afterwards took a few minutes to explore the gallery and grounds at a local lodge.  I love the design of the rock and brick walls.  I love the natural haphazard plan of the gardens. I love the charm of the buildings.  But I think my favorite photo is the coins in the fountain.

What would you wish for?

happy birthday annabel!

Today Annabel is thirteen!  It is really hard to believe.  Last weekend we had a party with her buddies.  We had a pasta buffet with different sauces and toppings.  We had gelato/sorbet cake -- strawberry and vanilla.  The girls spent the night.  They hung out on our new trampoline talking, they played truth or dare, they laughed and told stories and stayed up late and had snacks.  They woke up the next morning and were back on the trampoline before we brought them in for a pancake breakfast. 

I am going to have a happy birthday today, she said, when she woke up this morning.  Even though she has been sick with a sore throat all weekend and we didn't get to go shopping and spend her gift cards and get new fun clothes yesterday.  Even though we had to cancel our dinner reservations tonight at the new restaurant in town where we were going to take the family out.

I am going to have a good day anyway Mom.  When I asked her about this she basically said she thought it was the correct attitude.

She's only thirteen, but look at how wise she is!

work in progress

Inspiration, our summer trip to Giverny.

ask skylar

 

It has been awhile since I posted about Sky's webshow.  Here is episode seven.  She talks about friendship.