Mixed Emotions

I am back in Blogland once again, but not without a touch of sadness. Yesterday I took Older Daughter to the airport so she could fly back home to Phoenix after spending a long weekend with us. She hadn't been home since Christmas, so it was wonderful to be able to spend time with her once again. We talked and laughed and spent Friday in Chicago attending a Cubs' game (though they lost); it was as though she'd never been gone. Her boyfriend also came home, so she spent part of the time with his family. But we got to spend time with him as well, so we made the most of the time we had with both of them. After four short days, though, she had to get back to work and to my "grandsons," as she constantly reminds me to call them. Odie, the pug, no doubt missed her, but he spent the weekend with a friend of hers, and as long as he had a comfy chair or bed to sleep on and a few treats, I'm sure he was fine.


New baby Bear might need some re-training when Daughter gets home, though. Bear was a new "addition" to her family about a month ago. You can't tell from his baby picture, but Bear is an English mastiff, which means he's going to grow to nearly 200 pounds, in other words . . . . . . HUGE!! Leave it to Daughter, the ultimate dog lover, to pass by the poodles and terriers for the largest dog she could find!

This weekend was the first time Daughter mentioned the word "wedding," which means she must be seriously planning marriage in a couple of years. I love my "grandsons," but I'm hoping some more human grandchildren might be in the picture in a few years as well.


The four days passed by so quickly and were so full of activity that Daughter said she'd need a vacation when she got back to Arizona. I hope she gets some much-needed rest this week.

Daughter came back specifically for my parents, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past week. I know they were so happy to see her. We took advantage of having the whole family here to take some family pictures Sunday morning at a nearby park. A cloudburst right before the photo shoot threatened our plans, but other than a few muddy knees we managed to get some photos taken. I can't wait to see the proofs. Afterwards, we went out to dinner where we were joined by my parents' brothers and sisters. They wanted to keep their celebration simple this year, since they'd had a big party for their 40th and an open house for their 50th. I think this worked out well--they were able to spend time with everyone there and were surrounded by the people who mean the most to them. I had worked for months to create a slideshow out of old family pictures. Although I was frustrated the music didn't work right, everything else went well, and I think they appreciated it. I wish them many more years of happiness!

Besides my daughter's visit and my parents' celebration, there were other matters to attend to last week, so it's been a hectic week and I've given myself permission to take a day off today. I'm going to catch up on blog reading, write a post for tomorrow, and maybe even start reading that new book I picked up from the library . . . the weeds and housework can wait another day.