Thursday, June 29, 2023

A Celebration Worthy of Diamonds

Not many couples make it to the 60-year mark in their marriages these days, but, I am proud to say that I know one. This past weekend, we celebrated them in a big way.

Oscar and Emily were married in New York on June 23, 1963. Over the next twenty-or-so years, they raised three mostly-ok kids, including Hugh, who was born second (he's a classic example of Middle Child Syndrome, but he's still mostly-ok).

All three kids, plus 99% of their kids, were on hand for the celebration, which, came as a complete surprise to both Oscar and Emily, whom we had convinced would be celebrating without them, due to the distance that they all had to travel. These are not easy people to surprise, so I considered the feat to be monumental.

We held the party at the Native American Museum in Hooterville, which provided enough space for our group of fourteen, plus fifty-three guests. It was also large enough to accommodate the life-sized cut-out of Oscar and Emily on their wedding day that I ordered online (hugely impactful and something that really made Emily's eyes well up).

I had put together a slideshow of pictures, documenting their courtship, early marriage, the years of raising infants and toddlers, and the years that the family grew to include sons and daughters in law and grandchildren. Included in the show were videos sent by friends who had been at the wedding and who live too far to travel (that's when Oscar's eyes welled up, although I'm sure he would probably tell you he just had something in them).

The baker who made the cake for me did a fantastic job of recreating the designs that were a part of the original wedding cake. It was also delicious; we finished off the top tier and a quarter of the bottom tier at the party; the remaining three quarters were gone by Monday night, when we all got together for our final dinner.

Oscar and Emily circulated among the guests for the entire two hours of the party, which was exhausting for them both, although, neither of them would admit it.















When the last guest said goodbye, we adjourned to the patio to take some family photos, something we have not done since 2014. Although we were missing one grandchild (he was traveling abroad on a trip that had been planned well before we knew we would be throwing the celebration), we were happy to have the opportunity to take for more recent photos for Oscar and Emily to display. I won't bore you with all the photos...just most of them.







The pictures I took of his grandparents discovering what lurked beneath the Man-Cub's hat are some of my favorites of the day.






The kids were in the spirit and wanted to recreate a picture from that last family photo shoot, despite the fact that we were missing one of their cousins. They pretty much nailed it.




But, Queen B wanted to include her missing cousin, so she doctored the photo, just a titch.


All of the effort that went into the planning and execution of the party was rewarded, a hundredfold. Oscar and Emily haven't stopped thanking us, and, we are so happy that we were able to bring everyone together to celebrate these two amazing people.


All because two people fell in love, y'all.




Wednesday, June 28, 2023

What's Up Wednesday, June 2023 Edition

 

There is no possible way that it is already the end of June, right? The month could not have gone by so quickly; maybe we entered a time warp and just don't know it? What does one wear to a time warp? I'm guessing a confused expression will suffice.

Anyhoodle, welcome to the time warp version of What's Up Wednesday, brought to you by Sheaffer and Shay. Let's get warped!


What I've Been Eating

I've enjoyed a few dishes of note this month, including pan fried noodles and vegetables at the local Chinese restaurant; it isn't what I usually order and I'm glad I tried it. I think I'll continue to branch out and try new things when we eat there.


My garden is coming along nicely, including a crop of arugula that can best be described as plentiful. Luckily, I like a good spinach and arugula salad.


Hugh tried his hand at a stir fry recipe that I found on TikTok, and we were not disappointed.


Queen B was in town for Katie's wedding, and I introduced her to the new brewery in Hooterville. For the record, she liked the beer (Hugh is not a fan). She also liked the fried corn nuggets that we ordered as an appetizer; she just didn't expect them to be quite so spicy.




What I'm Reminiscing About

I'm not really reminiscing about anything at the moment. I've been too busy to slow down enough to reminisce.


What I'm Loving

Hugh and I hosted a party for Oscar and Emily's 60th anniversary and, as part of the event, I put together a slide show of their life together. I sat down with Oscar to look at his old photo albums and I am in love with the pictures that he shared with me. Here are a few of my favorites.

(I had this one printed on a large canvas; it's hanging in the guest room now)


Grandma was a dish!



What I've Been Up To

There is a reason this month has felt like it's on fast-forward; I've been busy with the concert fundraiser for Not So New Job (it was a bust; this makes me sad, not only for our small non-profit, but for the golf course at which the concert was held), Katie's wedding, and the above-mentioned anniversary party. We also hosted family who were attending the party, which means several family dinners, a Porch Night, and a girls-only shopping trip to Neighboring City. It's been crazy.








What I'm Working On

Now that I have the first big personal event that I'm hosting this year out of the way; I can focus on the next, which is Mia's bridal shower. And, with the first fundraiser of the summer behind me; I can focus on the next, which is next month's golf tournament. I've been working on it all along, but now it's crunch time, and I have to kick it into high gear.


What I'm Dreading

Ummm...the bottom line on our year-end financials now that the concert completely tanked? That seems like a logical thing to dread.


What I'm Excited About

GIRL'S WEEKEND!!!!! The countdown is on! In a mere two weeks, I will be nestled in the bosom of my oldest and dearest friends, and, I can hardly wait! We always have a good time and this year will be no different, I'm sure.


Girl's Weekend, circa 2021



What I'm Watching/Listening To

Serial killer documentaries;. they relax me. Perhaps you can relate.


What I'm Reading

Are you ready for this? I finished an entire book this month! I know; I'm as shocked as you are.



What I'm Wearing

I really do suck at this prompt. I'm wearing some really cute things and failing, miserably, at photographing myself in them. I just don't think about it until it's too late. 


What I'm Doing This Weekend

Hugh and I are joining two of our favorite couples for our annual  4th of July camping trip. The 4th doesn't exactly fall on the weekend this year, but we're calling it that, anyway. We plan to stay in what has become "our" campsite, which will be bittersweet since it will be the last time we do so since Erin and Kristi are moving to the UK in September. It will be especially bittersweet for Erin because the girls will be selling Erin's beloved vintage camper (lovingly referred to as Tink) the week after our trip. I think this calls for an epic photo shoot, don't you think?



Photos from last year's trip, heavy on the Tink


Looking Forward To Next Month

I'm looking forward to a little downtime. I could use some relaxation in the garden. Or, on the boat. Or, with a glass of wine in hand on the porch. You get the picture.


Favorite Amazon Find This Month

I recently ordered this business card holder to keep my business cards under control in my purse; I was sick of digging them out from the very bottom, where they were inevitably ruined. The case holds a good amount of cards and I love the vintage library vibe (you see, kids, back in the day, we had to check books out of a building...)


What Else Is New

Nothing that I can think of!