Deborah's Shower

Deborah at the shower.

Saturday, I co-hosted a baby shower (with Stacy) for a good friend from grad school, Deborah. We held it at the scrumptious Chocolate Angel in Richardson. It's a girly place with yummy food. Those in attendance were the other girls from grad school, minus a few we missed seeing because they were out of town, starting the Thanksgiving holiday a little early.

The sign that greeted us outside the restaurant.

I was very honored to be able to give this shower, as this baby has been a long time coming. Deborah and John went through a lot trying to get pregnant, so I really think this little guy is a miracle! Not that all babies aren't all miracles, but this one is especially so. So, it was very important to honor his impending birth with a get together.

One of the tables in the girly room.

Cute chocolates Stacy had put on each table.

Stacy and Deborah

Stacy was a nurse before going back to grad school, and now still works in the medical industry. She's got a wicked sense of humor and is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I was so glad to be hosting the shower with her, as it was so easy to coordinate everything with someone like her.

It was funny to watch Stacy try to NOT touch Deborah's stomach. I think, more than anyone else, this is difficult for nurses. I mean, Stacy knows Deborah, and Deborah gave permission for Stacy to touch the belly. But, Stacy was so worried about encroaching on her personal space. It was cute. Deborah did report that so far, she has had not too many complete strangers reach out and touch. That's a good thing, yes? Please, strangers, don't reach out and touch pregnant ladies. It's creepy. And weird. And not appreciated.

Deborah and Wilma

The biggest surprise of the shower were two special guests, Wilma and Lola. Wilma works for the FED and lives in New York. Lola works for GE and lives in Connecticut with her husband Bayo and their two beautiful little girls. They flew in to attend the shower. It had been ages since we got to visit in person, so this was a treat for Deborah and everyone else who came.

Lola and Deborah

As the other guests arrived, Deborah greeted them with her kind personality and warm hospitality.

Deborah works in the financial industry...a little bit of a Topsy Turvy place to be right now. But, she's so level headed and calm about all of it. That's good, I think, given the impending little one and all. And, really, this financial melee too shall pass, people. This too shall pass.

For the next several minutes, everyone gathered, catching up with old friends.

Deborah and Alexa

Lola and Cathy

Cathy is the friend who had the birthday party at the House of Blues - remember, the one where I mentioned we attended but took no photos of the guest of honor? Well, here she is. Always fun with an ebullient personality, it was nice she was able to attend.

Meg, Cathy, Stacy and Deborah

Deborah, Lola and Alexa

Stacy and Lola

Eventually, we got this active, talkative group to the tables to start the meal. It's just so rare we all get together, it was hard to stop visiting and move on to the next part of the luncheon!

Alexa, Lola, Deborah and Wilma

Meg, Cathy, Maria and Stacy

Maria Thereza, studying the menu.

There were lots of choices to make on what you wanted to eat. Of course, since I'd been to the Chocolate Angel before, my choice had to include a slice of the pretzel salad. It's one of God's most perfect foods. Three layers - pretzels that have been drizzled in butter then toasted, a cream cheese/whipped cream layer, and then a jello/strawberry layer. Sweet and salty combined to perfection.

Don't dis it until you've tried it. Once you try it, you'll choose your selections to carefully include this delicacy from now on. As I told the group there, you can trust a fat girl when she tells you something is good. Fat girls know good food. :) Here's Paula Deen's version. And, here's a version with a photo. Go make it. Take to Thanksgiving. You'll be a hit.

Stacy kept her table entertained.

Of course, even after we sat down, the visiting continued.

Cathy, Maria and Meg

Then, after we ordered, while we waited for the food, Deborah opened presents.

The loot pile.

She received lots of useful stuff, endorsed by the moms in the room, and some sweet little boy outfits as well. It was a nice variety of gifts that I think she and Baby Boy will enjoy having.



Then came the food. It's a girly place, but these weren't girly portions - they were filling plates of delicious food. We cleaned those plates right up.

And, headed for dessert.

And continued to visit.

Party favors.

Stacy prepared the party favors. Since we were at a tea room, they contained, well, tea, of course. And, some chocolates. Because chocolate can be included in any gift. Any time. Anywhere. For any purpose.

The whole group.
L-R Back Row: Wilma, Lola, Stacy, Cathy, Alexa, Meg, Me
L-R Front Row: Maria, Deborah, Maria Thereza

I apparently didn't get the "dark tops only" memo. I'm a little fashion backwards, so this is understandable. The good thing is, good friends don't seem to mind.

A good time was had by all, I think. Thanks, Deborah, for letting us shower you and your little boy. We can't wait to meet him very soon.

A Different Wedding

A stylized version of Tricia and Wayne

I never posted photos from my good friends, Tricia and Wayne's wedding. I said I was going to, but I say a lot of things and it takes be forever to get around to doing it. And, since I've bored some of you with wedding photos this week, I thought I'd make a full week of it.


Tricia and her grandmother at the wedding, doing the Hokey Pokey!

A long while back, I posted this series of photos from their rehearsal dinner that captured a great conversation her grandmother and uncle had.

I met Tricia when I went to college. SMU, my Alma Mater and hers, matched us as compatible pot-luck roommates our freshman year. I'll have to dig up some photos of our room - we could lie in our respective beds, which were on opposite sides of the room - and still reach out and touch fingers in the middle of the room. Cozy.

Anyway, since then, Tricia and I have been friends. She lives fairly close, and since I moved back to Dallas, we've tried to see each other with some regularity. I met Wayne about a year ago, I think. He and Tricia met on the Internet - not on a dating site - but, in a sci-fi chat room! He's a wonderful, funny guy and so good to Tricia. And, we're now glad to call him a friend as well. Here's a little from their wedding.

This was a lovely wedding. It had all the usual things:

Flowers...

...and centerpieces...

...and cake...

...and favors.

But, besides getting to see two good friends get married to one another, what made this wedding one to remember was that it was sort of like a little mini-reunion of all our friends from college. It was so good to see everyone. So, instead of going on with the photos of the "things," the rest of the post will be focused on the "people."

Brian and Kevin were there.

This is the Brian I mentioned in Wednesday's post as having played piano as part of our wedding.

Jon was there.

Jon, while being a great friend, as also a wonderful person to have at a party. He knows all the moves to, "YMCA" (even the ones around the part everyone knows), and he'll get out there and dance to any tune they play. He has fun. And people have fun around him because he's having fun. He even "took one for the team" and caught the garter. He's a good guy.

Jon and Mark

Mark and Faleena were also there, as well as Mark's parents. (S's parents also attended, as well as his aunt and uncle, who Tricia has gotten to know over the years.) Mark has his own blog, which you'll want to check out and read with regularity. He and Faleena live in LA where they of course live the life of Hollywood glamour. They showed me around one weekend. They are very gracious hosts.

Marcia and Eddie were there.

Marcia and I bonded in college because we were some of the only music majors who also participated in the marching band. We didn't play our music school instruments, but we did bang some big cymbals loud enough and long enough to cause irreparable hearing loss, I am sure, for both of us. Eddie was in the band, too, and that's where they met. I was in their wedding, and apparently, offer up quite a bit of comic relief on the video - it was my first stint as a maid of honor - I was a little nervous. Marcia and Eddie have three beautiful daughters.

Me, Mark and Marcia

When we played the cymbals, Mark played the bass drum. We stood in this order. It's all about nostalgia.

S and Kellie

Kellie and S were "freshmen brothers," which is what you call it in the band when you are in the same freshman class. Kellie and I threw Tricia and Wayne a shower back in April. She lives in Austin and has a son - and another baby on the way. She and S figured out in college that somehow, through marriage on S's mother's side, they are distantly related. Can't you see the family resemblance?

Todd and Kathy

Kathy was in the band with us. She was the only one who didn't have to get dressed in men's clothes to perform. (The SMU Mustang Band wears men's suits as marching apparel.) She was the twirler. And a champion twirler at that. She was the doll of the outfit. She is also one of the sweetest, most genuine people you'll ever meet. She and Todd have two little boys.

Tricia and me. What sort of face is that I'm making?

Wayne and S. Two handsome dudes.

The bride and groom, Wayne and Tricia.

I could tell a ton of stories here about Tricia that would make you laugh. And, the people in this post could tell a ton on me. But, any time I write Tricia's name, I remember specifically in college the time she decided to decorate our dorm room door. She really went to town. It looked really nice, except that the main elements were a giant "T & A" right across the center. I told her she had to take that part down. Right away.

All the SMU Band folks in one photo.

So, here you see all the great college friends we had all together in one photo. There's Jeff and Carolann, and Jenny and Jennifer and Steve and lots more. What a great reunion it was! And, a great reason to get together.

Best wishes to you for a wonderful weekend. Mine includes a baby shower and an antebellum 50th birthday, no kidding, with costumes. Posts here next week about all of that. See you then!

The Reception

The dinner menu.

The last post about this wedding is today because these are the last photos I'd like to share.

The tables were nicely adorned.

This was our centerpiece.

And this one was over near the food.

This was the appetizer table.

Then they arrived - there they are, off in the distance...

They danced...

...like they were in love.

There was cake.

And toasts.

And S visited with friends - that's him over there in the corner.
(And I turned on my flash, finally.)

The ladies waited for the bouquet.

And this lady was glad to catch it.


The "men" waited for the garter...

And this little guy caught it.

The bride and groom greeted their guests...

...and we had a nice time.