CJ and I have had an eventful few weeks - a memorable trip to a minor league game on the Glorious Fourth; a road trip to North Carolina to visit my family; celebrating our youngest niece's first birthday (We love you, little lady A! Missing you, your smile and your enjoyment of the cupcake terribly...); CJ teaching us all a game that ended with my brother Bud being The Head Honcho-no, The Big Cheese-no, that's my brother-in-law, sorry- oh wait! He's....THE GREAT DELMUTI!!; enjoying time with our nephews P and S and watching them grow more loveable (they were good MOST of the time :)); our other niece C "talking", singing and melting our hearts with her smile and breaking our eardrums with her shrieks (sorry, Sis, I couldn't resist...she's adorable but you have to admit your little girl has BIG lungs :)); visiting with Mom and Dad on the upper porch of their new, beautiful home, and just enjoying much needed time off. (Me mostly. CJ will begin school meetings next week.)
Just blogging about the family makes me miss them. :(
Last Thursday, it wasn't fun. And it definitely wasn't relaxing. CJ's car died while he was driving home from the local grocery store. He called me at work, I drove over there to jump his car, and...well, my husband was hot (it was extremely hot that day) and impatient to get home so he could make lunch, and crossed the wires when he was connecting the cables from my car to his. I started my car, and smoke and sparks erupted. I immediately turned off the car, and the real fun began. We watched the smoking-hot plastic melt onto the pavement and over one of my headlights. It was so hot it actually burned through the cover over my headlight. It looked like a dragon eye - red and black around it, with a gash through the middle.
Long story short (too late), we called AAA, the guy came and towed away both of our cars, and CJ used language that sounded remarkably similar to when my dad spilled paint onto brand-new carpet.
I really could not be mad at him. We got my car back Friday afternoon, none the worse for wear. We're still waiting on the verdict for his car. We're hoping for an acquittal.
To make the weekend much better, we met M, the newest daughter of our good friends, on Sunday. She was born July 13th (A's birthday!) and is settling into life with her mom, dad, and big sister J. No doubt she will have many adventures come her way in the years ahead. She looks a lot like her sister. It will be fun to watch the two of them grow up. :)
Speaking of watching children grow up, a boy was born today. Whereas M has the whole world to choose from in terms of what she wants to be, this young man has no choice. Unless his country decides monarchy is outdated, or he dies before his father (God forbid), he will be King of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Duke of Cornwall, etc., etc. etc. For now, until his name is known, he is HRH Prince of Cambridge. The whole world will watch him grow up. I hope he gets the space to grow, and learn.
The title of this post is a reference to two posts I wrote back in 2011 for the wedding of Baby Cambridge's parents. Although British royalty fascinates me, "all of the romance in the world, can't make up for the lack", as Marilla would say, of love. The love of family and friends.
Here's a song (it is, after all, a Monday) for the young folks. Take it away, Mr. Armstrong:
