November 29, 2014 by Jolene

Giving thanks

Really, there’s not much narration necessary here. It was a beautiful Thanksgiving with family, hosted for the first time at our home. The meal was a true group effort, with everyone contributing to a fantastic menu. It was so good to spend time with family we see too rarely. Our hearts were as full as our bellies, which is saying something. Friday was a site-seeing outing downtown and a fantastic lunch at The Pharmacy in East Nashville. These times are over too soon, and we have to hold out for the next holiday we can gather and enjoy each other again.

And once again, I am indebted to my brother, Ryan, for taking quite a few of these photos.

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November 21, 2014 by Jolene

Another mountain weekend for the books

It’s been a long week, with Jon on a business trip and all kinds of shenanigans in his absence, but Friday is here, he’s almost home, and I’m going to take a few minutes to post a handful of photos from our family trip to the Smoky Mountains last weekend. These trips have become such a highlight for our family. It was unusually cold, but we did some hiking, anyway. We also ate like pigs and enjoyed each other greatly for a few too-short days of vacation.

(Sorry, Veronica, the exposure on this one just wasn’t working!)

And a blurry cell phone group photo from a Gatlinburg shopping plaza already decked out for Christmas. That crazy town certainly has its many faults, but we forgive much in the place where so many traditions are rooted and memories made. (Also, if you want to know the good Gatlinburg spots, ask a Geary or a Sharp.)

November 17, 2014 by Jolene

First step!

So after a couple weeks of working very hard on standing without support, Lina today took one, tiny independent step toward me. Her confidence gave out and she sat down, but I saw it happen. That girl took her first step!

November 10, 2014 by Jolene

Celebrating new love

This weekend, we made a quick trip down to Calhoun, Georgia to celebrate a pretty special event.

Sixteen months ago, we lost Jon’s beloved Grandma, Ginnie Geary. We saw Grandpa Geary – or Grandpa Bill, as his great-grandkids call him – struggle with grief and loneliness, as any person who has lost a beloved spouse would. We hurt for the loss to the family and for the great loss to him.

Then, a few months ago, Grandpa Bill reconnected online with a lovely woman he once dated in high school. First there were emails, then long phone calls, then the drive to Ohio so he could visit with her in person. Grandpa Bill was a giddy teenager again, full of renewed energy and joy.

Yesterday, Grandpa Bill and Mary Margaret said their vows before the fireplace in the home they will now share. Both have come through sadness and loss and have found new love and happiness in each other. We are so pleased Grandpa has found someone wonderful to share his life with.

Welcome to the family, Mary Margaret!

The delighted Mr. and Mrs. William and Mary Margaret Geary

My mother-in-law, Nancy, and Mary’s daughter, Carol, put a lot of work into that beautiful wedding feast. I know it meant a great deal to the newlyweds, and the rest of us sure benefited from the efforts of two very fine cooks.

The way less delightful part of this tale is that we realized just a few miles from Calhoun that Corin was burning up with fever. There was nothing for it by then, so now I just have to hope we didn’t infect anyone else with our germs and he can actually get well in time for our family trip to the Smoky Mountains, set to begin on Wednesday. Pleaseohplease, let this not be another Winter of Plague.

November 3, 2014 by Jolene

This is fall

Some joyful parenting moments are big events, like last week’s trunk or treat, like holidays and milestones and long-planned family vacations, carefully-crafted surprises or days set aside for special adventures.

But most often, I have found, the real joy of parenting is in discovered moments, unplanned and expectation-free. Take today: a gorgeous, early-November afternoon awash in golden light; a rake and a couple of wagons; piles of fallen leaves; and the indulgence of oatmeal cookies and milk, just my boy and me.

This is the fall my childhood self was sure I was missing in Florida.