Pink and Green...and Green...and Pink

A couple weeks ago, I flew to Florida, along with my mom and brother, to spend the week with the beautiful bride-to-be, my cousin Casey. Casey was the maid of honor in my wedding, and as the "matron" of honor in her's, I definitely wanted to offer the same support before her big day.

The week and weekend were action packed, as time spent with my family always is! Wednesday we worked hard at making buckets for her hotel guests, table signs, and drink coozies (wedding favors). Wednesday night, we had dinner with immediate family that was starting to trickle into town.

On Thursday we headed to Dade City, FL for the bridesmaid luncheon at Lunch on Limoges. The food was great...especially the coconut cake I had for dessert! It was lovely to be with all the girls, our moms, Casey's Grandma Jeanne, and T.C.'s grandma Rita.

Here are the happy bridesmaids, and Casey.

Casey's three cousins (Ali, Haley, and myself)

and T.C.'s two sisters, Nikki and Andrea.

Thursday night Casey and T.C. hosted a BBQ at their house. The food was amazing....T.C. is quite the cook! It was great fun to meet some of T.C.'s friends who were starting to arrive from out of town. And then my Aunt Barb started drinking tequila with the boys! Yes!

The girls all loved Dave (one of the groomsmen..)

As the night went on, things got really fun when we had a corn-chucking contest into the lake in their backyard!

Friday morning we were up early to head to the spa! It was so luxurious. Casey was so generous in giving all the bridesmaids the gift of a massage! (Thanks again Casey!!!) And we all also had pedicures and lunch while we were there. We should do that every week...

Friday night, T.C.'s mother hosted a great party at a restaurant right on the riverbank in Port Richey, FL. And everything, of course, was pink and green, right down to Casey's dress and shoes.

My uncle Chet and Brian called each other the night before and planned to wear matching outfits....
My dad wanted to be part of the yellow-shirt gang.

Here I am with my cousin Ali...

And then...the big day arrived!!!!!

We started off the day with some last minute work to be done at Cathy and Ray's house (where the wedding was held). I put up the chuppah, Casey prepared a memorial table, and Cathy was frantically planting. Ray was so nice to cook us a great breakfast of bacon and waffles!

Around noon we headed to the salon to get our hair done. Casey was amazingly calm at this point. The Armstrong sisters had even arrived with mimosas! And we got to wear flowers in our hair...fun!

Once we got back to the house, things all started falling into place. We did our makeup and got dressed so that we were ready to help Casey get into her dress once the photographers arrived. And now, a word about the dresses....

I'm going to be honest here and say that from the moment the pepto-bismol colored dress arrived in the mail until the day of the wedding, I was not so excited about this particular bridesmaid dress. But....as soon as we all had them on, our hair and makeup were done, and we had flowers in our hair...an amazing change came over me! I loved the dresses!!! They were so festive and fun, and made me ready to party! Here's a good shot...

I know, not really my style, but I actually had lots of fun in this dress!

Anyway, Casey got dressed...and looked amazing!!!! We took pictures around the property which will turn out beautifully I'm sure.

I definitely started crying as I walked down the aisle and heard my dad playing and singing John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith In Me". The ceremony was beautiful, and was conducted by Rabbi Birnholz, who our family has known for many years. There weren't many dry eyes in the place. Casey and T.C. wrote their own vows and they were lovely.

And then....bring on the fruity drinks! And more comfortable shoes!

What a great party. There was a huge white tent up in the yard with colorful paper lanterns,

tons of flowers (including orchids), a table full of old-fashioned candy, a tiki bar with frozen margaritas and pina coladas, a gigantic tub of beer, great food, and about 250 people. There was a steel drum player and a rockin' band. The toasts were wonderful (I mananged to make it through mine without being dragged, sobbing off the stage). Brian's favorite part was that Casey and T.C. got the official announcer for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers to record the wedding party and married couple introductions!! It was pretty cool....

So, we danced the night away and couldn't take our eyes off the beautiful couple. They're in Costa Rica right now, enjoying their honeymoon....and having fruity drinks. (jealous.....)

It was a wonderful, exhausting weekend. By the time it was all over, we all sort of felt a little like this....
And a little like this....

Poem In Your Pocket Day

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/406



Ok folks.....its April 17th, Poem in your Pocket Day, (in case you are unsure, you carry a poem, any poem, and when asked by anyone...you share), that being said...I'm asking.What is the poem in your pocket??



This is the poem in my pocket today...

"How happy is the little stone
That rambles in the road alone,
And doesn't care about careers,
And exigencies never fears;
Whose coat of elemental brown
A passing universe put on;
And independent as the sun,
Associates or glows alone,
Fulfilling absolute decree
In casual simplicity."
— Emily Dickinson





Others that are coming in from friends and family:



In Bay's pocket....

Revelations by David N. Wilson
The seventeenth configuration of stars,
In conjunction with the proper illumination
Of neon signs on cafes, and bars,
Birthed an epic transformation, An arcane celebration,
A revelation that encroached on the darkness
Claiming dominion.
Souls set free, spirits unbound,
And everything on sale, one night only.
Sitting back on his heels and smiling,
God whispered.
"That is so COOL"



In Stella's pocket...

I made myself a snowball, as perfect as could be
I thought I'd keep it as a pet and let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas and a pillow for its head.
Then, last night, it ran away,
but first it wet the bed.
-Shel Silverstein





In Delly's pocket....

Life is mostly froth and bubble
Two things stand like stone;
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own.



In Jon's pocket....

Hors d’oeuvres, hors d’oeuvres, ain’t they neat?
Little piece of cheese and a little piece of meat.
- Mason Williams




a portion of the poem in Brian's pocket...

They call me the hiphop-potamus
cause I got flows that glow like phosphorous
Poppin off the top of this oesophageus
Not because I'm a water dwelling mammal
from Africa Called a hippopotamus
I'm not a hippopotamus, I'm a hiphop-potamus
Where did you get the preposterous hypothesis
that I was a hippopotamus? Did Steve tell you?
What's he got to do with it? Bloody Steve!!
Other rappers diss me Say my rhymes are sissy
What, what, what, why, why, why?
Be more constructive with your feedback
Because I rap about reality
Like me and my grandma having a cup of tea?
Ain't no party like my nana's tea party Hey-ho


In Maura's pocket...

REFRIGERATOR, 1957By Thomas LuxMore
like a vault -- you pull the handle out and on the shelves: not a lot, and what there is (a boiled potato in a bag, a chicken carcass under foil) looking dispirited, drained, mugged. This is not a place to go in hope or hunger. But, just to the right of the middle of the middle door shelf, on fire, a lit-from-within red, heart red, sexual red, wet neon red, shining red in their liquid, exotic, aloof, slumming in such company: a jar of maraschino cherries. Three-quarters full, fiery globes, like strippers at a church social. Maraschino cherries, maraschino, the only foreign word I knew. Not once did I see these cherries employed:
not in a drink, nor on top of a glob of ice cream, or just pop one in your mouth. Not once. The same jar there through an entire childhood of dull dinners -- bald meat, pocked peas and, see above, boiled potatoes. Maybe they came over from the old country, family heirlooms, or were status symbols bought with a piece of the first paycheck from a sweatshop, which beat the pig farm in Bohemia, handed down from my grandparents to my parents to be someday mine, then my child's? They were beautiful and, if I never ate one, it was because I knew it might be missed or because I knew it would not be replaced and because you do not eat that which rips your heart with joy.

If I Knit Fast Enough, Does It Count As Exercise?

Well, I have been knitting up a storm and figured it was time to post pictures of some finished objects. I've joined a knitting book club (can you imagine?...my two favorite things!!), started a knitting group in my community (hasn't quite gotten off its feet yet, but I'm being persistent), and attend a monthly "Sock Soiree" with my mom and other sock knitters. So, with all this inspiration, my knitting habit has been very fruitful.

This is the Branching Out scarf designed by Susan Lawrence from the Knitty Spring 2005 issue http://www.knitty.com/. I used Rowan Pure Wool DK that was on sale at my favorite yarn store, the Lamb Shoppe. Very warm, not itchy, and a beautiful lacy pattern.

I've also recently finished the Evangeline fingerless gloves from the Magknits January 2008 issue http://www.magknits.com/. I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

I'm working myself up to making the Central Park Hoodie http://shop.interweave.com/Central-Park-Hoodie-P204C53.aspx with this yarn and wanted to see how it looks cabled. I'm happy with the yarn and think it would be lovely for the sweater, but my sweater commitment issues remain....

I've been enjoying lacy patterns lately, and am so pleased with these socks!

They are the Snowflake Lace Socks from the Magknits September 2006 issue and I used Aussie sock yarn by Oasis Yarn in a great chocolate brown color.

I've finished one out of two Twist and Cable Socks from the
Steppin' Out: A Collection of 12 Sock Designs in Reynolds' Soft Sea Wool pattern book. I'm using the plum colored Reynold's Soft Sea Wool and it's wonderful to work with.

And I've saved the best for last. I've been waiting for Sophie Bassin (the newest addition to my friends Charlotte and Scott's family) to grow into the sweater I made for her before she had arrived. I've posted pictures of it while it was a work-in-progress, but finally have pictures of Sophie wearing it! Isn't she gorgeous!

In other knitting news.....the Yarn Harlot is coming to Denver! http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/ f you're not an avid knitter, you may not be familiar with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. She's an author and blogger and is absolutely HILARIOUS! I read her blog every single day. It's usually not about technical knitting issues, but is mostly a completely amusing commentary on her life as a crazy knitter, mom, wife, and author. She loves to knit, drink beer, and cause mayhem amongst her knitting followers. I'm planning on sitting myself down in line at the Tattered Cover bookstore as soon as I can get out of work on Friday. Hundreds of knitters will be waiting in line, knitting, of course. My mom will be joining me too. We can't wait!