Full Day

By the time this post goes live on Sunday morning, I'll already be at the bride's house.  There will be hours of hair and makeup to get all of us ready for the ceremony, and then a very full day.

Sometime late tomorrow night (tonight, I guess, by the time you read this) I'll be back with a daily 5.

In between, it'll be quiet here.

My baby brother is getting married.  And, while I'm a little tired of wedding details, and will be glad when normal life returns, for this day I'm going to celebrate the marriage of my baby brother to the girl who is about to become the first of the sisters I always wanted and never got.

I'm going to wear a short purple dress that makes me look vaguely as if I'm with child.  I'm going to catch my aunt's eye and we'll giggle a little over the jokes we were making about how I'll be the single older sister everyone wonders just a little about, especially since my dress does make me look a bit pregnant.

I'm going to absorb the changes to our family slowly.

I'm going to celebrate this moment of newness even as I think and pray for others.  For some I know of who are struggling deeply in their marriages.  For others who are grieving the loss of loved ones.   I'm going to realize anew how cyclical and deep and interconnected life really is.

It will be a full and lovely and bittersweet and wonderful day, I hope.

Daily 5 - Day 275

Today's Daily 5:

1. 275 days of writing these lists
2. Hanging out with my aunt this afternoon, putting together the bouquets for tomorrow
3. laughing with the maid of honor at a bridesmaid gathering tonight
4. a hug from my mom
5. a ride to the bank
6. manicure and pedicure this morning
7. long hot shower
8. a few quieter hours with no wedding details or obligations
9. still pondering a good conversation I had with my dad yesterday
10. Sunshine

Daily 5 - Day 274

Today's Daily 5:

1. Wearing my twirling skirt
2. Sunny weather
3. a good conversation with my dad
4. laughing with one of the other bridesmaids at the rehearsal dinner
5. seeing T's smile

Smile!

A dear friend of mine had the following quote from Mother Teresa as her facebook status yesterday.

"Peace begins with a smile."

Given my penchant for making a daily 5 list of things that brought joy to my life, that made me smile, and seeing how that practice really has shaped the way I experience life and brought peace to my own heart, I loved the quote, and wanted to share it here as well.

Friday Morning

Here's how this day is likely going to go.

In a minute or two I'm going to crawl out of bed and do some yoga.  10-20 minutes.  I haven't decided which video I want to do.  Probably the longer one to stretch everything comfortably out.

Then a shower and dressing for the day.

Some quick administrative stuff at home, and by 10 I'll have packed up my computer and I'll be heading out to catch a bus to my parent's house.  I could probably get a ride from Grandma, but trust me on this, taking the bus, though less convenient, is far better for one's peace of mind.  Most bus drivers aren't over 80 and, while they, too, sometimes take liberties with the rules of the road, it's not usually because of age or lack of eyesight.

At mom and dad's I have a wedding slideshow to finish up, and then I'll be helping with preparations for the rehearsal dinner tonight.

This afternoon will be about prepping for the first of two receptions on Sunday, and about set-up at the "church" (the church T & L attend meets in a local elementary school, so we're decorating the school gymnasium this afternoon.)  Then the wedding rehearsal itself, and the rehearsal dinner.

It's going to be a very full day.

The kind of day that requires a twirling skirt, I think.

I'm scheduling a post or two to go live today, and I'll be back tonight with the usual daily 5.

And with that, I'm off to start the day!