I Had a Dream

Last night I had the worst dream.  Actually, it was this morning, after my initial alarm went off.  Billy-my-hero said he would get up to see the girls off to Seminary, so I could get a few more minutes of shut-eye.  I'm not usually one who can go back to sleep after being awakened, so today was one of those rare exceptions.
Maybe I was meant to have the dream.

Since the dream was about Britt, and in the end pretty silly, I thought I would share some of the silly pictures I found of her in my vast digital files :-)

It was Britta's wedding day.  We had arrived at the wedding place late.  (I say wedding place only because it was NOT the Temple.  Instead, it was a super cheesy reception-type-center in a strip mall.  I was confused, but went along with it, since the guests were already there.)  Bill and I sat in the back of the large, crowded, gym-like space, as some officiant began to talk.  The sound system was horrendous, and the speaker in the ceiling above our heads had a constant, annoying, high-pitched buzzing.  I leaned over to Bill and told him we would need to get some of our money back from that obviously low-budget establishment.

After a few minutes, we were told that we would be moving to another location for the marriage (in our church it is also referred to as a sealing -- you can read more about it here.  They are only performed in dedicated temples, so the fact that, in my dream, the sealing was open to all the guests, and not at a temple, confused me even more).  This caused the need for us to exit one area of the strip mall, walk around a large red truck parked at the front entrance of the business next door, and enter a door on the other side that led to a super large mega-church-like congregational-style-seating room.  As we were walking to the second location, I noticed that it was getting dark.  "What time is it?" I asked... someone.  "Six o'clock," was the reply.

What?  Six??  The reception is supposed to start in 30 minutes.  Panic started to settle in.

Once again Bill and I were seated at the very back of the room.  Britta was a glowing white dot on the stage.  Austin, however, was nowhere to be seen.  The wedding guests waited and chatted amongst themselves.
Then it hit me.  

I hadn't purchased any refreshments for the reception.

I ran over to where my mother-in-law was sitting (at the back on the other side of the room).  What should I do?  Should I run to Costco or Sam's?  Which store would be better?  Where are they located?  Which one is closer?  I should have pre-ordered some veggie and fruit trays... How on earth am I going to get the food to the reception in time?  Should I leave the wedding?  I'm going to HAVE to.  

Thoughts of still-frozen cream puffs, eclairs, and mini quiches (certainly not a favorite, but I was desperate) ran through my head.

Britt was still the tiny, shining white figure on the distant stage, patiently waiting for Austin to arrive...

I woke up with a ginormous pit in my stomach.
Relief.  It was just a dream.
And, like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, I felt like doing a celebratory dance that it was.
I still have time.

Here is my self interpretation of the dream:  {Obviously} I am anxious.  I am worried about being unprepared, or forgetting some important detail (like refreshments!).  I am worried about unintentionally leaving someone off the list, or stepping on toes, or being too controlling (so instead, in the dream I just went along with whatever the plan was, even if made absolutely no sense).  I know things may happen that are completely out of my hands (where was Austin??), and I am worried about how they will affect the overall carefully-planned event, and my reaction to them (I would never the leave the wedding to go to the store, I'm sure of it).  I don't want to be the cause of stress or anxiety to those around me, especially to my own darling daughter.

Good thing that reality is much better than dreams.  Especially that one!

And, with the fear of a fiasco in mind, I will put all my effort into making it the best day ever for my children.  Then I will step back and let it happen... putting out fires, if needed... running to Costco, if needed... adjusting to whatever the situation calls for, with a smile on my face.

And, as someone wise once said (which someone wise posted on Pinterest, and thousands in agreement repinned):
"If at the end of the day you are married to the one you love, then everything went perfectly.

A Tasting + I'm a Mormon YWIE

Yesterday I made two recipes that were possibilities for Tay's wedding luncheon.  One was the cheesecake-in-a-jar recipe that I found on Pinterest (a plethora of ideas at your fingertips), and one was a saucy chicken recipe served with boiled red potatoes.  

For Sunday dinner, we had a family tasting.

The consensus:

thumbs up for the cheesecake

thumbs up for the potatoes

thumbs down for the chicken, not because it wasn't delicious (it was!), but because it was {saucy} and {messy} and looked a little like slop on the plate.

After dinner we attended Young Women in Excellence with Shi.  Lex was unable to make it due to a "mandatory" work meeting at B&BW, which she most likely didn't mind, since she would have had to conduct YWIE had she been there.  I think she would rather have teeth pulled.  We were sad that she wasn't able to attend her VERY LAST YWIE, though.

The YW leaders had put together a video of each of the girls doing an "I'm a Mormon" spot, which they shared with the parents.  Such a cute idea.
The girls brought a display of one of their value projects for the year... here was Shi's:

She had actually taken MORE for the display, but edited it down to these two simple things.  

I'm good with simple these days.

Afterwards I snapped a few pics, just to remember the evening.

My goals today are: 
get the fabric ironed and cut for both Tay and Britt's quilts
make a run to the bank
make a flip chart for a Christmas song for Primary (so much to sing, so little time)
possibly make a few returns to various stores, if time allows.

Once kids are home from school, goal time is O-V-E-R, since by then I am either in high demand, or ready for a nap.

Gotta run.

Past Blasting

As I was diligently laminating and binding stuff for Primary Singing Time tomorrow, Taylor sat at the computer nearby and said, "Hey, Mom, you haven't been posting much lately."  (I totally appreciate that he checks on a regular basis.)

I know.  I've been busy.  I laundered all day Thursday, and worked at the school all day Friday (I finally agreed after being asked for the third time -- I really wanted to use the day to work on quilts).

Besides, there really hasn't been that much to write about, unless you're interested in how my elevated stress levels are impacting my usually pleasant personality ;-)

I did, however, recently come across some pictures I thought I would share... I just couldn't figure out how to get them to scan.  Billy-my-hero stepped in and helped me out.  One of these days I'll have him give me a demo, but I was just too darn busy today.

(Those headpieces were a-ma-zing, don't you think?)

(Lace.  Shine.  Poof-y sleeves.  Who could ask for anything more?) 

(The satin dream.  Plus more poof-y sleeves.)

My sister got married a year before I did, so of course, I tagged along as she shopped for a dress.  I guess I tried some on just for the heck of it, which was a good thing, since I didn't shop for a dress ONCE when my own wedding rolled around the following year.  I chose, instead, to wear the same lovely dress my sister wore.

The funny thing is, this style of dress is making a comeback... sort of.  For years the lace-covered beaded bodice, chiffon-y skirted, long-sleeved dress was so old fashioned.  As I was shopping with Britta, I saw {lots} of dresses with many of those same elements.  Perhaps there weren't a lot of long sleeves, but I predict they will be the next big thing.
The white tux with tails?  Not so much.

Tomorrow for Sunday dinner, I will be testing a recipe or two for Taylor's wedding luncheon.  I hope they turn out awesome, because I would love to get the menu nailed down, so I can focus on other details.
Like decorations, table settings, and line flowers.  And quilts.

Whirlwind Pictures

Since I had very limited access to a computer this past week, and now that I have safely arrived home, I thought I would share a few pictures of the whirlwind I mentioned in my last post.

Here are a few of the dresses that Britta really liked, but eventually ruled out before saying YES to the dress.

 (Britt didn't like the half-sleeve on this dress, and would have had them capped had she selected this dress... I {loved} the longer sleeve.  I pretty much tried to keep my mouth shut throughout the process, though, other than sharing honest opinions and encouraging words.)

Britta didn't have any particular style she was looking for, which made decision making a little more complicated -- she wasn't comparing apples to apples, she had to choose between apples and oranges.  Sort of.  In a wedding dress kind of way.

Taylor and Grandma Goldsberry came along on the second day of wedding dress shopping.  It was awesome to have their support, and even Britt mentioned that she was really glad Tay was there, since she valued his opinion from a guy's viewpoint.

You will just have to wait, along with Austin, to see the dress she said YES to.

Game night at Grandma and Grandpa Goldsberrry's.

 Taylor and Lynnea were demonstrating poses from earlier in the day, when the photographer would tell them to do somewhat unnatural things, like put their foreheads together, then "act natural... do what you would normally do..."  They were in the Salt Lake Library.  We all had a chuckle over that one.  

Or maybe just I did.

 I heard this was the {eternal} 6-person Aggravation game.  I wouldn't know, since I hit the hay around midnight (I can't remember if that was pre- or post- daylight savings time).

The next morning, Lynnea was heading back to Idaho, so we snapped a picture of the happy couples.  

K-I-S-S-I-N-G.  

Everyone had pretty much just gotten out of bed.

 (The serious parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow pose.)

 We snapped a few pictures at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building after church on Sunday.
Josh and Kayla plan to have their wedding dinner in this very room.

I didn't get any pictures of the half-dozen Dollar Trees we visited with Grandma Syddall, or the Astro Burger stop we made to fill our empty tummies (which, btw, was delicious).  Rats.  I'm sure that would have been an interesting photo diary.

Britt and I did snap a quick picture the morning I left... 

...just so I could remember that I was there, too :-)

Whirlwind

This week has been busy.  I have been to Provo, then to West Valley, over to Bountiful, into Salt Lake, back to Provo, north again to Bountiful, around to West Valley, then finally back in Provo this evening.  I can only give a humble "thank you" to those who have been so accommodating with my crazy, random, unscheduled schedule.  I have such a wonderful family!!

Britta and I made a ton of progress on her wedding, including finding the dress.  We've also had success in purchasing dresses and shoes for her bridesmaids, negotiating rooms with the venue, and working through some of the details.  Britt thinks we still have PLENTY of time, since the wedding is still so far away (cough, cough), but I'm a little more {uptight}, since I will have limited time in Utah from here on out.  Not to mention celebrating Thanksgiving (2-1/2 weeks away!), Christmas (7 weeks away!), and Taylor's wedding (7-1/2 weeks away!) in between.

Taylor and Lynnea were able to meet up in Utah this weekend for engagement photos, so it was a fun and unique experience to have three engaged couples (Tay/Lynnea, Austin/Britt, and Josh/Kayla) hanging out at my mom's house.  We attended church with my parents in the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg, where the chapel is the precisely same room that my Senior Ball was held in, 25+ years ago.  So not only a successful trip, a fun and memorable trip.

After taking Tay to the airport today, Britt and I will meet up for her dress fitting, and will {hopefully} figure out flowers and centerpieces.  Then I will hit the Provo airport tomorrow morning to fly back to my fam (miss you guys), and whirlwind myself around in the frenzy of holiday/wedding preparations.

I can't decide if the constant flow of impending big events will be a help (keeping my adrenaline at a consistently high level), or a hindrance (stress-inducing enough to cause a nuclear-level meltdown).  Hmmmm...  let's hope it's a help.  

(If you happen to see me with a glazed-over, blank stare, talking in a nonsensical manner, unable to recognize you or understand what you are saying, please cut me some slack, and let it slide.)

Warp Speed

Another Halloween has come and gone.  Is time moving at warp speed, or is it just me?

I managed to get our ghost candles lit...

and A+ sister Shilo helped Mar get a two-faced pumpkin carved.

This year we had an inordinate amount of older trick-or-treaters... the post-puberty, deep-voiced, boyfriend-girlfriend-out-on-date kind.  Weird.

One older boy didn't appear to have a costume of any sort, so I had to ask, "What are you dressed up as?"

"Something with a tail," he responded.

Sure enough, he turned around to show me a tail, pinned to the backside of his pants.

Nice effort.

Mar brought home a nice stash of diet-crashing goodies.  Yes, I have had more than my share of Baby Ruths, Hot Tamales, Hershey bars, Almond Joys, and peanut M&Ms.

I'm heading out tomorrow (which for you is most likely "today," unless you are up at 11:55 pm perusing blogs instead of sleeping) for UT to help Britt with wedding planning.  Unless I get snowed in.  The girls are counting on AT LEAST a delayed start for school tomorrow (which means no early early seminary), so they stayed up past their usual late bedtime.  

I hope they are right... we could all use a little more sleep around here.

But then the snow needs to move-the-heck-on-out.  I have a plane to catch.

Last One

I went to my last school costume parade today.  

At least the last one in which my own child will participate.  

I'm not sure if there was a mix-up, or if it was intended, but there were some kids coming, and some kids going.  It made it a little tricky to spot your own little pumpkin (haha), but lucky for me, Mar had a nice gap between her and the person in front of her.  Can you see her?

With all the crazy busy schedules going on around here, I nearly forgot about Halloween.  We were going to carve pumpkins this weekend, but didn't get around to it.  Maybe I'll try to help Mar knock one out after she gets home from school.  Or maybe I'll just pull out the trusty paint (possibly some glitter), and let her non-knife-wielding artistic side shine.  I heard that if you mix glitter with modge podge, then paint your pumpkin, you get a lovely result.   I will have to try and convince Mar.  HOWEVER, it really wouldn't feel like Halloween without the smell of burning pumpkin flesh.
Hmmmmm...

I've already eaten my pre-determined self-imposed wedding-times-two-diet amount of sugar {I like candy} for the day.  I hope I can resist the variety I'm sure Mar will procure this evening.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!