babies, dreamers and happy tears

look at those babies...

this photo was taken nearly 10 years ago

at the cbc christmas banquet.  

gary and i dressed up western style

because we like it spicey 

and because we've never really liked to dress up fancy.  

the frame was made and given to us 

by our dear friends barb and greg klassen

(in the photo with us),

christmas time 2004.

please note the impecable craftsmanship

(especially what's going on in that top left corner).

smile

...

we went to school with these two.

specifically, i shared a bathroom with barb my first year of bible college

(that was more than 10 years ago)

and have loved her ever since.

we got to watch greg from a fruit farm in california

 and barb from the prairies 

fall in love. 

we missed their wedding (one of my only regrets in life), 

but we have been around to see so so so much.

 we watched them dream and laugh and risk it...

we got to  believe in them as they completely changed vocations and 

moved to california to go to woodworking school.

we got to be there to laugh over the hundreds of jobs barb took in order to make it work.

we got to see them put it out there at the farmers markets and holiday shows.

we have bought each other big big things of cheese 

because cheese in fridge makes us feel like things are going to be ok.  

 barb and greg even lived with us the summer before both of them studied art in sweden.

it was so much fun

and i truly believe one of their beautiful daughters was conceived in our basement.

vermont-shmermont.

anyway, i could go on.  

i could say a million lovely things about these two.

...

i got an email from greg today (and sorry greg, i just have to)

with this simple note:

Hey Carleigh, I'm not famous or rich, 

but I am about to be a movie star.

and there was a link to this video.

i'd be lying if i said i didn't shed a couple

happy tears.

what a journey, 

and what a blessing to be apart of it.

...

for my 30th birthday,

my sweet husband gifted me with a pair of greg's bird lamps.

they are probably some of my most favorite things.

i like them almost almost as much as i like the picture frame!

see greg's website here

and his online store here.