We have had a busy and fun couple of weeks! Fall has been kind, fall has been gentle, fall has offered more beauty than I can even express this year. Dominick and I were both talking about what a lovely season it has been. Friendships seem to be warmer and richer, new ones are circling, school is...dare I say it...finally, FINALLY a bit less stressful. As I write this Sunday morning, laying here in bed as the sun peaks in through the blinds and rests on the walls before me, my soul feels as bright and warm as the light before me.
We had a Halloween Bash at our home Friday night, 30 people were crammed into our not-really-little-but-not-really-30-people-sized house! Oh, it was SO much fun! The laughter, the visiting, adults dressed in costume, kids out on the trampoline giggling, cupcakes everywhere...we had the most wonderful time and the warmth will fill me for several more days to come.
Here are some photos:
We had a Halloween Bash at our home Friday night, 30 people were crammed into our not-really-little-but-not-really-30-people-sized house! Oh, it was SO much fun! The laughter, the visiting, adults dressed in costume, kids out on the trampoline giggling, cupcakes everywhere...we had the most wonderful time and the warmth will fill me for several more days to come.
Here are some photos:
Kenny, Auntie Kim, and Matt
Funny, Kim doesn't look all that scared!
Angela with her M&M costume she created by herself.
Dearest friend George...such an appropriate costume for him!
Beloved Mr. Steve and his sexy legs!
Dang, when did Josh turn into this mature looking young man? It's happening all in one year with him, I think, not gradually, but manhood has grabbed him by the shirt collar and is not letting go.
A little love fest as everyone arrives and enjoys the costumes!
This is not everyone who came, but is everyone who was dressed up.
My Home Boy and My Home Girl friend, Monica
Throwback to our SoCal days...Dominick pulls this off nicely! Haha!
Ready to pray
This. I love nothing more than this...a houseful of people I love (and yes, I love our friends very, very much!), laughter, sharing...this is what brings me great joy.
Me being all "Pinterest-y" Plastic cups, a black marker, and dollar store candles. That's about all anyone can ever expect from me. It sure made the driveway look pretty as these little luminarias lined it.
Volleyball season is officially over for the year, and it is time to settle down and get the books really crackin'. In a couple of weeks I will be traveling both to Denver and to Salt Lake City, so there is movement on the horizon. We have Kenny's special 16th birthday ahead of us, a "work retreat" for me with my buddy and Web Diva as we work on our new business, a Sweet Adelines performance, and I even get to officiate a wedding for the first time! Lots of wonderful things ahead this month, and I am very, very happy down to my tippy toes, for the first time in quite awhile. I haven't been miserable or any such thing, but I feel I have finally returned to a place that is more centered, and am feeling more content than I have in perhaps years. We still have some big challenges ahead, and maybe God is preparing my heart for another rough season by providing me with a fall that is equal parts sweetness and fullness. Whatever the case, as I have eased into this place, it is as if I have let out a big sigh.
I hope you have been able to enter into this fall season as beautifully as I have.
1 comment:
Dear Cindy, As usual, your posts are a mix of fun and introspection that I personally find fascinating and uplifting. I looked back a couple of posts and saw your thoughts on FAS/FAE. Having adopted 2 clearly FAS 6 year olds from Lithuania, now 9 & 10, I can say I have researched the heck out of it. Did you know 1 big area of deficit is the hippocampus, which is shrunken? Did you know piano players actually enlarge their hippocampus? We home schooled piano and Bal-A-Vis-X also works on the same region. Getting the full set of DVDs and a workbook plus supplies is around $150 and worth the experiment. We struggle to find the time to do the exercises faithfully, but your kids would be more self-motivated and it is only 15 minutes. Longterm, I think neurofeedback is the future of brain reconstruction, but for now the science is barely emerging. Our psychologist said his peers find LENS training can potentially grow neurons & seems to help FAS brains, while admitting that these ideas are "well past the known science." Another practitioner complained that such ideas are hogwash and contribute to the poor reputation of neurofeedback. I think my Dr. was being honest, and it may be worth the experiment, but I am very aware that it may be a very expensive gamble. We completed Z-score NFB training & it made huge differences, but mostly in the areas they were each stronger in. The areas they were really weak in remain as huge deficits. But the one who was better behaved now has normal behavior (while her cognitive delays remain), and the smarter one is close to grade level in some areas while her impulsivity remains horrific. Well, she has stopped being violent, so that did improve. :) Just some food for thought. Sherry
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