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~ Recipe: Observe, think, and feel. Then create.

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Tag Archives: lucy aaker

Another New Year: Looking Back

02 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by sillisoup in Family, Random Thoughts

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

frances aaker, henry aaker, lucy aaker

IMG_2155It’s January 2, and I’m posting my New Year’s reflections.  I’d like to say I’m writing on the second to avoid the day one rush or the cliche of all those New Year’s resolutions on the first day, but really, I was just procrastinating.  This certainly leaves an opening for my first resolution, but I think I’ll just side-step that one.  Must be realistic. I’m really more interested in looking back on 2012 than in planning for 2013, which is not to say that I won’t attempt both.

Yesterday I spent some time reviewing my previous blog posts.  I started Sausage Soup a little over a year ago, actually on October 31, 2011, the anniversary of my Mother’s birth.  At the time I started the blog, the idea was that it would be a forum for cooking and other creativity for my extended family.  Rebecca and I first then other family members had talked with much enthusiasm about the concept and after some time and study (see comments about procrastination in paragraph one), I got it up and running.  Since its inception, Sausage Soup has seen just one posting from someone other than me.  So, I think perhaps the group blogging concept is flawed, at least in this instance.  I think perhaps individuals have their own priorities.  Perhaps blogging by nature is a personal rather than a group endeavor.  Maybe it was a marketing failure on my part.  It doesn’t really matter.  I’m enjoying the opportunity for personal reflection that blogging offers, so the evolution of Sausage Soup is really rather lovely.  A blog is a living thing.  It is what it continues to become.  If the others wish to contribute, they are welcome.  If not, I’ll carry on with my own rather intermittent postings.  I’m not very good about the self-discipline required for developing habits, but I’d really like to be more consistent in posting. (OOPS!  Was that a New Year’s Resolution slipping out?)  I really do live more consciously and reflectively when I’m planning to write. (See this post.)

There were so many significant happenings in my life in 2012;  some I wrote about, some I didn’t.  For my own record, I list a few of the latter below in no particular order.

  • My friend of over 30 years, Laurel Rold, died of ovarian cancer on December 5.  She was just 64 years old.  Our children grew up together.  Laurel was a force of nature – strong, passionate, bright, witty, outspoken, honest.  Her loss is overwhelming to those of us who were fortunate to have her in our lives.
  • I took a trip in August with Corinne Smith and Ann and Wal Wallis.  We flew into Budapest, Hungary, and spent several days there before boarding a river boat for a cruise down the Danube to Prague with visits to several countries in between.  It was a wonderful experience, and I plan to share pictures from the trip (of course!).  The problem is that I am attempting to process my pictures using the Adobe Lightroom program.  This means I’m trying to learn the program while editing the images from the trip – and it’s taking far too long!  However, I’m determined to make it work in spite of the absurd delay in the final editing project.
  • I began volunteering for the Boys and Girls Club assisting with after-school homework and (primarily) teaching cooking classes.  It’s really great fun and I’m becoming very popular because the kids love to cook and eat and share their creations.
  • I took an Art History course at Ivy Tech.  I learned a lot about early art – an area of weakness in my education since I usually avoid all that at museums in favor of more recent work.  I also learned that I need to audit classes in order to avoid things like tests and papers.  I’ve already written enough papers in my education and career, and I’m retired now!  I also audited a Basic Photography course – I took the course many years ago for credit, but wanted to learn more about Lightroom.
  • My colleagues and friends Mary Jo Dentino and Mike Petty retired from Ivy Tech.  Their official retirement dates are this month.  Mary Jo was the Dean of the School of Business and Mike was Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.  Mike hired me 26 years ago and was my boss throughout my years at Ivy Tech.  I learned a lot from Mike.  Mary Jo’s career spanned the years I was there and evolved from adjunct faculty to School Dean.  She has been colleague, mentor, and friend and will continue to be the latter.  I mention these retirements both because of my personal interest and because I consider this to be the end of an era at Ivy Tech.  Both of these individuals grew the College and grew with the College.  It’s a very different place now than when all of us began there.  Mike and Mary Jo made extremely significant contributions to the College.  Their contributions will remain even as they move on.
  • Tom Ferrari, husband of my friend and colleague Constance, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure.  There is no cure, but Tom is receiving treatment to prolong the length and quality of his life.  It has been a rare and touching experience watching these two people face and plan their present and future with such courage and love.
  • I’ve blogged here extensively about Rachel’s marriage in June to Bret Aaker.  I think, though, that my acquisition of three grand children by virtue of that marriage deserves its own  mention.  Henry (12), and twins Lucy and Frannie (8) are such a joy in all of our lives!  In fact, I’ll end this post today with pictures of them.
Lucy and Frannie at the Albuquerque Museum.

Lucy and Frannie at the Albuquerque Museum.

Henry at the Albuquerque Museum

Henry at the Albuquerque Museum

Lucy at Albuquerque Museum

Lucy at Albuquerque Museum

Wedding Season – Part 1

19 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by sillisoup in Art and Creativity, Family, Food, Lore, Weddings

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Amanda Harris, amanda harris willis, bret aaker, emily gibson, frances aaker, henry aaker, jeanne silliman, jedd willis, lucy aaker, Madeline Harris, rachel silliman aaker, rebecca silliman

Amanda and Jedd Willis
– photo by Erin McCracken

My family’s Wedding Season, as my sister Madeline has dubbed it,  is over, and the confetti is settling.  Amanda Harris (my niece) and Jedd Willis were married on May 26, and Rachel Silliman (my daughter) and Bret Aaker on June 30.  The weddings, like the couples, were very different; but both unions were sources of great happiness for the brides and grooms and for those of us who love them.  I have so much to say about Wedding Season that I’ll have to do it in installments.  This is Part One.  And let me just say that my musings will not necessarily be in chronological order.  On something this big, I find that a more stream of consciousness approach works much better.

The first “official” photo of newlyweds Rachel Silliman Aaker and Bret Aaker from the wedding photographer

Rachel and Bret’s Wedding
One thing I’ve learned as I contemplated writing about the week of my daughter’s wedding is that it’s difficult for me to blog without photographs.  My role as mother of the bride, or as we call it, MOB, limited my ability to walk around shooting pictures of everything.  In retrospect, I wish I had photographed more of the casual moments when no one would have cared that I was poking a camera into her face.  Ah, well, the lifelong list of lost photo ops is long.  I did take some.  As we go along, I’ll illustrate with those taken by others and  with the ones I did take.

The wedding party as depicted by flower-girl daughter Lucy Aaker, age 7

The wedding party as depicted by daughter and flower girl Frances Aaker, age 7

So, the wedding.  First of all, in my mind I’m calling it our Big Fat American Wedding.  Not original, I know, but the description definitely gives you the flavor of  its social complexity.  But first some general statements:

  • After a year of planning, the wedding event was beautiful, happy, and as flawless as these things can be.
  • In spite of all surrounding chaos before, during, and in the aftermath of the wedding, Rachel and Bret were the sanest, calmest bride and groom I’ve ever seen .
  • Many people contribute to the success of such an event and, more importantly, such a union.

Frannie and Lucy Aaker strewing petals along the bridal path
– photo by Amanda Harris Willis

By way of follow-up to my earlier post about the dresses I made for Frannie and Lucy,  here’s Amanda’s picture of the girls as they led the wedding procession.

Since the MOB role prevented me from taking photos during the ceremony, I’ll refer you for now to the wonderful images posted by Rachel’s cousin Emily Gibson on her flickr account.  Her video of the dancing is especially appealing and features the children, the flower-girl dresses, and the bride and groom (not necessarily in order of importance). And here’s her image of the ceremony with the bride’s sister Rebecca officiating and Bret’s son, Henry serving as best man.

More to come on Wedding Season…. I warned you about the randomness.

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