the benes family
Today is Kevin's 20th birthday. He is celebrating with the angels in heaven but his friends and family held a loving gathering in his honor on Sunday. The Mothers Against Drunk Drivers organization held a 3.2 mile walk to pay tribute to our loved ones who fell victim to the carelessness of another. The love and support was dynamic in the healing from such tragedies. 400 hearts were gathered as one to bring these energies alive. Aunt Aletha and Aunt Diane have both created a beautiful photo display commemorating this day. Their talent never ceases to amaze me. Steve calls the three of us paparazzi because we all love to click and capture our moments on camera. Anyone who doubts that spirits do not exist should know we had a sign from Kevin while on the walk, in the form of seeing his favorite car idle by us. I could almost hear him whispering thanks for remembering me.
kevin's orange mustang
The night prior to this beloved event, Wayne and I had our Meet the Fockers moment. We attended the 60th birthday celebration for Margarita's dad, John, hosted by his wife, Ann. We met 15 of their family and friends and had a delightful time together. This was held at Versailles Restaurant in Buffalo Grove, which offered Russian cuisine and lots of vodka. Their homeland is Lithuania and we were entertained with so many lovely stories of their European adventures and the consequences of Russian forces. As soon as we arrived, we felt like honored guests, for they all came up and greeted us with warm hugs and their cameras were clicking off the charts. I can't wait to see the photos, especially those taken when we were all on the dance floor. Our family doings were of the Polish flavor, which is very similar, but noticably different in the amount of food being offered. I thought we were big on food, but servings of delicious fish and appetizers and desserts kept coming for hours and hours. It's a good thing we danced all night to sweat it out a little bit. It was Mike's birthday also, so there were many toasts all night long. We look forward to more gatherings with our new friends and family in the near future.
russian vodka and plenty of fish
I am backtracking on my momentous weekend as it began on Saturday morning when we visited Pops to sing Happy Birthday to him. Brother Bo was busy preparing ribs and a special 10" burger with grilled onions, the big daddy special. Carrie, John and Robert joined us and caught up on happenings. Now summer officially begins.
the birthday boys
Our dogs are heartbroken today for the sofa is being re-leathered for a month. I think they smelled a rat prior to it being taken away so I clicked this last moment of them lounging. I love them so much and fret when they are out of sorts. When we came home at 2:30 in the morning, Dan couldn't believe we were out so late (I usually turn into a pumpkin at midnight) and said the dogs were going ballistic without us. I can't imagine how they will be in a few days when we vacation in the Caribbean. Luckily, someone will be with them at all times and they won't be lonely.
poor puppies...
I almost forgot, yesterday Wayne and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary by relaxing in our makeshift family room. We opened a bottle of wine given us by Gabriella Antoniolli that she brought back from Italy. We sipped it while watching Tudors and just thanked the Lord for all the blessings He has bestowed on us. Perfectly quaint. Today he is taking another certification exam for computers. I hope he passes because I am weary of seeing him sift through that 1,000 page book since January. That's the thing about technology, as soon as you learn one thing, another system is created making that one obsolete. It is never ending. That's ok, for we are never too old to learn in life.
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm. xo
I've had my moments
Days in the sun
Moments, I was second to none
Moments, when I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do
And memories,
like a coat so warm,
a cold wind can't get through
Lookin' at me now, you might not know it,
but I've had my moments....
Moments by Emerson Drive
