A Glimpse

So I thought you'd like to see this one.  A glimpse of that childhood I talked about yesterday.

This is the year my family lived in Hawaii.

Starting at the Beginning

I've been wanting to tell our story here for so so long. Sometimes I write it in my head as I drive. Sometimes as I fall asleep each night. But life is full and there is hardly time. But I will make the time. This summer is long long long. But where to start? When we were in high school and caught each others eye? On the high school trip to Spain when I held his hand on the flight pretending to be afraid to fly? Or should I start when were in millions of miles away in our freshman year of college and fell in love through letter writing? Or would it be better to start when I cried my way through my vows because I was just so filled with God's love at that very moment and the love for my groom? That is all good. And I'll get to all of that. But I really need to start at the beginning. My childhood. Not too much of it, I promise. But just a bit.

I know it sounds like a Hallmark card but it's the truth. I had the MOST WONDERFUL childhood that a girl could ever have. I've written about it from time to time here on this blog. I actually thought everyone grew up just as I did. I was very naive and it was a magical way to grow up. I'm grateful every single day for a little girl who knew daily

~ loving parents and a peaceful house. A peaceful house is one that I don't take for granted. Our house was warm and loving and happy
~ books read out loud to her
~ one silly older brother who make life fun when I was little and taught me how to be social when I was older
~ one serious really smart older brother to taught me everything I ever wanted to know
~ dinner at 6:00 on the dot with all the parts
~ a clean, very clean, organized, pretty house
~ dolls, doll clothes, and a doll cradle in my room until high school
~ summer vacations all around the US
~ grandparents only 15 minutes away that adored me
~ a teacher exchange in Hawaii that allowed me to live in Hawaii for a year with my family
~ summers doing musical theater with my dad
~ watching the Muppet show ever Saturday night with my mom
~ Sunday Mass
~ elegant, yummy, happy holidays, every single one of them
~ a Dad who brought magic to childhood and a Mom who made life beautiful all around me
~ and a young boy who sat in front of me in 7th grade science who was so cute I could barely dissect that frog, so he helped me

Walking Through

We have some dear dear friends who are walking through some tough days right now. Back in February, Todd (Abigail's godfather) was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. Scott and I were devastated and I cried for days. These are our best friends. We met them at church 19 years ago and became fast friends when their Leah (now 13) came home from Columbia and Anna came home from China. (here they are when they were little) And then as if we planned it, right on cue Abigail was born when their Maddie (our goddaughter) came home from Guatemala. Abigail took her first step in her godparents house eight years ago. We've had countless play dates, dinners at each others houses, sleepovers, and day trips. They get us and we get them. Todd is a teacher / administrator just like Scott. Maribeth loves cooking in the kitchen.  Since February he was on chemo and radiation to shrink the tumor. And just last week Todd had the first of two major surgeries to remove the tumor.  We saw him in the hospital and now his is continuing to recover at home.  It has been a tough week for him because he developed an abscess and has been dealing with a fever.  If you don't mind, would you be willing to add Todd and Maribeth to your prayers this week?









We've spent a lot of time with Leah and Maddie over the past month.  Trying to distract them with movies, swimming at our pool, hanging out at our house, anything to help.  They are doing amazingly well but I know that their hearts long for their Dad to be 'regular' again.  Maribeth too.  She amazes me really, how she's walking through this with what doesn't surprise me, strength and courage.

I love these people.  And I know God is healing Todd.  But right now the walking through is oh so hard.





















Thank you for your prayers.
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 and more 
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A Little Bit of Real Life on my Phone

Before I delete and clear these are just some real life moments that I capture with my phone. Little moments.

Dress Rehearsal


Dancing with the cast on the last day... she's a wild one!


The Lion King choreographer can really do some pretty braids.



Abigail is friends with everyone in the cast!



Pineapple garland from felt... swoon!



A children's tea set arrived at my house... swoon again!



Craft time at the pool



Packing, lists, getting ready



Sometimes I feel panic like what is already packed is not enough... so I run to the store... just in case.



We celebrated Christmas in July



Pen pals who love school.



Mufasa



And Jury Duty... for an elementary school principal on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

More... The Lion King

This performance was the best I tell you... the absolute best. I don't have any video to post here. I stuck with photos and decided to not bother with video since we 'ahead of time' purchased the blue ray DVD that was recorded of this show. I know to you these photos look the absolute same. But to me this show was so different than that first performance.  It was magic!

So here goes...

Our evening started with this (after a million viola concerts and now musical theatre I know it's better to give flowers from us at home)



Flowers from mommy and daddy. Nala from Anna



and she was tickled





I love this one of her lion cub hair



and this one of her eyelashes



And then her African tribal makeup was applied





and a few photos of my dad with his lion cub. I love that I captured this. Growing up I was in all of the summer musicals with my dad and her she is with her grandpa, her director making her own memories.



up on pride rock



oh, and I adore this one too. This is Pat. She's the grand, talented, wonderful costumer.



Moments before the curtain went up... this is my dad with young Nala and young Simba, last minute direction.



Just before the show starts my Dad has the cast all make a circle and hold hands. He talks to them about this moment in time. About never forgetting. About how wonderful they are.



the zebras all lined up







and then he has them bow their head, think a happy thought or say a prayer.





love this one



and then the show starts with the Circle of Life







Rafiki was awesome!





Oh I Just Can't Wait to be King









I love this one of my family watching Abigail dance on stage!









Not so fierce lion cub buddies back stage between scenes.



And then Hakuna Matata



after Scar takes over the pride land. This is actually my favorite dance that the lion cubs do with the lionesses.



it's when grown Nala sings to the lionesses telling that she's leaving the pride land





And then I'm pretty busy backstage so my photos jump right to the end Circle of Life



Just as soon as the show began that night it seems the final bows come



I am so grateful to my Dad for a moment like this for Abigail.



Tuck it away and save how you feel right now forever.















If the night ended right there it would have enough magic for one night for sure. But there was more. My Dad found a way to have Ernie Sabella, an actor known for his role as the official voice of Pumbaa from the Disney Lion King movie to come to the performance. He joined and praised my Dad on stage.



And here, oh I wish I was videoing... so you could hear... he sang Hakuna Matata with the cast and it was beyond awesome! To hear Pumbaa's voice live, the REAL Pumbaa was out of this world!











Our night ended with gandmas and daddy and cousins.





and enough dazzling memories to tuck away for the rest of her life.