The weekend, as usual, was bustling with activity. Saturday was my birthday so naturally I had to be up bright and early to take Carley to her all day Key Club training meeting. Even though I could have stayed in bed longer to fully appreciate the luxury of sleeping in, I now look back on that drive with Carley and I treasure it. We had been talking about the previous blog and how fun it is to make lists of things that make us happy as we drove East toward Highway 89. It was a beautiful morning and as the sun just peeked over the mountains it bathed everything in a rich, golden glow. In the near distance there was a field that was being generously watered by giant farm sprinklers and something about the way the golden light filtered through the sprinkler mist took my breath away. Carley and I decided then that we should add sprinklers to our list of things that make us happy.
Saturday progressed into a very fun, happy day for me. After dropping Carley off, my other girls super cleaned the house so I didn't have to worry about anything, and later that morning my dear friend, Jake, brought his hilarious team of philanthropists over to my house to film as they planted an apple tree. How cool is that? I was given a Red Delicious apple tree for my birthday from TeamZorilla.com. Please look them up - they are amazing people whom I admire very much!
Later that day, I was happy to have my girls with me as we shopped for groceries, spent an hour browsing movies at Hollywood Video, and came home to slow cook a pot of Arroz con Pollo for dinner. In the late afternoon we spent time on the garden swing happily admiring all the new additions to our "whimsical" sitting garden
(Thanks sweetie for the birthday money to cram even more flowers in that garden!)
We finished off the evening with a visit from my mom, homemade ice cream, German chocolate cake and a thriller movie that kept us on the edge of our seats! The day just had that "ahhhh" feeling to it. It was exactly what I needed.
I had to shoulder a lot of disappointment on Sunday, beginning with a phone call from my mom who told me that my grandma was not well enough for us to visit that day. My grandmother is in poor health and we don't know how much longer we will have her with us - certainly not more than 2 months. Even now, the thought of losing her makes me feel as if my heart is in a vise and the pain of it brings tears instantly. I had really hoped to take my family to visit her on Sunday but I understand the need to give her time to recover between family visitors. If she read this blog I would tell her how she has always been a cherished part of my life. I am so grateful that I have memories of the Boston trip with her.. I will carry those memories with me for the rest of my life and that way she will always be with me. We love you Grandma Robinson!
Although I easily could have spent the rest of the day in tears, I decided to turn it into something positive so I told Carley and Madie to get the car keys so we could go do some final driving lessons before their big test (which is today.. right this second in fact!). How can I adequately describe how wonderful it was to take a drive up the canyon with my two oldest daughters on a beautiful Spring/Summer day? It cannot be done. I am so proud of these girls! There were no worried moments, no gripping of the handle above the window or pushing the imaginary brake pedal through the floor.
The girls drove expertly and we absolutely had to pull over by Pine View Dam so that we could appreciate the splendor stretched out before us... boats speeding over glassy waters, birds skimming the blue-green surface, and the sweetest breeze encouraging the trees to dance with joy as Summer approached. Easily the hardest part about that drive was getting back in the car to head home! We could have stayed at the dam all day and we hope that we can go back with our boat and camping gear very soon!
The fun thing about the May turning to June is that two days following my birthday, Bill gets a turn to have his birthday. :) So yesterday I left work 30 min early to rush home so that I could make him chicken enchiladas (his request) and have time to make cookies N cream fudge for the girls' driving instructor as well. It was a mad rush but the evening was so worth it! Bill's dad came over for dinner, cake and ice cream, and we had a wonderful time sitting out on the deck as the girls entertained us with violin and viola serenades and silly dances laced with many giggles. Again, it was picture perfect and those memories will last forever.
There were many moments this weekend when I looked into the faces of the people I love and I am humbled that I get to be surrounded by such loving, beautiful people. My girls and my husband truly know the meaning of family.. more so than any people I have ever known. I must have done something great to deserve them.
No comments:
Post a Comment