Hello! And Happy Friday. I hope you had a happy, healthy week and are ready for the weekend. This past week was our last here for a bit. Next week, we head back to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christmas!!! Yay!
The night before Halloween was beautiful here. We wrapped up school and headed to the beach for the last warm day of the season. We sat on the beach, watching the waves, and I felt such peace knowing that all the things I used to worry about and fret over...Halloween costumes, dusty shelves and dirty laundry, Christmas pictures, time passing so quickly...those things pass. And if they don't... it's ok. I have dirty laundry on the floor. Dust accumulates whether I wipe it off every Friday or not. A Christmas picture can be the most informal, unplanned photo in the world, my children will continue to grow, and life will be different. And it is good. Life is good.
In other news...We had a new student in the classroom this week.
He is very well-behaved and friendly.
Halloween was fun. Flynn's costume came just in time, and she loved it! She was a favorite character from the Marvel Movies. The weather was dark and gloomy, perfect for a spooky dinner of Mummy Dogs and Macaroni and Cheese. And some delicious, made-by-Madison dark chocolate brownies, too.
We missed Peyton and Chris, but they shared their Halloween fun with us, and Peyton didn't disappoint!
The day after Halloween, we celebrated All Saint's Day. We watched a beautiful mass online. The parish has a school, and the children attended mass dressed as a favorite saint. They really looked so amazing! Yesterday, we commemorated All Soul's Day, a day we pray for our deceased loved ones. We remembered this beautiful woman, Steve's mother. Her name is Flo, but to us, she is Mum. Mum passed away six years ago on the Feast of All Souls, and I miss her every day. She taught me so many things about being a wife and mother. She was a humble, caring, faith-filled, and compassionate woman. She made the best meatloaf, ironed clothes better than a dry cleaner, and taught me to always shake my clothes before putting them into the washer to reduce wrinkles. She loved praying the rosary, fresh tomato sandwiches, and The Young and The Restless. She also raised, along with Steve's father, the most amazing, loving family of seven children I will ever know.
Leaving you with pictures of the pups because pictures of pups make everyone smile. Have a cozy weekend, my friends. I will be around to catch up with you all!
BillieJo
