Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Ashley and I spent last weekend back in Atlanta for a couple of major events in our families: my sister's wedding and our niece's second birthday party. They were every bit the festive family affairs you might expect, and they've left me more cognizant of my age (in a good way) than I've ever been before. Seeing your only sibling starting a new family or your in-laws adjusting to being grandparents tends to focus your thoughts on your own place within the families of which you're a part. For me, that place is one of transition, awkwardly caught between the changes of my own family, of the family I've married into, and of the family Ashley and I are in the process of creating. It's like giving birth and being born all at once, and it's every bit as disorienting, frightening, and exhilirating as that implies.

For this past weekend, though, it was a time of happiness, of wistful remembrance and hopeful expectation. A time of celebration. My sister married a wonderful guy, and my niece turned two: the beginnings of two lives full of promise and potential. I am looking forward to being a part of those lives, and to having them be a part of mine. Congratulations Carrie and Marc, and Happy Birthday Autumn!


See pictures from Carrie and Marc's wedding here...



...or pictures from Autumn's birthday party here.