Legacy

I just loved that Bethany wore white, lacy, fingerless gloves during her ceremony.

Those gloves belonged to her paternal grandmother, Carolyn Grubbs, who went to be with the Lord when Bethany was four years old.

Carolyn was an awesome woman of God. A first grade teacher for twenty-plus years, she did not finish her degree until after she had children. She went to Slippery Rock, commuting from Mars, Pa on a daily basis, to complete her education. When she graduated, she was number one in her class. She was a diligent learner.

That served her well when she received Christ as Savior in her 40's. Always a church-goer, she never really heard or understood the salvation plan until then.

She needed to be a quick learner because God had big plans for her. Encouraging and wisdom were her gifts, and she used them as a teacher, a mentor, and most of all as a counselor. She brought many people to the Lord through her gift of evangelism, and she brought many back to the Lord with her gifts of listening, discerning, then speaking the truth in love.

She used her hands to give others a warm hug, a touch on the shoulder. She used them to grade papers and wipe away tears from first graders eyes. (Why am I talking about her hands, you ask? You'll see)

As a mother-in-law, she was a dream. She was my mentor and my prayer partner, and my friend.

Carolyn got cancer sometime in the early 80's. She handled her diagnosis with dignity and most of all, with her faith. She always said she had triple insurance: God could heal her divinely; God could use doctors to heal her; or she could get the ultimate healing and go to be with Him.

It was a huge loss for our family when she DID go to be with the Lord. I felt such a void for my children, that they would miss what an awesome grandma and person she was.

The little they do remember of her is precious.

So when Bethany was putting together her bridal ensemble, I brought out the lace gloves. We are not sure if they were ivory when Carolyn wore them in the 1950's, but they were yellowish in this present decade. I consulted with cleaners and alteration specialists as to what I could do to restore these gloves to pure white, since Bethany's gown was white.

They suggested I soak them in Oxyclean and warned me that I was taking a chance since the material was delicate and old.

I was so pleased when the Oxyclean worked and left the gloves intact. Having that piece of Carolyn with her meant a lot to us all as Bethany walked down the aisle to begin a new chapter as Mrs. Wentz. May the legacy of Carolyn's touch be placed upon Bethany now, as she goes out into the world, touching those in need.

The Rainbow

On the night that Bethany met Brad, I had the strangest thing happen to me.

Bethany had gone to her very good friend, Erin's wedding. She participated in the wedding by doing a reading.

That same evening, Jon and I went out to dinner in Wexford. As we were coming home across the Red Belt, a beautiful rainbow came into view, high in the sky. The odd thing was, it was a bright sunny day with not a drop of rain.

I thought for sure it would be raining in the miles up ahead. So I kept staring out the front windshield at this magnificent, colorful rainbow and telling Jon that I was sure there would be rain up ahead!

There wasn't!

I was focusing on this rainbow, when I heard a voice say, "Bethany met her husband at the wedding tonight."

Huh? Where did that come from?

I kept this to myself.....and a few days later, Bethany told me she "met someone" at Erin's wedding.

The first time Brad walked in our front door, I thought, "There's my future son-in-law".

What do you think? Weird? Wacky? A message from God?

The Truth, Part 2

THE DRESS. The search for the perfect dress. Now that the wedding is over, all can be revealed.
If you read my previous post, you know Bethany tried on (due to my love of all things wedding) MANY dresses over the years. To say hundreds would be exaggerating; but not by much.
She has tried on ballgowns, strapless, trumpet, mermaid, slinky, poufy, off-white, pure white, ecru, lacey, fru-fru gowns. The purchase of her beautiful eyelet embroidered silk organza sweep train gown is a story that can finally be told.
Ten months before Bethany was engaged, I was having breakfast with my dear friend Cyndi and afterwards we went shopping. We went shopping at Goodwill in Wexford. Much to my surprise, they had many wedding gowns in the store, with original tags still on them. I went through them one by one.....looking to see if anything just might scream "Bethany" to me.
They all were too formal, too poufy, to not-Beth.
But on the way out the door, Cyndi spotted a round of dresses that had this one simple, halter-style dress that yes, was a Watters and Watters wedding gown. I looked at the size and thought , "This might work." I looked at the price and said SOLD.
I took the dress to the cashier and said, "What is the deal with these bridal gowns?" She preceded to tell me that the bridal store down the street was getting rid of old (but never worn) merchandise to make room for new.
My thought? Who cares if she likes it or not, she can cut it off to wear to a rehearsal dinner, a shower, whatever.
I also purchased two summer skirts for my daughter.
As I left the store, I texted Bethany and said, "I bought you two summer skirts today.....and a wedding gown". She texted back, "I will be right over."
She tried on the wedding gown, modeled it for me, and said THIS IS MY DRESS.
So until she had that ring put on her finger, we had her wedding dress hanging in the wardrobe in her old bedroom at my house.
It was our secret.
She looked beautiful in the gown......got so many compliments on it, and was told it fit her personality to a T. We both knew it was a special gift from God.
Oh, the price?
TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS.
Her beauty in it? PRICELESS.

The Truth

So, most who know me won't be surprised that I have been planning Bethany's wedding for years....perhaps more than a decade : )
I have been enamored for A LONG TIME with all things wedding. Gauzy, flowing, white material just mesmerizes me, I admit it! I cannot pass a bridal store without at least window shopping but most times, entering and drooling. I have said countless times to owners of said boutiques, "let me know when you want to retire or need help".
And yes, I have dragged my daughter into this obsession of mine. Ever since she's looked "marrying age" , I have twisted my diamond off my finger and shoved it onto hers to play-act that we truly had a legit reason to be in the store and have her try on gowns and discuss wedding details. Often we did not get our stories straight (groom's names, date of wedding) Yes, some embarassing moments occurred....but worth it to me!!
When the day came that I could begin FOR REAL, I dove right in! Wedding planning to me is a joy. And planning my daughter's wedding, double joy.
I should say PLAN THE RECEPTION. Bethany reminded me when I put my 2 cents in about the ceremony, it was her and brad getting married, not her and I. (smile) She was right! And they did a beautiful job of putting together a meaningful service.
Since Brad and Beth do a mission trip to Honduras twice a year, they wanted their celebration to reflect their love of all things Latin. (Read about their ministry here: www.dreambighonduras.com) She picked the colors --watermelon and orange--and I was off!
I read so many wedding blogs and perused so many wedding websites that my eyes began to resemble raw hamburgers! I got lots of ideas, saved a lot of pictures, and let my imagination run wild.
One thing Bethany is not is traditional in style~ she marches to the beat of her own drummer--so we knew we didn't want elegant, pastel, or formal. We wanted bright, fun, and something that shouted C E L E B R A T E.
Some of my favorite elements:

• fuschia pink Mexican banners made out of thin tissue~ these were hung from the cake/cupcake table, the gift table, and the cookie/candy bar table.
• small chalkboards , frames stamped with "Mr & Mrs" or "Love", with a Spanish word or phrase on them: "Dulce" on the cookie table (translated 'sweet'); "Gracias Amigos" on the gift table.
• Mexican soda in orange, deep pink, and yellow as favors on the tables for each guest
• THE CANDY BUFFET IN ORANGE AND PINK COLORS!
  

Bethany and Brad danced the night away with laughter amid family and friends. They say it was the best day of their lives. What more could a mom (aka wedding planner wannabe) ask for?

Wedding planning

Long time no post, but my life has been a little busy!
February 14th my one and only baby girl got engaged to her love Brad! It was so exciting, and we were blessed that the happy couple came to our house that night...close to midnight...and we celebrated and rejoiced together.
Since them, I have been in full wedding planner mode ....and I have had a blast doing it!
We are so lucky to have on board with us wedding planner par excellence, Jaime Dray. Jaime was Bethany's roommate at the "condo" and a friend from college. She has offered her services, which means her vast resources, her endless knowledge, and her good taste.
Beth and Brad have had a vision for a "fiesta" reception. Orange and pink are her colors which lend themselves well to a Latin American flavor.
I don't want to give away too much, but I think it is going to be a heck of a celebration. The trick is to give a Look to everything, but not go overboard. To keep everything in good taste. To not give in to any idea that might be tacky. I hope I succeeded! Time will tell.

If I Had a Sports Blog

There have been so many happenings in sports lately that I have been writing a million blogs in my head!! So this post will be a compilation of all my sports thoughts recently:

The Winter Classic: Talked about for months, this event was hyped to the max, as arguably, it should have been. I work with the "hockey dudes", so hockey is talked about nonstop all year long. Therefore, I know wayyyyyy more about hockey than I should. The assembling of an ice rink on Heinz Field was pretty interesting and the fact that common folk could skate on the ice before the Classic was way cool. Our city was showcased in a very positive and attractive light, but all in all, I thought it was a bust. Sorry hockey dudes. The crew that ran the cameras must have been a football crew....the angles were horrible sometimes on TV. The rain made the ice sloppy and thus the play was at scrimmage level, at best. And, hello, the Penguins lost. That alone qualifies it for a minor bust.

The Steelers In the Playoffs: makes January bearable. Period. Troy...... MVP of the team, and an MVP of life. He is a great, great guy. Our road to the Super Bowl? New England scares me. Does anyone else think they are playing at a different level than anyone else? Whatever happens in January, I am grateful that we have a reason to care about football in the midst of winter.

Pitt basketball: I had a very bad day the other day and was extremely stressed out. Feeling on the precipice of depression. THEN, Pitt played U Conn that night and my spirits soared as high as Gilbert Brown got on the alley-oop in the first half. Pitt beat U Conn very convincingly. PITT LOOKS LIKE THE REAL DEAL THIS YEAR. HONEST.

Pitt Football: The ripple effects of this debacle will be slapping the sides of the Three Rivers for many moons. Gosh, did they REALLY say they were getting a moral leader who was a disciplinarian and then he was arrested on domestic abuse charges before the ink was dry on his more-than-a-million dollar contract? I am shuddering thinking of how football prospects are RUNNING away from the Pitt program, led by their shrieking mamas. Would you want your son associated with this mess?

Big Ben Engaged Rumor: This is a lose-lose situation. If Ben is engaged, how bad do we feel for his fiance when he is saying, "no comment" about being engaged?? Really sounds like a happy man who is proud to be in love! Not! If he is just dating this girl from New Castle that's been named, and they are NOT engaged, TALK ABOUT PRESSURE. The whole world thinks they are engaged, or might be, and they perhaps haven't even shared their middle names yet? Awkward. There is so much more that could be said on the Big Ben situation but I will leave it to the sleazy bloggers to go there.

Ben Hasn't Thrown an Interception in a gazillion passes: OK, all of the various news outlets / media that has been touting this stat, please shut up. Have you heard of a sports jinx???

What are your sports thoughts this January?

1-1-11

Happy New Year! There has to be something very close to perfect in the number 1-1-11!!
Another 365 days lie before us, fresh, unspoiled, ready to be written on like the crisp pages of an empty journal.
I began this year by visiting with my dear parents. Over 80, they are still of able body, mind and spirit. We engaged in lively conversation about Scriptural references, debating some theological points and "agreeing to disagree" on a few issues. We shared family news items and also some of our hopes for 2011. It was a good way to start the year.
In order to make that visit, Jon had to stay home with the 3 little ones in our care. When I left the house, it was a chaotic mess of toys and toy parts from one end to the other. I truly was wondering whether I could walk out of that mess and leave it for later times.
To my wonder and surprise, when I got home the house was toy-free (on the surface at least) as Jon had purchased 3 large storage bins, one for each child, and everything was picked up and organized. Yeah!! He definitely had some help from Beth who came by while I was gone. What a wonderful New Years gift!
One of my 2011 goals is to de-clutter my life to make it more manageable. With the passing years I have collected more and more "things". I am a little bit of a hoarder, I'm afraid. So to truly get that fresh, clean start to 2011, I have resolved to either throw away or give away one thing every day in January. I am not making a rash statement such as "I am going to do this every day this year"....I am going to start with January and see where it lands me.
So, 2011, here I am, broom in hand. Sweeping out the old!