Over the Horizon

Hello Dolly!

My sister, Heather, turns another year older today. So, last night I took her to Fredericksburg to see Hello Dolly! at The Riverside Dinner Theater and staring Sally Struthers. It was FAN-TASTIC!!! The meal was amazing, as usual, and we learned a lot about the differences between the original stage play and the hollywood film staring Barbara Streisand, which apparantly was a flop when it first came out in theaters. It's strange to think the movie wasn't successful originally, because it's hugely popular in my family. We grew up watching it and singing the songs. It is definitely a Crafton family favorite!

We also enjoyed the company of our parents and grandmother! We all drove up together and enjoyed the scenic route through downtown Fredericksburg on our way to the theater. We were seated together during the show and just had an all-around blast! It was truly a great night of family and entertainment and celebration!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!!!

Baby Tristan & Minnesota, Don't Ya Know!

I have family in Minnesota, just outside of Minneapolis. My aunt, uncle, and cousins moved there in 1991 (I believe!), and starting in 1992, my grandmother took my sister and I out there to spend the whole summer every year until we were almost out of high school. Those were wonderful summers...truly some of my happiest growing-up memories!

My last summer was 1996. I was 16 yearls old, and my sister was just turning 15. I did not go back until September 2007, which was after my grandmother had moved out there to live with my aunt, uncle, and youngest cousin. My older cousin was engaged, and I had the opportunity that visit to meet and get to know his future wife. It was a wonderful week that I spent with everyone, and especially after a 12 absence. My cousin married in August of 2008, and I was unable to go to the wedding. However, this month I had the opportunity to go back once again...

....only this time my sister went too!

This is the first time that the two of us have been in Minnesota together since 1996. Yes, that's 15 YEARS!!!! Oh, we had so much fun! My cousin and his wife had their first child in February of this year. So, this post is first of all a birth announement to welcome....

Tristan Gerald Arnett
on
February 12, 2011
5:51 p.m.
7 lbs. 15 oz., 20.75 in.

This past weekend they baptized him into the Roman Catholic Church. They waited a few months so that his auntie (my youngest cousin) would be home from college here in Virginia, and the Lord worked it out so that both my sister and I could get out there for the event!! We flew in on Friday morning, me on the flight I'd purchased and she on standby. My aunt and cousin picked us up from the aiprot together and then we headed out to run some errands and do some window shopping before meeting Jennie and Tristan for lunch at The Rainforest Cafe at The Mall of America. That used to be one of our favorite places to go eat, so it was definitely a walk down memory lane. A lot has changed at that mall in 15 years, but that restaurant has not!

After lunch, we all headed over to Jennie and Chris's house where Heather and I were going to stay for the weekend. We hung out for a little while and then all had dinner together there at the house along with Jennie's brother. Then we hung out some more and headed to bed....at which time I set about continuing to work on my gift for Tristan's baptism.

Saturday, May 21, was the baptism. That morning we had a wonderful breakfast prepared by my cousin Chris, and we enjoyed a relaxing morning. Then the four of us and Tristan headed out for a driving tour of the chain of lakes on the other side of the city, a sight that my grandmother used to enjoy often with Chris and Jennie. Then it was home to get ready for the baptism at 4 pm. Tristan did very well. He is such a content baby and was not bothered in the least by all the fuss made over him or even by the water that was poured over his head. Not a fuss. Not a peep. And he posed beautifully for all the pictures!

 

(left) Tristan being baptized by Deacon Al, who married Chris and Jennie; (right) Chris, Jennie, and Tristan

 

(left) Deacon Al, Tristan, and Chris after the ceremony; (right) Tristan with his maternal cousins

 

(left) Tristan with Heather & I, his parternal cousins once removed; (right) The four of us cousins, together again (Heather, Lindsay, me, Chris)! Lindsay was only 6 the last time we were all together in MN!

 

(left) Tristan with his dad's family: (L-R) paternal grandparents, me, his parents, his auntie Lindsay, and Heather;
(right) Tristan with his mom's family: (L-R) great aunt, uncle Matt (Jennie's brother), Uncle Joey & Aunt Christine (Jennie's sister) and their four kids, Chris & Jennie, and maternal grandparents

Tristan, his parents, and his godparents: (L-R) Lindsay (Chris's little sister), Chris & Jennie & Trista, Matt (Jennie's brother), Christine (Jennie's sister)

After the ceremony and pictures, we all headed to an amazing Italian restaurant for a truly Italian feast! We even got to sit at a table with the Pope's head in the center! We enjoyed some amazing food and family time celebrating together. Then it was back home again to relax and rest up for Sunday!

On Sunday, we all headed to Christine & Joey's church to celebrate with their oldest daugheter Elizabeth who received her first communion that morning.

Elizabeth with her family on the event of her First Communion

After church we stopped at the house to get all our stuff packed up, loaded up the car, and then headed over to Christine & Joey's house which was just around the corner from Chris and Jennie's. They hosted a big Baptism/First Communion celebration party for Elizabeth and Tristan, and we had a wonderful time visiting with everyone.

Speaking of parties, I will insert here a little scenic overlook concerning my gift to Tristan for his baptism. It was a bib. But not just any bib. Last spring, when Aunt Susie, Lindsay, Heather, and I were going through some of my garndmother's things and deciding who would receive what, we found a set of three bibs in her dresser drawers. They were stamped with designs so that one could embroider them. I asked to have them thinking I would make them for Chris and Jennie's first child, which was not even on the way yet! Time being what it was, it got away from me, and I was only able to complete one of the three. I finished it while we were in Minnesota for the baptism and was able to give it to Tristan before I left. I'm really glad that I was able to complete it because I really wanted Tristan to have something from our grandmother, who would have just adored him had she been here to meet him. Heather also made him a gift: an adorable little stuffed elephant that she made from a pattern.

Tristan with the Bamba's bib stitched by me and the elepant that Heather made him

Heather and I left straight from the party for the airport. She was able to fly standby straight to Richmond. I, however, had a purchased ticket through Washington, DC. I arrived around 9:30 p.m., after a delayed daparture from Minneapolis. Then I grabbed by baggage, hopped on the metro and headed to where I'd left my car all weekend. Finally, I hit the road for my two-hour drive home. I arrived home just before 1 a.m. and hit the sack since I had work the next morning.

It was a wonderful weekend! I don't think it could have been any better!!! Yea for family and the blessing of being present with them!

Birthday Fun!

My step-mother's birthday is tomorrow. Tonight, when I came home from work, my dad suggested that we all go to Friendly's for a birthday celebration with her! So, the two of them, my sister and I, and my nephew Jacob all piled in the car together and headed out for some ice cream birthday fun! And it was indeed a blast of an evening! There was  a lot of laughter and a lot of really good ice cream! I love it when we have family fun!

 

(left) My Reese's ice cream goodness! (right) The wait staff singing to Kathy. They even brought her balloons!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHY!!!!

 

Merry Christmas To One And All!!!!

Well Christmas has come and gone, and what a wonderful celebration day it was!!! It was very different for me this year on various levels, but it was a sweet day in the truest sense of the word! Of course, I have grown very accostumed to my/our traditions in Mexico, so just being here in the US for Christmas for the first time since 2004 was a huge change; however, it was a much smaller affair than usual with my family this year, which also jarred my consciousness a bit.

My parents and sister, Heather, did Christmas with all the neices and nephews and their mom's and significant others earlier in the month because those families had other plans for acutal Christmas Day. So, for starters, none of them were with us on Christmas morning at all. Then, for me, this was my first Christmas at home without my brother Chris (died 2007) or my dearest grandma (died 2009). As anyone who has lost a loved one knows, those "firsts" are always the hardest, and I was alone in that this year...not alone in missing them, but definitely alone in experiencing that "first". And finally, my brother Alan was not able to be with us that morning either. So, it turned out that we were just my parents, Heather, and me around the tree on Christmas morning. The last time the gathering was that small was before my dad remarried 16 years ago!!!

But as I said, it was truly a sweet experience. Sweet to the sentiments and sweet to the soul. We all enjoyed ourselves and each other immensely as we opened presents and savored of our traditional Christmas morning treats. It was different in EVERY way, but it was oh so good!

Then my sister Heather and I got ready for the day, packed up the rest of our gifts for giving, and headed out to my mom's house in the country (Louisa County, VA) to spend the rest of the day with her and my step-dad. That was also very different because his daughter Elizabeth and her husband were unable to come up for the day because she is recovering from surgery. So, again, it was a small, quiet affair, but I find that there are times when that is the best it could possibly be. This was one of those years where that is so, and I enjoyed it a lot!

My maternal grandma lives two driveways over from my mom, so after Heather and I arrived, we all got in the car and drove over to Grandmas's house as "over the river and through the woods" played through my head..haha! It was really fun there because I got to see my Aunt Bonnie and her son Keith and his family whom I haven't seen since Thankgiving 2004!!!! None of us could believe it had been that long, but it definitely has! So, we all enjoyed a great visit and opened a few presents and ate lots of light snacks. Then everyone went home and the four of us and Grandma headed back to my mom's house and did our own stockings and presents. My mom had the coolest stockings for my sister and I!! So cool, that I actually had to post pictures for you to see!!!

 

(left) "Mine" was the teddy bear because I love teddy bears!; (right) A "Father Christmas" stocking for Heather!

We visited for a while and had Christmas dinner together. It was great! Then finally, Heather and I headed back home. We might have stayed a little longer, but IT SNOWED!!!! And we didn't want to be out on the roads too late with the temperature dropping.

I was absolutely elated that it snowed on Christmas Day! I was very upset with God last year when I found out that they were having a huge snowstorm over Christmas here that resulted in various FEET of snow being on the ground for Christmas. I have prayed my whole life to have a white Christmas, but that prayer has never been fulfilled! Then irony would have it that the Lord finally would send the white Christmas of my dreams during MY VERY LAST CHRISTMAS IN MEXICO!!!!! I just could not believe it. So, the Lord and I had words (in a reverent manner of course), and we came to the conclusion that He was just going to have to make it up to me this year....which I feel satisfied that He did. It wasn't quite how I had planend for it to be, but it was definitely within the bounds of acceptable prayer fulfillment, and so I was contented :) I saw white beautiful snow.

on the grouns.

on Christmas.

The End. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!!!

9th Annual Friends & Family Thanksgiving!

I LOVE FRIENDS & FAMILY THANKSGIVING!! This year it was at my house, and it was such a blast! I've been itching to host it here for a few years now, but the time was never right. This year, though, we did it up right fine! I took care of the turkey and the hot apple cider, and everyone else brought everything else. MY! What a feast we had! And quite an attendance too! I even invited the triplets and their parents. It was so fun for all the Lilies to meet them after all I've talked about them!

The menu included...

Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Apple Sauce & Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potatoes...a couple of different kinds actually
Spinach Caserole
Roasted Veggies
Squash Caserole
Fennel
Baked Mac & Cheese
Bread
Lots of drinks (sodas, coffee, tea, cider, etc.)
Lots of yummy desserts (my famous whipped cream, pumpkin pies, blueberry pie, and others!)

Man, were we eating like kings! My sister and I had a blast pulling out all the china that we never get to use at home for everyday stuff, and it was just a ton of fun.

We were also really blessed this year to have Becky, Andy, and their daughter Lia! Becky hasn't made it to F&F for many years since she moved to St. Louis and got married. So, it was so special to have them here! And it was so special for me, as well, to have my family present. My sister, Heather, has gone with me in past years, but this year my dad and my sister Jenn and her son Jacob came too! Jacob had so much fun playing with all the Lily kids!

We realized that next year will be the 10th anniversary of Friends & Family Thanksgiving. I believe we will be celebrating the F&F Jubilee!!! I'm excited to see what we come up with in honor of such an historic milestone!

Now, I have many more Thanksgiving Feasts to look forward to, since Heather and I will be going to my maternal grandmother's for a little bit and then to the other side of the state to visit with my dad's side of the family.

This is the first year I've been home for Thanksgiving with everyone, and man was it wonderful!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2010!!!!

 

The "before" shots

 

That was some good turkey!

 

My famous spieced whipped cream!

 

(left) My dad's Christmas cider; (right) The drinks were overflowing...

 

(left) ....complete with coffee in a ceramic pot! (right) The dinner table... Beautiful!

 

The "after" shots...everyone eating and visiting in the (left) living room and (right) back patio.

 

(left) Lily and Lia playing; (right) Erica with Miss Lia, the first Tadpole!

 

Lisa & Elwood, the triplets parents

 

Jen (not my sister) with Mr. Ethan....yes, he fell asleep just like that!

 

(left) Chandra with Edison, aka The Bean; (right) Heather with Eli, aka The Squishy Man

 

(left) Monica with her daughter, Lily. (right) Erica & Tim with Miss Lily

 

(left) Stacy, Kelly, and Meg & Matt visiting; (right) Those of us who made it until the end!

Jacob's 6th Birthday Party!

My nephew Jacob turned 6 last week! I remember when he was born! That night I was at a part at my friend Meg's house in Fredericksburg, and I got a call on my cell phone saying my sister, Jenn, was in labor....I booked it back to Richmond and spent the night at the hospital until around 8 am, they came out and told me my nephew Jacob had finally arrived. He was the most adorable thing ever!! I've enjoyed hanging out with him over the years. He's smart and funny and creative and a go-getter!

Being in Mexico the last four years has meant a lot of missed events in the lives of all my nieces and nephews! The last time I was at a birthday part was Jacob's THIRD birthday. His favorite gift that day was a little baby acoustic guitar that someone gave him. He opened it and immediately sat down and started playing and singing songs to Jesus! It was the most precious thing ever...Here is a video from that birthday party...

Well, today I got to be at his 6th birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese's. One great thing that came out of that is that my desire never to go there was confirmed..haha! But, the other thing was I got to enjoy my precious nephew and my family on such a special day!! Celebrating Jacob's life...and Logan, Caroline, and Allison's lives...is one of the highlights of my own!

I love to mess with Jacob...we often wrestle, and I love to give him kisses, which he totally hates. He tries to rub off the kisses and I taunt him saying that Auntie kisses never EVER rub or wash off...he acts like he hates it, but then he taunts me back to get me to do it all again! It's one of my favorite games with him! Well today before we left, I grabbed him and gave him a big kiss, as did my sister Heather. Then Jenn grabbed him and hugged him tight. So we took advantage of his captivity and ambushed him with a group kiss....here's the pic!

Charlie...I mean Jacob...and his Angels! This was definitely my favorite moment of the day!

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY LITTLE BUDDY!!! I HOPE YOUR 7TH YEAR IS EVEN MORE AMAZING THAN YOUR 6TH!!!

Building Forts..

I got to babysit my nephew and nieces last night. What a joy it was!! I don't get to spend nearly enough time with Logan (7, turns 8 on June 4), Caroline (4, turns 5 on June 20), and Allison (3). They are my younger brother's children, and we have never been super close, and spending four years in Mexico made it that much harder to spend time with them since I wasn't around for most family gatherings. However, now that I'm home, I have the singular joy and privilege of helping out my sister-in-law, Courtney, by watching the kids from time to time. Last night, I got there and we started building a fort in their living room. Using the couch, the computer table, many chairs and tall paper boxes, and of course lots of pillows and blankets, they ended up with a luxury fort complete with "rooms" for each one and a movie on my computer! It was fun to do with them, and I am so thankful for memories such as this one with them! Check out the pics!

The fort in its earlier stages. It was eventually expanded to be about twice this size!

It's a terrible pic as far as quality, but a precious memory nonetheless. Here are Logan (right), Caroline (center), and Ally (left) inside the fort enjoying their pizza dinner!

Jenn Graduated!!!

My big sis Jenn graduated from Nursing School today!!!!!! It has been a long, hard, difficult road for her, but she has done it, and I'M SO PROUD OF HER!!!!

My family and I went to her convocation/graduation, and it was so neat to sit through their ceremony and listen to all the history and meaning that is wrapped up in it. What a noble profession, nursing...anything in the medical profession that is. But, somehow nursing strikes me at the top of the nobility scale. Jesus said that if you want to be the greatest in the kingdom, you must become like a servant. I think that's exactly what nurses do, and I am certain there is a special reward for them when they meet their King one day!

Here are some pics from her ceremony. As you enjoy them, please keep her in your prayers because she still has to study for and take her boards to get her license. Once she breezes through that, she will officially be Jennifer Noel Wiltshire, RN!!!!

 

(left) Processing in to take their seats..Jenn is in the aisle; (right) Jenn in her seat...the BEFORE shot!

 

(left) Jenn being pinned and then receiving her Florence Nightingale lamp...this is their version of "walking"!; (right) Jenn returning to her seat

 

(left) Jenn in her seat...the AFTER shot; (right) All the students lined up along the front of the ballroom and lit their lamps...Jenn is the one lighting her lamp

 

(left) Then they all turned around and repeated their Nursing Oath; (right) Recessing out...SHE DID IT!!

 

(left) Taking class pictures..Jenn is the one laughing, 2nd to right on the middle row; (right) Jenn and her gal pals from Nursing school!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Eve was a quieter affair this year in Arrayanes than in past years, especially since the day before was Aide's Quinceañera. In fact, the festivities were almost canceled! But Sandy and I decided to head out there anyway, and when we arrived we found that the family was gathering and were trying to acquire a jukebox to provide dance music for the evening. Dinner consisted of leftovers from the birria we ate the day before at the quinceañera, and of course it was still delicious! The ramada was still brilliantly lit up from the day before, so everyone also had a good time taking pictures with the Christmas "tree" underneath, while others enjoyed dancing until late at night. Sandy and I also made Christmas cookies and took colored icing and all the sprinkles from my tree party so the kids could decorate cookies! They had a blast, and everyone just enjoyed each other's company and a low-key celebration of Christ's birth! Then at midnight everyone passed around the traditional Christmas hug and blessing before heading home for another night of much-needed sleep!

 

(left) The ramada all lit up; (right) Dancing in the yard to the sounds of the jukebox

 

(left) Benito & Flavia (the girls' parents); (right) Julisa & Giovani dancing (cousins)

 

(left) The goodie bags; (right) The party going strong

 

 

(top 2) Cookie making!!; (bottom 2) Giovani and Julisa with their decorated cookies

 

Campfire fun!

 

(left) Mirna & her cousin Carolina; (right) The little cousins

  

(left) Aide on her actual 15th birthday; (right) Mily

 

(left) The sisters; (right) Friends

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Quinceañera Dance

Typically, after the ceremonial portion of a quinceañera comes the dance party! The DJ sticks around and everyone just has a good time talking, dancing, eating lots of cake, and just generally living it up until late hours!! Another popular activity that night was taking pictures with the Quinceañera, Aide. When Sandy and I decorated her ramada, we also hung two large pieces of fabric at the back with a two-fold purpose: 1) hide the cluttered yard of their neighbors; and 2) provide a nice backdrop for people to take pictures with the Christmasy bougamvilia tree! Well, #2 is just what they did, and especially with Aide!

   

   

Others just wanted to take have pictures from the event or with their friends and family. And that was our hope..that they not only get lots of pics with Aide, but also with each other!

One fun detail for Aide concerns her dress! She had her dress made, and it was designed from two different dresses she had seen in the seamstress's catalog. Both were 2-piece dresses with corsets, but the dress from which the skirt was taken originally came with TWO skirts...the traditional Cinderella ball gown skirt and another shorter skirt appropriate for the dance party! So, shortly after eating her cake and taking a breath following the ceremony, Aide went in and changed her skirt and re-donned her slippers, which providentially matched the corset of her dress (though they were bought somewhere else entirely!).

The DJ that was contracted for this event was a father/son team from Tuxpan, and they call themselves Revolution Sound. The son's name is Ulises and has become a good friend of the family over the time they have been dealing with him concerning the contract for the event. Anyway, they were contracted until 9 pm. However, they ended up staying an extra hour and a half free! Then someone at the party paid for another half hour, and Revolution Sound continued playing music for yet another half hour beyond even that!! By the time they started packing up it was 11:30 pm, and people were still going strong! But when the music stops, the people go home, and very quickly the place cleared out. All that were left were the family and I taking apart tables, stacking chairs, and picking up trash before turning in for the night!

 

Faith, Ericka, Flavia, and Josefina smiling for the camera and cutting & handing out cake

 

(left) Flavia & Benito sweet on each other; (right) Even the kids were getting into the dance party!

 

(left) More late dancing..these people have ENERGY! (right) Aide & Mily being silly after everyone went home

It was a lot of fun to experience every aspect of this quinceañera event! From planning to purchasing, from setting up to tearing down, from ceremony to dance party, it was one large cultural experience that I'll never forget! I have been to a couple of other quinceañeras in the four years I've been in Mexico, but this was by far the best one. Maybe I'm biased or maybe it's just because I was actually a part of the whole thing, but one way or the other, this was the best one! I learned a lot, and I had a lot of fun in the process (apart from the stress and frustration and drama!).

Best of all, it was an opportunity to celebrate Aide. By the way....we all call her Addy (derived from her middle name...it's easier). When I met her, she was a shy 11-year-old who wasn't much interested in coming out of her shell. She wasn't broody or moody..just quite and content in her own world. She stuck close to home and did was she was told. Then she graduated elementary school and entered the youth group. By that time, she was already coming out of her shell regarding personality and outspokenness. Sandy was in leadership by then and began taking Addy under her wing, and as a result over the last couple of years I have seen this young woman blossom into a beautiful princess inside and out! She is a child of the King, and she knows it but does not flaunt it. She shines from it! She's still quieter and more of a home-body than her sisters, but she has taken every challenge before her and gone head-long into overcoming them! She is sweet, affectionate, kind, compassionate, opinionated but obedient. And she's only just getting started. Now that she is 15, she is allowed to have boyfriends, but she doesn't seem to be boy crazy at all, even though all the boys are crazy for her! She has a good head on her shoulders, and I'm just so proud of her! I get so excited about her, and I can't wait to see where the Lord takes her in this life. Wherever it is, it's going to be out loud, I'm sure of it!

 

(left) October 2006, 11 years (almost 12); (right) May 2007, 12.5 years

 

(left) June 2007, Graduating from Primary School; (right) August 2007, Joining Youth Group

 

(left) November 2007, Getting baptized; (right) March 2008, Winner "New Generation Award"

 

(left) January 2008, age 13, starting our 8-month discipleship course; (right) August 2008, Youth Camp.

  

August 2008, (left) Praising the Lord at Youth Camp; (right) Enjoying the beach after Youth Camp

 

(left) August 2008, Praying during THE CHALLENGE; (right) March 2009, age 14, Completed discipleship course

  

(left) October 2009, age 14; (right) December 2009, age 15, her Quinceañera

Happy Birthday Addy! I love you girl!!