The Circle of Life

Last Saturday was a full circle kind of day.  One that I never saw coming.  For months Old School and I had known of the wedding we were invited to in the evening, but it’s the daytime affair I wasn’t prepared for.  And Facebook played a small part.

As many of us have done, I have reconnected with long-lost friends from high school and college thanks to Facebook.  In those first few weeks after joining, I never knew what blast-from-the-past would be waiting for me on my home page.  It was rather exciting — seeing what people are doing now, learning about their families and careers — seeing what they look like!  So much fun!

But, last week I knew something was wrong when Nora, my best friend from junior high and high school, sent me a direct message on Facebook simply titled, “My Mom.”

My stomach dropped.

I called Nora immediately to find she had lost her mother unexpectedly the night before and Nora was headed here to town with her husband and daughter to join the family in mourning, and to make arrangements, etc.  I never thought of this day at all.  Her mom had always been here, and Nora always stayed at her mom’s when she visited over the summer and at Christmas.  Mom was in pretty good shape — no major health issues until the previous Friday when a fever came out of nowhere and by Monday night, she was gone.

What a legacy she left behind — seven kids, eleven grandchildren, many friends.  She was loved.  Proof of that, hundreds of people showed up for her memorial mass.  It was truly lovely.

At this point in life, I know many people dealing with aging parents, sick parents and the passing of parents.  It’s tough to count all the conversations I’ve had about what it feels like for an adult child to be “orphaned” once their parents are gone.  No matter the age, it’s still devastating.

So last Saturday morning, Old School and I attended the memorial mass then went to Nora’s mother’s apartment to celebrate her life, eat some good food and remember the woman who brought these hundreds of people together.

One moment of levity came when I stopped at Graeter’s to pick up some ice cream and tea cookies to take to the luncheon.  Did you know that Graeter’s ice cream now comes in half gallon containers instead of just pints?  Perfect, I thought.  I got two half gallons and a pound of tea cookies, and $40 later I was out the door.  $40?  Really? For two things of ice cream and some cookies?  Turns out the ice cream is over $13 per half gallon.  Let me say that again.  $13 per half gallon. Of ice cream.

I have to admit, it’s worth every penny.  Especially for the Blackraspberry Chip (are you with me on this?  You probably are, it’s THAT good) But still, $40 was surprising.

After spending some time with Nora remembering her kind and remarkably strong mother, Old School and I had just enough time to run home and dress for the wedding.  And what a wedding it was.  This was the kind girls dream of.

The reception was held at Green Acres, a former private home that is now an arts center and event facility.  I took so many pictures I can’t possibly add them all to his post but I’m going to include as many as possible.

Let’s start with the wedding cake and just get that out of the way.  As a former cake maker, it’s practically my first priority when attending a wedding to see the cake the minute I get to the reception.  This one did not disappoint:

That is thin black ribbon that has been artfully wrapped around the cake and highlighted with green mums.  Gorgeous!

Let’s now back up to the bride, groom and wedding party.  The wedding dress was a show-stopper.  Elegant, elegant, elegant.

This is the best photo I could get of the bride without being too conspicuous.  And Old School had asked that I be on best behavior.  Specifically no whistling. I’m not kidding, he really told me that.

I should have been a little offended, right?  Well, I wasn’t because, truth be told, I can whistle like a drunken sailor.  Back in college I spent a whole summer perfecting the technique of putting two fingers from each hand in the corners of my mouth and creating an ear-splitting whistle that comes in very handy at concerts.  Problem is, if you happen to be standing next to me, it’s not pleasant.  So, at this black-tie wedding Old School requested that I not do that to him when the bride and groom enter the reception.  Just for the record, several other people did, but not me.

The sit-down dinner was one of the best I’ve ever seen.  Every other table was square, then a round, each seating eight people.  The napkins were either the blue you see in the photo above or lime green, all on a black table cloth.  Beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful, check out the landscaping on the estate:

Can you imagine growing up with this as your backyard?

Looking back, the whole day feels surreal.  I feel blessed to have been a part of all of it but it’s taken me a few weeks to want to write about it and think about it. Thanks to you, our Whammyjuice readers, for being so patient while I fell off the blogging wagon.

But I’m back and ready to, hopefully, put a smile on your face or add a chuckle to your day. And if you’re having a wedding, you know I’d love to attend.