Where to begin...

I haven't posted in a while because life has been incredibly incredibly crazy.  There are many things I want to write about, and I'm not sure I'll have time for all of them.  Rather than saving the best for last, I'll open with it.  Last week, I traveled to Colorado for my sister's wedding, which was the loveliest and most satisfying wedding I've ever been to.  I know that everyone who has a little sister would say the same thing, but my sister is the most beautiful person in the world. And she was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen.  There is no one in this world that I am more proud of, no one more precious to me, and no one I'm happier for.  It sounds incredibly cheesy, but it is absolutely true.  She astounds me with her intelligence, her humor and her quiet strength, and she delighted me with her loving enthusiasm and irrepressible excitement.

It is a great honor and a great joy to participate in an event that was so important to my sister, and in an event that was so full of love. It was a reminder of the greatest joys and loves in my own life.  Sometimes as we walk through our days it is hard to know whether a particular moment will be remembered, whether an event is important or special, but sometimes it is very clear that this moment is a precious memory in the making, that it should be savored and filed away to enjoy for the rest of your life.  And my whole weekend was like that, punctuated with beautiful, essential memories.

I loved watching my sister's husband over the days leading up to the wedding as he was so so so excited to marry my sister, so overcome with love.  I loved watching my grandmother's face when she surprised my sister by coming to the wedding when we all thought she couldn't make it.  I loved watching my mother's face as my sister put on her wedding dress.  I loved watching my dad nervously preparing to give the champagne toast after the ceremony, and smiling broadly as he closed his speech with a geeky quote from a sci-fi movie.

Because I am so so so fortunate in my family and friends, I was able to unwind and cut loose a little at the reception.  My best friend and my wonderful husband took care of the whole checklist of stuff I needed to do after the wedding, and my husband and cousin Sam ensured that I was pleasantly drunk by the end of the evening.  It is a treasure to be so well-loved and supported, and to be part of a network that loves and supports my sister in turn.

There are, as I said, many other things to write about, but for now, I just want to think about my beautiful, beautiful sister filled with happiness and light, heading off to the Caribbean on her honeymoon.