Always a bridesmaid...

So, I know it's been a long time since my last post. And believe me, I have plenty to write about.   In fact, I've waited so long I'm going to have to break it up into a few posts so I don't overwhelm you.  Haha.  We'll start with the first of my adventures...I like to call it the Texas wedding extravaganza...don't worry, the title of the post was just a joke.  I have no plans to lament my singleness or explain to you why I likely will not be "next"  (but thank you to every single guest at my sister's wedding who thought that would be an appropriate question).  Well now that that's out of the way...

So about a month ago, I made my way down to Texas.  It was a week I had been looking forward to for a really long time.  I flew in on a Friday night and was greeted at the airport by my sister Kristi and her fiance Corbett, who's wedding was the whole reason for my trip.  But we'll get to that...

I got up Saturday morning and drove about 3 hours to Round Rock, which is where I lived for about 6 1/2 years prior to moving to New York.  I was really excited to see my best friend Shahla, her husband, and this precious little guy!  Shahla had him about 6 weeks prior to my visit and I had been DYING to see him.

Sawyer in his gift from me :-)

Best end to a loooong day

Later that day, I drove out to my friend Kyle's wedding.  I have known Kyle since we were about 5 or 6 years old and he and his family are really precious to me.  I've had the honor of getting to know his beautiful fiancee (and now wife) Jen over the last couple of years and even got to see them in the fall when they visited NYC.  Their wedding was in central TX (near Austin for my Yankee friends) at a beautiful little outdoor venue in Dripping Springs.  A few of my favorite memories from the day...

Me and my cousin April

The beautiful bride and handsome groom

Me and one of my oldest and dearest friends, Vikas, enjoying some delicious ice cream sandwiches

Me and Kyle

I spent the next few days catching up with about a billion people.  I got to lead worship at chapel at the children's home, which is something I did every week when I worked there.  It was so good to see some of my former kids and lots of new faces as well.  I ran out of time long before I ran out of people I wanted to see, so I'm really sorry for those of you I didn't get to catch up with.  But Shahla and I (and Sawyer, of course) had to get back on the road to Houston for Kristi's "wedding week o' fun"!

My folks' house was full of people every day getting everything ready for the festivities.  I am about as crafty as a ...well I don't even know a crafty thing to NOT compare myself to...but anyhow, basically the only thing they trusted me with was a hot glue gun.  So my job was to hot glue twine and flowers to approximately (according to my calculations, which I mostly based on the amount of burns on my fingertips) 14,000 mason jars.

Pretty good job, if I do say so myself.

By the way, I did all of this while sitting on the floor of my parents' kitchen.  Not the most comfortable work space...

But I digress...the wedding was beautiful and wonderful and I got to see so many people I haven't seen in a really long time.   Here are a few of my favorites from the week/weekend.

Me and Kristi before the rehearsal

Getting ready for the big day

Cooper is clearly really excited to get his tux on and get down the aisle

Best friends - me and Shahla

Cutest nephew and niece in the world

Almost ready to go

 

3 generations - Me, Kristi, Alecia, Bella, and my mom

Sisters!

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It's interesting how in the midst of such joy and excitement, God can use tragedy to remind us of what's really important.  I'm not really one to get too deep with my feelings on the internet (or in real life, for that matter), but I don't want to miss an opportunity to honor a very special person...

Sunday afternoon, while I was still in Round Rock visiting friends, I got word that a dear friend of our family, Kathy Norris, had been taken to the hospital with a brain aneurysm.  Kathy went to high school with my dad and has been in my life for as long as I remember.  She is one of the sweetest, most compassionate, and selfless people I know.  I always look forward to seeing her when I'm home, because she knows exactly what I've been up to and asks me very specific questions about my life in New York.  She's an avid reader of the ol' blog and I know she asks my folks frequently how I'm doing.

And on Tuesday, just two days after she collapsed at church, sweet Kathy passed from this life into the arms of Jesus.  It was hard to believe then and perhaps even harder to believe now. 

So needless to say, the past few weeks have been a pretty good mixture of highs and lows, of joy and grief. And I suppose that's what life is, really.  It's certainly made me appreciate my family and friends a lot more, and given me some perspective on some other relationships in my life.

I will end with that for now, but look for new posts soon on my recent trip to San Francisco, why I love Zipcar, and why I've been spending way too much time in New Jersey.  Happy Memorial Day!!