We are preparing for a wedding over in these parts. Sarah and Gregorio, who had a civil ceremony in the summer, are having their official church wedding on November 30th at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. This is a blessed event, of course, which is punctuated by a private Baptism for Luna an hour before the wedding so that her Mexican grandmother and grandfather, aunts and uncles can be present.
Sarah, to her credit, is an extremely organized person and has been diligently handling the many details that are involved in the wedding preparation. She has checklists and a timeline to make sure we’re right on target. She is making personalized favors, has bought her dress and had it altered, and has a designated cooking day to prepare ahead for the sit-down dinner. We are keeping it simple: lasagna, pizza, salad and bread, plus wedding cake and a few desserts for non-sugar eaters.
This wedding is two days after Thanksgiving so instead of the fifteen people I usually have for our Thanksgiving meal, this year I believe we’ll have close to thirty. By the time we add up all the relatives and close friends who will be in town for the wedding (and Thanksgiving), then the numbers have naturally swelled. We are moving our Thanksgiving to our friend’s house so that there will be more room for everybody. I need more than my one oven to feed thirty people in one sitting!
I am excited and happy about this upcoming event. I am deeply touched that Sarah has several close friends who are coming from long distances to be there for her and Gregorio’s family is traveling quite a distance, as well. The goal, of course, is to nail down all the details so that we are not panicked the day of the wedding. That would be unfortunate…
Luckily, I have several nieces who are coming and I know they’ll be helpful – along with my daughters – in easing any rough spots we may have. Plus, of course, the venue –St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood – is absolutely lovely so that makes life a great deal easier.
This is all coinciding with the deadline for the University of California college application deadline of November 30th, so I am very busy with students who are rushing to write the two required essays for those applications. However, I have told all my students that I am imposing my own deadline of the Tuesday before the official Saturday turn-in date in order to ensure my sanity. I need two days before Thanksgiving to cook, after all, and to get bedrooms ready for our many house guests, plus put up a tent or two in the backyard. We will be full to overflowing…
We did not invite many of our out-of-state friends because of the proximity to Thanksgiving. We figured this time would be problematic for most, and for the very few we did invite from faraway places, that has proven to be the case. We knew this time would be difficult, but, alas, Sarah is due to return to her final medical rotations in January, graduate medical school in May and start her residency in July so this is about the last weekend before life gets really full for her. Still, we’re sorry there are people who won’t be there to celebrate this new beginning for this darling couple. However, we know they will be there in spirit.
Now, my goal is to stay focused and calm and to plan on actually having fun on Thanksgiving and on Sarah’s wedding day. Tomorrow I plan to write down absolutely everything I can think of related to these events and get myself slightly more organized. (Sarah got her planning skill from her father, not me. Of course, I know her dad is right here to help keep it simple, and I appreciate that.) Planning is key. If everything is in place, then I can have fun.
So, on that note, I’m headed upstairs to get ready for bed. I have a lengthy list to make tomorrow so I can relax and enjoy these upcoming days. I know they’ll be fun. I just have to get everything down so I’ll know we’re not forgetting something important…
Night night.
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