Daughter's Wedding

Ho-hum......its been over three weeks since I last posted. During that time I experienced a daughter's wedding and moved another daughter to college. The wedding was beautiful......the bride and groom did a fantastic job of planning and organizing a lovely, memorable event. It required Husband and I to be away from the farm for two and a half days, so we had to hire people to milk the cows and do the other chores. All went well, no major problems or breakdowns, much to Husband's great relief.

Before the wedding, people would ask me if I thought I'd make it through the ceremony without shedding tears. I honestly had no idea. During the rehearsal on Friday afternoon, I had to fight back tears when Husband escorted Daughter down the aisle, so I was expecting to be teary when the real event took place. However, something special intervened and allowed me to get all my tears out of the way before the wedding even got started. It occurred on the ten minute drive from our hotel to the church, as I made my way through drizzle and city traffic. With my mother-of-the-bride dress hanging over the passenger seat of our pickup, I pulled out of the hotel parking lot, at the same time absently turning on the radio. Right at that moment the song "My Wish", by Rascal Flatts, started to play. That happened to be the song that Husband had chosen to be played during the father-daughter dance at the reception! Wow, my tears just poured out, and at every red light I was wiping my eyes with tissues. The song ended right as I was turning into the church parking lot, and from then on for the rest of the day I had no urge to shed any more tears!

After the wedding, the just-married couple motored across Des Moines in a classic Ford Fairlane convertible. The drizzly clouds had moved out of the area, and muggy sunshine was on tap for the rest of the afternoon. No matter......as long as the rain stayed away. The reception provided great food and fun! The couple had opted to forego a wedding cake, and instead had a candy buffet table set up. (I had shopped at Goodwill for large glass bowls for this purpose.) There were clear plastic cups for guests to put their candy in. Believe it or not, this candy buffet was really a hit......not only with kids, but with the adults, too! Many people commented on what a good idea it was......and it was pretty, too, with the colorful candy and sparkling glass.

Thank goodness the reception hall was air-conditioned, for the day had turned absolutely, unbelievably humid. I had to walk aways to move our car at one point during the evening, and I couldn't believe how totally muggy it was outside. At 10 p.m. sharp the dance had to end, and we all had to scurry around cleaning up all the decorations and extra food, and loading them into whatever vehicles were available. All this was done while we were still in our fancy dresses and tuxedos! Needless to say, it was wonderful to finally get back to the hotel and put tired feet up for a needed rest!

The next morning I awoke early and enjoyed coffee and breakfast with Husband. There was a bicycle/walking bridge over I-80 near our hotel, so we meandered up there and stood watching many motorcycles and cars go whizzing by beneath us. Many of the motorcylists would wave, and Husband then mentioned that they were probably headed to Sturgis, South Dakota, for the big annual motorcycle rally. Wow......I wished I could jump on and go along!

Before long it was time to pack up and head over to our new son-in-law's parent's home for the gift-opening and brunch. It was fun to see all the wonderful gifts......we gave silverware.....because that's something that won't wear out very soon. Our hosts served a wonderful meal, as they had also done on Friday evening for the rehearsal dinner. I was amazed at all the great food! My daughter told me that her new mother-in-law used to be the wedding coordinator at her church, and that she also loves to fix food for large groups. Good for her! I was very impressed.......it's not my favorite thing to do, but I admire those who enjoy such things.

So now I'm a mother-in-law......to a great son-in-law, by the way. Another milestone in life! I don't feel any different than I ever did, though. Just kind of amazed at the sudden change......just like each time I gave birth to a baby. These momentous events just sort of wash over a person.....there's not much you can do except ride along and smile!