Bridal Showers and Babies

I have decided I should never eat again. Because when I do eat, I eat far too much and then I feel fat and then I don't have time to work out and shower before bed so then I sit and be a lazy bum and it's too cold to go outside and run and basically it needs to be warm so I can buy a pass to the park and go do stuff.

I'm going to talk about bridal showers. My younger sister is getting married on May 28th and I am the maid of honor (huge shock when I found out, let me tell you) and we had her shower on Sunday. She is getting married exactly two months from today, which is insane, to the guy she has been dating since they were in the 7th grade, which is even insaner. She is the only one of the four girls to manage that, and I have no idea how she did. But all that aside, she's getting married, she's annoyingly tan for a family of German/Swedish/Irish white-ness, and we are all very happy for her.

We had a blast getting the family together at my aunt's up in Wooster, OH. All the ladies stayed at the house to watch Anne open presents and to play with the babies (a nine week old girl!! Cutest thing ever!) and take pictures while all the older children and the men went bowling. I had brought my camera, but the memory card was still in my computer three and a half hours away so I am basically an epic fail, but her future sister in-law took a bunch of photos so once she Facebooks them Ima stealin'. It was a good thing anyway because I had to document every gift she got and keep track of cards so picture taking wouldn't have worked out anyway.

But I did take two phone photos of the baby with my sister...

This is Jerusha. She is half Indian (as in from India indian) and half blue eyed blonde haired American. SO cute, and a very happy little girl!

The only damper on the day was the one woman not present from the merry gathering, and she was very much missed. We shed tears, we shared memories. My aunt, who organized the event, doesn't do games so there wasn't Toilet Paper Wedding Dresses or What's in Your Purse or anything like that, but what we did do was give advice. Some of this advice was recycled, as four of the younger generation of women were all married within the last decade. In fact, my cousin Corrie shared what Mom wrote on a little card to her at her shower years ago, something about holding hands every day with my father and it was much sweeter when Corrie told it with tears glistening in her eyes. I know how much my mom would have loved to have been at Anne's shower, and to eventually have gone to mine. And I can't even tell you how many times I have wished I asked my mom for advice on how to be a good wife to my Johnny before she was gone. But since she isn't there Anne and I rely on our aunts and cousins and grandmother to be our helpers and guides, a task they are all ready and willing to fulfill. It's amazing to be part of such a close, loving and giving family, I can't imagine a better one.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Anne really liked her Pampered Chef present from me. :-) Since I can tell you now, I gave her a cutting board that has measuring cups that fit into it, a collapsible strainer that also fits into it, and a "hold n' slice", which is basically a big pick you can use to hold the fruit/veggies/whatever that you're cutting without sliding or slicing your hand open by accident. And my card was extremely sentimental. I wrote, "Enjoy. With love from your maid of honor, Emily."     ......... ;-)