Highs and Lows

June 8, 2019: Newlyweds Mary and Derek on their wedding day.

Thus far, 2019 has brought one challenge after another. Certainly nothing as difficult as some of my friends are going through right now, but frustrating and exhausting all the same. It's especially maddening because I started the year determined to get healthy and lose weight by eating right and becoming more active. And I did so diligently, for five full months, before the culmination of events finally brought me down a few weeks ago.

One positive about being a headstrong person like me is this: we stubbornly keep getting up each time we get knocked down. We refuse to give up. So I'm back on track, determined to stay on a course that will defeat the health issues (none life-threatening, thankfully) and other trials of life. 

Another positive is the knowledge that, even during our tribulations, there are still blessings all around us. The greatest blessing of my life is, of course, my amazing children. However, there are so many more beautiful things to enjoy along the way, if we remember to stop and look.

Here are a couple of those joyful things, which both happened almost two weeks ago, on Saturday, June 8th.

Prodigious performance by guest pianist with White Mountain Symphony Orchestra.

It began at 3:00 with Sarah's final performance of the 2018-19 season with White Mountain Symphony Orchestra. Chris had come down with a nasty stomach bug that morning, so it was just Mark and me to be the family cheering section this time. It was one of my favorite concerts, in which the orchestra performs music from plays and films. They ended with the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean, which was magnificent.

Concert program and ticket.

After the concert, we briefly went our separate ways to take care of some errands, but we got back together around 5:45 so we could ride to Snowflake together to attend the wedding reception of the youngest son of our friends and neighbors, Eugene and Wyndie. Along the way, we stopped for dinner at Sonic. 

By this time, I was absolutely not living the low-carb life. I was too drained of energy to keep up with meal planning, shopping, and preparation. On the day of the concert and reception, in fact, I was on the second day of a kidney infection and the first of two urinary tract infections, and I was extremely uncomfortable despite the pain medications. Nonetheless, I had no intention of missing out on the fun that I hoped would take my mind off my pain. It was so worth it!

Those chocolate-and-blue-frosting cupcakes were to die for!

Wyndie and Eugene have been friends to our family since 1996, since right before I got pregnant with Dylan (who will be 22 in twelve days) and since Derek was barely a year old. It hardly seems possible that our kids are all grown and living on their own, no longer those tiny tots we secretly believed would be our babies forever.

Love, love, love this sign!

Still, watching them grow up and move on to become responsible adults and good people is one of the great joys of this life. How fun to see Derek so happy with his lovely new bride, Mary!

Mary and Derek demonstrate which of them knows the other best,

while the younger reception-goers took seats up front for the best view.

I do admit that I also enjoy attending wedding receptions because I'm always curious to see how the venue is decorated. I'm always amazed at the creativity on display, as well as the way in which the decor reflects the personalities of the newlyweds, especially the bride.

With so many ooey-gooey refreshments, I was kind of glad I was cheating!

It was a beautiful day, and I'm so grateful I was able to be there for it. Congratulations and best wishes for a wonderful forever, Derek and Mary!

Mary and Derek prepare to make their escape amidst the flash of sparklers.

(Probably not the best idea on a windy day in fire season, lol.)