Wedding Season Again - Backyard Bridal Shower

After a long hiatus, weddings and other similar celebrations are back again! Two good friends’ children kick off the next phase in our mid-life journey - by being the first offspring to get married! We kicked things off with Katie’s bridal shower a couple weekends ago.

 

 
The Bride, Katie and her family moved away several years ago, but this friendship endures the miles apart. Originally dubbed “The Book Club Group”, we morphed into the “Fine Lake Ladies” after years of gathering at friend Heather’s lake house on (you guessed it) Fine Lake in Michigan. Heather and her family still retain ties to our area so the shower was held locally and allowed the family to re-visit familiar haunts over the weekend. Hostesses Nancy and Jill pulled together a lovely Bridal Brunch and even ordered perfect weather!

 

 
Table settings:

 

 
Brunch goodies:

 

 
The Bride to Be:

 

 

 
With sister Isabel:

 

 

 
And sister Charlotte (plus friend Kelly):

 

 
The weather was perfect - not too hot and no rain, which allowed us to enjoy time outside in Nancy’s backyard.

 

 
Heather, Mary and Isabel

 

 
Seated at the table with the Bride at the head:

 

 
The young at heart side of the table!

 

 
Next up will be the wedding ceremony and reception - in Michigan. We are looking forward to a grand party and celebration!

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Back to Kauai - Boogie Boards and Luau

On day 2 of our vacation, we relaxed and hung out around the resort. The time difference of five hours behind means I'm getting up early, even for vacation, and of course, before the rest of my family. It just means I get to view some spectacular sunrises and enjoy the rhythmic waves in solitude. This morning I enjoyed a sunrise morning yoga class, held outside under the backdrop of the palm trees and the thundering surf.


The kids awoke and I took them up the cliff walk.




We found a "sand wall" filled with carvings. Brian added his initials to the mix.


Brian and Scott made use of the boogie boards (Poi Pounders).


Or maybe, the surf "used" them and spit them out.


The "excursion" of the day - the traditional Hawaiian Luau, held on the Hyatt grounds. The luau, as cliche as is may seem, must be experienced once while visiting the Islands.


23 years ago, Scott and I attended a Luau in Maui. They brought us and the several other honeymooning couples on stage.


The climax of the evening - the traditional fire dance - stunning under the inky skies.




Of course, there was plenty of food and drink consumed. We really enjoyed the Kalua roasted pork, which is cooked in an underground pit by the ocean. The recipe for the smoky roast is quite simply - pork shoulder, salt (Hawaiian salt if you can get it), water and liquid smoke. After our trip, I've reproduced the pork at home. I admit the pit cooked / smoked / ti leave wrapped meat is better, but when you can't be in Hawaii, you can try to emulate it as best you can.

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Oh The Places You'll Go - The Class of 2015

Congratulations! Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places! You're off and away.


You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

OH! The Places You'll Go!
You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers who soar to great heights.


And Will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed)

KID, you'll move mountains!

So... be your name Lindsay or Jack or Aiden or Bray,
Or Amira or Erica or Ariam or Jay
Today is your day
Your mountain is waiting, So..... get on your way!


And we'll be there to support you if you need it - come what may.


Congratulations to the Class of 2015!

Quotes from Dr. Seuss

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Life of the Party

We survived the holiday weekend, complete with the Girls' graduation party.

A party for these three - friends since freshman year - hosted by the parents, held in our backyard.


The party scene, well before the party. I should have taken a photo once everything was set up, but I was too tired...

The tent was a must-have, and it even withstood the 40mph winds from the weekend.

At least 100 people attended, it was a great time with great food, great friends, great fun. We lucked out with the weather, as the 50% chance of rain never materialized.

I love it when you just don't care
I love it when you dance like there's nobody there
So when it gets hard, don't be afraid
We don't care what them people say
I love it when you don't take no
I love it when you do what you want cause you just said so
Let them all go home, we out late
We don't care what them people say



We don't have to be ordinary
Make your best mistakes
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party
I'm telling you to take your shot it might be scary
Hearts are gonna break
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party



Together we can just let go
Pretending like there's no one else here that we know
Slow dance fall in love as the club track plays
We don't care what them people say



We don't have to be ordinary
Make your best mistakes
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party
I'm telling you to take your shot it might be scary
Hearts are gonna break
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party


Come out tonight, come out tonight
There's no one standing in your way
Come out tonight, come out tonight
We don't care what them people say
We don't care what them people say



We don't have to be ordinary
Make your best mistakes
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party
I'm telling you to take your shot it might be scary
Hearts are gonna break
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party



Yeah, yeah, yeah
Life of the party
So don't let them keep you down
Oh you know you can't give up
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party

Life of the Party by Shawn Mendes

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Weekending

Scenes from the weekend:

Dramatic skies:

Disclosure - taken Thursday evening, so not officially from the weekend, but close enough. One of my Facebook friends posted "Stop what you are doing and look outside at the sunset". I immediately got in my car and drove out to the park that overlooks the prairie. If I had walked, I would have missed the drama. This is the same Lone Tree I captured a couple weeks ago - it looks different today and has a friend...

The horses moved to new stable - this one is a lot closer and easier to get to.

Caesar and Cody are checking out the new pasture by eating their way through it.

The new stable is owned by my daughter's trainer, and she has a wide assortment of horses, including two large draft horses - this one showed interest in my camera:


Friend Heather came back to town for a weekend visit - that prompted an impromptu Sunday night cook out under starry skies and warm breezes. Great friends, food, wine, coupled with great conversations - life doesn't get any better.


We followed up Sunday night with a Memorial day lunch cookout. I also turned 47 on Monday, surrounded by friends, both in real life and virtually via birthday wishes via email and facebook.


Hope your weekend was as full as mine.

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The Prom

I'm still recovering from last weekend. It was filled with fun gatherings, friends, running, horse clinics, Mother's Day celebrations, capped by the most perfect Spring weather.

And my daughter's first Prom.


Two weeks ago, she was asked by a friend of a friend - a senior boy (gasp!), who I didn't know (double gasp!). The process of asking someone to prom is quite the production nowadays - in her case, a large poster board with a little poem asking if she would go to prom with him. And a bouquet of flowers. When I was in high school things were quite different - no flowers, no public declarations, no neon lights spelling out the words "PROM-WITH ME?" emblazoned from a car - you were simply asked (in my case, I asked a boy from another school, so I called him up on the phone to ask - thank goodness he agreed to it all!).

Let me tell you - two weeks is not a very long time to get ready for Prom. She ordered a dress on-line and probably had it express shipped to the house, as it arrived a week before the date. It needed to be hemmed, so we got it to a tailor "just in time". Shoes - she ordered three pairs on-line, didn't like the first pair, and we determined too late that the other two pairs wouldn't arrive until Monday - oops. So I was sent to the shoe store 4 hours before Prom Date Pick Up Time to buy a pair of 3.5" heeled nude pumps.

I brought home 4 pairs of shoes (disclosure - two pairs were for me - that's my commission), as my cell phone died while I was trying on shoes, taking photos and texting them to my daughter who was busy getting back from a horse riding clinic. I was then sent to pick up the boutonniere and observed how busy the floral departments are the afternoon of Prom and the day before Mother's Day.

My last big task in helping my darling daughter get ready for prom - braiding her hair into a "Dutch Crown Braid" - something I had learned how to execute less than 24 hours prior, thanks to the infinite resources of the Internet and YouTube. Here was the end result:

Yes, my daughter was pleased how it turned out. I felt good because it was such a mother - daughter bonding afternoon.

The seniors gather with their prom dates at the local country club for pre-prom photos:


Unfortunately, the juniors gather at a different place, so I didn't get to take photos of her friends, except for Erin here, who is also a junior attending with a senior:


The light was perfect at the golf course - it was the nicest day of the year so far. All the young women were beautiful in their gowns (I wish I would have worn something so elegant to my prom).


The young men were so dashing and handsome.


My daughter has gone and grown up on me (*sniff*)


My favorite capture for the evening:


They had the most wonderful time - a teen age rite of passage that won't be forgotten....

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Birthday Girl | Sweet Sixteen

While we were in London, we celebrated my daughter's sixteenth birthday.

[Last year, she was in France for her birthday. I sense a pattern now which begs the question - where will she be next June?]

She dislikes it when I take her photo, but I managed to sneak one in.


Remembering her as a baby:


As a Little girl:


And some silly moments:


Oh, how fast they grow up!

On her birthday, we enjoyed afternoon tea at the Wallace Collection's Restaurant:


I learned that afternoon tea for one consists of:
A Pot of Tea (of course)
4 finger sandwiches: Smoked salmon, Cucumber, Ham and Cheese and Egg Salad
3 cakes: a filled cream puff, a filled sponged cake and a delicate tiramisu-like cake
1 scone with clotted cream and jam (clotted cream is like butter)

It was a nice, elegant way to celebrate this milestone.

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