Two Weddings and a Graduation - Part 1

Looking out at the latest view, I am blessed to see blue skies with green trees and grass interspersed between the RV's...and then I cough my brains out and blow my nose again. Yes, I am sick. And feeling very sorry for myself. I do not make a good sick person. On top of that, we were supposed to sit with the grandbabies tonight so Kyle and Kristin could go to Bible study. So, I am sitting here trying to write while feeling all sick and pathetic while Don is putting babies to bed. Wait a minute....I can watch what I want on tv...I don't have to worry about crying babies or fallen na-na's or poopy diapers or getting worked by a completely adorable little con artist... I guess it's okay here, too.

So, as promised...or threatened.... I have to catch you up on all the fun stuff that we've been a part of - namely, as the title states, two weddings and a graduation. WHile I never, ever would have chosen the means and methods that God used to get us to these events, I am soooo glad He did!

May 7 was the day that my former business partner/friend/surrogate daughter, Autumn, married the man of her dreams, Tarkus Mossberg. Yes, that is his real name - and I have to say that the two of them looked like the cover of a romance novel. But before we get there... Understand, I haven't done a wedding for almost two years - and that was a low effort, barefoot-on-the-beach wedding with 20 guests. This was a backyard venue for about 150 guests. Autumn and Tarkus had rented a beautiful Victorian on about an acre in the Carlsbad/Vista/San Marcos area. The pictures looked amazing. Unfortunately, it turned out to be like an airbrushed picture of a supermodel - not bearing up under close scrutiny. Oh, it looked pretty enough at first glance, but the large trees that had been pruned down to utter nakedness. Some looked like Stonehenge, while others had some growth at the end of gigantic limbs - the green pompoms making them looking like poodle trees, or some invention of Dr. Seuss. The grounds had slope to them, and we knew we had to set 160 chairs to fit the slope and space. What we weren't prepared for was a lawn totally landscaped and furrowed by gophers! On paper, the chair layout was lovely. In the real world, many of our chairs were so lopsided and wonky that they came with their own warning labels. I had to instruct the ushers carefully that before they seated any guests in one of the tipsy chairs to 1) make sure that the guest looked fairly nimble and balanced, and 2) warn said guest about the wonk factor in the chair they were about to set their tushy in.

After setting lights and hanging pomanders on Thursday, then setting chairs and more lights on Friday, it was time for the rehearsal late in the afternoon on Friday - and time for The Coordinator. I've only had the pleasure of coordinating a couple of weddings, and I happen to love rehearsals. If everyone leaves knowing what they're supposed to do, and have had fun learning all those things, then I've done my job. We all had fun, but only the next day would tell if I had made everyone secure in what they were supposed to do. Of course, I had to make sure that i knew what was going on. Tarkus' parents split many years ago and remarried a few years after that. These guys all get along and love their son very much. The only problem ws that during the rehearsal, I sent the wrong dad in after the wrong mom. oopsie.

I should mention that during this time, we were still out in Hemet (pardon me while I shudder just a little bit.... blleeeeeuuuuuw....ok....better now), and we decided to stay at affordable lodging nearby. Don got a great deal on on of those Extended Stay America things. Basic, but clean and close to where we needed to be. So, on the morning of the big day, we were up and out before 8:00 a.m. I should also mention that all my wedding-ish stuff is still in storage in Maui, so I had to find wedding-ish stuff for pert near nuthin', and being the coordinator, it meant to find something cute and black and comfy...for pert near nuthin'. Mission accomplished, and now we were toting all things wedding-ish, trying to remember all the girlie and coordinator-y things that I would need throughout the day.

We walked into the venue at 8:20-something and got to it right away - staging banquet tables, placing tables for the cocktail and buffet areas, and setting up a small table for the Unity Candle ceremony. This meant covering a highboy table with linens and placing the candles on said table. We had an audience. No, I'm not speaking of the grooms little nieces that were trying to be oh-so-helpful (I had them become my official potty sign makers....don't ask - long story). No, the audience of which I speak was the little furry landscaper that had made setting up so...challenging. Frankly, I had no idea that gophers were so cute! And this guy was right under the table legs, and close to our bare feet. Don and I tried pitching stuff at him to send him back into his little home in fear. Nope. This little dude bobbed and weaved like a miniature, fuzzy Mohammed Ali. Where is Bill Murray when you need him!?!?

Autumn and Tarkus put together and hard-working team to bring Autumn's vision to life. Seems right. When this bride worked for me the first time, it was for Kyle and Kristin's wedding over five years ago, and this young woman looked at my sketches and directions and made it all come alive. Autumn had made every centerpiece, pomander, and boutonniere, and my job was just to get it in place, with the help of so many, then get the show on the road.

funny thing about rehearsals is that they don't always look like the real thing. By an 45 minutes before the ceremony. we didn't have a photographer yet, and we needed her to get there so our bride could get dressed. This was not a good start. By the time the photog did arrive, guests had started arriving as well, and it became a frenzy of directing traffic, putting out fires, and checking the time - which was flying well past the start time for the ceremony! I loved the creativity of the photographer, but when one wants to be that creative, one should show up earlier! In the meantime, our officiant was pacing on the side of the house, sweltering in his black robe. I had told him to walk out with the groom and his guys as soon as the mother of the bride was seated. In the meantime, I had a very nervous bridesmaid who was afraid of not knowing when to go, since she was the first of the girls to go out. I assured her that I would send her at the perfect time. well. You know that whole "good intentions" adage!?!? Well, this may not have been the road to Hell, but it may have felt that way for a while for poor Stephanie. Mom of Bride was seated, and I gently sent the eager bridesmaid. Unfortunately, I had not noticed that the officiant and the gang hadn't even cleared the driveway yet, and when they did, their easy saunter was no match for the bridesmaid's near-sprint. Before I knew it, the young lady was standing up there, smiling like all get-out, as the pastor and his entourage were strolling like cowboys fresh off the trail moseying into the local saloon. I sent the next girl out simply to keep the first one company, because by that point I was wondering if the officiant realized that he had a very eager bridegroom behind him. I'm surprised that the six-foot-zillion Tarkus didn't pick up the rather slight pastor and run with him to the altar. But they all made it, and Tarkus stood there, a handsome sight in his gray cutaway, waiting for his bride. My job was not even close to being over as I had to keep the father of the bride from leaving the house without his date - the star of the show! But he stepped back in to fetch this radiant girl, and Tarkus and Autumn had their moment of just looking at each other before I had the extraordinary joy and blessing of sending this girl to meet her husband-to-be. I fluffed her train and cathedral veil - only to have the lumpy grass mess with the train and the wind blow the veil - but she was perfection!

After all the I do's were done, it was time to get ready for the party! WOOT-WOOT!! This meant carrying 16 tables that had been partially set in the morning over to the lumpy bumpy slopey lawn from the staging area. Again, I was blessed with about a million and three helpers, and oh, were they needed! Once again, the layout on paper had nearly no resemblance to the Super-3-D reality. We would set out a table based on the desired placement, only to have one leg drop into a hole or be wedged on to a lump. Serious wonkage. We eventually did get the tables laid out, but the resulting look was one of small, tight gatherings of people who were so far removed from the other groups that the only possible way to chat with any at the other tables was either text messages or drum beats.

The other speedbump was the matter of a deejay - which there wasn't one of as of two weeks before the wedding. An iPod was being loaded up to handle the dance music, but that still left the matter of an MC. So, our son, Kyle was recruited! Now, those of you familiar with my sons know that they are not prone to embarrassment. In isn't even in their genetic makeup. So, Kyle got himself all prepared, excited, and practiced for the big announcements. And then he came down with a MRSA (a superbug infection) on his head. At first, we thought that we were going to have to go with a Plan B, but fortunately, his determination got him therre. Showing up with a bandage on his already broken nose (since he was a kid), a black sportcoat, and a black fedora, he looked more like a hitman than an enthusiastic MC.

So, we had a thuggish-looking announcer, but he was awesome - funny and energetic. Our tables were clustered oddly. But it worked. And it was wonderful. And as we staggered back to our sparce but safe hotel room, I asked my beloved husband, who worked side-by-side with me every step of the way..."Now how much do you love YOUR job, now?"

While there was a graduation in between, I'll get to the next wedding first - which was this last Saturday. We had moved from Hemet to Pechanga to...the cul-de-sac in front of the kids place. Don's and my involvement was fairly minimal, but we did volunteer to hold the spot on the beach until the coordinator got there. We also provided the music in the form of my iPod and portable speaker, which meant we had to meet the bride in Coronado by 8:00 am. This meant that we had to leave here about 6:30. No biggie. I planned to shower and do my hair and makeup before we left. No problem. No. Problem. I seemed to have forgotten the minor issue of NO POWER!! Oh, sure, we have a generator, but we didn't think the neighbors would appreciate a sound akin to the giant lawnmowers used on golfcourses and football fields. So....I went down to meet the bride with my hair still a bit soggy and dressed for work.

the ceremony itself was rather small, so after the coordinator arrived, we took off for the reception. Newlywed Autumn and her new husband were very involved in the decorating of the reception since it was a) at their condo clubhouse, and b) that's her business!! We all had a blast setting up - in fact, almost too much for the poor coordinator, who was a good friend of the bride's, and has a coordinating business in Orange county. By and large, the team putting together the reception had worked together many times and know how to get things done while laughing and chatting and looking like we don't take it seriously. Of course, we do, but it must not look like that to someone who is not familiar with the goofy way we work! But she figured it out in short order. The day and evening were once again amazing.

There are a few things that these weddings had in common. For one, there were many of the same people at Cari and Trevor's wedding as were at Autumn and Tarkus'. I've learned, also, that this church they all attend is fantastic at turning to and getting things done without being asked twice. The fact that these two brides were two women that I would have chosen for my sons is also somewhat ironic. I still don't know why we don't have arranged marriages...Who cares what the kids think...!??! Yes, I'm a little bitter....

Most importantly, both weddings had the Lord Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. It was so apparent at every turn. And we were blessed to have partaken in any way.