They Don't Make 'Em Any Better Than This.....

There we all are: Terese, Greg, John, and me. We're standing in front of a gorgeous sunlit ocean and lighthouse. See it?  

While I'm horizontal for extended periods of time, like over the last few days, my mind tends to wander because......well, there's only so much that you can do while lying around. But I shall persevere with the slug imitation for the rest of the week interspersed with gradually increased activity, since I do really want to get back on my feet.

So. My mind has been wandering in a few particular directions, and I thought I'd inflict share my musings with y'all.

First of all, I'm so thankful and amazed that this summer/fall wedding marathon went so well. It still seems a bit surreal, but there it is: two of our children are now married to two fabulous people, into two fabulous families, and the wedding festivities were fabulous as well. Seriously. Two amazingly joyful celebrations.

Wow. Wowsers. Am I a lucky woman, or what??

Secondly, I am humbled by the efforts that our friends and families have been willing to make in order to make these two events so special. To plan, to travel, to offer suggestions, to listen patiently, to.......well, to do anything that we asked. Amazing.

And now, after the hooplah is over and the dust has settled, our family has expanded exponentially, which is a marvelous thing. Ahhhh.

And third: Although everyone was supportive and helpful, and I'm so grateful to everyone that was willing to take the time and expense to travel coast to coast for these events, I've realized yet again that a couple of folks in particular are such a blessing to us. I tease them relentlessly, but in all seriousness, Greg and Terese and their family are indescribably dear to John and I and our kids.

It's such a rare thing to have a friendship that lasts these many years and endures so many events, and as I'm lying here studying the inside of my eyelids, I'm thanking my lucky stars for these two exceptional people. When I think back over the summer, so many things come to mind: Like the fact that Greg bought a HD video camera so that he could record the weddings, then actually recording all the fun, and manicuring his lawn to perfection for a wedding shower, and playing taxi for endless hours shuttling people to and from airports; Like Terese spending hours and hours tying ribbons and writing name tags, and lugging boxes, and helping me be realistic about my activity levels, and being very patient with me when my fatigue limited what she and Greg and John could do, and, well. I can't begin to list everything here.

But the most amazing thing of all is this: That after spending all this time together, and traveling from one side of the country to another, and then taking yet another whole week to vacation together.........that we still like each other.

(Well, at least John and I still like THEM. A lot. They're still speaking to us, so I'm guessing we're good. Hehe.)

Even as we were pulling into our driveway on our return from the last leg of our flight back from New England, we were discussing our next trip together.

I'd say that's pretty darned cool, and I'm very, very thankful.