Getting Ready for a Wedding: First Shower

As MOG, I was told I would be a "special guest" at this first shower for Maryn & Jacob, thrown by one of her aunts for M's family & parent's church family. Rachel & I got to meet some of Maryn's relatives & get told how much they love my son. That was special all by its self. :-)
Also, the food was yummy.

Maryn looked too cute in her pink "future bride" shirt (or does it say "bride to be"? EEK - I don't remember! Wait a sec while I run through some photos to see if I can read it on one of them... Ah - no such luck. You can trust me though > it was cute, pink & said something about becoming a bride. )
She has kindly offered to procure for me a shirt proclaiming "Mother of the Groom". That could be fun. A plus is that I have her permission to wear it for my other sons when such conditions arise.

No, I will not wear it in anticipation of such conditions arising. :-) Not me! I would never.

When Maryn started opening the gifts, she was told that old tale about having one child for every broken ribbon so she broke none. I told her that I didn't break any either. (grin)

I also said that my grandmother had told me that in her day, it was said that a bride would be blessed with a child for every towel received, so she's up to four, I believe. (another grin)
I didn't mention that Stan & I received 8 or 12...

Isn't this beautiful? This is Maryn's mom's first quilt, made especially for Maryn with the oriental theme she loves. No, it was not a surprise. I believe M helped pick out some of the fabric. Suzanne has been working on it at least since last summer. That is Suzanne standing & helping hold up the quilt.


All the gifts were opened & it was almost time for cake. Maryn & Jacob had received some nice gifts to help establish their own home.

Then we played one game.
A roll of tissue was passed around & we were instructed to take what we needed. ???

Then we went around the room & for each square gave one piece of marriage wisdom/advice. You should have seen the unmarried girls squirm a bit. The one engaged cousin had lots of advice (which is really quite funny if you think about it); Rachel had a couple of offerings including "Don't forget to spend time with me!" & "Take good care of the (Jacob's) birds."

Others that I recall:
*Listen, listen, listen, listen.
*Respect each other.
*Don't go to bed angry.
*Kiss him when you wake up & when you go to bed.
*Wave him off to work & greet him when he returns.
*Remember that he is the leader of the family; gracefully submit even though you know you are right & he is so WRONG.
*Love covers a multitude of sins.
*Leave room in your life for other people.
*No adultery, mental or otherwise.
*Don't get upset about little things such as messy habits.
*Keep growing closer to God & you will grow closer to each other too.
*Get involved in his hobbies (there was a fun fishing story here).
*Remember that he is not there to solve all your problems, that's God's job.
*Always tell him "I love you" when he leaves [because no one is promised a tomorrow].
*Listen, listen, listen, listen.

Good advice even for us old married folks, special guests or not.

Getting Ready for a Wedding: MOG Dress

MOG is a fairly new term for me but in this wedding business, I'd better get used to it. Mother of Groom is a title I hope to be blessed with a couple more times down the road, probably prior to experiencing MOB, although I've heard that girls often "settle down" at an earlier age than guys but I'm in no hurry. God's timing, folks!

One thing I was nervous about was getting the right dress. I was informed that the MOG is seen only 2 minutes max while being escorted down the aisle & leaving, that no one notices the MOG as all eyes are on the BEAUTIFUL BRIDE and that the MOG is to "become one" with the scenery. Nice. But I still wanna wear something I like that will blend in nicely so my DIL 2B is HAPPY - which should help my son to be happy also...
Plus there are those wedding photos which you know last forever. What DIL wouldn't want their fav in-laws hanging on a wall somewhere commemorating their special day?
SO
While fetching Rachel's dress while Maryn was at the mall too, we looked for a dress for me. I kept choosing "wedding horror story" glittery or skimpy or hippy things (LOL!) since I didn't see anything I liked > Maryn didn't think it was as funny as I did. (sheepish grin)

Finally, I found a dress I liked & Maryn liked it too. Problem: It was too big > I like that problem better than some others...
When I found out that the smallest available was still too big, I wasn't about to pay that price for a dress that would have to be fitted. UGH!

I looked some more, even online but that dress stayed on my mind. No, I didn't obsess. Of course not.
Around Christmas I'd prayed & decided that that WAS the dress for me if I could find it again at that smallest too-big size. You can guess the rest: I found it. It was clearance priced by this time (hurray!). It was STILL too big. While I considered putting some weight on to help it fit better Mom reminded me of all the clothes she had made including some bridesmaids dresses for weddings.

When we went to Alabama after Christmas it was Mom to the rescue!!
She fitted & tacked & sewed & fussed about the dress not being made correctly to begin with. It has a symmetry problem but I do too so it was almost like it was made for me...

She worked nearly all night & then the next day too. What a blessing!
It was definitely RE-made for me.



Rachel inherited one of the jumpers Mom made way back when.
You know we had to have a little fun trying things on. :-)





And here is the finished product, complete with shoes. I'm hoping it is neutral enough to blend nicely with wedding colors chosen by upcoming DILs too.
I'm gonna have to wear the shoes some prior to the big day just to get used to wearing heels again. You can see me tripping up the aisle, right? That would be a memory maker.

Guest #1: "Look! The MOG just took a nose dive!"
Guest #2: "Yes, but look at that beautifully fitted MOG dress!"
Guest #3 "And those shoes match so well!"

Actually those shoes seem to fit a little big too. Think I should take them to Mom? Maybe I'll just try to gain some weight in my feet.

Getting Ready for a Wedding: Junior Bridesmaid

We were thrilled to find a bride's maid dress and shoes for Rachel on a clearance rack at the mall. We went back the next day with Maryn to make sure it was the right red. Yes! We have a winner!

Rachel is having a hard time waiting for the wedding to wear it in public.

"Mom, it would look nice for Christmas." (bright SMILE)

"Mom, Valentine's Day is coming up & I have a new red dress..." (grin. wink, wink)

Not questions, because the law was laid down when we bought the thing.

I'm glad she's looking forward to its unveiling. Now to find a cute short sweater jacket to go with. Let me know if you see a white one on a clearance rack somewhere.

Ooooooh

Caleb checking out his mail from colleges: "Ooooooh"

My musical reply "Oooooo Oooooo Oooooo" the beginning of "Thou O Lord"

Rachel then started singing "I look just like Buddy Holly. Oh, oh and you're Mary Tyler Moore"

Sometimes we just crack me up!

Quotes from Reagan

"Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don't need it and hell where they already have it." -Ronald Reagan 'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.' - Ronald Reagan 'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' -Ronald Reagan 'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' -Ronald Reagan 'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.' - Ronald Reagan 'I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.' -Ronald Reagan 'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.' - Ronald Reagan 'Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.' - Ronald Reagan 'The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.' - Ronald Reagan 'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.' - Ronald Reagan 'Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.' - Ronald Reagan 'Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.' - Ronald Reagan 'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.' - Ronald Reagan 'If we ever forget that we're one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under.' -Ronald Reagan