Ailantha
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Labors Of Love

11/10/2014

6 Comments

 
Picture
    The above is a photo of Theresa and me with our two neighbor children who were also  my piano students, Anne in the middle and on the end, Sarah.
    At the time Sarah was about 13, Anne about 11, and they had a younger brother not pictured, Jordan, about 9 or 10 at the time, whom I also taught.
    That picture was taken in June of 2000 on the day of my daughter Claire's high school graduation party.  As the party was to be a great feast with tons of food for tons of people I knew I'd need a few extra hands to help with the preparation and execution so I asked Sarah and Anne, who were mature and responsible for their ages and who lived just four doors down the street from us, if they could come over and help me on the day of the party.
    They  came over and worked all afternoon in the kitchen with my own kids, cutting mounds of vegetables and fruit, arranging cookies on platters, and pitching in with all the other minutiae involved in putting together a big shindig.
    Afterwards they refused to let me pay them.  Just as they and their brother always refused any pay whenever I asked them to come over and feed the cats and fish, water the plants, and bring in the mail and newspapers for us when we went on vacation. 
    Their parents had raised them to be hard-working, conscientious, community-spirited children who did not expect compensation for what they considered to be neighborly good deeds.
     Now Sarah, Anne and Jordan are all grown up.  This year Sarah received her M.D. (this photo was taken at her medical school graduation),  Anne a masters in anthropology and Jordan an engineering degree.

Picture
    And this is also the year that I finally got to pay back their mother, my good neighbor Molina, for all the help her children gave me.
    My chance for paying back came this past Saturday, Sarah's wedding day:

Picture
Picture
Sarah                                                                                  Sarah and Brad

... when I hauled in a work crew to the Columbus Park Of Roses and we transformed the park shelter house into a  magical setting for a beautiful night.
    We started working the night before - or rather, Tom and the bride's family did, when Tom drove his super-sized van to our neighbors' house and they loaded his van down with the necessities for the reception: table cloths, napkins, doilies, dishes, glasses, silverware, cookie plates, candy dishes, candy, name cards, table tags, favors, lights, a ladder, and all the other decorations and necessary acoutrements.  Tom's van was packed full.
    There was left only what I needed to add to the lot the next morning:  the containers of wedding cookies and mini-cupcakes I had been working on (and messing up and re-working - see blog posts for October 27 and November 7),  cupcake icing supplies, and our changes of clothes for the reception.  We knew once we got to the reception site we wouldn't be leaving, with the possible exception of a brief lunch break.
    So Saturday morning at 9:30 we crammed the last of the wedding stuff into the van and  left for the Columbus Park of Roses:
Picture
...which  is what it's name says:  a beautiful 13-acre area in one of our city parks  that blooms in spring and summer with over 11,000 total roses and other varieties of flowers, more than 350 different types.
    Its shelter house is a popular venue for weddings:
Picture

    And so at 10:15 am we met our crew at the Park of Roses shelter house where we all rolled up our sleeves and got to work:
Picture
    ...under the supervision of Molina's friend Debbie, her volunteer reception-organizer-in-in chief:
Picture


    For the wedding work crew I'd recruited my son Tommy and Tom, who then recruited his brother Donald, who recruited his two awesome kids, Madelyn and Luke to help.
    Donald worked on the lighting, Madelyn helped out all around,

Picture
Picture

...and Luke helped me in the kitchen:
Picture

    Where I set about the task of  decorating the cupcakes and putting together the cookie plates.
    Tommy also assisted with the cupcakes:

Picture
...as well as with various and sundry other tasks:
Picture
Picture
    Sarah's med school friend, Also Sarah, also came  to pitch in:
Picture
Sarah,  bride Sarah's friend, helping with the table set-up.

    The florist arrived with the table center pieces:
Picture
    And step by step the shelter house was transformed into a reception hall:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
We gave the bathrooms a little touch, too.

    The theme was vintage.   Molina, the bride's mother, had spent moths trolling the thrift stores for pretty dinner plates, dessert plates, and glasses, so each piece was unique:
Picture

    I lent Molina the napkins :
Picture
    ... which I'd made a few years ago for my daughter Theresa's wedding  

    And then when the cookies and cupcakes  - the groom's mother had made some, as well -  were all plated and ready with all the finishing touches:

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
    ...we set up the cookie corner in all its glory:
Picture
Picture
    and awaited the arrival of the wedding cakes:
Picture
    ...which reflected the bride and groom's love of Star Wars, cats, and each other,
       Then arrived the caterers, friendly, hard-working associates of Cameron Mitchell:

Picture
...who provided the hors d'oeuvres and the bar:
Picture
Picture
    Then arrived the guests:
Picture
    And finally the happy reason for the day, Sarah and Brad:
Picture

...and their wedding party:
Picture

    And so the joyful festivites began.
    The delicious dinner was catered by Bucco di Beppo. 

Picture
    And so there was lots of eating,  
Picture
    ..followed by lots of dancing:
Picture
Picture
    ...lots of cake and cookies:
Picture


...lots of dishes.  We needed to redeploy a few from hors d'oeuvres duty to dessert duty:
Picture

...and  lots of joy:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Mother of the bride Molina and Debbie                                   Tom and me

    And then in a heartbeat the last dance was over, the cookie bags were being filled,
Picture
...and the guests were leaving.
Picture
    Then it was time to turn the magical hall back into its pumpkin self:
Picture
Picture

        And come away with  the happy memory of two people beginning a new life together.
Picture
6 Comments
joseph
11/10/2014 02:57:30 am

you should have called me and jimmy. we are experienced in these things

Reply
Patti
11/10/2014 03:24:25 am

Oh, I know, I was totally thinking about you guys, Debbie and Theresa and Joe and Stephanie, and all the work you did putting together Theresa's wedding! THANKS AGAIN! I know how hard you all worked and how nice you made everything! Now I was getting a turn doing what you guys did for me! (Kinda wish you & Jimmy had been there) 8)

Reply
Molina
11/10/2014 07:38:36 am

Patti, you are my sister from another mother...this is soooooo beautiful, and you and your family are the best and most amazing people...you give, give and give some more! Thanks and God bless....

Reply
Patti
11/10/2014 09:42:07 am

Thank you for your kind words, Molina. We were glad to help. Your family is also the best and most amazing people and you deserve the best! 8)

Reply
Mary Jane
11/11/2014 09:34:08 am

This was such a cool story. The hall looked beautiful and the cookies looked delicious. The guests had no idea what the story was behind the cookies.

Reply
Patti
11/11/2014 10:33:57 am

Thanks, Mary Jane! I guess some info is better left unshared, right? 8)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    "Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1684334888

    Picture
    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
    or from
    The Book Loft
    of German Village,
    Columbus, Ohio
    Picture
    Or check it out at the Columbus Metropolitan Library
    Picture

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

    I am a traveler just visiting this planet and reporting various and sundry observations,
    hopefully of interest to my fellow travelers.

    Categories

    All


























































































Proudly powered by Weebly