Uncle Wilmer

I received a call this week that my cousin Chris passed away.  I hadn't seen him in many years, but instantly thoughts of his father came to my mind - Uncle Wilmer.

Uncle Wilmer was an interesting man.  He never showed up to dinner on time and always left as dessert began...but he never left without a piece of cake in his hand.

His favorite was my little brother Darren.  Uncle Wilmer didn't know sign language but they could always communicate.  They had their own personal language.  He visited Darren on the night of his death, that I know for sure.

He was the original Leroy Jethro Gibbs.  By that I mean he was building a boat in his basement.  I always wondered how he would get it out and to this day I don't know the answer to that.  

He worked years at Carson Pirie Scott and there was a place downtown too.  He sold suits.  He always wore a suit.  He had many very expensive suits.  He was a well dressed man.  I remember visiting him and my Aunt Dorothy was a seamstress there.  

Rest In Peace Chris and I hope you have already seen Uncle Wilmer.

Look at that tongue

That is the tongue of a happy dog.  Isn't it fun to see how a simple little walk makes a dog so happy.  I wish we could all be satisfied so easily.  

This has been a long week.  It started really rough, but by the grace of God it has ended really strong. I was asked early this week if I appreciated a certain something from my past.  After having that conversation, I had the strength to do the things I needed to and I have made some great connections with people.  I have experienced the best of people for the last several days.  I guess you could say I have a happy tongue too.  

Let the weekend begin,  Junior has already left to go enjoy it.

You wanna do what?!

So when you have 5 weeks until your daughter's wedding, the last thing I think of doing is hand creating wedding invitations.  However the gene pool created by my husband and I, meaning our kids, clearly believe that is what you should do.

Erica said what she was thinking and Em created the look.  Then came the putting together of the pieces.

That's when, as my friend Vashti says, they were in a fight.

Nothing like the pressure of a wedding to bring sisters together (that was sarcasm).

Well tonight all seems back to normal.  I hope we don't all freak out before the magical date.

Stay tuned my friends....

What is LOVE

What is love? People define it differently.  Here are 2 examples from our house:

Waiting 525,600 minutes for a Ben's Pretzel at the State Fair, and

Thinking of getting a tattoo of the paw of the dog who once vomited in your mouth

We hope you find love...

What Not To Wear

Today I became a clothing hypocrite.  My new job requires very different clothing than what I wore at my old job.  I went out tonight and bought...are you ready for it? Are you sure?  

POLOS

Yep that's right.  It is the best thing to wear in the plant. Easy, no muss, no fuss. 

I was a clothing whore.  It's true.  I loved my colorful skirts, tops, and shoes.  I loved my 6 inch heels.  Now I am back to my short self.  It's probably best that my not so phenomenal legs are back under fabric.  I did though love my painted toes.  No polish now...BOO.  

Such is the price you pay for what you want sometimes.  Anyone need some clothes?  The local Goodwill is about to have a windfall of a certain size.  

Put a leash on her

Ah, State Fair time.  Fried, well, everything, fountain Pepsi, and Ben's Pretzels.

Have I told you about the time we lost Erin at the fair?  Yep, one second there, the next she was gone.  She was always one to wander, this time it had impact.  She was only 4.

In that moment people multiply by a thousand and time stands still.  You can't see straight, your mind races with where she is, what you should do, how you should do it.  You struggle to push horrible thoughts out of your head.  Everyone is suspect.  I am certain that State Police officer stills remembers me.  Especially since I grabbed a hold of him as I proceeded to tell him how he wasn't acting fast enough.  

Last year we celebrated that moment by stopping at the State Police booth for a sticker and an identifying wrist band.  This time, however, Erin was an adult and was more interested in which officers were single.  Funny how I can still see that moment clearly and she has no recollection.  

We put a leash on her after that.  It kept her safe and me sane.

Say Yes to the Dress

I totally forgot to publish this...

Today we went wedding gown shopping with Erica.  Two dresses into trying gowns on she knew what she wanted.  She obliged us like the brides on Say Yes To The Dress do by trying on dresses we liked that she clearly didn't.  She was worried about me liking the dress.  It isn't about me.  The day we are preparing for is Erica's day.  She found her YES dress.

As the session went on Emmy noted the "look" I get on my face when I am trying not to cry.  She kept saying, "you have the look, you have the look".  Yes I did.  My job is to be strong and positive.  I did not want to cry.  I waited until Erica was back in the fitting room and let a few tears flow. 

Today was an emotional day.  I didn't have a day like this when I got married.  Hell, I rarely did things properly when I was 22.  I made rash decisions and blew threw things.  I am still not one for all the details.  I figure if I was that messed up and have made it 25 years, Erica and Joe will have little trouble doing the same.  

Thank you Alfred Angelo Bridal, Kelly the Manager, and Alex the wonderful sales person who worked with Erica.  What's next on the list...