Wedding Planning Extravaganza

Today I bring to you just a glimpse of how wedding planning is going for us. Here is the latest phone conversation with the store selling linens.

Me: Hi! I’d like to order a color sample chart.

Store: I’m sorry we are out of our color charts. They should be available end of February or March.

Me: (of course you are out) O.K., could I please order one napkin of each of the four colors we are looking at?

Store: I’m sorry, no, you can’t. The napkins only come in packages of 12.

Me: (of course they do) O.K., What is your return policy?

Store: You can return anything as long as it is unused and not laundered.

Me: Perfect. I would like to order a dozen each of linen napkins in ivory, beige, coral and hemlock.

Store: I would be happy to place that for you. What is the shipping address?

Me: (gives Larisa’s address at school that contains a C.P.O. Box)

Store: Oh, is that a post office box?

Me: No, it is a student box at a college.

Store: Packages cannot be delivered to P.O. Boxes.

Me: This is NOT a post office box. I send packages there all the time.

Store: O.K., but we are not responsible if it is returned.

Me: Fine.

(credit card number and details are exchanged)

Store: This name on the card does not match the shipping name.

Me: (no duh) Yes, that is my daughter, but I’m paying for this.

Store: So the address for the credit card is the same as the shipping address?

Me: No. (I don’t live with my daughter at college.)

(New billing address is given.)

Store: Thank you for your order. Those are pretty colors that will all look great together mixed on the tables.

Me: Thank you. (SERIOUSLY!? Did you forget the questions about color cards and ordering single napkins and return policy questions???)

And the 48 multi-colored napkins arrived in two days at O.R.U., were examined and are now all being returned.

End of story.

Whirlwind Weekend!

 

Whirlwind Weekend is now behind us.  Our eldest son, Austin, graduated in a beautiful ceremony for which Rick and I were responsible.  There were a few snags, but the evening turned out to be very rewarding for the 145 graduates and their family and friends.  They felt loved, celebrated and prayed for! So worth it, in my humble opinion, to put on a grand celebration for homeschool graduates!  A homeschool graduation is a day to celebrate the parents who chose this often difficult educational route, the mama who toiled endless hours in subjects she’s not all that familiar with, the siblings who were right there in the thick of things and of course, the graduate who survived.  This child in particular, caused more prayer hours in my life…. so far….. please read the previous post to learn why we are so proud of him!

After cleaning up the church and scrambling home by 11:00p.m., we slept for four short hours and then jumped in the van to drive 17 hours to a wedding in Oklahoma.  Son number two has had his driving permit for one week…. no, not even.  Five days.  F I V E.  So we endured a few white-knuckled hours of experience for him during extremely uneventful stretches of flat highway across the top of Texas and Oklahoma.  How can he be allowed to drive?  He was chubby and cute and three years old just a few months ago???

The wedding was beautiful…. truly… as beautiful as a wedding can be.  Our daughter was one of the bridesmaids and it was such a joy to experience the love between the young couple starting their new life together! And blast it all, I didn’t take one picture of the couple together!

In the fairytale setting there was a fairytale swing… one of the tallest I’ve ever seen.  Nora had a few moments of terror after the ceremony.  Her scared belly laugh makes me giggle.  It’s the laugh she can’t hold in… throaty and deep.  I love it!

Above all, I’m glad to be home.  Home sweet messy home.

 

2011 the Year of Realization

My own baby girl was IN a wedding this past summer.  One of her high school friends who is a few years older than her…. got married.  I know that sounds like a DUH! moment, but it made me sit up and realize that marrying off my baby girl is not that far in the future…. like another 10 years maybe.  Maybe.

Today is a wedding of a daughter of one of my friends.  That means I’m old enough to have friends with daughters getting married.  I know that sounds like another DUH! moment, but I’m realizing again that marriage of ones children is inevitable.  But how can it be happening to young people MY age????  I am heading over early to help with decorating.  That’s what MY MOM used to do.  MY MOM!

So, as today slips by, remember to hug your little babies, who may be taller than you now.  It won’t be long until they come and tell you that they are leaving you FOREVER.  Sad but true!  Happy but true!  This IS what we prepared them for, but no one prepared ME!

Twenty-One Years of Sweet Righteous Monogamy

Today is our 21st anniversary.  I thought I would take a few moments to reminisce about May 9, 1987. 

It was a sunny day in Sunnyvale, California and the wedding was set for 2:00.  Rick came knocking at my parent’s front door at 9:00 a.m. for his wedding day haircut from me.  I’m sure he was adding up all the haircut money that he would save over his lifetime by marrying a woman who runs with scissors.

The photographer arrived at the house to take pictures of me, my family and the bridesmaids: Christy, Connie, Jan, Kathy and Deidre.  Most of them were taken in the bricked courtyard on white wrought iron chairs.  Arriving next at my parent’s home was Rick’s family… we all just looked at each other for a while……. they were misinformed about where they were to be for pictures, so they rushed off to the church.

The wedding party gathered at the church before the ceremony for pictures, so as not to make the guests wait later on.   Our church at that time was also a school so we were married in the sanctuasium.  I was walked slowly down the aisle right over the volleyball and basketball court where I spent many an athletic hour during high school.  Lunch was basically forgotten in the photography/wedding schedule and we ended up eating McDonald’s burgers in the girl’s locker room right before the ceremony.

Finally 2:00 arrived, the gym filled with friends and family.  Right before my dad and I entered, he turned to me and said, “If there’s any reason that you need to leave, I’ll go with you right now.”  Wasn’t that nice?!  My last out, but I declined the offer.  Thanks anyway, Dad.

It was a Canadian/American wedding, so we signed the registry for the Canadians and later I smashed cake in Rick’s face for the Americans.  I never told Rick ahead of time about the USA cake-smashing-in-face tradition until after the wedding.  The only glitch the entire day was that the dry ice melted before it was to be added to the punch fountain.

We said “I do.”  We kissed.  We greeted everyone in attendance.  We ate cake and listened to a few good stories from our past.  We threw the bouquet, garter belt and were out of there by 5:00 in my brother’s blue Corvette.  When our guests started throwing bird seed at us, my brother took off his tux jacket and tried to cover the T-top of his car.  :o)  Sorry, Rob. 

I do remember that my face totally hurt because of smiling for an entire day.  I think I’ll dig out the 21 year old video and pop some popcorn for tonight’s family entertainment.

Thanks, Rickey, for being my knight in shining armor, brave and true.  I love you.  XOXO Lin

www.LindaCrosby.com

Happy 50th Anniversary, Dad and Mom! (Wow!)

Please join me in wishing my parents, Ed and Grace, a Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary today!   Wooo hooo!  Yes, they were 13 and 12 when they got married. They are superb parents who have an impressive parenting resume with only a few mishaps, entirely at the fault of my siblings.  I was the child who ran around at 3 years old yelling, “I be good!  I be good!” and haven’t caused a day of heartache since.  :o)  (Fortunately for me, Mom and Dad can’t remember anything different.)

My dad lived up to his nickname, Steady Eddie.  I don’t know if that actually was his nickname, but he did live up to it nonetheless.  He is easy going, level headed, kind hearted, a Mr. Fix-It, has a great dry sense of humor, and cries at long-distant telephone commercials.  He has supplied his three children and their spouses with wisdom and a Godly example that we’ve all depended on.  Plus he’s kept Mom happy for over 50 years.  If that isn’t amazing in this day and age, please tell me what is.

Mom has been the life of the party, whether she wanted to be or not.  She has provided us with laughs and love and learning all the days of our lives.  We have fond memories of her orange, polyester karate outfit, her jazzy piano playing of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and her attempts at beating her children in fierce games of Scrabble.  She knows more two letter Scottish, Burmese and Taiwanese words than Mr. Webster.  She is a talented artist, home decorator and fashion shopping guru.

My siblings and I were truly blessed by being raised by these fine folks.  Thanks, Mom and Dad.

What else happened in 1958, you ask?  Let me expound:

The U.S. Army inducted Elvis Presley, transforming The King Of Rock & Roll into U.S. private #53310761

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act into United States law.

First International House of Pancakes (IHOP) opened in Toluca Lake, Calif.

The U.S. Congress formally created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Instant noodles went on sale for the first time.

The first successful American satellite, Explorer I, was launched into orbit.

Edward Nikander married Gracie Chauncey in a cheery, Valentine-decorated ceremony in Vancouver, BC.  The bride wore an off the shoulder gown with netted layers with v-shaped trim.  The groom sported a trim, white dinner jacket.  The couple honeymooned at the first motel they found that didn’t have weeds.  (If the establishment doesn’t take care of the grounds, imagine what the rooms must look like! ~ Mom’s lesson #47)