The first of March, I snapped this shot of Hannah with her Grandpa Seery on his front porch. He'll be 92 in December and he's sharper than a tack. Hannah and Abigail love their Grandpa and he loves them; we spend time with him on a weekly basis. He still lives in the house he helped build in the 40's. Here, he's wearing Hannah's Easter hat from last year which was his idea - he's also got a good sense of humor. I'm so grateful for this time with Bill's Dad who shares stories of his childhood in Wisconsin, his brothers who ran with Capone, his time as a postman (for 30 years) but mostly his time with Bill's mom (who died in 1987). His love for Kay lives on and he gets teary-eyed sometimes when he talks about her. One of the things he gave his sons is a strong loyalty and unflinching adoration for the women in their lives. I love him in general but I'm especially partial and grateful to him as I get to benefit from that gift on a daily basis.
On March 8th, my friend Jon and his girlfriend, Erin, were in town visiting from Oregon. Jon and I met in January of '98 and after some time had passed we discovered that we are siblings born to different parents. I moved to California in 2002, he moved to Oregon in 2006 and then I moved back to Tucson in 2007 so we don't get to see each other all that often but somehow no time has passed when we're together. Erin was delightful and fun and we had a great lunch at Sinbad's with Bill & the girls after church that day. The lunch was long by lunch standards but it flew by and I had to say a reluctant goodbye yet again. Although I'm planning on a visit to Oregon and I. Can't. Wait.
In mid-March, the 20th to be exact, I set up a night out with my friends, Michelle and Lisa. They both have birthdays around that day which provided the reason (as if we needed a reason) but I chose that specific date so we could attend the Missy Higgins concert taking place at the Rialto Theater downtown. I sent them e-mails in February asking them to save the date, which they did, but I refused to give details. When they confirmed their availability, I asked my friend, Lex (from aforementioned post about the surprise birthday party) to make us dinner and he enthusiastically agreed (being the awesome chef that he is). We planned the menu and the place which turned out to be the courtyard of our church. Lisa & Michelle showed up with flowers and wine and were pleasantly surprised - okay, delighted - by the table and the setting. It was the perfect evening, Lex cooked the dinner tableside and the food was delicious. They opened their cards to find their concert tickets and we were off to a great night of music. It was unforgettable.
Randy and I have been friends for over nine years. We met through Team-In-Training for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My team rode the fall of '99 and his rode the fall of 2000 but I rode with his team from time to time. The first ride with their team was a long ride out to Sonoita and back. As we left the parking lot and turned on to the road, my water bottle fell out of its cage. Great. Randy picked it up for me and we've been friends ever since. We've covered many miles together - literally - a couple of coastal rides (Orange County to San Diego), the ride around Lake Tahoe (twice), El Tour de Tucson, Tour of the Tucson Mountains and countless training rides in Tucson. We have other friends from our Team-In-Training experience including Heather who had her second child, Katie, in February. In late March, I drove up to metropolitan Phoenix area with the girls, picked up Randy on the south end (Tempe) and drove to the north end (New River) to see Heather, meet Katie and get reacquainted with her son, Jake, who is just a couple of months older than Hannah. I love this picture of Randy holding Katie which he did for quite a while...she seemed especially content in his arms.
Our road trip to Phoenix included a night at a hotel with my parents (up for a baseball game the day before with their friends) and a stop at IKEA on the way home. Hannah spotted this elephant and had to have it. I'm not a compulsive shopper, especially not with the kids, so I said "no" (essentially). Hannah was sure she had to have the elephant and asked Grandma (after some sulking and feeling sad about not being able to have it) who said "yes" (essentially). We agreed ("we" being my Mom and I) that Hannah is a kid who knows what she wants, isn't grabby (mostly) and isn't fickle about it. She wanted the elephant, had already formed her own version of a relationship with it and was genuinely sad she'd have to leave without it. Sure enough, she sleeps with him (he gets half of her bed), she takes him with her in the car and she adores him.
The Pima Co. Fair came to town in late April and we went with my parents. The girls loved the rides and the petting zoo and the atmosphere in general. My Dad and I rode a crazy ride that turned 360 degrees while each chair turned 360 as well. Really crazy, really out-of-control. We loved it. There's no picture because my Mom had the kids and her eyes were rolling at us too much to focus. A friend of mine said that the Pima Co. Fair, compared to the Orange County Fair in CA...well, doesn't compare. I think "freak show" were the words that were used. But there's something endearing about the fair, a piece of Americana. By day's end, we'd had a full, fun day making wonderful memories which is about all you can ask for in any county, anywhere.
The first of May, I was able to go down to Tubac for an overnight stay at the Tubac Golf & Spa Resort to help with my Dad's Golf Marathon to benefit his program, MentorKidsUSA. I took a lot of pictures but here are just a few: my Dad getting ready to putt with the cow behind him, a shot from the patio, one from the golf path and one of my room (one of about six...I loved my room). I took the room pictures to present to Bill as incentive to go back for our anniversary. I drove my Dad's cart for most of the day (as the Marathon is about playing 100 holes in one day). He could have done it without me (although having a driver is pretty key to golfing that many holes in one day) but I needed the break and a change of scenery and he knew that, so he and my Mom invited me to attend. They're supportive like that and I'm grateful.
My nephew, Scott, turned 10 in early May and he celebrated with friends and family at a local bowling alley. Hannah got to bowl for the first time and voiced surprise at liking it so much. Scott and the boys played video games, earned tickets and bought fake fingertips with frighteningly-long fingernails. Happy Birthday, Scott!
Also in early May, we took Hannah to the "Meet & Greet" at the school she'll attend in the fall. Before that morning, she'd been declaring she wouldn't be attending kindergarten but is now rethinking her stance as she had a great time. I asked my cousin, Karen, how to handle a child attending kindergarten and she replied, "Bring kleenex." I think she's right because my throat kept swelling shut as I watched her navigate the new teachers and other students. But I see the developmental timeliness of going to school at age 5; she's definitely ready for the challenge. And I'm excited for her as I loved school and look forward to her upcoming experiences. But I'll definitely bring kleenex.
When people ask me for an update of my life or for the "latest" news, I sometimes reply that my life is "Groundhog Day" (from the movie)...an analogy given to me by my sister who was home with her kids for years. Same thing every day. And then it takes days to compose this update of just the past few months and I am faced with the fact that there's a lot of diversity interwoven throughout the days and I have no room for pat answers. My life is rich and full. I get to have Bill as my husband and I knew from the first weekend we met that he was a catch. (And, man, was I right.) I get to have Hannah who challenges me in how much she is like me and how much she isn't. I get to have Abigail who is a pistol and a cuddlebug all at once. I get to have parents who love me unconditionally and are fiercely loyal and ever supportive. I get to have a sister with whom I can be twelve again, a sister who is my lifelong friend. I get to have Bill's Dad who fills in the gaps of Bill's life giving context, who loves us and worries about us and wants the best for us. I get to have our extended family in town and beyond. When we get together (like at my cousin, Rich's, birthday party last week), I am home. I get to have friends too numerous to count. Friends from as early as third grade (I went to Cherie's birthday party last night) to friends I'm meeting during this latest chapter. I get to have friends who are family, a couple of whom are mentioned in this post. Most of all, and what makes it all golden, is I get to have the gift of grace from God. I sometimes forget. I sometimes insist on it for me and withhold it from others. I am unworthy. But He's the Giver of all of these priceless gifts and I give Him my thanks and my praise.
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