Twenty-five years

Immediately after church today we headed to the place where we were having a 25th anniversary dinner for Dick's dad and step-mother. (I have many more pictures to post, but I'm too sleepy to do it tonight.) Earlier this week I posted about my mother's death 25 years ago on Sunday morning, November 7. Believe it or not, in that one week Dick and I and our young children went from that experience on Sunday to her funeral in the middle of the week to a WEDDING for Dick's dad on Saturday the 13th! Talk about the extremes of emotion! We had lost Dick's mother to cancer the year before, and the entire family was so happy for the wonderful woman Dad was marrying. She had never been married before, but she had been the beloved single aunt to many neices and nephews. Becoming a mom and grandma was like second nature to her. Most of the grandchildren in the family never knew their biological grandma, but because of Arlene they never felt the least deprived. We have been SO BLESSED!

Dick and I went right from the anniversary celebration to my Christmas rehearsal at church. This evening we took Destiny back home and got some much needed groceries on the way home. This has been a rich, full, family-filled weekend. This coming week will be more of the same. My sister Barb is coming from Idaho for the first time since our oldest sister Janet's funeral in 2004. You'll be hearing more about our planned events as the week progresses.

Meanwhile, I need SLEEP and time to get music ready for all my eager-beaver middle school instrumentalists. Sometimes I feel like I need 8 days per week!