I'M WAY BEHIND ~ ~ ~

 Behind in my blog posting ~ it's really hard to keep up with right now!  Lest you think this is a member of my family ~ I have to tell you I went to the ZOO last Friday with son Teddy and Luke & Luci!  There were lots of animals to take pictures of but I just love monkeys and gorillas ~ this guy was just happy to be leanin' against his cage and watching all the people watching him! 

These beautiful birds are Lorakeets ~ we were in a cage with hundreds of these beautifully colored feathered friends!  We could buy the little cups of 'nectar' for a whopping $2 each and go in and feed these guys!!  They must not have eaten in days!  They flocked all over us and the many other folks that were in this oversized birdcage ~ I couldn't wait to get out of there ~ especially, after one of them ripped my nectar cup out of my hands with his little beak!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the only thing that made our day bearable ~ The Cool Zone!! This was one big monster fan that also sprayed a fine mist over us ~ Luke and I loved it and the other Misting Stations that were here and there around the zoo property!  By the time we got to the polar bear exhibit, I was having a serious case of the vapors (as a southern friend of mine used to call it) and didn't take any pictures!  Those big white bears put on quite a show ~ diving and swimming for all to see in the underwater exhibit ~ also in another space were HUGE grizzly bears swimming in a river!  I would NEVER want to run into one of those guys in the woods!  By the way ~ it was 94 degrees last Friday in Columbus ~ that's why this fan made such a big impression on me!!

The two girls on the left are DIL's Miki and Cheryl and friend Beth ~ they walked the 3-Day Walk for the cure last Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Cleveland ~ 60 miles!!!!!!  It was in the 90's those days up there, too ~ I give them so much credit for doing it and I think they learned a lot about themselves on their journey!  It was a tough one ~ but they said they laughed till their sides hurt and I think shed a few tears as well!  That's why Grandma went to the zoo with the kids ~ Miki had to be in Cleveland and for a variety of reasons, someone thought that was a great idea!!  It was!  We did have fun and I LOVE the zoo!!

Saturday was the wedding of Sonny's nephew, Mark and his Valerie!  Just a couple of pictures of this country wedding ~ it was on the bride's family farm ~ and they did a lovely job!  This was the tent where the bride and her attendants were until the ceremony ~ hidden with lovely vintage quilts on a clothesline ~ to me, it was charming!

The arbor was adorned in tulle and wisteria and huge baskets of white impatiens at the seating area. The yard and all the outbuildings were beautifully landscaped ~ the family had worked so hard to see that everything was just perfect!  Again, it was a beastly hot day and a welcome gift was their programs were made into fans for each guest ~ that was a wonderful thing!!!

 In the center of a huge tent ~ set for 350 guests ~ was this fruit sculpture with real palm fronds at the top!  The tables were covered in linen cloths with herbal plants set in vintage strawberry baskets and each setting had a jar of jam made by the bride and groom and the groom's mom. 

Mark is the son of Sonny's brother that passed away two weeks before.  It seemed sad that Paul wouldn't be there but I think the timing of this wedding was God's plan for healing ~ it was such a fun, uplifting day with lots of family and friends ~ everything happens just as it is supposed to ~

Not to let any grass grow under our feet, on Sunday we went to the lake ~ Sonny's daughter and her boys came up till Monday!  We hunted beach glass ~ the boys loved that and went home with a nice bag of their own!  They go to their dad's lake place and now, I know they will be out on that beach every day with heads to the sand looking for more treasures!!  They swam and we ate and walked the beach ~ Jakob and Cam told their mom they want to come live there!!!!!!!!!! 

This pretty butterfly was getting his own 'nectar' out of the lantana plants yesterday on the deck ~ a peaceful moment that I decided to capture!  As you can see, not too many peaceful moments here ~ our life is just crazy busy and full ~ I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!! 

A very happy note that I keep forgetting to tell you about is that at the Sauder rug show, coming up in a week and a half  ~ our Blog Challenge pieces are going to be there!! Kris Miller, Maria Barton, Ali Strebel and I are sending all of our projects and Kathy Wright and her band of helpers will be setting them up in a special display ~ I can't wait to see how they look all together!!  Some hooker friends and I will be going to our condo on Tuesday that week and on Wednesday we'll head over to the rug show for the day and back to the condo for another overnight!  Who knows ~ we may even get some hooking done!!! 

Thanks for stopping by and hope you all have a great weekend ~ I'm planning on it!!