Happy Birthday Carli Jean!

Carli, my neice, hosted her first birthday party on Sunday. She had a little help from her mom, aka my sister, Laura. I could only experience the joy via photos, but it looks like she had enough fun for all of us. So, so very sad I missed it...

Settling In

We love being homeowners! Brian and I put some plants together this evening and made a little garden--our neighbor Eddie is convinced that we're just providing easy food for the many bunnies around here. We'll see...


Brian investing in our garden at the Findlay Market in downtown Cincinnati. What's not to love about a market? Two pounds of cherries for two dollars. Is that possible?



Our neighbors, Eddie and Phyllis, invited us over to celebrate Phyllis' birthday on Tuesday. Brian supplied the peach gallette.


Eddie was born in Senegal and grew up in Marseille in the south of France. Here, I've convinced him to give me a French lesson. It's just one of his five, yes, FIVE languages.

Luesse Wedding

The Turpins flourish with the help of Darron's loving attention.

The fun we had at Darron and Sarah's wedding this past weekend made up for the fact that Brian and I spent our anniversary picking up his tux at the mall and eating frozen pizza at home. Drove to Michigan on Friday for the rehearsal, which we missed completely, and rehearsal dinner, which is always where it's at. Played volleyball on the wedding day, which everyone should do a couple of hours before he or she gets hitched, then participated in the most raucous dance party in four years--since our own wedding.
The last moments of comfort before the tuxes go on.

Brian and Darron share a special moment during their song, "Whiter Shade of Pale."