hsb 2012

I have so much to catch you up on and so little time these days that I think I will let Instagram do most of the talking for me.  But first of all, Luci is doing very well.  She has good days and some not as good days (those are usually the days involving doctor's visits, like later today).  She has been so strong.  There have been so many moments when I can just see her inner beauty and light shining through so brightly.  And little Birdie too.  She has not been jealous of the gifts and attention that Lucia has received, and she's so happy to help Lucia in any way she can.  The other day I thanked her for being so strong and kind and helpful to her sister, and she said "Yah, it's kind of like I'm the big sister!"

Believe it or not, Lucia really wanted to go to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass on Friday.  She really likes a few Elvis Costello songs, and well, it's just tradition to go there every year.  So we did.  Very happily, we had Kiva and Michael along and both girls in the (single) Bob stroller.  Pete met us there when he got off work and we had a great time.

Then on Saturday she wanted to go again!  "It's the best place to listen to music EVER, Mama!"  How could I deny her?  And I was so wanting to see the Head and the Heart and they were oh-so-very-very-good.  We met our friends Sandra & Michael and their three children and it was another beautiful day, music-, friendship- and weather-wise.  Papa Peter helped me to get the girls to the park and then he went off to the Giant's game.  We had a really good time, although there certainly were moments when I questioned my sanity in taking that stroller + crutches + 2 girls, 1 injured in the midst of those thousands and thousands and thousands of people.  We made it work.

The next day, I had the immense pleasure of going to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass child-free, Mamas only.  Marlis, Alma-Lu's preschool teacher, picked me up (my feet were SO grateful after having walked there and back two days in a row pushing a heavy stroller!) and we met Marilyn and had such a fun time, talking, drinking wine, and listening to music - Dwight Yokam and Patti Smith.  (We even got some shopping in, but that's a different, forthcoming post.)  Then I struck out on my own over to the Rooster stage because I wanted a really good, up-close spot to see The Civil Wars who've been one of my favorite bands (can you really call them a band?) since I discovered them on Spotify a year or so ago.  It's just two people, one guitar, so I wanted to be really close and hear and feel the music.  It was  just amazing, just gorgeous.  Beautiful, beautiful.  Aaaaaaah, I needed that.

And so closes another year of HSB.  I love how it's become a family tradition for us and I have so many wonderful memories of being there with friends and family.  I can remember being there with Lucia and Uncle Ross years ago on a Friday afternoon when Lucia was just one year old.  And one of my favorite memories of holding Lucia and dancing with her when she was two and Alma-Lu was in my belly.  I'm so glad we went this year, despite everything, and I look forward to next year, when Lucia's injury will be also be a memory.  She is such a trooper.  She just amazes me.

Thank you Warren Hellman.  R.I.P.