Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Devil Is Too Dumb to Mess with the Details When I am in Charge

(I will post this today although I am in an extremely angry and sad mood.  Another murderer has gone free and I do want to caution all parents of teenagers to make sure they get only slightly tanned this summer, to not wear that new sports hoody if a cooler breeze from a storm comes up, to not take any shortcuts on their way home, to not confront someone who asks if they are where they should be while shopping, to not attempt to defend themselves if a vigilante person pulls a gun (which he no doubt did), and to make sure they call the more erudite friend on the phone if they want a witness and advice on the altercation prior to their death.  Do not doubt that it is now open season on young black men by those who want to hunt them down, because if you have been robbed by a black man, then all are suspect.)

Okay, take a deep breath, and lets get back to documenting this wedding for posterity.

I lucked out big time on this new daughter-in-law and her very nice parents.  You cannot pick your relatives nor can you pick the relatives of the daughter your son marries, but these folks are the salt of the earth and just plain good.  All of the extended family seems to follow that pattern.  They are also big do-it-yourselfers.  They know the value of a dollar and do not waste a penny.

Thus the rehearsal dinner (for which we were responsible) was held at a rustic Pavilion in a state park.  At the suggestion of my son's in-laws we selected an Italian deli to provide the food.  This meant they did not serve...just provided big boxes of food and serving utensils.  We were responsible for dishes, utensils, glasses, napkins, etc.  There were 80 people invited to the dinner and about 65 showed up.  I have to admit that while I am not rich, I am not poor, and tend to want to just write a check if I am giving a party for 80 people.  But this was not meant to be.  The food arrived in what are called 'hot boxes' and have to be carefully placed over warming trays filled with water that sit above heating candles.  The relatives did most of this while I was doing something else...decorating the room.  (I am not in this photo although I wish I was that thin.)





I put on my moving sandals (the gal above is the sister of the bride) and spent the better part of the evening decorating.  We covered the picnic tables with some marvelous green paper (exactly matched one of the brides colors) that is used by metal workers to protect their floors and was purchased at the MIL's office.  I had purchased country flowers which we place in mason jars that the parents had from another event.  They had some lovely rustic lanterns that had come from a friend's wedding and we used those also.


This rustic sign was placed to direct folks from the parking lot and I smeared the names to remain anonymous.



Lemonade and iced tea were made and placed in beautiful serving containers on end tables, sodas were placed in coolers that had been filled with ice and we turned on the fridge in the pavillion for more space for cold water and salad and fruit trays.  The park did not allow alcohol which was a little disappointment to the beer and wine fans, but not a terrible sacrifice as the food was wonderful.  We had stuffed pasta shells, BBQ pork, lemon chicken, baked beans, cheese potatoes, mixed green salad and mixed fruit salad.  Homemade cookies and bakery purchased pastries were placed on platters for dessert.  Yes, I did spend time replacing the large aluminum trays of food when they were emptied and we did do some juggling to get them over their warming trays without burning ourselves, but we all survived.  One of the aunties worked part time as a caterer and she and her husband were the perfect helpmates.



There were several full trays of food left over and I had asked the bride's family if they had a food pantry that would take prepared food.  They went me one better.  The next day they delivered the food to a good sized family shelter!  The shelter was so pleased to be getting so much good food that they said it would last several days and they would be eating really well. 

The rains came and went ever so lightly, but we were mostly inside.  The bugs were nasty out by the parking gate and the gatekeepers (we had reserved parking but most people tried to ignore the sign!) used lots of OFF which did not seem to help much.   One of the bouncers (actually a guest) came all the way from Scotland, can you tell who in the photo below?  In the Pavilion, which was screened,we remained bug free.



Good food, good people and only one late best man to the rehearsal dinner which made for a lovely rehearsal dinner evening all in all.


17 comments:

  1. its really hard to believe that he did not even get a reduced charge...another win for the gun lobby....

    ahem, sorry...

    it looks like a lovely place for the rehearsal dinner...would it really be a wedding without a groomsman being late? ha. i had one show up in the midle of the night, after rehearsal...ha

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  2. My feelings exactly Tabor. Angry and sad. It appeared to me he hunted him down and killed him. How is this not culpable?

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  3. Loved your rehearsal dinner. My youngest son's wedding was a lot like this. Beautiful.

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  4. I hope our son has a rehearsal dinner this nice. of course he needs to find the right woman first, but we're more than ready for grandchildren.

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  5. just stopping by to say hello.....

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  6. Looks like a beautiful location for the rehearsal dinner but I agree with you-- I'd rather write a check :) The donating to a food shelter was a perfect idea.

    I was also furious last night. Wished I hadn't heard it before I went to bed. So many frustrating things going on but that was a life :(

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  7. It looks like a good time was had by all, and that's all you can ask.

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  8. Very down home and tasteful in more ways than one.

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  9. Hey thanks for all of the good ideas. That is a really nice shelter, and a great way to feed a crowd. Sounds like everybody pitched in & it wasn't too stressful.

    I was shocked at the Zimmerman decision. He got away with murder.

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  10. While I think the Martin/Zimmerman killing was a very tragic event, I do not share your take on the outcome. I doubt if those of us not present at the time will ever get a true picture of what actually happened. Trials are not about whole truth, but only partial truth as it fits the needs of the opposing parties.
    There was reasonable doubt. The verdict was the only possible outcome under the law. That does not negate the tragic death of a young man.
    As to the wedding, it sounds like your son married into a very organized family.

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  11. I don't know enough about the Martin/Zimmerman killing to comment except to say that sadly rsacism still abounds in the UK and black or mixed race hoodies are a target for both white teenagers and the police. Sad.

    On to happier things - and that rehearsal dinner does look a happy event!

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  12. Aw Tabor - beautifully done as usual.
    I agree with Kerry - very nice shelter house. I wish the one I was in on Saturday was half as nice. :)

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  13. Loving these wedding posts. Both daughters had simple, outdoor weddings - no one knows how much work is behind simple till they try it themselves! Sounds like the whole affair was a happy one despite little glitches - which only serve to make the occasion more memorable ;)

    And as for your preface - it's been open season on young black men in the US since the days when we kidnapped them from their native lands and shipped them in chains to work our lands. This verdict, however, means that it will be harder to prosecute their tormentors and killers.

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  14. The Martin/Zimmerman case: well said, though I shut down my senses awhile ago in an attempt to avoid anger and sadness. But of course, I am sad and will be when I think of that child, regardless of Zimmerman's future. A boy's life was taken for no reason other than him being black. Linda may have a point in that no one knows exactly what happened except Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, but one of them is dead; however we all know that if Zimmerman had obeyed the 911 operators and stayed away instead of hunting down the boy who was simply walking to his destination, Trayvon Martin would be alive. My sadness is for his family and for my numerous black friends who have boys. They have to warn their boys constantly when they walk out the door, especially at night, of the possibility that they will be approached by someone who assumes that they are out to rob, rape, or murder, and they try to tell them what to do and not to do in order to stay alive.

    On a good note, as I said in your other post, I'm impressed with how everyone rolled up their sleeves to make the event a success. I'm like you though, in that I "may" have forked out a few bucks to lighten the work load, but... I'll know when my time comes.

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  15. Your opening statement makes me sad/mad for the state of this country. The media played this and it was accepted as whole cloth by many. This was not a nice young man as portrayed, neither is Zimmerman a devil.
    I agree with the verdict.


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  16. If perchance you are truly interested in reading a piece that sheds some light:
    http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-racial-realities-exposed-by-trayvon.html

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  17. It looks like a really fun spot. Lots of work for you but worth it I'm sure.

    I don't even know what to say about that case.. except that it doesn't surprise me. Saddens me nonetheless.

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.