Some Kind of Wonderful

For me, summer is defined by flip flops and The Drifters. This might be my very favorite Drifters song -- at any rate, it's the one my Mom and I always find ourselves dancing to in her kitchen. :)




All you have to do is touch my hand
To show me you understand
And something happens to me
That's some kind of wonderful
At any time my little world seems blue
I just have to look at you
And everything seems to be
Some kind of wonderful

I know I can't express
This feeling of tenderness
There's so much I wanna say
But the right words just don't come my way
I just know when I'm in your embrace
This world is a happy place
And something happens to me
There's some kind of wonderful

I know I can't express
This feeling of tenderness
There's so much I wanna say
But the right words just don't come my way
I just know when I'm in your embrace
This world is a happy place
And something happens to me
There's some kind of wonderful

Some kind of sweet lips
Some kind of warm eyes
Some kind of soft sigh
There's only some kind of wonderful

Teeny Weeny Bikey Lady

Today, while driving home on the interstate, a biker pulled up behind me.  Actually, it was a verrrrry teeeeny tiny woman driving a big ol' motorcycle.  She was so petite that her helmeted head was at least twice as large as the rest of her.  I was captivated.  I couldn't stop watching her.  At one point, she stretched a denim-clad leg and the image of a chicken bone popped into my head :)  Haha!

What a teeny, tiny, brave beast of a woman!  And -- this is the best thing about teeny weeny bikey lady -- she used her blinkers EVERY time :) 

I'm lovin' it. 

Today

the room was hot.
people dressed formally, as befitting a funeral.
strangely ironic
considering his warmth and informality.
(He would have been wearing a Notre Dame golf shirt, maybe, and shorts.)

Puffy eyes.
Smiles through tears.
Crumpled tissues -- a purse full.
Notre Dame colors everywhere (his favorite).

A powerful service.

Four sons, grieving.

speaking lovingly of their father

and his love for the Father.

(He couldn't have asked for a better legacy.)

His beautiful, peaceful Marie. 

So small to be surrounded by so many hundreds of mourners.
Her quietcalmbeauty
anchoring us.

I remembered how he shouted into the microphone that she
-- his dainty, modest, gentle wife --
was "Smokin' HOT!"
at the church Christmas dance.
(He loved her unabashedly.
Loudly, exuberantly, ridiculously, proudly.)

And my favorite part of today
-- the slideshow of his life --
because in it,
at the very end,
I heard him laughing.
laughinglaughinglaughing
as only Rick could laugh.

Loudly, exuberantly, ridiculously, proudly.
(He was a great one for laughing.)

What I'm Learning

"The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not--Do your duty, but--Do what is not your duty. It is not your duty to go the second mile, to turn the other cheek, but Jesus says if we are His disciples we shall always do these things. There will be no spirit of--"Oh, well, I cannot do any more, I have been so misrepresented and misunderstood". . . Never look for right in the other man, but never cease to be right yourself. We are always looking for justice; the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is--Never look for justice, but never cease to live it."
— Oswald Chambers

Love Grown Greater

"The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places.
But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now
mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater."
— J.R.R. Tolkien

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
— J.R.R. Tolkien (The Fellowship of the Ring)

May 14th, 2011. Rick Velilla

Sharing goofy times at Christmas with our family combo shirts ("Velini") that Rick created.

Fourth of July fun

The Two Padres of Power

Rick takes a bow for the fireworks display :)

Rick teaches niece F to ride a bike for the first time...

Rick and sister A

Love this one -- trying to get a pic with Rick and Marie, but niece F stops eating Doritos long enough to sneak into the pic without us noticing at first! Hahahaha

One Christmas, Rick wrote us all letters and then read them out loud.  He was amazing at communicating his feelings -- he left nothing unsaid.  No regrets :)

Rick and sister B laughing it up :)

Knuckles!!  (inside joke)

The Velilla and Marini Families -- Goofy and Fabulous.

"Every man dies -- not every man really lives." -- William Ross Wallace

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10

For you, Rick, there'll be no crying.
For you, Rick, the Son will be shining...

We love you, Rico.

ahh, commencement season

The purpose of a liberal education is to make you philosophical enough to accept the fact that you will never make much money.  ~Author Unknown

Me Mouf's on Fie-yah!

My friend S is cooking through the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook (apparently, I need to get this cookbook because every time she blogs about a recipe, my mouth waters)!  The other week, my friend used an awesome, easy recipe for one of my favorite foods in the WORLD: pico de gallo!

I got the ingredients and made it tonight, as per the PWC recipe, and I gotta say -- I think using 3 peppers is toooooo much for my mouth, because it is on FIRE right now and I had to stop and drink my weight in water to overcome the heat.  But the recipe is amazingly easy and I'll definitely be making this again. Sans two of the peppers, of course.

Fresh pico = summer.  Lovin' it.