I’m sitting here sipping my steamy hot Americano and nibbling (against my better judgment) on a Baked brownie. It is the first time in over a week I’ve had a chance to blog. I have to tell you, my mind is so full! There is so much to share and so many stories to write about. You see, this past week, my husband and I decided to let our lives be interrupted by an entire wedding party!
For three years, we had a young man named Marc live in our home and he became a big brother to our kids. He was the boyfriend of (now try and follow) Brielle, who is the daughter of very good friends of ours, Mike and Terrill. About a year ago, our friends and Brielle, moved to Georgia and Marc, trailed on down there with them. Well, after nine years of dating, Marc and Brielle decided to tie the knot! They decided that since most of their friends and some family were up here, they’d have a small ceremony in Baltimore. The plan was to keep it small and intimate…and do it on a budget. So, they picked a gorgeous spot, at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore. Brielle found bridesmaids dresses for $10 each and her gown for $30. You would never know it! They were all beautiful!!
Last week, the wedding party descended on our home and the party began! We bunked the bride’s parents and most of the boys. There were lots of late nights with bachelor and bachelorette parties, a rehearsal dinner and a wedding! It was a whirlwind of activity as our home quickly became central station. But, this is what we live for! This week really is a good example of how Chris Ann and I have chosen to live our lives. We believe every moment should be celebrated in LoveFeast fashion. As much as I want to write all the details on a daily basis and try and capture the moments, real time, for you to read…I’d rather stop what I’m doing, and enjoy the LoveFeast taking place around me. The people that stayed in our home were not blood related. Some of our other friends weren’t sure why we would go out on such a limb for Marc and Brielle…letting our schedules be changed, our wallets stretched and our time go to someone else, but we do. Our lives are on a LoveFeast journey.
(I’m gonna get a little deep for a moment.) You see, our lives are busy. We have schedules to keep (play rehearsals, baseball games, gymnastic practices, driving to and from school at all hours of the day) and chores to do (gardening, potty training, dinner to make, laundry to fold, elbows to band aid) and people to tend to (I have 5 kids, Chris Ann has 4)…plus, two hard working husbands to keep happy! I’m sure it sounds like many of your lives as well. How do we take time to pursue our dreams without taking from the other important areas in our lives? Do we sit and enjoy a coffee and write a blog, or do we finish decluttering our closets? Do we keep with routine and schedules or stop and share a meal, or a wedding with friends? Do we cut corners and watch our pennies, or do we splurge once and a while, knowing the time spent (and money) is worth the investment in a relationship? Chris Ann and I are desperately trying to find that balance and at the same time enjoy the choices we make! (Thank goodness there are two of us to pick up each other’s slack!)
Back to this week…I decided to let it all go…including laundry…in order to help Marc and Brielle create a wonderful Love Feast memory! We had eggs and pumpkin seed toast for breakfast with Mike, Terrill and Corey. I went to Sei for Brielle’s bachelorette party and had a wonderful ginger vodka cocktail called Mischief as well as a killer sushi roll. Devon made a wonderful oven roasted tomato, mushroom and artichoke risotto served on a bed of arugula and we shared it around our table with the entire wedding party. I whipped up a sour cream pound cake with cream cheese icing and fresh strawberries for the wedding cake and we enjoyed that under a tree, with the wedding guests. We celebrated their union with dinner at Marrakesh in Washington DC and enjoyed great conversation with many different people. I will get to the details of all those wonderful events in days to come.
For now, I wanted to unload some of the thoughts in my head and a bit of the passion in my heart. I believe we should enjoy every moment with the people around us. Yes, most of the times we have to stick with our responsibilities and routines, but we have to, take advantage of the LoveFeasts that present themselves to us! Enjoy the moment…now to catch up on the laundry!
