Joy exploded like a fireworks encore when we all finally got together to celebrate the marriage of our son Charlie and daughter in-law Tara. Patience, planning and expert production resulted in this cool juxtaposition of a gorgeous pastoral ceremony and an elegant, hopping dance floor that throbbed with memories and fun. We were all so [...]
I’m not sure what Neal Rabas wrote in the note he passed to his eighth-grade crush, but it must have been pretty good because she’s still smiling today. In fact, Neal and Amy Rabas, two of the smiliest people I know, will celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary in November. They have two grown children, Evan, [...]
The 13th time the judge summoned Natalie to appear before him, he presided over her wedding. Their road to that gorgeous fall day in 2021, though, wound through some dark places, including jail, prison, rehabilitation centers and hospitals. Prior to finding her way to sobriety, Natalie overdosed 11 times. The same judge who presided at [...]
Nearly 30 years after he first held the tiniest baby either of us had ever seen, my husband Vince got to preside over her wedding. The ceremony, which took place on a perfect Friday evening, celebrated life, love, laughter, family and parenting in all its forms -- step parents, birth parents, grandparents, godparents, foster parents, [...]
In this Willy Wonka world, it's nice to find a Charlie Bucket every now and then. We spent the weekend with ours. Visits with our adult kids always feel like golden tickets to us anyway, and this one was an even rosier gold because it brought our family a lovely new member. We had planned [...]