At 4 p.m. on August 2nd, we had a huge party at the homestead to celebrate our wedding, say goodbye to those near and dear to us, and to have a house-warming party for Ceesee. I am clueless as to how many people were actually there, but I am guessing there were at least 50 t0 100 people that came, maybe more! I had sent announcements to everyone locally letting them 
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now about the wedding and the party, my daughter put it out on facebook and my son put it out on MySpace, so there were many avenues that folks were invited by. I was honored and humbled by the sheer number of people who came out to wish us well. Former daycare families with their kids (and do I feel old--my "babies" are all sophomores in college or older--one even recently got married!), old neighbors, co-workers, extended family, "my orphans" (friends of the kids who "lived" at my house during their teen years), as well as immediate family and dear friends. We grilled, we drank beer and champagne and sodas, and we chatted, played games, and caught up
on
each others lives. It was so wonderful introducing my fantastic husband and his family to these people who have been so important to me over the years, and we laughed, joked, remembered, and even shed a few tears! It is a day I will always treasure.
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now about the wedding and the party, my daughter put it out on facebook and my son put it out on MySpace, so there were many avenues that folks were invited by. I was honored and humbled by the sheer number of people who came out to wish us well. Former daycare families with their kids (and do I feel old--my "babies" are all sophomores in college or older--one even recently got married!), old neighbors, co-workers, extended family, "my orphans" (friends of the kids who "lived" at my house during their teen years), as well as immediate family and dear friends. We grilled, we drank beer and champagne and sodas, and we chatted, played games, and caught up
on
each others lives. It was so wonderful introducing my fantastic husband and his family to these people who have been so important to me over the years, and we laughed, joked, remembered, and even shed a few tears! It is a day I will always treasure.
My kids, all of 'em, worked so hard to make the day special. The yard was cleaned up and organized, the house was as immaculate as one can make it, given the packed boxes that were stacked for the move, and the weather couldn't have cooperated more--sunny, hot, and breezy. I was, and am, so grateful to all their efforts to make the day special for all of us. One of our laughs was related to Max, an 80 lbs. golden retriever, who thought it was great fun to steal ice cubes from the keg, then run away and eat them.
The day ended for us with Spike and I escaping to a wonderful suite in the Historic Depot Hotel, downtown Minneapolis, where we spent the first 45 minutes taking down my hair from it's myriad of pins and flowers! There was a lovely treat for us of fresh strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, on a bed of whipped cream, and a white chocolate train engine that made us laugh, and the room was just perfect! Our thanks to Ceesee for a night to remember!
Sunday we ran to my mother's house to pick up Spike's parents, then we headed for home to 
open gifts. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of so many, and the cards were lovely to read. I am going to need to take up scrap-booking just so I can save them all! The day was overcast and gloomy, a perfect day for wandering around the Powderhorn Art Festival, which is what Spike, I, his parents, my sister, and my sister-in-law did. We didn't have a total plan for what we were looking for, although my hope was to find something by a local artist that we could bring with us to Illinois to remind me of "home". After extensive searching, my sister found a booth of photographs that really spoke to my heart, and after the artist and his wife heard what I was looking for, they showed me a number of photos, all framed, of Downtown Minneapolis, as seen from Lake Calhoun, at various times of the day. I settled on a picture that featured the skyline at dusk, showing the buildings I have grown up knowing and loving, the lake I lived three blocks from, and the knowledge that Mom's house was "just up the road behind me". Spike's parents bought it for us as a wedding gift, and I admit it freely, I cried. The picture has so many layers of meaning for me, and I will treasure it always. I cannot wait until we are able to hang it in a place where I can look at it everyday.
open gifts. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of so many, and the cards were lovely to read. I am going to need to take up scrap-booking just so I can save them all! The day was overcast and gloomy, a perfect day for wandering around the Powderhorn Art Festival, which is what Spike, I, his parents, my sister, and my sister-in-law did. We didn't have a total plan for what we were looking for, although my hope was to find something by a local artist that we could bring with us to Illinois to remind me of "home". After extensive searching, my sister found a booth of photographs that really spoke to my heart, and after the artist and his wife heard what I was looking for, they showed me a number of photos, all framed, of Downtown Minneapolis, as seen from Lake Calhoun, at various times of the day. I settled on a picture that featured the skyline at dusk, showing the buildings I have grown up knowing and loving, the lake I lived three blocks from, and the knowledge that Mom's house was "just up the road behind me". Spike's parents bought it for us as a wedding gift, and I admit it freely, I cried. The picture has so many layers of meaning for me, and I will treasure it always. I cannot wait until we are able to hang it in a place where I can look at it everyday. While we were at the art festival, the youngest of our brood played at the Mall of America, savoring the rides and wandering the stores. They finally called for a ride about the time the mall closed down, and they too had a wonderful time. Spike and I ran his parents back to Mom's--I think we wore them out with all the walking we had done--and then it was back to the house to pack. I had a hard time with going through everything that was left to go through, and I was an emotional mess off and on most of Sunday evening.
Monday was spent finishing up the packing, carrying boxes, and loading the trailer. I don't know 
how we would have pulled it off had we not had Spike's parents there helping to carry and organize things. They were totally amazing and they got us through it! The kids bunked out in a tent on both Sunday and Monday nights, and Spike and I crashed on a futon mattress on the floor. Tuesday morning we got up relatively early, finished a few last minute things, said our tearful goodbyes, and headed south!
how we would have pulled it off had we not had Spike's parents there helping to carry and organize things. They were totally amazing and they got us through it! The kids bunked out in a tent on both Sunday and Monday nights, and Spike and I crashed on a futon mattress on the floor. Tuesday morning we got up relatively early, finished a few last minute things, said our tearful goodbyes, and headed south!That was our wedding weekend, severely abbreviated, and distilled only to the highlights! There are so many thoughts and feelings running through my head and my heart, that it will take time to process through it all. I am so happy and so grateful to everyone who helped to make things go smoothly for us, and I sure wish I had an equal amount of help with the unpacking!
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