Make a joyful noise

Part two of the wedding day continues with the recessional from the church. The organist is banging out Toccata by Widor (very loud piece of music), the church bells are ringing and the bagpiper is blowing away. Yeah!!! They are husband and wife and now after some photos, everyone is ready to PARTY. The ballroom is elegant and has white relief like Jasper Wear...you know... an old Wedgwood plate. It is a soft green and is awash in candlelight. Everyone loves the food, the cake, the band.

I must take a moment to brag on my son. He was kind, attentive, handsome and helpful to all of our friends. He is cool under fire and I love him to pieces.

Next we greet everyone and the dancing starts. There was some fabulous dancing going on and someone who will remain nameless asked them to lighten up.????? We were all loving it. This band played Santana, Louis Armstrong, Motown, Lady Gaga, Maroon Five. Call me for referrals. Excellent!!!

Food superb. I didn't eat a bite but that was the word around the room. A southern menu was planned with fried green tomatoes over succatash, barbecue pork on sweet potatoe biscuits, shrimp and grits, lamp chops, tenderloin, salmon. A true sampling of the south's faves...

The cake was decorated in the pattern of my daughters veil. On top rested two of the cutest love birds you've ever seen. They were made out of sugar and the bride bird wore a veil and the groom a bow tie and top hat. The wedding cake was a cheesecake and each layer a different flavor. There was none left....I think they liked it.

So everyone ate and drank and danced and my daughter and now SIL loved every minute.
As the night came to a close, paper cones with their names and wedding date on the inside were filled with rose petals. They were showered and into the limo they went.

I must say my photographer was a gentleman. He, his wife and daughter were unbelievably easy going and they must have been exhausted at the end of the night cause they never sat down. You want a calm photographer. They didn't bark. They were
comforting and wonderful.

My wedding day right hand girl was the best. Loved her to bits. Don't ever let anyone talk you out of it. She pinned on flowers, set up the guest book table, loaded our car with the wedding gifts, leftover food and some flowers. She was so
attentive to the bride and groom and upon their arrival she had a change of shoes,
food and cold drinks for them to enjoy.

We head home. Family comes over and at 2 I think our home was quiet for the first time that day. Was it worth it??? You betcha. Do my feet hurt? You betcha.
Thanks be to God for friends and family and their willingness to gather around and surround the new couple with love and best wishes.

Going to the chapel and I'm gonna get married

This morning has not gone as I envisioned. I was over served last night. I wake up and have had four hours sleep. Beauty requires more hours than that. We have our dog, my son's dog and my daughter's dog at our house to ensure that no one tries to break in and take the wedding gifts. I feel so horrible that I encourage the dogs to get on the bed and feed them the crackers I wish I could stomach. My daughter says there is something wrong with this picture. I am getting you water and crackers and it's my wedding day. I know. I know. Try to rally. I'd do a couple of necessary things like load the guest book and pens and have to rest. This went on for several hours. Sewing kit...check, change of shoes...check..recline. Veil check, dress check....recline. About 10:45 we headed off for our massages. Terrific idea. No kidding. It released the toxins and relaxed my muscles and with the help of the massage and some iced tea....I'm back. Here come's the hairdresser. Next the make up girl arrives. One bridesmaid, then another and another and another. Controlled chaos may be an apt description. Hairdryers are blowing. Pictures are being snapped. Nipple tape???? bosom tape....what???? To say the least, it was a learning experience. Laughter and hugs and laughter. Girls spread out on my bed with their feet elevated because it is almost as good as a nap. My turn... I had to remove make up before I even went downstairs. I looked like I could be the fat lady singing in the opera. The men have all met at a club for food. Upon their return, Precious goes to bed. My son showers and puts on his tux and heads off to manland as our home is pretty much awash in girly, girl activites. Time to wake up Precious and then we really have to make hay. Getting the dress in the car is a feat in itself. We are off. Precious, my daughter and me. Breathe.

We arrive at the church and it is hot and humid. The brides' room is small and crowded and hot. After awhile, I clear the room. Get my daughter with much assistance (those covered buttons are a bear) into the dress. Put on the veil and she heads outside with the photographer. Thank God and I mean really thank you God that I won the wedding planner argument. She takes the guys their flowers and I hand out the girls. We are all a little flustered and I might (most probably) assumed a nazi role. After the photographer finishes, all the girls come inside and cool off.
My angel, saint friend had brought water and sandwiches. Little water and food and great air conditioning and laughter resumes.

At this point, I have no idea what is happening with the men folk. Here comes Precious. There is no button for his tux. Do I have a safety pin? I get one and pin him together and try my best not to claw his face off. Lucky for him the wedding planner comes and says five minutes. I try to stay in the moment. Off we go and there is my handsome son. He has already seated two grandmothers and now gets to seat me. Right when we get ready to head down the aisle the music stops. We wait. Here comes a catchy tune and off we go.

In a few minutes, my STBSIL and his groomsmen all file out behind the priest.
Then Trumpet Voluntary. The bridesmaids come and with great fan fare......the bride.
We all stand. She is beautiful and Precious looks dashing. Their voices were clear, the readings meaningful, the homily perfect, the music oh so beautiful....There was a solo by a 19 year old baritone. We were his first wedding. His voice could blow your skirt up...I pronounce you husband and wife and just like that................
they are married.

There's a tear in my beer

Let's just say that it was grand. A gorgeous room. An open bar. Friends and family who have traipsed across the country to be with your daughter and STBSIL. They serve this bacon that you'd kill for. Beautiful flowers on every table and a slide show. Precious has been a tad bit emotional today anyway. Then they display his baby girl's life on the big screen and I swear at one point, he stood in the room and openly wept. His filter was not working. You know Somewhere over the Rainbow playing and your baby's life in photos on the projector. It was hard on a dad. I had the good sense to quit watching but every now and then, I could feel the now familiar catch in the throat. Dinner was out of this world. Toasts. The best man and maid of honor had props. It was extremely moving. Strong, kind, loyal, tenacious, motivating were among the adjectives most used. This makes a mom very proud. Thank you and good-bye. Oh hell no. We are going to a dive bar. It smells like an ashtray. Most of the clientele look like they are five. I ask for a Savignon Blanc and they are clueless. I was forced to drink vodka. Pink champagne was poured and thankfully my brain said NO NO NO never drink the pink. We head home. I apparently did a load of laundry and removed my contacts. Hello, Betty Ford........

Downtown where all the lights are bright

We live in a huge city. Traffic is awful. Our church is downtown. The rehearsal is at 5:00 on a Friday. Get the picture. Get dressed and get out of your house and pray you are not stuck somewhere. Now we are all together. We pray. I love our priest. He is a no nonsense kinda guy. He's young and has three children and I think we got downright lucky on the rotation. There are two wedding planners. Between the priest and the planners and the wedding party, everyone gets a pretty good idea about what they are supposed to do. This is a brief description of the wedding party. Two greeters, three readers, 8 groomsmen, 4 ushers, 7 bridesmaids, 2 grandmothers, 2 sets of parents and one bride and groom. We are a large and unruly mass of humanity. There has been some uncertainty about the time we can get into the church tomorrow. Onto more important issues...the rehearsal dinner. We prepare to go across town.

We gather together

It's 2AM after the wedding. I am going to back track. The bridesmaids' luncheon.
You gather together your daughter, your mom, your sister in law, your niece, two of your very best friends and your daughters friends, your STBSIL's mom and grandmother and mix it all together with a place of great nostalgia and some of the best chicken salad in the world.....Voila...It's a moment. A moment embedded in your heart that you will always, always be thankful for. We toasted my daughter and each told something special about her. My filter didn't work. I was a mess. My favorite moment...the day she was born and every day since. Her friends are so kind and loving. They are old friends in their young lives. Her maid of honor she's known since she was four and the most of the other girls since she was in 6th grade. Now that's saying something. I say that because I have my core group. My grade school friends, my high school friends, my college friends and my adult friends. I am thankful for girlfriends. They are strong and soft and get you through your bad days. I am thankful for my mother teaching me about the value of friendship. I am thankful for my daughter and showing me that she too values the girls she holds most dear to her heart. I am sounding redundant but Thank you God. Thank you Jesus. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Our lives are blessed.

Ghost busters

Rise and shine and give God your Glory, Glory. So I head to pick up the dress in the gigantic vehicle. I get there and I swear the dress is wrinkled. You don't want to know what I paid to have the dress pressed. The people assure me this fabric doesn't
iron out well. Now, if I were a dress designer, I would only design dresses out of fabric that looks together. After some steaming, the nice tall man who is over 6 feet tall places it in the car. I get home and realize that I am a foot shorter than he and none of the moldings over the doors are tall enough. It comes to me to haul this sucker up the stairs and rig it over the banister. That way the thing can hang two stories. Then I take rubber bands and weave them around the hangers and loop it around one of the posts. This was a precautionary step should (heaven forbid) the dress fall down.It looks like the ghost of weddings past floating around like that. Kind of eerie. Next I head to the hairdresser for a run through on my hairdo. Queen Victoria had nothing on me. Off to the grocery store as the family is coming for dinner. My daughter and I head off to get a mani/pedi and it was the highlight of my week. Upon our return my STBSIL, my son, my brother in law and his girlfriend, my daughter and a friend all sit around and have a cocktail. Off the young folks go and I set the table and thaw the frozen dinner. Prior to this shendig, how did I ever fill my days?

Tara's theme

Lawdy Miss Scarlett, I don't know nothing about birthin babies. Well neither do I.
You'd think after nine months of planning all questions would be answered, but NO.
My email is full. My cell phone has more messages than Carter has liver pills and
each call is interrupted by another call. I worked today and will tomorrow. Taking the dogs to the groomers. Delivering a gift. Returning clothes to the store because on Wednesday and only on Wednesday do you get an extra 20% off. I think this must be the labor portion. Like Prissy, I find my self throwing my hands in the air, swirling my skirt and singing under my breath. I am not going to worry about that now as tomorrow is another day. Truly my mind has Gone with the Wind.

I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair

Terrific things happen when you old. You get wiser. You have a cleansing. You really only do things that you want to do with people you want to be with. No more obligatory junk. You don't sweat the small stuff and if you do, you don't remember it the next day. Some not so great things also happen when you get old. The neck. That thing flapping in the breeze .....oh my God...it's my arm. Hair. Gray hair emerges. I'm not talking about just on your head. Eyebrows, eyelashes and other unmentionables. But strange hairs appear. Before you see them or any of your friends have the guts to mention, uh I think there is a 4 inch long hair on the side of your neck. Run to the mirror with tweezers and pluck that sucker out. Here is a great fear of mine. What if I'm laid up in the hospital? If you are true friend, you will promise to survey the landscape and take whatever measures you deem necessary to make me presentable to others. Friends wax and pluck and shave. Waxing is great if you want to have skin that looks like a red hot tamale for 4 days. Plucking...immediate but painful. Also, more time consuming. Shaving. Dermatologists say all women should shave their faces. This would mean commitment daily. I'm not so good at anything that absolutely, positively must be done every single day for the rest of my life. When did I (the girliest of girly girls) have to worry about looking like a man????

Fairest Lord Jesus

Thank you Jesus. Today the time of the college football game has been announced.....
it is at Noon. Thank you Jesus. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and all is right with the world!!! Our florist came by to show us the linens and they were fabulous. Thank you Jesus. He left us some beautiful flowers. Normally he takes them to the nursing home but he said we looked like we could use them??? My mother brought over champagne so we spent the afternoon drinking all of it plus some that I had on hand and showing all the magnificent gifts to friends that dropped by. It was casual, relaxing and fun. Thank you Jesus. Precious made a pot of chili so I didn't have to cook dinner. Thank you Jesus. My daughter is tucked in her bed getting her beauty sleep and I pray she feels the love. I do. I am humbled and grateful. Thank you Jesus.

Fruit of the vine

A friend of mine gave me the name of a wedding planner. Up until now we haven't met.
As a matter of fact, I haven't had a conversation with her in about 4 months. So I place the call. This poor lady had her wedding book stolen. This held information on all her upcoming weddings. Needless to say, she was happy to hear from me. We met over coffee and she was just perfect. Adorable, kind, easy going. Glad I made that call and handed over wedding day responsibilities to her. Then I spent an hour at the car wash. No joke. One hour. They did a great job but it is hard to make a silk purse out of a sows ear. So off to the liquor store I go. I have a card that supposedly gives me discounts. I don't think I have ever purchased one of those discounted items. The bottles I buy all seem to be full price. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We need alcoholic beverages. I get my handy dandy shopping cart (scary) and commence. Vodka, bourbon rum . Rum is too high. Next to the beer. Beer. Now to my area of the store.....wine... So I peruse and purchase and go home to fill my refrigerator. During these last few weeks, it seems to me that what once was normally consumed in a week, is somehow disappearing in an evening. Thus the puffiness. Okay, so time to get the dress. My daughter, one of her bridesmaids and I head to the dressmaker. The dress is a wrinkled mess. Oh you want the press package she asks. No I would like my daughter to walk down the aisle in something that looks like she has slept in it for a week. That will cost......Another add on...
We head home with no wedding dress. Where is that wine??????

Working at the carwash

So today we are picking up the dress. That would be the wedding dress. I hope the motorcade has the street blocked and the police lead the way...just kidding... The alterations lady did suggest we pick it up in a van or SUV or ATV or whatever. Guess what this involves???? Getting the monster cleaned. This vehicle belongs to Precious. Precious is anti-littering and apparently anti throwing anything away. This heap hauls grass, plants, tools and boating paraphernalia. This boating equipment involves ski vests, gloves, shoes, wrenches, oil and other items that I can't name. This car has hauled the dogs and that means lots of hair. It is old, dirty, greasy and full of take out coffee cups, straws, and wrappers. The back window has quit working. He keeps a knife on the front seat to open the passenger side door. So now it is time to pick up this most marvelous garment. Guess I'll be heading to the car wash.

You are woman, I am man

It is nine days before the wedding. I ask Precious if his clothes are in order and should we go look for shirt, tie, studs etc. His response, well I haven't thought about it. After some grumbling, he digs into his closet and emerges with several shirts. Most are different neck sizes. This one is fine he declares. I offer to take it to the cleaners to get it pressed. He shrugs and says ok. Hello. You might like to get it together for your daughter's wedding!!! I think about my son at college. He loves the ladies and they love him. They are clean, their clothes are clean and their hair has been coiffed. He probably showered, found clothes from some pile, brushed his teeth and left. If men only had a clue. Ladies like to preen. We think about the occasion and what we should wear. Men...not so much. I think of the day after my daughter was born. I was in the hospital requiring a third epidural as the first one had gone to deep. Your spinal fluid leaks out and your brain rubs against your skull.
You get a slight headache. They fix this by giving you another epidural.. Where was Precious? On the golf course handing out cigars. This pretty much sums up the difference.....Men are from Mars.

Fine, fine, fine....

Weird feelings are erupting with very little warning. The other day my daughter and I had exchanged what seemed like a thousand phone calls. About phone call number 615, I got her voice mail. When she said her name, I immediately got teary. Only 10 more days, and she will never use our name again. I know CRAZY. But true. The florist wants to set up a prototype of the flowers. My family wants to come see the wedding presents. My daughter wants shoes to change into that are good for dancing. My son....well I haven't heard from him and that scares the bejesus out of me. Friends think we should go out to dinner. The hotel wants an itinerary of the weekend events. Still waiting on response cards. I run into people constantly that I wish we could have included. My mother wants to discuss her upcoming ensembles for the wedding. I have signed up to go to work two days next week, may have to rethink that schedule. The refrigerator is on the frits. The air filtration system light in my car has come on. I need new tires. Some members of the family want a limo. Precious wants me to have his car cleaned. He is an extremely busy man. Questions that keep me from sleeping.... Have you had all your shots to go out of the country? Does my STBSIL have your passport? Do you know what you are taking on your honeymoon? When are you going to get your nails done? Have your hives receded? have you sent the list of songs to the band? Does the band, florist, caterer and cake guy along with all guests know about the street closings? What time do we need to be at the church for the rehearsal? What time can we get into the church for the wedding?
Have I informed the photographer about all the photos we want? But we are fine. Just fine.

Car 54 where are you?

Another professional needs to come on board. The make up artist. Now I am a middle aged woman who has been applying make up for more years than I can count. My daughter has been applying make up for at least the last 10 years. So why do we need an artist? I know I need one. Hell it would take a plastic surgeon, a sculptor and a make up artist to help me but not my daughter. I am biased. She is beautiful. Her skin truly is flawless. It was not inherited from me or my side of the family. So I think it is a crime to cover her face with cover up. But, to be a good sport, we head off to a recommended professional. First, her house was in Simbabwe. No joke. Then as we were closing in on the home stretch, the blue lights start flashing and they are behind my car. I pull over and am informed that I was going 53 in a 35MPH zone. Thankfully the officer took pity on me being lost and all and gave me a warning. Four phone calls to ask for more explicit directions ( NEVER trust a GPS) to this lady's house later, we arrive. We go to her bathroom and the applications begin. So the first comment I made was, you look green. Then the make up is too thick. Then what is with those cat eyes? And finally, the lips need a little more color. She looked gorgeous when we left but I thought she looked gorgeous when we arrived. The old hag in the mirror, got NO help. No trial run. Still looked old and dried out with bags under my eyes for the ride home. Where is the natural look?
When did we embrace the movie star in us all? Where is my trailer?

Every party has a pooper that's why we invited you

Wedding planners. This can all be attributed to Hollywood. Think "Father of the Bride". Who wouldn't love a wedding planner like that? Now wedding planners are all the rage. Some charge exorbitant prices. They tell you who to call for bands, cakes, photographers etc.. Some are just there for the day of the wedding. My friends who have been through this say it is like taking a baby to the party and trying to have a good time or getting a babysitter for the baby. Baby sitter wins hands down. Precious
thinks we are nuts. He doesn't want a middle man. He thinks if I can't figure out when to cut the cake then I possibly might be overserved. Wedding planners on the day of the wedding can have a variety of jobs. They come with needle, thread and an emergency kit to make sure everyone is all buttoned up properly. Then they head to the reception to make sure everything is in the correct place. They feed the bride and groom. They corner the photographer for photos. They pay vendors. They load gifts
(why do people bring gifts to weddings???) into cars. They say it is time for your first dance, time to cut the cake and time to leave. I love handing over responsibility. Precious does not. If you see a line drawn in the sand, get out of the way.

Lady in red

My sweet friend's mom died. The funeral was today. After the service, we all gathered at her sister's house. It is sad to say good-bye to the people who helped raise us. We reconnect and it is good to see these folks. It has been ages since I had laid eyes on some of them. Hugs and stories all around. These stories led to tales of one of the guests' dates at a wedding the previous weekend. To protect the innocent, let's just call her the wedding crasher. Apparently, she had a great figure and loved, loved, loved to dance. Her dress was red and her underwear black as everyone can attest to. Part of her dance moves including lifting the dress. Her dance partners were young and old and all of them were thrilled. Another guest at the wedding, has family members in law enforcement. She positioned the wedding crashers arms into a position that was not threatening but quite effective and steered her into some other direction when things got out of control. Additional entertainment didn't cost a penny more. So there you have it in a nutshell. You try to throw a classy affair and not your guest, but your guest's date is a real doozy. Thank you for coming.

These boots are made for walking

Next on the list of mandatory must haves for the wedding are shoes. The new trend today is for brides to wear colored shoes. You think I'm kidding. Just look in any bridal magazine. They look great. Red, purple or blue and all of them and I mean all of them have high heels. When I was a young girl, there was this material called peau de soie. You would take your fabric swatch and your pair of peau de soie shoes to the shoe guy and he would dye your shoe to match the fabric. You wanted to do this way in advance of the occasion so the shoes would have plenty of time to dry. Once, I was at my junior-senior and had my shoes dyed a lovely kelly green to match my dress. My boyfriend took me to this very upscale club for dinner. After dinner, we were walking to the car and I noticed that my shoes had these red clumps all over them. Pieces of carpet were adhered to my shoes. This was not really the look that I was going for. I was discreetly rubbing my feet together but alas, the little fur balls were attached with what appeared to be super glue. Thus, my shoe dyeing days came to an abrupt stop. Sorry, I got side tracked but as you can tell it was a traumatic event. So now we would all like to look nice but once again that old comfort issue rears it's ugly head. I have a bunion. Regular shoes hurt much less dressy shoes. The other issue is that not only do I need shoes but the entire family needs shoes. We need shoes for the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. For my daughter and I, this will be like a please don't throw us in the briar patch moment. For Precious and my son, not so much. It is now football season. We now interrupt this game for a little excursion known as shoe shopping.....Watch out cause these boots are gonna walk all over you.......

Got no diamonds, got no pearls

Jewelry. All women love jewels. Some of us more than others. It is now time to figure out the wedding jewelry. I would like my jewelry to lift the eyes up(off the butt area) and to the face. Doesn't that sound lovely? Here's the problem, my neck.
The damn thing looks like crepe paper. Then the base is surrounded by rings of creases and then the decolletage is more crepe paper. I should have bought a turtleneck. I have tried the always perfect pearl. It seems matronly. This is a big dilemma as pearls are one of my all time faves. I wear them all the time. They brighten old skin. I have tried lots of combos. Small necklace with big earrings. Small earrings with big necklace. I have tried no necklace. Some earrings vanish into my hair. Where do they go? I have asked friends and family for their opinions. Precious says that's nice to anything and never raises his head. I could have giant watermelons hanging from my ears and I don't think he would notice. Now my daughter, she has her own ideas. She needs the something blue in the something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue vernacular. She thinks a something blue piece of jewelry would be perfect. Who wouldn't???? Sapphires come to mind as do tanzanite, topaz and iolite to name a few gorgeous blue stones. My mother has offered her items, I have offered her items but she has a vision. Together, we are working on this. I can't think of another subject that is so much fun to delve into.

Crazy

We have been had. People in the wedding industry have created more unnecessary
ideas and have made us feel like we are inadequate and improper if we don't buy into their scheme. I am on a crusade. Let's go back to basics and rid these poor brides and their families of these gimmicks once and for all. First, Save the Dates. Total
BS. Friends and family and people that are close to you will know about the wedding and mark it on their blackberry or calendar if it is important to them. My daughter and her entire generation LOVE save the dates. They think they set the stage for the entire wedding. Everybody sends them. Well if Jim jumps off the roof of a building, does that mean you are going to jump off the roof of a building? I think they are a total rip off. Second, A groom's cake. When did that become mandatory? Football stadiums, cars, golf bags and school mascots are all very creative. Who eats two slices of cake after a night of drinking? Nobody. So is the cake mandatory? I think not. Third, Props for the reception. Sunglasses and boas and walking canes and flip flops are fun. They make the pictures look cute. But is it necessary? NO. Last but not least, is the idea that we must hand out favors to all the guests. Personalized cookies, doughnuts, sachet are a few that I have received. If food and drink and bands are not enough to say thank you, we love you and we are honored by your presence, we are in serious trouble. There this is definite proof that I am losing it. I just think we need to realize that enough is enough. So that is my soapbox for today. God bless and thank you very much.

Time in a Bottle

Guests don't use a guest book to sign in at a wedding reception anymore. Remember those
white leather books that were embossed in gold? You opened them up and the paper was lined like a school writing pad. Totally passe. Today couples are much more creative. They have goldfish bowls, birdcages, coffee table books, shells and stones. Sometimes guests are to write their messages to the bride in groom on the shells or stones and they are all gathered into a beautiful jar for the newlyweds' home. We would have to rent a crane to move the jar but it is a lovely thought. My daughter and STBSIL have opted for the book. They want a book that features the lake where they were both camp counselors. It doesn't exist. One has not been published. The college themed book is out of the question as they didn't attend the same school. Also, the institutions of higher learning for my STBSIL and Precious are arch rivals so one of them would be upset. Clever people make books online out of photos. So we are back to square one. I'd do one about my favorite vacation spot but I'd have to divulge where that would be and then I'd have to kill you. Maybe a stroke of genius will strike....any ideas?

Get R Done

After a night of not sleeping, I took an Advil PM. At midnight. At 8:00 this morning, the phone starts ringing. I make coffee and sit at the computer and swear I spent
the majority of the day there. First the call from the church. Are you sitting down?
My sweet buddy forwarded me the list of streets that will be closed on the wedding day for a music festival. She just wanted me to know. They only expect about 30,000-40,000 people. Good news is the dirt that has recently been in the church parking lot is gone. The dressmaker called and we need to come in for another fitting. The cake guy called and can't find the photo of what is supposed to be the topper. My friend at work calls and we space and format and go over the program before being sent to the printer. My mother comes over and rearranges the display of wedding gifts. I make pimento cheese for a friend whose mother is sick. Washed four loads of laundry. Cleaned three bathrooms. Dusted most of downstairs. Precious just called and wants to know what's for dinner. Added 10 more yes people to the guest list. Just another day in paradise.

My Girl

One afternoon sitting on the beach, we were discussing the perfect song for the father-daughter dance. These can reduce a stoic drill sergeant to tears. Lots of options were tossed about. However, Precious is definitely weighing in. The song must have a good tempo. He likes John Prine. I do too...just not for the wedding. His idea is too be dancing with our daughter to "Can I go all the way with you" ....not kidding and have my STBSIL break in. Does this give you any idea of what I'm up against? Both my daughter and Precious want something unique. "My Girl" is out of the question. If I make a suggestion, I am being dogmatic. What the Hell... All I know is we have a band that plays beach music and I don't think country western songs are on their playlist.