Adventures in Dental Surgery...Chicago style.

This is a pre-op photo that Mary and I took of ourselves outside of her oral surgeons early Thursday morning. Mary scheduled herself to have her wisdom teeth extracted and needed a nurse/driver and because I was worried about finding parking in this big busy city, we arrived 90 minutes early to park about 20 feet from her doctors door.
So plenty of time for selfies and Starbucks before her appointment. 

Mary's doctor was across the street from a tattoo/piercing parlor... so glad that it was closed on a Thursday morning or this mom might have gotten impulsive and ran across the street to get some ink and studs...or something- while Mary was under.

Later, when I told her this, she mentioned that both of her doctors were next door to tattoo/ piercing parlors.
Yep... same here.

Her surgery went smoothly there were no problems, Mary's wisdom teeth are now long gone and she will never again have to have those choppers extracted. 

Thats the happy news. 

The bummer news is that having four impacted wisdoms is tough, but if it has to be done, I can recommend a 23rd floor recovery room... plenty of ice, a Shake Shack around the corner for delicious milkshakes and  plenty of HGTV to watch in bed.

And since Mary's recovery required a lot of sleep, and the day was gorgeous... I went for a long walk to see the city and get my steps. And I can see why Mary is entirely in love with this place...the city is gorgeous, and has a wonderful and energetic hum to it, just like our Mary.

Happy Confirmation Day!

It has been a month of milestones met and new beginnings for this kid...and I love that she looks pleased as she marches to the front of the church to accept her confirmation and become an official member of our church.

Lily and her confirmation classmates have been meeting weekly with wonderful teachers for two years to prepare for this day...they were ready.

The five newest Presbyterians on the block and were both charged seriously and welcomed warmly by the leaders and members of Knox Church.

They were reminded that when they were very young, their parents made all decisions for them, such as their baptism, but as confirmands, they were old enough to make some very important decisions on their own.

They were old enough to help in the leadership of the church, and to help make thoughtful decisions for Knox. 

Here, Pastor Adam delivers the charge and reminds Lilly and her four friends of their new responsibilities.

(Adam also managed to sneak in a reminder about helping their parents out at  home, which was cool, kind of sneaky, and very much appreciated.)

And here is our girl after the service, looking all cute and churchy with her brand new bible. 

And no church celebration would be complete without brunch and a chocolate cake... and a Grandpa photobomb. 

Fourteen years ago Karl and I were very wise in asking Jessica Depp to be Lily's godmother. 

She and Lily are very similar in so many ways... she "gets" Lily and they have had many adventures together over the years. Here, Godmother and daughter strike a post brunch party pose to mark the special day. 

Thank you Jessica for being there for our girl and Happy Confirmation Day to both you and Lilly!

Happy Happy Birthday Dear Mary!

Twenty years ago today I received the most wonderful Mothers Day gift ever when this kid was born.
And since it's her birthday and she is way far away in a big and windy city, (and I'm not)
I am going to brag about her just a little bit.
I'm very proud of this young woman for many reasons... she is kind and smart and funny, and very, very organized.
I find myself trying to channel my girl whenever I'm faced with a something big and messy...my pantry or something far more complicated.
My Mary voice advice says stuff like...
"break it down, do one thing at a time, and work on it until it's finished." 
Which is a very good way to accomplish most things.
And even though she is a super sensible girl, she is also kind of nutty in the very best way.
My kid, who just yesterday was a teenager, has grown into a lovely young woman who is both extremely capable and extremely goofy.
Which is a pretty awesome combination of humanity.

Happy Birthday Dear Mary,
Wishing you all of life's blessings as you leave your teenage years behind you and launch into your 2nd decade.
Shine on chica- love you lots!