Smile Lines: family

Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Four Decades of Me

Celebrating my 40th birthday was a month long party. I reveled in each moment.

The festivities started back in October--in Los Angeles.

Four Seasons Westlake Village, October 2010

The prince surprised me with a trip to the Four Seasons Westlake Village--a combo 12th wedding anniversary (10/11/97) and a magical birthday treat. We relaxed poolside, soaked in the sunshine, drank fruity cocktails, missed the girls, appreciated our dear friends, Carrie & Darren, for caring for our babies, counted our blessings and I managed to convince Eric to let me have a third dog. More about Bella later.

The morning of the official birthdate my three loves presented me with a handmade book, "Forty ways to Love Your Mother" complete with pictures of me over the years and captions that the girls crafted. To say I was moved to tears is an understatement.

The girls headed off to school, the prince to work and I loaded up the mama minivan for a slumber party with some of my besties.

The LaConner Channel Lodge less than two hours north of Wilkinson Manor along the waterfront was the quintessential setting to chat endlessly, giggle late night, swap silly stories and our deepest secrets. We vowed it to be an annual gig.

The all too short excursion ended on a fabulous note as I was welcomed home to a houseful of love and another fab party next door @ Carrie & Darren's!

Yes, that is ME on her shirt! They pulled out all the stops and coordinated quite a fete! Carrie and the prince designed t-shirts for us all! Check out my fave fans!

Yummy food, tasty drinks, warm hearts, and Eric on the guitar. Another surprise gift that left me speechless. Together with the girls he wrote a song to accompany the darling book they made, "Forty Ways to Love Your Mother". Silly, sweet, pure Eric--the vocals alone will keep me smitten for life.

Here is a shot of Audrey and me looking on...in matching tiaras, of course!

The gifts that were given were so well received. My heart was touched with each ring of the doorbell for weeks and weeks. Personalized M & M's in pink and green (darling!), a dozen microbrews from around the country, peppermint cocoa and cocktail mixes, vintage shot glasses, funky pint glasses, a copy of my blog over the year, jewelry, soy candles, autographed books, a leather journal, Starbucks cards, bouquets, and more!

And then-- another soiree was held in my honor!

This time at the swanky Arctic Club in downtown Seattle. Some of God's greatest people were there to celebrate ME. I had the time of my life. I was the one in the flashy shirt acting at if I was 21. Here are some snapshots of the night.

Words cannot explain how blessed I am. I have never been happier.

To four more decades..and beyond!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Be Still My Heart

For starters listening to Eric play his guitar tonite made my heart flutter. Not to mention the music mix he made me titled, "more than you know"...bless him. He just returned from getting us a movie and as I came down from tucking the girls in I spotted candy bars WITH NUTS for me. He's my perfect Valentine.

At bedtime Audrey prayed a prayer of thanks to God for trees, oxygen, people, voices--"Yes, God, our voices," she prayed---"voices that we can use to speak kind things to others and to most of all speak 'peace'. May people--all people know how loved they are and to stand up for themselves and may we stand up for others when they cannot." beautiful insight.

Next door Liv was anxiously waiting to read to me from Inkheart. With inflection and poise she read and my heart swelled. She is such a gift and growing up so much (and so well as she ages). What a beauty she is. Below is a picture of her in a classroom play this week. Seeing her so happy and secure is a true blessing.

It's been a lovely Valentine's Day weekend with these magical people --my loves.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Sun is Shining

Frib and Al basking in the rare Seattle winter sunshine

Given how the first 17 days of 2009 have gone the fact that the sun is shining is one of the brightest spots thus far...

I will keep this post brief and consider this my journal entry for the past couple of weeks. I look forward to closing this chapter and for sunny days ahead.

Just sent an email to a girlfriend and thought I could use part of that note to best sum up the recent days.

Been a helluva a week, girl—close friend got the diagnosis of a lifetime. cancer. (mom of a 5 yr. old, engaged to be married in mere weeks, successful biz owner, life was blooming brilliantly). She will "kick it" I know (I think that will be the title of her blog we're working on--stay tuned) and I will be there each step of the way so long as she does not tire of me!

My brother lost his job to the economy (and is going in for nearly 7 hr. ear surgery next week in Boston with a 6 wk. recovery said to be filled with nauseau and dizziness—has a family of 4 back in Maryland).

One of my clients closed their restaurant after nearly 20 yrs (dozens displaced), a girlfriend suffered a miscarriage yesterday and has been simply overjoyed with the prospect of her babe for weeks now, my mom-in-law got in a car axe and can’t meet us in Disney the end of the month afterall- the airline won’t give us our $ back (thank God she will be OK once we get her back feeling better).

I will spare the k PR newspaper quotes this week, the insulting letter from a lawyer based on a client that won't pay, and the vomit fest hosted by my beautiful Audrey that kicked off in our bed at 8 this morning.

I may steal Liv and do some retail therapy for a bit as E plays Mr. Mom with Audrey and watches basketball. That is, IF she stops vomiting. Otherwise, she needs me more than the mall. ;)

So if that's the case I will pull up a slice of the floor and rest in the sun with the dogs.

Got this quote from a friend yesterday--

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.

My umbrella is by the door...

Monday, October 20, 2008

Memory Lane

One bed time in September Audrey was asking about my 93 year old grandmother who lives in New Hampshire. She asked what she was like as a mom (she was dear and loving and hands-on with her three kids but also a working mother. She was a nutritionist in charge of the school district's food program). She has always been a mentor to me for so many reasons and I have told stories to Liv and Audrey over the years about baking chocolate chip cookies with grammie, ice skating on Saturdays together, swimming at the cottage, bus trips to visit her from college, goodie bags she'd pack for car rides home, her holiday traditions with full fabulous homemade breakfasts, shopping for school clothes at specialty store Goodnow's and on and on..

So Audrey asked when she could go visit her. I told her how great grammie loves her and sends her cards and gifts and even emails.

"But when can I SEE her," she prodded. "I'm not sure, Audrey. Why do you want to see her so badly?" I asked.

"Because she is alive and I still have time to see her but Papa Bliss (Eric's dad) is not and I don't want the same thing to happen. I want to know what she looks and feels like in person."

That night I booked the trip.

The girls and I left for New England for a few days the start of October. We surprised my mom as it was her birthday. We were welcomed with open arms, much fanfare, and big smiles. It was good to be home.

We spent the weekend in Boston ---

walking down the cobblestone streets in Beacon Hill where I lived during my college years

enjoying the Public Gardens (the girls sat on the duck sculpture which was created after Robert McCloskey's 'Make Way for Ducklings'- a true Boston story I might add!),

stopping by Union Oyster House (America's Oldest Restaurant and where Eric and I had our rehearsal dinner eleven years prior)

visiting Simmons College where I graduated from college more than seventeen years ago!

hanging out at the pool and hot tub~

And, of course, strolling down Yawkey Way to Fenway Park-Home of the Boston Red Sox!

Back at my parents house in Western Massachusetts

Olivia and I took walks in the neighborhood and relived stories of my youth (I showed her steep, scary "Suicide Hill" where we'd ride bikes, we passed my friend Christa's childhood home, Rusty Anderson's house, the homes of kids that I babysat and popped in to our neighbors for an after dinner chat).

The girls loved seeing my parent's fifteen year old dog, Casey.

They slept in my old bedroom and loved playing with my old toys. Audrey especially loved my baby dolls and even one of my mom's.

And she finally got to have a tea party in my childhood home with my mom. Bliss!

We made super memories those few days as my folks showered us with attention and affection. They took the girls shopping and brought us to a beautiful pumpkin patch for some homemade ice cream.

We were welcomed to the gorgeous homes of my life long girlfriends and got to enjoy their wonderful, wonderful children whom my children connected with instantaneously. Again, it was good to be home.

And of course, we spent the day with my gram. The highlight of the journey.

Audrey could not keep her hands off of her. Here they are hand in hand as grammie takes us on a tour of her beautiful assisted living facility.

Here they are at Friendly's Ice Cream as gram likes to grab a sundae now and then.

Audrey kept exclaiming throughout the visit, "I can't believe I'm seeing her in person!"

Once Audrey let others get close to grammie, Olivia managed to make a wonderful connection as well.

It is this final image below that I will hold in my heart forever in regards to this trip to New England.

Olivia and grammie are making eye contact, sweet smiles are playing on their faces and there is an unspoken easy bond they've formed.

How grateful I am for my family (young and old), for the memories (reliving past ones and creating those anew), and for the process of life (for the roads grammie has traversed and the long, windy unpaved ones that lie ahead for my girls). May my girls revel in the journey and may they have peace and contentment in knowing at the end of the path that leads back home the door will be open and I will be waiting to greet them with open arms.

Thank you, Audrey, for this beautiful homecoming. May you always remember how good it feels to be in Grammie's presence.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

February 16, 1962

Donna Jane Whitham married Frank Taylor Brown 46 years ago on a cold Friday eve at 7:30 by candlelight in a quintessential New England church in the small town of Fitzwilliam, NH. As the cermony went on, the snow began to fall in the village outside. And thus, my parents marriage began.

I thank them for honoring their vows. For truly loving one another deeply. And for giving me the greatest example of what God intended a marriage to be. One of devotion, love and much, much joy.

With gratitude and love~

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad.