Grand Knights for Singing

We each took a turn battling a virus over Spring Break. Jason and Gigi eked out a canoe outing on Simpson Lake just before the return of the school schedule and she got to hang out for a fun day with a friend so vacation wasn't a complete bust. The lake adventure concluded with G and her 4 day old learner's permit driving my van home in the dark with boat trailer attached and parked it in the garage unscathed. 

Health improved during Holy Week and the whole family was well by Easter Sunday. The adult egg hunt with prize table is here to stay. 

This latest illness seems to have set me back a bit on what had been pretty well controlled POTS symptoms. I'm combatting it with soprano breathing, potato chips, and Spanx but have also been approved for the PT/cardio lab for monitored recumbant therapy to try to sneak up on my nervous system to retrain it not to freak out about gravity. 

Jason attended Gigi's choir concert where she had a solo while I witnessed Ben inducted as a Knight of Columbus. Ursuline's choir went on to win first place at their Six Flags competition. She and her friends attended the quilt show downtown.  

We had a bloody fish slapping good time at Vianney's Spamalot being scandalously entertained. Gigi was the taunter's assistant, Frenchie and Minstrel. Before her curtain call flowers had faded she'd already been cast in her next musical, her first alongside her dad. 

Our yard is booming with blooms by the by. This has been a terrible year for Iris, but the ones on the lee side of our house are thriving. I'm not up to my usual long walks, so I'm consoled by daily flower peeps and working from my porch rocking chair. 

Passiontide

Good Friday

Dyeing Eggs

He is Risen Indeed!

Hardboiled Egg Battle

Feast

Prize Table-last to cover a word with the letter found in a color specific egg wins

All my chicks in the nest

Museum of Illusions

Did she just sing what I think she sang?

Un Petit Lapin 

A Knight's Sword and Shield

Brother Knights

Planting a Japanese Maple

First Peony Bloom

Keukenhoff Tulips

A unique cross Gigi cultivated-not yet named

Highly Classified

Frank's Dream

Brussels

Pansies and Dianthus for Mary

Clematis

sibling crosses

Clematis

Feeling Whimsical

ACTS trivia 3rd place winners! 

Hey y'all, this is Gigi just telling you to embrace the whimsy, there are many ways to do this. Me and my friends went on a picnic and danced in the rain, or you can just go outside. #WhimsyRevolution #GrassIsFun #Nature4Eva

Also if anyone knows of any film festivals coming up let me know.

Stars Upheld

With only a few more doors to open on the Advent Calendar, I should probably try to shoehorn Thanksgiving into the blog. We like a bustling house for the holiday and invite others that don't have a feast to attend. Our place is on the route for a turkey trot so 6000 runners create a bit of an obstacle in getting to Mass and bringing in guests, however. A reblooming Iris, "Plasma" opened just in time to grace our table. A second rebloomer, "Delta Lady," snuck in a purple surprise to overlap the first Sunday of Advent. We made the most of Alex's break and decorated the tree as the first snowflakes of the season set the scene. Mom and I attended a Cathedral Christmas concert at the Basilica followed by a delicious lunch at Pappy's. Gigi's honor's choir sang in some service concerts and in the high school Christmas concert. St. Nicholas filled shoes and brought the 2025 ornament marking our 25th wedding anniversary and inviting Mrs. Claus to the garland. 

Alex was in a play, a senior final project 10 minute show entitled "Annnd Scene of the Crime," where he portrayed an unhinged cop in an improv sketch. The senior got an A and Alex was a hoot. 

I attended Gigi's school Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and was so happy to see Fr. Ed as celebrant. He baptized Alex and was the pastor at a pariah in which I taught and attended. The first time we met I had gone into early labor with Ben. He took the chalk out of my hand in my second grade classroom so I could get to the hospital. 

 Just before Thanksgiving, my friend Sarah suffered a serious medical event. She was granted a few weeks of time with her family and friends before passing away at 48 leaving behind a husband and two daughters. Sarah and I met as nursing mothers 20 years ago in a support group which became a playgroup for our babies-then toddlers-turned preschoolers. We stayed close as the kids grew. She was a tremendous no nonsense light of service and humor and quiet generosity. 

Sarah was an excellent and well respected paramedic. She always had a special connection to Ben as a STARS (Special Needs Tracking and Awareness Response System) and MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) kid. Sarah was integral to the STARS program which served pediatric patients with complex medical needs.  We could give Ben's STARS number when calling 911 knowing any first responders would have quick access to his most relevant medical information without us having to explain everything in a crisis. She also helped out with MDA camps over the years. The very first time our kids got to attend a Blues game was because Sarah gave us her tickets as a cheer up Ben surprise. The night before Sarah passed I had a Facebook memory pop up of Sarah sending me a message that she would be praying for us the next day (likely for a Ben surgery). 

Sarah had a very fitting and beautiful funeral. The Basilica was filled with folks in uniform paying respect. Bag pipes played as the honor guard covered the entire plaza before the church and well over 100 lighted emergency vehicles in procession escorted her in single file to her place of rest. Sarah taught me the importance of celebrating little things and of giving without counting the cost. May the soul of the faithful departed, by the mercy of God, be at peace.