And what a Christmas it was!

You’ll notice I wasn’t blogging because I was trying to finish all the knitting projects for gifts and get everything purchased, wrapped, packed and mailed to my family all over the country. Big brother in LA, sister in AZ, brother in CA, brother in MA and kids in OH, IL, and GA/NY. I love having a growing family! Who knew that it would be increasing exponentially after I turned 50!?

In addition to all that Christmas buzz, my younger brother decided to get married in CA on the Winter Solstice. He’s only 51 years old and never been married! We were all invited to share the nuptials and a week of family time at Stinson Beach, CA.

This is my handsome brother (who wore a suit!) and his lovely bride. My new sister. I still get all teary-eyed when I look at them together. They are truly soul mates. They met in a coffee shop and Abbie tried to match my brother up with her friend Julie. Three years later, they were a match made in heaven. It was the most beautiful wedding ceremony that I’ve ever been privileged to witness – intimate, personal, every bit a reflection of them as a couple.

They aren’t Jewish but with respect for all cultures were married under a huppa (chuppa) which represents the home that the couple will build. Sweet! My brother, the bridegroom, and my son (who wears a different name in California) built the huppa in the garage. When it was time to bring it to the beach-side patio wedding site, it was too big to bring through the house and to wide to bring around the house. So, in typical fashion, it went over the house! Here are my brothers and my sweetie on the beach side of the house after much finagling!

And this is our sweet bride-to-be with her underwear that someone found on the beach. You can imagine the giggles that went on after that find! Abbie handled it all with her wonderful sense of humor and ability to laugh at herself. One of the seven shih tzus (yes, seven! … my two, my brother’s two, my new sister’s two and her sister’s one) who attended the wedding had stolen the pretty lacy panties and traipsed off to the beach to hide them from our bride. She handled the ribbing with grace and humor. What a good sport – and we’re so lucky to have her as the newest member of our family!

We woke up extra early on the first morning we were there (the Winter Solstice, the full lunar eclipse and the wedding day) and watched a beautiful sunrise over San Francisco. Awesome is a great word to use for this experience. The power of the surf, the sound of the sea birds, the breeze (well, perhaps wind is more appropriate!) along with the beautiful sight of the sun rising was a once-in-a-lifetime treat!

I look forward to sharing the new local yarns that I found out there on the left coast! But for now, I hope my photo of sunrise and the pathway to the house will encourage you to take a deep breath, sit back and think of how lucky we are to witness the glory of this earth. With the Pacific Ocean on one side and the mountains on the other, this was a perfect setting for a wedding and a week of family time. I am truly blessed. It was a merry Christmas.

Wishing you peace.
Wishing for peace on Earth.