Mudderhood

Lest this post become too sappy, I will title it Mudderhood. And while some might think this is about the national and time-honored holiday knows as Mother’s Day with a speech impediment, let me assure you it is not about moms. It is about my need to share and impart a little melodrama, should I say, with friends, family and anyone who might stumble upon my written words. Just because the characters are my children, it could apply to anyone. So here it goes.

·      Allison got married. The wedding was lovely, a glorious day and fun was had by all (or at least those that I know and care whether they had fun or not). Allison was happy. Jon was happy. Heck, I was happy.

·      Soon after the wedding, Drew left to go on the annual drive back to Kansas with Grandpa and Grandma who we affectionately refer to as the G-Unit. This has taken place around this time of year for at least the past 7 years now. The threat of him not being able to do this is what jolted him into actually doing and turning in his schoolwork.

·      After Allison and Jon returned from their honeymoon, they came and took Precious who is Allison’s cat, to their home. Not a huge impact but a change all the same.

More entertaining world viewed upside down

The sum of this equals just Kiva and me at home with lots of time on our hands and paws. Oh sure there are many, many, many things I could and should probably do. I could go wild cleaning out Drew’s room (he is rather attached to everything he has ever had or made). Make Allison’s old room into the most gorgeous office/guest/library/craft room imaginable. And I have done some sorting, tidying and rearranging. I have enjoyed the flexibility of schedule and have used this time to socialize with friends or just lay on the couch without a second thought.

I fully admit I am a sentimental sap. I cry freely. I laugh unreservedly. I feel frustrated, angry, happy, giddy, melancholy – with me, there is no shortage of emotions or feelings. Emotions are muddy. Sometimes the why and what of them are unclear and confusing. Pinpointing a feeling can be like swimming through mud.

Since Allison declared her love and intention to live the rest of her life with Jon I have worked to face my emotions. I am about as happy as a pig in mud that my darling daughter and son-in-law are enjoying life together. But the key there is that Allison is still my darling daughter and always will be. I love being a part of my children’s lives and am thankful that I enjoy them and they seem to enjoy me. I find great joy in sharing in these delightful individuals lives and now have added another individual to delight in sharing life with.

And so I am happy to report that I am showing restraint and am not calling or texting Allison all the time like I want to and I used to. Have not popped in on the newlyweds uninvited. I relish hearing about their plans, what they did and what they are doing but have not invited myself to participate. I fancy in hearing about the projects they are working on and can’t wait to see them.  I am not pining away alone either. I am as busy as I want to be and feeling quite content.

So to sum it all up in a pretty package, I saw this adorable “emotional wall art” which I will be ordering from http://www.etsy.com/shop/HoneyBoo. I figured out that like it or not, I carry the hearts of the people I love, whether I birthed them or not, in my heart - forever.

B E A Utiful Wedding

Do you remember the line from the movie Bruce Almighty when Jim Carey’s character spells beautiful out saying, B E A Utiful? It is catchy and I find myself saying it too. And like the character Bruce Nolan I too might use it sarcastically or complimentary. But not this time.
Allison and Jon got married on Saturday and let me tell you it was B E A Utiful in only the most lovely, worthy and pleasant way. I’ll take a moment to do a little debriefing, so to speak and give you a glimps into our little wedding world.

Allison and Jon became engaged in January 2011. (read more The Proposal ) Of course as the MoB I thought a June wedding was just too soon. (more on the MoB in a previous post) But alas, the newly engage couple planned, calculated and timed it all out and June 4, 2011 was selected. Second decision made was to enlist the help of a dear friend who is a wedding planner. (read more Ode to the Wedding Planner)

It was determined that the preferred location to have their ceremony and reception was outside. Allison has always loved the back yard of the home of some friends of ours. Jon and Allison went and looked at it and our friends graciously agreed to lend the use of their piece of paradise which made for a very happy bride. I think you will agree it is B E A Utiful.

Then came the wedding dress shopping, selecting bridesmaids, groomsmen, their clothes, flower girls and clothes, theme, color, food, drink, guest list, décor, rental choices, bouquet choices, and on and on and not necessarily in that order. Some decisions were made quick and easy and some not so much. But we were off and running.

The lovely bride decided that she and her bridesmaids would carry bouquets made of brooches and other jewelry. I set to the task of finding the brooches and find them I did. Goodwill, Etsy, Ebay, Salvation Army, host of other thrift stores and family and friends made the B E A Utiful bouquets possible. I became addicted to buying brooches, earrings and buttons. I made myself stop looking for them because I loved them all. As I would show a new one to Allison and tell her that “this one is my favorite”. Finally she told me that I say that about just about all of them. I tried to keep a limit on how much I would spend per item but that too was ordained by how much I loved it. It was so much fun to pick out specific items for one of the bridesmaids or another. 



Love these little Jelly Belly Bride and Groom Brooches

Some of my many favorites.

There had to be an owl in Allison's bouquet.

But as you know, we are bona fide crafting adventurers and no project was deemed too difficult. No Goodwill store too far away to find the perfect vase or frame. No amount of cutting, painting, glueing, stringing or wiring was out of reach. Sharing the fun with her friends at a craft night putting together the pinwheels for the table decor out of a 1969 Marriage Counseling book brought laughter around the table that evening.

Maid of Honor Stephanie modeling a fine looking pinwheel

Don't mess with a bride and her glue gun.

Elizabeth - serious pinwheel maker.

So now it is the Monday after the Saturday wedding. It was an absolute delight working with Allison on all the projects as we embarked to make the vision she had in her head a reality. The laughter and joking, the blood, sweat and tears (okay that is a bit exaggerated) but maybe a little scratch and bruising on occasion. I treasure our family, friends, co-workers, associates, store clerks and any other random person who was supportive, helpful, interested, engaged or trapped into listening to me talk about the latest adventure.

The lights have all been taken down. The dance floor empty and rental company has arrived to picked up the chairs, tables, plates, and all the other things we didn’t already own, beg, borrow or buy. The food consumed, the beverages guzzled (not really but it sounds good). From all indications it appears that all enjoyed an evening of laughter, reminiscent chatter, getting acquainted with Allison and Jon’s friends.

It was truly the most B E A Utiful event I could ever hope to be a part of and I will cherish the memories that were collected along the way like precious jewels.