Wednesday, June 28, 2006

A Testament to Love

Twenty five years ago, today, John and I stood together in the hot sun,vowing to love and cherish each other forever .
We were in our early twenties and very much in love.
I wanted 12 children, but he married me anyway.
He never arrived anywhere on time, but I married him anyway- and yes, he was late to the wedding.
I can say with certainty that we both have learned so much in the last twenty five years. As friends around us have divorced, we have grown closer.
He shakes his head and smiles at my impulsivity.
I roll my eyes and grit my teeth about his patient pace.
We both embrace our imperfections and do not impose the burden of perfection on each other.
And we love each other more now than we thought possible twenty five years ago.
We have weathered our share of storms.
Miscarriages, illnesses, job concerns, etc.
We have reveled in more than our share of joys!
Our five children have been the center of our twenty five years.
They have taught us so much about life and love. They are amazing characters, each and every one. They never miss an oppotunity to challenge our parenting skills and help us learn from the experience. Their individual personalities are a wonder to behold.
We can not imagine our lives without them.
Twenty five years ago, I could not comprehend the depth of the love I could hold for our children. That love still takes my breath away.
So, today, John and I will get up at 5 am, drive four children to swim practice and back, two of them to work and back, walk the dogs, go to work ourselves, tour a private school for the twins, grocery shop, thank the sky for shining sun on us instead of dropping another 13" of rain, finish cleaning the basement from the last 13" of rain that found its way under our BRAND NEW carpeting, fix the cracked minivan windshield, watch the kids' swim meet and finally, take some time to relax together at a well-deserved quiet dinner with just the two of us - reminiscing over the past twenty five and dreaming of what is to come.

Happy Anniversary John! I love you!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Casey River

Took a 5 hour break last night from building the ark so that I could wet vac 36 gallons of water from the newly formed Casey River in our basement. More heavy rain this morning. At least I am getting good use from those L.L. Bean knee high boots I bought 15 years ago.

Monday, June 26, 2006

wwnd

busy building an ark- 6" of rain yesterday and more to come.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Basil Pesto


Today the boys and I made our first batch of basil pesto with basil from OUR GARDEN!!!
We are all looking forward to pesto and pasta dinner tonight!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Thank heavens for perrenials


Perennials are my kind of plants. All I do is cut them back in the fall and each spring/summer they appear with their beautiful color!

Garden Fun



Well, the fruits of our labor are beginning to appear. And the deer and bunnies haven't even figured out how to circumvent our fencing yet!
Here we have our first little tomatoes and yellow peppers ( they will turn yellow as they ripen).

Monday, June 19, 2006

Wedding Weekend


We spent a whirlwind wedding weekend in Connecticut as my sister, Sue married Charlie this weekend.
The weekend started with a party for the out of town guests, hosted by my parents at their house.
Here are Mom, Sue (the bride to be), cousin Sue, and my girls-Sarah and Madeline.

sue and charley


sue and charley
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the happy couple. i don't think i have ever seen my sister happier or more beautiful!

john,charlie and dad


john,charlie and dad
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john,charlie and dad enjoying a glass of wine friday evening.

mike and tom


mike and tom
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the day of the wedding and mike and tom are dressed and ready for their job, carrying the train of sue's wedding dress.

will and dad


will and dad
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

william and dad are chatting as we await the boat to take us to charlie's island,one of the 20 thimble islands off the shore of branford, where the wedding will be held.

island house


island house
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

we are ready to dock at the house. charlie and his brother designed this house- completely solar powered (there is no electricity on the island) and dependent on gathered rain water for their water supply.

abridge to cross


abridge to cross
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the path to the island's grove was marked with white bows and had stations with champgne and appetizers to strengthen us for our walk.

chuppa


chuppa
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

have you ever seen a more beautiful setting for a chuppa?

sue and her girls


sue and her girls
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

lesley and ruth standing by sue and charlie's side as vows are exchanged

the grandsons


the grandsons
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

will oversees his younger brothers and cousin as they explore the rocky shoreline. miraculously, none of them fell in despite thier best attempts. mike spent a lot of time constructing fishing pole out of shoregrasses and baiting them with discarded shrimp tails. strangely, no fish caught.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

clematis


clematis
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the clematis is coming into bloom.

master gardener


master gardener
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

madeline woke up bright and early to weed the garden. she is our master gardener.

mike in the garden


mike in the garden
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

and her apprentice