The Blessing

Last Sunday, a day fittingly matched with blue skies, white clouds, and a shining sun, Valencia was blessed at the local LDS chapel.  Encircled by the priesthood, and witnessed by many friends and loved ones (and many more of you who were there in spirit), she was given a name and a blessing.  While I won't go into too much detail about the blessing, I can tell you that it focused on our daughter's name.  The naming and blessing were not compartmentalized, as they often are.  Instead, they were intentionally intertwined, given the natural harmony between the two.

Valencia comes from the latin word "valentia", which means power.  It shares the same root as the word "valor" and "valiant", all tying into the theme of strength, bravery, and courage.  Valencia was blessed to possess these traits throughout her life.

Soleil is the French word for sun.  Besides sounding pretty and having a complimentary rhythm to the first name, Soleil is ripe with symbolism, from light to warmth to the Savior of the world.  Christ said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt 5:16).  Valencia Soleil was blessed to be a light unto the world.

Olsen is the Danish version of the name Olson, which literally means "son of Ole." Ole is the Danish version of the name Olaf, which is derived from the Old Norse name meaning "ancestor's decedent." Our daughter's name carries with it a legacy of many brave and notable relatives and ancestors that have come before her: farmers and pioneers, temple presidents and railroad workers, and yes, a lawyer or two.  Though physically she was surrounded by only a few of them on that day, Valencia Soleil Olsen was blessed with an innumerable sum of loving family members to whom she can rely upon for love and encouragement throughout eternity.

It was a beautiful day.  Thank you to all of you who came to the service, especially those of you who traveled from out of town.  And an extra big shout-out to my mother.  I can't express how happy we were to have Grandma Cozy in town for the event.  She was such a blessing to us throughout her stay, and I know she cherished every moment she had with her newest granddaughter, our Sunshine Angel.

A beautiful spread, prepared by Norma and Celeste

Valencia with Uncle Dolph aka "The Godfather"

Maddie and Vali

Winding down after a long day of church and friends.

Cozy, Jack, Vali, and Les

A Turkey Day for the Ages

Ever since moving to North Carolina, Jackson and I have enjoyed Thanksgiving in the comfort of a Southern home. Our first year out here we enjoyed an elegant meal with practical strangers in the beautiful coastal city of Wilmington. After that we spent a magical break in Florida with wonderful family and 80 degree weather. Last year we were lucky enough to enjoy some truly southern cuisine with the Crews family. This year, for the first time ever, we hosted Thankgiving in our very own Southern home!

Our first Thanksgiving with the pup!

We were fortunate to spend the day in great company. Gabe and Ellen Bush came down from DC to spend the weekend with us. (Disclaimer, most of the pictures on this post are stolen from their blog... thanks, Ellen!) And some new friends - Angelique and John Paul joined us as well.

The boys enjoyed a Turkey Bowl, while us ladies enjoyed a wonderful walk and baked some goods in the kitchen. The end result was pleasantly asthetic and delicious!

The turkey was moist, the pies were divine and the sides were amazing. Ellen made delicious rolls, mashed potatoes and lemon merengue pie. Angelique and Paul made amazing sweet potatoes and cute cranberry sauce. I was pretty impressed that the turkey was deliciously moist and the place settings were so cute!

 What a manly man!

 

Cute dinner table!

I'm not going to brag (ok, I am...), but I have the best husband ever. He really made sure things were organized, delegated and prepared and made the day relatively stress-free for us all! And he sure carved the heck out of our turkey!

We spent the rest of the weekend showing the Bush's around the Triangle. We took them to Duke and Durham and we spend a day around Wake Forest and enjoyed the driving range! We even took them up to good ol' Henderson so that they could get a taste of where we work. A good time was had by all!!

Duke Chapel with the Bush's

Enjoying Wake Forest and the driving range

 

Only special visitors are taken to this gem of a landmark in Henderson... Keep it classy!

 

I am thankful this break was so wonderful! We had a great time with great friends and great food! We absolutely love that Gabe and Ellen are close enough for these long-weekend visits, and we hope to see them again soon!!

Beach Wedding

We met Casey 2 years ago. She and Celeste were both brand new teachers at Northern Vance High School, and both teaching Spanish. Casey also lived in Oxford in our same apartment complex. She and Celeste became quick friends, and I made quick friends with her dog, Mika.

After a few months, Casey introduced us to her beau, a fella named Brent. He was studying education at UNC-Greensboro, training to become and English teacher. Brent and I bonded over sports and films while Celeste and Casey talked about...who knows what. Probably their periods. That's all girls ever talk about.

Anyway, Brent finally proposed, Casey said yes, and the two were married the week after school got out. They chose a beautiful beach destination for the ceremony, and a hip loft in downtown Wilmington for the reception. It was a good time. Wilmington is probably my favorite place in all of North Carolina. Beaches, Civil War forts, and historic Southern mansions that would make Oprah jealous.