Oh my. I can’t believe that it’s been a year and a half, about, since I’ve updated this blog. My gosh, life just keeps keepin’ on. Life continues to be amazing, beautiful, and always an adventure. Most recent updates on life:
Cylus is now barreling towards his third birthday and he’s the most amazing little boy ever. I loved the baby he was, the toddler he is and can’t wait to see the boy he is becoming.
Cylus has a baby sister! Ms. Aurora is over a year old and has been a joy to her mama, granny and pretty much everyone she comes in to contact with. She’s a super sweet baby, slightly crazy, and her own little person
2016 was an amazing year for me. Highlights include my daughter getting married (Feb 9th)
San Francisco Green Tortoise Hostel during Dan VA specialist trip,
Traveled to Costa Rica for the second time (also Feb/Mar)
Grand daughter Vera turned 1 (March)
Steampunk Event at the Nugget
Eldorado dancers at the Mo and meeting Brooke
Going to my first Burning Man Global Leadership Conference (I had no idea)
Went to Seattle for Comicon, to see Mike (hospital), and stay in Seattle Green Tortoise Hostel, went to history of Horror film exhibit at the Experience Jimi Hendrix museum in Seattle, Mariner’s game
April saw the origin of Z Pack good times at the Mo, trip to the boat and playing hooky
Weird Earth Day at the Mo followed by even more weird rage quit
Then, near the end of May, I accompanied my daughter and her fiance' and their daughter for a photo shoot, documenting her pregnancy. Seems like a long time ago, can't believe it was just a year...
June say me striving for healthy habits and activities, and a trip to some amazing train tunnels that exist up near Donner Lake. It was a great hike with a lot of art painted in the tunnels, and even a nerd-citing with a Star Trek symbol at one one of the spots....
My nieces visited in June, also, and all of us stayed at the Morris. I think I expanded their horizons, they got to experience things they never had before, and I hope they learned and went away from Reno a tad more worldly =) They made art!
It's been over a year since I updated. Wow. Time really does fly when you are having fun. My birthday was had, recently....almost to the end of my 40's, and blazing forward to see what happens next, being grateful for all I have. The last year has been pretty incredible. I have a bunch of travel stuff to catch up on. That's kind of a given. Heck, just this quarter has been amazing!
Last time I posted here was May 11, 2015....let's go over some highlights since then...
In late May of last year, had a somewhat dream come true. I am a Black Rock Ranger. I also participate at the Morris Burner Hotel,and have created a Ranger-like group there called the Morris Guardians. We got to have a Ranger training at the Morris. It was worlds colliding in all the right ways.
Then, later that month, I got to have more Ranger goodness, by participating with a great group of people who train the Rangers. They had a retreat and I was invited and it was amazing and a great time with great people. There was camping and bacon and learnin' and a turkey who I both loved and felt guilt over every time I passed him, knowing he was bound for a Thanksgiving table...I thought he was very cute.
Then through the amazing technology of modern 3-D ultrasound, I got to experience my future grandson
And a birthday. There was a tap show at the Eldorado, similar to a "Stomp" type thing, and I wanted to go, with my girlfriends, for my birthday. It was very cool, and I felt very loved. Hooray for sisterhood!
Then, I got to take family and grand daughter to experience the joy of Sesame Street Live! as a patron and not the person in charge of ALL THE THINGS. This has been an on-going healing process in my quest to come to peace and reconcile the good and bad experienced while I was at Lawlor. Seeing the wonder if childhood in the eyes of a little is a truly amazing experience.
So, now, everything is transferred from my other domain. There's been a lot that I have not written about in about the last year. Adventures, transitions and grand baby's! Yes, in the time since I've updated, I have had the news that ALL my children are making me a gramma in the same year!
Here is a picture of Cash, with his mom, a pretty recent picture:
Cash was born on 11-5-14, he was over a month early. Here's a collage his mom made for his birth:
I haven't met Cash yet, but am very excited to. They have been in Germany for the last few years, but they are back in Washington state now, and it feels SO GOOD to be in the same time zone as my son again!
This, is Vera Lynn:
She was born on March 6th, and she is my other son, David's daughter! She lives with me, so I get to spoil this baby all the time. Here's the Easter Dress:
And here's one that was bought at the same time as the Easter Dress:
And finally, here's Brianna, my baby girl, who is due in July. This is her at 31 weeks:
There's something uniquely satisfying, entertaining, heart-warming, about seeing my children have children of their own. I am immensely relieved to no longer be in that place, but satisfied that I can be a help, but not carry the entire responsibility.
I am getting ALL THE BABIES!! It's crazy how many people are pregnant or having babies right now!
First update without the other blog....will update more. There are things like my recent trips, to Costa Rica and Madison, Wisconsin to post about, yay!
today, i seem to have waken up on the wrong side of the bed. things that don’t normally bother me, have bothered me today, things that don’t generally annoy me, have been annoying me. that seems like a great time for me to update here, let everyone know what’s happening, and remember all the things i should be grateful for and right now, there’s plenty.
first and foremost, on june 20th of this year, i left my employment at lawlor events center. it’s so amazing how much can change in two years! i will never, ever be sorry for the experience that i had there, but long term, it wasn’t the right place for me. when i was out on leave with my knee surgery last october, it was during that time that i decided i needed to be some place else. it was a really hard process for me to go through, and i learned a lot. i did a lot of self-examination, because i’ve never really quit anything in my life and i kept thinking that leaving lawlor would be an admission of some sort of failure. what i realized is that isn’t the case. being ABLE to do something isn’t the same as CHOOSING to do it. in the end, it wasn’t the right fit for me.
that’s such a very small piece of what’s happened in the last few months though…. also as a result of that injury, surgery, and resultant stuff that goes along with it, around march or april, i was ordered by the state to go and see a state-sanctioned doctor.
i went because they told me they had to. as a result of that, i got a settlement for a fair amount of money. not a huge amount, but enough that in thinking about what to do with it, this had been the year i was supposed to go and visit my son, chris.
after talking it over with dan, he wanted to do some yard and hottub work with his portion, but he said i should still go to germany… i talked to the kids, and they seemed pretty excited too.
i told them that it didn’t matter to me all that much what we did, as long as we were together, i was sure we’d have fun. then came the task of asking for the time off…always a stressful and interesting experience, but in the end, it was granted, which is all that matters.
i ended up going to germany for about 12 days all told, and we managed a lot of miles, four countries, and seven castles! IT. WAS. AMAZING.
i am going to end this post here, start the germany posts, and then continue. not sure how long it might take me to catch-up, but i will try to get ‘er done now that stress doesn’t rule my life. today, i am grateful for EVERYTHING!
i can't believe that this whole year i've only taken the time to post a couple times. amazing what being busy will do for you. i think it's really true that you don't know what you have until it's gone. i have so very many blessings to be thankful for, and in this season of thanks-giving, i am thankful for all that i have. truly....
i am thankful for my family, more than i can say. life has been pretty stressful the last year and a half, and without my partner in crime, my partner in everything, i would surely have gone crazy by now. i am so thankful for dan and our life. i am thankful that i am in the process of owning the home where i grew up and in a very real sense, it is home. it's not a perfect house and i am far from perfect, but home is the place that when you go there, they have to let you in =)
i am thankful for my adult children. i am so proud of my son, seeing the world, stationed in germany and living the dream with his lovely wife. i am thankful for my beautiful daughter who is probably my best friend, i adore that she lives with me and i hope she is here for a very long time. i am thankful that she is in college and doing something she will hopefully love. i am so very proud of my daughter this year. she got a scholarship at her school. she had to attend an awards dinner and she could have taken anyone in the entire world to help her celebrate this achievement. she invited me and it about made me cry and burst with pride. here's my beautiful baby girl:
i am thankful for beautiful friends and family of choice that help me get through my tough times. i know everyone says this but i have the best friends a girl could ask for. one of my best friends, pinktini, seems to have a sense of when i am at my lowest, and she always has a plan to pick me up or get me out of my head. earlier in the fall, we went to adult night at the children's museum. i always said the worst thing about our town's new children's museum was that it was made for kids! they must have heard me, as once a month they offer an adult night and serve booze and good food and grown-ups get to go find their inner child. there has been far too little of that for me lately. that has to change. here we are, in the reflection of a cool mirrored art piece. kind of blurry, but this was a fun time!
i am thankful for my relative good health and continued well-being. some things, i need to change. working a football game this season, i tore the meniscus in my knee. i did it at work, so i was injured on september 21st and had surgery to repair the tear on october 5th. it's been a whirlwind, for sure. when i first saw the doctor, she had the nerve to tell me i wasn't 20 any more. now, about seven weeks after surgery, i must concede she may have been right. i surely don't heal like i used to, the going is slow, and the residual stiffness and pain i have in physical therapy make me none too keen to have another injury any time soon. here is the knee in all it's awful glory, complete with ice pack
again and puncture wounds:
this is a picture of grizzly helping me heal. this had to have been 1-3 days after surgery:
i am thankful for goofy animals and the joy that is having silly little birdies in my life. dan had said a lot while he was unemployed and down that he credited the birds with keeping him sane. he says it's impossible to be sad or upset when you have little birdies around. case in point:
this is the binny bird. i guess, formally, his name is cinnamon, but we call him binny bird. we thought he was a girl for a long time because he's very pretty, but we think now he's a boy. if that changes, we will let you know. hahaha...sometimes you think you have them sexed appropriately, right up until they lay an egg =) this is binny's neat little trick of turning his head upside down and pretty much demanding that you rub his head. that a little bird could be so trusting and just lean it's head down when it must know that you could crush it so easily and yet they are trusting and loving. pretty amazing, really. and they have so much love to give. i adore having little birdies in my life. except for the poo. i could do without the poo.
life is always interesting, but i am feeling worn down lately. they say, if there's something we don't like about our lives, we are masters of our own destiny and only we can make a change for the better or do something to make ourselves happy. it's time i heeded that, and am working to make those changes. i will post more when i can. i don't do super well at the holidays, but so far, it's been okay. looking forward to the future and seeing what it holds.
for now, i am thankful, but also experience a certain amount of "meh". life's to short for "meh"...time to move along...
This was one of my Bro's last hospital trips, October, 2011
I guess that's the sign of a busy person eh? Not sure whether to be happy or not about that =) Generally, I am happy, but sometimes, it all just wears on me.
And then, there are days like today where almost all projects seem caught up, and reflection appears to be my friend, and I can take the time to jot down some thoughts. SO MUCH EXPERIENCE to record!
As I get ready to start posting about this years Compression, it strikes me that I haven't even recorded here my experience from last year's event. Pretty sure I have that written somewhere, so I will transfer it here.
Most recently, there have good times and sad times. My brother Steve passed away on April 18 after a long battle with Cancer. I will just say here, Cancer sucks. Really badly. I got to be there for him in his final weeks and this made me happy, but I am sorry for his pain, I am sorry he is gone, and I won't have him around anymore. We were not always close but we did love each other. Now, I must go, but I will edit and finish this later....I love you Stevie!
and wow, i did not realize the last time i had posted was on the anniversary of my mom's death. i opened the page today and went "whoah". sad sad sad. i still miss her every single day of my life! there's other family going through some stuff right now, i hope it all gets worked out...
me? i am pretty chill right now. there are new things on the horizon for me, i hope, and life is good. being busy is awesome, but also exhausting.
not that i often find myself being resolute about anything, but i did make a commitment this year to being more mindful of living a healthy lifestyle, and of health in general and mind in specific. i'd been feeling sort of crappy, so a couple of days after the post about my mom, i decided to join a gym. a friend took me and i really liked the atmosphere, classes and people. it's been almost two months now and i'm still going strong. i am there about five to six days a week, depending on the work schedules and am feeling a definite improvement in my cardio health. quicker recovery, stuff like that. it's been very interesting trying to be mindful of health again. i am ashamed to say that it's been a long time since i've been in good cardio health, i think maybe we don't realize how sedentary we are until we aren't anymore, or we start the process to change all that. it's different for me, and my experiences are different. it's like i am learning my body all over again, and what it feels like to be winded, have my heart rate in the "target zone". i remember it being harder and perhaps that's where my somewhat fitness level came in from dancing the last several years. i am four weeks into a six week program to jump start my new goals, and it's been a lot of fun. i am enjoying myself, which is something i didn't think i would say much about exercise. there are several dance-centered cardio things i do, plus weights and stuff in a pool. i like it! go, me!
in that same vein, i'd been feeling a little "off" around the holidays and thought maybe the 'ole diabetes had finally caught up with me. it's true, it had. i hadn't been to a doc in a couple of years, and my sugars are now consistently high. that means it's time to start testing, so i signed up for a diabetes education class and got a monitor, and have been testing twice a day. that's interesting, and i am also keeping track of my blood pressure. it all sort of goes together, but there's other stuff i need to change. i am okay with that because i want to live a long, long time, i think.
that's the daily update. this morning, there is snow outside, maybe only the third snowfall of the winter, so we desperately need the water resources. it's still snowing =) this last weekend i worked the state basketball championship tournament and it was fun, but long, sort of boring days. some of the games were good, though, and it made me feel good to be able to make the experience something to remember for those high school kids. i hope they do =)
had a long talk with my son yesterday, who is now in germany and loving life. there is a part of me that is jealous, but i wouldn't trade places with him. we will be visiting them in june of 2013.
there is also a new kitten in the house, and he's pretty cute. his name is dozer and he is full of kitty energy. here he is with grizzly:
Today, it has been five years since my mom passed away. I am sad, but feel like everything I do is a tribute to her. I wonder what she would think about certain things, or when I experience certain things that I know would make her laugh. God, I miss that woman, still.
So, I returned home from Scotland, and truly, really did not stop running until after Burning Man...which presented a whole new set of challenges...
The weekend after I got home, or a scant four days, I was on the Playa, doing Ranger training, participating in 4th of Juplaya, and generally, relaxing. To be honest, now that I am writing this the first part of November, I know I was there, I know I had a good time, but I don't remember a ton about the entire experience. I remember sitting through training....I remember eating and hanging with friends, but nothing stands out. This was the first camping trip for our new birdie at the time, Kilo. She got spooked the final day we were there and flew out of the trailer and on to the playa. My sister saved her, ran after her. I remember feeding Keeper, who was in her last trimester of pregnancy, and cooking yummy food.
Then there was a week of work, and final preparations. My son had gotten married in February, but this, July 11th, is what we called "The Pageant"...the formal wedding, the show, the experience for all friends and family. This caused a tad bit of stress. I was just returning from an expensive over-seas trip and my obligation as the bride of the groom was to host and organize the rehearsal dinner.
We had previously talked to Chris' dad (that's another story and series of posts that is on my list to catch-up on at some point...but not now) and his family drove here all the way from Ohio, and they were going to rent a house. They did rent said house, and it was gorgeous! They had spoken of renting a house, and we had approached them with the idea of hosting the rehearsal dinner there, but there was some implication that there might be weirdness surrounding the entire situation, and I didn't want any weirdness, so I had sort of decided to just handle it on my own.
The biggest hurdle with this was money, but with any luck, this would be the only time my son got married, and it was an overall small piece of everything that was done, but when you're hurting, it's hard to see those things, it's just stress! The alleged potential weirdness ended up being nothing, a misunderstanding. When we had asked Chris what he wanted to do for rehearsal dinner, his wish was to BBQ at a house not too far from where we would be at the Lake, grill some dead cow, eat good food, drink, and all hang out and get to know each other. There was bonus family, too. In addition to Chris' dad, Tom, and his wife Melody and their four kids, they brought Tom's mom, his brother and his wife, and their small daughter too. Yay, family! Chris always wanted a large family and that's something I just couldn't really give him, so I am glad he has that with the other part of the family...
So, I got the chance to talk to Melody on the phone, and there was NO weirdness at all, we arranged to buy the bulk of the food, and they agreed to host at this awesome house they had rented. I made a giant batch of potato salad, we did a lot of bread and it was Summer, which screamed tri-tip and plans were laid and made.
In absolute, I REALLY don't think the weekend could have gone better! The rehearsal dinner was exactly what Chris had said he wanted, Tom and Melody were kind enough to offer us space to stay in the house they rented, the wedding was beautiful with a stunning and not-to-be-believed location, everyone was lovely, friendly, loving. This day made me feel blessed on a level that I cannot adequately express. I was SO thankful for EVERYTHING! My colleague and friend Jim was the officiant, my friend Lenae and her cadre of photographer friends took professional photographs, all the family came and was loving and we all had a good time and there was very, very little drama! I adore my new daughter-in-law, it was fantastic to meet her parents and brother and friends, and there was Sake drinking that was fantastic and good times were had by all! It was a win for everyone!
And here are the pics....I don't have them all labeled yet, but I will work on that...might need to consult with some folks to ensure I get all the names right....eeeeek!
I could not have been more proud of my son, my family, my community...this was truly the sort of day that dreams are made of! I only hope that those who participated feel the same!
and then the universe decided we needed to lose something we loved...
my birthday weekend, a friend decided to hold what was dubbed a private pyro party. as part of my administration duties with compression, we try to recruit local artists that sculpt and create art in metal to see if we can give them a venue at which to display their art. i LOVE metal art, there's something so hard and beautiful about it, but that's probably another discussion for another time...
this weekend was destined for bird drama from the first. it was the first time fred 2.0 was going to be heading out into the great wilds on a camping trip. d had previously let his wings grow out, and he'd been flying around the house for awhile. the day we left, we clipped his wings, but left some flight feathers on either end, after watching a video on how to do this. when we tested it, he seemed to sink like a rock. BUT, the next day, i had him on my shoulder and a stiff gust came along at the same time a dog spooked him and he got caught on the current of air and took off. he was gone. he did a couple of laps around the yard where the party was and landed in a tree. we went over to the tree and tried to get him. we used a long piece of pvc pipe to see if he would use it as a perch, but that spooked him again and he took off again. across the highway and a large field to the next immediate stand of trees, we think. man, were there tears. i kept thinking about him being a scared little birdie all on his lonesome. he doesn't know about predators or dogs or things that eat little birdies.
d refused to give up and at some point went for another drive to try to find fred. he calls me about half an hour later and says he's found fred. i also drive over to him and sure enough, fred is treed in a weeping willow about two blocks from where we were. by this time, i think he was pretty scared because he'd been gone for a long time and i am sure he was hungry and tired. he didn't understand how the willow tree works, but he tried to reach us. he'd scoot out to the end of a branch and fall a few feet, but that would get him a few feet lower, towards us. d was in the tree, trying to get him to come to him, and i was standing at the base of the tree, calling fred. he finally got to where he was about four feet above my head on the lowest branch and he flew onto my head! i STILL can't believe we got the little bugger back! for him, i think it was a slightly scary, but wildly fun lark, time of his life. for us, it was sheer terror and a small amount of time thinking we were horrible bird parents...much celebration and birthday shenanigans ensued. we were thinking, "BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!" we got our birdie back.
so the next day, it's almost the end of the event. we'd just had some lunch and were lounging, trying to delay the inevitable return to our normal lives where you don't get to hang out with just whom you chose to for as long as you want and make cool stuff. the place the party was at was awesome, and they have birds too! theirs are bigger, though....a cockatoo and a yellow naped macaw, i think. i had our sweet little olie bird on my shoulder and the lady of the house says "you should watch your bird around the little dog, he's okay with the big birds, but he will chase little ones". i had to go to the bathroom, so i asked d to take him and somehow he got spooked. that little weenie dog ran right over and grabbed our birdie and snapped his neck. truly one of the saddest things i've ever dealt with. he died in d's hand, and then holding his limp little body while we tried to process what had happened. to say it put a damper on things would be an understatement. what a horrible accident.
the picture above was literally taken within half an hour of when olie passed away. he was the sweetest little bird. that a bird could be mistreated and still have the capacity to love us, to allow us to handle him, pet him, he sang for us and to us. he made me fall in love with cockatiels and their gentle and forgiving natures.
i will never forget my sweet little olie bird. i have framed this that he was sent to us for his last year, to understand and know how awesome and spoiled and wonderful life can be. so he could die knowing that. and knowing what it was like to be loved unbelievably by his people.
damn, i'm going to miss his little yellow head. there will be others, but none will be exactly like him.
I had a really cool, somewhat frilly, somewhat un-like me theme posted here for awhile. A theme I actually paid for, so that's really saying something.
BUT, with the most recent Wordpress update, it broke the pictures scrolling thing at the top that worked for "featured posts". I had patience for a little while, but, alas, my patience waned, my mood turned as black as this pretty new theme, and here I am, posting again =)
As we approach Jazz Festival (I think this is number 12 for me, without missing any) week, life is going pretty damn good for me. I can't believe that next year, the Jazz Festival will be 50!! Let's hope nothing budget-related and totally messed-up happens to compromise that. Nothing surprises me anymore....but for now, I am keeping the faith! Blessings abound. There's so much to write and think about!
This crazy (that's crazy in a good way, not crazy in a stalker-bad-creepy way) dude that I've admired on Facebook for awhile, his name is Chad Sorg, and I approached him in early December about being the artist to create the "Compression" poster this year. He said yes, to my great satisfaction, and I got the finished product in the not-too-distant past. Here it is:
I REALLY like the design! It's much lighter than I thought it would be, and it just feels good, to me. That photo was taken by Dana Nollsch, a good friend who shot the event last year, and Chad worked magic with it. So, that's the look we have for this year! This is WAY exciting for me!
Then, I got to take a turn myself at doing a small bit of graphic design, creating a poster for Unmata'sAmy Sigil, who's performing at Compression this year, and also doing workshops on Sunday, which is something my good friends at Asha are sponsoring. Here's that poster:
Both of these things make me very happy. I just saw Amy and crew last weekend. For Papa Ben's birthday, we all took off and drove to Sacramento last weekend on Saturday, to make this happen. The performances were amazing. Many of the Hot Pot groups did a new piece that was breathtaking, and Amy, Shelly and crew did "Fashion", which made me cry when I saw the video, and again when I saw it in person. Here's the video from Tribal Fest this year:
Absolutely breathtaking!
There's also exciting stuff coming up for Controlled Burn, as they also suffer some growing pains, but that really should be it's own post. I am very proud of the stuff that I do for them...
Next Friday, we get to spin again at UNR's Night of All Nations! It's been a few years and we are very excited to be welcomed back. I will write more when I can, but for right now, I wanted to break the dry spell, install darkness again upon my words, and now....
So, now that I've broken my posting strike/dry spell, whatever, now I thought of all the life-changing things that have happened over the last few months that I'd like to have recorded in my little online home here...
My son was in Afghanistan. He joined the Army a couple of years ago. God, I can't believe it's been a couple of years, now. It broke my heart when he joined. He loves it. I respect that, and respect that he is my contrary child. Mom a hippy? Join the Army. Mom a Pagan? Become a fundamentalist Christian. Yeah, that's how we've been. I've always told him his way is his to find, and I would support him, but I never have and cannot support the war. I respect he's trying to make his way. My largest fear for him was that he would come back damaged in a way that I could not help him with. While the likelihood of that happening, still, is good, I think he has a good enough foundation that he is okay. We are very different people, but I am very proud of the person he is.
He's attached to the 101st Airborne. I had never experienced an Army welcome home ceremony. I am glad I had the chance. Here's the first pic, after some tears and many hugs were given:
For a variety of reasons, a few days after he returned from Afghanistan, my son got married. This presented me with a unique opportunity. I have known the lady he loves for a few years now. They've had a rough go of it. They've broken up and had various other drama in their lives. But in the end, my son said he couldn't imagine a life without her, and I rejoiced.
This gave ME the opportunity to travel cross-country with her and spend some time, just her and I. We were to fly to Ohio for her to meet Chris' dad (which is another story I need to put down, another time), then the two of us would pick up Chris' truck, drive down to Tennessee, then Tom (dad) and his family would follow down so everyone could be there for the civil ceremony. There is a formal wedding in July.
I cannot express how precious a gift I was given in getting to spend time with this funny, beautiful young woman who is now a part of my family. We got along great, and I think I saw a small part of why my son loves her. She is easy-going but gets things done, intelligent, and fun to be around. We had to arrange everything before he got home, as he returned on a Friday, so one of the first things I got to say to him when we were all together was "Hey, you're getting married on Monday at 2pm okay?". It was Presidents Day. The Courthouse SHOULD NOT have been opened. A determined mother can move mountains apparently =) Who knew that Christian County, in Tennessee does not recognize President's Day as a holiday?!? So, I got to see my baby married.
She is a match for him! My son has a wife now. I have a daughter-in-law. He has now started his own family, of which he will be the center. I am happy for them. I wish them nothing but happiness. The entire experience for me, was beautiful.
this was a good year. as mentioned in the last post, holidays leave a lingering tinge of sadness now, as the specter of missing mom is always in the back of my mind, but i guess i am beginning to feel like every successful and loving holiday we have pays homage and honors her because so much of what i am is attributable to her...
the kids came over...david and brianna, with their respective love interests. we had dave's lady annette and her two adorable littles, mathis and lindsey...and larry came over after dinner to visit. bri's friends flor and julio, and ashley were there, dan's friend chris, and joy and her man, mike. it was festive! here's photographic proof, photos taken by mike:
This was the BEST GRAVY EVER!! Seriously, that I'd ever made...
Bri Bri and her Larry
Getting the full on...
Funny thing is, he didn't really event eat. When Thanksgiving attacks =)
Gramma Joy. 'Nuff said =)
Bear Bear sitting ON Joy's phone...
Seesters, working together to make it all happen...
SO FULL...
Joy getting funky with the taters.
Mashin' taters and makin' gravy
When Dave was little, if you asked him to smile for the camera, he smiled and closed his eyes, so a good pic could never be taken. History repeats itself =)
Bellied up to the table, in the midst of the feast.
The crew, lounging around and visiting before we ate.
