The Maly Wedding Extravaganza

It was a long ride out to Cave B Inn at Sage Cliff which was the site for the wedding.  We had a wonderful time celebrating the marriage of Joe and Jane Maly.

A beautiful drive out to what Joel kept calling, "the middle of no where".

We stopped at the only "scenic view" that we saw.  Had to get out to stretch and to take pictures.

The Wild Horses Monument.  We don'nt know anything about it except someone hauled a bunch of horse statues to the top of the hill. Some people hiked up to it...my bedazzled flip flops were not going on that hike.  We looked on from afar.

The sign outside the hotel where we were staying.

The main lodge of the vinyard...surrounded in vines.

Vines, vines everywhere.

Eme Carlson....I LOVE this little girl!!  She is 3 days younger than Gus.  Our families have made the journey through adoption together.  Such great support for one another. And we are both SO lucky to have our beautiful babies.  (In case you are wondering, yes, I wanted to steal her this weekend.  Just think...it would be like raising twins! She and Gus would have such fun together!!)

Mama Maly.  Isn't she just radiant?  I love this picture of her.  She is just oozing happiness!

Nora Jones.  I got to spend lots of time with her momma, Dana, since both of our husbands were in the wedding.  Funny how Dana and I both graduated the same year from Hope College, yet never crossed paths before.

Buddies!!

Joe's gorgeous sisters, Bekah and Brie.  Love them!!

Dana and Nora kept me sane all weekend.  (Well, as sane as possible.)  Thanks, girls!

Jane's nephews, Brandon and Taye were too stinkin' cute!  During the wedding photos earlier in the day, they were striking many poses...too fun!

The beautiful bride and her dad.

Waiting for his bride.

The happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Maly!!

Brie, Matt and Eme Carlson. This family has been such a wonderful source of support for our family during the past 14 months. I can't wait to watch our kids continue to grow up together.

Xanax and Espresso

Warning....this is going to be long...

Now that I am home, I am ready to talk about it.  When Joel and I were planning our trip to Seattle for Joe and Jane's wedding there was no question in my mind that we were going to take Gus with us.  I made the flight and hotel arrangements with him as part of it.  I even searched out tourist spots around Seattle for little ones.  So when we decided that Gus would be staying home, it took me some time to come to terms with it.  It wasn't until today that I realized that it was a good idea to let him stay home with Gramma and Papa. 

Once we decided that he was staying home, I refused to actually say it out loud since it made it more real.  For a week prior to leaving, I was a mess.  Could barely sleep.  I would spontaneously burst into tears thinking about the trip.  I was convinced that my plane was going to crash and that my little boy would be left parentless.  I have not gone even 24 hours without seeing him up until this point.  Needless to say, I was a mess.  So bad, that I ended up calling my doctor and pleading for Xanax or some sort of drug that would calm me down enough to walk onto the plane.  I have never felt like a drug addict before, but as I begged my doctor, I suddenly found myself in a position I had never been in...it was quite strange to be pleading with someone for drugs. I am not a huge fan of medicating myself so that I am not in full control, but it seemed like it would be for the best.  Luckily, my doctor is an angel she gave me enough to give me that extra little comfort to relax on the plane.  (Keep in mind- this control freak already has a hard time flying because she is not in control...so add the typical flier anxiety to the momma anxiety and we have one major disaster.) 

I won't go into the mess that I was when my parents came to pick up Gus before we left.  I will just leave you with this picture in your head....hyperventilating, sobbing uncontrollably, snot everywhere.  I was a mess!

In addition to Dr. Smith, God sent another angel.  Joel Maly's brother-in-law, Matt, ran into us in the airport.  Turns out, he was on our flight.  (His wife and daughter flew out earlier in the day.)  And knowing full well that we would be with Matt all weekend, I knew I couldn't be an irrational wreck and make a fool of myself.  So I had to try to pull it together.  (Thanks, Matt, for understanding how crazy I am and still asking the man in our row of the airplane to trade seats with you so that you could sit with us!!)

We made it safely to Seattle.  (And I only cried twice after leaving for the airport!)  We waited for a long time for our luggage and for Enterprise to pick us up.  After waiting about 45 minutes for the Enterprise shuttle (a few drove right by us!)  Keep in mind I am already irrational...add annoyance and you will see what the poor girl at the Enterprise office saw when we got there.  On the upside...we got a vehicle upgrade and free gas!!

We toured around Seattle, saw the Space Needle, Pike's Place and lots more.  And by "lots more" I mean  A LOT of espresso shops.  Of course Starbucks is everywhere since Seattle is their hometown, but these Seattlites (is that even a word?) are VERY serious about their coffee.  There are these tiny little drive through coffee shops on almost every corner of the city.  Espresso everywhere...and yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We spent time at Joe and Jane's house with the other out of town guests before making the trip 2 1/2 hours outside of Seattle to the wedding site.

Did I mention how much I love this man and just being able to hold his hand through our life together?  He puts up with my crazy and loves me anyway. 

Starbucks anyone?

Joel and I are spending a couple of days in Seattle for the wedding of Joe Maly to Jane Wong.  (We left Gus with Gramma and Papa.  Don't even get me started on that, I will burst into tears.  I miss my little man so much right now.)  We decided to head to downtown Seattle today and check out Pike's Place.  This is the location of the famous fish market where the men throw the fish around.  Unfortunately, we did not see any fish fly through the air.  But we saw a lot of fun vendors with fresh baked goods, fruit, flowers, cheese....all sorts of things.  My big purchase today....Starbucks coffee!  (Fun fact- did you know that Starbucks owns the company Seattle's Best coffee??)

Yes, we are those tourists that ask strangers to take their picture.

The famous fish market...fish didn't move.

Look at that bouquet!!  And it only cost me $15!  LOVE it!  We brought it to Joe and Jane when we attended their BBQ today.

And while we are gone....Gus went to the Hudsonville Fair today.

Aunt Annie spoiled Gus with his first sno-cone. I'm surprised I don't see an elephant ear hanging out of his mouth. :)

Jealousy and Envy

Isn't it amazing that we can be so content and happy in life until we notice something around us and are instantly jealous and envious of others?  As a frequent Facebook-er, I get to keep up on the latest events of friends and family.  In the past two days I have had 6 friends post that they are expecting babies.  Don't get me wrong, I am completely blessed and totally in love with my little man and I don't want to rush life.  I was perfectly content until I have suddenly noticed all of the new baby announcements.  Suddenly, I can't wait for Gus to be a big brother.  It is so silly because he is so little himself still, how could he be a "big" brother? 

I had the experience last week of what it is like to have 3 children when Joel and I watched our niece and nephew for 1/2 the week.  I felt completely overwhelmed and in complete awe of any mom who has more than one child....but I secretly loved it.  I loved the chaos and I loved watching the three of them interact.  Granted I am very blessed with a wonderful niece and nephew who I adore.  They are so great with Gus and they love him like crazy.  (And yes, the feeling is mutual.  Gus loves to attack them with his love.)  They are so kind and loving towards their baby cousin and perhaps if he were their sibling, they may not be as patient.  Regardless, I love the thought of a house full of laughter and silliness.  I loved hearing those giggles and squeals of three children playing together.

I know that our time will come and we will have a sibling for Gus.  I think the part that is the hardest for me is that I have absolutely NO control over when that will be.  (And we know how much of a control freak I am, so you can imagine how frustrating this is for me.)  Granted we get to pick the time for when we will apply for another adoption...but then it is out of our hands and we simply wait.  I know that God will send us another beautiful baby who will fit perfectly into our little family...and until then, I will enjoy the time we have with Gus.  He is only little once and I don't want to miss a second of it by being jealous and envious of others who are expanding their families.  Our time will come...just need to be patient.