We bought these cups in Scotland during our trip there with Armour in 2007.

The Crawford motto is Tutum Te Robore Reddam – (I Will Make You Safe with Strength).

The Craig motto is listed as J’ai Bonne Esperance – (I have Good Hope).*

We find both mottos very appropriate to our personalities – and the fact that John’s heritage boasts the St. Hubertus stag and mine features a knight on horseback – well, that’s just eerily appropriate.

I also really like that, in alphabetical order in the Clan Registry, these names are listed one right after the other.

*Sometimes, the Craig motto is listed as: “Vive Deo et Vives” which means “Live for God and You Shall Have Life.”  To which I say: Amen.

For Jim, Bill and the newest Father in our Inner Circle – Armour!

We love you!

You know how some people come into your life…and you automatically realize they’re a Force of Nature?

Yeah, well…my sis-in-law is like that.  I’ve come to know my new Sister as someone I love.  She’s dynamic.  She’s fun-loving and a bit raucous – but controlled and disciplined, confident but vulnerable, sassy but sincere, strong but feminine, a tomboy but a cosmopolitan professional, and … best of all, she loves my brother.

A year ago today, family and friends gathered to witness their union as husband and wife.  It was a sweltering, sticky, heavy, hot day – but exciting, and breathless, and filled with “What’s Next?” and “Best Wishes” and – who knew (?) The day after the day after the wedding, my niece was no longer a hoped-for wish.   (Joy!)

~

So, Congratulations Armour and Tanya – for one wonderful year, that gave us happiness, gave us wings, gave us hope – and gave us Lovely Little Alexandra Antonia “Alex” Craig.

You two are super together, and we love you so much…all of us…

…including these Crazy Four, who incidentally, witnessed my own Very Happy Union:

From February, 2010 – at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center.

If you’ve never been up close and personal with a wolf before, or heard the haunting chorus of 20 – 30 canids all howling at the same time? Well, let’s just say it’s the experience of a lifetime.

Mom is here, and we are doing our own thing – we thought about having a ham dinner, and that sounded good, but lobster sounded better.

So, Mom made up a beautiful little Easter Tree -

- and we enjoyed a spectacular repast, though it would have been nicer with Dad and John here.

Roasted Asparagus Craig-style:

Soak lovely asparagus spears in icy-cold water, after bending them in your hands and letting them break where they may (they naturally break at the tender part…so the bottom ends that break off are the woody, pithy parts you don’t want to eat, anyway…)

Then, toss them in olive oil, coarse salt, and coarsely-ground pepper.

Roast at 500 degrees (yes. 500!) for 8 minutes.

Serve, after the briefest squeeze of lemon over the entire dish…

Perfection.   Every time.

So, it was for us – a Day of Celebration, Redemption, and Life Everlasting.

Certainly, a day to be grateful.

Happy Easter; Happy Spring!

…this will make it better:

Thank you, Sweet Alex.

Your Auntie loves you so much - and I haven’t even met you. 

Our new little niece, Alexandra, was born today!

There are no words…

Yesterday was such a great day.  My John pinned on Colonel!  I was so fortunate to be there, at his deployed location, for the event – no small task! - and watch him speak to everyone assembled.  It was incredible to stand there and observe the whole thing, and be reminded of the “presence” that he is blessed with as a person.  He has always been one who personifies, for me, the wonderful example that Luke 14: 7 – 11 illustrates:

So he told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:

“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;

and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.

“But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you,

‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

John’s just always been like that.  He never expects to find favor with anyone – he is just himself.  He never has sought the spotlight – preferring always to do the right thing and know within himself that at the end of the day, doing what is right is what’s important.   So, given the fact that he is so unassuming, it was wonderful to see him rewarded with this rank, in a beautiful setting on the ocean, with the distant port lights twinkling in the fog of a cold February night.

Watching him thank his foreign brothers-in-arms for the honor of their company on such an occasion, and, later, receiving the roses and beautiful sentiment he spoke to me (from e.e. cummings’ poem “i carry your heart with me” which says, in part: “i fear no fate, for you are my fate”) in front of everyone?  Let’s just say it was a truly unique experience that I will never forget.

“Proud of him” and “Proud to go through Life with him” really doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Bravo, John Darling…this was your moment; you earned every bit of it.

*Thanks to Max, for this great response to our news!

Once again, an overdue post.  So much for my promise to John to update every day this year. Grrr.

New computers won’t be in our hands for another couple months … we refuse to put them on credit.  So in the meantime, I make do with a teeny little computer with dreadful screen resolution and with which I cannot even Skype with John. 

Anyway. It’s Sunday morning, I’m grumpy for the reasons above, and was looking through my pictures and found these from the January 2nd outing with my Aunt Sara and Uncle Pete.  We went to visit a place that Uncle Pete had visited as a child (his family had their winter homes there), and where he brought Aunt Sara soon after they were married.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful place – and it is steeped in the Art Deco aesthetic that I so love. 

And the memory of that little trip, plus their visit in general, and a good strong cup of coffee this morning put my bad mood at bay.  There’s plenty to be happy about.

Do enjoy these photos, as I did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Christmas tree was still up! Fellow observers of the Full Twelve Days of Christmas. Love that.

The details in the private section of the Gardens were exquisite – like this crane lamp, and the sconce:

This is what visitors to the public side never see – I felt so lucky that day.

Hello, Lovely.

There was a mated pair of these swans at the base of the Tower.  She made me want a pair for myself someday.

The incredible marble and coquina “Singing Tower” was the highlight.

And once again, John was missed.

A great game of Pictionary after eating a boatload of Leftovers…