Time is of the essence

Saturday was a time crunch. Despite all my efforts to get everything set up ahead of time there was still so much to do Saturday morning. Add to that that my sister and I had to prep our change of clothes/shoes/makeup/hair gear for the family to haul over to the hall (ha! Look at that! Haul. Hall. *feels ditzy*). There would be no time for us to trek back home and get ready then head out to the hall. Oh, and don't forget the CDs for the party. Oh, and since we did not have enough tablecloths for the setup the night before I had to run out and buy some before even thinking of getting dressed for the show. Ack, get some lunch in before you change. Don't want to get your clothes all dirty and miss out on this meal and you'll starve and die before the next. Augh.

We managed to make it there on time. Big phew. As much as I love my sister, I certainly missed having Posie in the seat next to mine sharing the experience. As the stage came to life with the opening number I got goosebumps from all the anticipation that had built up over the years while on the flipside tears threatened to course down my cheek realizing what Posie was missing. In the end, I was glad my sister had this opportunity to watch her first musical, even though it was at someone else's misfortune. I'll write up a review of the show at a later time. But for now suffice it to say that, since I am obsessed with the original production, this rendition left me a tad unsatisfied, a smidge disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that I was able to see it, but after waiting so long expectations can get pretty high.

What I failed to anticipate was the finishing time of the show. Ack! We were 45 minutes later than I had expected! Take a brisk walk to the train...another brisk walk to the bus (which was mercifully there when our train arrived...much thanks to my expert Tele-Ride skills and planning) and wouldn't you know it, we somehow made it to the hall in 20 minutes! Waaaaay ahead of my aunt, who had catched the same show with her husband (did not learn this far ahead enough in time to plan a ride back with them, but my methods worked out better anyway!). They did not make it to the hall until a good 40 minutes after my sister and I. Meaning they were on the road for an hour! I can't believe what drivers put up with sometimes.

Put out food, put out food, put out more food...put out food brought in by the rest of the family as they come in. Put out the drinks. Gah! We should change! Off we ran to the hall bathroom to transform ourselves into gracious hostesses/daughters of the celebrants.

Wow, by the time we had reemerged from the bathroom about half of our guests had already showed up! Others were caught up in traffic...news that there had been a car flipped which caused traffic to stand still in both directions en route to the hall. (Again....drivers, I tell ya!) And guess who was among the guests? Posie! She had been discharged from the hospital and insisted that she attend the party with Lana and her parents. There was no way she was missing this event. She had worked so hard helping us with all the preparations and planning, and besides my family are like her second family.

So how was it? Despite the last-minute planning I felt that the party was a great success. I even had the opportunity to invite a handful of friends and they got to learn more about what my family and culture is all about. That made me so proud.

But of course what made me even prouder was seeing my two loving parents together shining in their moment amongst all their family and friends. A couple of my aunts passed around the lyrics to "You Light Up My Life" and as a surprise the entire party serenaded them for their anniversary dance. My dad was wiping away tears during the dance...and although that may cause him some teasing from the uncles and friends for a while, I thought it was adorable. My dad's such a mushball...and I did not fall far from THAT tree.

My mom had asked me to prepare a speech. I hate speeches. I hate them because I am a mushball like my father and whenever I try and proclaim something emotional and meaningful my face scrunches up in dramatic tears. Embarassing, but true. Ask Posie about the speech I gave on her 18th birthday. It's not pretty. Needless to say I was dreading it...and when the moment came (though noone at the party was expecting it) I quietly and discreetly bowed out. I regret it now since my parents deserved some sort of tribute, but what's done is done.

At the end of the night there was another whirlwind of chaos as family and friends helped us pack everything up and transport it all back home. The TV, the stereo, the karaoke machine, all that food (or what was left of it...some relatives are notorious for boxing up hordes of food to take home). My friends even helped me take down the decorations and tablecloths.

At the end of it all everybody involved had to find some way to wind down. Civic, Daisy and I went to Denny's for some coffee. Two days in a row of Civic! Craziness.

After all that a very tuckered-out Leah slid into bed and drifted into dreamland. I learned lots of new things about my parents thanks to my aunt's presentation at the party. I love them all the more.