Yay! Yay! Yay!

The day after my son's wedding, my husband and I found ourselves as guests in the newlyweds' apartment. What? The day after the wedding? What?!? I know. Our family is nothing, if not untraditional. 

When I questioned Bridger about the timing of the invitation, he said, "Shrink, we are going on a weeklong honeymoon next week. You will only be in Utah for a few more days. Come see our new place. We want you to come." And so we went.

The kids took us to an old-fashioned soda fountain at the drug store in Cedar City where they serve drinks and treats like ironport, lime rickeys, and hand-dipped ice cream. While we were waiting our turn, a collection of colorful magnets covering a freezer caught my eye. 

I smiled as I read each one. 

YAY! ICE CREAM!

YAY! CHOCOLATE!

YAY! BLESSINGS!

YAY! VACATION!

YAY! MOM!

YAY! LOVE!

When we got back home, I did a little research about YayLife.com. Yay! Life!'s mission is "to encourage and influence people to celebrate what they love and who they are, creating a ripple effect of abundance and joy, for people and for the planet." They sell magnets, stickers, trucker hats, bag tags, and iron-on patches. You can check them out for yourself HERE. 

The Yay!Life! Manifesto, a free downloadable when you sign up for their email.

There are so many things to celebrate every day, and especially when our time is limited with loved ones, there seems to be even more things that make us say YAY! Today I'm going to take a few moments to celebrate what I love!

Chuck and I with six of our eleven kids. We count each and every one of them as ours.

YAY! FAMILY!

The Larsen-Waters wedding helped our family grow.

YAY! EVEN MORE FAMILY!

Eastern desert of Utah.

YAY! UTAH!

Bridger and Joscelyne's bridal session.

YAY! NEWLYWEDS!

Sisi and Braedon taking a plunge; not THE plunge, but a nice cooling plunge.

YAY! SWIMMING!

YAY! SUNRISES!

Dylan & Jamie are avid cyclists, and enjoy all of the nearby biking trails in St. George, Utah.

YAY! BIKING!

Elle and Rocky.

YAY! GRANDDOGS!

My graceful bonus daughter is a dance instructor at Dixie State University and at a local dance studio.

YAY! DANCING!

Our newlyweds.

YAY! KISSING!

How lucky am I?

YAY! HANDSOME HUSBANDS!

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a big sports fan, but I love watching my kids do what they do.

YAY! SOFTBALL!

Oh, I do love these sweet girls so much.

YAY! GIRLIES!

Mom and me.

YAY! MOMS!

My youngest lucked out in the mother-in-law department. Love you, Barb!

YAY! LAUGHTER!

This sweet boy captured my heart. Bridger finally has little brothers!

YAY! CUTIES!

'Dito is Bridger and Joscelyne's kitty.

YAY! KITTENS!  YAY! VELVET HIPPOS!

Not having to cook is always a reason to celebrate.

YAY! PIZZA NIGHT!

YAY! SWEET SONS!

YAY! BONUS DAUGHTERS!

We played Bandu and Telestrations. So much fun!

YAY! GAMES!

I love this man so much.

YAY! PHOTOGRAPYY!

What makes you YAY? Celebrate who you are, and what brings out the YAY! in you. Be a Yay Sayer, and promote what you love. See how many things make you say YAY! today. 

Come to the Bristol Renaissance Faire!

From the moment we were swept inside the gates of the Bristol Renaissance Faire, our college-aged son Bridger, was wide-eyed with amazement. The sights and sounds and aromas affected him like they do Chuck and me. Once bitten by the ren faire bug, you can hardly wait to go again.

Bridger and a didgeridoo. Of course, the shop that sells musical instruments attracted him.

The first person Bridger met was Moonie, entertainer extraordinaire, whose comment seemed to be a harbinger of things to come, "The first ten minutes of my show are pretty tame, but anything can happen after that." Bridger had a feeling he would be seeing more of Moonie later. He would not be disappointed.

Moonie

As we ventured further into the faire, Bridger made the acquaintance of Miss Chastity Trollop. The actresses and vendors enjoyed making him blush, but Bridge seemed to enjoy the attention.

Chastity Trollop

We spent some time at Shakespeare's Corner, listening to Bristol cast members recite monologues and perform scenes from the bard's plays. Later, Bridger had the privilege of speaking to Shakespeare. Old William may have caused Bridger's cheeks to flush, too. Everyone seemed to have fun teasing the young newcomer.

Shakespeare himself visited Shakespeare's Corner.

We stopped at the maypole to watch the Bristol Buskin Frolic perform, enjoying their beautiful harmonies and energetic dancing.

The leader of the troupe spied Bridger in the crowd, and gasped, "DRACO MALFOY!" We were to hear several times throughout the day that others noticed our son's resemblance to the actor Tom Felton who plays the part of Draco in the Harry Potter movies. One gentleman even asked Bridger to pose for a picture with him to show his son, who also looks like Tom Felton. The man couldn't believe how much our son resembled his own. 

You can decide for yourself:

Our friend has a thing for Harry Potter, apparently, and took a shine to Draco Malfoy's doppelganger.
When she said, "That's a tall Draco Malfoy," some of her cast thought she said, "That's a tall drink of Malfoy."

One show we didn't want Bridger to miss was Moonie the Magnif'Cent. His act includes juggling, tightrope walking, and plenty of comedy. From our bench, we watched Moonie scan the crowd, and his eyes lit up when they landed on Bridger. He scurried toward us, and selected Boo to be his assistant on stage. The two of them entertained the crowd together for several minutes, as Bridger tried to follow all of Moonie's directions perfectly, and hammed it up for the audience. At the end of the performance, Moonie tells each guest as they leave, "You're the best." His parting words to Boo were more specific: "You're the best hugger."

You may have heard of  The Moonie and Broon Show, but today the crowd was entertained by Moonie and Boo.

There is so much to see and do at the Bristol Renaissance Faire that it is hard to get to everything in one day. We were there from the welcome from the Lord Mayor and his sister in the morning, until the drum jam that night. We asked Bridger at the end of the day if he enjoyed it enough to come back the next day. He could hardly wait.

Just following Moonie's directions...
Photo credit: Chuck Bennort

On our drive home, we pressed him for his favorite parts of the day. He said the thing he liked most was meeting the people. There is plenty to entertain a person at the faire, but the people we have come to call our friends are truly what make the faire spectacular, and they make us want to come back every chance we get.

Two blacksmiths talking shop at the Guild of St. Michael. This was definitely a highlight for our boy.

If you haven't been to a renaissance faire, you might want to add it to your bucket list. The community of Bristol knows how to make their guests feel welcome; Bridger wasn't an exception. He was treated like a king. We know you'll receive the royal treatment, too.

These are some of my favorite moments during Bridger's weekend, and must-see attractions at the Bristol Renaissance Faire.

The pewter seller certainly liked showing off these owls.

The Fantastikals fascinate young and old alike.

We love meeting old friends who go to the faire as often as we do.

Barely Balanced is an act you don't want to miss!

The Witches of Bristol

Our dear cousin (nearly everyone is our cousin here) was nanny to the Lord Mayor and his twin sister when they were wee.

Chuck requested his favorite song about the Assassin's Prayer from one of our favorite performers.

We received a royal welcome at the Guild of Saint Michael's where the militia band teaches
classes about weapons and warfare. A favorite lesson you might enjoy is "How Not to Die."

The surgeon wields a sword as well as he handles a scalpel, if you need surgery, or a razor, if you need a shave.

I finally sampled a turkey leg, thanks to Boo, just one of many sumptuous offerings on the menu at Bristol.

No faire would be complete without a joust.

We cheered for Sir Mauldron on this day.

What are you waiting for?

Lucky Thirteen

What a lucky break I had today. Chuck called me on his early morning commute, saying, "You don't want to miss the sun and fog this morning." Right away, I started gathering my essentials; cameras, water, protein drink, soda. While he gave me some general directions to where he was seeing the fog, I loaded the Highlander. I didn't have time to change out of my capris and Birkenstocks. I needed to hurry before the sun burned off the fog.

Unfortunately, I only had a vague idea of where I was heading, and I do not have established spots for early morning sunrise shots. I drove to two different entrances to Pratts Wayne Woods County Forest Preserve, only to find them chained with NO PARKING signs. Apparently, forest preserves don't open early just because conditions are perfect for photography.

When I pulled the Highlander off the highway, I realized the lane was a private drive. I flipped a U, and that's when this incredible sight came into view. I checked the rearview mirror; I was the only one on the road at the moment. I threw the car in park, and pointed my Canon out the driver's side window. 

There were streams of sunlight cutting through the limbs and shadows of a big, old tree. There was fog. There was a starburst of sun. When I checked the rearview again, a car in the distance was headed my way. It was time for me to go; I avoid confrontation like the plague.

There were no public parking spots available along the highway until I spotted a little gravel turnout in front of a bike trail. I left my car there, and headed down the trail. I could barely see through the thick foliage that was between the bike trail and the open forest preserve. When I saw a rarely used path into the woods, I took two steps into the thick brush, and I heard a deep voice behind me say, "Better be careful of the poison ivy there." I froze in my tracks, surveying the greenery around my bare feet in sandals and backed myself slowly out of the weeds. I thanked the passing walker, and went in search of more photos along the established trail.

Sigh. It was so hot and humid, and my bangs were sticking to my forehead. The mosquitoes had been feasting on my exposed arms and legs, and I really wished I'd taken the time to go to the bathroom before I left home. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable on several levels. Was it asking too much to want to capture more sunbeams coming through the trees and fog? I kept walking down the bike trail, snapping pictures of berries and flowers, and trying to capture the gorgeous way the sun was cutting through the trees.

I realized I'd already been given an exceptional gift in the shot of the tree, and any other incidental pictures I took might be fun, but would not compare to the beauty I had captured earlier. 

Later, Susan and I got together for our weekly Coffee and Cameras day, and explored the Dupage Forest Preserve, which was open by 9:00. 

Out of the dozens of shots I took today, I had thirteen pictures that made me pretty happy; a baker's dozen of photographs from a beautiful morning spent outdoors, chasing sunbeams and fog. Thirteen was my lucky number today.