When our house is full, my heart is also full (aka Easter Weekend 2022)

We have had a full house here this weekend.  My mother-in-law arrived last weekend, but that's another post.  Catherine arrived home Friday evening.  Things had been tense between her and Thomas with some sibling issues, but everything was wonderful this weekend.  Oh my goodness, so much laughter between those two, and it absolutely filled my heart.  In fact, I even had to ask them to try to keep it down a couple of times so we could hear the TV we were watching.  I loved it, and I'm so very grateful for it.

Catherine hadn't been feeling well, so we watched Easter on the livestream this morning.  It does truly feel like a season or rebirth as many aspects of the worship that had to be discontinued during the pandemic are returning.  I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that, but I was watching from home so no issues with that.

My mom came down and joined the five of us for dinner last evening.  It was nice to have a meal all together, and since Mom brought eggs and coleslaw and my mother-in-law brought our ham, it was a fairly simple meal to throw together.

My heart has been very full this weekend, and I'm so very, very grateful.

Newest family member

Today, my second cousin Monica gave birth to a baby boy.  I am so excited for her to be a mother.  She will be fabulous!  Today also would have been my grandfather's birthday, so the little guy was born on his great-great uncle's 92nd birthday.  The circle of life certainly makes the passage of time feel stark.

It's funny how quickly generations can become "wacky".  Monica's mother was exactly one year older than my dad (he was literally born on her first birthday).  I was twelve when Monica was born, and now her son is literally decades younger than my children!

A bit of a melancholy Saturday morning

I'm feeling a bit melancholy this morning.  I suspect a great part of it is the weather.  It's been a cold and wet week, and this morning we've had snow showers.  I appreciate the togetherness it has brought us as sports activities have been postponed, but it hasn't been a fun weather week.

I suspect it also has something to do with the fact that six weeks from now, I'll be staring down at the week my youngest child graduates.  I'm far more emotional about this than I expected to be.  I've been looking forward to many things about empty nesting, but given so many family situations, I find myself wondering what's next in life.  Do I get to grow old surrounded by a loving family, or will it all fracture and be mostly alone?  That sounds so dramatic, I know, but Catherine and Thomas aren't getting along (and haven't been for months) due to significant others, and it breaks my heart.  And of course, I can't help but look back and wonder if we did everything we could to teach them the right things in life and make them strong, content, independent people who make good choices.  

As I said to Andrew a couple of weeks ago, life feels "heavy".  It's not that life is awful, but it feels heavy.  We are (hopefully) coming out of the pandemic, and I know life will never be the same.  Certainly some changes are good, but I also know there have been relationships that will not recover from all the time apart.  It's a fact of life.  There is a war happening in our world, and the ramifications are immeasurable.  Again, I'm not miserable nor is life awful, but it's truly hard to ignore these things.  And for this morning, it adds up to just a big of a melancholy feeling while I clean the house.

What game are we watching???

Today is the beginning of baseball season.  Anyone who knows me, knows that this is what I live for...I love baseball!  This year though, I haven't felt the enthusiasm.  Two years ago during the pandemic, I realized that tI could live without it...I had no choice!  There was no baseball to watch!  Last year, we weren't able to watch the Reds on TV due to our TV carrier.  The Reds weren't all that great either, and we just didn't really follow along.  Then, the lockout happened and my enthusiasm continued to plummet.  Once the lockout was settled, the Reds traded so many players that it all just seemed ridiculous.

Tonight's game is on ESPN, so we could watch it.  It was late enough in the evening that even Andrew would be home from his baseball coaching to watch.  This whole thing though, seems ridiculous.  First of all, I DETEST the designated hitter, and I hate that it is part of the National League game now.  I find it ridiculous that the catchers are no longer giving signs to the pitcher and there are communication systems.  It all annoys me.  Then, we have "entertainment" that isn't really part of the game.  As far as I'm concerned, the game coverage hit an entirely new "low" when Joey Votto, who agreed to be miked for the game, was expected to have a conversation with the analysts while he was in the field trying to play first base.  Andrew and I kept looking at each other saying, "What is happening?"  I mean, how is this okay????  The man has a job to do, and having a conversation during seems a little bit distracting.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Joey Votto, and I find him absolutely entertaining.  The problem is, I would really rather be entertained by the game itself, and maybe we could have a chat with the ball player later??  This is just odd, and I'm not a fan of the current game as it is!

We've had a really wonderful weekend

This has truly been a wonderful weekend.  For one thing, Catherine was home for the entire weekend, and honestly, our house just feels a little more complete when she's around.

It was very nice to have all four of us at home Friday evening after Thomas's tennis match.  I had made some pork chops earlier in the week, and we were able to reheat them for dinner that evening.  It was a very nice low-key evening with all of us at home.

Yesterday was busy.  I had to run errands for school as well as work at the church.  Thomas volunteered at the church before working his lifeguard shift.  Andrew and I had dinner and then an evening of live music at a wine bar.  It was a little tense because there is some drama between our two families, but it was still a fun evening.  Today, we all slept in, and Andrew made waffles and eggs for everyone before Thomas had to leave for another work shift.  We had dinner with my mother and Catherine headed back to her apartment.

I'm very grateful for this weekend.  As our youngest graduates, I know having my kiddos around and just hanging out here is down to numbered days.  I am blessed to have these days, and I'm so grateful for them.

Today my friend turns 50

Today, one of my very dearest friends, Stephanie, turns 50.  We have been friends now, literally for decades.  I remember being at a surprise party for her 18th birthday...we've been friends that long!  It's hard to believe it's been ten years since we celebrated her 40th.  We've been in each other's weddings and shared more milestones together than I can even begin to describe.  This year, her daughter is turning 18 and graduating, so Stephanie wants to make sure this year is about celebrating the senior.  I'm so grateful to have Stephanie in my life and look forward to many, many more wonderful memories!

March really flew by

Many years, I felt like March really moved slowly, but this year sure felt like the exact opposite!  It felt like it absolutely flew by.  In two weeks we'll have Easter weekend, and two weeks after that we'll be heading into May.  I'm not trying to rush life away, but it feels as though it is moving at record pace.

Catherine is home for the weekend, and it's always delightful to have her around.  She'll be adding hours to her work schedule next weekend, so she'll be spending weekends here at the house.  It doesn't make me sad at all to have her around.  Thomas is staying busy with many things, including tennis.  He is playing JV again this year, which doesn't bother him at all.  In fact, I appreciate that he is willing and able to have a leadership position with the younger boys.  It's fun to see.  

My heart has been very full this weekend as time flies by!