Full disclosure: the final wedding tasks were NOT completed in a calm and efficient manner, but most were eventually completed and Brittany and Andy are now married! Woo-hoo! So many people made this possible, we’re just beginning to try to communicate the magnitude of our gratitude.
On this, David’s birthday, where we remember him and miss him as much as ever, let’s focus for a minute on this grand cause for celebration. The colors they (Brittany?) chose — tropical blues and flaming sunset colors — were absolutely stunning. Here are a few early preview shots from the photographer, Mark Ducharme.
Brittany’s bouquet – Photo by Mark R Ducharme PhotographyBrittany’s shoes with wedding bands – Photo by Mark R Ducharme PhotographyThe wedding party – Photo by Mark R Ducharme PhotographyBeckett appreciating one of the bouquets – Photo by Rachel Hazenfield
All the creative touches they wanted happened.
Sunstones they found on the trip where they got engaged, to share with all – Photo by Mark R Ducharme
Beckett found a girlfriend, Baby Ruth (photos by her dad, Craig Burke):
There were challenges, of course, since this is real life. Brittany and I had a few laughs navigating the rugged stone steps in high heels:
Brittany and Sunny – Photo by Mark R Ducharme
And Brittany ended up in the E.R. the next day for a while, but that’s a story for another day. The entire thing was absolutely beautiful and celebratory.
Brittany, Andy and Bega – Photo by Mark R Ducharme
I’m inaugurating a new category this month: Celebrations. Woo-hoo! The imminent major celebration is the wedding, of course, and plans and projects are ramping up to an increasingly stressful pace, but things are getting done.
Brittany, Andy and Bega at Sunapee 2020Brittany and Andy – October 2020
Brittany has endured four of her six rounds of chemo and still has hair, although it is certainly thinner than usual, but at least she won’t have to wear a hot wig for her July wedding at Lake Sunapee. That is a big plus and we are all grateful. Even with her low-energy days and a long daily commute for Andy, they are still dreaming big. I try to help where I can. I’m confident it will be a wonderful celebration, even in the midst of all the challenges and missing many we wish could be there with us.
We also celebrated the enthusiasm of toddlers when we enjoyed the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery with Beckett over Memorial Day weekend.
At the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery – 29 May 2021
So much fun. As usual his attention span outlasted ours. 😉
And I’m celebrating daily my diminishing responsibilities for helping the new owners of my business ramp up to complete independence from me. This has allowed me to ramp up my daily writing. I have a few projects in the works and have even submitted a few poems to various local contests, so we’ll see where that goes (if anywhere). A lot of writing is for the writer, but let’s be honest, writers also write to be read.
Sunrise over Lake Sunapee – 2015Lake Sunapee DawnChelsea, Brian, Courtney, Brittany on the Megalodon — Felicity seeing them off — July 2019
where final wedding preparations will be handled calmly and efficiently (hahaha, just kidding, but we can dream). Whatever gets done or gets left undone, they should be married by about 5:00 p.m. July 24th, so the end is in sight. As I know I’ve mentioned somewhere in these posts, David and I had the lamest wedding in the history of the world, but it got the job done and the marriage was increasingly amazing with the passing years. So however the day goes, that is what I hope for Brittany and Andy. And you, too, if you are married or about to be. Can’t wait to ramp up the celebrating!
Here’s wishing (and hoping and praying) for a bright future for us all!
It absolutely poured rain all day yesterday and there’s been a damp chill in the air that has had me wearing a puffer jacket . . . even INSIDE. On the plus side things are still fabulously green . . .
Okay, this is New Hampshire, but still
. . . and I know here in Colorado they won’t stay that way for many more weeks. Even with all the rain this weekend, so far scuba gear is not required, but here are a few “undersea” photos (taken at the Aquarium in La Rochelle) . . . . . . to get you in the right mindset for my newest poem, ostensibly about scuba diving, but really also about life. The best way to read it is to pause slightly at the end of each line, as if you were breathing through a regulator and descending slowly into the deep.
Buoyancy
The trick is to maintain neutral buoyancy, to avoid panic – breathing slowly, moving hardly at all, except the slow beat of fins and occasional tranquil glance at gauges - intrepid explorer
of another world, tasting the tang of salt like tears, while all manner of things approach and slip by or hide, peering out like old women from behind lace curtains. In the beginning
I needed a hand to hold, a steadying hand to tell me without words I was not lost in the deep – I would not be lost, as if anyone can promise that. Soon, though, the color
grabs me and movement like a ballet set to the whooshing pulse of breathing in and out, bubbles like crystal balls rising to the brightness above.
There is danger in ascending and descending, both – rising too quickly as the pressure mounts, falling unnoticed, slipping into the abyss.
It is not optional to know where you are.
The trick is to stay calm and keep breathing.
I hope that provided a calming break in your day. It’s been an emotional weekend here. Courtney came out from Minnesota for the long weekend and Doug also took advantage of the holiday to come meet Beckett, so we decided to inter David’s ashes this past Friday afternoon while everyone was here. He’s been gone nearly three and a half years, but it was still a difficult step on the wretched grief road, as you may imagine.
September 2016 – Photo by Clayton Jenkins
Then we adjourned to my house for toasts, memories and togetherness (since we’re all vaccinated), sorely needed after all the COVID isolation. Doug brought us a bottle from Colene Clemens Vineyards, one of our favorite Oregon wine-tasting destinations.
Doug, Brittany, Courtney and Chelsea at Colene Clemens Winery
Meanwhile, a few other dear ones (deliberately vague to respect privacy) are facing medical challenges, some quite daunting, and Brittany is heading into chemo round three in a few days, so a bit of color therapy and calm, slow breathing seemed in order. I find it works even better when prayer and meditation are added to the mix.
Yesterday was a rare, welcome rainy day. Drought is a recurrent issue here in Colorado, so as much as I generally prefer sunny days, I loved it. Everything is now so green and beginning to bloom. It really feels like spring is here to stay. Yes, I know we can get freak storms this time of year, like the two feet of snow we had mid-March that did so much damage to the trees and very helpfully revealed a leak in my roof — yippee. My plan is to enjoy each glorious day and not worry about tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes!
One excellent day was Easter Sunday, when I went over to Chelsea and Brian’s backyard (after virtual church — still not going in person quite yet) to watch Beckett’s first Easter egg (etc.) hunt. The adults had shorter attention spans than he did. We kept wanting him to find the next thing, and he wanted to enjoy what he’d already found. Hmmm. There’s a lesson there somewhere. . . .
Beckett’s first Easter egg hunt 2021How dare he sit and read his new book!Not a baby anymore!
Another stellar day was Saturday the 10th of April, when Brittany drove up from Denver and we met on Chelsea’s driveway to sample some mocktails, to add options for the wedding weekend.
Brittany explaining the various flavor profiles to us, but mostly enjoying the perfect dayChelsea enjoying the sun while Beckett enjoys – er, yum? – chewing on a lemonBeckett getting into the spirit of driveway drinks and yes, that’s the dogs’ bowl
And today, now that I’m fully vaccinated (including the two weeks post-second shot), I actually got to hug my grandson without wearing a mask. Woo-hoo!
Beckett demonstrating that “The Wheels on the Bus” go round and round
So it hasn’t all been rain. It never is here, of course, but sometimes life feels a bit like unending metaphorical rain, with all the challenges so many have been facing for more than a year now. Brittany has just started chemo, so there’s that, but I’m now semi-retired and able to help her more than I could have a few months ago. And I’m going to try to learn from this little one.
He’s choosing happy
No, I probably won’t be sucking on a lemon anytime soon and definitely won’t be drinking out of a dog’s bowl, but I’m going to try to remember to enjoy what I have without always looking for the next thing. And I’m going to choose happy whenever I can. I hope the same for you. If that’s not possible right now, hang in there. I pray you feel the peace and comfort of God and that you find bright moments of joy to sustain you, even if the rain is pouring down. You’re in my heart.
I love hearing from you, so please do comment or reach out to me in some way if you can. I miss my people! Hope to see you soon.
. . . to get you in the right mindset for my newest poem, ostensibly about scuba diving, but really also about life. The best way to read it is to pause slightly at the end of each line, as if you were breathing through a regulator and descending slowly into the deep. 
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