Family

Last weekend we went to Arizona for a grand-daughter's baptism. That was a special time. She was darling, and we had lots of fun with the grandchildren. Since our son and his wife were also visiting, and another daughter also lives there, we had 13 grandchildren in one place. As it sounds, it was a noisy time, filled with laughter.

My daughter-in-law, noticing that Garth Brooks would be in Phoenix that weekend, convinced us all to get tickets. It was a wild time. We had great seats and loved the concert. We stood a lot (I'd forgotten that about concerts). It was REALLY loud (my daughter and I had to plug our ears sometimes--and still our ears rang afterward!). It was visually interesting--an aspect that is a little new since I last saw Garth about ?? years ago. Here's a taste (if I can make this work):

As I look back, I realize that the concert was just a venue. It was a fun thing to do, but the most important thing was the time spent with our kids. We had the hour-long drive into town, first: a time to visit in the car. Then dinner--not where we planned because it was too busy, but still a time to share bites and laugh. During the concert, I watched the different reactions of my children: Mac and Julie danced and sang and waved and tweeted. Joe and Lindsey held each other and swayed--amid jokes. Joe was in the middle of the row and making cracks about everything the whole night (when I could hear him). Aimee clapped while Craig stood with his arms folded (normal for him--not a commentary--although he did watch some football on his phone at times).Now that they have families of their own, we often focus on the grandchildren in our visits, playing with them, reading and talking and playing games. This time at the concert was time with just the grown-up kids and reminded me--again--how much they have grown into people I really like. People who are fun and funny but also kind and thoughtful. It's a treasure to realize that my life has such people in it.