Megan and Dan

The happy day was finally here!

The Mr. and Mrs.

Megan and Dan

Just some of the flowers and arrangements.

Very beautiful.

The Food.

Fruits, vegetables, artisan breads by the slice, and a carving station with beef tenderloin and turkey with approriate condiments.  A chocolate fountain too!

The Cake.

Klaus from Heidelberg Bakery outdid himself again.

The Candy Station.

Candy necklaces, ring pops, gold chocolate coins, skittles (megan and dan's faves), nuggets, kisses, and of course the gummy sharks.

Guest book table, bridal portrait, and pictures.

The venue.  "X" marks the spot!

The Pirates Lair, aka, set up and decorations...

Patti had a children's room set up in the brides dressing area once the wedding party was finished getting ready.  Christine and Karley hosted activities for children.  Pretzel fish crackers, pirate coloring pages, a pirate quiz, Disney's Peter Pan movie showing, and certainly one of the favorites was the I Spy.  Each child recieved a 1/2 sheet card with different things to take a picture of with a disposable camera that they got to take home.  It was a hit!  (click to enlarge this or any of the photos)

Kristen, Megan, Meredith, Christine, Karley

The dancing has begun!

Christine and Erik.

Christine caught the bouquet.

Well, one piece of it.

SURPRISE!

The toss bouquet was made up of 6 smaller nosegays all tied together to look like a large bouquet.

When Megan threw it, she untied the ribbon first (no one noticed, she was so subtle) and it separated into all the individual ones, so most of the gals got one of them.  How cute is that?  I've never seen that before and I really loved it.

I only got the aftermath of sending the happy couple off on their honeymoon with a giant sparkler arbor because I was in the line with my own pyrotechnic.  I totally forgot that I have a fireworks setting on my camera.  It would have made these pictures so much better.

Christine and Karley gathered up all the gold coins while we were cleaning up.

They made a wish and tossed them backwards into the wishing well behind them.  I snapped some pictures. Teenage dreams......!

Getting Ready For Tomorrow Today

Today has been spent getting ready for tomorrow.

So I've been doing all the laundry, picking up the house, and hand-stitching all the little gold and purple pillows for some of the table arrangements for the wedding.

Christine and JT worked on the bags for the candy station.  You know those little tall and narrow brown paper lunch sacks.  The small ones.  Stamping a pirate compass in each one.  They did a good job and finished the project a lot faster than any of us thought it would be.

The fam is glued to the NBA Finals.

We have a houseful every game.

And then afterward it seems to be a board game night each time, until we have to remind them all that there is work and school in the morning.  Ah, the life of young adults!

Powell's

I am gathering all the candies for the Candy Station for Megan's wedding on Friday.

It isn't going to be the traditional candy station.  Her wedding theme is 'pirates', so all the candies will have something to do with treasure, pirates, and the sea.

Everything has been pretty easy to get.  But I could not find Gummy Sharks in bulk anywhere.  We are going to put them in a goldfish bowl.

I called a party store and they recommended Powell's.  I had never heard of it.  YES, they had Gummy Sharks in bulk.  It would be my last stop.

I was not prepared for what greeted me!

Powell's Sweet Shoppe is a real honest to goodness old fashioned candy store.  It offers everyone of your favorite candies from the corner store or your grandma's candy dish.  It evokes all kinds of happy memories.

There is every kind of candy imaginable.  All the colors of M&M's, everything you can remember from your childhood.  There is a party room in one section that is a huge human candy-land board game and you are the markers!  In another section they had Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory playing on a huge movie screen.  Then another section is for all their homemade chocolates, and another for gelato.

I just stood there taking it all in.

Then I suddenly realized, I had the biggest smile on my face.  It just makes you happy being in there.

"A kid in a candy shop."  You know the expression.

Here I was feeling so like a kid!

We measured out the Gummy Sharks, and then I couldn't resist getting a handmade almond turtle for later and a caramel pecan/chocolate peanut butter gelato for the road.

Check Powell's out right now, and I may even see you there when I make a return trip!

Summing It Up

Well, I just noticed that this is my 1500th post since I started this blog!  WOW!

I will catch you up a bit since I haven't posted since last week.  I haven't taken any pictures.  We have been so busy it is mostly a blur!  Duff has been really busy the last six weeks working with some friends to start a new company.  Out of the blue, he got a phone call from a friend who asked if he might be interested and he said sure.  It beats sitting around the house, right?  But this has just taken off and looks really promising.  It is an avenue he didn't think he would ever be a part of and that is some of the beauty of it all.  What a life lesson:  be prepared for anything!  That being said, Mike has been brought on board as well, and so in between his college classes he is working his little patootie off! 

I am in transition.  Duff and I had a really nice everyday routine going on, and now I'm heading up all the day to day things here again.

Shaun is getting ready to go back to Provo for school this summer and fall.  We've never had a summer student, so this is new for us.  For him too, and I think it is a good move/plan for him.

The house is buzzing constantly with the kids friends over.  I never know how many we will have for dinner on any given night.  It taps my creativity to stretch the menu at the last minute!  Haha!  I like being the house where everyone comes.  I'm glad they feel welcome and that this is a place they like to spend their time.  Such was the case on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Saturday we had Meredith on the couch (not feeling well) and JT and Logan while her family went to the temple with Megan for the first time.  Megan and Dan are getting married on Friday.  They are a darling couple.  Their wedding theme is all about pirates and the like.  It is going to be quite cute and fun.

Sunday, we had great church meetings and a houseful with all the kids for our 'first Sunday of the month' dinner and FHE, and a few extras who sit at our table on a pretty regular basis since they were over for game 2 between the Celtics and the Lakers.  I made stuffed flank steak and it really hit the spot with everyone.  We haven't had that for a while.

Now with the wedding coming up on Friday, I've been helping Patti finish up some things.  If you've ever had a wedding or helped with one you know that during that last week before, all the unfinished things stare at you suddenly with an unrelenting urgency.  So yesterday, Kristen and I cut all the burlap for the big round tablecloths (think rustic pirates lair.  I'm telling you--it is going to be stunning!), then picked up the house and got almost all the laundry finished while Patti was at parent/teacher conferences for JT.  I brought it all home and sewed 20 tablecloths during the afternoon and evening.  I couldn't have done it without Adrianne.  We got a smooth system going.  I put one piece of 60" wide burlap on my left, the other on my right, and she rolled it up and fed the rolled side through the small space between the needle and the machine while I sewed the overlapped selvage edges together.  Then because of the size, it took both of us to fold it and go on to the next one.  We got it down to about 7-8 minutes for each one.  But it took us until 10pm to finally finish.  Then the clean-up.  Just think about it.  Burlap and all those little fray-ish pieces everywhere.  We just laughed at all the dust bunnies trying to escape the broom!

Christine has started her behind the wheel drivers training.  Yesterday was her first 2hour session.  She did well and has more confidence.  She fretted about it all day at school.  New experience you know.  Next up is to get her permit.  And we have to fit it in with all the end of school things going on like:

The orchestra concert last night that we completely forgot about.  Geez.  How did that happen?  So she had less than 10 minutes to get ready after she walked in the door from driving before I had to run her to the school for call time.  Then back home to make dinner, and back to watch the concert.  I was covered in burlap and had no time to change my clothes.  I itched through that whole program! Fortunately there was a seat on the back row end and it was dark!  BUT the concert was just what I needed.  It was really, really good.  I relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Beautiful, beautiful live music.

Okay.  I think that sums it up.  And now I'm off to the Peterson's to bring the tablecloths back and finish them with the 'team' there.  We are 'rounding' them now to fit all the tables.

We have June Gloom today and I'm glad for the break from the weekend's heat.  It's just too muggy for my liking.  But that's how it goes this time of year.

Later--

Lacrosse Banquet

Last night was Christine's Lacrosse Banquet.

It was at BJ's.  A fun place with good food.

We used the outdoor banquet room.  What a nice evening to be outside!

This is Maddie, who introduced Chris to lacrosse.

The 'keeper.'

We were all sitting there enjoying the banquet.

And the coaches got to the awards time.

They awarded Christine with the Most Improved!  But they prefaced it with these words:

"This award goes to the player who no one else wants to or will play her position.  It is the hardest position on the team. We can't play the game without her.  This player is the heart of our team.  She was good when the season started, and is even better now.  She is one of the hardest working team members.  She cares about the team and all it's players.  This award goes to Christine."

Way to go, Miss Chris!

What a great way to end the season.

Hey Hey the gang's all here!

The Perfect Game That Wasn't OR In Other Words: Mistakes Happen

This is a big deal.  For a lot of reasons.  But there is so much we all can learn from it.

Last night in the baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers a huge mistake was made.  It was the end of the game.  Armando Gallaragga, the Detroit pitcher, had pitched a perfect game.  There aren't very many of those in baseball history.  I think like 20 perhaps.  One more out was all he needed.  A young guy just about to make history. 

Then IT happened.

The pitch, the hit, the throw to first. The out.  Ooops.  The umpire called it safe.  WHAT?

Everything erupted.  If you watch the replays, even the runner knew he was out. 

It was awful.

BUT---

What happened after it is what should be the most talked about thing.  Both parties acted with a great amount of CLASS. 

Gallaragga was so gracious in the face of being robbed of his history making moment.

The umpire, Jim Joyce, stood by his call, until he watched the replay and then immediately

admitted his mistake, and in tears apologized publically and privately and showed true remorse.  He didn't make any excuses.

He is even going to work the game tonight and said he is ready for the reception he will get from the Tiger fans.  He says he even deserves it because he cost Armando that perfect game for the record books.  He is ready to face the repercussions of his mistake.

This game will be talked about for the rest of the season and likely even longer.  Everyone who is anyone is discussing the pros and cons of instant replay for baseball now, and everyone has chosen sides on whether the baseball commissioner should step in and give Gallaragga the perfect game anyway.

I don't think he should be given the game.  Mistakes happen.  In baseball and life.

The biggest lesson is that the robbed pitcher was gracious in his loss at the hands of someone else and that someone recognized his mistake and took the steps to make it as right as he could.  Something we all should do.  Joyce could have been arrogant about it.  He wasn't.  Armando could have cried foul forever and he would be justified in doing it.  But it doesn't change what happened.

The conversations on the tv and radio and in homes should turn to the greater lesson: 

Integrity on both sides.

Darla's Birthday

It's Darla's birthday today.

She is 11 in human years.

She gives so much love to us.  She is cute and a lot of fun.  She is our best friend.  She is soft and fluffy.  She is SMART.  Because it's her birthday, she got her favorite breakfast:  scrambled egg mixed in with her kibble.  We hope we have her around for another 11 years!

New Iron

I bought a new iron today.  A Rowenta.  We've had our old iron for over 16 years and it has finally died.  It fell off the ironing board a few months ago and hasn't been the same since.  Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure it was me who bumped it off.  But I have a big walk in closet and I iron in there so I can always leave the iron and ironing board up.  I love not having to put it away every time I use it.  I've limped it along, but it is leaking out the bottom.  You can see how well used it is because the teflon coating on the soleplate is wearing off!  I remember when I got that iron.  I had just bought another one 2 months before and it completely stopped working.  I was mad.  So I took it back to Target and asked them to replace it, because surely irons last longer than 8 weeks, right?  I got the run around and finally talked to the manager.  She must have taken pity on a pregnant woman with four other kids because I remember the look she gave me and told me to pick what I wanted in a certain price range and I could have it.  She was so very nice.  I guess I looked exasperated.

So today it was off to BBBeyond with my gift cards and coupons.  I spent 30 minutes talking to two employees and read every box and finally decided.  This time Christine was exasperated.  Just pick one and let's go! she kept saying.  I learned a lot of things about irons I didn't know.  Did you know that the soleplate is a big indicator of a poor, average, or good iron?  I didn't either!  Most irons that claim to 'steam' only have holes around the edge of the soleplate that do that?  They may have many 'grooves' to help the iron slide along, but you should look for one with holes on most or all of the soleplate.  This helps in getting a crisp crease or in eliminating wrinkles and also with sewing.

I chose the Rowenta with the teflon/non-stick soleplate with steam holes covering the whole surface.  They even make irons now with a small tip for shirt collars and detailed ironing for small items or when sewing.  I liked that feature too.  AND I even got a rebate along with my gift cards and coupons!  Cha-ching!

So, here's to many more happy years of ironing.  Some people dread doing it, but I rather like it.  I tuck myself away in my closet in the quiet and iron away.  I like all the neat stacks and hanging clothing.  I like the feeling of accomplishment when I am done.

Christine is at YW.  It is the camp kick-off.  She wasn't too thrilled.  They are going to the same camp they did 2 years ago and it wasn't that great of an experience from the facilities and staff situation.  But I remember being on the Stake Board and having to find places for a very large group to go and it's hard down here.  We have had several conversations about this topic.  Finally I told her that it's not all about what YOU get out of it or what's in it for you.  She will after all is said and done, have fun, learn, and build her testimony.  But more often it's what you can GIVE to someone else that you might not even realize.  A smile.  A conversation. A hug. A compliment.  We all need to remember that, huh. 

Puzzle Books

I like to do puzzle books.  The word searches are my favorites.  And I like to go in order, page by page, and make a check-mark at the top when I am done.  I just finished this one, so time to get another.  I have them at the house and all over the cabin.  They are fun to pick up and do.  It keeps your mind fresh.