A dozen years of Dagny

 

Our dolly-belle Dagny is twelve years old. Can you believe?

Her birthday fell in mid-June, and naturally we celebrated with two parties.

The first event took place on the Friday evening before her Sunday birthday.

TG and I, Audrey, Dagny, Erica, Rhett, and Elliot gathered at the Mexican restaurant of the birthday girl's choosing, for a festive dinner.

Mike and Chad weren't able to come but they got in on phase two of the partying, the next day at our house.

It's not a birthday party without a balloon

Dagny chose a restaurant named El Jimador. It's a chain outfit but the food is good.

Last January we gathered at El Jimador for TG's birthday, right before the snowstorm. Since there are several of these places around town, I thought we were going to the same one as before.

It’s the one closest to my house.

But Audrey specified that Dagny wanted to go to another location, so we all showed up there. It was a stifling hot evening.

(A harbinger of the especially sweltering summer we have had and are having.)

The servers sang to her

Only, it was a busy night and it was going to be a while before we could get a table where we could be seated together.

But the night was young, so it was decided that we'd all get back into our cars and drive several miles to another El Jimador.

There was some dithering about which one, but eventually we got it sorted out.

Or so we thought.

Except, when TG and I and Audrey and Dagny had arrived at said El Jimador and were seated, there was no sign of Erica and the boys.

The next week, the Chericas were in Philadelphia

We have that thing on our phones where we can check on where one another are in the world, so whoever has the ability to track Erica (not me), looked her up.

She was at the El Jimador where we'd eaten for TG's birthday in January.

Which was not the one that the rest of us were at.

But she had realized her error as soon as she got there and saw that the rest of us weren't there.

She was even then en route to the third El Jimador she would grace that day, and pretty soon she'd arrived and we were ordering.

Mount Vernon is in the distance

We enjoyed a delicious meal.

This is the kind of place where, if they know you're observing a birthday, they show up with a complimentary dessert, and the requisite communal sombrero, and they sing to the birthday person.

This may have been why Dagny insisted on celebrating her birthday at El Jimador.

At any rate, no sooner had the child finished her Enchiladas Verdes than she was sporting the sombrero and being serenaded by servers, before tucking into a sumptuous dessert.

She shared with the boys.

The folks at El Jimador did her right

The next day, everyone came over to our house for a swim party.

I don’t remember what we ate for a meal — pizza, maybe — but there was a cheesecake which Erica had made.

And there was a balloon, and there were presents.

In recent months Dagny has become enamored of the old TV show Little House on the Prairie. 

She has already read the books. As I did when I was a child, and my children did when they were kids.

I'd call her Half Pint but she's more like a whole pint

And she’d mentioned more than once to her mother that she loved the aesthetic of the pioneer family — their house, their outfits, and so forth.

Audrey revealed this information to me, and I decided to find a pioneer girl costume for Dagny.

And I did, and it was not difficult to do, and I must tell you that I could not recommend this company any more highly than I am to you now.

It’s called Dress Up America and judging by the depth and breadth of their site, if you want, you can dress as everything from a donut to a doctor.

I found a pioneer girl costume in no time — dress, apron, bonnet — and made the purchase.

Laura Ingalls Wilder would be amazed

When it arrived, I was astounded at the quality of the outfit. And also the way it was packaged.

Just excellent. If you need to dress up as something other than yourself — or dress someone else as someone other than themselves — be smart and visit Dress Up America online.

The next day, which was Dagny’s actual birthday, we had church. 

Afterwards I gave her one last gift which I’d wrapped weeks earlier and forgot about. 

It was this Kobalt mini toolbox, in pink. I also got one of these for Allissa when she graduated from high school in May.

Erica made this confection from scratch

It’s a cute girl gift. Just in case you needed any ideas.

Dagny posed for her OBP — Official Birthday Portrait — and then she and I posed for a picture together.

Then she hopped into the car with TG and me and came to our house, and shortly after that, she and TG were headed to North Carolina.

Dagny would be going to church camp in Knoxville with her Uncle Joel and Aunt Stephanie and her cousins, for the week.

TG had agreed to deliver her to Stephanie’s house on that Sunday. 

She is becoming a young lady

Audrey would travel to Knoxville later in the week to help Brittany with Ember and Guy for a few days.

Then on the following Friday she would pick up Dagny at camp, and the next day come home, bringing Ember and Guy to spend a week with us.

So we had the Tennessee grands for a week, and we packed in lots of fun in the form of swimming and shopping and eating and all the things.

Brittany came to get them at week’s end and spent the night with us. I made a spaghetti supper and we ate it poolside where there had already been much splishin’ and a-splashin’ that day.

Meanwhile the Chericas — that would be Chad, Erica, Rhett and Elliot (Rhelliot) — had packed up early that week and headed for Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Dagny's Official Birthday Photo

They visited Mount Vernon and the Liberty Bell and Gettysburg National Military Park, among many other things, and had a wonderful time.

I was so glad to see everyone when they finally came home.

Speaking of coming home, we had been told a few weeks ago that our Andrew’s tour in the Middle East had been extended to September thirtieth at the very least.

Meaning, it could be extended again if the powers that be deemed it necessary and appropriate.

We were devastated by the news but we decided that we would meet this continued trial with grace and dignity and lots of prayer, plus deep breaths and a one-day-at-a-time attitude.

Dagny and me on her birthday

I actually quoted the Serenity Prayer to my children, in a text: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

We knew that, as wartime trials and tribulations go, many Americans have faced much worse and for far longer.

But a few days ago, our military leadership in that part of the world made the decision to send a group of pilots home.

Andrew will be home next week.

This is one of my favorite pictures of him

We are overjoyed and so grateful. It is an answer to prayer.

Many of you have prayed and I want to thank you yet again for taking the time, and for caring enough, to do that.

We’ll continue in that vein until the day break, and the shadows flee away!

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Friday :: Happy Weekend

Marsha got married

 

My dear friend Marsha was married at the end of May.

The ceremony took place on a Saturday afternoon at Miss Caroline's Wedding Chapel in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.

Marsha and I have been friends for several years.

We met when she was the excellent receptionist at my dentist's office.

A beautiful welcome

My dentist has since retired and sold the practice, but I still go there, and so do Audrey and Dagny.

Marsha moved on to a better job and we miss her when we have to go to the dentist.

But as we are good friends, Marsha and I stay in touch and get together as often as we can.

Always on our birthdays! We make a big deal out of one another's birthdays -- mine in March, hers in August.

Such a pretty cake

And so naturally, her wedding to her beloved, Todd, was a big deal to me too.

Her venue for the wedding was so small that she could invite only forty people. TG and I, plus Audrey and Dagny, were honored to be among them.

You will see in some of the photos a pretty chapel, but that’s not where the wedding was held.

That little chapel seats only sixteen! So it is for smaller weddings than Marsha’s.

The wedding started on time

There is a larger building in which Miss Caroline has a showroom for wedding supplies which I assume she rents locally.

And there is also a larger chapel-like room for weddings with up to forty guests.

Maggie Valley is less than a three-hour drive from our house, and the wedding was in the late afternoon.

TG and I left home early and drove without haste, and when we arrived in Maggie Valley, we went for a late lunch/early dinner at a local diner.

In case we got thirsty

When we arrived at the venue, it was less than an hour before the wedding was to begin.

But when I walked in, what did I see but my friend Marsha bustling around (not yet dressed for the wedding), doing some last-minute decorating.

Now, let me explain to you how small was the space that Marsha had available to her, for decorating.

As you walked in the door, to your left was Miss Caroline’s wedding showroom.

There were many precious moments

To your right was Miss Caroline’s larger wedding chapel.

And between the two doors was a space of perhaps fifty square feet, containing a few tables to put things on.

Tiny. And Marsha had decorated that little space within an inch of its life.

Although there would be no formal reception, there was a wedding cake. There were baskets containing wedding programs and water bottles. 

These gauzy bags contained our bubbles

There was a small easel with a custom-made sign welcoming guests to the wedding of Todd and Marsha.

There was a small lighted “T” and a small lighted “M” beside a Precious Moments bride and groom figurine.

There was a vase of pink roses and a pink alarm clock displaying five o’clock, the time that the wedding was to begin.

There was a large clear acrylic heart, and beside it a bowl of small wooden hearts, with a pen.

Handheld fans with a thanks

Guests were encouraged to write a greeting onto a small heart and place it through an opening at the top of the large clear heart.

There was a bowl of pink and white pearls, and beautiful customized cardboard fans.

There were gift bags for each guest, to take as they left that day.

Miss Caroline, a charming lady, told me later that sometimes they host up to seventeen couples getting married there in one day.

T is for Todd

I was struggling to envision there being enough time in a day, for seventeen weddings to take place, given the amount of time that was made available to Marsha.

She had been permitted to come in at least an hour ahead of her ceremony, to decorate. 

Miss Caroline saw on my face that I did not understand.

The altar was romantic

She explained that ninety-nine percent of her brides do no decorating whatsoever. They show up, go into the dressing area to get ready (unless they are already ready), and, Bob’s your uncle, they’re walking down the aisle for a ten-minute ceremony.

Look away and you may miss it.

But Marsha had requested, and had been granted, extra time to make her wedding special.

The girl loves pink

And it was so sweet to see the way she had planned and had been determined to transform that small space, and to make her guests feel welcome and appreciated.

The chapel was also a tiny but elegant room, with a lovely altar area and space for forty guests to sit.

TG and I went in and found our seats and in a few minutes, Audrey and Dagny had arrived.

Bride, Groom, and Harley

I saw greeted Dr. F, who was my dentist and Marsha’s employer for years. He is a dear friend of TG’s and mine, and it was so good to see him.

In due time Marsha’s and Todd’s mothers were seated, and Marsha’s father walked her down the aisle.

The officiant — Miss Caroline’s husband — did an excellent job of the charge to the couple, and the vows, and pronouncing them man and wife.

Ready for their short jaunt

Marsha had commissioned (using AI, I think) a song to be played that contained lyrics specific to Todd and Marsha’s story.

They met in Maggie Valley some nine years ago, at some sort of event involving motorcycles.

They both ride, and are Harley Davidson enthusiasts.

The song mentioned their names, and that rainy day in November in Maggie Valley. I could tell that Marsha had kept it a secret, and that Todd was surprised.

They were overjoyed

And then it was over, and they were hitched, and everyone went outside. 

After a brief time of pictures at the altar, during which Marsha wanted poses of herself with each one of her guests (isn’t that precious?), the couple emerged from the building into the parking lot. Everyone was congratulating them.

And there was a specially rented white Harley Davidson, a big one with plenty of room for two riders.

Todd helped Marsha aboard, and they drove off to the rear of the property, and then slowly back, so that we could all take pictures.

I would have liked a piece of this

They didn’t take the machine out onto the road and it was a short ride, but so much fun while it lasted.

We all had bubbles to blow while that was taking place. And we took lots more pictures as it was a beautiful weather day, and there was so much happiness to document.

And then it was time for us to go home, and for the newlyweds to go on their honeymoon in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Can you believe, I have not seen Marsha since that day? Her parents are ailing, and she and Todd go to North Carolina to see them almost every weekend.

It was a happy day

But she owes me a visit, and at the very least I know we will get together to celebrate her birthday in August.

And what wonderful memories we have of Marsha and Todd’s sweet small wedding, and of how the bride’s personality shone through in every detail, revealing her great joy at becoming the wife of the man she loves.

Which she will be until the day break, and the shadows flee away!

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Tuesday

A moist but memorable Memorial Day

 

We gathered for our customary Memorial Day feast and birthday partythis year, as every other year.

Our Erica has a birthday on May thirtieth but we celebrate it when everyone is here for Memorial Day.

This year was a big one: she turned forty.

The patriotic decorations are in full force

For her gift, I had plotted for many weeks to present her with large portraits of her two children.

Way back in February I invited Rhett, who will turn five in July, to stay with us for two nights. On the first night we took him shopping and bought him a new outfit -- black jeans and a blue shirt that brought out his blue eyes.

We had special napkins and trays

The next night, we took him to a special property where we have enjoyed many photo shoots over the years.

He posed for an hour or more, and I swore him to secrecy, warning him to please, please not tell his mother than Mamaw and Papaw had taken him somewhere and he'd had to pose for fiftyleven pictures.

It's a surprise for your mom, I told him again and again.

Some of my knockout roses

It was much later when I was finally able to get Elliot a/k/a Skippy, age two and a half, out to the venue to take his pictures.

I'd had him spend a few nights with us too, in March, and TG and I bought him a new outfit ahead of that occasion.

Then, when the time came for his visit, I was under the weather and completely forgot that I'd intended to take him for a photo shoot.

Erica's birthday present

It was fortunate that we had plenty of time. In the end, Chad brought him out to meet us for the shoot on the day in April that Audrey and Erica left for their European trip.

In addition to Skippy's pictures, I took several of the brothers together.

Since this picture, TG has stained the new cedar fence

All of the pictures turned out great and I ordered 30x20 canvases of three of the poses -- one for each boy (the "money shot" in each case, as it were) and one of them both, on a swing.

As Memorial Day approached, I packaged up the pictures and wrapped them in pretty paper for Erica.

Petit fours from Tiffany's

I accompanied the gift by making a photo book of all the best pictures from both shoots, to commemorate them and give her a lasting keepsake that she could enjoy.

In all this activity it did not occur to me that I needed to tell Chad that the product of Skippy's photo shoot was meant to be a secret for Erica's birthday.

The message was clear: you're forty

And so it was that, at some point, he mentioned to her that we had taken Elliot for a photo shoot while she was out of the country.

So, she was really not surprised by the gift and I felt that it did not hit quite right, but maybe that was only my perception.

Some of my potted plants

At any rate they are beautiful portraits of her children and I think that as the boys grow, she will appreciate having them. The pictures, that is. She already cherishes her boys.

As it was for many of you who, like me, live on the Eastern Seaboard, Memorial Day was exceedingly rainy.

We had been working for many weeks on our back yard pool area, to which we have made some improvements.

Candles glowed on the rainy day

We have a new privacy fence and new pool liner, both of which were desperately needed.

TG has spruced up all of my outdoor furniture and it's looking spiffy. We had new pine straw put down behind the two low retaining walls, and we have flowers both in the ground and in planters.

Rhett's portrait

And I'd bought all new pillows for the furniture, and I was looking forward to getting everything set up just right so that the kids and grandkids could admire and enjoy it.

Stephanie and Joel had come from North Carolina on Sunday night, and though we were missing Andrew and Brittany and Ember and Guy, we were still a sizable party.

It's traditionally the first chance the kids have to swim, and despite the weather, they did get to splash around in between spates of steady rain.

Elliot's portrait

I'd planned for TG to grill chicken as well as hot dogs.

To accompany the meat course I'd made barbecue baked beans, tangy slaw, macaroni and cheese, and deviled eggs, and we had a wide variety of chips in single-serving bags, and lots of soda and sparkling water.

Stephanie and Audrey's assignment had been to come up with their sister's birthday cake, and they'd purchased it at Tiffany's, the exellent local bakery that made Audrey's wedding cake. 

This lantern gets used at Christmas too

In addition to the cake, they got an assortment of petit fours. Tiffany's is known for their scrumptious petit fours.

But when it came time to put the food on the grill, it was raining cats and dogs, and TG told me he was not going to be able to prepare the chicken and hot dogs.

Erica with her boys

Which left me in the lurch because I had not accounted for making the chicken in the oven, which takes lots longer. And the hot dogs would have had to be cooked on the stove.

Mike and Audrey saved my bacon by offering to brave the rain under huge golf umbrellas and get the chicken and dogs done on the grill.

Rhelliot 2026

The rain let up a tad bit, and TG got in on the grilling after all, and before long we were sitting down to our Memorial Day repast.

And yes, we took the time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedoms.

It's all about the red, white, and blue

Their sacrifices are not lost on us. We thank God for every last American hero past, present, and future. But those who have died for our country are in a class by themselves.

I hope you are still praying that our Andrew comes home safely, and soon.

As we will do, until the day break, and the shadows flee away!

And that is all for now.

=0=0=0=

Happy Wednesday