Just Between Us... : a couple tiny stories

Occasionally I am walking along or doing my hair or just plain sitting with a cup of coffee in my hand and will think of something funny that happened during our trip. Nothing monumentally funny or even that hardly anyone noticed at all, just a little thing but it cracked me up and made me realized how we are all so different and even sometimes, how we are so alike!

John and I didn't meet Teri and Scott, officially, until we got to Florida and had been there for a day or so. Lindsay's friend and one of her bridesmaids, hosted a lingerie party for Lindsay. Us girls, me, Kaylee and Alexis had come prepared for this party, the lingerie part that is. We had all gone shopping together and looked at all the lingerie that we could stomach. Now right here I'm gonna take a teeny side trip. I was raised in a house full of girls (there are 5 of us) and not one single boy in the mix, ever, until my brother in law Richard came upon the scene when I was 5. Our mom, when she was having hot flashes, would strip off her shirt and run around in her bra, fanning herself. Not a big deal when you are in a house full of girls, but when you are a little girl???? Thats a little bit scary and strange! I honestly was a bit freaked out by the whole thing as I recall, anyway, as a result, I am a little bit "gun shy" when it comes to things like lingerie buying or the "sex" talk...I can joke around about it and that kind of thing but when it comes to being real and doing the whole process justice? I find it very hard and embarrassing. So, during this little buying expedition that me and the girls went on, Kales is coaching me, encouraging me to not be embarrassed and that sex is healthy and good (I know that but it just all feels so awkward to me) and things. I am a firm believer in buying classy things for others. If someone wants something that is risque' they are welcome to buy it for themselves but I like the pretty, the feminine, the wholesome stuff. The day after we got to Florida we attended this lingerie party for Lindsay...Kaylee sending me sideways glances as not only am I feeling very shy and out of place in this world where I know NO ONE but I am also feeling awkward and strange in this world of lingerie and jokes about the "wedding night"....Not tacky jokes or crude jokes and they were all in good fun and with good taste but I just couldn't relax! (my fault, not ANYONE elses) I found out that attending a party as mother of the bride is very different that mother of the groom. It just FEELS different. The ladies made me feel welcome, made me laugh a few times and a few times I wanted to fall between the couch cushions and disappear...again, thats me.

One other little story that just makes me smile when I think of it...We were all at Lindsays aunt Michelle's house for the rehearsal dinner, Fiesta style with shrimp, potatoes, corn and bread and all kinds of yumminess! Oh the yumminess....We were all standing around visiting, getting to know one another, I have to say, I am so not very good at this and if the other people aren't chatty or talking to me, I will hide hide hide in the corner! My sister Carol and her husband Cecil had arrived from Jacksonville that morning and so we had already spent the day visiting and catching up, enjoying each others company. When we got there, we noticed a hammock out by the pool that was huge! Carol and I gingerly climbed into the hammock and lay there for about 10 minutes joking around and talking about the sky....Alexis soon joined us and we kind of cuddled for a few minutes before deciding we should get up and help out...Soon others began to arrive and we were meeting people, two of whom were Mimi (grandma) and DaDaw (grandpa)...Mimi walks up to my sister Carol, reaches out and touches her arm and says:

"I can tell you are a smoker!"
To which Carol replies, "yes, ma'am I am"
"Well alright then, you and I can smoke together!"

and they did! It cracked me up that she had never even SEEN Carol before but one of the first things she says is, "hey lets go have a cigarette!!!" Too funny! I had to chuckle when I overheard that conversation. Soon they were chatting up a storm and making smoking dates! And in fact that is just what they did, smoke together and make friends and it was great! I really liked Mimi... Grandpa I never really talked to much but he DID tell me that I danced so well at the reception that I could teach lessons! (I'm not sure but I think he is partially blind!) hahahahahahahaha! Just kidding, he was being very sweet!

Have a great day everyone, I am off to work, its a 4 day week for me! yikes! Just heard from Matty, they are packing up and grieving all at the same time. So hard, such a big big thing. Please pray for he and Linds as this move, though it is a good thing, it is something they want, it isn't going to be easy on either one of them but Linds has a lot of adjusting to do, not having lived out of the south before. The Lord will go before them but as we all know, changes of this magnitude are never easy and sometimes not even all that fun!

The Reception Site: