& then a marriage began

In a real Sunrise, Sunset moment it occurred to me while I was standing up there next to Jacqueline that someday I would be an old lady watching my grandchildren do this same thing. And I would remember this wedding, and my own of course, and my childrens'. This was one of the 'big' moments, and I'm happy I was granted a second to take it in.

I can tell it was a good time because photos from the day pretty much stop at this point. It was time to celebrate and that meant my love putting the camera away.

Sad note, and I'm just thinking out loud here. I wonder how it'll be for them, looking at their wedding photos years from now? I mean, I cherish ours, but there's a real sadness to it as well. I'm not sure if sadness is the right word. Is there a word for bittersweet, only stronger? Like reallybitterextremelysweet? Poignant. It's the last time I would ever see my grandfather walking and talking the way he always did, the way I grew up remembering him, before his stroke less than two years later. People have died. One person can no longer breathe without a ventilator. All this in only five years. The pictures from that day and night temporarily immortalized us all in this stage of sheer happiness but then life kept right on going. I know we need to appreciate appreciate appreciate and not take the joy moments for granted-- it's just a hard pill to swallow when it stares at you in the face on film.

enough with the Debbie Downer now.

my cue to get to bed.

May they always feel the same connected-ness that they did when this photo was taken.

to do: knit a shawl

isn't it stunning? I had bought the pattern for it from Tickled Pink Knits last spring, bought some fantastic fall-y yarn, diligently worked on it during road trips and lunch breaks until, about halfway through, I took it to the gurus at Napa's local yarn store (Yarns on First, miss that place) because of a twist that had developed in my knitting. Stinkin' circular needles. The verdict? Nothing to do but start over. Sob.

I was reinspired to start working on it last night when a picture of the finished shawl showed up in my daily etsy e-mail last night. That thing is so beautiful. Wouldn't it be great if I could finish it by, say, Thanksgiving?

lamb turned bride + leading up to the church

what I believe with all my heart

1) Lamb was the most ridiculously beautiful bride I have ever seen up close. Seriously lamb-- no fair to the rest of us that you're this alien woman who can pull off looking angelic and smoking hot all at the same time.

2) While we got lamb ready, the energy in Nonna and Nonno's house on the afternoon of September 10th could have moved mountains. I'm certain the excitement/nervousness duo is a universal element in all weddings on the planet, and maybe times that by 1,000 to get the energy whereby babies are pushed out but right now I know weddings. I remember mine and now I remember my sister's. Helping her to get her shoes on. Watching her put lipstick on in the hall mirror and going back to the thought from #1 above. Where is paps, we need to go NOW-- he is what, in the bathroom?! Marmousch starting to cry which made me start to tear up until all that salty-cheeks nonsense was firmly nipped in the bud by lamb. STOP.



~

In Italy it's tradition for the groom, with his family, to come to the door of the bride's house bringing her bouquet (and on the wedding day she hasn't seen the bouquet nor her groom yet until this point). That's what Lamb and Adam did. Another tradition is the throwing of rice and rose petals onto the bride and groom. The rice and petals look so pretty sitting on these nice ceramic plates, and oh yeah, the plates get chucked too. At the innocent, ready-to-begin-their-lives-together couple. You heard me. Nonna tossed that sucker like a frisbee, she ain't fooling around here people.

Led by the bride and groom, we headed to the church of Santa Maria Assunta on foot. Our own little happy procession. Once at the church we (tried to) make her beast of a train all flowy and pretty, why won't the veil comb stay darnit?-- a couple I love you's and we headed into the church (American 2 x 2 style), with one last glance back at Lamb and Paps, waiting outside to come in last.

more to come.

The Office

Big night for one of my our favorite shows plus it's the first time I'll be seeing it since we've been away. So to celebrate we're eating

homemade pretzels - from the Pretzel Day episode

salt-crusted beets with avocado, lavender, and thyme - because of Dwight Schrute's beet farm

mint-chocolate chip ice cream over ice cream cake - from Meredith's birthday party episode

all that's missing is the awesome blossom (extra-awesome) from the episode where Jan and Michael go to Chili's.

Marmousch and Steve are the party guests. So far they're only making fun of me a little bit.

lamb's shower

I posted about it here. Beneath oleander trees in the courtyard of San Giovanni. It was relaxed and low-key with lots of contented, full-belly sighs and wine. Just what we all needed in between frantic moments of visiting photographers and spidery dj's and changing minds five different times about the size of the offertory bread basket for the church because so-and-so said it should be bigger and trying to indulge a certain someone's (who shall remain nameless, but his nickname rhymes with chaps) ridiculous, most inopportune time for a prank --
pause for breath
--anyway, in between all that and about two dozen other little things, we women all took a couple hours off on the Tuesday before the Thursday wedding to eat and drink and do lots of translating. Nonna has this adorable (everything about Nonna is adorable, don't you know by now?) tendency to talk to everyone as though they fully and completely understand Italian even though they may not know more than ciao or grazie. So if you're lucky enough to speak both languages and you're in mixed American and Italian company you'll probably be spending lots of time with Nonna. I love her to the moon and back plus it was fun getting to know Lamb's soon-to-be family and friends better, so it was a win-win situation. 
I wish I had pictures of the cooking class Marmousch led. Homemade pasta is always a treat but when it's malloreddus consider yourself doubly blessed. While that was happening, Simona and I readied the
 courtyard for lunch. The papel picado flags were hung and stray forks
were found.

why i love sardegna like no other

nonna who makes me latte cioccolata on request.  ~ pane con nutella cravings easily indulged. ~ towns like cabras in a constant state of celebration, signaled by bandierini. ~ san giovanni, where from the balcony you can watch the sun set into the mediterranean. ~ religious processions. ~ when nonno smiles at you. ~ never-ending meals. ~ best pizzas in the world. ~ lina's homemade limoncello. ~ nonna exudes quiet strength and hold-your-head-up-high happiness despite a tough tough year. plus her voice is made for telling childrens' stories, steve points out. ~ gelato al fico e allo yoghurt at el chicco, plus it stays open late late. ~ staying up late with nonna watching miss italia. ~ sleeping from 2-5 pm every day and waking up to a macchiato. ~watching nonna do a little spry jump in the kitchen as she remembers some ingredient to add to some deliciousness on the stove before the witching hour, 1 pm. i'm so glad steve saw it too so there's proof of how adorable it was. ~ husband gives me foot massages on request after too much dancing at lamb's wedding. ~ big sunday lunches with franco carving the suckling pig.

~ driving through mountain towns like arbus. ~ revisiting favorite beaches like piscinas. ~ policewomen who may as well be maxim models, they were that beautiful. ~ all the nonnis' and aunties' paranoia of open doors and windows causing flu. ~ always pointing out the wrong building to steve as we drive by marmousch's high school in oristano. ~ photographers plastering huge shots of breastfeeding brides in their storefront window. ~ simona is there and it's really not possible for a better aunt and madrina to exist on this earth. ~ perlouch is there, plus she gets lots of attention from her new and newer uncles. and she starts to shiver before you even turn on the faucet for her bath. ~ singing to nonno. ~ waking up to roosters crowing (you wake up to cock?) ~ the best cappuccinos at highway gas stations. ~ nonna's insalata di riso and pasta con salsiccia e noci gratugiato. everything she makes is perfection, but these are my favorites. ~ agriturismos. ~ watching marmee and simona lovingly take care of their mom and dad. this is going to make me cry if i start to think about it any longer. ~ sebadas: fritters of sardinian cheese drizzled with sardinian honey which is one of the best things around. ~ the simpler daily rhythms of life there, much more fulfilling than the frenetic pace here.

~

I miss it. I think it was all a dream. Simona wasn't really in the upstairs studio window, waving at me, while Steve and I hurried out to take a few last-minute pictures of Cabras before our plane took off the next day, with us in it. We were rushing to make it back home in time for lunch.

"Why are you so worried about taking pictures? You know you're going to come back here." Steve said.
But when? That's always the big lingering question. It's all fun and games when it's only about loving a place. But when there's people involved, it takes on a new urgency to get back there as time unflinchingly soldiers on.

back!

...happier and fatter than when we started-- not that i needed the scale to tell me that this was an incredible, best-ever kind of trip. 

 i'll start more or less from the beginning. disclaimer: it may be all vacation pictures & stories 'round these parts for the next couple weeks. xox

Travel, we agreed, was a litmus test: if we could make the best of the chaos and serendipity that we'd inevitably meet in transit, then we'd surely be able to sail through the rest of life together just fine. So far, we'd done pretty well. -Julia Child from My Life in France (i'm really loving this book but it makes my mouth water almost painfully while reading)