valeria out loud

Hey WordPressers! Hope you are enjoying some cooler weather. Though it’s bumming me out, I hope you are all finding joy in it. 😉

This past weekend, we celebrated a very special milestone in our youngest daughter’s life—her confirmation. It was truly a beautiful day, surrounded by family and friends, as she took this important step in her faith journey.. Let’s talk about it.

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Before I start, I need to explain that last year during my eldest sister‘s visit home from Italy, my daughter had asked her to be her sponsor for confirmation. So sweet! I also need to mention how Italians are big on sacraments-for their cultural, familial, and communal importance in Italian life. The Vatican and the holy Roman Catholic Church is out of Rome, so of course…it’s a big deal. 😉

The Invitation

Before and the ceremony

Our oldest daughter came home from college for the weekend to celebrate her sister, which was awesome because we got to spend that Friday night alone as a family with takeout and a movie. It felt so good to have her home. I missed her a lot!!

Saturday, we woke up to beautiful blue skies and a day ahead of 80°. Before the ceremony started, I had asked my family to come over early for some pictures and the presentation of the sponsor gifts. I’m not sure how much in the past I’ve talked about my dad but he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease back in 2021 and it has been a slow progressing type of Parkinson’s but now we’re really starting to see the effects -though he is mobile, he gets fatigued very easily so you may see him seated a lot or in a wheelchair in some of the pictures.

The Ceremony

The confirmation ceremony itself was truly moving. Bishop Hennessy spoke so wonderfully about the importance of love, family, and grandparents, sharing that in the over 1,500 letters he reads each year from the confirmation candidates, these themes are central in most of the children’s lives. He took a moment to highlight our daughter’s letter, expressing how much he enjoyed reading it and even suggested that she has a future career in writing. (She is an excellent expressive writer.)

What an unforgettable moment for her.

As we went through confirmation just two years ago, we were pretty familiar with the process, but in contrast to last year, this year they allowed parents and grandparents to stand up with the child as they were being presented by the sponsor to the Bishop-which was amazing.

Of course, I started to well up with a tear …or twenty.

The reception

After the ceremony, we gathered at a wonderful local restaurant for a celebratory lunch. It was heartwarming to see our daughter surrounded by so much love and support, and we are incredibly proud of her.

With planning this reception, like with most of the events we throw for the kids, I wanted to add my personal- and meaningful, touches. So I took on the task of creating the centerpieces, cake, and favors myself. I’m a sucker for crafting and being creative.

The centerpieces

I drew inspiration from the centerpieces I made for my oldest daughter’s confirmation reception two years ago, where I used tapioca wood flowers—one of my favorites. They were such a hit that each centerpiece was taken home and used as decorative pieces!!. Wanting to recreate that same charm, I found a way to incorporate the flowers again, and here’s what I came up with…

Lanterns!

I handcrafted the centerpieces on my own. I am pretty proud of myself here saying this because I have been swamped with work and still built the lanterns without help. Every detail, every screw, every flower. And I surprised myself with how good they came out! And every single one was taken home. 😀

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💕 We will always cherish these moments and are so grateful to everyone who came to share in this special day with us.

Thanks for stopping by, guys! 💋