A Winter Spring Winter Spring Winter Spring"ish" Wedding

     I haven't written for awhile because my camera cord went missing.  But I went and bought a new one finally and can upload the pictures to talk about.  Things have been weird here in Minnesota.  While I fold the fleece pants from last week, I dress my sons in shorts and sandals.  I decide to keep the fleece pants in the drawers because, hurrah, winter returns!  We were fortunate enough to experience a little bit of playground-worthy weather in mid-April, but then...

Winter

Found some grass to mow!

      While William mourned the white stuff (he actually bawled on April 28 when I told him we couldn't play outside because it was sleeting), Wesley found plenty to do inside...

Wesley learned to crawl and pull himself up on the table!

Natural player.

Everett is growing and sleeping and looking great.

    William didn't have long to wait.  By April 29 he was wearing a t-shirt again and ready to play ball.

Spring again!

Grandma bought William a T-ball set.  He LOVES to practice hitting, but leaves the ball fetching to us.

We left St. Paul in the 70's and arrived to Grandma and Grandpa's in the 30's on April 29.  I left the boys there and headed north to Duluth Tuesday, April 30, to hear my cousin Mark Blom (aka Markus J. Dandy) perform in the Homegrown Music Festival.  I was not lucky enough to remember to bring my camera, unfortunately!  I also got to hear a great show from Aurora and Her Good Intentions and Trampled By Turtles.  AWESOME Duluth bands!!!  I am so glad my friend Alex warned me I would need my winter boots up north.  I wore them the entire time we were gone.  When we came home, it was time for more snow down south, too.

It's winter again, so William is relegated to indoor activities with Auntie Ruth.  

He practices cooking at the Children's Museum.

And counts snowflakes through the window pane.  Soon they will be gone again!

The bad news was our friend Sasha was in a car accident and her bachelorette party was cancelled.  She suffered from whip lash and called me from ER looking like a million bucks in her neck brace.  I was all dressed up and nowhere to go so we went on a date.  Here's proof.

Spring came again!  It's officially warm enough for a baby to sleep in a stroller without a blanket.  At least, until tomorrow.

Tomas Flores and Diane Cullumber are staying with us.  Tomas teaches William Spanish.

Zac was a groomsman for his lifelong friend, Peter Midthun, at their May 11 wedding.  Peter and Sasha asked me to play keyboard and coordinate music for their wedding.  It was one of the most beautiful weddings ever.  The rehearsal weather was gorgeous.

Except Peter didn't show up right away (he was stuck in traffic for 45 minutes).

The day of the wedding was a little chilly, but we know how to wear coats and have a good time.  

We played around at the Arboretum before I needed to set up the sound system and rehearse with the singers.

Here we are setting up a chuppa and my sound system in pretty substantial wind that made 60 degrees feel more like 45.  I did my part by holding the birch trees up while the florist ran for 50 pound sandbags.  I'm still not sure if Peter and Sasha know that the whole chuppa fell down 40 minutes before their wedding was supposed to start.  It sent flowers flying and covered my keyboard with greenery (oddly beautiful).  But, they got it up for good about 15 minutes beforehand.  I was very happy for a large stash of various sized clips to keep my music stand and music from blowing away.

Our family had a great time at the reception.  We were all danced out by the end of the evening, however.  Here we are ready to head to bed.

Here is the sweet Sasha and Peter.  We are so happy for them.  It was a perfect wedding and they are perfect for each other.

    Today I am writing in 98 degree heat.  It is absolutely impossible to believe we had snow on the ground and William wore snowpants just three weeks ago.  The heat is a reminder of the dangerous reality of climate change.  However, there is a little bit of good news on the front of change.  Minnesota legalized same-sex marriages today!  It seems so fitting that Sasha and Peter's wedding should occur while this milestone legislation was making its way through the legislature.  If you are lucky enough to find the person you can't live without and want to be a family with, now your commitment can be every bit as real and celebrated as this happy couple!!!  My gay friends have prayed and waited and peacefully withstood discrimination for so long.  At last they can experience this and be recognized by the state the same way as everyone else in Minnesota.  Brazil also decided to recognize same-sex marriage today, ironically.  I go to bed so hopeful, so joyful.  Thank you God for little blessings and wonderful people.  Help us continue to make things right, more just, and more sustainable.  Help us focus less on ourselves and more on the people we are surrounded by.  Keep us safe and help us keep our commitments to each other.  Keep us in love.  Amen.