It was a lovely day.
I did break my pair of heels, but thankfully it happened before walking up the aisle and I had a spare pair of flats along. 🤪
I can’t really describe the mixture of emotions that come with giving a daughter away.
They are off into the sunset and we wish them rest and love and happiness.
I hardly took any pictures. But they had most excellent photographers and I’ll be sure to share some of them here when they come out.
Just three pictures tonight.
Miriam and Tillie working greenery magic.
Twila and her skilled hands
” It is my pleasure to introduce to you tomorrow, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Coblentz.”
It was a beautiful day in Holmes County. Wash on the clotheslines, freshly mown grass, immaculate pink petunias, and bursting hydrangeas. Dan, Bryant, Andre, and Liesl arrived this morning and Alec this evening. So thankful for traveling safety!
Sadly, big events always come with little catastrophes. I forgot Dan’s white shirt that we painstakingly picked out and fitted in Edwards in Grande Prairie. So we had to go shirt shopping today. I pride myself on remembering everything when we travel, so it was a blow to my self esteem to forget something important. 🤪😩
It’s late and I won’t go into detail about what we accomplished today. Nerves are a bit strung out, but it’s also such a good time together.
Alex’s family has the best hospitality and Tori is fortunate to be joining them. We had fire grilled pork chops with them tonight.
The girls ran into the store for some card stock and I’m here having a breather in the little truck my friend Lori so generously lent us.
It’s been a good day. Natalia did sign lettering, Veronica ran to Walmart and other places, I helped Alex’s mom go through peonies that were saved from May, Tori and Alex did varied and sundry things that almost-married couples do.
I had a green smoothie with sweet Lori in her lovely home when I went to pick up the pickup.
We had been planning to rent a car, but the reservation expired because we were delayed and I was having a hard time finding something at the last minute. So Lori’s offer was a Godsend.
Here is Alex’s mom, Mary.
Peonies gathered in May and refrigerated for the wedding.
Ohio is beautiful with its well manicured yards and beautiful brick houses and churches. I may be having some mini heart attacks about narrow roads and curves and buggies and bikes, but we’re managing. 🤪😄
We’re here in green, green Ohio with its curving roads and big trees–in a lovely cabin Alex’s parents arranged for us to stay in.
Our flight finally left Toronto at 2:30 today and it was so good to see Alex and Tori at Arrivals in Columbus. I didn’t take any good pictures of them.
We had some adventures till we finally got here, including having to get a second Covid test in Toronto because our first had expired by the time we went through customs. But I don’t want to bore you.
I do need to give a shout-out to the Air Canada ticket agent yesterday at the check-in counter in Grande Prairie who offered us her car to go pick up breakfast after our plane was delayed 4 hours. When I hesitated at that idea, she offered to drive us to Tim Hortons herself! So she did, bless her heart. It was a slow morning at work and she had the time, she said. It was so generous and unconventional.
The girls and I are happy to be here. Meanwhile, Dan and the rest of the family are motoring across Saskatchewan.
Here is my view from the couch where I’m lying to write this.
Victoria is doing a very good job of keeping things together. Hopefully we can work extra hard to make up for the day we missed.
Good night!
We’re sitting in Calgary airport waiting for a flight to Toronto. Our flight out of Grande Prairie was late this morning, making us miss all our connections and not getting us into Columbus until late tomorrow afternoon. We were supposed to get in tonight.
So Natalia, my niece Veronica, and I are feeling sad. Depending on the situation, it would be fun to have a paid night in Toronto. But we’re sad to miss most of a day with Tori.
However, there isn’t much to do but make the best of it. We had a nice lunch at Chili’s and now a three hour wait.
I wish I had something exciting or insightful to say, but waiting in airports makes one feel dull.
Is there some question you’ve always wanted to ask me? Ask away. I’ll just reply to your comment. Or maybe I’ll write a new post. But since my life is not very private, you don’t likely have many questions. In that case, I will finish Peanut Butter and Dragon Wings by Shari Zook. It’s such a good book! Someday soon I’ll review it here.
Bryant is 19 today.
He was the dearest little monkey.
And now he’s a strapping, smart, funny, and perceptive young man whom I don’t take pictures of very often, I realize when I go to find one.
Happy birthday, son! You are loved.
There was a hummingbird at the feeder on this grey day. Excuse the poor photography. I am always awestruck by hummingbirds.
We have been busy packing. Shall I wear my pilly and not-so-white older veil that hangs nicely to the wedding? Or the new one that hangs crookedly?
Will the rehearsal dinner be casual or formal?
And what ARE we doing, having a wedding in Ohio?!
A blessed Sunday to each of you. How will you be spending yours?
Thank you for your lovely comments (mostly on Facebook) on yesterday’s post. I don’t do so well at replying to comments individually. If I “like” or reply to one, I feel like I should do it to everyone. And then that gets redundant and difficult.
Just know that I really love your feedback and seeing little glimpses into your hearts.
I’m tired of hearing myself talk, so I’ll try to keep this short. Trip to Grande Prairie went well (except for two unnamed children who fought a lot) and we got our preflight covid tests done.
Dan’s dear Aunt Betsy was going to Grande Prairie today too, so we met for a quick coffee and talked a mile a minute. She is always so much fun and it feels like she’s my aunt too.
A week from today Tori will almost be married. Forgive me. I’m counting days too, out of sheer excitement and some stress. I so wish I was with her now.
Today was full of a bunch of frustrating first world problems which I won’t bore you with right now. But I didn’t take any pictures. I should have taken one of Liesl cleaning the suburban and pickup. She dug deep and cleaned well and I am so pleased with her. I’m looking forward to a trip to Grande Prairie tomorrow in a clean car. I remember a friend saying once that a clean car makes her feel powerful and I totally get that.
Last night it was really hot in the house, so I took the three youngest for ice cream at BayTree store. Two cones got spilled, both of them in the suburban. Good times. I went back in to buy two more and the girl at the counter insisted that they were free. So kind of her!
I wanted to be pithy and just post this picture with the caption “My Alberta”.
But it’s actually British Columbia.
And I wanted it to be a picture of my girls, not of me.
After our ice cream, we dropped Andre off at home and the girls wanted to go driving. We meandered down back roads and saw this lovely field and I wanted a picture of the girls in it. But they groaned and I didn’t want to make a bad time out of a good time. So I said, “Well. Take a picture of me.”
Our meandering took us into town and we drove around, stopping at Burger King for tiny orders of mozza sticks (meh. not melty enough) and spicy popcorn chicken (not bad) and then at Tim Hortons for a strawberry watermelon quencher (not that great) and a peach one (luscious).
Honest revelation: I tried to crop this picture so I looked thinner.
After never struggling with extra weight and sometimes wishing I could gain some, but mostly enjoying the freedom to eat whatever I wanted, I hit about 45 and started gaining. Psychological drugs don’t help-AT ALL.
I always just thought it was my metabolism and I’d be one of those sharp-faced, bony little old ladies.
It’s just weird to look at pictures of myself and realize how I’ve changed. Sometimes I care deeply and sometimes I don’t.
I don’t like to focus on weight. Some of you are battling more pounds than I am. Some of you work very hard to keep a healthy balance. Some of you skip the ice cream and the mozza sticks because you care and you feel better without them.
Please don’t tell me I’m beautiful and you don’t think I look like I gained. I know what the scales say and that’s not the point of this post. I’m not sure what the point is, actually. Except to tell myself and you that it’s OKAY. And to remember a fun evening with my girls.
Somehow I got wordy and still didn’t say what I wanted to. But maybe you’ll read between the lines and know my heart. ❤️
