Celebrate Everything!

Today I went to a wedding. It was beautiful. The bride wore white, the groom laughed nervously, and the families sized each other up on the sidelines. Lol...not really. All the sizing up was done at the rehearsal dinner last night, but I did see the father of the bride offering a little side-eye to the groom at one point. Pretty normal for the father of the bride. [wink!]

Weddings make me think of all the things we celebrate in this life. Brides and grooms, babies, birthday parties, beginnings and banquets for milestone anniversaries or retirements. There is undeniable beauty in a good celebration, and even the flowers seem to show off that there is something spectacular in even the ordinary of day-to-day life.

As I make my list, I think through a lifetime of celebrations so far. All that I have mentioned above, and something I haven't said yet. Some of the greatest celebrations I have attended mark the end of an era, and the beginning of eternity for a loved one who also loved Jesus. Because, while we may not always think about it, on the other side of this life is something better!

When a loved one passes away, we are sad. We do not blow bubbles or toss flower petals at memorial services. We cry, and we laugh, as we remember all the ways our parent, partner or pal shared life and love with us...all the things we will miss. Then we celebrate a life well-lived, a family well-loved, and a faith well-shared, often through the celebrations. 

Later, as we look through the photos again, we remember the brides, the babies, the birthdays and the banquets. We meet the milestones for years to come, and they tug at our heartstrings in the absence of one who once celebrated with us. We remember that "God so loved [name of loved one here] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Then, especially if we also love Jesus, we put one foot in front of the other to see what's around the next turn in this life for us. 

Today, I went to a wedding. The bride and groom love Jesus, and he was invited. Their families love Jesus, and he was honored. The wedding, and the couple, was set apart for Jesus, and he was a celebrated part of this new union. Congratulations to Isaac and Emily! I can't wait to see what's in store for you to celebrate next!

Do you have anything to celebrate today? I hope so. Even if it's something very day-to-day, like good weather or a smiling baby passing by, celebrate all the good you can find! Those celebrations will help you past the hurdles of life, because there is usually something better coming, and it is often just around the bend. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

PS - gratuitous pics of two (three?) of the people I celebrate every day! I know you won't mind seeing how they've grown!

It Matters, You Matter

If I live 80 years, I am certainly over the crest of my hill and gaining momentum. As I watch my grandkids grow, I realize that I have not always done my best to live each day well. So I am strapping in, here and now, to do better at enjoying the downhill portion of this ride! I'm getting my hair cut when I want to, and my new glasses are a fun purple! 

I'm going to take more photos. Even if I never print them, it makes me really happy to go through the albums on my phone! 

Flowers and bees make me happy and photos of friends and family lift my spirits!

I'm going to print more of those photos of family, too. The grands grow so fast, and I need to replace the photos in my frames on a more regular basis!

I'm going to knit what I want, even if it's something for me...because finishing a new summer top makes me feel confident, like a supermodel!

And I'm going to stop making this face at the photographer (me!) when she takes 75 photos to get 3 good ones! In general, I am going to be nicer to me.

I'm gonna put my phone away from time to time too, and just live the  moments as they come, so I can love the people in my life better! 

I'm going to eat better, and do my best to stay healthy. (Pretend there's a picture of a salad here. I totally had a salad for dinner yesterday, I promise.) Bottom line, I'm going to make the best of every moment I have left. I'm going to live like it matters, because it does. 

It matters to me. I'm not finished yet. 

It matters to my family. I'm not finished loving them yet. 

And it matters to Jesus, because he's not finished with me yet!

I just want to take a minute to remind you that you matter, too. It is easy to feel insignificant and unnoticed in this big world, but I hope that you will live like it matters, because it does. 

It matters to you, because I know there is a purpose for you.

It matters to your friends and family, because they are not finished loving you yet.

And it matters to Jesus. I am convinced that he is on the edge of his seat, eager to see where this life will take you next. He is not finished with you yet!

So, that's my post for now. It's very much a John 3:16 message, but maybe one of you is feeling like you don't really matter. I'm here to remind that you matter very much. God loves you so much that he sacrificed his Son so that you might find life with Him. Seems counter-intuitive, but it's a perfect plan. Let me know if you want to talk about it more. 

If not, that's ok too. You still matter to me. You matter very much, and you are loved. Do you believe it? What will you do today, to help your life line up with that truth? 

Whatever it is, remember that life is short. Eat dessert first! Do things that make you happy! Do things that you are not obligated for, and do things to make others happy too. Sprinkle that happiness everywhere, because there's nothing better to sooth the soul!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

If the back of a weed matters enough to be this beautiful, 
think how much more YOU matter to the Creator of it all!

Saturdays and "Sleep"overs

Our grandsons spent the night last night.

They are sooo cute!

I am sooo tired!

"Look, Gramma! I look like PopPop!"

That is all!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

(Also, if you're tired, take a nap. I know I'm taking one today!)

Cupcakes...and Snakes?

Snakes and cupcakes seem like they don't really go together. 

I mean, I have never seen a snake eat a cupcake. Come to think of it, I have never seen a cupcake anywhere near a snake...until last weekend! Last weekend, we visited the girls for the holiday weekend, and while we were there, I finally met Bill. 

Bill is a Kenyan sand boa, and the newest member of my son's family. His full name is William Snakespeare (of course), and he (she?) is pretty cool. But even though I met and held the snake, which was fun, my real objective for the visit was seeing these two cupcakes!

Yes, as long as I was there, we DID make actual cupcakes as well! How could we not? After all, it was a holiday weekend, and we did have all the reds, whites and blues at our disposal! The 10-year-old was even at the ready with her camera for a finished photo to share with friends when we were done...so fun!

Besides making cupcakes, we visited a local children's zoo, and that was a blast too! Lots of places to see how one measures up...

...plus animals...

...and fun rides on the carosel! 

The 6-year-old was a little leary, choosing this stationary seat for her first ride...

Yes, we had fun, and then we headed home again, a little sad, as you do when they live in the next state. But we will see them again soon, and I am looking forward to spending time together with the whole family later this summer! Yay!

For now, it's back to the grind, with an occasional grandson, or two, thrown into the mix. 

I hope that your Saturday has been good so far! Have you done anything fun lately? I'd love to hear about it, so drop me a comment!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

The Summer of Yarn (and More!)

Remember Woolapalooza? Remember the yarn I bought? Well, it apparently was not enough. Then again, is it ever? 

No. No, it is not. Bwaaahahahahaha! 

Anyhoo, there's an annual knitting retreat in Minnesota, and I have wanted to go for several years. Even with the pandemic that was 2020 (and beyond), 2021 was finally my year to attend the Zombie Knitpocolypse in Rochester, MN! Here's my "haul," my stash enhancement, my potential knitting (if you will) from the event:

I had met several of the Zombies online through Zoom since attending the all-virtual ZK2020 at Home, and it has been so much fun to make new yarn friends! During lockdown, I wasn't even seeing my local knitting group in person, and Zoom knitting was a balm to my crafting soul. As a bonus, my Cleveland-area soul was not the only one anxious for the ZK retreat!

Lauren messaged me from New York, and she asked if I'd like to ride in her car to ZK. I jumped at the chance, and we had epic road trips, both there and back! 

We were well-matched traveling companions, with similar bladder capacities, which means our longest drive-time on the way out looked like this:

Yep, it was pretty impressive! (Spoiler: on the trip back, we beat that time, with a cool 6:16!)

Once we got there, we were greeted by knitters everywhere, and they just kept coming! It was really good to see these faces in 3-D after all this time, and it is noteworthy that everyone had actual bodies (it's good to see your legs!) to go with those faces!

Knitting in the hotel lobby.

Cast on Party in the ballroom!

You may be wondering what a knitting retreat looks and sounds like, so I took a quick video on Friday night, right before our keynote speaker addressed the crowd:

So much happy chatter, and most of us were nonstop smiles!

There was a 5K run/walk/choose your own adventure, and I actually won 1st place! (Spoiler: I was nowhere near the fastest, but I did come closest to my predicted walk time, so I celebrated!)

There was a pajama party, with indoor s'mores, and I toasted my marshmallow to absolute perfection!

Don't forget the photo booth...

...and all the smiles with friends!

New foods to try...

...matching sweaters, in public even...

...and yarn to buy at the Market! Hmmm, which grey should I get, the light or the dark, to go with this rainbow??? (Spoiler: I got them both, 2 of each in fact!)

The last night was a little bittersweet, but Lauren and I had 10.5 hours in the car ahead of us, so I didn't stay up too late. The next day, we were off early, and we arrived at my house around dinner time. 

The cats were less than thrilled that they missed the adventure, but they are not good companions for a road trip. At least they got to meet my new friend, and snuggle up to her bag of yarn!

To sum up, if there's a hobby-related event you've been wanting to go to, GO! Even if you've never been, and even if you don't really know anyone there, give it a shot! At the very least, you will learn new things. At best, you'll meet a new friend and download Marco Polo so you can talk to her often. YOLO, man. You only live once.

Now that I've acquired all this yarn, I'll have to sign off and go knit something! (Spoiler: I have plans to knit many things! Wait, that's not a spoiler, that's just regular life, lol!)

I hope you have some refreshing thing planned for this long, holiday weekend (in the US), and I am so glad that you stopped by to check in today! 

May you always Knit in Good Health! (Even if you're a Zombie!)