::: play that funky music :::

It was my kind of night, this one. It was the kind of night where you wish sleep were optional, and you wish daylight would just be an extension of nighttime and not a wake-up call from the world of responsibilities. It was the kind of night you have when you've been snowed in, but you had time to prepare, or when there's a big thunderstorm and the lights go out, but your husband can somehow still magically play the electric guitar. I guess you could say it was a voluntary snow-in, without the snow.

It was just the four of us, Bo and Sweetheart and The Baby and me. I'd taken Monet to spend the night at a friend's and had told Sweetheart how to make cheesy potatoes, asking her to give it a shot while I was gone. Daddy would be home to help, I told her, but it was pretty simple, and I assured her she could do it on her own.

When I returned, the house smelled like cheesy potatoes, and the girls were busy giggling and running and jumping excitedly. Sweetheart had made the cheesy potatoes with barely any help; she'd done everything but chop the onions, which Pop had done for her.

Bo showed Sweetheart and The Baby a video he'd been given recently of the first public performance of a worship song he wrote, and then a video of songwriter/pianist Ken Medema creating an improvised song into which he wove Bo's worship chorus. The girls were awed. So was I.

We sat together at the dinner table, Sweetheart's potatoes, my homemade dill pickles, hot ham and cheese paninis that The Baby and I made together, and joined hands. Together we sang Bo's chorus, the girls proudly declaring each word:

"Breathe out, breathe in and be filled.
Breathe out, breathe in and be filled.
Breathe out, breathe in and be filled with the Spirit of God."

And the singing just kept on all through the night. Earlier in the week, I had shown The Baby this video of The Cactus Cuties performing the National Anthem, and she was riveted. She sings constantly already, but this spurred her on even more.

So at the dinner table, she treated us to her own rendition of Amazing Grace. Five times. And then again after dinner as Bo played along on Monet's electric guitar and The Baby stood on the arm of the loveseat, arms spread wide, head thrown back, eyes closed and eyebrows raised, belting it out. SANGin' it, I tell you.

And still the singing didn't stop. Bo started playing riffs from Men at Work, and then it progressed to other 80's songs, and I just couldn't help it. I had to pull out the iPod Touch and look up lyrics, singing along to "You're the Biggest Part of Me" and "The Breakup Song" and "I Won't Hold You Back Now." Bo even talked me into singing "Brass in Pocket" by The Pretenders because he's pretty convinced that I sound like Chrissie Hynde when I sing. Why couldn't he think I sound like Karin Bergquist? She has an Ohio song, too, you know.

We even got into some of the one-hit-wonders, like Sheriff's "When I'm with You" and The Call's "I Still Believe" and Eric Carmen's "Change of Heart." And we couldn't let the night go by without singing "She Blinded Me with Science."

And then, after midnight rolled around, it was time for bed for the girls. Bo and I surfed over to Hulu and watched Jim and Pam's wedding, which had to be one of The Best Office episodes ever. I've watched that YouTube video of the incredibly fun wedding processional over and over, and I've cried every time I've watched the bride dance down the aisle. Kudos to The Office writers for working this into the show.

And now Bo is snoring, and I'm sitting here filled up and joyful. And tired.

Hey. Go dance and sing a little bit. It's good for you.

::: now my feet won't touch the ground :::

The weekend was a beautiful one; visits with loved ones, hugs from nieces and nephews, lots of music and dancing and laughing, and a beautiful bride and a handsome groom.

My little sister, who is actually Bo's little sister, who often comments on this blog as Lil Sis, married her sweetheart, Bishop, on Saturday. The outdoor wedding was blessed with a beautiful day, a group of loving people in attendance, Bo and his brother playing Coldplay's "Now My Feet Won't Touch the Ground" on lap dulcimer and guitar, and a whole host of laughing (and, occasionally, crying) children. At one point, the sing-songy serenade of the ice cream truck floated through the park, children and adults flocking to get a cool, sweet treat.

It was such an honor to be a part of Lil Sis's wedding, to do one of the things that I love best, which is to snap photos here and there and take a bit of video. Every time I would point my camera at Lil Sis, that funny little five-year-old girl peeked through her veil, reminding me just how quickly life skitters by.

Lil Sis's groom is so patient and enduring, with a great sense of humor and a no-nonsense approach to relationships. He tells it like it is without being demeaning or angry, and I appreciate that so much about him, about that man who doesn't let the wool be pulled over his eyes and continues to state what he believes. "You have ideals," his new father-in-law said, and it seems that it's true.

The two of them are iron sharpening iron, and they, along with Lil Sis's little girl RJ, are going to do amazing things as a family.

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?

One of my little side hobbies is to do videography for weddings. While I'm at the event, I just can't help snapping a few stills, though the bride always has an awesome photographer of her own.
This evening, I took some shots at the rehearsal dinner in preparation for tomorrow's wedding. What a beautiful couple who chose a beautiful setting, the tree farm of a family friend. Mary's parents will play a lap dulcimer piece and part of Whitman's Song of the Open Road will be read during the ceremony.

Mon enfant! I give you my hand!

I give you my love, more precious than money,

I give you myself, before preaching or law;

Will you give me yourself?

Will you come travel with me?

Shall we stick by each other

as long as we live?