The Day after Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday)

Wanting to beat the Black Friday rush, I went to Wal-Mart on Thursday Night. Okay, so it had nothing to do with shopping the day after Thanksgiving. It had to do with a husband who hadn't realized he would need dress clothes for a wedding & didn't think he could fit into anything he owned. So, on THURSDAY, when we were packing for FRIDAY departure, he found some pants. He didn't want to wear a tie, so I hoped I could find one of those band collar shirts that didn't require a tie. This was inspired by watching Hannah Montanna & seeing Billy Ray Cyrus in a "puffy shirt." If you have a daughter who loves Hannah, you probably know what I'm talking about. While Phil didn't want the PUFF, he did like that shirt without a tie. No such luck (though I don't really believe in luck, and Bethany would remind me of that if I said that outloud). I'm not sure WHY Wal-Mart was open Thanksgiving, but they were and they didn't have anything that would match those pants. I did, however, find a bunch of other things we hadn't thought of that we needed to take.

I got home and Phil opted for a nice sweater to wear with his pants. Except the sweater was black & grey & white, and the pants were green. He insisted it was all he had. I dug around & found some black pants that fit him, though he says they are too short. He was willing to wear them. Phew. My 3rd child is so difficult sometimes!

Friday we loaded up the van and drove to New Braunfels to pick up my parents. We got their things loaded in and took off for Houston. We were on a tight schedule. We left around 10:30 a.m. and the rehearsal was at 6 p.m. No, it doesn't take that long to get to Houston. But, we HAD to be there in time for kick-off of the annual match between Texas A&M (Phil's alma mater) and University of Texas (their biggest rival). From 2:30 til about 5:20 Phil sat glued to the TV, and Natalie whined about being bored. I pulled out some of my stamps (this girl never leaves home without some stamping supplies, you know) and let Natalie stamp, then color in her images. That kept her from whining for about 30 minutes. Bethany is never bored as long as she has paper & writing utensils.

At 5:20 we left for the church. We arrived and Phil was relieved to see my brother's car. You see, Greg, my brother, had stopped by the hotel to pick up Nils, his son (my nephew), and while there told Phil that he had a mini TV that would pick up the game. Phil pretty much took off without us and found the game. He was met by several others who were all trying to watch this 6" TV. Once the rehearsal started, he & a few non-essential guests stayed with the game. Turns out, it was not only these few who NEEDED to know the score, but several in the wedding party, as well. For the record, A&M won 38-30. This announcement brought a round of "whoops" as is known to happen at the mere mention of words such as "Aggie, A&M, or College Station." The rehearsal was then allowed to continue in peace.

Becky, my niece, married a young man named Chris. Now, a typical wedding is confusing enough when it comes to family members, but this was not typical. Becky's parents have been divorced for most of her life. Greg remarried when the kids were 3 & 5 to a lovely lady named Robin. Jan, their mom, remarried 3 years ago, shortly before Nils married his lovely bride, Katie. Jan's dad died several years ago and her mom has since remarried. Take notes, as there will be a test at the end. Chris' parents also divorced many years ago. His mom is remarried, and his dad was remarried, but is no longer married. Can you see the confusion all this might cause when planning a wedding? The pastor, who flew in from....somewhere north of Texas (I didn't take good notes, so I failed the test), asked both Becky & Chris to introduce their families & attendants. An hour later (just kidding, but it did take a long time----did I mention there were 6 flower girls?) the rehearsal started.

We had a wonderful dinner at Pappasitos. I had called ahead to check on the menu as far as gluten free went. I quietly talked to the server & handed him a list of what I could not have. They prepared my fajita meat (um, for anyone who doesn't know, it's pronounced fa-hee-tah) without the marinade. I think they prepared it without salt & pepper, too. It was definitely safe to eat! They had some shrimp out that was safe as well & boy was it good! Chris' dad read us a lovely poem written for his son & Becky. After the meal, Chris & Becky thanked everyone & shared a bit about each person. They wanted this all to glorify God and they did an excellent job of allowing that to happen. We got back to the hotel & crashed. Except, the beds were very uncomfortable & I was very congested. Neither Phil nor I slept well, but the girls did. Morning came all too soon. I'll tell of the wedding in yet another post.