Where were you a year ago?

Hard to believe it has been a year?!?  Happy Anniversary John and Marisa!

It has been a month!

Can you believe it has been a month since THE WEDDING?
We took lots of pictures that day. I plan to start work on the scrapbook soon.
Here we are with my brothers and their wives.

Here is a sneaky picture of Marisa walking into the church for John to see her all dolled up for the first time that day.
Here she is getting all dolled up.
Here are my children- in age order too.
more of Marisa getting dolled up.



The bride and the groom just had eyes for each other even with all the craziness of the day.
One month! I still can't believe it. The newlyweds are doing well and my house is much quieter which I don't think I like. I wonder who God will send next to us.

More wedding pictures!

Still more wedding pictures! Please comment on the pictures and Marisa will get a free print. Enjoy!!

Marisa in her wedding dress!

Wedding Pictures! Here are some and there is the promise of more tomorrow

Wedding Randomness

I have some what recovered, maybe.

Here are some random pictures with a few of the stories that go along. I don't have all the pictures on my computer so I don't have the full story in pictures yet but soon!!!!

Here is the newest member of an exclusive club. We all married into this crazy family. Sarah, Esther, me Marisa, Grandma, Taylor, Renee and Tina.

Here is my sister in law, Renee. She is tying a handkerchief bonnet on Marisa's bouquet. My mother made this for John when he was baptized. It is a handkerchief that belonged to my daddy with lace from my wedding dress. It is her something old and something blue.

This is my friend, Linda. She and her husband flew down to document the wedding. I can't wait to see the video she took of Sandy and KimT when they curled my hair using a broken curling iron just before I was seated.
My brother, John, shown here holding the door open so the photography could get a picture of the amazing dress.
Here is sweet Taylor. She didn't have the handkerchief on her bouquet when she got married because I forgot to bring it to the church but she did carry it for this wedding.

Here are all the women that were born into this crazy family, they didn't have a choice. They were teasing us about choosing to join the group
One story about 'our group'. The florist was to have the flowers at the church before pictures which were at 10 am. She got there about 9:45am and had to hustle. She was stunned with all the people already there. She asked my friend, Sandy, if the wedding was still at 1? Sandy told her it was. The florist asked why so many of the congregation was already there. Sandy told her that that was John's family. There were 40 of us. What a blessing to have that kind of support.

More soon...

The day before the day before

It started with this fine group. This is about 7 Am on Thursday at Mimi's
A good breakfast is always a good thing. We then headed to the church to set up for the rehearsal dinner except...

we found that the men who were putting down new floors in the fellowship hall, a- weren't finished, b-had all their trash in the fellowship, c-the guy who was to have all the chairs cleaned wasn't done and wasn't there.

I sat down, took about 7000 deep breaths, started saying to myself "If this is the worse thing that happens this weekend, we will be ok". Pastor Tim must have seen the look on my face as did Carl because they sprang into action. They talked to the workmen and they made a plan.

They fellowship hall was as clean as they could get it, with the workmen still there, then Carl, Kaitlin, Bri and I moved on to the sanctuary. We turned this...

Into this.
We did have lots of laughs. Here are the girls helping Carl move some boom mikes

then back to the fellowship hall where my blessed friends were cooking for Friday night. Here is Barb making a strawberry cake. Kimt and Sandy were busy behind her.
Then off to the Christmas party for Carl's company. Here is Carl posing with a group that helped plan this years get together.
Carl was employee number 34 and now there are close to 500. I stood up where I had been sitting and took pictures of the tables on either side of me.
Very cool!

These girls, wow, I can't say enough. They sure worked hard as did Robert and John. Here there at the one point in the day when they sat down and they were still working.
We went to KimT's to get the dress.
Her house is so fun to see during Christmas.
I forgot to take a picture of the office party that Carl and I went to after we took the dress back to the church. It was at Stacy's house. Lots of wonderful fellowship. During that time Kaitlin and Bri picked up Uncle John and Aunt Elaine at their motel and took them to the Purple Cow where they met up with Aunt Marian and Alan.
Afterwards we went to see John and Marisa's apartment. I took this picture because of all the coffee that they have. Some of you may be getting some of it for Christmas????I slept so well last night. I was worn out. I know the folks that helped were too!

More pictures soon!

One week!

This picture was taken August 21, 2009 as Marisa changed her status to engaged. In a week we will have a picture much like this one as Marisa changes her status on Facebook to married and she changes her last name.
They have an apartment and Marisa already has her artistic touch there even before she moves in. Here is their tree.
Kaitlin made 'bouquets' for the bridesmaids to use for the rehearsal. Here is Marisa's. Kaitlin found the wedding colors for hers.
Here is Marisa at the courthouse getting the marriage license.
These beautiful girls will be wearing dresses in these styles but not these colors in a week.

Just a week! How exciting! This week will be busy but fun. I just had Kaitlin show me how to delete the pictures from my camera that were saved to my computer. There were over 5000 of them. I think I'll have room to capture this week-maybe!

Rust Colored Pants, Gilmore Girls and Bedspreads

In two weeks we will be in the middle of the wedding festivities. We will have lots of family, lots of friends, lots of laughing and lots of new memories. Plus a million new pictures that I will post ASAP.

It was 5 years ago that John and Marisa started dating. Three years ago Marisa's home life fell apart and she needed a place to live. She picked our very quiet and calm home ;) . With John away at school, Kaitlin and I widened our Mother/Daughter duo to include her and we became a trio. She joined us for our lunches out and girls evening in when Carl was away. She made me watch The Housewives of New York, America's Next Top Model and The Gilmore Girls. (I can watch the second two but there is too much drama in those 'housewives' shows for me) The Gilmore Girls was especially fun because that was such a girl thing. If John or Carl were ever home when we were watching they were required to keep total silence if they chose to stay in the room we were in. If not, let's just say , it only happened once and it wasn't pretty.

Marisa began painting my toe nails. No one ever had as nice or as artistic toes as me! She took over the cleaning of the kitchen and if has never looked better. The first dresser she used had the squeakiest drawers and later I leaned that that was a signal between she and Kaitlin, that she was up and the visiting could begin.

I loved hearing the early morning laughter from the girls bathroom as they got ready for class.

Marisa became the fashion police. We are all better dressed because of her influence. Even Carl was not above her disapproving look if what you had on that day didn't look good. I remember the look on his face when she told him the first time that he was not even going to work dressed in the pants he had picked out. (They really didn't match the shirt he had on and she bought him a shirt to match those rust colored pants he dearly loves).

It was fun to shower her with gifts and then in turn, see her do the same to her siblings and cousins.

It was my privilege to see her heal and blossom and now go forth. Oh, but it is hard.

She and John are moving her stuff into the apartment that John is living in little by little. She has here what she needs to for her day to day living but all the extra's she is moving.

Last Saturday as she came past me, with her arms full of her books and things, she paused and said that her room really looked bare. She put down all that she had in her arms and came to me. As we stood hugging, she very quietly said " This is hard." We both cried. It is hard.

I am so thankful that she has come to know this as her home, her safe place, her refugee. I am so thankful that God opened my heart and gave me such a love for Marisa. I am thankful that He provided Kaitlin with such a giving spirit that as soon as Marisa moved in, whatever she needed, if Kaitlin had it, Marisa could use it. I am thankful for Carl and his giving spirit. I am thankful for his willingness to let our home have a constant flow of people in and out.

Yes, it is hard. but this is a good hard. This means that roots were put down, memories made, conflicts worked out all by the grace of God.

I asked Marisa is she wanted to take the bedspread that I gave her two Christmases ago. She said emphatically said "NO!" "That bedspread stays here in my room so when I come home, it will be on my bed." Nuf said

Two more weeks till lots of changes take place. When all the dust settles and all the relatives go home and we find out what new normal is around here, it will be hard. But I am so glad it will be!

A month!!!!

Breath in and breath out. I am saying that to myself! Stay calm. Breath in and breath out.

One Month!!

I can't believe it!

I keep telling myself that the goal of this is for John and Marisa to have a long wonderful marriage not a perfect wedding day. Besides, if it is a perfect day, where will all my stories come from!?!

I am blest with wonderful friends who are helping me do things, some of which, I didn't even realize til now, needed to be done.

Here are Marisa and Nicole talking about the wedding day. Nicole is the wedding director at our church and she is wonderful. She is very calm and listened to everything Marisa said and then gently guided her to all the decisions that had to be made.

Here is Papa at the post office with the invitations!The final count down is on...

Two Months from today

It was a beautiful evening a few nights when we met at KimT's to address Marisa's wedding invitations. Kaitlin took this picture.
She then saw the reflection in our car window.
Here is my picture of the beautiful sunset, oh yea, that's right, I didn't get the sunset but I did get beautiful Kailtin!
Marisa and Kaelyn were there for the party.
Renee and Evelyn were two of our addressers. Is that a word??
Evelyn had to move into the kitchen because she needed a different surface to write on. Bob and Fester came to visit her.
Here is KimT as she addresses. Marisa, Kaelyn and Kaitlin stuffed the envelopes.
They are done. We ordered some cool stamps and when they get in the invitations will be mailed! How exciting!!

3 months from today!!

Three months from today will be a Saturday too. I'll probably be up and dressed by now and making sure all our ducks are in a row.

We plan to address the invitations soon.

Here I am between two of Marisa's bridemaids, Kaelyn-her sister and Rachel- her cousin. We got out outfits altered.

The beautiful bride to be and her equally beautiful maid of honor met us there to join in on the fun. Here they are in front of the alteration place.Marisa is checking things off her list. She is very organized and it is a pleasure to be able to help her in anyway I can.