Post Wedding...

I realized I'd promised you more wedding pictures and never followed through! I can't believe it's been almost two months! Wow!
So... Here's a picture.
The white dress one of the dresses my mom made for the 3 flower girls. The green ribbons hanging beside them are the sashes. K2 made the flowers out of the remnants of her dress. Then, there are the bridesmaid dresses, ending with the maid of honor's (k4) on the end. The interesting thing is that all of the green dresses are the same size. No, they don't look like it, but trust me, they are.
The backdrop to this picture is the inside of an antique barn. It's a gorgeous building.

See?
The ceremony was in the park where this barn stands - along with dozens of other cool buildings, and a covered bridge. There are hundreds of pictures from the park. Hundreds!
In my opinion, the picture taking process is the absolute worst part of the day. It was for That Man and I since we had to wait for the maid of honor and her cousin before heading to the reception. Which meant... well, waiting in the car in our nice clothes, while dying of hunger, and almost melting. (We were smart enough to pack a cooler of drinks. We did pack snacks, but they were long gone by then.)
Anyway. There you go. I might post some more later. I try not to post pictures of people, so you probably won't see any of those, but you never know.
That is all.
Behave!

Post Wedding...

I still can't believe my girl is now a wife!
They said their vows next to this archway under the shade of ancient trees and a historic home. It was gorgeous and perfect.
Except for a very few minor hiccups, the day was amazing. And yes, I cried. As That Man escorted our beautiful daughter down the aisle, I looked back at the groom. He had his hands over his mouth and tears in his eyes when he saw his bride and I lost it. So did many people.
K4 stood up for her sister as maid of honor and did a great job! K5 was absolutely adorable as a flower girl.
The reception was so much fun - from the entrance music and the best man busting a move, to K2 and her dad dancing to a mash up, J and his mom tearing up the dance floor, K3 singing for his sister, and the shoe game! The food was wonderful, the dance floor was full, the conversations fantastic. We had a blast!
After clean up, we came home to celebrate with folks that we'd wanted to invite (but couldn't due to space) and other wedding guests. That was fun, too! We ended up staying up way late, but it was worth it to hang out with my niece and her man.
None of us could move yesterday and stayed in a mostly vegetative state all day. K4 is still moaning every time she has to get up. That Man had to go back to work today. I go tomorrow. I'm still exhausted!
More on this wedding later. I need to get back to writing!
Behave!

August Already?

How did that happen?
10 days to the wedding. Still not ready. Don't know when I'm going to feel ready. Maybe never.
It's kind of stressful around here - to say the least.
If I disappear for the next 10 days, you'll know why...
Behave!

I Don't Even Know What Day It Is...

The wedding is in two weeks!
I am insane...
I do not have anything to wear yet.
Neither does That Man.
Or K3.
K4, being the Maid of Honor, does have clothing, though she needs undergarments and this tape stuff to keep everything where it belongs.
There are dozens of name tags on my table and a hundred and a half more to make.
And the flowers...
The bridesmaids flowers are mostly complete. (They turned out well. Pictures to follow once they're officially done.)
The grooms and corsages are not very complete yet, though they should be finished by the end of the weekend. I hope.
This weekend is packed full of crap - hair cuts, dress shopping, under garment shopping, items to finish the flowers shopping, revisions, sleeping in, car stuff, looking for pictures.
Next weekend is K5 sleepover, meetings, company picnics, baseball games, barbershop singing, yard work, house cleaning... I have no idea how I'm going to get everything done.
But we will.
I'm looking forward to the out of town company. No one is staying here. Thank goodness. I don't think I could handle that with everything else that must be done...Thankfully I have some days off from the day job that will help.
That is all for now... If I'm silent for days, you will know that I have lost my mind and am huddled in a corner somewhere... rocking...
Please send booze...
p.s. I am writing....
Behave!

Feel Good Friday...On Saturday

It's Friday! (Okay, now it's Saturday! Somehow I didn't post this last night!)
Here's the list:
1. Friday! Yay! Thank you!
2. Sleeping in tomorrow!
3. Tacos for dinner and Captain Morgan! (much needed that Captain)!
4. Talking to my sister. (until my phone died and it's still not charging!)
5. Watching 80's movies!
6. The work week being over! Oy for having to do my job, plus 1.5 more! I've been doing it for over a month now, and have no idea how much longer I will have to! It's wearing me down!!
7. Making progress with the writing! I am! It's good!
8. Missing K3. I miss him a whole lot. But I know he's having the best experience ever and that is awesome! It doesn't help that he comes home, then leaves right away again!
Saturday's List:
1. Hanging out with That Man.
2. Helping paint really cool medieval flags for summer camp.
3. Finding a really cool picture K4 drew for me on my computer this morning!
4. Writing time ahead.
5. K5 tomorrow!
6. K3 coming home tomorrow - even if it's short!
7. Talking to my other sister!!
8. The flowers for the wedding bouquets arriving and being prettier than I thought they'd be. Ready to put the bouquets together now!
9. Sleeping in this morning!
10. Iced Coffee!
That's all for now!
Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up!

Back to the day job tomorrow! Ugh! I don't wanna!
The sleeping in was fantastic, even though I didn't get to sleep in today. The reason was good - we kept our grandson while K1 & J worked - and man, I'd forgotten how much work is involved in taking care of a 5 month old. I'm tired!
Yesterday was spent fixing our fence, painting the picnic table, car maintenance, and working on wedding stuff. We didn't get very far with the wedding stuff, but we at least have a plan, and most of what we need to get started. Time is really ticking by pretty fast. Luckily, the big job is one that doesn't require more than Bob and I do finish, and the other job is the flowers, which is my job and one I look forward to (once I figure out what she wants).
Food - I made the family's favorite Sweet and Sour chicken with mushroom fried rice for dinner last night. Tonight was fish taco's.
Writing - I got a little bit done last night. Am heading there next and hope to make some good word count tonight.
The upcoming week - meetings, K3's rehearsal, K5's birthday, my sister's birthday, appointments, paperwork for the art's school, withdrawing K3 from high school. Fun, but busy stuff.
That is all...
Behave!

Mother of the Bride...

Okay... The guests have gone and it's sad. We had a whole lot of fun with them. I love, LOVE my sister-in-law. We miss them, a whole lot, but we're kind of giddy about being home by ourselves for the first time in two weeks.... It's kind of weird...
And now...
It's serious and major wedding stuff.
The wedding is in 7 weeks!! K2 and J have taken care of most of the details, but they need help with a whole bunch of stuff... Stuff we didn't know needed to be done until very recently...Oy! But okay. Easy.
It's all good. I'm so very excited for this wedding, but I have no dress yet. I have no idea of the timeline and I don't think our after party is going to happen... Dang...
But I'm excited!
Behave!!

Feel Good... Wednesday?

This is not normal, but it's so, so much needed and awesome!!

It's Wednesday and it's my Friday!! I don't have to go back to the day job until Monday! How cool is that?

So... It's been a short week, but here's the awesome!
1. Knowing we're going to miss the visitors.
2. Writing time coming back.
3. My kids. They're all made up of awesome!
4. K5 - She's so beautiful and smart!
5. Baby B! He thinks his Nanners is funny and I love it.
6. Sleeping in tomorrow!
7. Days off with That Man and those kids.
8. Wedding stuff...

Okay, it's Wednesday, so the list won't make it to 10. I need sleep and writing time...

I'll be back!
Behave!!

Still Crazy!!

Yes. It is still crazy here!
1. The visit - everything has gone very well. The kids have gotten along great. The adults have too. We're winding down now.. and it's sad. They leave Thursday afternoon. Who knows when we'll see them again. We've had a lot of fun!
2. Wedding planning - big wedding meeting last night. And the realization of how much needs to be done and planned. Plus, K2 is moving into their apartment soon. Crazy! We spent tonight going between apartment stuff and wedding stuff...
3. Tomorrow is my Friday! I am so looking forward to having 4 days off!!
4. Writing - what is that? Gah! I am missing it so much!!
5. Usual stressful stuff... not going into it... but oy!
6. We had a lot of fun this past weekend - family gatherings, drive in movies (Man of Steel and Star Trek - AWESOME!!), sleeping in, Father's Day food and fun.... I'm exhausted.
7. Finding out one of my best friend's father has stage 4 cancer sucks!! Her dad is so much like my dad! In fact, out of all of the older adult males I know, he's the only other dad I have! I'm sad!
That's all I have right now... I'm tired... So tired...
But... tomorrow is my Friday... That counts for something. Right?

Gah! I Suck!!!

Sorry about the long radio silence!! There has been a lot going on around here!
1. Bridal Shower - it was gorgeous and fun and beautiful... and the bride-to-be's phone was stolen, money was stolen... from my purse, and from my sister's purse!!! Some bridesmaids were jerks and rude, but all of that aside, my daughter had a spectacular day and that's all that matters.
2. Out of town guests - they're here (though not at the moment). It's been fun, and we're all aware that the length of time they're here is stressful. We've talked about ways to lessen the stress and are actively involved in all of that. We're having fun and that's all that matters. Plus, I love my sister-in-law and my niece and nephew... and yes, my brother-in-law, but he already know that and it makes his head swell! ha!
3. K3 joining the local barber shop group! He's so thrilled! I've yet to hear them, but I know it's awesome!
4. Summer vacation! Yay no more prying kids out of bed in the morning!
5. Lot's of funny things... you'll have to wait for them...
6. Wedding in less than 2 months!! Do I know what's going on? No!!  Will I soon? I hope!!
7. Me having some days off work soon! I cannot wait!
That's it for the moment! There's a lot more.. But damn... I'm tired...
Behave!!!

Retreat - Day Three

Last night was interesting to say the least. I crashed around midnight, but the partying from the wedding group continued until the wee hours. To say I am a little nervous about how tonight is going to go would be an understatement. There is security in place, and our host, and the staff, but...
These people are different. They're not nice. Not pleasant at all. We're given dirty looks any time we run into them. Rude comments are made about us and they're rude to the staff here. And loud. Last night one of the women slapped another woman in the face because she "had it coming" as someone else said. The ice machine in our hall was empty all morning because even though only one room in our hall is occupied by them (grr), they'd used all of the ice from the machine where everyone else is staying. The outside area near our hall is a filthy pigsty of cigarette butts, spilled beer, and a toenail. There is beer on the building. There was a broken bottle on the sidewalk, a toilet papered car, and someone stepped on the flowers. The downstairs sitting area is covered in beer caps, beer cans, and pretzels. There's a soaking wet towel with what looks like a burn on it hanging on the railing on the way to our meeting room. And that was all last night.
What do you think tonight is going to be like? There are still 50-some guests to arrive yet. Luggage carts full of beer have been brought into rooms (not for the actual wedding, for private use).
Most of our group is going with the flow. I am trying to as well, but like I said yesterday, I am responsible for our group. I've already been down to the front desk and have been asked to come back after lunch to speak to the director.
We'll see...
I'm sure I'll be back with more later...
Behave!

Retreat - Day Two... Oh Boy...

Here we go with the wedding crowd already! Last year we dealt with an insane wedding on site. It was amusing to some of us, and not so much to others. We went into this year knowing there was already a wedding on the books for tomorrow night and knowing full well that you can never predict how a wedding with booze is going to go. (I'm very glad my daughter decided there would be no booze at her wedding. It makes my job a lot easier!)
This afternoon we heard a ruckus outside of our door. We look out to see people opening the door to the room directly across the hall from the room I share with Simon. They were talking loudly about how so-and-so had the room across the hall (right next to Simon and I). We were a little shocked, but decided to wait and see. They became loud, and a little obnoxious, and people (and copious amounts of booze) seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. Okay. Time to see what's going on. Simon and I head to the desk to talk to our coordinator.
Blah. Blah. Blah. We're given the option to change rooms if things got unbearable, promised there will be security on hand during the wedding, and more talking. After dinner, I went for a quick walk and then back to the dining room via the hall we always use. There's loud music, guys standing in doorways with beers, lots of swearing, and oy! I'm irritated and a little worried about how some of my retreaters are going to feel about the chaos.
Simon and I talk, deciding to ride the wave for now, and run into our "host" on our way back to our rooms. He takes one look at us and asks what's wrong. We pull him out of earshot and tell him. Let me just say that our host is awesome. He told us in no uncertain terms that if anyone messed with us, he would take care of it. We fully believe him. He's been down the hall several times since, though the wedding party is off getting liquored up somewhere else.
I don't really care what the other guests do, but I'm responsible for this retreat and the people here with me. Though I feel a lot better after our talk with our host, I'm still a little nervous. Also - I am taking no crap from other guests. This is my retreat and nothing will make it any less than completely awesome!
I am sure I will have more to report later...
Wait for it...
Behave!

Tuesday Randomness...

The people in my house are weird!
There has been traffic snafus, random dancing, hair straightening and then curling, wedding letter writing, awkward conversations, hamster cage cleaning, dentist appointments, cereal for dinner (for me. I don't know what anyone else ate), chores done way after dark (with attitude), an email that keeps popping up in my inbox even though I've deleted it sixty-five million times, spam messages that make me want to hit "reply" (I won't, but still...), funeral & calendar conversations, dead laptop batteries, summer camp forms, emails from friends we haven't seen in way too long (and plans to get together. Yay!), more awkward conversations, body part conversations (is it strange that this has its own category?), discussions of upcoming events and how not ready we are...
And all of that was just tonight.
That is all...
Behave!

I'm Hungry...

Okay, so I have a little over 3 months to look smoking hot in my mother-of-the-bride dress. I don't have a ton of tonnage to drop, but enough for me. (don't judge me... because this is totally about me)
I am rocking the diet plan, but oy... today... after a solid week of counting calories and exercising (Okay, so no exercise tonight, but that's not my fault - too much going on, though I did park at the farthest spot in the parking lot.) I am starving!
I've been strong. Very strong. It's almost bed time and I know I'll make it without snacking, but let me tell you, I am looking forward to dinner tomorrow. (Oh, and let me just say, I am not an evening snacker. I haven't been since I was pregnant with K4 and eating after 6 made me sick. I just don't ever think of having a snack. Until tonight.) I don't know what I'm having for dinner tomorrow yet, but it will be a little bit of cheating and very yummy. But not too much cheating. Weekends are always my downfall and I must conquer them.
The scale has finally started to work with me and I am thrilled. (Not that thrilled yet, but hopeful) I need new jeans. In a serious way... and I refuse to buy them until I am feeling more settled with the numbers...
But I am hopeful. And serious. The calculations of what I want to lose and the time I have (which is not exactly the little over three month timeframe because there is stuff before that) stresses me out. I made it through the lunch frenzy at work so far. No cheesesteaks, deli sandwiches with sides and soup, fast food, or snack box purchases for me this week. My lunch is packed for tomorrow and fits with my plan.
I will not falter.
And you totally don't care about this! Ha!
Retreat in 20 days!! Whoot!
Behave!

Well, Shoot!

It's been a long time (2 weeks or so! Yikes!) Sorry about that! Not that anyone is actually here anymore!!
Let me sum up...
1. Crazy vehicle issues, including bringing my beloved 'burban home to die. She's old and she has a lot of miles on her. She's in hospice care now. Our mechanic says he doesn't believe she'll make it through another inspection. :( I don't want a car payment yet!!!
2. Retreat planning! I love it and I cannot wait!!
3. Wedding planning! Were getting there. I also cannot wait!!
4. Shower planning! Oy!
5. Grandchildren! They are both so danged cute!
6. The day job -  Oy! We're down two and it's chaos!!
7. Children - Some are doing good. Some are not. It's tough being a parent sometimes....
8. Sleep - or lack of it.
9. That Man and the stuff he does!
10. Managing the writing, most of the time, through the chaos! Balance doesn't always happen, but when it does, it's beautiful!
That is all...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Ummm... Monday? Edition

Well that's just conflict of interests right there! Who writes a Feel Good Friday blog on Monday? Weird! But.. it's what I got at the moment....So let's go with it...
1. Living through last week. This week is already shaping up to be the same... Oy! But tomorrow is Tuesday and it has to be better. Right?
2. Writing meeting Saturday!! It was very good and I made some good goals. (We won't talk about the rejection that rocked my foundation!)
3. Cleaning house... though I really didn't get much done. It looked presentable, but didn't feel like it.
4. Flash mobs! Very cool and so proud of K3!
5. Make up parties for the wedding! We had a blast!
6. Dress pick up. :)
7. Knowing the bridesmaids had a blast at their dinner! I love that they're bonding!
8. Bridal shower planning with my sister! The internets are amazing....
9. Making my writing goals work and kicking butt and taking names! Whoot progress!!
10. Snow in the forecast!
That's it! It's bedtime. Sleep is rare here and I need some!
Behave!!

Feel Good Friday... The Sunday Edition

Time goes so fast!!
It's late and I have to be at the day job tomorrow... Let's just get to the list...
1. Living through last week. It was brutal at times, but worked out in the end. I think.
2. Writing meeting on Saturday. Good meeting. Fun meeting. Great speaker.
3. A second viewing of Les Mis. Awesome!
4. Out with the fam for That Man's birthday! What a blast!
5. K5 today! She is such a joy!
6. Wedding dress shopping this afternoon. We had so much fun! The bride's dress and the maid of honor's dress have been purchased! And right, I mean perfectly, on budget! I am so excited for wedding planning!
7. Having most of the kids home tonight. (We were only missing K2's J). Good fun. Much fun. Baby B.
8. Baby B is getting so big! And he's so beautiful. We had a very long conversation about how weird his parents are. I think he understood... LOL
9. That man... Dinner was made. Dishes were done. Laundry also. He listened to our retelling of our bridal shop experience and didn't even cry when he saw pictures of his daughter in her dress.
10. Future plans - from dinner with friends, to bridal showers, to shopping for my dress, shopping for suits, wedding favor and decoration making, cross country visits, remodeling some of our house, potential new car purchases, and making an effort to hang out with the people we love as much as possible ... I'm looking forward to all of it, even though I know some of it will wear me to the bone (like the constant wedding stuff, remodeling, and purchases)...
It's going to be a great year! And, holy crap, it's February already!!
Behave!

One More...

Wedding picture, then I promise I'll stop for a little while.

This is the cake table conceptualized by my very talented sister. The lace tablecloth is an heirloom in That Man's family. The table is an antique and the plates are in an old explosives box. This is a very good example of using what you have on hand. Lucky for us, my sister and brother-in-law inherited his grandmother's house - with an attic full of treasures. Also, lucky for us, our good friends own a red tent thingy. We kept all sides on during the ceremony and dinner portion of the day, leaving the back on for the actual cutting. It was an awesome contrast.
Here's one with the cake:

The cake was insanely good and filled with raspberry awesomeness. My sister-in-law makes the best cakes in the world - they not only look pretty, but they taste just as good. (We had a little problem with the pillars, which caused an emergency cake cutting, but it was all good) And yes, the cake topper is rubber ducks.
We're still dragging around here though - made worse by the fact that That Man's mother was admitted to the hospital yesterday after a fall. (It never ends). She's doing okay now, but That Man didn't get home until almost 4am.
And... as predicted... the wedding ideas for K2 are being tossed around like crazy. I dig the wedding planning though... my sister, a friend, and I were talking about going into the business...Only problem is that weekend working stuff...
Behave!

Beautiful Day...

The wedding is over... The weather was gorgeous. The bride was stunning. My handsome son could not stop smiling. I cried. So did that man. It was just so beautiful and my kid is so happy.
Everything came together fantastically. (Yes, that's a hand painted sign to guide guests to the site). The decorations looked great, even the portajohn was decorated and pretty.
See: 
We had a blast! The music was awesome, so was the food. There were very few glitches despite us running around like crazy fools all morning. We had a time schedule and ended up a half an hour behind at one point. Thanks to some awesome friends, we suddenly found ourselves finished and in plenty of time. The bridal party was running a little late and there were some hair glitches that meant they were about 15 minutes behind start time, but it all worked out. We danced like fools, laughed like lunatics, and stayed up until 3am.
Then... we had to clean up on Sunday! Oy! We learned a lot of things during this whole process, one of the things was to find volunteers for help with clean up. There was a whole lot of work involved and cleaning up was definitely not as fun as setting up. By the time we got home, I could barely walk (especially since I dropped a really heavy mirror on my toe).
And... We will have our first grandson in January. :)
Behave!

Less Than Two Days...

This wedding will be over soon, so just be patient with me for the next few days! The wedding insanity will end for a little while (but not for long, since K2's wedding is coming!).
Here's where I'm at:
The food for rehearsal has been purchased and stored properly. Cole Slaw has been made. Burgers and dogs are stored in my freezer. The "watermelon cake" K1 requested is 1/3 done (it takes time and many trips to the freezer). The food for the wedding has been purchased. The sauce for baked ziti has been made (mine is the "special sauce" ziti). Five hundred thousand muffins have been made for the wedding morning (okay, so I exaggerate, but I have learned my oven is very uneven and burns half of whatever you put inside. Dammit!)
Many other things have been purchased and organized. The veil (that was kind of forgotten about) has been made by a wonderful friend. Some other things need to be taken care of.  Like my dress. Still have no idea on that one. My sister has taken care of hers, but sadly, I wasn't able to join her in the shopping for the dresses tonight. I did, however, get to bond with the terrific toddler of the Godfather of our children while we picked up wedding essentials. She's so funny. I taught her how to snore and she showed me the deer in their backyard. And made me miss my granddaughter a whole lot.
The other thing is that... at two days before the wedding... my hair has gone crazy. It's only about a half an inch long, but it's sticking up like crazy! I can't comb it down at all. So I will look like the insane mother of the groom at the wedding with my nutso hair and without a dress I feel comfortable in. Oy! (Sorry... little freak out moment there...)
There is a whole heck of a lot of stuff to do... I am supposed to be editing the vows right now, but it's super late and after the day job day I had today, my eyes are crossing (that and the fact that I didn't get home until almost 9, and then made all of the above food items with K2 and K3 singing songs from Disney and Rent in the background...)
I have to get the rest of the stuff done tomorrow... like the flowers for the flower girl and ring bearer and the wedding dog... (don't ask). And pack. And finish the watermelon cake. And go to a meeting I can't get out of. And find a dress...because Friday is rehearsal day and decorating day...
And it's going to be awesome!
Because watching my son marry the woman of his heart is priceless....
Behave!