A Kentucky Wedding Weekend

Big sigh! I miss my family! We had a busy, tiring weekend, but it was really great, and I'm so so so grateful that we were able to go!

I'm not sure exactly when Molly and Isaac started dating. I think maybe a year ago in the fall? I also can't remember when they officially got engaged, but I know they took engagement photos in December in Utah, and that their engagement pic was part of Suzanne's Christmas card. (I looked it up, they got engaged in November!)

Molly and Isaac's engagement pics were so sweet!

Friday

The adventure began after school on Friday. We got ready as quickly as possible and got on the road about 5:30. The goal was to get to Windsor with a stop in London for dinner and to see Shawn and Cooper! We took the 407 and everything was great!

Ken bought anti-motion sickness glasses for Fiona. They were great! The driving was free and clear almost the whole way to London. We were diverted off of the 401 because of some traffic, and Ken might have missed the exit from the 407, but all in all, we made good time to London.

We had fun visiting and chatting and just hanging out. It was fun watching Cooper and Kate together. They've been friends since they were babies! Shawn drove the punch buggy - her Mother-in-Law's car so I even got to punch Jon. All in all, a fantastic evening!

Oh and the rest of the fam jam... Thursday was travel day for most everyone? Maybe not Suzanne? Anyway, Andrew travelled with CJ and Mom, Jon and his family met up with Thomas in the airport which was awesome. On the Friday Andrew took Ben to the Louisville Slugger museum? Factory? Both? I was a little sad we missed out on some of the fun, but we did what we could do!

Saturday

The hotel room in Windsor was great. Two queen size beds and a pullout couch. We all had a good sleep. The breakfast in the morning was fine, and then we were off on the next leg! The bugs. There were bugs, fish flies, all over Windsor - the signs posted all over town said it meant Lake Erie was healthy. It was crazy, how many there were. We stopped the duty free to get some American cash. The border agent was great. The weather was perfect.

On Saturday morning we were making good time. Things were great... until they weren't. 

We were in Ohio when Kate said "I don't feel good". I got her a doggy poop bag right in the nick of time. She then proceeded to throw up, lots. Poor thing. We were quite close to a rest stop so we stopped until she was done barfing. The next exit was 10 miles, and there was a Walmart. So we headed straight there and bought Dramamine and Gravol. Kate took the gravol and then had a snooze. She sat in the front seat in hopes that would be good too.

By the time we got to Kentucky Kate was feeling better enough, that we stopped at the gluten free Fried Chicken place that Ken had found, Galactic Fried Chicken. The food was yummy, but the smell of the cooking oil was a little pervasive. The only other detraction - the amount of food lol. We forgot that we were in America. The portion sizes were INSANE. We ordered way too much food oops. Once we had eaten - which took a little longer than it needed to, we were in the home stretch.

We went and checked in to our hotel, dropped off our stuff, changed, and we were off to the rehearsal dinner. Or the "night before" dinner. It was at the country club that Molly's family belongs to. I didn't eat anything, but everyone else that ate enjoyed their food.

The best part of the whole night was getting to hug Isaac! Oh my goodness! We last saw him before his mission in 2019. It had been almost five whole years. Crazy!

Isaac and Molly played the shoe game. There were asked questions and without knowing what the answer they had to choose whether the answer to the question was Molly or Isaac. They held up the corresponding shoe to give their answer. It was cute. 

We were all staying at the same hotel which was awesome! Suzanne and her peeps were on the same floor. I loved that!

Suzanne and I went over to see her NY girls at their airbnb. It was so awesome. Suzanne's dear friends that she met in New York all came to Isaac's wedding - Minna, Amy, Jill and Monica. It was great to see them all again!

Sunday

And then it was wedding day! Wedding day, go to church day, and Father's Day.

I love going to church in other areas. I loved going to sacrament meeting in Kentucky! In their sacrament meeting they sang a primary song, and someone spoke for two minutes about the song. It was awesome. The primary kids sang for the dads too. A husband and wife spoke. The wife did a great job speaking, I don't remember her husband's remarks really though.

The Happy Father's Day Ken!!! Pic!!! 

One of the pretty roads back to the hotel.

At the barn! The place where Isaac and Molly got married was so pretty. It was on a farm. They were married in a field, and the reception was in the barn. It was so beautiful, and very, very hot!

The head table.

My girls!!

We were told to go outside and sit for the wedding to start. There was a string quartet playing music.

The wedding ceremony was really beautiful. The pastor from Molly's parents church married Isaac and Molly. They read scriptures and there were prayers and it was all very beautiful until the pastor said "as long as you both shall live". When he said that I felt it physically. I wasn't expecting it, I didn't plan it, but the reality that they weren't getting married in the temple, it hurt me. And I felt sad. Thankfully only briefly.

I told Isaac that his Grandpa was there in Spirit. I asked Ken to wear my Dad's tie to the wedding and he did. I missed my Dad today. He would have been so proud of Isaac and so happy, and he would just love Molly!

Suzanne and Matthew's room.

Our room! So close! It was really fun all being in the same hotel.

Monday

And just like that it was time to go home. It was much too quick. I feel like we barely said hello and then we had to say goodbye. Isaac and Molly are on their way to Grenada for their honeymoon. Suzanne and the fam all flew out this morning, Thomas is flying back to the academy. Jon and Michelle and the fam fly out later today. Our drive home was good. No incidents. No barfing. Milo had been picked up by our next door neighbours. That was a happy reunion! The girls had to help unpack the car before we got the dog, that made everything go really quickly!

A wedding is such a miracle. The beginning of a new family. Two people becoming one - two distinct people but with the same goals and pursuits in front of them. I am so thankful for my marriage to Ken, and I hope that Molly and Isaac will have such a happy partnership!

Fiona is 11

Happy Birthday my Fiona! You have had an incredible year of growth this past year. Life with you is so much fun, trying to keep up with you, that is the challenge! We all love you so much. I could not and would not want to imagine our family without you! You made our family complete!

The pictures are backwards... I wanted to start with the beginning, but I guess we're starting with the end, except that the first pic is in the middle-ish? The blowing the dandelion pic is from 2016 and it's the pic I put on Fiona's homemade card. Emily then Jones, now Michelson took the pic from 2016.

Fiona wanted to play a board game, she LOVES playing family games. She chose Happy City.

Ken picked up donuts from Crave in Whitby. Fiona chose a cookies and cream flavour. Ken will make her a cake for her birthday party.

Posing after picking a flower.

We got in a few cuddles after we'd finished eating.

Dinner at Jack Astor's. Fiona really wanted the chicken fingers and fries. Two weeks ago Ken and Kate went to the symphony. I took Alice and Fiona out to dinner. Fiona was still recovering from a minor cold and couldn't actually taste her chicken fingers so she really wanted to go back!

After school pics wearing her new earrings that were her birthday present from me and Ken.

Birthday breakfast!

Wearing the money that Maggie (Egan) Clarke sent her for her birthday. Maggie is the sweetest!

Opening her presents from her sisters.

Opening her gift from me and Ken this morning while I was still in bed.

Reading her card.

The earrings that Uncle Andrew gave her.

The mysterious Amazon Prime package that inspired much curiosity. 

The birthday table all ready for the birthday girl in the morning. 

Saying goodnight to a ten year old!

The Birthday Questions - Fiona - Age 11

1. What is your favourite color?

            Purple

2. What is your favourite toy?

            Our Generation

3. What is your favourite fruit?

            A good ripe strawberry

4. What is your favourite tv show?

            Alex and Katie

5. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch?

            Pizza

 6. What is your favourite outfit?

            The outfit I’m wearing. (Khaki shorts from the Gap, Light blue top from Urban Outfitters)

7. What is your favourite game?

            Telestrations

8. What is your favourite snack?

            Granola bar

9. What is your favourite animal?

            Bunny

10. What is your favourite song?

            Heart of Stone from Six

11. What is your favourite book?

            Harry Potter and City of Ember

12. Who is your best friend?

            Hazel

13. What is your favourite cereal?

            Rice Krispies

14. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

            Hang out with my friends

15. What is your favourite drink?

            Lemonade and Water

16. What is your favourite holiday?

            Christmas

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?

            Jelly Cat Bunnies and Giraffe

18. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast?

            Smoothie

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?

            Chicken fingers and fries at Jack Astor’s

20. What do you want to be when you grow up?

            An architect

The Apple Seller

Life is mostly just routine. There are sparkles and glimmers of fun there in the routine, but mostly it just is. My children are part of the routine. But they are anything but routine. They are unpredictable, they are predictable, they are helpful, they are unhelpful, they are delightful, they are not, they are chaos, they are order, they are loud, they are quiet, they are mine. But, they are also magic.  Tonight was magic.

This year at Alice and Fiona's school, Southwood Park, P.S., the staff organized a musical. They chose the production Annie Jr.  based on the movie Annie about a little orphan girl living in an orphanage in New York. Annie was a movie I watched a lot as a kid. The version I watched was made in 1982. I'm pretty sure we owned the VHS tape. 

Fiona auditioned to be one of the orphans. She wanted a part in the musical so very badly. I wanted it for her. She memorized lines and a song and practiced and practiced and practiced. I was already so proud of her dedication to it. We talked about not getting a part, about how she would handle that, but then she got a part. She won the role of the apple seller. She even had a speaking part. 

As rehearsals started and then progressed she was given a second role, the cook Mrs. Pugh. She found out she would sing two songs - as part of an ensemble. We bought costumes, Ken took her to school early for morning practices and as we got closer to opening night, I got more and more nervous. 

(Don't be too angry Fiona!) All I could think about was the last primary presentation. She wanted to do it so badly. So badly. She wrote her talk, she practiced and the Sunday of the presentation she fought hard through her nerves and she did it, but it was so hard and there were so many tears. So with that in my mind, I was afraid.

Tonight when I sat in the audience with Kate I watched my little apple seller march on to the stage with so much poise and so much confidence. She said her lines clearly and with confidence. She was so good. She was so strong and so brave and it was just magic.

I'm so so grateful to be a Mama and to get to see my kids struggle and do amazing things!

Chasing an Eclipse

When exactly planning for the eclipse began, I'm not sure. The path of totality included Niagara Falls, Kingston, Montreal. Ajax and Stouffville were both just outside of totality. A couple of months ago it seems the talk about the eclipse seemed to be coming up more and more and school boards starting moving P.A. Days around, cancelling school, making half days - all because in our area the eclipse would coincide with the end of the school day and people, lots of people were worried about little kids looking up at the sun.

Today there was a large area around us that would experience totality. In 2017 the path of totality went through South Carolina. Today the Niagara area had three and a half minutes of totality. Forty minutes to the east of us in Port Hope there was going to be 55 seconds of totality. After visiting the science centre and talking to an astronomy expert we ordered eclipse glasses. I hoped that I would be allowed to leave school and since the girls had the day off, we started talking about where we would go to watch the eclipse. 

It turned out that I wouldn't be getting to leave early, and would have meetings all afternoon. I told Ken that he needed to take the girls and go find totality. And the easiest place would be Port Hope. So that's what they did. They only thing that none of us counted on today, clouds.

After my staff meeting was over I went outside and caught glimpses of the crescent sun as the clouds passed by. It was neat. I felt sad that I wasn't with Ken and the girls and I felt sad that there was so much cloud cover. It was really neat when it got dark - even if it wasn't completely dark. At recess this morning I took pictures of the sun shining through hole punched cardstock. I was hoping to recreate the cool pictures that I took in 2017 of the eclipse through the colander. But after school it was just too cloudy.

Tonight I asked everyone there thoughts. I know today didn't turn out they way we wanted, but it was still a cool day. One that I hope the girls remember. 

Ken - It's hard not to be disappointed about the clouds, but it was still a cool experience to see the darkness of the eclipse. Also, Port Hope doesn't seem to care too much about people having fires on the beach because there were about 20 fires along the beach. 

Kate - It was pretty cool, but I wish I saw the sun. People were lighting their fires from other people's fires, and some guy asked us for the stick Fiona was dragging along the beach for us to sit on.

Alice - 5/10 might recommend. 

Fiona - It was a real disappointment. 

My pics

Hayley's eclipse pic

Two hours later - beautiful outside!

Ken's pics