Rehearsal

I finally have a few minutes to catch my breath.  I realize that my daughter has been living on her own for quite a long time, and been an amazing mom for over 10 years now.  As mom and grandma, I've continued to feel the sense that I need to protect them. 

 Last Friday the steps of letting go began.

Releasing Christina into the protective arms of Danny to start their new family.

We survived the trial run.

Mad As Heck

Not sure how to handle this yet.  It is wrong, just wrong.  Sure there are plenty of other things to get upset about, but when someone steals and profits from their thefts, they should be stopped.

I took some screenshots tonight.  Here is the first one:

Check out the Spicy BBQ Chicken recipe, here, take a closer look:

This site has a lot of advertising going on, even from one of my favorite airlines-Southwest Airlines. The chicken looks delicious, and familiar, like I've had it before.  Oh wait, that is MY chicken:

Only they've cropped my photo so the 13Recipes insignia at the bottom is missing.  Others are pinning my pic to pinterest from this other website, and this recipepunch site is making a profit off of stealing recipes and photos from other people. 

I am not sure what to do about it yet...we are in the middle of The Wedding Week for Christina, but I am NOT a happy camper about this.

Counting Down The Days

One week from today Christina & Danny will wed.  What a journey it has been.  I won't take you all of the way back to Christina's first days of life, I've posted some of it in the Life Series.  I'll just say, life hasn't always been easy.

Fast forward to 2007.  Christina graduated with a degree in Ministry, but realized her dream of becoming a missionary in Mexico was no longer a possibility.  As a single parent to a child with special needs, she instead concentrated on caring for her son and became a Certified Nurse Assistant.

Financially struggling, it didn't take long for Christina to realize her income barely covered the necessities of life, so opted to go back to school to become a Registered Nurse.

Somewhere along the way, she met Danny.  You can read his and her versions of their meeting here.  Danny is a wonderful man, but after meeting Ethan, he wasn't sure he wanted to take on a child who most likely would never be able to live on his own.  Christina and Danny went their separate ways.

I believe God is into details, and was working behind the scenes.  After about a year, Danny came to the realization that his life would never be complete without Christina and Ethan in his life, so he returned to the love of his life

The proposal popped in December of 2011. Ethan was present.  While attending her last semester of school, Christina began planning her August wedding.  This brings us to July, the month before the wedding.

The beautiful mountain wedding venue that was to accommodate the 200 guests, was no longer able to-at least not without seating the wedding party or some attendees dangerously close to a 20 foot cliff.  The owner of the venue also failed to disclose that Port-a-potties would be brought in order to provide restrooms for the wedding guests. A mad scramble ensued.

Rather than waste time on the negatives of the first venue's failures, the way a politician does with attack ads, Christina chose to focus on her wonderful friends and family and their generous offers to help.  Unfortunately, the first venue was all inclusive.  This meant she not only lost the mountain setting for her wedding, the caterer, etc., she no longer had a photographer, DJ, or a place to hold the rehearsal dinner.  Knowing the money already spent most likely would not be recovered,  the hunt began for an inexpensive place to host the wedding, reception, and rehearsal dinner.

In the midst of the chaos, Christina's pastor and friend informed her that in spite of his ongoing chemotherapy treatments, he was not doing well, and he would not be able to perform the wedding ceremony. 

Christina's cousin, who was to sing and play music at the wedding canceled, as he got a new job and had to return to Canada early.

Christina's friend, who has been acting as her wedding coordinator, lost her job.  She wasn't sure if she would be able to do all she'd promised.

Nothing is ever easy.

One day, we will look back and laugh as things have continued to unravel and change.  I've lost track of many of the changes that have occurred almost daily.  Yesterday, Christina was told the flowers, including the bridal bouquets & boutonnieres, that were being provided as part of a wedding gift, then changed to "at cost" would no longer be provided.

The new wedding venue is lovely, but costly.  There is no budget for flowers, a photographer, or any other miscellaneous lovelies of a wedding.  Somehow, Christina and Danny will wed in one week.  Christina will be a beautiful bride, Ethan will be the best man, and life will go on.  This wasn't the plan, but Christina has experienced plans interrupted before, and has dealt with disappointments with courage and confidence-her faith unwavering. 

I wish I had the money to make things different.  I wish I had connections with some Hollywood Reality Show that would step in and do a wedding makeover not for some crazy bridezilla, but for a lovely couple and their sweet little boy.  If you'd like to see a glimpse of my beautiful daughter Christina, her soon-to-be husband, and my darling grandson, I put together this slideshow:

http://youtu.be/BN6OBK05jZo

Let's Move London

Our first day walking a neighborhood street of London.  I wanted to capture this tiny car with its huge London license plate.  I didn't notice the Let's Move London truck until later.  They also seem to be parked the wrong direction.

 This is more proper, with the passenger side next to the curb. I've probably got it all wrong.  It reminds me of being in Arizona.  Some faucets turn on right-to-left, others left-to-right,  it's hard to know who has it right and who has it backwards.

London Hairdressing For Men

What kind of business is this?  In case you can't read it:

Opening Times:

After Lunch till after Dinner

Wed to Saturday

(No Mornings)

They have a unique 24 hour telephone service, but will also reply to Mob & Text.  Anyone know what MOB is?

London's Got Game

I know it has been a month since I've posted.  Without realizing it, I took a summer vacation from blogging.  I hope to be back soon.  In the meantime, in honor of London hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics, thought I'd post some random pictures from our trip to London last year.  I don't think I ever posted these.  (The above Olympic Logo is not from London, but taken on the same trip while visiting Korea.)

One of the famous red telephone booths, outside of a police station

June 25th, 2012

 Today is Sarabeth's 23rd birthday.

Sarabeth, you'll always be my Velcro Baby.  Since day one, you challenged me,

You brought me to my knees often.  God created and gifted you unlike any of your siblings. In spite of well-intentioned people who offered parenting advice,  I knew in order to guide and direct you in your unique talents I absolutely needed God's direction and creative wisdom and guidance.

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

When you were in school, I'd make your favorite breakfast and you'd comment  it was your best day ever.  But if your day started off badly, I knew it was going to be a long, hard day.

I loved the year  you were in second grade and you transformed your overalls into Adventure Pants.  Any day you wore those overalls was a guaranteed good day.

You've always marched to the beat of your own drum and were never afraid to stand out from the crowd.  I smiled every morning of your senior year as I packed your gold, vinyl lunch box with a lovely lunch, while packing your sister Hilary's in a brown paper sack.

I love your strength, perserverance, and enthusiasm as you walk through this life.

 I love you.

Happy Birthday!

Father/Daughter

Thought I'd participate in You Capture this week.  The theme is "pretty."  I thought this pic was "pretty" sweet, a daughter and a dad.  This was taken 3 days after Hilary's emergency appendectomy at 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

A Baseball Game

 It was my responsibility to get Ethan to his baseball game on Saturday,

And team pictures prior to his game.

 

 "Gramma, you're supposed to sit on the bleachers.  Now, go!"

 

Hit the ball on the first pitch.

 

Run Ethan!

 

 Second Base

 

Run Home!

High Five!
Notice he's looking to make sure everyone is watching him.

Grandma, where's my face mask?

Throw it to first.

Way-to-go!

Good Game!

Thanks Gramma!

Memorial Day

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

~Moina Michael~

Thank-you to all of the men and women who've served our country,

 But especially to those who lost their lives while keeping our country safe.

 

My father-in-law served during the Korean War

These photos are of him and some of his military buddies.

I wish I could hear his stories of when these photos were taken.

 This was his graduation photo sent to his mom, from her Loving Son, Eddie.

This was in Korea, in September of 1950, standing outside the Officer's Mess.  They were part of the Mosquito Outfit, I believe formed in June of 1947.

This is the document he carried with him on over 100 missions. 

In 4 languages it says:

I am an American (UNITED NATIONS) flier.  My plane has been shot down and I am helpless; but I want to get back and fight again for the peace of the world and your country.  

If you will help me and yourselves by getting me to the nearest American unit, my Goverment will reward you well.  Help us and we will help you.

Thankfully, he made it back safely to the U.S., and lived to be 86 before he died and took the rest of his stories with him.