the big mushy post

i am back from the wedding, and there are so many things i could say... wow. what a weekend! it was very special for our family in many ways.

the day was beautiful. Jess was even more lovely. Mark cried like a little boy. and now they are married! i managed to get some pictures, but not many because i was 1. busy and 2. enjoying the moment too much to bother with a camera much of the time.



Mark and Jessie on the steps of St. John's Church. this is our family church. my parents and jess's parents were married here as well as our grandparents and many of our other relatives. we forgot to have the photographer take this shot, so i did it with my camera. i wanted Jess to get one on the steps because i love the picture of my parents on St. John's steps after their wedding.


my parents on the steps of St. John's in August of... 1978? my mum is wearing her own mother's wedding dress, and yes my father is in a tan leisure suit. you are not mistaken if you find yourself asking "are those platform shoes?" similarity i love between the two pictures... both brides look lovely and happy. both grooms have a funny look on their face.


my parents dancing at the wedding. isn't that sweet? working on 30 years and they still like each other! a lot! another exciting things about this weekend was a special anniversary. jess and i's uncle pat (my dad's brother) and aunt judy celebrated their 40th anniversary on sunday.


Jess and I together. my mother really wanted a picture of the two of us together all done up. and smiling! obviously we were standing together at the church, but there was a lot of happy crying happening.

we have an ongoing debate... do jess and i look alike? both of us say no, but mark insists that we do. maybe more now than back in the day...


jess and i before prom in 1998. notice that jessie is always the pretty princess and i always have the big hair. not that i am complaining... jessie is a princess (the good kind!) and i do have a lot of hair.


before we leave that subject entirely, let's meet a prince charming... this is my cousin carl escorting jess's mom to her seat. as i said... this was a big day for our family. aunt maureen was in a very serious car accident right after jess and mark got engaged. she has had many surgeries and a very long and painful recovery. her goal was to walk down the aisle at her daughter's wedding. she succeeded, and even surpassed the desired goal.


aunt maureen and uncle tom were able to dance together at their daughter's wedding. when it seems like a perfect day cannot get any better--it does.

i will close with one last picture...


me with our cousin alison. this was the day after the wedding. i was writing down the gifts as mark and jess opened them, allison was having fun with my camera. she is a rockin' photographer, and i can't wait to see the shots she got at the wedding.

so that's it. there are a million stories. little mishaps. big laughs. i'm sure i'll be retelling them for years to come.

coming soon to a blog near you.... crafty content, including a gift i managed to finish while traveling to and from the wedding.

there goes the bridesmaid....

i'm off to ohio for a few days to see my big-sis-type-cousin down the aisle. before i go i want to share a terrifying craft wrought by my own two hands for the bride.

this is the bouquet....

the rehearsal bouquet, that is. we follow the silly tradition of making it from the bows off the packages received at showers. J. had 4 showers (long story) so she had a ton of bows. i even threw out the ones that got really nasty or mangled and only used quality bows for this terrifying double sided monstrosity.

i love it.
let's hope airport security doesn't steal it from me.





i also got my hair cut and the gal blew it out for me, so i thought i would share. it basically looks the same, but all the yuck has been cut away. i like this gal. she understands and appreciates long hair. even when you are living in a Bob Only town.



back next week. i'll have a real knitting update and i will actually do next week's Fall Into Autumn topic.

first class

some of you may know that i am set to be a bridesmaid in my cousin J's wedding this fall. well, i've been upgraded from bridesmaid to Maid of Honor. to use an airline analogy badly.

J's other best gal fell through. nothing personal, just life details getting in the way of things we want to do. so i am stepping up the bridal party food chain. now, i know you are thinking it, and i have already been asked...

i am actually very happy, and honored. (not irritated. or feeling second best or whatever. forget that.) J worried about how i would feel, and i could honestly tell her i was thrilled she asked me to be in her wedding to begin with, and where i stand in line doesn't really matter. so my mother was asking if i had any new responsibilities. yes and no.

what i already committed to...

• being J's sounding board
• attending bridal shower
• planning some sort of bachelorette party
  
• wearing strapless hunter green stain dress
• actually styling my hair and make-up for a change
• setting up church and reception site
• doing what the maid of honor says J wants
  
• standing for lots of pictures
  
• partying
• tearing down after the reception
  
• drinking to health and happiness of couple

new responsibilities....

• giving speech at the reception
• signing marriage license
• standing for a few additional pictures
• making sure the other bridesmaids are doing what J wants

so not a major change of gig. i guess i have to really consider getting a real haircut and maybe a manicure now. J is my oldest girlfriend in addition to being my cousin, and this is supposedly the biggest day of her life*. so i guess i should try to look good. you know, to be a sport.


*i say "supposedly" because if i know J, the day she has her first child will be even bigger!