Elizabeth House

On our way through Troy last weekend, we made a special trip to Elizabeth House. I'd never been there before and I wanted to see the building with my own eyes. 

In 2005, my cousin was killed at the age of 28 in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. She was beautiful, sweet, gentle, and I always looked up to her. As a little kid, I copied everything she did. She had struggled with substance abuse, gone through treatment, and had been living successfully on her own for a few years. She was even helping others in their journey to get sober and this is how many remeber her. Her name was Elizabeth Ann Charnock and this house was named for her.

Elizabeth House supports women on their path to sobriety and independence. Seven years after her death, it's still hard to accept that she's gone. This house, with its dedicated and caring mission,  is a beautiful way to keep her spirit alive.

Buffy's (our name for her) parents, Nancy and David, at the opening of Elizabeth House.

3 Years

Three years ago today, we were married. This is where it all began for us. Though we were married in spirit (and technically legally) before the ceremony took place, sharing our commitment with family and friends marked the beginning of a life we were excited to create together.

While I'm a sucker for looking back at these pictures and remembering how beautiful the day was, I have to acknowledge how good it feels to be where we are today. The milestones, traditions, and symbolic gestures in life are important, for sure. What the past three years have taught me, however, is that it's the day to day details and the way you treat one another that makes a good life and a good marriage. I am so grateful to have Tucker as my partner. Happy Anniversary!

Bonjour Colette!

On our way south as we drove home on Sunday, we made a quick stop chez Manny to meet Mlle. Colette, born in March! Sara and I lived in France together in college, so it's fun that we both have baby girls now with pretty French names:)

I got a whole lapful of Manny love here...Calvin is very tech savvy and took this pic of the three of us. 

 Calvin demolished Tucker in a game of Memory, especially since it was DINOSAUR Memory - Cal's fave. Seriously, this kiddo may be a child prodigy. I think the final score was 24 matches to 8. He's only 3!

 We had a quick photo shoot with the sleepy girls...

(these two can only speak French when they're tired. Oh la la, les photographes!)

 And Calvin joined in to liven things up! :)

Visit with Granny and Gramps

Margot had fun with her Granny and Gramps this past weekend. There was lots of snuggling to be had!

 Margot inherited this little red wagon from Cousins Braxton and Ava. For now, she just likes to sit in it. Soon, this little wagon will be helping her to walk around:)

Emma Reunion

On Saturday, we headed back to my high school for my 15 year reunion. It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since I graduated. On the other hand, a lot has happened since I lived on Mount Ida.

Here are a few of us from '97.

Reunions at Emma are not so typical. We sing the alma mater, we reminisce, we get updates about how the school's doing, but we also celebrate with classes ahead of and behind us. Women come back to celebrate reunions anywhere from 5 to 60+ years (like college). We were in the company of women from classes 2007, 2002, 1997 (my class!), 1992, 1987, and so on. I think the oldest class in attendence was the class of 1952.

While these reunions are 3 day events, we decided to just go for Saturday's activities. The day started with breakfast and a parade around campus, led by a brass band. Each class is either green or purple (it switches every year)...'97 is purple and I wore green pants.

Luckily, they let me stay.

 

 It'll be interesting to see what Margot thinks of Emma. Maybe she'll be an Emma girl like her mom?

Baptism

On Sunday, May 27th, Margot was baptized at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill.

Since Tucker and I started going to St. Mark's about 5 years ago, I've envisioned what this day would look like for us. For some reason, the baptism service always tugs at my heart a bit. Everyone gathers around the font and participates in the baptism rite, along with the parents and family of the baby. We pledge to support the child as they grow and learn about the world. The ceremony itself is a poignant metaphor of living in community. As a school counselor, I hope I'm able to send the children and families I work with a similar message: that we're in this together and we're better off when we can rely on each as we navigate through the challenges of life.
Before the ceremony...

Margot's christening gown comes with some history. It was first worn by my grandfather in 1905 (he would be 107 if he were alive today!) when he was baptized in Bronxville, NY. Since then, it's been worn by his brother Allen, my mother Mary-Leslie (pictured in the pretty red dress above), my aunt Priscilla, my sister Sarah, me, and now little Margot Leslie.

 

Cousin Chance, patiently waiting for the service to begin.

Margot has two godmothers: her Auntie Katrina and her Auntie Sarah. She's a lucky kid. Here's Auntie Sarah and Margot after the baptism. Margot was so tired!

With Daddy  

One of our special guests was Maria, Margot's nanny, and her family. Here are Margot and Maria's daughter Zeltzi meeting for the first time. They've become pals since Maria started bringing Zeltzi to our house last week. It's a win-win situation for us all:)

I wish we had been able to get more pictures of all our family and friends who attended.

It's a day we'll remember forever.

Inchworm

Margot is thinking about crawling (or maybe it's break dancing?), and she hasn't ruled out trying to get around using her inchworm-inspired tactics.