We were all exhausted today!!! Yesterday had been an unbelievably beautiful day...in all aspects. Eileen had been a gorgeous bride, Dave a handsome groom, Teddy a darling ring man, and Nina a most precious flower girl! Eileen and Dave had given us the most astounding gift ever! For the rest of our lives, we would be grateful. Because of their fervent love for us and their generous hearts we got see our honey-girl smile with pure delight!
Now...today...we were all feeling the aftermath of the great party. We slept in, lounged around. Our friends Kyle and Ellie had been in town for another wedding and dropped by. Teddy adores Kyle and it was wonderful that they could spend a little time together. I watched my brother as he attentively cared for Nina and his "Preggers" wife, as he affectionately calls her...not sure Michelle completely loves that term of endearment :) I find it better than what my friend Danny called me when I was pregnant with Nina..."Pooch"! Who in their right mind calls a pregnant woman that??? Only my dear friend Danny...and he is still so proud of himself :)
After breakfast, Eileen took Dave to the airport and then went to her bridal shower with friends from Santa Barbara. Then came the moment I had feared most...Adelae leaving. I had woken up with a terrible sense of dread! Reality was sweeter for us since Addie had come into town. Now, she was leaving and I worried about how Nina would respond, how Teddy would respond, how I would respond!! Well...there was lots of fanfare and the kids definitely let Adelae know they loved her and were going to miss her. At one point, they both latched onto her legs and said they were refusing to let her go. Eventually, they hugged her one more time and said goodbye. Then Nina went into her bedroom. I followed her. Her lip quivered. I asked her what was wrong and she told me, "I miss Adelae!" I hugged her and she let me hold her for a long time. I told her I was sad too and that it was okay. We then climbed into her bed and turned on iCarly!
As soon as Nina was settled, I raced outside. Bruno and Michelle were still loading a few things into the car. I ran up to Addie and hugged her tightly. I did not want to let go for so many different reasons!!! But alas, I had to. I enveloped her perfect face with my hands and told her she was a miracle sent to us by God above and that we loved her with all of our hearts!! I then told her I was forever grateful for the love she had shown Nina during her visit and that I promised I would spend the rest of my life thanking her. As I said these words, tears welled in Addie's eyes. She knew I meant every word!! I kissed her one last time and then let her climb into the car. I waved goodbye at her and at my brother and sweet sister-in-law.
I then felt it!! I walked into the house and checked on Nina. She was napping. I grabbed the car keys and without saying a word to anyone drove off. I pulled out of our complex before I was overcome by sadness! My precious 11-year old niece had blessed us so deeply and now she was gone. My heart ached!! As adults we tell ourselves we are the ones that take care of and teach our children. This week, Addie had taken care of me and taught me to love without limitations, to not give into fear, and most of all to bless others without expecting anything in return! Precious Adelae, I thank God for you constantly!!
I drove for a long time then decided since I was already driving I might as well drive downtown and pick up some new clothes for Nina. Since starting the steroids she had put on almost 10 pounds and had outgrown most of her clothes. I went to a children's store and stocked up on leggings and lose cotton shirts so that she could be cozy and comfortable. As I was leaving the store back to the parking garage, I passed by a t-shirt souvenir shop and found Todd's birthday gift!! It was a t-shirt with George Costanza on it. I had seen students at UCSB with this t-shirt before and had known that Todd would love it but none of the little punks ever seemed to know where they had purchased it! Now I had found it and knew Todd would get a kick out of it! As always, when I'm down...God throws me a little something to help me get back up. This time it was George...almost in the buff...and boy did it ever help me back up!!! Hysterics all the way back to the car!
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