2nd Quarter Quick Takes

We've closed the book on the 2nd quarter of 2018 and are 3 days into the 3rd quarter!  Is it just me, or do you find this passage of time simply incredulous?  

I really wanted to keep this post short and to the point ~ you know, just "6 quarterly quick takes," but as I went through photos and the calendar I found there was much more to share.  So, please humor me as I take you through the past 3 months (I tried to collage most of the entries for efficiency sake!).  

April ~ 

Having finally recovered from the all upper respiratory nonsense of the past two months, life was back to normal.  

Easter is my favorite celebration of the year!  After a fantastic Holy Week retreat at our parish, we rejoiced in the Resurrection at Easter Mass.  Following Mass, a traditional brunch was hosted by Amanda and Melissa, with Dan and son Drew joining us.  
 

 Our bimonthly Bible Study continues as we study Mark's Gospel ~ 
I hosted my annual Spring Trunk Show,

and Ron and I enjoyed the Broadway in Tucson show, Neverland.
   April concluded with celebrating our first born's birthday with dinner at Charro Steak.  She's preparing for a fabulous trip to Germany in September!

May ~ 

Wow! 

48 years of holy matrimony celebrated with this man, who shows up Every. Single. Day!  How did I get so blessed?  I get chills thinking that the "big one" is just 23 months away!

We had a wonderful surprise visit from Pennsylvania friends, Jo-Ann and Jeff Moyer, I had dental surgery which now means I have all my teeth!

dear friends Nancy, Ashley, and Lacey hosted a trunk show for my newest creations which brought new and old friends together...

 
As many of you know, I'm President of our Daughters of Immaculata at our parish.  One of the big fundraisers we hold is in the Spring for our nuns, the Sisters of Charity.  This year we raffled off a one-of-a-kind necklace, gift certificates to The Window Depot, a Skin Spectrum premium service, Trader Joe's gift card, and a $25 cash prize.

We held the drawing at our home where we presented the Sisters with the check, followed by a brunch which the Daughters hosted...

If that wasn't enough excitement for one day, Ron and I headed out later in the evening to celebrate Tucson's newest Remarkable Moms!

June ~

If May wasn't busy enough, June got even busier...
Our beautiful goddaughter turned 9 

The Daughters of Immaculata hosted an altar for the parish's annual procession honoring the Feast of Corpus Christi

I had a double Mother's Day celebration.  In May, the girls prepared the most incredible dinner for me in their home.  I couldn't have asked for finer dining!

In June, I was treated to a Spa Day at the fabulous Ritz-Carleton Dove Mountain Resort!

Now, I ask you, how does one follow that when it comes to Father's Day????  Well, here's the thing ~ you tap in to what a man loves and that = Blues, Brews, & BBQ's at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort + all new beach duds for the upcoming annual east coast getaway!!  I think this dad felt very, very celebrated! (because this "Pops" couldn't be loved more than by this crew!)

Our parish celebrated it's Feast Day for Sts. Peter and Paul at the end of June.  Traditionally, our Knights of Columbus host a dinner, following the Saturday night Mass.  This year they put together a Chili Cookoff, open to all groups from the parish.  Of course, the Daughters of Immaculata wouldn't miss this opportunity since we have a retired fireman hubby in the wings!  

It was a great evening with 9 groups competing, made especially great as we won the grand prize with our "Daughters of Immaculata A Lotta Firehouse Chili!"  Thanks go out to chef Andy Gerrish, his wife and DOI Secretary Tweety Gerrish, and sidekick server Alison Smith!  Well done!!!

 

And so June drew to a close, along with the 2nd quarter of the year.  I hope your summer is comfortable, exciting, and filled with love and wonderful memories!

I'll see you in cooler temps in about 3 months!

Happy Fourth of July!