Where Has the Time Gone?

Oh the guilt, guilt, guilt, of not blogging! This Murrayville Mom's Mom has had a lot going on and yet, not putting it on the blog for a number of reasons.

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times-Charles Dickens most certainly had it right.

Probably the hardest was what for us was supposed to be a very happy secret that came at a time when the entire family was feeling so very sad because we had lost our dear friend Earl. It gave us joy, and the tears were happy ones. Our dear daughter April and her husband Nick told us on our 41st Wedding Anniversary that they were expecting a baby, but sadly for all of us, this was not meant to be. Our hearts were and are broken for Nick and April.

I spent the next week at their house while April convalesed. I plied her with lots of iron-rich foods, and as much tender loving care as time allowed.

On the very day that one of our children was in such anguish and sorrow, another was over the moon with joy.

Amy's beloved Tyler popped into E-Comm where she works, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him! Our baby girl, Amy is getting married in January and her daddy and I couldn't be any happier for them. Those two are just meant to be. (It was Tyler by the way who gave me that beautiful bouquet, he was the mystery man.) Tyler had about a week or so earlier asked for our daughter's hand in marriage. Probably some of you reading this might think that an old tradition, but like his soon to be Brother-in-laws Cliff and Nick, it is like a rite of passage at our place.

The questions will soon be popped!

Meet our soon to be son-in-law Tyler! AKA, Mr. November in the Vancouver Fire Department's Burn Unit Fundraiser Calendar's (available at London Drugs!)

Of course she said YES!

THE Dress has been purchased and altered, the church, the pastor, the organist, the reception venue, the invitations, the DJ, the florist and the photographer are all lined up and the days until the wedding are being counted down. So very exciting.

At a dress fitting. Amy was listening to a message from her beloved Tyler.

And if that weren't exciting enough my beloved and I went on a short but wonderful 4 day repositioning cruise from Vancouver to San Diego-it was our first, and hopefully not our last. Sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge on a sunny Friday afternoon was something that I'll not soon forget. Amy and Tyler drove us down to the cruiseship terminal and April who works not too far away, walked down, and they all three saw us off. That was icing on our cake. I know Cathy would have come down to had it been at all possible. She was in our heart!

Going under the Lions Gate Bridge.

From San Diego we flew to Las Vegas and 94 degree weather! Wow, finding Summer again was awesome. They were having unseasonally warm weather and were predicting the return of the cold of winter the day after we left -- they said the temperatures were going to go down to the 70s! Vegas is garish, and sophisticated and expensive and huge and entertaining, and we enjoyed every minute of it. We flew home via Phillipine Airlines, where we were welcomed by the cold, driving rains of October, and by Amy and Tyler waiting to drive us to our car. Our trip came full circle.

The next night we helped my cousin Geraldine and her Georgie celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. My sister Madeleine and I sang an impromtu line from the song we sang at their wedding when I was but a mere child of 11! Because you come to me with naught save love! Even the words sound dreadfully old don't they? We called ourselves the Twisted Sisters and put it way, way, over the top. Funny, everyone clapped when we finished, mmmmm

Twisted is right!

We left the party, roosted in our family room for a few minutes and decided it was time to hit the hay. When I went into the bathroom to my horror I discovered that the left side of my face had swollen up, I looked like a demented chipmunk. Off to the Langley Memorial Emergency only to be put on an agressive regime of intravenous antibiotics 2 x a day. So the glow of the trip was benched by visiting the IV clinic for 5 days. It wasn't a dental problem and we have no idea what could have caused it. We'll just call it another unsolved mystery. On my last night there, Catie our granddaughter was down in Emergency aquiring 7 stiches to her tiny forehead after her swan dive from the couch to the coffee table corner. Poor little Catie. Happily for both Catie and I, we are returning to normal.

In the meantime, April is continuing to regain her physical health, Amy is all full of plans and Cathy ran a half marathon in Victoria on the Thanksgiving weekend. All in all much, so very much to be thankful for.