Anniversaries!

Today I had an alarm go off on my phone…reminding me to blog about this day…and to many of us its not a significant day in anyway…BUT to 2 of my FAVORITE couples, its their wedding anniversaries! Two Irish weddings that I will NEVER EVER forget!  Its 8:12pm on Friday Dec. 28th…and this day and TIME one year ago we were still awake (its 4:12am in Ireland) for the Brogan wedding…and this day and TIME 5 years ago we were still awake at the same place.

Dec. 28th 2011 one of my bestest friends finally took the hike up the aisle.

Catherine is a friend I met in Ireland during the summer of 1997. She was friends with my cousins girlfriend at the time…we hung out all summer and then kept in touch via writing letters (gasp…I know before the internet). Whenever I’d go home to Ireland Catherine and I would hang out…and over the past almost 20 years we have become best friends. Distance means nothing to us…I go there, she comes here…she was one of my bridesmaids, I was one of hers!

But this day last year was SUCH an awesome day. Catherine looked stunning, and we partied until the wee hours of the morning…oh what a day!

And this day 5 years ago my cousin, Alan, who is more like a brother to me, took the same hike up the aisle, to his most amazing lady, Denise (who is not just my cousins wife but whom I considered as one of my cousins as well!). Alan and I are 2 months apart…and the competition of who is taller is something that’s an ongoing battle. We are very close, always have been and always will be. At my wedding, I asked him to be the one to stand in my brothers place at my wedding and walk dear ol’ Bernie up the aisle…and he gladly excepted. I asked him to be the Godfather to my first born…and again he gladly excepted…I love this dude with all my heart!!

But 5 years ago…it was his day! And man o’ man…was it a good day!!!

Sadly these are all the pictures I have from their wedding…2007 was a HORRIBLE year for the Souza’s in the technology department. While on vacation in Ireland that year, I was up on a table trying to take a picture (dancing on New Years Eve) in a pub…dropped our camera and lost ALL our pictures!! Yes…we were only able to retrieve very few…and yes I cried!! When we got home from vacation…our hard drive with ALL our pictures from the YEAR on it died. So the only pictures I have from 2007 were the ones I uploaded and had on my myspace account.  Very sad!! And we learned a very valuable lesson…always back up your back up!! And speaking of…I want/need a newer 2nd hard drive for all our pictures…I get anxiety thinking about losing all of what we have now!

So they share an anniversary…but its ok since they are all best of friends as well (and it makes it easy for me to remember! haha). This time of year is the time when we miss family…near and far, those who have passed and those still with us. But this time of year it the best to be in Ireland. Christmas is so awesome there!! I love these two couples, all the time we have spent together and hopefully all the times still left to come!!

Here are some blasts from the past…of some of our time together!!! Wow we have gotten old lookin’ guys!!!

Day after Derek & Carmel’s wedding in cruisers (September)

Souza pre-wedding BBQ at my parents (June)

Mom’s 50th birthday party in Pontoon (February)

Day after Al & Dee’s wedding…wait where’s Alan? (December)

Night our at the Salmon Festival in Ballina (July)

New Years Eve at Alan & Denise’s house (December)

Looking through old pictures I’ve come to realize that we have spent lots of time together, the 6 of us, in Ireland…but NOT a lot on this side of the world. So…McDonnell’s, Brogan’s…get your asses over here and come visit us!!!  Oh and Happy Anniversary guys!! We love you very much!

Merry Christmas

Owen woke up at his usual 6:47am…but instead of just one of us getting out of the bed to go get him (yes my child does NOT get out of his own bed EVER…he calls for us and we go get him! …its nice…I only had to tell him once that he needs to stay in his bed until we get him…it was just that once that I almost pee’d my pants being woken up to a child in my face which freaked me the HELL out!).  But Yosh went to get Owen…I ran for my camera and video camera! Its all so exciting.

I remember last year Owen was kinda scared to go in and look for presents, terrified he’d run into Santa himself…but this year there was not one bit of fear…he was ready to open his toys!

Was so cute…after almost every gift he’d say “this is all I’ve ever wanted!” haha Easily pleased!!! And the morning of playing began!

33 weeks 4 days!! So excited for “his” baby (that’s what he called Baby Girl!)

Daddy just LOVES putting toys together…teeheehee.

It was so nice. I remember being a kid and after rushing through to open gifts we had to clean up, shower, get dressed and head out to mass…but since I’m a bad Catholic we kinda skip the mass part of the day. Spent the morning in our jammies while we played and got the dinner started! After naps we got dressed and welcomed the grandparents over…it worked out PERFECT this year!

Since my parents showed up about half hour before Yosh’s parents we decided to do presents as they showed up…that way Owen wouldn’t be too overwhelmed. A lot of my friends had multiple Christmas’ for different reasons…Owen gets it ALL in one day!! Can be quite crazy with the amount of gifts he gets in just that one day!

I love watching my Dad watch Owen…the smile is so real and genuine. As a kid that was always when I saw my Dad the happiest…watching my brother and I open gifts on Christmas. My Dad just loves Christmas…and since Paul isn’t with us anymore Christmas has never been the same….UNTIL Owen came along. I think Owen has brought back some happiness in Dad…and I’m so thankful for that!

Then it was another round of presents from Papa & Mya…and all the gifts from the VanSoests in New York…this child certainly didn’t go without this Christmas!

We had a great dinner…I cooked a decent turkey and Mom helped with all the sides (after being criticized by the husband of course!) I’m bitter I didn’t take a picture of the darn bird…but it was good even if I didn’t season the damn thing like Rachel Ray! lol

But Christmas was wonderful…quiet! Sometimes I wish we had a huge family…but other times I’m just truly grateful for the family we DO have!! Its comforting to know that we have people in our lives who love us and our child more than life itself! We could never ask for more!

Another year done…seems like all the anticipation of Christmas is so exciting and crazy…then the day is over and life is so depressing. I feel like this Christmas is the last of our “traditional” Christmas’. Next year my parents will either be “visitors” (since they’ll be living in Ireland) or we’ll be visiting them in Ireland for Christmas…which makes things just a tad different! Owen won’t be the center of the universe anymore…Baby Girl will be giving him a run for his money…and things will just be different. I know we’ll all adjust…but the days of our “usual” guests, “usual” food, “usual” routine will be different.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!