What is luckier than 7? 7/7!

Twenty-eight years ago today my beautiful daughter was born.
Twenty-eight years ago.
Where do the years go?   
I was almost twenty-five when I had her. 
I wanted a girl so bad I couldn't stand it.  In the end, it seemed like I was carrying a basketball and I thought
"o.k., just give me a baby."
And it was a girl.
She was my little doll.
I played with her.
Dressed her.
She went everywhere with me from the time she was born.
She went to my exercise class with me and sat there, watching us, exercise.
In her "punkin" seat.

From the time she was twelve, she knew she wanted to be a lawyer. 
Her class had a "kangaroo court" in the local courthouse.
(I wasn't there.)
In excitement and anticipation, she threw-up on the courthouse steps.

"Laura, do you want to go in?"
"Do you want to proceed?"
She gulped and nodded.
(Her teacher told me, later.)
I wasn't there, but I was told that you would have thought she was a real prosecuting attorney that day.

When it came time to complete her under-grad, she was so driven that she did it in three years.  Many students take five years these days. 
Despite a Lilly Scholarship, she pushed and finished as fast as possible.  She still had three years of law school ahead of her.
When she took the bar, it was insane.  It made history.  In the first time of the electronic bar, results were lost.  We were told there was back-up upon back-up, but it was beyond un-nerving. 
She passed.

Today, she is a powerful attorney in Washington, D.C. 
To say I am proud of her is beyond description.

I like to say
"my daughter, the lawyer."
in my best Jewish mama imitation voice. 
I make jokes that someday I'll have a bumper-sticker across the back of my bumper on my car that reads
"don't even think about hitting me-my daughter is a high-power attorney and we will sue you beyond anything in your wildest imagination."

The first thing she did when she went to work was to buy me a set of dishes.
She has taken me to the Kennedy Center and to a fancy french restaurant.
Complete with a ride in a fancy limo.

For this Hoosier Mama, it was something out of a fairy-tale. 

She is my girl. 
She was born on 7/7 and that makes her double-lucky.
And double loved.

Post post: Holiday dinner on the deck

I was so tired last night when I posted that I spaced uploading these pics.  For our holiday dinner with John & Kathy, we had fresh corn on the cob that Doug bought at the farmer's market.  Doug bought these massively huge butterfly chops that he marinated in sesame-ginger and cooked on the grill.  The chops were about an inch and a quarter high and just melt in your mouth delicious.  I tore lettuce, chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, celery and carrots and we had feta cheese and raspberry vinaigrette.

Kathy, John & Doug on the deck.
Check out my honkin' huge salad!

 I've been doing no sugar, no flour for three months now and this is the first cake I've had.  It was "fairly healthy,"  a yellow cake that I iced with fat free cool whip and mixed in crushed pineapple, then topped with berries.  When I served it I sang "God Bless America," Kate Smith style.

Holiday cake

We were all so full after dinner that we had to wait a couple of hours until we ate our cake.  I did a lot of yard work and we hiked on Sunday.  This a.m., I was up two pounds and not too disappointed by that.  Believe me folks, it could have been worse!

POP!

Technically, we celebrated the 4th last weekend and this weekend.  Doug secured a couple of table seats for us at the Picnic with the Pops last Saturday night.  For years, my children and I attended Symphony on the Prairie, but this was my first time to attend the pops  here in Bloomington. It was a great show.

"Color guard present!"

overhead

The gal on the right has a voice just like Diana Ross!

I.U. Hoosier Singers

Is there anything more lovely than an illuminated concert shell?

 Friday night after work I went out with a few of the gals from work to celebrate one of our student interns getting a job (not only getting a job, but one in her field)!  Then a couple of them came back to the house  and we had a campfire.
Saturday, Doug and I worked all day in the yard.  My son stopped by and said "you are dirty."  I was filthy.  We made plans to meet at a local brew pub at eight o'clock.  It was a welcome relief.  Doug and I each had salads and we shared a sandwich and fries. 
On Sunday, our friends, John and Kathy, from my hometown came down to visit.  We hiked the bluffs, Doug made some amazing pork chops on the grill.  We also had corn and salads and I made a celebratory cake (forgot to upload the photo, will try to do that...) and then we saw some fireworks. 
This morning Doug made fritatta for breakfast and John and Kathy headed north.  Doug went to work for a couple of hours, I took a little nap and then I did a some chores and yard work.  Just dead-heading flowers and watering everything is relaxing, to me.
Chelsea must have gotten too much attention this weekend because she was very needy this evening. 
How did you spend your 4th?  I sure hope it was a bang-up time!
**Am I the only one who is having a frustrating time with blogger this evening?  Painfully slow to do anything and I can't get it to pull out extra space.**