The Easter Story and Crazy Bunnies

So I am a creature of ritual. I am very comfortable in routine, organization, and things staying the same year after year. I know down deep that change is good and when it has to happen I go through the stages of grief, but ultimately end up embracing it.

William is also a creature of ritual and routine also. When he first moved in he was obsessed with routine and doing the same thing. This was a matter of personality, but more so due to the chaos that had been his life. He was craving stability. Craving routine. The first night he took a shower at our house our cat, Celie, sat in the bathroom and watched him. After that he wanted her in their with him every night. For the first year, we played a board game before bed each night. If we didn't have time it really upset him. Some of this need for routine has diminished, but I think William will ultimately be a lot like me in his need for ritual. Still to this day, when he spends the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house he gets up in the morning and takes his breakfast (a banana and/or a bag of cheerios) and he goes for a walk around the lake in their backyard. And if my niece Maya is there, then he has to push her around the lake in a stroller while eating breakfast. (Keep in mind that Maya is now 5 years old). Of course she loves this and my mom reports that they both enjoy this routine.

So yes, this child is a perfect fit with me and my need for ritual. And speaking of ritual...holidays in my family are a huge source of ritual for me. When things change around the holiday events it really is difficult for me. For Easter we have been going to my Aunt Jackie's for years and years. We hang out, have a big family prayer, eat lots of food, and then the Easter Bunny hides eggs and candy in the yard for the kids to find. Our very own Easter Egg hunt.


The characters change. The kids grow up and new kids take their place. It really does seem like yesterday that I was out hunting eggs in Jackie and Walt's backyard. Of course then there was a generation after me consisting of my cousin's kids... Danny, Kevin, Nathan, Haley, Nick, and Jaclyn. Followed by the current generation of my nieces and nephews, as well as William. I love watching them hunt eggs with the same enthusiasm that we used to have. And I love seeing the kids in their Easter outfits.

Of course as we grow up we don't disappear. We just become adults (I still fight against this though...there will always be a little bit of Peter Pan inside of me). I caught the following two pictures and they just make me smile. It's my cousin's kids along with Aaron and Lori. The look like they are posing for a photo shoot or something. And yes we were playing kickball. See none of us really grow up!

And Easter wouldn't be complete without me and my little brother taking pictures of each other at the same time.

As well as the prayer of thanks before eating...

At some point this holiday will evolve again, and I'll struggle to accept it. But as long as my family is there and certain traditions continue over the generations, the place doesn't matter as much as the people. Cause love is love and it is exists forever.

Happy Easter!

Lawrence's 30th Birthday

My husband turned 30 yesterday AND we celebrated our 6 year anniversary. Welcome to your 30's my love, it's not so bad. In fact it is actually good to be out of your 20's. This means you will settle down and give up your young boy ways? right? =)

So, I thought I'd take this chance to tell everyone the story of how Lawrence and i met. I moved back to St. Louis in September of 2002 both for a new job and to come home to where most of my immediate and extended family live. I lived in my parents basement for six months while I saved up money to buy a house. (Oh how I miss my mom cooking me dinner every night- Those were the good old days!)

In early February 2003 I moved into our current home. I had met my friend Gary in October of 2002 and he saved me from being the lonely little puppy that I was by dragging me out of the house and going out.

So on April 5th, 2003 Gary and I went to see the Gateway Men's Chorus Spring Concert (that is the gay men's chorus in St. Louis). I remember two things from that concert. One- they sang Amazing Grace and I cried (it's a long story for another time) and Two- there was a really cute boy in a sweater vest. Yes, that's right...a sweater vest. Not many boys wear sweater vests any more, but this boy did and he was adorable. He was tall and had wavy soft brown hair and puppy dog brown eyes (are you puking yet?). I leaned over and asked Gary if he knew who he was and as if by a miracle, Gary said yes! Gary was an interviewer for a program called CORO and Lawrence (yes the boy in the sweater vest was my husband) was a CORO Fellow. Gary promised to email him the next day to see if he was single and interested in a blind date. I was dying that I had to wait.

After the concert we went to Nick's wine bar. And who walks in with a bunch of his friends?? The cute boy in the sweater vest and a bunch of his friends. I spent the evening watching Lawrence (aka LT) drink Sangria and dance with his friends. I tried to pay attention to Gary, but I couldn't stop staring. We never talked that night, but we caught eyes many a time and i knew I was smitten.

The next day Gary emailed him and he emailed back. He had thought Gary and me were together, but since we weren't he was definitely interested. (I still have the email that Gary forwarded to me where Lawrence said he was interested. Yes I'm a sap!) We went on a date (to a coffee shop) later that week. Three and a half months later he had moved in. And the rest is History.

Who knew that 6 years later we would be celebrating his 30 and preparing for our son's 10th birthday!

The party was fun! The family was there for dinner and then a bunch of our friends came over for drinking and a bonfire. The grandparents took William home with them later in the evening. Good times were had by all!

To my husband- After 6 years I still melt when you walk in the room. You are my love and my soul. Happy 30th Birthday Old Man!