1. i am never getting married.
2. my neck is sore from all the headbanging.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
...bells are ringing
last month i attended two weddings.
at wedding #1, i got to hangout with my bff casey, her baby ben, and her fiance matt. i've gotten to hangout with them on a couple of occasions, but it was at this wedding that i really saw how awesome their little family is and i got really excited for her. plus, BABIES dig me.
i didn't know a ton of people at this wedding, but i did get stalked by a creepy hand-holder dude, danced with my old cross country coach, re-created some amazing photos with casey and meggie, and had an all around great time.
wedding #2 made me cry. church parking was non-existent so i had to run (trot) 3 blocks in my 3 inch heels to the church, and made it just in time to watch (from the back of the church) the wedding procession march down the isle. man, i was already tearing up just watching casey's sisters, niece, nephew, and son go down the isle...but when she came out on her father's arm...there was just no stopping it. i love casey like a sister, so this was a pretty big deal to me. the whole ceremony was so joyous...and watching her and matt...and, well, it was just the first time that i really felt connected to the whole process and truly excited for her.
the reception was great, both from the participator point of view (dance dance dance!) and from the observer point of view. more pictures, more laughs, and more dancing, and by the time the clock struck 11:30 and they kicked us out, i was ready to go home. best wedding ever, and i can say this even though it was about as standard as you can get because it's truly the people and the connections to each other that make a great wedding.
caleb and cass: i can't wait for yours :)
at wedding #1, i got to hangout with my bff casey, her baby ben, and her fiance matt. i've gotten to hangout with them on a couple of occasions, but it was at this wedding that i really saw how awesome their little family is and i got really excited for her. plus, BABIES dig me.
i didn't know a ton of people at this wedding, but i did get stalked by a creepy hand-holder dude, danced with my old cross country coach, re-created some amazing photos with casey and meggie, and had an all around great time.
wedding #2 made me cry. church parking was non-existent so i had to run (trot) 3 blocks in my 3 inch heels to the church, and made it just in time to watch (from the back of the church) the wedding procession march down the isle. man, i was already tearing up just watching casey's sisters, niece, nephew, and son go down the isle...but when she came out on her father's arm...there was just no stopping it. i love casey like a sister, so this was a pretty big deal to me. the whole ceremony was so joyous...and watching her and matt...and, well, it was just the first time that i really felt connected to the whole process and truly excited for her.
the reception was great, both from the participator point of view (dance dance dance!) and from the observer point of view. more pictures, more laughs, and more dancing, and by the time the clock struck 11:30 and they kicked us out, i was ready to go home. best wedding ever, and i can say this even though it was about as standard as you can get because it's truly the people and the connections to each other that make a great wedding.
caleb and cass: i can't wait for yours :)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
mittens
mittensmitty, mits, meemee, meekey, mittykitty, mitkins, meowzers, baby mittens, meemers, pretty kitty.
i'm sorry i cried at the end when you were so brave. i miss you and love you so very very much. thank you for everything.
Friday, August 28, 2009
what i've been up to and will be up to for 3 weeks
tomorrow evening, joe will have been home for 1 full week.
out of that week, i got to spend 3 full days and two evenings with him. all very successful hangouts and two more weeks to look forward to.
i am enjoying this visit home more than any of his other visits i think for a couple of reasons. the first reason occurred to me in the car as i drove into the city this morning: he's back. on american soil. for good. the odds of him getting deployed again are almost nil and the general anxiety the military induces is now practiced and the norm for my family. i know what he'll be going back to in CA and it's this knowledge that alleviates some of the clenching "he's going back to war or to the unknown" stress usually associated with his visits home. august 13th, 2010, baby. what a celebrated day that will be.
the second reason for the surging joy i've been feeling boils down to the fact that he's growing up. both physically and mentally. physically, he's grown again! he's bulked up and when i look at his face, i can see that he's, well, a man. he was 18 when he went in, and he'll be 22 in just a handful of months...given the fact that we only see him maybe twice a year, these changes are huge and obvious. after i mauled him in the airport, i looked at what he was wearing and noticed he had on the swim trunks he and sam had bought for themselves on my last visit last september. these are the hilarious matching trunks in matching sizes that fit neither of them--for joe, they were too big and would not stay on -- for sam they were too small and were amusingly too tight. i exclaimed to the fact that he had them on and they appeared to be staying up without the aid of his hand or a piece of rope, and he smugly told me that they fit him now since he's gained a lot of weight (but mentioned that he'd actually already lost some pounds in the weeks he'd been back since he stopped his work-out routine). now maybe this is all too much information, but i think it's hilarious and i'm really really really happy to see him heavier and healthier.
mentally too joe has made some strides (not intellectually, he's already supersmart, duh, but i guess emotionally). my brother pretty much summed it up on the car ride home from the airport last week when he mockingly retorted to my jibe about him and sam partying too much and getting in trouble the night before by saying, "sue, we're not like that anymore...we're mature." to which i responded by pointing out his very mature black eye earned the weekend before with sam...haha. but it's true, he is maturing.
all summer long joe's correspondence with me was riddled with maturity--from quitting smoking, to working out and getting healthy, to reading books again and being proud of himself for getting back into that. he starting talking about the future and college and doing responsible things like "studying for entrance exams" or "inquiring about admissions processes for colleges." i'm so excited to see him enter into a new phase of his life. and it's obvious when talking with him that while he's still my baby brother, i don't need to obsess and worry about every little thing--like him getting lost or on the wrong train (well...almost). he's grown up a lot and it's exciting to be able to connect with him on a new level.
he's a bit more candid when asked questions as well it seems. he talked a bit about the difference between his two deployments and about losing a member of his platoon to a road side bomb. he's definitely witnessed some terrible things and i hope he will never be tortured by them and can use those experiences in loss to push him towards understanding and empathy.
but deep down, and through it all, he's still the same joe. still the same goof-ball, still the same sense of humor, the same forgetfulness, the same stoic behavior, the same brother and son, for better or for worse.
and i'm just so happy.
out of that week, i got to spend 3 full days and two evenings with him. all very successful hangouts and two more weeks to look forward to.
i am enjoying this visit home more than any of his other visits i think for a couple of reasons. the first reason occurred to me in the car as i drove into the city this morning: he's back. on american soil. for good. the odds of him getting deployed again are almost nil and the general anxiety the military induces is now practiced and the norm for my family. i know what he'll be going back to in CA and it's this knowledge that alleviates some of the clenching "he's going back to war or to the unknown" stress usually associated with his visits home. august 13th, 2010, baby. what a celebrated day that will be.
the second reason for the surging joy i've been feeling boils down to the fact that he's growing up. both physically and mentally. physically, he's grown again! he's bulked up and when i look at his face, i can see that he's, well, a man. he was 18 when he went in, and he'll be 22 in just a handful of months...given the fact that we only see him maybe twice a year, these changes are huge and obvious. after i mauled him in the airport, i looked at what he was wearing and noticed he had on the swim trunks he and sam had bought for themselves on my last visit last september. these are the hilarious matching trunks in matching sizes that fit neither of them--for joe, they were too big and would not stay on -- for sam they were too small and were amusingly too tight. i exclaimed to the fact that he had them on and they appeared to be staying up without the aid of his hand or a piece of rope, and he smugly told me that they fit him now since he's gained a lot of weight (but mentioned that he'd actually already lost some pounds in the weeks he'd been back since he stopped his work-out routine). now maybe this is all too much information, but i think it's hilarious and i'm really really really happy to see him heavier and healthier.
mentally too joe has made some strides (not intellectually, he's already supersmart, duh, but i guess emotionally). my brother pretty much summed it up on the car ride home from the airport last week when he mockingly retorted to my jibe about him and sam partying too much and getting in trouble the night before by saying, "sue, we're not like that anymore...we're mature." to which i responded by pointing out his very mature black eye earned the weekend before with sam...haha. but it's true, he is maturing.
all summer long joe's correspondence with me was riddled with maturity--from quitting smoking, to working out and getting healthy, to reading books again and being proud of himself for getting back into that. he starting talking about the future and college and doing responsible things like "studying for entrance exams" or "inquiring about admissions processes for colleges." i'm so excited to see him enter into a new phase of his life. and it's obvious when talking with him that while he's still my baby brother, i don't need to obsess and worry about every little thing--like him getting lost or on the wrong train (well...almost). he's grown up a lot and it's exciting to be able to connect with him on a new level.
he's a bit more candid when asked questions as well it seems. he talked a bit about the difference between his two deployments and about losing a member of his platoon to a road side bomb. he's definitely witnessed some terrible things and i hope he will never be tortured by them and can use those experiences in loss to push him towards understanding and empathy.
but deep down, and through it all, he's still the same joe. still the same goof-ball, still the same sense of humor, the same forgetfulness, the same stoic behavior, the same brother and son, for better or for worse.
and i'm just so happy.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
count-down!
JOE gets back in the usa on tuesday, august 11th! a whole month early!
he'll then get to come home to chicago for 3 weeks starting august 22nd.
so excited!
here are some of the things we will do:
1. aerosmith/zz top with our dad!
2. white sox games!
3. kumas!
4. beach! (weather permitting)
5. be awesome.
i also have two bachelorette parties coming up, followed by two weddings, as well as a couple of tourneys with my ultimate team that i am looking forward to.
he'll then get to come home to chicago for 3 weeks starting august 22nd.
so excited!
here are some of the things we will do:
1. aerosmith/zz top with our dad!
2. white sox games!
3. kumas!
4. beach! (weather permitting)
5. be awesome.
i also have two bachelorette parties coming up, followed by two weddings, as well as a couple of tourneys with my ultimate team that i am looking forward to.
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