For sure

My father in law is in the hospital again in a step down intensive care unit. Looks like he won't be able to make the wedding. We don't know how long he will be in the hospital, but he will most likely need to go to rehab after his stay there, if they can get him stabilized. We weren't sure that he could handle the wedding, but my mother in law felt he should be there if he could, so we were just playing it by ear. Now we know he will be safe in the hospital or rehab and my 89 year old mother in law will be able to have an evening not worrying about him. I know it will be sad for her not to have him there, as it will be for all of us.

My 89 year old father decided that he could not make the wedding as well due to his health problems. We were able to get a companion to stay with him for the evening. She will stay until he goes to bed, and then he will have an hour or so alone until my mom arrives home. I have tried to talk to him about coming. We all believe it is doable for him, but he just is too afraid to leave the house now. He resists any creative solutions to his problems(wheel chair, scooter, etc.). If he can't function like he used to, he just doesn't want to do it. It was just making him mad when we came up with more plans. " I know how I feel," he would snap at tell me.

I know we need to respect how he feels, we were just trying to help him to enjoy life some.while he still can. He has become so rigid with his thinking, which I know comes with just being 89! But we are all sad he won't be with us that day as well.

So the grandmas will be there alone, and the grandsons will be escorting them in for the introductions.

One of my cousins was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago. She has been having some serious reactions to the chemo and had to miss the bridal shower. She finally finished her chemo, but still is dealing with the side effects.We are hoping she will be able to attend the wedding, but she won't really know until that day. We so want her to be there, and she is so anxious to get back to living her life. I keep her in my thoughts and prayers and just want her to get well again.

People who can not be there in person due to illness or old age will be there in spirit because we are all connected in one loving heart, and that is one thing I know for sure.

Getting closer

My son's wedding is in two weeks. I can't believe it is so close. I am excited and nervous as well. I was thinking back to my own wedding day and how I did not have one bit of anxiety. I got up that morning and played my favorite music on the stereo and just sang my heart out while I was getting ready. I was so happy. My mother could not understand how I could be so calm, but I was so sure of our relationship and felt nothing but excitement. Well, fast forward 34 years and even though it has been a great deal of hard work , I guess my instincts were good!

I believe my son and my future daughter in law are a good match, and trust that they will have a successful marriage as well.

Jetty - 3rd place

This weekend is the big Durham Fair weekend in our area. It is one of the biggest country fairs around and I have been going to it for many years. The past few years, we have been meeting up with some old friends from our high school days. All of us enter different competitions and then go around and check out how we have done. My husband and I do the photography, my friends do oil painting, woodworking, baking and herbs. It is a fun night and even better when the weather cooperates, like it did last night.

My husband and friends are more seasoned competitors and have won many ribbons over the years. This is only the second year I entered the photography category. I won an honorable mention and a third place for 2 of my digital photos, and I was quite excited! It is still fun to see the prints all displayed, even if I didn't win any ribbons. Many beautiful photos were ribbon-less, so I was in good company!

Art Show

The art show was a huge success! I can't explain what a surreal evening it was for my husband, and for me, too! When I walked into the gallery and saw all of his paintings displayed, I could not believe they were the same paintings that have been hanging in our house. The lighting brought them alive! At first I was overwhelmed, because I realized that hanging on the wall was our life. All the places we have gone together on vacation over the years. VT, The Cape, MA, Star Island, to name a few.

My husband only started to paint about 4 years ago. He had never even tried it before then. He has sure come a long way!

I was overwhelmed with the turn out of family and friends, all 77 of them! Amazing! The gallery was hopping. There was a jazz band playing and a dinner buffet as well. We went through 3 boxes of wine and lots of cheese and cracker and goodies!

I have posted a few of the favorites. They were hard to photograph due to the bright lights shining on them, but I did my best. The most amazing thing of all was that he sold 4 paintings! He was just amazed, grateful, and very humble, if I do say so myself. It was truly one of the most exciting evenings we have ever had and life changing in many ways!

Odds and ends

I put in to take today off as a personal day thinking I would make Pizzelles for the bridal shower on Saturday. I was remembering how my grandmother and her friends would get together and make Italian cookies for all the showers and wanted to carry on the tradition. But this personal day has turned into a sick day. I have a miserable cold and I am sneezing, coughing, and my head is all stuffed up. I am trying to take it easy today. I am on my inhalers, using the shower soothers, and taking Cold-Eeze. Usually all of these remedies work pretty fast with me, but I don't think I started soon enough.

So I totally over did it, after saying I wouldn't. Well, there was so much to do and so much running around just in getting the centerpieces for the tables. I had decided on mums. But the first batch I bought were too small. So I bought bigger ones. Then I was going to wrap the pots in fall colored floral paper. I thought that would be easy to find. Guess again! I could only find a bright gold and it didn't match. So next I was going to buy terracotta pots and put them all in them as the sales lady did at the store. She just threw a shower and said how beautiful they looked. At the first bridal shower my daughter in laws mother used the Terra cotta pots so I also didn't want to copy her. I didn't have the energy to go back to Micheal's to get the pots , anyway. I had some baskets that I was going to use for the other mums, but the baskets were too big. So I tried them out with my newly purchased mums and they looked great. I brought the basket to the garden shop and showed the sales lady and she loved the look. But I still needed a couple more baskets, so off to get those. I don't do anything the easy way, because I never know what I am doing and what I need.

So by putting them in the baskets, I was saved of the work of transplanting them into the pots. Yeah!

So tomorrow night is the big art opening for the husband. I am amazed at the response he is getting from friends, work colleagues, my work colleagues, and family. Even family who were invited to the shower the very next day. I am kind of nervous for him, but I think he will do fine. I will take photos for sure!

Update

Labor day weekend. No barbecue plans. I should have had a cook out here, but with my husband's art show next Friday night and the bridal shower I am throwing next Saturday, I didn't want to think about having to host another event! So I am trying to prepare for the big weekend and have a zillion things to do yet.

The local paper did a nice article and color photo of the husband and his opening. If everyone who says they are coming come, then we should have a nice crowd. I want to enjoy next weekend and not get so stressed out about it. We are going to be seeing so many family and friends and to me nothing is better, so I am trying to calm down and remember to ENJOY. Fun times go so fast.

Last night we went out with some friends to a local winery and that was fun. Today after a dip in the pool (finally warm enough to swim again) and all of my errands, we took a ride down to the shoreline for a seafood dinner. Pleasant evening.

Wedding is now almost a month away. We are still trying to find someone to stay over night with my dad and he is still telling us he doesn't want anyone there. I will try to talk to him tomorrow, and try to make him understand that as hard as it is, it isn't his choice.