Ben's Getting Married!

I think that most of you who are regular readers of Tiff's Life have only known me in my adulthood. That being the case, very few of you have met my younger brother, Ben. After college, I moved back up to Seattle while my parents and brother lived in Phoenix. Ben lived there until just recently and only visited me a handful of times in my various cities.

Ben has gone by a number of names over the years. Growing up he was Benji. In middle school, he switched to Ben. I have called him Benny, though, for a number of years. (And he is one of a very few people that I let call me Tiffy) Growing up, we both loved each other a ton and fought like cats and dogs. As adults, I love him so much and am super proud of him.

Wow, all that to say that just over 6 months ago, Ben got engaged to Isabel.

Isabel is a terrific woman - she's a great communicator, loves her family and is loyal to them, and she loves to have fun. Also, she really loves my brother. Isabel also has a young son named Angel, who is the sweetest and most enthusiastic little 7-year old I know.


Last weekend, I drove to El Centro (which is near the Mexican border in the southern tip of Cali) for Ben and Isabel's wedding shower. It was also my opportunity to meet my soon-to-be nephew for the first time. There aren't words for how excited I am for Ben and Isabel to get married, for Benny to be a dad, and for me to be an aunt. My mom drove over for the shower also (dad had a retreat for chorale so he had to miss it) and we had a nice mini  girls weekend, also.

It was great to see Ben, who has lost about 70 lbs since I saw him last! I hadn't seen him in months and although he has been much better about calling and texting since he moved to EC, its not the same as seeing him in person. Isabel has also lost some weight and they both look really great!! I'm so impressed with the work they've been doing!

The wedding is November 13th. I'm super psyched to be able to attend their wedding and share that event with them. I'm even more excited that not only will my parents and I be there, but also my grama and a few of my aunts and an uncle. It will be great that so many of us will be there to celebrate with Ben, Isabel, and Isabel's family and all their friends.