The bride was breathtaking and I have the pictures to prove it!

Yesterday my daughter's wedding day finally arrived!  I have a few photos that someone took and posted to Facebook, so I'm going to post them here.


The rehearsal on Friday night went smoothly.  A funny moment was when the parents had to go up on the altar and each light tapered candles.  So Gene and Jane (parents of the groom) and Greg (my ex) and I walk up the steps to the altar.  The priest tells Greg and me that we should be showing love and affection as we do this.  I turn to the nun who is helping with rehearsal and say, "Doesn't Father know that we're divorced??"  Later on, Father tells us to act like we know each other!  LOL!!  Too funny!


Rehearsal dinner was good!  Hot roast beef sandwiches and baked ziti with meatballs and salad.  Fresh fruit, cheese and pepperoni  and crostini as appetizers.  One of Gina's friends made a really fun cake out of Tastycake tandytakes! (if you're from the greater Philadelphia area, you'll "get" this!)   What fun!


We woke up early on Wedding Day because all the bridesmaids, the bride, the flower girl and mother of the groom had appointments to get their hair done.  My daughter, Dani, just finished hairdressing school, so she did Gina's hair.  The salon owner was kind enough to give Dani a station to work while the others were getting their hair done. I did my own hair since it's so short.  


We got back to the house for lunch and to get ready for the wedding.  I kept my cool all the while Gina was getting her makeup done and getting dressed.  Her Dad showed up around 2 pm, took one look at her in  her gown and started crying.  YES!!  He cried before I did!  Gina asked me to get a box out of the closet and bring it down, and THAT'S when I lost it!  When Gina was Christened, someone gave her a hankie, sewn into the shape of a bonnet, with a poem attached.  She was supposed to wear the bonnet at her Baptism, and then, when she was getting married, to carry it on her wedding day (ok, I'm getting all filled up just typing this!).  I saved the hankie for Gina all these years, and when she got engaged last year, I gave it to her, in the original box!  Then I forgot all about it.  So, when I got the box out of the closet, I just lost it!  So silly to be affected by something silly like that!


An amusing incident.  I bought my shoes and bag at DSW.  On Saturday morning, I showed the shoes to Jane (mother of the groom).  She informs me that she has the exact shoes in silver!  A few hours later, when Greg and Pam are at the house and I'm putting my shoes on, Pam tells me that she was going to buy those exact shoes in silver but chose another pair instead! And all of our dresses coordinated too.  I wore light blue, Jane wore dove gray and Pam wore dark blue and it was a complete coincidence!

Click on the pictures to enlarge them

 My son is escorting me down the aisle.  

The ceremony went off without a hitch.  The church is just lovely and Gina's good friend, Morgan cantored the wedding and she did a magnificent job!  Morgan has a gorgeous voice!  I guess Greg and I showed enough love and affection because Father seemed pleased with our performance at the candle lighting ceremony.  Hahaha!!!

 Here comes the bride!

 Gina with her dad, going down the aisle

 my daughter, Dani, a bridesmaid

the bridesmaids

I did get a little tickle from something.  At rehearsal, only people directly involved in the wedding ceremony were permitted to be there, so Greg's wife wasn't there.  Greg was sitting with me in the pew.  On the day of the wedding, she sat in the row behind us and he went into a bit of a panic because he didn't know whether to sit with me or sit with her.  He sat with me.  Hehehehe  I think if John was there, sitting in my pew with me, Greg would have sat with her.  But John chose not to go to the wedding (the jerk).

 saying their vows

 the deal is done, and sealed with a kiss!

lighting the Unity Candle

The reception was held at the Clarion Hotel (Greg worked there as the food and beverage director when Gina was a baby, so we got some extra special treatment.)  Open bar for 5 hours, sit down dinner, good food, drinks were flowing.  The featured drink of the bride and groom was a Lemon Drop Martini.  I think I had 6 of them!  They were yummy!!  They must have been weak ones because I never got even close to being drunk!  I felt fine all night, although I would not have gotten behind the wheel of a car.


The DJ was AWESOME!!  Her name is Jenny Z and she sometimes works at the radio station where Gina and Gene work.  Jenny mostly works at a sister station in Maryland since it's closer to her home than Wilmington, but she has a DJ business on the side.  I was very happy when Gina told me that Jenny was working her wedding!  Some of the other DJs were there as guests.  


A friend of Gina's made the cake.  The cake topper was the bride and groom high-5-ing each other.  My daughter, Dani spied the cake in the corner and realized the bride and groom were standing side by side on top of the cake, in what looks like a Nazi salute (Heil Hitler!)!!!  She quickly found a server and asked her to fix it!  I wonder if anyone got a "before" shot?  By the way, the cake was scrumptious!!!  Bibi did a fantastic job!

 this wedding cake was yummy!

 a close-up of the topper

she got him good!

When it came time to throw the bouquet and garter,  not sure how it happened, but the ring bearer and the flower girl were the big winners!!!  Hahaha!!!  Patrick put the garter on Leah's arm! 

the bouquet and the garter

The reception lasted until 11 pm.   We had 17 rooms booked for overnight guests.  The bar was scheduled to close at 9 pm (apparently Saturday is the slowest night of the week).  Greg slipped the general manager some dough and asked her to open the bar for the overnight guests, and they did!  We had that place filled and hopping until the wee hours of the morning!  The father of the bride got rather drunk, and I'm happy to say I never did!  He had to go to bed, which was disappointing because he was paying for my drinks!  I still did my fair share of drinking (Captain Morgan and Diet Coke) and even did 2 shots (I NEVER do shots!)!  My son bought me a Mind Eraser (kahlua, vodka and club soda), and my niece's fiance (and our wedding photographer) bought me a Dirty Girl Scout (vodka, Kahlua, Baileys and white creme de menthe)  It tasted like a thin mint!  I finally went to my room around 2:30 am. 

 these were taken with my cell phone.

Gina and me!

my favorite son-in-law and me!  

 my daughter, Dani and me!

my son, Tim and me!

Gina and Gene had the Bridal Suite for the night.  This morning she messaged me to come downstairs for breakfast.   And Gene called me Mom.  It made my day!   And on Monday, they leave for a week-long honeymoon in Aruba!

One Word Wednesday: Retreat

Retreat

I was having a difficult time, coming up with a decent blog post about the word, Retreat.  I read someone's post and my retreat came to me!

My retreat was the cruise I took with my friend, Tina, back in January 2007.  I wish I had the funds to do this every year with her.  That cruise was, without a doubt, the best vacation I ever took, because it rejuvenated me, and it gave me back my sanity after an extremely rough 2 years, when I was forced to deal with my divorce, one that I never wanted (but now I am SO glad I got!)

I saved for a year and a half for this cruise.  Tina became my friend when I was at my lowest.  She dragged my sorry ass out of the house for dinners and movies and just hanging out.  When she suggested the cruise, it was perfect timing!!!

Tina and me on St. Thomas

We spent 10 perfectly glorious days sailing the Southern Caribbean.  I can't remember the last time I laughed so much before that vacation.  We didn't do anything special.  We hit a few beaches, did a little shopping, took a bus tour.  But we mostly just hung out on the deck by the pool, reading novels, getting some sun, enjoying the Captain (Morgan, that is).  

I returned home, happy, relaxed, TAN and ready to face my world!  And I'd do it again tomorrow if I could!

If you want to play along, Jilllsy Girl has the rules right here. 

OCMD Vacation Day 7

Saturday, September 25, 2010
Sunny, hot, 90 degrees

We decided to hit the beach again, one last time before heading for home tomorrow.  On this day, we went to TC's for breakfast.  I like this place for breakfast.  We try to go here every year also.  John had an omelet, I had eggs and scrapple and home fries.  John ordered corned beef hash and I had a bit of that.  Pretty good stuff!   I wish I had brought my camera inside.   I was hoping they'd have a website, so I could include a picture of the building.


We  packed another picnic lunch, more of the same stuff we'd been eating all week.  We're nothing, if not predictable!  Haha!!  


I'm amazed how breezy it is on the beach, even when it's so hot outside.  


Today there were people swimming in the ocean, even though there were no lifeguards.  I guess the riptides have moved on or dissipated.  I did a little people watching as I sat in my chair, enjoying the breezes.  Here is some of what I spotted!

These 2 little girls were so funny!  They had this bed sheet, and they were trying to put it down to lay on it.  It as so windy that every time they got it down, it would blow away before they could anchor it with some weight.   By the time I got the shot, they were UNDER the sheet!  

I spied this Muslim woman, completely covered in a burka, in the ocean!  She looked like a ghost, wandering the surf.  I wonder if she was wearing a swimsuit underneath?

She just looked spooky to me!

After a while, we packed up and headed home to rest before meeting Fran and John for dinner.


Fran suggested we go to a new place that she knew about called Marina Deck in Ocean Pines.  This place is not to be confused with Marina Deck in Ocean City, although checking out the 2 websites, it might be the same owners.  The menus are very similar. It was owned by a woman in Fran's business group, and she wanted to try it out.  I'm so glad she did!  Our meals were wonderful! 

Fran and I started off with Margaritas (cranberry for her, frozen raspberry for me)  The fellows had sodas.


They offer this lovely basket of breads and muffins so start.  I had a blueberry muffin (ok, I had 2), Fran had the raisin bread with icing, and John and John each had muffins also.  Oh so good!!!  I tried to convince the young man who brought the basket around to just leave it on the table, but he wasn't allowed.

John Smith was VERY happy because they offered Liver and Onions as an entree!  He ordered the liver and onions with French fries and beets!  A true diner meal if I ever saw one!  He was one happy man!


John Russo, a shrimp-aholic, had the BBQ Shrimp with rice pilaf and applesauce.  He also had a tropical salad (shrimp, mandarin oranges, pineapple, cucumbers, tomatoes on greens with honey mustard dressing)  to start.


Fran had a Crabcake with Potatoes Romanoff  (similar to au gratins) and a Caesar salad.


I had Crab Imperial with Potatoes Romanoff and a Caesar salad.


We finished up our meal with coffee and dessert.  Fran and I had the  homemade bread pudding (it tasted JUST like the one my mom used to make!) .  John Russo had ice cream.  John Smith (the only slender on at the table), skipped dessert and just had coffee... the brat.  


We went back to Fran and John's house for awhile to visit.  It was such a nice night!  I always enjoy seeing them!


The nice thing about going down and renting their Housita is they aren't required to entertain us and we don't ask them to.  We do try to get together and go out one night while we're there.  When we rented in the summer and the pool was open, we'd occasionally run into them there and we'd hang out, but we never made plans to do that.  


Sunday, September 26 was our last day in Ocean City.  We were the last renters for the season, so we were able to stay all day.  It was Nascar weekend at Dover Speedway in Dover, DE.  We wanted to leave late to avoid some of that traffic.  I'll tell you about that wen I get home from John's and work on Monday night (unless I find down time and can get online over the weekend)

OCMD Vacation Day 4

Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sunny, 88 degrees, breezy


When I woke up on this day, I thought I'd be really anxious and nervous, but I wasn't.


Today was the day I was going to get over my fear of heights and go Parasailing!!!  But first, breakfast at my very favorite, in the whole world restaurant in Ocean City!


My friend, Fran, turned me on to this place the first year I rented her Housita.  And now I'm going to turn you on to it!  If you are ever in Ocean City, MD, you MUST go to The Bayside Skillet for breakfast.  Bring money, though, because it isn't a cheap meal but oh! So worth every penny!  You can't miss this place.  It's at 77th Street on the bay, and the building is completely PINK!

We come to this place every year.  We usually only go once because our bill is usually around $45.  We treat ourselves and you'll see why.


This is Maryland.  You can buy an alcoholic drink for breakfast here.  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.  This day I did not because I was planning to do the Parasailing thing and I didn't want them to prevent me because I'd been drinking.


Did I mention that we said screw the fat,calories and carbs this trip?  We were on vacation.  I start back on Nutrisystem this Friday, October 1.


We started off with  Potatoes Tara.  Pan-fried potatoes sauteed with bacon, onions and mushrooms, topped with melted cheddar cheese.  We shared this dish.  It's yummiful!!!!!

For my main course, I had the House Specialty, the Strawberry Blintz Omelette.  This omelet is stuffed with fresh strawberries, cream cheese and brown sugar.  It's topped with fresh strawberries and dusted with powdered sugar.  You can get other fruits in season, but I usually stick with strawberries.  OMG!!  This dish is almost better than sex!!  These pictures were taken with my camera, not the professional photos on the menu. (see my notebook beside the plate? )

John chose to have the Strawberry Crepes.   Three crepes, with fresh strawberries and Chantilly cream.  You can also choose other fruits, in season, but he likes the strawberries.  Oh and he got  a side of bacon.  The man has to have his meat.

Here's a close-up of the crepes.  YUM!!!

So, now that we were properly stuffed, it was time to head over to the parasailing place, and hope I don't lose this wonderful brunch I just had!


We made a quick stop at Walmart (Hi Garret!) on the way to buy rubber bands because John wanted to make something to keep our glasses on.  This was a trick he learned in the Army when he was a paratrooper.  He made straps to attach to our glasses so we didn't have to worry about losing them in the ocean (and at $500, I was NOT about to lose these glasses, even if I do need a new pair!).  Of course, I didn't think to take a picture of them, but they worked beautifully!


OK, so we head on over to Paradise Watersports in Ocean City.

We signed up for parasailing.  We have a choice to go up 400 ft., 600 ft., or 800 ft.  We decide what the hell, if we go up 400 ft., we may as well go 800 ft.   So that's what we did!!  There were 5 groups of 2 on the boat.  The ocean was still rather rough from Hurricane Igor, so we stayed in the bay.  Even that wasn't as calm as it should have been!


John and I were the 2nd couple to go up.  I was only a little bit nervous and anxious.  Frankly I was surprised I wasn't shaking in my swimsuit!!!  The first mate took a ton of pics of us!  They had a deal where they'd put a memory card in the camera and take lots of pics.  When we got back in the boat, he gave us the memory card to take with us (for a price of course). The memory card had 76 pictures on it, but don't worry!  I only posted 8 or 9 of them!  I did get somewhat nervous when it got gusty up there.  BUT I didn't scream, faint, throw up or shit my pants (sorry)!  I was really proud of myself!   So here's my adventure!!


NOTE:  Click on the pictures to get a better look, especially the ones that are not close ups.

Slight concern on my face

Here we go!!!

Oh my!!

Hey!!  This is cool!!

Up we go!!

This gives you an idea just how high up we were!

Splash down!

And back up again!

Coming in for our landing

Oh boy!  That was fun!!!   I'd do that again!!!

After we changed back into regular clothes, we headed into Ocean City and the boardwalk.

We decided to have dinner at Shenanigan's Irish Pub and Grille, on the boardwalk.  

Our server, Louise, was a pretty girl with a lovely lilting Irish accent.  I wish I had gotten her picture.  She recommended that I try a Shellelagh,  which was sort of a frozen daquiri made with kiwi, lime and banana and rum.  It was good!!

We started off with the Chili Cheesy Fries, waffle fries made with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and a crock of chili for dipping.   I did mention that  we weren't worrying about what we ate this week and that I was starting Nutrisystem again this Friday?    OK, I thought so.

They were quite good!!  For the record, I didn't really eat a lot of the potatoes on this day.  I just realized I did this twice on the same day.


For our dinner, I had Sugar Ray's Panini, roast beef, mozzarella, mixed baby greens, tomatoes and onion, drizzled with a balsamic reduction, and grilled, panini-style.  The chips that came with it were a bit soggy.  Not sure if they were like that or if it was because we were eating outside and the night was getting damp.  This sandwich was OK.  I probably wouldn't get it again.  I think I've decided I'm not crazy about paninis.

John chose a Reuben Clancy, hot corned beef, sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing on grilled marbled rye bread.  He really enjoyed it!

After walking off some of that meal, we headed home and got to see the season premiere of CSI: Crime Scene Investigators.  And The Mentalist.  Good shows!


So what's up for tomorrow?  A trip to Chincoteague Island, VA!

OCMD Vacation Day 3

**Note: The events of my vacation took place last week, including celebrating my birthday.

 I didn't want anyone to think I was posting these in real time. Thanks. PSA is over. **

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunny, 83 degrees  breezy


This was the only day we had to set the alarm.  This was my 55th birthday and we were planning to spend the day in Cape May, NJ.


We woke bright and early.  I made coffee to take along on the ride.  John had birthday cards strategically placed around the house for me, which of course, I missed because I was so not awake!  It was a fun surprise!


Now, if you drive from Ocean City, MD to Cape May, NJ, it would take 4.5 hours and you'd travel over 300 miles.  We didn't do this, of course.  We drove about an hour to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry in Lewes, DE instead.  Once there, it's a 16 mile journey across the Delaware Bay and it take 80 minutes. 

We left our car parked in Delaware and went over as foot passengers. Mucho expensive to take the car over.  If we were going for several days it would be worth it, but this was a day trip.


 I was surprised how breezy it was on the ferry!  We had a little breakfast on the ferry ride to Cape May.  It turned out to be a beautful sunny day!  I was so happy!!


As we were leaving Lewes, DE, I saw this tall ship.  I thought it was cool!  

 Once in New Jersey, we took a  shuttle bus into town.  It dropped us off at the Washington Street Mall, a quaint outdoor mall that was closed to traffic and all cobblestones.  Lots of neat little shops and places to eat.


We took a Cape May Trolley Tour  (the Welcome to Cape May Tour), but it was a little bit disappointing.  It mostly showed us where to shop (drug store, supermarket, liquor store, etc), but also neat old hotels, Victorian houses, historic sites etc.  They had other tours that might have suited our needs better, but that was OK.  I still enjoyed the ride around town!


Here are some of the things we saw on our tour:


This is the wreckage of the SS Atlantus.  It was an experimental concrete ship.  There was a placard that tells all about it, so you can read that.

We saw really cool  Victorian houses that were actually Bed and Breakfast Inns.

Before we took the trolley tour, we had some time to kill, so we had an early lunch at The Ugly Mug.  They had tables and chairs outside, so it was nice to sit outside and enjoy our lunch!

We started off with a half pound of peel and eat shrimp.  They were yummy!!

 I had a crabcake with fries and applesauce.  I love crabcakes and this one was good!  Not a lot of filler like so many restaurants have.  

John had the half a lobster with shrimp salad and cole slaw.  He LOVES lobster!!!  


We took a quick walk down to the beach, but we had to head back to the shuttle terminal to catch the bus back to the ferry terminal.  


The ferry ride back to Lewes was REALLY breezy!!!  We took the last ferry back, so we were on board for sunset, and yes, I got a few pictures!  I was glad I bought a sweatshirt in Cape May!!  I needed it for the ride home! It was so windy, my hair was standing on end, but I was a happy lady!   We bought John a zip-up hoodie at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Gift Shop!

It was a long, fun day!  We arrived back in Lewes around 7:30 pm.  We drove home, watched a little TV and hit the sack!  We were bushed!!!


Tomorrow's post?  My favorite place for breakfast in Ocean City, getting over my fear of heights with parasailing and an Irish pub for dinner with a real Irish waitress!