Friday? Is that really you?!

This week has gone extraordinarily fast. Last week this time we were feverishly preparing for my sister’s wedding. And by feverishly I mean….I, along with several other members of my family, was in the throes of one of the most stressful two hours of my life, …oh the stories we have to tell!  One would never have known though..

Everything turned out so, so  beautiful and happy!  Miracles happen. I can’t wait for the professional pictures. Mine, when I thought to take any, were all absolutely rubbish. Oh well..
Some highlights from this week before I launch into my South Africa travelogue (planned for this weekend)…
My homecoming was lovely, but the first day after was weird, getting reacquainted with my life felt very odd. I’m happy to be feeling almost back to normal again. Happily I suffered almost no jet-lag thanks to my sister Shona hooking me up with melatonin (the good stuff from Singapore even) but I had quite a bit of an emotional adjustment the first couple of days. I was thrilled to be back with my little family but desperately missed the family I had just left. Every single one of them. I really like those people. They are funny as hell, so incredibly clever and entertaining and they are kind and work hard to be as good as they can be. Each one of them is an excellent example to me in some way. Our time together is certainly not free of drama or conflict, but we love each other a lot and we enjoy each other. How I wish we all lived closer. How I wish. Wishing aside, I feel really blessed that I could have spent as much time as I did with me. So many selfless sacrifices were made by so many on my behalf, and I am so grateful.
Hanging with my baby girl again was wonderful but strange at first… it almost felt like babysitting someone else’s child and she was a bit distant and definitely “off”. Happily she became MY baby again on the second day that I was home,  greeting me with “MOMMY!” in the morning (much to my relief), and she even let me give her piggies AND kept them in. It’s been a long and painful period of her ripping out any type of adornment or style I attempted, (hence the village idiot fringe she is sporting. just to keep the hair out of her eyes)  and I was so giddy every time I looked at her little piggies.  I hope it wasn’t a fluke…

What a character she is! If you did not see this on facebook, I give you…The Ella Witch Project (with apologies to the Blair Witch project…but this one is far cuter).  My favourite part is her maniacal cackle about midway when she realizes she is getting away with it…

Last night was Benj’s first high-school orchestra concert. I did not see him in his tuxedo until he walked onto the stage (they get fitted for them at school and even dress at school) and when I first caught sight of him,  I was utterly smitten. As I watched him play Beethoven’s 5th, my mind kept flashing back to him a couple of days old, bringing him home from the hospital, gazing at him as he slept peacefully in his Moses basket. Wasn’t that yesterday? It made me quite emotional. There is something about watching and hearing my kids play music with an orchestra that takes my breath away. Good music is so emotive on it’s own, and seeing my children as part of something so…sublime, so much bigger than just them, makes me so very proud and also makes me realize how much their own people they are. How grown up they are. They have this whole area of lives, this whole skill-set that I have nothing to do with, that I don’t even see develop really, until they give these wonderful performances. It is…breathtaking.
And seriously, how debonair is my guy? 


Gabe had his first concert of the year last night too. Oh how I love that sweet, diligent little face. Watching him last night reminded me of how just a couple of years ago he would sit watching Benj’s concerts, literally on the edge of his seat, in absolutely rapt attention. He has always wanted to play the violin and when he does, I see him really just feeling the music, it is the sweetest most touching thing.

Looking forward to a weekend with the family. We have this to look forward to. I call it my spiritual spa. I always feel inspired and rejuvenated after.
Hoping to have plenty of SA photos up by Monday! Have a good one friends.

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