Monday, May 2, 2011

Zippity Doo Dah

So..the A-Z blog challenge which I so faithfully kept up with for the entire month of April ended on Saturday with the letter Z. I had a houseful of company all weekend long and have not been on my blog since last Thursday except to approve comments once or twice. I didn't want to leave the challenge unfinished but did I mention my company? I'm pooped. So today I am going to wrap up that A-Z challenge with this-

Z is for Zippity Doo Dah
aka I made it to the end of the challenge.
Whew!

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed as I have a lot to say, a very busy week, and my email inbox and google reader are overflowing. I find with blogging its hard to go too far back and do a recap and that sometimes the best thing is to just dive into the middle with all my many thoughts and hope they make sense when all is said and done. In that vein let's start with the Royal Wedding, which I thought was perfection with the exception of the attire of two princesses who shall remain nameless. Oh dear.

I got up at 4 am on Friday, made a cuppa, and sat on my sofa to watch from start to finish. I know I could have set my DVR and I did because I might want to watch some of it again, but I also wanted to see it in real time. Plus I had company coming Friday afternoon and knew I would not be able to spend the day watching tv. I loved everything about the wedding...the pomp, the pageantry, the dress, the sweet way the groom looked at his bride, the clothes, the hats, the crowds and their comments and accents and celebrating, and especially the sights and sounds of London. It was all just right and I really hope they have a long and happy married life.

Hubs had taken the day off Friday so naturally his day began with two conference calls. He was a big help later in running errands and getting the house ready for our guests. In addition our patio guys were at the house all day and they finally got the ginormous skip (dumpster) out of the driveway about thirty minutes before our first guests arrived. There are still giant piles of sand, rock, stone, and gravel in the drive but we're making progress. The weather was wonderful this weekend so we did sit on the semi-finished patio and enjoyed time with our guests while we all pretended the dirt still around the patio edge wasn't there. And we turned on our heaters since the firepit is still under construction but still, it was good to be outdoors. The fox whose nest is on the hill beside our house was busy this weekend so everyone enjoyed spotting her traipsing thru the woods and two of them running and playing together. I think all five babies are now out of the nest for good.

We had three couples visit this weekend, old friends who we hadn't seen in ages and we talked til the cows came home. Literally. Friday night we were still sitting at the dining room table at 2 am. My kids jaws just dropped because they cannot believe I could possibly be awake and talking at that hour but I was. At some point I started to realize I'd been up almost 24 hours so we called it a night-morning? and went to bed. We drank pots of coffee Saturday morning, wandered thru some nearby shops and even made a trek up to Highpoint to admire the view and the sunshine and the pretty NJ countryside. We threw hamburgers on the grill and talked some more...another very late night but we had so much to say. We all have kids of a similar age and we've all known one another since our kids were just beginning school. Now some are college graduates out in the working world, one is planning a wedding, and the rest are college students. I look around and think of our children in the third grade and all the things we talked about back then-classroom teachers, peer groups, sports teams...oh the drama. Let me just tell you it ain't nothin' like what the 20-somethings bring to the table. I am so thankful God gives us the grace we need to parent thru all of life's many seasons.

Because we'd had such a little bit of sleep this weekend hubs and I went to bed fairly early last night. I woke up this morning and read a text from my daughter asking if I'd seen the President on tv and that it was a big day. Hubs is a news hound and I cannot remember the last time we went an entire weekend without turning on any news but we did so we missed hearing the news about the death of Osama bin Laden until this morning. I pray those whose lives were devastated on that September morning find a measure of peace today. I pray the families who have lost a loved one in the resulting war also feel today their son or husband or brother didn't die in vain. And once again I will say God bless the US military, the brave men and women who quietly and courageously do their job every single day.

20 comments:

  1. Congratulations to the challenge and making it to "Z"! High Point must have been lovely on Saturday.

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  2. One of my favorite memories of the Royal Wedding is when we decided, on a whim, to leave Hyde Park, and try to make our way to the parade route (even though signs said it was full, such does not stop my husband). As we wended our way through some nearly deserted back streets towards St. James' Park, I heard the last organ notes of the service, and then the bells of Westminster Abbey chiming. That's how quiet it was in that area! It was kind of a magical moment.

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  3. My hubby stayed up all evening to listen to the President and the news. He didn't wake me, but when I woke this morning and he told me the news.
    I'm glad Bin Laden is gone.

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  4. You did have a busy weekend!! I'm so proud of you and the way you shared all your travels with us for the A-Z blog. Well done and like you, I pray that all involved in 9/11 can find peace. Thank you American military. Once again you make me proud to be an American!

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  5. Ditto on the news of Bin Laden. I hear that with the news of Bin Laden's death, our military's battle with Al Qaeda isn't over. Praying for them and their safety over the next several weeks/months.

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  6. My Loverbrains does that too. How does it count as a day off if you start (and often end) with conference calls? I once got irritated and asked him what they'd do if he died...and he very seriously said, "They'd probably download my hard drive and raid my office!" HAHAHA...ahhhh!

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  7. Excellent job on finishing the A-Z Challenge! I would not have been able to stick with it. Ha

    We learned of the news while at a Birthday party which of course changed the mood substantially.

    What a world we live in, eh? The highs of a Royal wedding, lows of the tornado disater and then this. Yikes.

    Here's hoping for a calm week ahead... :)

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  8. Good grief Joyce - I hope you get a nap today. Even a fun weekend can knock the stuffing out of you. :)

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  9. Sounds like perfect weekend. Old friends, good food, and lots of talking! Love it!
    Have a good week!

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  10. I didn't get up at 4AM to watch the wedding and I don't feel like I missed anything by not doing so. They're STIL playing the reuns! It was a gorgeous wedding, though, and I felt like they're really IN LOVE! You mean...things get worse or better as your kids grow up? Not sure I'm ready for the challenge. :)

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  11. Joyce, I couldn't help but think of you as I watched the wedding. How wonderful it must have been to watch it, and recognize everything.

    I was totally amazed at how beautiful Westminster Abbey was on HDTV, and I couldn't get over some of those hats the ladies wore. LOL (especially those princesses)

    I know you must have had a wonderful time enjoying your guests. It's always fun to get together, and catch up.

    I was thrilled at the demise of Osama, but a chill ran up my spine, as I wondered "what next"...

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  12. I loved the wedding, it was perfect in every way. (those two, OMG!) My word you have been so busy. Congratulations of finishing your A-Z.
    I am glad that we finally got Bin Laden and I also pray that everyone gets the closer they have prayed for.

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  13. I enjoyed the wedding also- I was able to watch the wedding, walk Tucker, and be at school by 7:50. I came home and dropped. LOL

    What a fantastic way to spend a weekend! There's almost nothing better than visiting with old friends!

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  14. Yippie for making it to Z. I was also a bit late with my last letter posting Z today, thanks to a busy weekend.

    I just watched the Royal Wedding last night, again thanks to a busy weekend, and west coast time that had the wedding starting at 2 am. I loved it. So beautiful and wonderful, but mostly because the bride and groom seemed to be so much in tune with eachother and so in love and that is amazing to see. It makes me tear up every time.

    As for the announcement about Bin Laden, I was shoked, I hope that this is the beginning of the end of the terror that he was in charge of. And I am so thankful that none of the military involved in the final take down were injured, that was the best part of the announcement for me.

    Wow, that was long. Sorry. Have a wonderful week.

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  15. Congrats on making it through the challenge. ?I;ve really enjoyed your posts, and will continue to visit your blog.

    I missed the wedding and really wanted to see it. :( It'll probably make it's way to youtube though...lol..will be looking.

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  16. Oh, me, my head is nodding after reading how late you stayed up for two nights. We also had a very busy weekend with daughter leaving and my brother visiting, but I feel rejuvenated today and am playing "catch up" around here.

    I loved everything about the royal wedding too. Just such a beautiful couple and I hope and pray they will be truly happy and that the media will leave them alone, at least part of the time. :o)

    Blessings for a great week!

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  17. It is an amazing day! God bless America!!

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  18. I didn't quite get the hats that sit on the foreheads. But, Kate was beautiful, and it was a fairytale wedding.

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  19. those hats gave everyone something to talk about. ;) congratulations for making it to z... and catching up with old friends. i see 2 am quite a bit, too. ;)

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  20. This weekend surely was a busy one news wise. I got home early Grimaldi to watch the wedding... Loved it. Dropped my jaw onthe floor when I saw the news bulletin about binladen. Hopefully peace will finally return.

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