The Ring Arrives!!!

Well, no sooner had we returned from up north, than Jim had to return to Texas.

Here we are saying good-bye at the airport.

Why do I take pictures like this? I don't know. I always do. I hate good-byes and somehow taking a picture allows me, in some way, to hold on to the moment.

The delivery of the ring was only off by one day! It was supposed to arrive by Monday at 10:30 AM. At 10:00, the package arrived and at 10:05 Mary Pat (Elle's mom) and Elle arrived. Mary Pat and I were honored to be able to witness the "unveiling" of the ring.

The tension mounted.....

In the large box there was another box with ring cleaner and then this sweet wooden box.

Naturally thanks to our amazing technology Jim was with us on Skype. Above photo is Elle just having opened the box and looking at Jim on her laptop screen.

 She loved it!!!

Here they are enjoying the moment together while thousands of miles apart...(I have a love-hate relationship with technology. This was a love moment.)

So very, very sweet.

 And here it is!! In all its sparkles, the ENGAGEMENT Ring!!! Woohooo.

So happy for them both!!!!  (And it sure was fun being there, right Mary Pat?)

The Continuing Saga of the Engagement #RockstarsJimandElle

OK. They're not really rock stars, but they all thought this photo looked like an album cover. That is, if they were actually musicians and had an album which they do not. Although some of them (all?) are musicians.  (Hey....moms who love music always get these ideas...)

This photo was still on Mackinac Island but I actually want to continue the saga of Jim and Elle's engagement..

So Jim had the entire engagement surprise planned out. But there were indeed a few glitches.

The Ring!! He ordered the ring from an online jeweler and, knowing that they ship overnight express, thought he had plenty of time to get it. Alas, they needed more than just the shipping time. They needed to make the ring. (Jim picked out the diamond and the setting.)

Not only was it not ready for Mackinac Island, it would not be ready before Jim had to return to school. But if he was going to propose he needed a ring, right?

Well, after many trips to the store, and many consultations with the other women in his life, and a number of texted photos, Jim made his decision. Trying to decide between pearls which he knew Elle loved and diamonds which one traditionally expects for an engagement, he decided to get both.

Yes, these two purchases, in addition to the major diamond ring which was coming.

Extravagant? Yes, but you know, gentlemen, there are times to be extravagant. (But not stupid.)

The occasion of asking your girlfriend to marry you is one of those times.

So Jim purchased a string of pearls and a much lesser diamond ring to give to Elle at the time of the proposal. The thought was that she could have this ring to remember the proposal and perhaps wear it later on another finger. He was given strict instructions to tell Elle that this was not the REAL ring, before giving it to her. We don't know if those instructions were followed because Liz, thankfully, was shooting pictures from a distance that was too far to hear the words being spoken. You have to give the couple some privacy, after all.

I think Jim was feeling pretty good about this decision...

Yeah, real good....

It's not the official engagement ring, but it is a sweet ring with two little diamonds in it. (Jim doesn't mess around.) Tomorrow, I will write about the arrival of the REAL ring.

The Engagement Surprise!

Elle was the only one who did not know that Jim was planning to propose to her this year on Mackinac Island.

Mackinac Island is in the Straits of Mackinac which connects Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

The trip started with a picturesque ferry ride from Mackinaw City to the Island, passing the Mackinac Bridge along the way. (Longest suspension bridge in this hemisphere. )

No cars are allowed on the island. Horses and bikes are used for transportation. So the first order of business is usually the renting of the bikes.

The plan was for Jim and Elle to separate from the group for a bit.  Jim had planned in advance the exact spot where he wanted to propose.

Little did Elle know that Liz would be among the trees higher up with a camera to capture the event. (This was not the work of a meddlesome little sister. Jim had asked for the pictures.)

Jim went down on one knee as Liz caught the scene with a telephoto lens.

And here they come. I love the mission accomplished look on Jim's face and the I can't believe that just happened look on Elle's.

Shortly after this moment I received a text on my phone that read, "She said yes!"

And we arranged for them to catch up with the rest of us at the ice cream stand on the far side of the island.

Anne greeting her future sister-in-law!

And a hug for Jim.

And my hug for Elle!

And for Jimmy!

And congratulations from Dad.

Mary's face says it all.

Jim with Elle and her future mother and father-in-law.

Elle with her future sisters-in-law.

A celebration dinner on the island!

We secretly told the staff that Elle and Jim had just become engaged.  They brought this lovely piece of cheesecake with Congratulations written on the plate.

Then we were back on the ferry to the mainland.

As they stood at the very front of the ferry, we had to ask for a Titanic pose. I mean, you just have to do that at the front of a boat.

The bridge is so lovely at sunset.

By the time we were back at our cottage, the word was out. This cute sign was on our door.

Pretty exciting day!!! Many thanks to Liz who is not in many of the pictures because she was the one taking them! And to Jonathan, her boyfriend, for helping her out and lending moral support.

Congratulations, Jim and Elle! May God bless you both, now and all the days of your life together.

(Well done, Jim!!!!)

The New Grandbaby!

A lot has been happening in our family. A whole lot. Those of you who know us personally know that I have more  exciting news. But I have to catch up on new information about my grandchild.

On Mother's Day I found out that my oldest daughter was expecting a baby. Here are the promised photos of my falling apart.  We were out for dinner at Zingerman's Roadhouse, an excellent restaurant by the way, and a great place to go if you can't have gluten.

My final gift was in a tiny gift bag from which I pulled this little onesie. On it was written "Grandma's Favorite-- December 2015.

Naturally, I fell completely apart. In fact I was unable to do anything but cry for several minutes.

Everyone else was delighted too, of course.

Here is my daughter Anne, holding the precious onesie with me.

Husband Mike and I with the newly expectant parents, Anne and Zach!!

More recently, Zach and Anne made the decision to find out the sex of their new little one. It was to be revealed by the inside filling of cupcakes.

Since I could not have the cupcakes, I took the pictures!

So exciting!!! We found out the new little one is a boy!!!!!!!! (Most of us, for some odd reason, thought it would be a girl, thus demonstrating that you never know!!!!!!!!

Knowing that I would be finding out our granchild's sex that night, I just had to have a little outfit prepared to give him/her in advance.  I had a boy's outfit and a girl's outfit, the girl's outfit now having been returned.

Zach is a great Tigers' fan so the little baseball onesie was a no-brainer. Can't wait to see it with the little guy's belly bulging in the middle. :-)

God is good. All the time.

Advice to the GOP Candidates-- A Few Random Thoughts.

To the governors:
Please don't recite your resumes. We know you have executive experience.  We know you've been a great governor. That's why you're on the platform. Hearing a recitation of  your achievements is boring. We want to know what you would do in the future as president.

To Marco Rubio:
You have a charming, boyish smile, but in New Hampshire you looked like someone told you to smile a lot. Don't push it. Just smile when there's something to smile about. Otherwise, it looks forced.

To Rand Paul:  Comb your hair. Just sayin'.

To Donald Trump: Please don't be a jerk. Please show respect for the other candidates.

To Jeb Bush:
Don't worry about offending people. If you are quoted out of context and it sounds bad, just point our you were quoted out of context and give it a rest.  You're not going to please the liberals. Don't bother trying. Stop being so conciliatory.

To Ben Carson: People love you. Maybe speak just a bit louder?

To all the candidates who are not Trump:
Please be courageous and tough. Speak forcefully and sincerely. Don't recite your talking points. It sounds fake. We want to see and hear the real you. Don't worry about who might criticize you for your honest opinions. If you're not as tough and real as Trump, he will get the nomination. Don't let him gain the momentum.