The Napa and camping trips were just practice (and a lot of fun). But now we're putting our travel skills to the test and heading south of the border to Mazatlan, Mexico. Our trip is a combination of work followed by play, play, play.
Wish us luck and safety and pretty photos.
Be back before the end of June.
Love, Christina
My grandpa is 91 today. It is his first birthday in 64 years without his wife. I can't even imagine what that must feel like. Please send him a happy thought filled with birthday love and cheer.
Read more...I have to tell you, a lot was at stake with this trip. An unfortunate Fourth of July incident in 2004 wrongly convinced John that Nature and I don't get along. It only took me six years (SIX YEARS) to change his mind. Not that I'm going to be backpacking miles away from a toilet anytime soon, but car camping with no cell service is definitely something I can do and now John knows it, too.
Read more...We are headed out for our wilderness adventure straight after work tomorrow. Lucky for us, the cutest 3-1/2-year-old camper has volunteered to help set up our borrowed tent.
Be back Sunday.
No need to go on and on. God knows my troubles, which is one reason why I favor simple, to-the-point prayers. This one seems to be coming up a lot lately, “Lord, I put it in your hands. You decide.”
Read more...I must be on some kind of self-inflicted mission to prove there is always enough time to have fun. It is the only explanation I can think of for the two-night camping trip I planned right before we leave for Mazatlan. The thing is we don’t even own a tent (or any gear) and neither one of us has been camping for at least 12 years.
Read more...If you’ve got them, I want them, especially if your advice pertains to packing light. For all my love of minimalism, I leave the house with two bags (a purse and a tote) every day. So you can imagine what I look like packing for an actual vacation. Part of my problem is a tendency to pack for the unexpected, a skill I developed as a nanny, cops reporter and photographer’s assistant. Before all that, I swear I was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of girl. Oh, who am I kidding?
PS: If anyone has experience successfully using the Travelpro Maxlite 22” Expandable Rollaboard suitcase as a carry-on, please let me know. I find height and weight requirements utterly confusing. Thanks a million!
Remember this tiny bit of wonderful? She was baptized today to the joy of her family and friends. A baptism the day after a funeral seemed like the perfect way to bring this week full circle.
Read more...At the cemetery, my grandpa said, “Goodbye, Marcella. Goodbye, Honey. Goodbye, Sweetie. Goodbye, Sweetheart.”
This was followed by a rush for tissues from handbags.
Today was my grandmother’s vigil service. It was also my 33rd birthday. I typically prefer to keep all sadness out of my celebrations. That said, praying, crying and laughing with family and friends as you celebrate the life of someone you love isn’t the worst way to spend a birthday.
As a bonus, it was also National Donut Day. My grandma loved donuts, so we headed to her favorite spot after the rosary.
Remember how last week I said I was bracing for June? Well, part of this month's busyness was a business trip to Napa. In light of this week's events, I almost cancelled. I am glad I didn't. Napa is one of the most beautiful places in the world, a perfect hideout for adult runaways. I will be returning to life tomorrow.
Read more...Today, John and I worked on the Prayers of the Faithful for my grandmother's funeral Mass. Not making the cut was, "For all the Tic-Tac popping, Crunch-bar eating, bingo-playing former secretaries of this church, we pray to the Lord."
Today, I told more than one complete stranger that my grandmother died yesterday. Not because I want sympathy, but because I want people to know something is missing in my world and it is her.
Today, I shared with someone I barely know how my grandma taught me to pray to St. Anthony. Actually, this is important information everyone should know. If you lose something and need help, pray, "Dear St. Anthony, I hate to bother you. I know you are very busy looking for lost souls, and I pray that you find them. But if you have a spare moment, please help me find ___ (fill in the blank). Thank you. Amen." If that didn't work, she resorted to bribery.
I’m pretty sure I’ve never gotten good news before 6 a.m. So when my phone rang at 5:44 this morning, I wasn’t surprised to hear Grandma had gone to that Big Bingo Hall in the Sky.
This last week had been especially hard, but she was surrounded with love and her favorite things.
Today’s psalm reads, “Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong.” She was 84. May she rest in peace and know everlasting joy.
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