My family came to visit Milwaukee a few weeks ago, and we had the best time. One of our adventures was heading up to Port Washington for lunch and exploring the town. I love Port Washington's pier and lake front. Looking through these pictures again makes me smile :) I wish they could visit every weekend. Aren't my parents the cutest?
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After spending some time with my side of the family for Christmas, Paul and I flew out to Portland to see his crazy fabulous family and friends. We flew in just in time for a fun New Year's Eve gathering, and the party was complete with party hats for all! Welcoming 2014 with sparkly wavey things (pre party hats being passed out)! I just love Paul's aunt and uncle - they are some of the best hosts I know and really know how to throw a party. I always tell them they should open a bed and breakfast. His aunt would make the most amazing dishes, and his uncle would be the comedian who would make everyone feel at home. (Luckily his uncle doesn't read this blog otherwise he might make me take down this adorable picture.) New Year's day we took our time waking up and then drove to the Oregon coast to ease into the new year in pure Oregon sytle. During every single Oregon road trip - without fail - I feel like I'm living in a postcard. Our view looked like this for a solid hour (the drive from Portland to the coast is less than two hours). My favorite trips to the coast involve a stop by the Tillamook Cheese factory. What dairy-tolerant person doesn't love free cheese samples and triple scoop nowls of ice cream for less than $5?! Don't introduce me to them because we might not get along. Or maybe do, and I'll take their samples and ice cream. (P.S. Do you see those jackets they're wearing? It was January 1, and we were wearing light jackets and no gloves!! I'll take winter weather like that any day.) So.much.cheese. And then we made it to our coast lodgings, and my jaw dropped. Sometimes in my life I feel like I have to pinch myself because I'm suddenly seeing so incredibly beautiful, I feel like I can't still possibly be in my own life. But that's the great thing about life. Lots of lovely little - and big - beautiful moments. I couldn't think of a better way to welcome in 2014. Oh, did someone here just finish at the Tillamook Cheese Factory? One more photo from mine and Paul's sunset shoot at the beach. Still haven't printed these pictures off, but you bet I'll be doing it soon. There was a moment on the beach when Paul pointed out a shell on the beach to me (or maybe I showed him one I picked up? do those exact details really matter?), and I got this strong feeling of "oh my gosh, I can see Paul doing this as a dad someday." I told him that someday he'll be holding all the shells/treasures our kids find and give to him to hold. And I'm pretty sure he just smiled or held my hand or did something very Paul-esque like that. That little moment mixed with that beautiful sunset was pure magic. Oh, what's that? You want a few more pictures of the ocean? Well then let me share a few more! Thanks 2014 for starting off so fabulously. Hope there's lots more moments of magic left in you.
I have been one sick puppy the past few days (that's my voice, not adorable Dory's above), but I'm finally feeling a little more like myself. I'm back to blogging today and sharing some final posts from my holidays. You can still post Christmas pictures in mid January right? Sure, why not? So here's a few of my favorites from my Christmas, spent with my family in St. Louis. First, my favorite little elf: Ms. Dory. My mom's Christmas display in her new dining room - love how she incorporated the painting I made her! What an eye she has! One of my Mary's angels ornaments. I've been getting a new ornament in the series since I was just a few years old. Our family has a tradition of giving an ornament each year for St. Nick's Day. Each St. Nick's Day I can expect a little angel ornament, and I love it. Paul can now expect a Snoopy - how perfect for that beagle loving husband of mine? Me and my Uncle Romie - one of my favorite people in the world. He taught me to paint and how to identify deer tracks. He can win court cases and make the best jambalaya you've ever tasted. He has a great eye for art and a great talent for catching frogs and shooting deer. He's a fascinating guy. And then my cousin stole my camera and took about a million selfies. Here's one of my favorites. Diego and Pedro both dressed up for the holiday. They looked very snazzy in their bow ties. That love of mine. More of my favorite people in the whole wide world. We took this obligatory picture in front of my aunt's Christmas tree, and then we all stood right in front of it so you can't even see the tree. And it looks like Pat just has a lot of bows growing out of his head. I guess he's just fancy like that.
Christmas seems so long ago now! Was it just a few weeks ago that we were wining and dining with our family? What a great holiday it was, and as always, I'm glad to have pictures to help me remember more fun times. Every city seems to have its own fun winter traditions. In St. Louis, winter is the perfect temperature for outdoor skating - cold enough to keep the ice frozen but not too cold to make hanging outside for a few hours miserable. My favorite place to skate in St. Louis is Steinberg skating rink, located in Forest Park. I have so many memories of going to Steinberg as a kid, and I will forever feel sentimental about this place. My family used to have a tradition of going skating during our Christmas break and then getting a snack at a local Irish pub afterwards for a snack (we actually went to this same Irish pub for drinks the day of my wedding - funny how that kind of thing comes full circle). It also seemed to turn into a tradition to take my sister to the hospital after she fell and hit her head too hard on the ice. My family usually laughs about that, but writing it now it seems a little serious. Yikes. I guess you just have to take any injury story from my family with a grain of salt because we all seem to be extremely accident prone. Especially when you involve something unyielding like a large sheet of ice. This year my brothers and I took my younger cousins skating, and we all had a blast. A blast if you don't count how bad my feet hurt. My nostalgic memories of iceskating did not involve aching arches and tired, painful feet. I guess I'm getting old. The skaters! There's four skaters there - you might not be able to see my cousin because he's dressed in camo :) What a great day! I'm really glad I have these pictures to remember our adventure - or at least the parts where I could feel my feet. I'll choose to remember the bonfire, the hot cocoa, the holding hands with my cousin as we skated around talking about life, the Mom's Deli sandwiches, and the much needed nap I took after our adventure was done.
Happy Friday! We made it through another week. Here's a few more photos of me and my siblings from my sister's housewarming party last weekend. I'm so happy for her and so proud - she loves her new house and last Saturday it was filled with lots of people who love her. And because it's Friday and because my sweet tooth is impatient for next week's cookie exchange, here's a ridiculous amount of pictures of the baked goods my mom made for Libby's party. See? This sweet tooth thing is hereditary.
delicious pie brought all the way from Wisconsin... a houseful of adorable pups... a table set for a feast...(photo by my cousin Josie Meeks) time for painting while the turkey baked...(photo by Paul) this guy and his Movember facial hair... rolls...mmm... seeing Mom and Dad hosting Thanksgiving in their new kitchen... spending Thanksgiving in St. Louis with Paul and my family - and getting to see moments like this... my cousin's mad photography skillz... enjoying a meal that left everybody full, tired, and happy.
How was your Thanksgiving? Hope your day was filled with lots of wonderful people, food, pie and just a moderate amount of football! Off to help my sister prepare for her housewarming party and enjoy some more time with friends and family. Hope you have a fabulous holiday weekend.
Paul and I received news that one of his best friends died Tuesday. And just like that, the world as we knew it before is over and things are changed. When I find out someone I care about has died, my brain separates time into before I found out they died and everything that comes after. It sounds a tad dramatic, but it's the best way I can describe it. Life just isn't quite the same when you lose someone you love. Our friend took his own life. I debated sharing that piece because ultimately it doesn't matter how our friend left this world, what matters right now is that he's gone. This is the second suicide Paul and I have experienced since being together, and I'm having the unfortunate opportunity to learn that this form of death changes the grieving process. There's more guilt, confusion, anger, "if onlys" and "what ifs." But ultimately, the reality is the same. The person you love is gone, and no amount of questions or what ifs will bring them back. Paul compares it to a heart attack. For some people, they can survive their first heart attack and go back to living their life. For others the first one is massive and deadly. The first person we lost had many "heart attacks," the friend we just lost only needed one. The past twenty-four hours have been a blur. They've been filled with shock and a feeling of numbness. We saw our friend just two weeks ago on our trip to Oregon. We visited the coast together, we watched seals together, we got beer and crab together. He's so alive in our pictures, how could he suddenly just be gone? People who knew our friend are heartbroken by his death. Heartbroken is an accurate description. Grief breaks open your heart and fills it with emptiness. You go about your life the best you can and wait for your heart to slowly return to its new normal. You take the support from family and friends and slowly let your heart heal and fill with their love. I've learned that I only make it through these sad hard times by surrounding myself with people I love and by staying active. We kept plans to go to the Mumford and Sons concert Tuesday night, instead of sitting at home. The concert didn't feel the same of course, but it felt like the right place to begin grieving. We received messages throughout the concert from family and friends expressing their condolensces. I remembered how comforting it feels to hear "let me know if there's anything I can do." The presence and words of comfort of loved ones is so healing. The next few weeks and months and anniversaries will be difficult. It feels too overwhelming to think of making it through this whole period of grief with Paul, so I'll do my best to sit with the pain of the present. I'll remember how many good memories we had with our friend. I'll support Paul the best I can and let him handle his grief in his own way. I'll let myself feel what I'm going to feel and be gentle with myself with whatever form my sadness takes. I never feel more grateful for time we spend with family and friends then at times like this. Life is so short, and I am so thankful we have lots of good memories with the people we love - I'll use this as a reminder to hold the
people I care about in love and make sure they know how important they are to me. Paul has shared information about the Suicide Prevention Network to our friends. If someone you loved has died by suicide, remember you are not alone. Last weekend, Paul and I joined my family in Holland, Michigan for a little family vacation time. My family has been taking annual trips to Michigan for over ten years. It's a great destination for getting a break from the St. Louis summer heat and for relaxing on Lake Michigan, where there's a beautiful sunset every night. My family follows the same routine every year - the trip starts with a weekend in Holland and continues for another week in Frankfort. Because Paul and I have too many travel adventures and not enough vacation time, we just joined for the Holland leg. I have such good memories from all of our time spent on these Michigan vacations (and I feel super grateful that my husband is willing to join me to make new memories). I remember Mom and Dad were at their most relaxed here, and there was something special about having vacation adventures with my siblings. Lots of swimming in the lake, karaoking mini van style, jumping off the pier, bike riding, book store trips, and of course, ice cream. This trip's memories included: reminiscing about how this candy shop used to be a mandatory stop for me (funny how tastes change, literally)... an afternoon shopping spree with my mom and sister (the Holland boutiques are so quaint and inspiring)... posing for the family Christmas card photo... walking out on the pier for beautiful views of the shoreline... taking photos with Libby like a boss... remembering to take a selfie at the lake... enjoying a picnic pizza party at the beach... watching the sunset... and posing for pictures like a movie star....Oh who am I kidding? Smiling at just the right time in just the right light for a husband that has mad photography skillz.
What a fantastic trip! What trips have you been taking this summer? Have any special family vacation memories? We're off to Michigan for the weekend - home of the best blueberries in the world! Hope you all have a great Friday and a great weekend! Look for pictures from our trip next week.
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