A Toast to Amy and Lukas

We enjoyed having all of our offspring together in one place over the course of an extended weekend.

As usual, the family gathering included some Bridge games.  There were also several meals.

On Saturday evening, we celebrated big news, the engagement of Amy and Lukas!

They've been together for nine years  ---- could it really be that long? --- or as Julie's brother John replied when he heard the news, "It's about time."

Lukas is a smart, polite young man who works hard as an engineer  at an emerging battery storage conpany and also takes on construction projects at home.  His biggest passion is Bundesliga Futbol, or as we call it, soccer.

In the morning, I chopped potatoes and carrots to go into a vegan, gluten-free faux chicken pie --- sans chicken or crust --- that Julie made in Gina's crockpot, using a recipe she found somewhere.  Julie put lots of love into shopping for and mixing together the ingredients.  She also baked some sweet potatoes on the side.

While we waited for Jay, Sasha and JoJo to rent their Volvo sedan at their arrival airport in New York and pick up Amy and Lukas in Jersey City, I had played my guitar in the backyard on the cool but sunny and glorious morning awaiting their arrival.  

Ten minutes before they arrived, the clouds seemed to roll in and it turned into a blustery day.  Nonetheless,  after lunch we headed out for a walk along with Gina, Laszlo and Emma around the neighborhood to appreciate the autumn leaves which continue to fall quite regularly but persist in being lovely in unique ways.

The next morning we had another very special treat, as Jay, Sasha, Amy and Emma joined us on a walk to church, where we all attended the service squeezed into one pew.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we have much to be thankful for.