When you’re the sole staff writer/photographer/editor of community newspaper, a three-day weekend means one thing: more events to cover!
In all seriousness, I had a pretty great Easter weekend and I hope you all did as well.
Although Friday was a ‘day off’ for both Wyndi and I, it started early for her as she has been helping organize the Easter Eggstravaganza. She got to the park shortly after 7 a.m. and thanks to her, organizer Shanna Phelps and all the other volunteers/organizers, it was decorated and the field behind the playground was awash with colorful eggs.
(I’ll take a moment to do a proud boyfriend brag as Wyndi put in A LOT of time with Shanna and the other organizers to make sure the event went well.)
As it was a first-time event, there were growing pains and lessons learned, but the smiling kids who took frequent breaks from opening eggs to play in the playground and bounce houses, meet the Easter Bunny and get a hot dog or cool treat from DQ showed it succeeded in its primary goal.
After the event, Wyndi and I had a date day, catching “Ambulance” at the cinema and a late lunch/early supper.
Saturday, we spent a leisurely day with a couple of our closest friends/families, dying Easter eggs (that were later made into some craggy, colorful deviled eggs), cooking a meals and just visiting.
Our neurotic Husky/German Shephard also had a blast running around with the Labradors in attendance and was the most calm I’ve ever seen him that night.
Our friends agreed to watch him for a bit while Wyndi and I stepped into Cottonwood’s “Faces of Easter” and the DHS prom at Double N Cowboy Church.
“Faces of Easter” immediately impressed as much as Cottonwood’s last play with great performances, dynamic lighting and thoughtful stage design.
The prom was also impressively decked out for its Enchanted Forest theme with some great tree set-pieces and atmospheric lighting.
We got home around 9 or 9:30 and went to bed pretty early because we went to the Sunrise service at First United Methodist Church in Dublin, the church I first attended when I moved to Dublin in Jr. High.
Although I had been at the church many times before, it was my first time at a service in the atrium and I loved how peaceful it felt as birds flitted and landed nearby while the message was delivered.
There were a lot of familiar things about this weekend from locations to activities, but the experiences also felt new as I returned to some and witnessed others reborn.
Easter is all about resurrection and new life and the hope that those bring. Witnessing all of these with support of a great girlfriend, awesome friends and a strong community put it all in perspective.
Paul Gaudette is the managing editor at the Dublin Citizen and can be reached at 445-2515 and publisher@dublincitizen.com.