Somebody got a new friend today! Lea Clark arrived from American Girl to make Laura’s day. Laura has nearly paid for her entirely on her own. That smile from my Red does my heart good.
Grilling
A boy is never too young to learn to grill. John helped Andy make dinner tonight. So fun to watch Dad pass on grilling knowledge to Son.
Laura’s First Holy Communion
Today was Laura’s first Holy Communion. It was so great to see her experience this for the first time. She, along with four others, received the bread and wine from Pastor Julia and Pastor Peter.
As a gift from the church, Laura received a hymnal with her name engraved on it, a certificate, and a rose. We also made sure to save one of the bulletins from today’s service.
Today was made even more special because Pastor Julia presented the gifts to Laura. This was Pastor Julia’s last First Communion group as she retires next week from service to St. Andrew’s.
I am so happy for our girl today! It was amazing to watch her receive communion for the first time. Moments you never forget.
No Picture
There is no picture today because it was project after project after project. We are slowly getting everything unpacked and set up. Slow and steady wins the race…
Most Improved!
I am very proud of my husband. He was one of two selected to receive the Most Improved award for the past year from Big Tree Cycling. Congratulations Andy!
Wine!
One of the fun parts of going to Hermann each year for our anniversary is coming home with lots of wine! Nearly six full cases so far…
20 Years
Today is our 20th wedding anniversary. It was a day of highs and lows. We spent the day enjoying the beautiful weather with a walk around Hermann and then time at the wineries with each other. While at one of the wineries, we received some sad news about one of Andy’s brothers. He and his wife are separating. We talked about that for a while and then went back to the inn to enjoy the evening. We drank frozen margaritas and ate a pizza while we watched Game 7 of the World Series.
About 8 pm, my Dad called to say that Newman had passed away. She was 21 years old and it was not unexpected, but still hard and sad. She was a pain in the ass, but we loved her anyway.
We finished the evening with something I had really never expected to see in my lifetime – Chicago Cubs as World Series Champs!
With the highs and lows of today, I am really grateful to have Andy by my side all the time. Yes, we drive each other crazy, but it is always us together even when we aren’t on the same path. When a marriage begins, it is rainbows and roses. As time goes on, you realize that “never going to bed angry” isn’t possible. Quite frankly, you need that sometimes. Eventually, you realize that marriage isn’t perfect and it isn’t even fun sometimes, but, if your spouse is your other half, you make it work on the high days, the low days, and every other day in between. Andy is my other half. He is my strong hug when I need it. He is my center when I need it. He stands behind me when I need it and protects me when I need it. My husband. I love you Andrew Kassel for everything, but especially because you are the one who will always be there. Thanks for 20 great years! I look forward to the next 20.