Colorado Vacation in Pictures

 My brother-in-law retired this year from the military.  So we thought it would be fun to make a family vacation out of our trip west since none of us have ever seen this part of the country.  Since so many extended family members also came to support John, it also turned into one massive family reunion.  Luckily I was able to narrow down my 600 pictures to just 35 that captured the essence of this wonderful get-a-way.

We drove through South Dakota specifically to see the Badlands.

They are unlike anything you can imagine.  Beautiful and erie all at once. 

Unbeknownst to us, Sturgis, the annual Motorcycle Rally in S.D was the exact same weekend.  We were accompanied by 600,000 bikers EVERYWHERE we went.  You can read into that all you like.

They were even at Mt. Rushmore with us.  We thoroughly enjoyed the hike at the base of the mountain.  The Black Hills are absolutely beautiful, no wonder it's sacred Native American land.

As we left S.D. we drove through Wind Cave National Park.  This was one of my fondest memories.  It was so peaceful here.  Chuck and I got out of the car and walked down a path and just stood in the silence and soaked up the beauty of the nature around us.  Definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Apparently Bennett captured us walking back to the car with our hearts full of serenity.

As we were driving through the park, we were stopped by a herd of bison.  

Just one of many of the wildlife we were to encounter on our adventure.

We also saw a gorgeous buck.

These little squirrels were everywhere and enjoyed people watching.

There were so many butterflies in the flowering alpine meadows.

At the very top of the world, we saw a herd of elk lying peacefully on the mountain side.

We also encountered a new animal we had never before seen, a marmot.  They live only in the Alpine Tundra.  They come out of their hibernation for only 6 weeks in the summer.  Lucky us!

This is the top of the world....the Alpine Tundra.  We were at 12,000 feet above sea level here.  The tree line stops at 11,300 feet.  It was cold.  And altitude sickness was starting to wreak havoc with us.

  On our drive through the mountains, it started snowing.  We experienced a

 40 degree temperature difference in one day.  

We explored The Devil's Backbone in Loveland, CO.

We experienced the beauty and awe that is Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

We hiked up to an altitude of 10,000 feet.  We only made a 605 foot increase in altitude, 

but it was definitely felt, trust me!  It was one of the most gorgeous hikes we've ever been on.

By far, our most favorite time in Colorado was spent white water rafting. 

What a thrill ride!  We could do this all day, every day.  We were a machine! 

We got all dressed up to attend John's retirement ceremony.

This is a large group of people!  We went to the Air Force Academy Chapel, Rudy's BBQ and The Garden of the Gods all together.  You can imagine the scene we made.

This is inside the Academy Chapel.  It was specifically designed to inspire an aeronautical feel.

 It was a fascinating place in regard to art and architecture.

We saw Pike's Peak from a distance.

We saw the Kissing Camels in the Garden of the Gods.

And the Three Graces too!

The boys played some serious basketball.  Fun times for all.

We hiked some more in Colorado Springs, this time we were at Palmer Park.

Look, I'm up high and not freaking out!  I had a major revelation on this trip:

I'm not scared of heights, I'm just scared of falling.  I don't know how that helps, but it does.

We played.

We rested.

We visited a site unique to Colorado, Bishop Castle.  This place is built by one man.  There is no architectural plan nor order to the castle.  It just is.  You take your life in your own hands at this place.  It's so fascinating, you can't not go in it.  There are 3 turrets that go up higher than the tree line. The owner has welded all the metal work himself.  It's truly unbelievable.

One of the creepy things about this place is the bridge to no where.  The bridge just ends right behind Chuck and John.  Seriously, it just goes straight down with no guard rail in sight.

The stone and metal work are beautiful.

And here you have a random staircase not supported by anything.

We hiked some more in the San Isabel National Forest near Pueblo, CO.

Notice how Chloe is 'hiking'.  She hurt her knee half way down and had to be carried.  Don't worry, she didn't stay like this long, Chuck was just messing with her.  He was exhausted after walking 1.5 miles down a mountain for 45 minutes with 50 extra pounds on his back.

It made my heart smile to see the beautiful welcome home sign from the neighbors.

There's no place like home.

Goodbye

Lillian Zukowski Dombek

October 13, 1925 - July 21, 2013

"As much as I have thought on this matter, I see no way around the hurt.  The only way to remove pain from death is to remove love from life."  -  Richard Paul Evans

Our best efforts could not keep Bapchie alive.  Her lungs were diseased beyond repair.  She didn't want to fight, didn't want to stay here any longer.  She was ready to go home.  Who can blame her?  

My Bapchie, or Lil as she was known to everyone else, was a first generation Polish-American.  She grew up knowing both Polish and English.  World War II defined her era.  She grew up on a tobacco farm with her 5 brothers and sisters.   She always wanted to be a nurse but was not permitted to by her parents.  

Bapchie met my Jadziu, Ed who was 6 years her senior, before the war.  They married on Feb. 2, 1946 after 5 years of serving in the Pacific Front .  They lived with her parents for a year before borrowing $8,000 from her dad to buy and fix up a little house.  They lived in that house the rest of their lives.

My Bapchie had two boys, my Dad, Eddie and then my Uncle Micheal, 6 years later.  She worked in two of the 5 mills that Rockville, Connecticut was known for.  She worked in the paper mill making envelopes and also another mill that made parachutes.  She worked nights so that someone would always be with the boys.

When she was 39 when she graduated from The Connecticut School of Hairdressing and opened up her own shop called "Lil's Beauty Shop" that they had built attached to their house in 1969.

I loved this beauty parlor.  It has looked the same my entire life.  When I was a kid I used to think that I also had the skill to do hair since my Bapchie would always let me help take out the rollers of all her clients' hair.  She didn't retire until she was 80.  

After I was born, my Bapchie travelled all the way to England with my Aunt Paula (my Mom's sister) to come see me.  She did the same for my brother, only this time she flew half a world away to the Philippines.  She hated to fly.

Even though we never lived close to my grandparents, we always visited them.  Growing up with my Dad working for the Department of Defense, we moved every two years.  Between every  move we would always have a long layover at my grandparents' house.  Once we lived in the States again we would drive up from Virginia to see them all the time.  Those were our vacations.  It just proves you can still have a close relationship even when you don't live close together.

I remember her always singing this song to me.  I thought she made it up.  I just recently learned that it was popular around the time I was born.  This is it: 

I am so very thankful to have lived 40 years and come to know my Grandma as an adult.  What a gift that is!  I have visited her often over the years, but never often enough.  My children even got to see her multiple times even though we've lived so far apart.  I am so glad they had the chance to know her.  I want them to know of her persevering spirit, her incredibly hard work ethic, and her servant's heart.  

She loved to watch Red Sox baseball and UCONN girls' basketball on tv.  She made each of us her signature crocheted rainbow blankets that we all lovingly refer to as our Bapchie Blankets.  She served thousands of meals in the tiniest kitchen I have ever seen and she made it look easy.  She still hung out her laundry to dry when the weather was nice.

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to getting a card in the mail from Bapchie cuz I knew there would always be a dollar in it with the note: "Use this to go buy yourself an ice cream" and that is exactly what we did because that is what it was for.  

I will miss you Bapchie.  But I'm thankful for your life, the memories and especially all the home movies that keep you alive in my heart.

Be Who You Are

Chuck, Gavin and I all agree...this article is spot on.  If you really knew us, you would know these things about us already and appreciate them as gifts and not short-comings.

Ten Myths about Introverts:

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.

A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

via Carl King Creative and Eli Bishop

No Camping For You

There are many things we love about Minnesota but camping is not one of them.  There are some gorgeous places to camp.  But EVERY time we have gone we've gotten rained on.  Not just rained on, but thunder-stormed on.  Not cool.  You would think that by planning a camping trip in the middle of July you would be safe from any random thunderstorm.  Think again.  We went way north.  Farther north than we've ever gone.  We were only an hour away from the Canada border.  Gorgeous country, but apparently unpredictable weather.  When we left that morning, there was only a 30% chance of rain.  As the day progressed, the percentage increased.  The forecast failed to mention the pea-soup fog.  It was beautiful in it's own way, but not when you're expecting 75 degrees and sunny.  So our camping trip turned into a hiking only trip.  We visited 3 state parks and felt like we had each of them to ourselves.  I guess when most people see fog, they don't think, "Hey, let's go hiking."  Not us...it just added to our sense of adventure.  It was eerily beautiful and quiet and awe-inspiring.  We truly felt like we were explorers first discovering some undisturbed piece of land.

There's a huge lighthouse somewhere back there behind the fog.

This is Lake Superior that you can't see.

A gorgeous white, Aspen/Pine forest that we hiked through.

Another fog-filled trail.  The kids especially liked kicking a tree and watching the water 

from all the leaves rain down on the person who happened to be walking behind them.

A long, wet, climb into the fog at Split Rock Light House State Park.

The tallest waterfall in Minnesota at Tettagouche State Park.

The suspension bridge we walked across to get to the other 

side of the Baptism River just before the falls. 

Chloe was rather un-nerved by the swaying of the bridge

and needed Daddy's secure hand to guide her across.

The boys just wanted to see how high up they could climb the bridge.

When the light was just right, it made for some beautiful pictures in the fog.

Walking out onto a break-water to watch a huge barge that was leaving the bay.

Being There

Sometimes showing up is the only thing you can do to show someone how much you care or help out.  That's what I wanted to do once I heard of my Bapchie's heart attack.   My highly independent, healthy, always going and doing for others Bapchie was now physically incapacitated...it was almost unbelievable.   She has been caring for my Jadziu who has Alzheimer's for over 10 years now.  It has been one of the hardest things she has ever done.  There are many times he has become combative and hostile while in this state of mind.  This has not only worn her down emotionally, it has depleted all of her physical resources now too.  We knew this would happen...it was just a matter of 'when'.  When I got the call that Bapchie was in the hospital, I knew I had to go see her. I was afraid it would be the last time the kids and I would ever see her alive.  Plus, I wanted to show her she's worth it; that I would do the hard thing for her.  That I would be there no matter what.  That's what love does.

She was never a sickly woman, rather she was always active and on the go and prided herself in dressing nice and keeping her hair and make-up done.  At 87 she was still in great shape.  Her eyes had been giving her trouble recently which frustrated her to no end, but she was receiving help for that.  She still made breakfast, lunch and dinner for Jadziu every day.  Since she could no longer leave the house without Jadziu, she came to rely on my Uncle and his family to bring groceries and my parents visits every 6 weeks as the highlights of her day.  She had learn to come to rely on the kindness and strength of her neighbor who was always there for her.  The last time I saw her was for my Jadziu's 90th birthday  over 3 1/2 years ago.  I kept asking her if I could come visit her and help her out when we talked on the phone.  I could hear the depression and sadness in her voice.  But she didn't want us to see Jadziu this way.  She would continue to carry this burden alone.

The kids and I left Minnesota two days after her heart attack and arrived two days later after driving two, eleven hour days.  The kids are such awesome travelers, never complaining and so much fun to be around.  Hotels with pools and free breakfasts are our friend!  It was very important for me to bring them so they could have a memory of their Great-Grandparents one last time.  Chuck was unable to take any time off work and was very understanding and supportive of my desire to bring the kids with me.  

I was shocked to see my Bapchie in this hospital bed.  She looked like one of the people in the nursing home I go to visit.  She looked frail, sickly, helpless, weak, hair undone and pale.  She required constant oxygen, thus the oxygen mask.  Once in the hospital, they discovered she had suffered an earlier heart attack that blocked one ventricle as well as partially blocked two more.  No wonder she had been so tired.

One of the hardest parts of this whole ordeal was caring for Jadziu.  Mom and Dad drove up immediately and settled in at Bacphie's house and began caring for him full time.  As we were all to soon find out, this was an exhausting job.  We all tried to take turns and relieve them of the constant care, but they ended up with the brunt of it for almost 2 full weeks.  It has been amazing to see the family step up and all help out and to see my Dad and Uncle work together for their Mom and Dad's best interest.  These are super stressful situations to be in and yet they have managed to do so much by each person sacrificing and graciously helping the other.

One day when my parents and my Uncle had to go interview Alzheimer's homes so we could find a place to care for Jadziu, my cousins and I each took 3 hour shifts watching Jadziu.  Standing in my Bapchie's shoes for a measly 3 hours was exhausting!  I don't know how she did it.   But I'm so thankful I had the opportunity.  I enjoyed that time with my Jadziu.  

When we weren't at the hospital, we were staying at my Uncle's house.  Thank God they had a pool because it was so incredibly hot the 3 days we were there. The kids practically lived in the pool.  We had no plan or agenda each day, which was hard on my kids who live by 'The Plan'.  But they adjusted so well.  I told them 'The Plan' was that we were going to be like water and just go with the flow.  That meant we had no idea who we were going to see when, what we were going to eat or even if we would, or what time anything would happen.  We had one lunch that consisted of donuts and one dinner that consisted of ice cream and another of cereal.  This didn't seem to upset them any.

The bonus of this trip was definitely getting to see all of our extended family that we don't get to see very often.  We enjoyed playing in the pool with all my cousins.  Bennett had a blast playing basketball with Jack.  Lauren taught Chloe how to do a flip into the pool.  Kelley watched the kids for me when I had my rotation of caring for  Jadziu.  I enjoyed visiting with my Aunt Jan and Uncle Mike whenever they were home.  Unfortunately, my cousin Andi was rushed to the hospital with appendicitis while we were there because there wasn't enough already going on.  We were relieved they caught it in a timely manner and she was back to normal the next day.

We also got to see my parents for little snippets of time, but those little times sure were enjoyable and a bonus since we never know when we're going to see them next.  One evening we were visiting with them in the front yard of my Bapchie's house since Jadziu had just gone to bed and we didn't want to wake him.  However, he woke up on his own and noticed we were there.  Thankfully, he was in a great mood and we were able to visit with him and even take pictures.

Funny thing happened.  Bennett was trying to tell a story about something that happened and when he was done Jadziu told him, "Try not to tell stories unless absolutely necessary."  It was hilarious.  It was typical Jadziu.  He was always quick witted and made us laugh.

On our last evening there we also got to visit Aunt Paula, my Mom's sister.  It's always so much fun to see their family.  Thank God yet again for another pool. The kids had a blast playing in it with my Uncle John and their cousin Gina.  We were treated to Uncle John's great cooking and delicious Modern Pastry cannoli's for dessert. 

It was definitely a whirlwind of a trip.  The three days passed in a blur and it was time to set off again for home.  I decided to make the trip home in three days instead of two knowing I was going to be tired.  Our first day was supposed to be only 7 1/2 hours long.  We were going to drive the length of Pennsylvania and stay in a hotel on the boarder just before Ohio.  Remember how I said I was tired?  I wasn't joking.  After a stop to fill up on gas mid-way through Pennsylvania, I got back on the highway going the wrong direction.  I went east instead of west on the interstate.  The worst part is, I didn't realize my mistake until I saw the sign, "Welcome to New Jersey" two and half hours later.  I wanted to pitch a royal fit. I wanted to get out of the car and stomp and scream and cry.  I was so mad!!  What a stupid mistake.  I just added 5 more hours to our trip.  I was already exhausted, as I'm sure the kids were.  It turned into a 12 hour day in the car, driving through some torrential rains, traffic backups and boring country side.  It was not one of my better days.

The following day was only a 4 hour drive to western Ohio where we stopped in a visited Nana. It was so nice to have a day of rest before finishing our final leg of the journey which was another 11 hour day.

I'm thankful this sad event in Bapchie's life happened when it did.  The kids and I had nothing planned but lazy summer days.  We had all the time in the world to take a road trip.  I'm so glad this didn't happen later in the year when we are horribly limited by our school schedules and weather.  All things work out for good and I'm happy to say that included this as well.  

My parent's and Uncle found a wonderful, loving Alzheimer's home to care for my Jadziu where he is at peace and enjoys his surroundings.  My Bapchie was understanding and accepting of the fact that she can no longer care for him and was thankful he's in a good place where he still has freedom and respect.  My Bapchie is slowly improving but will never go back to being the independent woman she once was which is so very sad.

Crazy Family

As if we needed proof ... here it is in video format.  We actually find this type of stuff fun.  Crazy, I know.  This is in honor of one of our family's favorite shows to watch together.  I guess you could call us 'food snobs'.

The Trade

My love is fickle, fragile and fails
Jesus' love is steady, secure and sacrificial

My joy wavers under the weight of worry
Jesus' joy is consistent in each circumstance

My faith falters because of fear
Jesus' faith is pure and profound

My pride sacrifices others to make me feel better
Jesus' pride was sacrificed for me in humility

My desires are selfish and benefit me alone
Jesus' desires seek only the benefit of others

I judge the poor, Jesus meets their needs
I look away at the sight of the naked, Jesus clothes them
I feel pity for the oppressed, Jesus gives them dignity
I hoard my food, Jesus feeds the hungry
I fear the imprisoned, Jesus meets them where they are
I mock those different from me, Jesus loves them anyways

The difference is blatant, big and bizarre
The gap between Jesus and me is far

I'm not perfect nor pretend to be
I need help to be all that Jesus asks of me

I need more than help, I need a life brand new
That is what His gift was to me and you

He fills me up with all that He is
I just need to remember that I am His

I cry out to Him when my efforts run dry
He reminds me that He is all I need and to not even try

"Trust in Me" he says, "Have faith", "Wait on Me"
"I am making you all that you need to be"

Randomness

Last night we were all out in the backyard slaving away.  Apparently, the lone cottonwood tree we have in the backyard decided it would shake it's self out similar to a wet dog.  It deposited all of its cotton in our back yard.  In clumps.  Looks like we took a down comforter, or twenty, cut a massive hole in them and then shook them all over.  That would be an accurate description of what our backyard looks like.

Chuck could stand it no more.  So after dinner we armed ourselves with rakes and started attempting to gather all the cotton together.  It looked more like we were trying to spread it out.  As we were working aimlessly on this important task,  Gavin - the one who despises work in any and all formats - tried to think of a way to do the work without having to think about the impossibility of gathering up cotton that just wants to float away.  So this is how he approaches the situation:  "Mom, let's talk about pros and cons."

"Of what?"

"I don't know, anything."

"That's too broad a topic for me Honey."

"Ok.  Let's talk about the pros and cons of flower while we work."

I thought he meant flour.  So I immediately had a con, "It's messy and goes everywhere."

"No. F-L-O-W-E-R. As in the colorful things in the ground."

"Oh."  Not really wanting to participate because I rather enjoy mindless raking activities, but in order to keep his creativity alive I muster up some thoughts to add to the discussion.  "Uh, a pro could be they are pretty."

Bennett adds, "Another pro is you can eat some of them. But a con is that some of them are poisonous."

Preferring to go with the pros I throw out, "But they sure do look pretty."

To which Gavin, apparently only wanting to contribute cons to this conversation, quickly adds, "Ya, but it takes work to plant and maintain them."

"Yes...there's that. I'm quite familiar with your stance on work."

Apparently he didn't like where this conversation was digressing to so he asked, "Mom, can I go get my ipod now?"

Thus ends our random, weird, out-of-the-blue, list of pros/cons of flowers as we worked.  I was once again able to regress back to the comfortable, mindless state of raking in peace during a beautiful, serene evening.

Indian Names

It's that time of year again when we get to go camping.  We found a lovely little marshy, mosquito infested swamp by one of the biggest lakes in Minnesota, Lake Minnetonka, and decided that would be the perfect place to set up camp.  We even paid money to stay there.

Good news...we have upgraded our tent situation from the early days.  Used to be, we all fit snug-as-a-bug in one little tent.  However, that is not the case any longer.  The kids have their own tent these days and the adults have theirs. Life is good this way. The kids won the setting-up-the-tent contest that I didn't realize we were having.  Exhibit A & B are proof.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

In our defense, this was a brand new tent and the directions were not very helpful.

Proof that we eventually (an hour later) figured the whole thing out.

We found a great little nature center with miles of trails.  They failed to tell us that these trails would be taking us into the depths of mosquito breeding grounds.   We didn't pass one other human soul on our hike.  Apparently, everyone else knows to stay away from this particular area during this particular time of the year.  Obviously, we are still learning.  We have hundreds of bites to prove that sometimes we learn the hard way.  However before our illustrious hike we saw this interesting display on how to tie a million different types of knots.   We learned something else on this hike - none of us can tie a knot.

The entrance to "the hike from hell".  Upon entering we decided we needed to give one another Indian names in the spirit of being native and roughing it.  We would now only be known by our new names.  These names were to be chosen with care and deep thought knowing that they would indeed be a reflection of the person's character.

Daddy - a.ka. "Chief Balding Puma"  

This picture looked a little too much like Tip-Toeing Mischievous Puma 

so I asked him to give me his fiercest look and try again.

This is better.  This is indeed our fearless leader: Chief Balding Puma

Mommy - a.k.a - "Watches the Sky"

It's harder than you think to pick out a name from nature that accurately depicts 

what you like, your character, who you are.  I love sunsets and sunrises and thinking.

Apparently I look at the sky during all those times, so this name just kinda stuck.

 Gavin - a.k.a - "Thinks Out Loud"

To be literally accurate, his mouth should have been open in this picture.

Gavin spends most of his time thinking and the other half of his time talking VERY 

loudly about what he's thinking about.  So this one was a no-brainer.

Bennett - a.ka. - "Thunder Foot"

This was option 1.  He wasn't a big fan of it, didn't really want to commit to it.

He does in fact have the loudest foot falls you will ever hear.  I always forget that I 

don't have an elephant living upstairs, just Bennett.  He just loves to walk with all his might.

Bennett - a.k.a - "Strong Like Bull"

However, this is the name that eventually stuck.  We've called him this for a long time

actually.  We imitate that same motion to encourage him from the sidelines during

his basketball games.  We want him to remember that he is Strong Like Bull and can do hard things. 

Chloe - a.k.a - "Tumbleweed"

This little gymnast cartwheels more than she walks.  

Her name is perfect.

This is what happens when your children grow.

Plus, it was just a cool photo op of two handsome guys wearing the same shirt.

Blowing Kisses

The other day Bennett tells me, "Mom, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to get married cuz I'll never be able to kiss a girl."

"Oh really?  Why's that Sweetie?"

"Cuz when you kiss you swap spit and I HATE other people's spit!"

"Ya.  That's going to be a problem.  I have an idea...how about you blow kisses to each other."

Then we commenced enacting Bennett's future wedding: And now the bride and groom may blow kisses to one another to show their eternal love.

"Honey, I have a feeling you'll probably get over this spit sharing thing one day.  Trust me."