About last weekend...
It was a big one...a huge one actually. Middle Girl got married! And like Big Girl before her, she chose The Backyard (that's our backyard) for her wedding. As every mother of the bride knows, a wedding is a big job under the best of circumstances. Throw in a brand new grandbaby girl gifted from Big Girl and her Mountain Man, college graduation from Baby Girl and then the wedding, all in a two month span and shew, it can seem a tad daunting.
But then, for some reason, (it was convincing at the time) I agreed to go on an overnight hike with family and friends less than three weeks before our big shindig.
Now, Mount Leconte isn't your average walk in the park. (the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) It's a "seriously, why did I ever agree to this" kind of hike. The kind you swear if you ever make it down you'll never do it again. But then you reach the summit with all your people and see the beauty and forget the pain. (it's very childbirth-like that way) Anyhoo, all was fine and dandy...great food, fellowship and fun...sunset at Cliff Tops and everything...until we headed down hill the next morning. Well, I can't walk and chew gum at the same time so it was no surprise that I fell flat on the trail. Long story short, my leg was broken. And less than 3 weeks until our backyard wedding.
After apologizing profusely to the bride-to-be and taking a pain pill (or two) it was time to get busy. Outdoorman and I have raised handy girls so they jumped in and started baking cake layers, cupcakes and mini-cheesecakes. That was the easy part.
Gardening has never been their strong suit so reminding (nagging) them that plants need water happened on a daily basis. The bride, who is keenly aware of how anything looks, pitched in and kept the garden green. (she's on her honeymoon so the yard could use a rain shower about now) My specialty became ordering online and by phone and hopping through the house and yard on one leg finding things for my people to do.
And by "my people" I mean the ones who are my blood kin and the ones who are my heart kin (is that a thing?) This wedding took a village. I have the most amazing friends who I'm super blessed to grow old with and the most amazing new family we are now related to by marriage. It took us all.
