engagement party (a catch-up post)

The weekend before Father's Day we had the privilege of going to Washington, NC for my niece's engagement party. We had a good time.

Instead of a placemat, each place setting had a small card with a pen. Each person was to fill out the quiz, and then after the meal and all the sentimental, parental comments, they went over the answers. I don't know her fiance Kevin very well, so I had to guess at the answers based on what little I know of grown-up Ellen.

One of the funniest things was when Kevin stood up to do his part of the "thank you for coming" speech. Ellen had commented to Kevin early in the evening (as the crowd became bigger than expected), "Oh, look Kevin. All these people came just because they care about us so much." Kevin's response was, "Oh, no. They only came for the free chicken."

Regardless of why people came, it was wonderful to share in their "official" announcement. Sometime between now and November I need to figure out exactly how many sausage balls come from one recipe. For some strange reason I never wrote that down on my recipe card, and that's my contribution to their wedding reception in December. I guess Bobby will be having that for breakfast sometime soon so I can begin to plan ahead. Congratulations Ellen Marie!

a redneck wedding :)

When we first started hearing about this "destination wedding" (something I had never been to and always thought of as for the excessively rich and exotic), we would just smile. The groom's brother would shake his head every time someone asked about it and would say, "This is going to be the most redneck wedding to ever happen."  I must say, it was very different from anything I've ever attended. Parts of it were beautiful. And I found it doesn't really matter where you're standing, when you hear God's word read by a man with a heart for God and watch someone who does try to live right listen and respond, it creates a serious and beautiful moment. So without further ado, here's the cowboy wedding:

The two wild turkeys outside our cabin every morning. Bobby heard them, and I got to watch them from the window.

Grace in "cowboy wedding" attire.  The bridesmaids wore hot pink strapless, mini-skirted formals with cowboy boots.

Martha, the eldest of the Bryan grandchildren, trying to rock Luke to sleep before the ceremony.

The Blakes, heading to Charlotte as home missionaries this summer, after trying to satisfy Annie (the current youngest Bryan great-grandchild) after feeding time. Again, immediately before the ceremony.

Guitar music beforehand...love the rocking chair!

Tristan, the second great-grandson, slept through the ceremony.

Triston's brother Trey, barely 2, was not too happy about being a ring-bearer. Here's he being consoled by his grandma as all he wants is his Dad and Grandpa who are now in front of everyone. He needed a hand to hold. Once he got to the front he collapsed in his Granddaddy's arms, crying. I felt sorry for the tyke. He's the oldest Bryan great-grandson.

"Mama Pat" holding grand-daughter Faith. She made it half-way through the 15 minute ceremony. Her little brother will arrive this fall.

Kelly and Robert listening to Scripture. My brother-in-law David is officiating. And while you can't see it here or until the reception, the bride is wearing cowboy boots underneath her formal dress.

Luke, wide-eyed, watching his fellow cousins leave the ceremony one by one.

I didn't buy a cowboy hat (had meant to use one of Bobby's and forgot), but I loved the pink hat, top and earrings this lady had. You can't see it too clearly here, but it was quite stunning. Cow-girlish but feminine. Her daughter looked nice as well.

And Abigail, who graduated from BJU that morning and rushed in for the wedding and who is getting married this weekend, dancing with Sophia, the oldest of the Bryan great-grandchildren. Yes, the Bryan clan is fulfilling the command to fill the earth.

entrance to the barn...loved the cow tails candy sticking out of the boots. Boots were also the centerpieces on all the tables, along with miniature replicas of pint jars with handles filled with jelly beans the colors of the wedding. The stables/barn was beautifully decorated, and the floor had been raked clean, but those of us who had been in barns still knew what the floor consisted of. So we knew why the flies and gnats were coming. It made it a little hard to want food, and hesitant to eat cake when the dancers were kicking up dust (from dried manure) nearby.  But it was gorgeous, the food tasted good, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

And I won't tell who it was, but one of my sister-in-laws recognized a song from the Wii dance game, and laughingly said, "Hey! I could do this one!" Her quiet daughter immediately hissed, "SIT!" I shouldn't laugh. I imagine if I had children I wouldn't find it funny when they were embarrassed by me, but that just totally cracked me up.

So I've now been both to a destination wedding and a barn wedding in one shot. I have a feeling that this coming weekend will be much more traditional. :) And after this, there shouldn't be anymore Bryan grand-children weddings for quite some time. Babies, on the other hand, are coming quickly. :)