Well, I had quite an adventure with the flowers... I was supposed to pick them up on Wednesday at 1, here in Madras, take them to Albany and make all the boutonnieres and corsages, the 3 bouquets, and then take them to the wedding in Hillsboro. um, yeah.. about that plan? forget it... When I arrived at the florists, my car all packed, on my way out of town, ice chests chilled and ready to recieve the flowers, I was told that the flowers had been delivered to the* wrong florist*, somewhere in Washington State. no flowers for me. so sorry, hope this isn't a problem! Of course not, it's only my "daughter's" wedding!!! Believe me when I tell you the room spun for a minute! Then, back to my house to call my daughter Dena... go to battlestations, Dena.. the flowers arent' coming!! So, plan B... she goes shopping while I'm driving (It's a two and a half hour drive over the Cascades to her in the valley) and comes as close as she can to replicating my order... although , I tell her, the roses for the bridal bouquet aren't a big deal, I don't have to do that bouquet until Friday anyway.... She asks me if I have formally cancelled the misshipped order... oh, oops, no I haven't..... so, not wanting to be un-professional, I call the florist in town here. I explain that I can't wait till tomorrow to pick up the flowers and then drive over... She (the florist who is supposed to be "training" me) says not to panic, that she can have the flowers in Albany in the morning....via UPS...Oh, OK... well here's the address... then I called DD to say don't worry, but she's already gone.... I drive over the passes.. pouring rain all the way... When I arrive at DD's, she's really mad at me... seems the poor thing went all over town, and finally duplicated the order I had placed in Madras with a florist in Albany... then come home to find a message on the answering machine that I'd solved the problem... so she called back the wonderful florist in Albany and cancelled that order, but she felt stupid... DD was also the maid-of-honor at the wedding, the bride's chief hand-holder, and general contractor in the whole wedding process....
So, next morning, the UPS truck is supposed to show at DD's somewhere between 8 am and 10:30 am.... by 11:15, I'm pretty upset... this is the day before the wedding, and I still don't have the blinking flowers!!! So, I call Madras.... and ask the florist if she can call the wholesaler and get the tracking number on the flowers so I can call UPS and see where they went
*THIS* time..... She called the wholesaler, called me back with the numbers, and as I'm getting online to check the whereabouts of my flowers, DD calls to say the flowers just arrived at her house...As I'm driving over there to pick them up and take them back to my "Mom's" I wonder, suddenly, if they're in good condition... first shipped to Gresham (not Washington, as I was told..) then to a UPS office somewhere, then onto a truck for Gresham-to-Albany, then trucked to DD's house....? Whatamigonnado???? I arrive, breathless, and check the flowers,... they're fine. I ask to be excused from the rehearsal and subsequent dinner... NO! I need you there, Mom, says pt/d the bride... So, I do 3 wrist corsages and head to the rehearsal, another two hours from Albany... We rehearse, and rehearse, Bridezilla in full form (typical of brides)... then go to a no-host dinner at the Olive Garden. I have arrived as a passenger in the younger DD's car... (this one's the candlelighter)... and can't go till they are done.... We arrive back in Albany at 11:30 PM... by the time I get to bed it's nearly one. I'm up at 6 on the WEDDING DAY... with 8 more corsages and 11 boutonnieres as well as the three bouquets to make.. and the wedding is at 6:30 pm, two hours away again!!! YDD comes over and helps as we wire, wrap and assemble the required numbers of flowers. We're supposed to be at the wedding site for photos at 4... we arrive, coolers filled with flowers, at 4 :15.... to chaos.... no one has planned for food for the bridal party, so, although the men went out for burgers, there has been no lunch for the girls, and they're tearing out each other's hair, their own hair and swiping at any one who gets in the vicinity!!
I do the mom thing and get the girls calmed down, and fed... and all is right with the world.
Now, PTD's mother, as I have mentioned, hates me.... but she's being civil.. so I take a chance just before the ceremony and speak to her... I say, "Debbie, I am so sorry we've had such a bad relationship all these years. I want you to know that I so appreciate your sharing Kimmee with me. I do love her very much." ready for her reply? ok.. she says "thank you so much for telling me that. I know that you love her, and I'm sorry too." OMG!!!! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!! we're both teary eyed and hugging.. I can't believe it!!!
The wedding itself was beautiful... Steve the groom made a very touching speech to Kimmee's son Ben (5) about how he is marrying them both, and is so excited to know that Ben has agreed to let Steve be his daddy.. much sniffling from the audience... Ron has agreed to video tape the ceremony and does a great job... but it's after 10 before we can leave to go to Gladstone, where we're staying for the night...so I managed to forget the digital camera I took all the photos with... DD has it, and when YDD brings my car, which I left with her, over the mountains to me, I'll post photos of the flowers for yall........
RCB prayers and good thoughts really helped. Kimmee wept like crazy when told her Mom's had "made up"... and we had a photo taken of the three of us together!
Now, I gotta get some rest, and then on to the next crisis in my life....and I'm confident there wil be one... there always is...
b