A "Love-ly" Weekend, Part 2

First, the sentimental stuff, because it wasn't just pretty dresses, sharp looking tuxedos, beautiful flowers, drinking, dancing and celebrating.  The big day began as many others have begun in Kelly's life.  If you read all of the Father's Day cards Kelly gave TJ, he kept, used as his toast inspiration and displayed in our weekend Airbnb house, there was a common theme.  "Thank you Dad, for the hours you spent sitting on a bucket catching for me while I pitched, the good advice you gave me about education and jobs and thank you for all the great breakfasts."  TJ is the morning person, breakfast is his favorite meal of the day!

All of that to say, when TJ woke up before anyone else on the morning of the wedding he took it upon himself to set the table and organize the most special breakfast he would make for his youngest daughter.  He went all out and included many of the bride's favorite breakfast foods... fruit, eggs, arugula, tomatoes, avocado, coffee and mimosas.  He also displayed many of the Father's Day cards and some memorabilia he has kept over the years from Kelly.

Breakfast is served!

The rest of us woke up slowly and came out to the kitchen greeted by one very proud and excited father of the bride.  It was the perfect way to begin a perfect day.
The bridesmaids and bridesman gathered and we systematically sat in "the chair" to be transformed.  The photographer arrived at noon and from that point on the momentum of the day carried us.

Cheers!

Love these 4!

The groom and his groomsmen and groomswoman had their own fun at another nearby home.  Both groups exchanged gifts, posed for pictures, toasted, helped each other get ready and basically paced, checked the time and hurried up and waited for the appointed hour.  The hours ticked by so slowly!  And then it was time!  Here are a few photos of what we all did to pass the time and calm our pre-wedding jitters.

TJ had a quiet moment and ate lunch.
Wonder what he is thinking about?

Michael and I took "Estella" the dress for a walk.

Dad got his "first look" 

Meanwhile across the road...the groom and his crew did just about the same thing.  Sort of.

There were ties to be tied.

And pictures to take.

And sunglasses ads to pose for !
It can't all be serious, right?!

Things got a little more serious as the picture taking progressed.

Floating along keeping the dress clean!

Being the best Father of the Bride!

Bridal party

It was right about at this point in the day, after seeing several of the photos that I decided I hated how my hair was done and had a mini meltdown.  We sent the bride and most of the wedding party to the winery and Katie stayed with me and we reconstructed my hair.  A decision I felt at the time was very vain because this day wasn't about me, but would have regretted had I not spoken up.  I felt much better after the reboot and so glad I listened to that inner voice.

Meanwhile at the venue the bride and groom shared their first look...without me sneaking in the shadows.  Maybe some things work out for a reason.

Hey Chris...she's right behind you!

The wedding ceremony was lovely!  The music was played by 3 of the bride and groom's friends (Esther's Temple) and was perfect.  Everyone processed to La Vie en Rose, sung in French.  So lovely!  One of the officiants was a very good friend of the bride and the other a very good friend of the groom.  They did a beautiful job of mixing traditional sentiments and vows with personal moments, readings and thoughtful advice.  It was so personal and meaningful.  They said, "I do"  they exchanged rings, they kissed and then they danced down the aisle to Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough, played by Esther's Temple.  We all danced down the aisle and the celebrating began!

This one melts my heart! 
I just have to know what he is handing to his brother
 before walking down the aisle!

Here comes the bride!

They do!

You may kiss the bride!

Mr. and Mrs.!

Cheers!  They are married!

There are always a few moments that most of us miss out on throughout the day which is why you hire a photographer.  I love some of the moments that were caught by ours.  With so much going on it is so hard to take it all in and since none of us have superpowers just yet we appreciate being able to see what we missed!

This is in the "priceless" category in my book!
I hope in the future Dad can look at this and laugh...

Great job being the ring bearer, John!

She always said she loved wedding cake!

We ate dinner under the vines because we could!  When scheduling an outdoor wedding the weather is always a big question mark.  The bride and groom always said if we could we would and we could!  That perfect California weather showed up and it was a unique experience for us.  Food?  What food?  I was too busy visiting, listening to the toasts by the father of the bride and her brother, and reveling in the fact that "we" (the bride, the groom, parents of the groom, the Father of the bride, her siblings, caterers, wedding coordinator, Aunt Liz the florist and her team, Save the Date with Valerie, musicians, officiants, relatives and friends from far and wide) did it!  We made the day a cherished and lasting moment in time.

Nature's dining room!

The groom describing what it feels like to be married for an hour to his parents?

Sweet moment

Dad's toast made us smile and sigh.

Michael's toast had a little bit of everything
but most of all
it had a lot of love....and a few tears.

At this point we were all ready for the serious stuff to be over and the dancing to begin.  The band, Lucky Devils, was AMAZING!  We danced until they turned the lights and and told us we had to go home. And because this post is not nearly long enough and doesn't have enough pictures....a few more!

The first dance

Dancing with his "Brown Eyed Girl"

Priceless!

Mother and Son dancing!

Mull River Shuffle-ing?

 It was notable that the band all came out early from their break to witness the Mull River Shuffle in action.  They just had to see what the fuss was all about and they loved it!

It only took me a month to get this post written.  I am sure I have not done it justice either.  My hope is that the marriage is everything and more than the wedding.  For every moment of happiness they experienced at their wedding may they have a million more in their marriage.

May they live happily ever after!

A "Love-ly" Weekend, Part 1

After months of anticipation it was finally here...the wedding week!  Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be hosting a wedding in Healdsburg, California.  Sure, every time I ever visited the area I thought it looked like an amazing place to have a wedding but it never crossed my mind that I would have a daughter, who would meet a guy from California and they would get married in wine country.  But here we were.. living a dream!  I still wonder if it was real.

The perfect place to say, "I do."

 We all made our way to northern California from as far away as Madrid, Spain to as near as the Bay area for Kelly and Chris' wedding. Love was definitely in the air, even though upon arrival that air was over 100 degrees!  Who would have thought it would be over 100 in northern California?  We collectively held our breath and hoped the heat wave would break by the weekend for the outdoor wedding.  Good news....it did, and we were treated to that perfect weather we all hoped for when planning the wedding.

Wedding flowers chilling before they become
arrangements and bouquets.

After a couple of days visiting family and taking care of those final details, the soon to be betrothed and their families made our way up to the Healdsburg area on Thursday.  We all enjoyed the sunshine and seasonal temperatures!  We met some of the groom's family for a casual, anticipation filled, happy to see/meet you, pretend you are not stressed dinner.  "This is really happening" was my feeling that night.  I love it when the family and friends all start to arrive, it makes it all so real and so fun!  We met friends and some of our family later at a local brew house and the level of excitement continued to escalate.  There were smiles all around, especially from our grandsons who won at Bingo and spent their winnings on root beer floats.  Since many of us were still on eastern time zones the night ended relatively early as we slept with visions of the wedding day dancing in our heads.

Airbnb for the win with this house and this view!
Perfect place to call "home" for the wedding!

Before dinner they perfected their "first" dance moves.

Friends and family looking over Kelly's "record"
(a scrapbook of her "life before Chris", I made and gave to him as a gift)

Friday began with an intimate private wine tasting for the bride, some of her family and a few friends at St. Supery Winery.  We were treated to some delicious wines and cheeses along with some valuable knowledge from our private host.  A perfect and peaceful way to start the day, even though it did involve drinking several glasses of wine.  Hard work but someone had to do it!

When in wine country....why not?!

Cheers!

Meanwhile back at the house the father of the bride was taking care of some very important business.  When you buy a wedding dress in one city and get married across the country from that city you need to get the dress from A to B.  The poor dress had to travel cross country rolled up in my carry on bag with strict instructions from the bridal shop to "not let the bag out of my sight!" on the trip.  To say I was a bit nervous would be an understatement.  Upon arrival I took the dress out, unrolled it and set it free hoping the wrinkles would relax.  I had a steamer and in spite of my repeated efforts the dress just wasn't perfect and by golly it needed to be perfect.  Enter bridal/tuxedo shop owner where TJ picked up his tux.  The owner graciously said she could steam the dress and return it to its original splendor!  TJ had the job of picking up the dress and very carefully drive it back to the house where she hung from her second curtain rod of the week waiting for her debut.  The dress took on her own persona after a while and I just had to name her Estella.  Don't ask my why.

Estella just hanging out...not ready for prime time yet!

I've always said the rehearsal is where I get the most emotional.  Seeing a father walk his daughter up the aisle, even just practicing, always brings a tear to my eyes.  No different this time.  The music was played by three of the bride's friends and was perfect!  They played and sang (en francaise) La Vie en Rose for the wedding procession and for the bride and father to walk up the aisle.  It was surreal.

Practice makes perfect...is the sprinkler and hose too much?!

The welcome dinner was the next event and it was very fitting for the groom who loves a good Argentinian pig roast!  Roasted pig, braised short ribs, all the sides plus three different types of empanadas!  It was at Soda Rock Winery, whose "mascot" is a boar.  The food, the atmosphere and the guests made for a perfect evening.  We were all so happy to be together!  It was nice to have everyone included the night before the wedding.  If I weren't worried about fitting into my fancy dress the next day I would have eaten three times as much as I did, it was that good!

Full boar into marriage!

We're getting married tomorrow!

We are so excited for them!

There were toasts!

Officiants, musicians, photographers, and all around great friends!

At the end of the night, we all went home to get some much needed sleep for the big day tomorrow.  Seriously, how can anyone sleep on this night?  We tried!  Not before the bride and her Dad did a little practicing  for "their" dance.  It was a very sweet way to end the night.
Stay tuned for part deux!

Hurry up and Wait

A few days from today we will celebrate the event of the year for our family!  Our youngest daughter and her fiance will be married on Saturday.  Just like every child is different... every wedding is different.  You would think after three weddings we would be experts....think again.  One thing I do know from experience is that at the end of the day the couple will be married and if history repeats itself, the wedding will be one heck of a good time for everyone.

Life will be coming up roses by the end of the week!

There are many stages to planning a wedding.  First, all the big decisions need to be made like the date and the location.  The decision making process starts with the big stuff... time, place, caterer, food, drink, music... and by the end you are left deciding what kind of those little card holders you want for the table names.  Well, all most of the boxes have been checked, I think.  One thing I will say about hosting a destination wedding is you plan as well as you can and hope everyone does their job.  Very tall order for someone who likes to be in control.

Today is the day that could not get here fast enough.  I left the shore to come home and take care of wedding stuff.  For ten days I have done what I thought needed to be done but really most days I wondered why I was down here hurrying up and waiting.  I did get to play several rounds of golf and work on my fabulous sock tan for the wedding!  These white feet will be the perfect accessory for my green dress!

Tonight I will probably get less sleep than I did last night but more than I will get Saturday night.  I will play every possible detail over and over in my head.  That gerbil is going to be doing extra laps in my brain.  It is finally here!  Wedding week!  California here we come!

They're getting married!

A Place to BE

Peaceful.  That is the one word I would use to describe how I felt last night.  It is amazing how one place can have so much power.  After waking up at 4 a.m., traveling by planes, trains and automobiles for twelve hours, just walking in the door and looking out of the windows made it all worthwhile.  As we drove those familiar roads for the hundredth time I looked out of the car as if I were seeing it all for the first time.  It is all brand new and yet so familiar and the same.

Hello my view, I have missed your vastness!

My first conscious memory of arriving at the shore was in the '60's ,we had driven up from Beaumont, Texas in a tan and orange VW van.  I am guessing I was about 6 or 7 years old.  We arrived in the pitch dark and had to stop at my aunt's cottage to pick up the keys to our cottage.  I remember waking up in the van and looking out into the dark and not knowing where I was.  It was spooky and fascinating.  I don't remember much about that summer except that it blurs together with all of the other childhood summers that make my heart swell when we come back.  This happens every year...every time I arrive... since I can remember.

So, last night as we opened the farmhouse after 8 1/2 months of living our "real" lives, we felt like we were being wrapped up in the arms of an old friend.  A friend with very cold arms as it was about 50 degrees inside and out.  After we unloaded all of the stuff TJ packed for his many months up here, my one suitcase and the groceries we bought, we walked around doing inventory.  An 8 1/2 month absence makes everything new again.  I have certain things up here that I just love and I miss them when I go away.  There are some pieces of art that make me happy when I see them.  There is the whirligig outside of my kitchen window that makes doing dishes fun.  There are the floors we put in when we renovated, that I luckily still love.  It is all stuff but it is all stuff that goes into making this place feel like my long lost home.

All my sun room needs now is the sun and
a few friends to share the view!

We were lucky last night and got to visit with some summer friends who were here for the "long weekend".  We just pick right up where we left off last summer and the one before.  Social media makes us more familiar with each other's lives than we really are though.  A blessing and a curse.  We did happily discover that one of the couples will coincidentally be in Prague next fall while we are there!  We are making dinner plans for sure!  The things you discover sitting and talking, which we do a lot of up here.

When the very long day was finally over and I sat here in the place I will sit many nights over the next few months, I felt an overwhelming sense of stillness.  It was quiet.  No television.  No air conditioner.  No cars driving by outside.  My brain needed this.  I am sure after a couple of days, especially if the rain continues, I will be ready for some noise but for now the peace is just what I needed.  We all need someplace to just...be.  This is mine.