Happy Birthday Sheila!!!

Chocolate cake--Sheila's favorite! Celebrating with Laura and Beka.
Have a great day, Sheila!

Beach Talk

I love the beach! I got to go to Lake Michigan two times this week! It was so beautiful. The sky was so blue both days. Thursday, Trish and I had a day hanging out--that was a treat. We headed north to New Buffalo beach. The water was very calm, and it was warm enough to wish we had brought our suits. Today, Dan and I spent the day at South Haven beach,www.southhaven.org Check it out. The water was deep blue and very wavy--the sound of the waves was wonderful. The air was cool and windy, but the water was too cool to be inviting. Everything was sparkling--the sand, the water, the sky! It was so amazing. I felt surrounded by the Lord's love for me to put me in the middle of such a beautiful place! I was filled with so many good memories of good times at the beach so I thought I'd post some beach photos.

Ellen and A.J.'s visit

Ellen and A.J. visit

We had a fun visit from Ellen and A.J. over the Labor Day weekend. They got to see Lilly walking. She is taking off. She's a quick climber as well. Trish gave us a tour of her houses and Lilly enjoyed the stairs! (Trish has more pix on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9605209@N07/.
I gave Ellen and A.J. a ND campus tour, and they spent an afternoon at the College Football Hall of Fame. They made it to the South Bend Chocolate Cafe twice! and we had a fun evening at Fiddler's Hearth. We played Scrabble without keeping score--I slept much better without the stress of competition!

Lilly is One!

Lilly's birthday!

We had a fun time celebrating Lilly! Mary Jo, Meg's mom, drove from New York with 6 of her girls. They had a great time playing with their niece, Lilly, and their nephew, Sam. At first Lilly didn't know what to do with her cupcake but as you can see she figured it out. She enjoyed Aunt Trish's gift of her old cell phone! Lilly is on the verge of walking--such an exciting time!

The Grand Canyon North Rim

Grand Canyon

Today is Grandpa and Grandma's 56th wedding anniversary. In their honor I'm posting our Grand Canyon pictures. Dan and I felt very connected with our parents while we were there. George and Marie Brewer actually honeymooned in a cabin at the North Rim. We might have been in their very cabin! And my mom and dad honeymooned in a similar little cabin at Lake Tahoe. We had fabulous weather while we were there and spectular hikes and picnics soaking in the view. Enjoy! We sure did.

Patrick and Shaunna's wedding in Pasadena

The wedding reunion

What an amazing gift to have such a wonderful family! Pat and Jean provided the setting for 4, count them FOUR, family reunions--the Bowlers, the Brewers, the McCabes, and the Dalys (Jean's family from Ireland). All their friends, neighbors, fellow parishoners, partners, and clergy friends played a role in hosting each one of us comfortably and feeding us abundantly.

Jean had masterminded their back yard so that all 30 of us hanging out there had a comforable place to relax. From the moment we first walked into the backyard and saw the Irish relatives chatting at the table I "saw" grandpa sitting there with them. His spirit was in us the entire event enjoying the chat, the food, the grandkids, and the dancing!

Every night we were graciously served an abundant meal. The rehearsal dinner for 100 was unbelieveable! The food was so delicious. We celebrated our 32nd anniversary that night with a champagne toast surrounded by all our children. What a thrill.

One of my favorite moments was in Patricia and Daniel's pool. All our children and grandchildren were having a great! I was so filled with joy just enjoying everyone enjoying themselves!

And the wedding! It was beautiful. Patrick and Shaunna were very relaxed and able to enjoy all their guests.

Thanks to all the Pasadena Bowlers and Friends for all their hard work giving us all such a memorable week together.

Latest Lilly Pictures

Lilly celebrating the 4th! Aunt Ellen stayed out of the pictures.