joint shower

In February, I got a call from Mr. F to announce his sister's engagement!  Her happy news gave me the courage to finally call a doctor and find out if I was pregnant.  She was looking forward to a summer wedding and my suspicions about my growing belly led me to believe that I'd be giving birth around the same time.  The next day the doctor verified my pregnancy and our family has been in full-on celebration/planning mode since!

Sister is marrying a wonderful guy from New Zealand in a a few weeks and moving there shortly thereafter.  The wedding planning period has been extremely short but everything is coming together famously.  We were even able to cram in a joint shower last weekend in Florida to celebrate her wedding and our coming baby.

I wish I could explain how amazing that day was.  We were surrounded by an incredible group of women who spoiled us completely.  It was such a treat to feel everyone's love and support of our respective milestones.  The morning started with a brunch of quiches, bruschetta, and a smorgasbord of delicious iced beverages.  I got to catch up with friends from our days living there and have some much needed conversations about motherhood.  It was refreshing and made me feel so much better about the daunting task of raising a child.

After our meal, we opened gifts and the chatting continued.  I am still processing this group's generosity.  We had asked them to attend two showers at once and they gave to both of us liberally.   I am definitely taking stock and rethinking my gift giving.

My mother in law happens to be a master quilter.  She doesn't refer to herself as such, but I assure you, she is.  Amid a heavy travel schedule this spring and planning Sister's wedding, she somehow managed to make a quilt for Sister and her fiancé and for baby girl.  

I had daydreamed about what this quilt would look like and it is even more amazing than I had hoped!  It looks like a quilt my great grandmother would have made and is the perfect size for indoor picnics and cuddle sessions.  To top it off, the backer fabric looks just like the wallpaper I've hand painted in the nursery.  (..which I still need to show you...)

Isn't she beautiful?!  I often feel like she's the Diana Barry to my more Anne complexion.  Where I am fair, sister has these stunningly dark features that I envy.  And that smile?  Yeah, we've been seeing it a LOT since her engagement.  Can't wait to see her smile at the wedding!

To top it off it was my birthday.  I got to celebrate my sister and daughter in the morning and eat cake in the evening!  How great is that?!

A big thank you to everyone who came!  You are wonderful!  And an even bigger thank you to Mom for putting this shindig together.  I'm so grateful we got to share those memories together before Sister moves overseas.

it's her party, she'll wear a sash if she wants to

Nana turned 88 last week and we had one riproarin' party.  Sister (who shall heretofore be known as Miss Holmes) and I decorated the dining room within an inch of our lives.  We went to dinner as a family and then came home for cake and presents.  Miss Holmes dreamed up and brought to life the most wonderful gift in the history of gifts for Nana.  She took one of Grandpa's (who has been gone for nearly 10 years) rings, similar to a class ring, to a jeweler to turn it into a pendant.  The jeweler removed the stone, breathed new life into it, melted down the ring, and created the most beautiful gold pendant.  Nana was absolutely in shock when she saw it and even more so when she realized it was her husband's ring.  To round off the evening, we nearly burned the house down with candles, gorged ourselves with cake, and went to bed blissfully happy over one fabulous day for one of our favorite people.

berfday

birthdays were made for strawberry lemon bundt cake, watching the sun rise, cool, crisp breezes, delightful friends and hearty conversation.  they were made for cups of tea, curling up with favorite books, and afternoon naps.  they were meant to full of brown packages, some tied with string, some handmade, and others mailed from halfway around the world.  birthdays were made for hugs, loving letters, and kisses.  birthdays were made to remind me that I am one deeply blessed girl.

joe studly

It's The Stud's birthday.  First off, when did we get old?  Secondly, I wish I could be with him today.  We have been on opposite sides of the world for far too long. (Approximately four years...but who's counting?)   He was in Italy serving a mission, I was in Utah and Ohio.  Then he came back and I got married.  Then he moved to Utah and we moved to Europe.  Twice.  Can't some siblings catch a break!?

I've said it before and I'll say it again; I want to be as cool as my brother when I grow up.  Seriously.  No.  Seriously.  The kid just oozes cool.  And suave.  And cultured.  It's his first semester back at school in nearly FOUR years and he has a four-point.  Who does that?!  Did I mention he's also working part time?  And he's studying to be a pilot?  A PILOT!  Like, has a legitimate excuse to wear those crazy awesome aviators!  Say it with me now, I want to be as cool as The Stud when I grow up...

But really, I am constantly amazed by the capacities of his heart.  He just loves people.  Like he meets you for the first time and you've got a friend.  A rock solid, faithful till the end friend.  This guy calls me EVERY morning on his way to work at a golf course.  And if we miss a day?  He calls on the weekend to make sure he hasn't missed anything.  He constantly inspires me to be a better person and to serve God with my whole heart.  He's just a stud.  And though I highly doubt I'll ever be as cool as him, I am lucky enough to have him as my best friend.

Happy Birthday, Dude!

indeed

To the man who taught me how to use wood glue, to read, and to wander.  Who taught me how to plant tomatoes and the value of freshly grown dill.  To the man who drove my team to every rugby match, no matter what country or state it was in.  Who took me to see Les Miserables, Beauty and the Beast, and My Fair Lady.  My favorite person to sing with and whose voice I still long for when I am sick to read me a story as I fall asleep.

To my Nonny, Happy Birthday!

to my friends

you make cute babies.  like, ridiculously cute babies.  ridiculously cute babies that are too far away for me to pinch and cuddle and coo over.  ridiculously cute babies who have been filling my whole heart with so much joy, gratitude, and love that I am about to burst in delight.  cute babies who remind me of how wonderful their parents are and how lucky I am to count them as my friends.

congratulations to my dear friend of many, many years who had her first baby this weekend.  he's absolutely beautiful and I couldn't be happier for you!

triptych

So, yesterday Mr. F was telling his sister about his birthday celebrations at work.  They had a nice lunch, chocolate cake, and champagne.  Mr. F was handed the bottle so that he might kick off the festivities.

"I took the bottle and just stared at it," he said.  "I had no idea what to do with it.  It had this weird twisty thing on the neck.  It's not like opening a Coke!  So I handed it back to my boss and told him he could have the honors."

And that's when I fell on the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter for a good ten minutes.

birthdays

How do you distract a birthday boy from the fact that he has to go into work early?  Three packages of chocolate pudding and a card from the other side of the world.

Happy Birthday, Mr. F!  I love you!

cranford

I had it in my hands. Ridiculously cool copy of the Elizabeth Gaskell novel I'd been wanting to read. And it was on clearance. Super clearance. And it was my birthday. It was fate.

I walked it up to the register and handed it to the clerk.

"I know," I laughed, "Leave it to me to find a book at Anthropologie."

The clerk smirked and responded, "I wasn't thinking that at all. I was noticing the recipe in your bag. Are you a cook?"

The folded card was indeed falling out of my over sized Vera Bradley tote, a remnant of my trip to Ikea.

"Not really," I said. "I'm Swedish and just came from Ikea and like collecting recipes from them to tap into my heritage."

"Oh cool! You just struck me as a person who would throw dinner parties."

And that was it. The coolest compliment anyone had ever given me. I look like a person who would throw dinner parties. I look like a sophisticated type of person. Cultured even. Who can strike up witty conversations and keep guests entertained. A well-dressed person with a cool looking house.

According to that clerk, I had already become the dream version of who I want to be. Sweet!

hello kitty!

This is a shout out to my Kitty. No, not a pet. Kitty is my mum. A nickname induced for reasons utterly lost on me. But still, it stuck.

Growing up, I looked forward to leaving the house for adventures. Overnighters, cross-country excursions, camp, or even school. Why? Because I got the coolest notes tucked into my belongings from my mum. I couldn't wait to unpack my bag just to see where she had secretly hidden another cardstock piece of paper. Through grade school, she would pack my lunch every day and nearly all of those days I would find a handwritten, sticker-bedazzled message waiting for me. The words were nearly always the same. "I love you!" "Have a good day at school!" "Remember who you are!" And always, always signed with her customary greeting of "oceans, mom". In Kitty language, oceans roughly translates to all that aloha does for Hawaiians.

When I moved out, as any of my past roommates can attest to, the notes never stopped. Filling my otherwise empty college mailbox were the same handwritten, sticker-bedazzled letters. "oceans, mom."

As my transition back into Midwestern life took place, I remember talking to my mum one night and sharing with her that I was sad to think that since I was living closer, I may not receive her notes anymore. I should have known better than to doubt her note-writing abilities. At least once a week since arriving in Columbus I'll come home from work to find a card smiling at me saying, "oceans, kitty."

Kitty has been sending me more frequent notes in recent months at the most opportune times. And these notes have been sustaining me through a great deal. I carry them with me. My mum has offered me insightful advice, buoyed my spirits, and reminded me of who I am. Tonight I came home to find a belated birthday card waiting for me boasting a Jane Austen quote. I smiled over the quote and wept over the love conveyed in my mum's message inside.

I have been horribly negligent in my note writing, and I fear in conveying to my mum, and my nonny, how incredible they are. Birthday cards get lost, Mother's Day gets postponed, but always my mum writes to me.

So tonight, Kitty, I have one thing to say to you.

oceans, engquist

it's my birthday, I'll reminisce if I want to

It's my birthday today, and I'm inching towards being old.  Not there yet, but it's definitely getting closer (as I was so kindly reminded of a few minutes ago by a co-worker).  I was laying in bed last night contemplating how much I've changed and how much I have yet to accomplish in my life, and I got ridiculously excited.  Growing up and having new experiences is just too fun!

When I was little, I would similarly stay up the night before my birthday thinking about my life.  The typical result was "I don't want to grow up and get old!  I don't want to die!"  I was very melodramatic, I'll give you that, but I had an inexplicable fear of growing old and running out of time.  My solution was to stay awake all night the night before to postpone the oncoming of another year of my life.  In my juvenile mind, such an action would truly offset the coming of another day.  Obviously, it never worked out that way.  

Other things  I remember about birthdays:

• early morning scavenger hunts for my new birthday outfit
• sugar cookies up the wazoo that my mum decorated for me to take to school
• calls from the Wells family*
• all sorts of silly variations on birthday songs
• feeling like a princess for a day; it was awesome
• going on fun outings catered to what I wanted to do 
• getting to sit in the front seat of the car

*This still happens, and already happened this morning.  The day just doesn't seem complete without a call from my surrogate parents.