March flowers bring bridal showers
(No kidding, this winter has been so warm that a number of bulbs have started blooming way early. Of course, then it had to snow yesterday. Go figure.)
This was the one true surprise for this weekend. I knew my cousin was getting married at the end of April, but I had no idea when the shower would be - or if we'd even be invited. This is the part of the family that's a different religion from the rest of us, and as such we're not super-close to them, but we still enjoy being a part of their lives. Even so, mom, grandma, and I were the only non-immediate family members present; everyone else was from their congregation. Well, almost everyone. A woman sat down next to me and introduced herself (one thing that always throws me at these gatherings), and someone at another table said something to her, and the woman asked me if I knew the other lady's name. I went, I have no idea; I'm just the cousin. She went, oh! I'm the fiance's mom! Mom and grandma had stepped away, and when they came back I introduced everyone, and Fiance's Mom went, okay, now I see the resemblance. She ended up being pretty cool, which is fabulous, and makes me even happier that my cousin is marrying into their family.
Overall it was a good day, just long. We were there four and a half hours. I think that's the longest shower I've ever been to. Even better, there were guys there, including my younger cousins. So, yay on them being there to support their sister, but slight boo on them playing cards almost the entire time. :P (Well, at least they kept themselves entertained.) Part of what lasted so long was that there was a full-on dinner, complete with appetizers and dessert (which, with it being Lent, I couldn't have...and there were cake pops...). Then they finally started with the games, including a version of The Newlywed Game. My uncle talks the talk, but he does *not* walk the walk. He's...all about the details (apparently anal-retentiveness runs in the family) and would ask questions to clarify what was being asked. Like, one question for the guys was, what's your gal's favorite flower? Obvious, right? My uncle seriously asked if it was f-l-o-w-e-r or f-l-o-u-r. Well, okay, my aunt *does* do a lot of baking, but still. Stuff like that. I said to the girl reading the questions, can you tell my uncle was the little brother? She went, yes.
I ended up being a bit of a help when it came to gift time. My cousin has three court members, and one handed her the gifts, one wrote down who it was from (their custom isn't to announce who gave a gift, though at times it was totally obvious), and one to run it out to the pile in the hallway (this was held at a clubhouse in someone's subdivision). Well, someone needed to get the trash, so I volunteered. I'd chosen my seat specifically because it was right by the action (perfect, because those not up front really had no idea what was going on--even right there, it was hard to hear), so it worked out. I wasn't always on top of the game, but the fiance (the main garbage-pitcher) enjoyed playing basketball with the wrapping so even if I wasn't looking, he'd still shoot a basket and made it most of the time. Some of the gifts were cool - one lady formed her towels, to which she'd added jeweled flowers, in the shapes of swans; one person made them a religious wall-hanging that clearly had special meaning to them; another artist friend made them a painting; my grandma, who'd matched her wrapping paper to her striped dress, also gave them artwork (naturally; this is a very grandma gift); and then our gift, opened last, my cousin actually guessed. We had a theme. It started with the apron that was on her registry, then continued with the heart-shaped cake pan mom picked up the day after Valentine's Day (the thing that was difficult to wrap - never again); it concluded with a pink Kitchen Aid stand mixer. My cousin kept going, I think I know what this is; I think I know what this is; I think I know what this is, and if it's what I think it is, Fiance's Mom is gonna want it. Sure enough. And to think my mother wasn't sure she'd want it. Hello, it was on her registry. Are you kidding? My cousin was just shocked one family bought it; she thought it might be something several families might join in to buy. Of course, since she and her mom keep checking the registries, she knew someone had picked it up. And, yes, apparently if my cousin doesn't use it within a few years, it defaults to her mother-in-law. Oh, dear heart, you're using it. Every time we come over, you're baking us something. :)
All in all, a good (but long) day, and I'm thrilled to see my cousin so happy. She's been through a lot in recent years and I'm glad to see she's survived and she's thriving. I was a bit reserved about her getting married, but now I'm really happy and excited.
This was the one true surprise for this weekend. I knew my cousin was getting married at the end of April, but I had no idea when the shower would be - or if we'd even be invited. This is the part of the family that's a different religion from the rest of us, and as such we're not super-close to them, but we still enjoy being a part of their lives. Even so, mom, grandma, and I were the only non-immediate family members present; everyone else was from their congregation. Well, almost everyone. A woman sat down next to me and introduced herself (one thing that always throws me at these gatherings), and someone at another table said something to her, and the woman asked me if I knew the other lady's name. I went, I have no idea; I'm just the cousin. She went, oh! I'm the fiance's mom! Mom and grandma had stepped away, and when they came back I introduced everyone, and Fiance's Mom went, okay, now I see the resemblance. She ended up being pretty cool, which is fabulous, and makes me even happier that my cousin is marrying into their family.
Overall it was a good day, just long. We were there four and a half hours. I think that's the longest shower I've ever been to. Even better, there were guys there, including my younger cousins. So, yay on them being there to support their sister, but slight boo on them playing cards almost the entire time. :P (Well, at least they kept themselves entertained.) Part of what lasted so long was that there was a full-on dinner, complete with appetizers and dessert (which, with it being Lent, I couldn't have...and there were cake pops...). Then they finally started with the games, including a version of The Newlywed Game. My uncle talks the talk, but he does *not* walk the walk. He's...all about the details (apparently anal-retentiveness runs in the family) and would ask questions to clarify what was being asked. Like, one question for the guys was, what's your gal's favorite flower? Obvious, right? My uncle seriously asked if it was f-l-o-w-e-r or f-l-o-u-r. Well, okay, my aunt *does* do a lot of baking, but still. Stuff like that. I said to the girl reading the questions, can you tell my uncle was the little brother? She went, yes.
I ended up being a bit of a help when it came to gift time. My cousin has three court members, and one handed her the gifts, one wrote down who it was from (their custom isn't to announce who gave a gift, though at times it was totally obvious), and one to run it out to the pile in the hallway (this was held at a clubhouse in someone's subdivision). Well, someone needed to get the trash, so I volunteered. I'd chosen my seat specifically because it was right by the action (perfect, because those not up front really had no idea what was going on--even right there, it was hard to hear), so it worked out. I wasn't always on top of the game, but the fiance (the main garbage-pitcher) enjoyed playing basketball with the wrapping so even if I wasn't looking, he'd still shoot a basket and made it most of the time. Some of the gifts were cool - one lady formed her towels, to which she'd added jeweled flowers, in the shapes of swans; one person made them a religious wall-hanging that clearly had special meaning to them; another artist friend made them a painting; my grandma, who'd matched her wrapping paper to her striped dress, also gave them artwork (naturally; this is a very grandma gift); and then our gift, opened last, my cousin actually guessed. We had a theme. It started with the apron that was on her registry, then continued with the heart-shaped cake pan mom picked up the day after Valentine's Day (the thing that was difficult to wrap - never again); it concluded with a pink Kitchen Aid stand mixer. My cousin kept going, I think I know what this is; I think I know what this is; I think I know what this is, and if it's what I think it is, Fiance's Mom is gonna want it. Sure enough. And to think my mother wasn't sure she'd want it. Hello, it was on her registry. Are you kidding? My cousin was just shocked one family bought it; she thought it might be something several families might join in to buy. Of course, since she and her mom keep checking the registries, she knew someone had picked it up. And, yes, apparently if my cousin doesn't use it within a few years, it defaults to her mother-in-law. Oh, dear heart, you're using it. Every time we come over, you're baking us something. :)
All in all, a good (but long) day, and I'm thrilled to see my cousin so happy. She's been through a lot in recent years and I'm glad to see she's survived and she's thriving. I was a bit reserved about her getting married, but now I'm really happy and excited.