A Beginning and an Ending

On January 20, 2012, during a big snowstorm, my oldest son was married to a beautiful woman. Both the wedding and the reception were held at Salvage One in Chicago.

The ceremony was delayed for over an hour, as the guests--and the musicians--straggled in from the snow. Luckily, the liquor was already there and the bartender started serving immediately. Above, my youngest son (the best man), my husband, my oldest son and I hang out and try to manage our excitement.

I wore a DVF dress, Jimmy Choo heels, and borrowed a gorgeous blond mink wrap from my husband's colleague. (Was sooo sad to give it back!) My husband had given me vintage Chanel earrings for Christmas, which went perfectly with my outfit.

Finally, most of the guests were in from the storm and seated. We walked our son down the aisle, and waited for the bride. This photo was taken by one of my son's college friends and I stole it from his Facebook page. This is the very moment my son saw his soon-to-be wife in her wedding dress, starting down the aisle with her parents. I stole this one too (thanks, Nick!):

Later, the newly married couple dancing:

And my husband and I dancing:

It was a wonderful night. The venue was amazing, and the falling snow outside the loft windows made the evening even more magical. What a beautiful beginning for a loving, loved couple.

Three days later, my Dad passed away at the age of 88, having been very ill for a couple of years and unwell for many years before that. He died at home, with my mother, several of my siblings and the next-door neighbors by his side. I happened to be on the phone with my sister-in-law, who was there with my parents, at the time he took his last breath; my brother took the phone and passed on the news.

Although too unwell to attend my son's wedding, my Dad was able to watch it via Skype from his living room in Pennsylvania, sitting in "his" leather Lazyboy chair. We really weren't surprised that he passed on only days after the wedding. Everybody just felt he was holding on to see his Joshua get married.

Here I am, at two months, sitting on my Daddy's lap, reading the evening paper with him. Love you, Daddy!

KLH 1923 - 2012