I am not a big fan of baby showers or weddings. Never have been and most likely never will. So what did I do on Saturday? I went to a baby shower and then a wedding! Yep, a baby shower AND a wedding all on the same day. Mercy!!!
First up was the baby shower. The reason I don't like them is because of the ridiculous games one is forced to play. I don't want to taste and then identify the mystery jars of baby food. There's a reason they call it BABY food! It sucks. Then there is the name all of the gadgets on the tray in 60 seconds or less. I didn't have any children so I don't know the difference between a snot sucker and a rectal thermometer. Of course, what baby shower wouldn't be complete without the toilet paper game! You know the game. The one where you are to use your superior intellect to calculate the precise amount of paper that will fit perfectly around the mother's belly. To me these games seem geared to humiliating guests instead of celebrating the mother. Now if it were me in charge of these events, I would have chair massages, manis, catered food and wine! I would pamper the mother and guests. Thank goodness Andrea feels the same way about baby showers as I do. While there was no spa treatment, she refused to play silly shower games! She hates them as much as I do. I've known Andrea since she was 5, and I know she will make a wonderful mother. I'm honored that she included me on her day. Good luck and thanks for not making us play the games!
I had to leave the party early to rush to the wedding. There are so many reasons why I dislike weddings. The biggest reason for me is that the focus seems to be on the wedding and not the marriage. Couples get so caught up in planning the perfect wedding that they forget to plan for the marriage. I did not have a wedding. Surprise, right? Rick and I went to St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Newark. His mother served as his witness and my friend Kelly was mine. It was two days after Christmas so the church was beautifully decorated with poinsettias and greenery. Afterwards we met his family at a local restaurant for lunch. It was the way I wanted it. Heck, growing up most of my friends started planning their weddings in middle school. Not me! I was never going to get married, much less have some grand wedding. I know, I am the wedding pessimist!
Saturday's wedding celebrated the new life of Jesse and Caitlin. It was lovely wedding and reception. What I enjoyed most was the focus wasn't so much about the event, but about the fun these two people have in their hearts. The bride and groom come from wonderful, fun-loving families. And it was evident in the reception. While they followed the reception protocol, their personalities definitely shined through. The cake cutting tradition found the best man and maid of honor with the cake in their faces and not the bride and groom. The garter removal was something I've never seen before! Jesse is a mechanic. So, when it was time to remove the garter, he arrived on a creeper!! (For those mechanically challenged, a creeper is the movable apparatus that mechanics lay on to get under cars.) Jesse "used" wrenches to remove the garter. It was fun and it really spoke to who the new couple is. Not once that night did I feel I was attending an event. I can honestly say I felt as if I was a part of a new beginning. Thank you to Jesse and Caitlin for including me on their big day. I can honestly say that I had a wonderful evening. Thanks for making this wedding pessimist an optimist for the night!
Every time I do attend a wedding, I am transported back in time. You see 43 years ago, I was the flower girl in my babysitter's wedding. I wore a yellow Swiss dotted dress with a white bow in my hair. I carried a white basket of rose petals. My job was to gently spread petals down the aisle ahead of the bride. I was 1/4 of way down when my mother whispered to me that I was throwing too many and I wouldn't have any left at the end. So, what does any normal 5 year old do? I stopped, turned around and picked them all up and then started over! My mom wanted to die!!! Eventually I made it to the altar with just the right amount of petals left! So, the story should end there, right? No! You see, this wedding was the precursor to all future weddings. Half way through the vows I started crying. By the time the minister pronounced them husband and wife, I had the ugly cry going on. I ran from the altar and straight to the restroom. I locked myself in a stall and refused to come out. I was just so overcome with emotions I didn't know how to handle it. To this day, I can't get through a wedding without tearing up. And Saturday was no exception!
I am also reminded of a promise my mother made with me a quarter of a century ago. I remember my mom telling me that if I eloped and saved her the money and stress, she would give me the cash. December 27, 2010 our 24th wedding anniversary came and went. And I'm still waiting on the promised cash! May be for our 25th!!!
Make Every Day Count...
Denise
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