it was a beach and birthday weekend.
i have had many words to share about the moments created.
then i waited too long and now i am left with the memories captured.
and then that's just why i take so many pictures.
it's why i keep the ones that are blurry, off center and not exactly right.
truthfully they are never exactly right.
no, they are perfectly imperfect glimpses at my life.
they are reminders of goodness and love.
they are invitations to see beauty even in the ordinary -
evidence of the extraordinary ordinary.
i would argue that pictures are not just worth a thousand words, but also a thousand feelings.
they're hugs - bear hugs - winks, nods, chest bumps and high fives.
they say this is important to me, i see you, and i want to remember this.
i could've and wanted to include a dozen more from just this weekend.
i take a lot of pictures, but still i could take many more.
ted says "mom" like the annoyed teenager he can be, but i know that someday he'll thank me.
and lily just smiles knowing the sooner the better.
the rest of my people usually indulge me...
and especially so on my birthday weekend.
1. i came home after work on friday and walked smack dab into the birthday banner she made and had strewn across the doorway. lily was quick to point out that it was made of pink and green, my besties, but of course, i noticed that straight away. it's the little things that we are always left with so notice them, cherish them, keep them. my family made me feel so thought of on my birthday. the things they said about me and gave to me made me feel the love.
2. we went out for a night of nostalgia: lisa's pizza. my dad suggested it when he called to wish me a happy birthday, and to remind me that i was stubborn from the start. i put my mom through 26 hours of hard labor. he also told me that i was worth the wait.
3. saturday was kind of like a national holiday at casa wags for we were making our inaugural trek for the year to our favorite lake. more nostalgia. mike, lily and i went as a trio and enjoyed the sunny, breezy afternoon. teddy was away camping with his cross country team. that fact almost deserves a post of it's own as like his mom, he is not really the "camping" type, but he had an absolute blast even though he had to sleep in a tent with 12 boys, forgo a 20 minute before bed shower, and wake up in the pouring rain. who knew cross country could be so life changing?
4. this girl is part fish. she stayed submerged in water for the 5 hours we were beachside save for the 10 minutes it took her to eat her roasted pork sandwich, which she rather loved. at the ripe old age of 11, she's discovering the sandwich. coach made up silly games with her, while i mostly read and had fun watching them play. i finally got into the water, but it took me about 30 minutes. she got her fish-like qualities from her dad. definitely.
5. the birthday divas. sunday afternoon we headed to my brother and sil's for a little bbq bash.
6. grandpa looks good in a tiara. i'm pretty sure he'd do anything for her.
7. every royal princess needs a fox.
8. my teamsters.
9. girl with balloons...
10. helium balloons that didn't last too long. i'm not sure whether it was grandpa or teddy who first suggested we get our mickey mouse on, but before long we were all saying funny things in high voices.
11. i'm pretty sure uncle b. bone would do anything for her too.
12. btw, i think my brother needs his own reynard or vixen.
13. aunt ashley made us both feel extra special.
14. how many boys does it take to grill 8 harp burgers?
15. happy birthday to us! after red velvet cupcakes, we played cards. first indian poker and then ted taught us a game he learned camping the night before called egyptian river rat. sounds fun, huh?
16. one from the cutting room floor because as i just confessed, rarely does a photo end up there.
and a few more...
