The Wedding- Part 2

The wedding day started at 5:30 for some of us.... namely Daniel, Christopher and their parents.  Luckily their parents took them out for a ride to the mountains so the rest of the house could get a little sleep.  Thanks Mom and Dad!  The plan for the day was to meet the some of the family at Chatauqua Park and go for a hike.  It was a beautiful day!  We all sort of met at the mountain and hiked...some to the top, some half way and some just looked at the mountain and saved their feet for dancing later at the reception.  Some people are smarter than others.  Michael and his best man, Justin, came and hiked with TJ, it was a male bonding experience that lasted until lunch time and well into the afternoon.  A perfect way to spend the time before your wedding.

Let's go up there!

Grampy and Mark and Daniel (on Super Mark's back) hiking up the mountain

"No thank you Grampy, I don't want to walk, I like it up here!"

Then we headed home and ate lunch, the wedding is not until 4:30! 

While we tried to get Daniel and Christopher down for a nap, TJ spent some time with Michael and Justin, doing man stuff like watching football, eating and drinking beer.  The bride and her bridesmaids spent their day getting beautiful and making bouquets and bouteniers and centerpieces. 

Beautiful Kelly, making a bouquet.....or a centerpiece!

The groom and his parents, pre-wedding

Before we went to the park for the wedding we stopped by to pick up TJ and see Michael.  Those 2 little boys, "who were supposed to take a nap before the wedding so they would be in a good mood and ready to party", waited until the car ride to Michael's to fall asleep.  Perfect timing!  There were two hostages in the far back seat of the van....and rather than wake the boys up at our stop the hostages found other ways to entertain themselves while we took pictures.

"Super Mark" and Matt find refreshments to drink while they listen to the game and the boys sleep...

Finally, we got to the park for the wedding.  When you get married in a park, you get to set the stage.    The chairs were delivered and the trees were there, we all chipped in and set up the chairs and decorated.  It really looked great, I think it turned out just the way they wanted.  It was such a relaxed and laid back atmosphere, we all got to visit and enjoy the beautiful Colorado weather while we waited for the big moment.  There are so many things to share and so many pictures but I fear I will lose the crowd if I share too much. 

It was a beautiful wedding!  It was true to the couple.  Michael and Jehnna love the outdoors, they love their family and most of all they love each other.  It was perfect for them and  it was well done.

Mom and son

I think he sees the bride....and it takes his breath away.

 

 

Here comes the bride!

The vows.....

The rings and the prayers

You may kiss the bride!

Michael and Jehnna Mahoney!

Love!

The wedding party



And then there was the reception.....Part 3!  Another day!

The Wedding- Part 1

Boulder....a great place to get married.....or go to a wedding!

the ceremony in the distance....but we will get to that later!

There is just too much to cover in just one post so I'll start with the pre-wedding events and then save an entire post for the actual wedding!  Two posts for the low, low price of one.

Some of us arrived in Beautiful Boulder on Thursday.  (The bride got there at the beginning of the week, lucky girl!) We had work to do! Planning a wedding remotely takes a leap of faith... and the internet and maybe a phone. The leap of faith is the hardest part. I wanted to see where everything was going to take place and check out all of the venues.  We rented a house one block from the reception venue and one block off Pearl St..  Who knew it would be such a stroke of genius to be in that location?  Like I said, faith and the internet.  The house was beautiful and a perfect fit for our needs.  We only exceeded their capacity by 20 or 30 people, but don't let them know that!  We were all very well behaved!

Like I said, Thursday was spent taking care of business!  We waited with great anticipation for the guests to begin arriving.  TJ had a major weather delay on his flight over because of rain in Houston!  Go figure!  No rain in 5 months and then it rains when TJ's flight is scheduled to leave town, of course.  He finally made it to Boulder along with Rachel, Matt and the grandsons.  The house was full and things were falling into place.

The grandsons were part of the house party.  Did I ever mention that they wake up entirely too early for me?  Well, 5:30 is still too early to be awake for me, but not for them....so their parents had to do their best to entertain the boys in the wee hours of the morning on Friday.  When the hour was a little more humane, we took the boys out on Pearl St. for a little outside play time, it was a great idea.  Climbing on boulders in Boulder is a lot of fun!

I love waking up at 5:30!

Friday was shower/brunch day and rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  Michael's sisters had a bridal luncheon/shower for Jehnna.  It was at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, a beautiful place! 

Kelly in front of the tea house

Our table is ready!

I think she likes it!

After the luncheon (why did we eat so much?) there was just enough time to go home, visit with some new arrivals and get ready for the rehearsal.  You know, the part where you practice getting married!  We went to the park and scoped out the best location for the ceremony and practiced the wedding.  This is when everyone gets a little teary and realizes this-is-happening.... Michael and Jehnna are getting married.  We all laugh it off and pretend not to be near tears, but everyone knows better, we are all a little choked up.  Weddings just do that to people. 

Repeat after me....."I do"

. 

Take Jehnna's hand and cradle it.....and repeat after me!

After all that practicing it was time for a drink!  And it was time to eat....again!  One of the best decisions of the weekend was to hire a chef to come to the house and cook dinner for everyone.  Having the dinner at the house provided a casual atmosphere and an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other.  Katie, the chef, was awesome!  Can she just come live with me?  Being able to mingle with everyone and not worry about preparing or serving a meal was priceless. 

Katie the chef and her trusty assistant

There was more than enough food and it was all delicious.  The rehearsal dinner was small, about 22 people which was about as many as we could comfortably seat in the house.  After dinner we opened the house to anyone who wanted to come over.  Well, not anyone...just the people invited to the wedding!  We have our limits!  A good time was had by all and a festive mood was in the air.

The porch was a great place to hang out!

The house was also a good place to hang out!

The head table, we actually got chairs!

There was toasting by Michael's youngest sister....and others! Cheers!

All 7 Mahoney siblings were there....this is the best picture I could get of them together that night...
getting Mahoneys to be still and all look in one direction is kind of like hearding cats, see?

And their devoted spouses!  Who obviously know how to have fun!

 All 7 siblings and their spouses get together about as often as we elect a new president so these pictures are historic!  Now, for a minute, imagine being Jehnna  marrying into this!  This is only one side of the family... there are 5 siblings on my side of the family.  We said they had a small wedding but really, how can it be small when you invite just family?  There is nothing small about our families. 

After the dinner was finished, the toasts were given and the family pictues were taken, we all called it a night!  It was a great party and the BIG DAY was finally one sleep away!

A Little Louisiana in Texas

I have not given my "home" state of Louisiana much air time here on the blog....sorry.  Tonight was a little reminder to me about where I "come from".  Tonight was a lot of Louisiana!
TJ and I went out to dinner, it is the night before we fly to Boulder for our son's wedding, so I was not cooking!  We chose to eat at Rouxpour, a Cajun restaurant here in Sugar Land, Texas.  The food is actually quite authentic, whoo hoo! I opted for the grilled tilapia and vegetables though (boring)....I have to fit into that mother of the groom dress this weekend!   I did had some spinach Madeline (not exactly on the mother-of-the-groom-fit-into-the-dress perscribed diet) that rivaled my own, that's good cher!   We were in a celebratory mood so we had a couple of drinks too.  The TV's were tuned into sports, what else?  Our conversation veered to sports and we were overheard by another patron who chimed in..... "Geaux Tigers"!  One thing lead to another and soon we were in a deep conversation about LSU sports, college athletes and whether LSU should be #1 this early in the season or not.  We think NOT, ìt`s too early...let us sneak up later in the season.  The fellow we were talking to, or more accurately was talking to us, was from New Orleans, had played college football and had the biggest smile in the room.  He was exuberant!  He was happy to be talking to other Louisianians (we can relate)!  He shared his football stories with us and we shared our enthusiasm for LSU sports with him.  It was a match made in heaven.  The conversation ended with TJ telling our new friend he should go into sales and there were smiles all around the table.  Louisiana people are so friendly!
We head to Boulder at dark thirty  in the morning for our son's wedding.  It will be a Rocky Mountain High!  I hope everyone else has a fantastic weekend.....we will, stay tuned for stories and pictures.

Back to "Normal"

Life is back to "normal".  Don't you just love September?  As great as the summer was, it is nice to get back to a familiar routine.  Part of that routine for me is my Learn English Ministry volunteer job.  Last year I taught level 2 classes.  To be in level 2 you must have a basic command of the English language.  Which was good for me since I speak no Spanish and most of the student's native language is Spanish.  We were able to communicate between their English and my minimal Spanish.  Well....."the powers that be" decided to put me in level 1 this year.  What??? This is a bit of a challenge, I have some people who speak NO English.  Yikes!  There are a few blank faces staring back at me now.  Just to make things a bit more challenging, since it is the beginning of the school year, the classes are very well attended, it is free!  As in any classroom there are several levels of ability from the students who speak NO English to the ones I feel are getting close to moving up to level 2.  This helps a bit, the more advanced students can help translate to the ones who are just beginning.  It is amazing how fast 90 minutes can go by with a full class of eager learners!  I forgot just how much I enjoy this ministry.  They are just so happy to be learning a new language, it is enough to make anyone's day!

Another part of the fall routine and being back "home" is reconnecting with our friends.  Yesterday we reconnected with a couple who have a ranch not too far out of Houston.  It was also the opening day of dove season, whoo hoo!  You know I am all over that one!  TJ managed to cram three different dove hunts into one day with three different groups of people.  I almost said "men" but realized there were several women on the last dove hunt.  The last hunt was at our friend's ranch.  It was the first time I witnessed actual hunting.  I try to avoid anything to do with guns, dead animals, heat, and the potential of running into a snake at any moment.  This hunt was very civilized if I do say so myself.  No, I did not hunt!  My participation was limited to watching, taking pictures, eating, drinking and enjoying the breeze....all from the deck of the house, far away from any snakes.  It was about as far away from London or France as one can get in two weeks!

TJ and Sadie had the time of their lives!  Sadie being the ever faithful dog!



Sadie, doing her job and loving it!

The viewing deck!

After all the hunting was done we all sat on the deck and enjoyed a nice meal with the beautiful sunset behind us.  I could not resist this beautiful picture.   An iconic Texas shot!

Beautiful sunsets follow me wherever I go!

This morning when we were having our breakfast on the deck, the owner had just mowed the grass around his fruit trees that are fenced in to keep the deer and cows away from them.  After he mowed, he apparently forgot to close the gate and about a half hour later this was the site.....

"YUM!  This freshly mowed grass is the best thing we have eaten in weeks, maybe months!" 

There were 3 cows inside the fenced in orchard just chowing down on the freshly mowed grass and the tender green weeds.  (the orchard gets watered) Since we have been in a serious drought, they have not had grass this lush to eat in a while.  The owner went inside the fence just to make sure they did not eat the treasured fruit trees and then gently herded them out, back into the crisp brown yard.  "Drats!", they said.  FYI, the longhorn is named Sirloin!


Speaking of the drought.....
While I was away for over 3 months, I had read about the drought in Houston and heard about it from family and friends but the severity of it slapped me in the face when I got home.  This is a serious situation.  The rain is just about the only thing anyone can talk about these days.  They preach about it in church, they talk about it on the radio, it is on the front page of the newspaper and on the news on television.  Remember this post?  If you check out the last paragraph you will see the beginning of the drought, it is now September 24th and our rain total for the year is 11.9 inches, normal is 34.7 inches!  We got 1 inch of rain so far this month and you would have thought it was manna from heaven.  Add a month of over 100 degree days and you have brown crackly grass, dry lake beds, wild fires, water rationing, and trees that have turned brown and my never recover.





The "lake" in September....where is the water?



The same "lake" in April.....





They are not brown because it is fall, they are dying because they are thirsty!

So I leave you with hopes that it will rain buckets on us soon.  I'm off to do one more of my favorite September activities....watch college football!  Geaux Tigers!

Why are these two smiling? 
Because they will be getting married in one week!
  

Stay tuned for pictures and stories!





There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home

I kind of feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz  after she woke up from that crazy dream only to find that she was happy just being home in Kansas.   I'm not sure if after my summer away I have more courage, brains or heart...but I do have over 500 pictures and some great memories.  When it is all said and done though, it sure is nice to be home for a while!  Even though the the thermometer says 102 degrees and it still has not rained for months and I had to BUY lettuce at the grocery store instead of  pick it out of the garden.... on the bright side, I have twice weekly garbage pick up, a garbage disposal (curb your enthusiasm!), air conditioning, my car, my regular Tuesday golf game, my book club, and a life.   A life that has been somewhat neglected over the last few months....at least when Dorothy woke up she had only missed a day or two!

When I last left you I was lamenting the beauties of the shore and trying to hold on to that last bit of summer.  It was not the perfect summer but it had some very special times and was my first to "stay on".  I could definitely get used to "staying on".  Last year, re-entry was postponed with a trip to New York.  This year I managed to postpone real life another week by accompanying TJ on a business trip to the UK and Europe. 

London Bridge is not falling down!  It was quite lovely.

I sure hope there is enough paella for me to have some too!  Covent Garden...food court?

This is the train station in Antwerp where I walked from end to end pulling my bag and looking for my platform, or at least the platform I thought I was supposed to catch my train at, with no luck.  I started to feel like Harry Potter and expected to be sucked into the  train to Hogwarts at any minute!  I did eventually ask someone for directions and it turns out the train to Brussels is labeled.... Paris!?  Duh!

Hogwarts....I mean Brussels.  Where I walked approximately 20 miles and got to see a lot of beautiful buildings and gardens. 

When TJ was finally finished with his work obligations we were lucky enough to go to France and stay at his sister's house.  I know...can you believe she has a house in France?!  It is in an ancient town near Dijon.  If I thought being without TV at the shore was an adjustment, going to a remote French village with no TV, no clock, no phone and no internet was another thing altogether.  This would be a perfect place for a quiet retreat.  It took a bit to shift gears from London to remote ancient village in France!  It was beautiful!  We really enjoyed the surroundings and being transported to a different time. 

A long way from the farmhouse....in time and space.

A place where you drive down the road and see things like this!

In addition to ancient castles, we also came across a horse parade.  I guess these guys needed a drink at the cafe before the parade!

One way to make sure you do not miss the shore so much when you eventually get home is to go to a foreign country, live out of a suitcase for a week, have some gray gloomy weather, catch a miserable cold, spend a lot of time alone walking through large cities and find out that your French is only minorly passable as a means of communication.  It puts everything in perspective!

 Summer at the shore is over, everyone has gone back to their real lives, it is time to go "home".   A place somewhere in between the laid back, fresh shore air place where everyone knows your name to the crowded, busy, urban city where you are anonymous to the quiet, remote, ancient village....."home" is somewhere that has a little part of each.  

What is it About This Place?

It's......
-hearing lawnmowers in the distance and the smell of freshly mowed grass
-screen doors slamming
-the wind blowing gently through the open windows
-the childhood memories of playing all day with your cousins on the beach or in the yard or in the cottage and providing those same memories for your children....and their children
-getting that feeling in the spring that soon you will be at the shore and starting to count the months/weeks/ and finally the days
-a sky so blue words cannot describe it and pictures cannot capture it
-seagulls, starfish, hermit crabs and occasionally jellyfish
-finding beach glass on the shore
-cottages that have been here for over 100 years
-that familiar landscape that never seems to change or get old
-the constantly changing tides and how life revolves around them
-some days so beautiful they take your breath away
-sunrises and sunsets with clouds aflame
-going places and always running into someone you know
-a rich history that will always be yours and it defines you
-feeling a part of something that very few can ever comprehend
-sunny warm days and crisp cool nights
-laying outside at night in a sleeping bag on the ground so you can look at the millions of stars in the clear sky and perhaps see a shooting star or two
-living among multiple generations...... generation after generation
-those last few days before you go home when all you want to do is absorb as much of this place as you can and hope it lasts until next summer when you return (it's never enough)
-having every summer be the same... and different at the same time

It's all of this and so much more, that is why we keep coming back!
Until next year.....a few more pictures....

June, we are all so happy to be here!  Especially Sadie!

Even the stormy days are beautiful!

It's building a tub at low tide and waiting for it to fill up when the tide comes in!

It's showing your grandsons how to love gardening!

It's soup night with these great people!

It's having a rocky beach year and someone who builds us a path to the water!

It's days that take your breath away....

and nights that do the same!