My sister-in-law's bridal shower was this past Saturday. It was done in one of my favorite color schemes - red, white, and aqua. Wish my camera had been in hand to share the adorable, fifties-style decor with you, but alas. It was a miracle I even made it to the shower. Silly me, mistakenly wrote it's start time as 3 pm in my calendar!
There I am, sitting at home, leisurely heading upstairs to wrap her gift when my phone buzzed. A text from my life-saver-of-a-cousin read, "Where are you, Woman?!?"
Oh, boy. The clock read 2:15, so I thought, "Maybe it started at 2 not 3. Yikes!" But not so...
It had actually started at 1 pm. Triple YIKES!!! Away went my lofty, Pinterest-inspired, gift wrapping notions and in its place appeared a gift bag and tissue paper. (I still took the time to pen a thoughtful card, though. Those are important to me).
I zoomed over to the venue which was mercifully a mere 7 minute drive away from my home arriving just in time to see the gifts unwrapped (my favorite part). Again, mercifully, when my husband's family plan a get-together, the show generally doesn't get on the road until 30 or 40 minutes after the intended time. Guess I fit right in!
My horrendous gaff was kindly overlooked and I ended up having a wonderful time. My other sister-in-law had driven in with all four of my darling nieces for the occasion. Since the party was 50's themed, most everyone had dressed to the time period. My youngest niece, just two and a half years old, warmed my heart as she yelled, "Aunt Shana!!!" from across the room and ran to me with her poodle skirt fluffing about her so adorably (totally hated myself for rushing out the door without my camera). Every one of my nieces sported some whimsical take on the 50's era garb. Four year old E., who generally hates dressing up, was decked out in a cute black and white dress and sweater set. Six year old O. (the sweetest priss you ever did see) kindly presented me with a cup of water playing the part of hostess quite perfectly. She wore a dress of bright red with happy white polka dots. The eldest niece I., who will be 9 all too soon, skipped up to give me a cupcake, a gauzy scarf jauntily tied about her neck and a crisp white shirt tucked into her denim pants (cuffs rolled for the occasion, of course).
My heart swells with pride that I am a part of such a kind and welcoming family. My own family is so wonderful, I couldn't imagine being so blessed twice over, but I am! God is so good.
"So what exactly do the million-and-one pictures of tulips have to do with this post?" you might be asking yourself. Well, they were part of the centerpiece decorations for the big event. As niece I. was helping clean up the tulip-filled mason jars and their aqua be-glittered water, she decided to combine the flowers into bouquets for all the women in the family who had remained after the shower to help clean up.
I was so touched when she presented me with my very own handful of tulips. After I had said my goodbyes and gone back to my homey routine, I placed them lovingly inside a cream ware pitcher. The pitcher's handle ended up being remarkably convenient for carrying them with me from room to room so as not to miss out on a single second of their fond remembrance.
Today, the petals are dark and wilting. The pitcher is waiting beside the kitchen sink to be emptied, cleaned, and put back into the cupboard. I am very sorry to see them go, but somehow, composing this post has helped me prepare to finally throw the dead flowers out.
Glad I was able to be a part of such a special day. Now, I am looking forward to the wedding!
