The Wedding Part II Fingers, Toes and Flowers

Friday dawned party sunny and warm.

I spend the morning cleaning Shauna's old bedroom for her to spend the night in. It has become that room that all the extra stuff gets thrown into, and I was literally putting away Christmas wrapping and decorations!

In the afternoon we all had appointments to get manicures and pedicures!

But first we went to lunch at Chili's. Me, Shauna, her bridesmaids Abby and Sandy, Marissa, and my sister-in-law Linda.

And then on to the salon. Can I mention here that I hate having my feet touched? I've had three pedicures in my life and they have all been torture! But  I managed to get through this one and the one for Shauna's shower! I do like soaking my feet in the warm, bubbling water, though! That was heaven!

After the manis and pedis, we walked a few doors down to Home Goods so Shauna could see if she could find a table to use at the ceremony. She had ordered one on Am@zon that was supposed to arrive on Friday but it was not going to arrive until Saturday! Too late!!

She also wanted to find something to put the wedding cards in. She had a box but wasn't satisfied with it anymore!

We did manage to find a small sofa table that would work perfect for the ceremony, and could be used in her house afterwards but finding the perfect box for the cards was a little harder. With all of us with her giving her suggestions and showing her stuff, she had had enough, said forget it and we left without finding anything.

Later she went back by herself and bought a cute basket with lace on it! It was perfect! Sometimes brides have to do that!

I didn't take a single picture the whole time!

After we all went home and Shauna spent a few hours with Brad she came back to spend the night in her old room.

Brad dropped her off and they brought a lot of the vases and decorations for the wedding along with three buckets of flowers that she had ordered online and had been sitting in water for a few days.

The first thing we did was press her dress and get it ready to go! It sure looked pretty hanging there in her old room!

We then went to Meijer's grocery store to buy even more flowers and some snack foods to take to the hotel on Saturday.

We wanted to make three wrist corsages, five boutonnieres and three bridesmaids bouquets.

It took us a while to figure out how to make the wrist corsages. We looked on line but still couldn't figure it out. We were almost ready to give up but I figured we at least had to try, so I got my trusty hot glue gun and did the best I could

 I have to say they came out pretty good! And I actually had fun making them!

We made three of them. One for me, one for Sandy, Brads mom,  and one for Brads grandma!

While I was doing that Shauna was making the boutineers.

She put them together and we wrapped them with mint ribbon. She did a fantastic job. They were so cute!!

We spritzed them all with water, put them in little boxes and then in the refrigerator for the next day.

Next Shauna made the three bouquets for her bridesmaids. We bought four bunches of these flowers and arranged them in three vases. When she got them the way she wanted them we took them out, rubber banded them, cut the stems and put them in water to wait for the next day.

Here is all the flowers in buckets in the basement bedroom where is was cool.

We pretty much got everything done by 11:00 and because we wanted to be rested for the next day, we all went to sleep, or at least tried to sleep!

We had a big day the next day!

Next: The Wedding Part III; A Stormy Wedding Day

The Wedding Part I-Thursday May 28th

On Thursday before the wedding we all gathered at the venue to have a rehearsal.

It was a beautiful evening. sunny, warm and breezy.

Shauna and Brad wanted the ceremony to be right on the grass outside of the patio attached to the venue.

They had a few chairs set up in rows for us to practice in.

We gathered in a room and Sarah, who is the event coordinator there,  helped us figure out how we were going to do everything.

Line up here, walk here, sit here! We went through it a few times.

 It was a beautiful, sunny evening!

 Breezy and warm.

Chris and Brad standing in position.

It didn't take us long to get it just the way Shauna and Brad wanted it.

Then we left and went to dinner at Champs, which was graciously hosted by Brads mom and dad.

Brad made a little speech.

And then him and I took a selfie!

I take terrible selfies! I always look like I'm looking into one of those round, Christmas ornaments, know what I mean?

Shauna and Brad handed out gifts to all their attendants. I wish I would have got a picture of the pretty necklaces she gave her girls. It was a CZ surrounded by smaller stones in the shape of a knot, with a little card saying "Thanks for helping us tie the knot". Very pretty!

And she gave us this beautiful frame and candle.

It was a fun night!

Coming up-Fingers, toes and flowers!

Designated Driver

Saturday night was Shauna's Batchelorette party. I was invited to at least part of it with Brads mom Sandy and a few other mothers.

The party started at Shauna and Brads house with drinks and other items related to a certain part of the male anatomy.

Like a new water bottle for Shauna

And a cake!

We went to eat at Los Tres Amigos where the food is OK but the margaritas are fantastic!

 Shauna got lots of cute gifts

 Me and my sweet daughter-in-law Marissa

Back to the house for more pictures, more drinking and games like pin the ( insert certain male anatomy part) on the man

Shauna and her girls

One of them made her this bouquet out of lollipops. The idea was to bring it with her to the bar and offer people a sucker for $1. Called suck for a buck! Unfortunately, in all the excitement we accidentally left it at home!

 I volunteered to be designated driver which the girls took me up on so I loaded them up in my Equinox and off we went to the Diamonback Saloon, a country western bar.

The girls had lots of delicious looking shots!

And did a lot of dancing!

Those country western dancers will line dance to any song! Even if it's not a country song!!

And we stayed until 1:30 in the morning. I had fun just drinking water and watching them have fun! And at the end of the night got them all back to Shauna's safe and sound!

It was after 2:00 before I got to bed and today I'm exhausted but it was worth it!

Don't look at me but how gorgeous is this daughter of mine?

6 more days!

Until the next time!

Some non-Wedding Stuff

Well, we're two weeks out for this wedding that we have been waiting a year and a half for! I can't believe how fast the time went by. It's going to be over very soon and then I'll probably be really bummed!

Other things have been going on too, not wedding related.

My friend Marie found out she is going to be a grandmother for the first time! Her daughter is due in November. We talk about becoming grandmas all the time and I am so excited for her! Hopefully I'm pretty close behind her! 

Rich and I took a little two-night getaway a few weeks ago. We went to Pentwater, which is on the western side of the state, right on Lake Michigan. We stayed there for one night and then traveled to Traverse City Turtle Creek Casino for another night. We manged to see a sunset on Lake Michigan. It was OK.

Lots of people had the same idea...sunsets on Lake Michigan are a popular attraction!

My lilacs are in full bloom right now! They smell heavenly! I wish I could cut some and bring them in the house, but they last a whole 10 minutes! Plus my cats would probably eat them!

"Only if  they taste like catnip!"

My brother Don's oldest son Joey got engaged and will be getting married probably this time next year. His fiance Michelle is a sweetheart!

We are currently trying to decide if we want to sell our house and buy a smaller one now while the market is good or stay put for a while. Its a sellers market right now which is a good for selling but not necessarily for buying! Plus all the logistics of going through all that gives me a headache thinking about it! Who knows? When in doubt do nothing so that's what we are doing!

Work continues to be a necessary pain! We got approval from the Regents to relocate the whole pathology lab to an outside facility that is approximately 3 miles closer to my house! The best part is there is parking right at the facility, so no more buses! The bad thing is we won't be moving until sometime in 2017! 

Maybe I'll strike it rich and retired before then! 

One can dream, right??

Until the next time.......

Finally May, 2015!

Happy May, 2015! The month that 18 months ago sounded so very far away! But here it finally is and at the end of the month we  have Shauna and Brads wedding!


But I am jumping ahead of myself! Lets get to the shower first!

After months of planning and preparing (and losing a few nights sleep!) we finally showered Shauna with love and presents on the 12th of April!

The favors were decorated bottles of nail polish! Here they are all done and packed up to go!

That's the best picture I got of them, though!

We had it an Antonio's, a beautiful Italian restaurant by our house and I can't say enough about the food and the service! They were fantastic!

There was so many people there that I hadn't see in a long time!

Plus I got to meet Brad's sweet grandma, who lives in Canada! Shauna loves her and I can see why!

 She got lots of wonderful presents!

Everyone had a good time and the food was fantastic. They all loved their little nail polish favors!

I was so busy and didn't get a chance to take a lot of the pictures I wanted to take! The day just flew by!

I did however make sure to have my picture taken with Karen my oldest friend (left) and Marie my best friend!

It was a great day and a lot of fun in the end!

Now on to the wedding in 3 weeks!

Locked and Loaded

A month or so before Christmas Rich bought himself a Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol. It's something that he's been wanting for a while and when a couple guys he works with bought one, he figured it was his turn.

On a side note: He works in Detroit in a not so nice area. I always worry about him at work and it's nice to know that he has a way to protect himself if he needs to.  Plus pretty much everyone working there is packing heat now!

Anyway, a few weeks ago he decided to buy another pistol, a smaller one this time that would fit in my hand easier. This is a Smith and Wesson M&P 380 Bodyguard. He says he bought it for me but he's not fooling me...he likes it more than I do!

This weekend we finally went to the firing range and for the first time in my life I shot a pistol; both of them in fact!

Here's my observation:

They are very loud!

They are very powerful!


They scare the bejeebers out of me!

 I can't hit the broad side of a barn!

But when we were done we both left there with smiles on our faces! We loved it and can't wait to go again!

There is an outdoor shooting range at Island Lake State Park and I think we will try that next time now that the weather is getting warmer.

And we are also planning on taking the class to get a concealed pistol license.

Yep, we're going to be locked and loaded!!!!

Until the next time....

WOW

Wow! It's been almost two months since I put a post on here. I guess I need to do some catching up!

It's been a long and very cold winter but now the temps are finally warming up, the snow is starting to melt, the sun is out more and more and the wedding is less than 3 months away!

 Here's some random things that have been going on.

My great nephew Gabriel turned 1 year old. His mom doesn't give him a lot of sweets so when he got a taste of his birthday cake he pretty much just planted his face into it!

My niece had to keep wiping cake out of his nose so he could breath! Guess he liked it!

I have a stand-up monitor stand at work now. The whole thing goes up and down and now I can either work standing up or sitting down. It's been great and I wish I would have had it years ago!

Another great nephew, Francis was baptized. Here is a picture of my dad and all his great grandsons!

Dominic holding Gabriel, Dante next to my dad holding Francis and Anthony on the other end!

It's hard to take a picture with crying , wiggling kids!

I stressed a lot about Shauna's bridal shower, which is April 12th.  It's being hosted by my daughter-in-law Marissa, who is the matron of honor, and Shauna's friends Sandy and Abby who are bridesmaids. I got everyone together including Shauna and Sandy, Brad's mom. and we had a planning session. Everyone has a particular job and it should all come together pretty good! 

The wedding planning is also coming along good. Brad and Shauna are taking care of most of the details, I'm just giving advice and helping when I can! It's going to be very nice!

Until the next time.....