A celebration

Last week was beautiful. My entire immediate family (my family, all my siblings and their families, and my parents) were under the same roof for the first time in at least five years. We were together to celebrate a milestone: our parents’ 40th wedding anniversary.

I have always been thankful for my parents’ marriage and the family that they raised. It is no small parenting feat to raise five children into adults who still get along and talk to each other. It is also no small feat for a marriage to last for forty years. I admire my parents’ dedication to each other and I respect the work they put into their marriage. I cherish their commitment to their Savior.

Last week was a wonderful way to mark and honor what a blessing their four decades of marriage have been. We celebrated the impact that they made on their children and their children's children by spending a week together at a beautiful beach house outside of Galveston, TX.

Together we enjoyed slow mornings sipping coffee, laughing at inside jokes, posting for a family portrait, meeting new cousins, reminiscing about our favorite memories, an exceptional adults-only anniversary dinner, a competitive Euchre tournament (if you know, you know), cooking delicious meals for each other, drinking “signature cocktails” named after things only our family would understand, and hours making new memories at the pool or beach. It was a perfect trip—worth all the planning meetings via Zoom and color-coded spreadsheets it took to pull it off.

Last week filled my heart up to its brim. A simply beautiful week.

Snippets of My Week

It's been awhile (years!?!) since I've traveled by air. These two were helpful for calming frayed nerves for me and for the kids.

Fun at one of the pools.

My view each morning with my coffee.

We had one evening of thunderstorms followed by a morning of rain. A treat for the Californians!

The kids with a Saturn V rocket at the Johnson Space Center.

The California cousins tried teaching everyone how to boogie board.

All the grandkids building a sandcastle with Grandpa at the beach.

A first for me - crawfish boil served from the cooler you bring and they fill.

Sunset over the bay on our last night.

Thanks for reading! What's something that has filled your heart to the brim lately? I'd love to hear about it. Just hit reply if you'd like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.