what's cooking?

After 18 months-we are officially in wedding crunch. We’re excited, happy and almost relieved.



Now as Guy Fieri would say-“this isn’t my first rodeo”. We’ve married off our daughter. Have to say-marrying off our son is much easier. To a point. When our daughter got engaged, we had to supply the cash backing for the happy occasion. Our daughter did a great job. We told her the budget: $12,000. Sarah came in at $11,975.



Now I’m sure you’re thinking “where did they get that odd number?”



Let me explain: My husband was a contestant on “GREED”. He was the team leader and he cleaned up everyone else’s wrong answer and the 3 remaining people won-THANKS TO HIM. They however, won $200,000-my husband won ½ that.




Thankfully, we got 40% of it about 4 months later, but the rest was in $12,000 (I bet you figured that out quick) in yearly stipends for 5 years. This worked out quite well, because it was at this point that my health went into the proverbial toilet and we had to close our business and start over in different careers. These annuities sure helped.



This amount was the last annuity payment. Sarah was not pleased, but all of us had no choice but to accept it and take it from there. She found a beautiful county run country club who gave us a discounted rate on a package deal for deciding 9/11 wasn’t such a bad day to get married.




Our theory on this was-if we look at history, every day was a bad day for someone at sometime, so why not replace this date with a happy occasion?



On went the wedding. Believe me, it was happy and stressful. I actually (I’m being honest and literal here) formed a twitch in my left eye that no amount of “tonic” water would cure. It was awful. Thankfully, come the day-it was a beautiful ceremony with a beautiful bride, handsome groom and a great reception. Next morning, the twitch had left my eye.




Spring ahead almost 6 years and now we are arriving at another child and another perfectly happy event. This time though, our contribution is to hold the rehearsal dinner. We’ve chosen to hold it at the Palm Springs Riverwalk Yardhouse. The appetizers are ordered, the 4 options for meals are chosen and we have a surprise ending ordered.




As you know, our wedding duds are purchased, hotel reservations made (including Sunshine’s-Pepper’s getting the run of the house for 30 hours) and the next day-the newly married couple will join us for Mother’s Day brunch and then hubby will stay home for animal duty and work and I will go on what is being billed as the “Grandma Cruise” for a week.



As you read this, I will have come back from getting my wedding “do”. The weekend festivity is going to be the bridal shower.




This should be interesting-according to my future daughter-in-law we might have some tense moments. The crowd is small-less than 20, but way too many of them have, how shall I put this, very bold personalities. Several people have already rubbed each other “the wrong way” and some who are coming-well, they were only invited because there simply was no tactful way of leaving them off the guest list.




In plain language-this wedding is like all others: It is a very happy event that will be beautiful and memorable. No matter what.