a new camera lens equals family photo shoots

lucky them :)

The Best 4th of July I've Ever Known

My 4th of July started out as I thought it would.  I drove home Friday to spend some extra days with my parents and anticipated the arrival of my older sister, Elizabeth, and brother-in-law on Saturday.  I had accepted the fact that it would just be the five of us...Martin was working and Kate and Bobby were of course in Florida probably watching the fireworks on the beach somewhere. 

When my sister got home on Saturday evening it was just her, my brother-in-law had gotten called into work.  Already our party was dwindling.  We headed outside to sit on the patio to enjoy dinner. I said to my family, "It's just the original Redente's together again." Then I added sadly, "Well, minus Kate." 

At that very moment, as if on cue, my sister walked out from around the house

:)

She had been planning the surprise since March.

But the surprises weren't done for the evening.

We knew my older sister would be having her twenty-week ultrasound next week and we were all anxiously anticipating the news to see if she would be having a boy or a girl. 

But she had had her appointment the day before and surprised us with the news!

I can't even describe how happy we all were that evening. We were all home together again.  

The way it should be. 

We went to bed that night excited, too excited to sleep. 

 Three sisters sleeping upstairs together like old times...and we kept thinking that the next time we're all together again there will be a little boy joining our family. He'll be one lucky little guy to have so many women around him.

I can't imagine my life without my family.  They are my world. And they make me more happy than anything.  It's going to be such a busy year...a little nephew, my twin sister's wedding. 

Life is good.   

Family Dinner

Once a week we try to have dinner with my sister and brother-in-law. Some weeks my sister invites me over twice so I have someone to eat with and don't eat an entire bag of grapes for dinner. 

She takes good care of me.

Last night it was our turn to host and of course Chef Martin prepared a fine feast. 

Martin's been exploring our local Asian Market a lot lately.  He works at one of Denver's finest Sushi restaurants and is learning quickly about true Japanese cuisine.   

We almost always have something Italian with our dinner and last night Martin made us his own creation of 'deconstructed eggplant parmesan' 

And no dinner is complete without a good swig of basil seed drink...tasted sort of like cream soda with fish eggs (those aren't really fish eggs, but they eerily resemble them)

It's so nice to have a family dinner, spending the evening laughing and catching up with everyone...trying new foods.  I wonder what the Backos's are making for us next week? :)

i like you

pardon me, I'm feeling mushy gushy towards my husband today :)

from I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg

Home Away From Home

This morning I said goodbye to my second home...my classroom.

I always start off with good intentions about putting everything away in its perfect place and by the end I am secretly stashing things away hoping I'll remember where I put it when I come back in August. 

I usually don't remember.

But never the less, things are put away until the next little group of students comes. This will be my fifth year of teaching, which to me seems crazy.  Where in the world did the time go? Next year will be good.  I'll have my student teacher the first semester (which I'm really excited about)and it will be my third year in the same grade which I haven't experienced yet.   

But I don't want to think about school right now. Right now I want to think about me time.  I want to think about how I can make the most of this special time off. 

I usually spend all summer thinking about the next year.  But this summer I truly feel like I need a mental vacation. Don't worry, the moment I head back to school my thoughts will be filled with everything related to school...and it will continue that way until next May.

 So as I turned off the lights, pulled the shades shut, and closed the door behind me, I left my school thoughts at school and walked into the bright sunshine of summer.