Happy Birthday!

My dear friend Laura had a birthday over the weekend! She threw a 'surprise' party for herself Friday evening, little knowing that the true surprise paty was the next day - a day of fun outdoors, complete with hiking and lots of outdoor excitement! It is such fun to spend time with her. Happy Birthday, my wonderful friend!

The Grey Havens, Part the Second!

Well, here it is!


After the reheresal dinner, we all went back to the inn and spent a good hour folding Misty's programs. If you click on the picture, you'll be able to see them better. They were folded like this game we used to play, the one where you'd fold a piece of paper on it in about 20 ways (or some such number) and then read off numbers and colors and count and then you'd supposedly get your fortune read. When we were growing up, my cousins and I would spend hours playing that game. It was neat to see. And I have no idea what my father was doing to have made a face like that...

The cliffs by the water's edge that I spent some time climbing. I climbed down to them Saturday afternoon, as we had loads of free time before the wedding started. I spent a good bit of down on the dock too.

A view of the dock and an idea of how far down I came to get to the water's edge. It wasn't all that harrowing. ;-)

On the cliffs.

And yet another view off the cliff.

My brother and his girlfriend, Alisha. She's the sweetest thing ever!

Wedding time! My at-that-time cousin-to-be waiting intently for his bride. Where is she?

Oh, there she is! And she was absolutely gorgeous!

They said their own vows to each other. Oddly enough, I could only here Keith's as where I was standing with my mom and our flutes/the flute stand, the wind was to us, and we couldn't here a word she said. (*Note to self: send her an email to ask her what she said.)

"'Nother one bites the dust..." The deed is done!

Nana, Aunt Carmen, Misty & Keith, Kevin, Angel and Autumn. My family has made me so very happy. :-)

Wedding funness!

All partied out and time to head to bed...

...but not before cake! Okay, confession: I didn't really like this cake. I can say that without feeling guilty because Mist was telling me up until the night before that she was jealous of the wedding cake I'd gotten at my brother's wedding. And after tasting her cake, I had to say that I agreed with her. Mrs. Z's wedding cake has now spoiled me! But it still was pretty.

Sunrise on Sunday. It was so peaceful.

And the sea looked like glass and those ships called me home...

The night is gone and the dawn has broken

Do you ever wonder what's been buried under your shoes?
Do you ever wonder why troubles come in twos and threes and still-

All of our days are filled with joy and laughter
It's just a taste of the sweet, sweet hereafter
Where all of our names will be spoken
Like a dream that we awoke in
When the night is gone and the dawn has broken

Do you ever wonder what's been carried over your head?
Do you ever wonder why we don't just sleep the day away in bed?

Do you ever wonder what's been hidden behind your back?
Do you ever wonder why we want the things we lack and still-

All of our days are filled with joy and laughter
It's just a taste of the sweet, sweet hereafter
Where all of our names will be spoken
Like a dream that we awoke in
When the night is gone and the dawn has broken

Do you ever wonder what's appeared before your eyes?
Do you ever wonder why we can't just break the ties that hold us here where-

All of our days are filled with joy and laughter
It's just a taste of the sweet, sweet hereafter
Where all of our names will be spoken
Like a dream that we awoke in
When the night is gone and the dawn is broken

-"Sweet, Sweet Hereafter" by Clive

I must go down to the sea again

I must go down to the sea again



To the lonely sea and the sky



And all I ask is a tall ship



And a star to steer her by

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken