Going Against the Flow at a High Rate of Speed, Day 4

Hang on, it's time to rock and roll

I'm the type of girl who doesn't have a problem going against the flow if things are cuter from that angle, and apparently I'm the type of girl who doesn't mind going against the flow at a rapid speed if that's what it takes to get there. Day 4 of the wedding road trip proved that both of these statements are true... And very costly. From the get-go, it was going to be a busy day. It was wedding rehearsal day so there was decorating to be done, outfits to selected and nerves to be wadded up in a nice tight bow. Sounds like the perfect job for me, cause no one can wad up nerves like I can. First things first. Wedding day was also my daughter's birthday. You can't just skip a birthday for a wedding... Hello! This was going to be her first birthday home after being away for 7 years. Some of that 7 years was spent in San Diego and Maine, but 9 months of it was on deployment aboard the USS Sampson DDG102 (yes the very ship that was in the movie "Battleship" in case you haven't heard), and those 9 months were the equivalent of several years on the lines of this mother's face and in the roots of this mother's blond locks. Months ago when I found out we would be in Colorado on her birthday, I started looking for some place I could get a ubber special cake for this

The Southern Bell from Hopscotch Bakery

ubber special birthday. I found Hopscotch Bakery on the Internet and ordered The Southern Bell cake which is red velvet with rasberry filling and white chocolate buttercream icing. Sounds heavenly doesn't it? The bakery was in Pueblo Co, which was great because we were right by Pueblo... I mean on the map it's just like less than 1/4 inch from one place to the other. So, I planned on leaving around 10ish or so picking up the cake, coming back, going to the bowling ally to decorate the banquet room then getting dressed for rehearsal and dinner. Simple, not a problem... With the exception of getting 1/4 inch on mountain roads takes a little longer than 1/4 inch in the plains of Oklahoma where you can see from here to there as the wind comes ripping

The Fam

through the plains. You forget those little facts when you live in the flat lands. Luckily for me, just one girlfriend was up and ready when I needed to leave, which worked out better than I even hoped because that left two females holding down the fort that at the time we didn't know needed to be held down. We typed in our destination on the GPS and headed out, except when we got to where Margaret (that's what we call our GPS, because she sounds like Margaret Thatcher), told us to turn left, we really felt we should turn right, so we went on gut instinct instead of doing what Margaret said, which really upsets Margaret and she starts copping a tude with me which makes me nervous. "Listen to me... You must turn left... You're not listening to me..." We did get to Pueblo in spite of Margaret, but it just seemed to take so long. We found the bakery, but it was right

Last minute instructions from Father of the Bride

next to this really cute boutique and really, it was so much easier to "look around" without having to hold the cake so we decided to go into the boutique first, because that's what girls do when left with a difficult decisions. OMGosh, I wanted, that and that and that, plus a whole lot more, but I only walked out of the store with that, and that, and that,which included an adorable dress I was afraid they didn't have in my size. As luck would have it, they did have it in my size and I just couldn't find it because it was on display backwards and it looked like a different dress on the rack. I totally went against the flow on this one, bought the dress and yes, I wear it backwards because... It's cuter that way.  While my friend checked out her that and that's I went next door to grab

My signature Pinterest banner on the wall

the cake. They were so nice in the bakery, they even threw in some little extra pastries for us and then we rushed back to the car because gosh, it was getting late, much later than I had planned. Margaret (bless her heart,) for some unknown reason (maybe it's because we followed her instructions this time) took us home a different way, which is confusing and irritating. I can't remember if it was the longer way or the shorter way, all I know is that time was tick tocking by at a rapid speed and the faster it ticked and tocked, the faster I drove but it still didn't seem like we were getting there fast enough. Finally we called the ones holding down the fort and told them they were just going to have to go ahead and do the decorating because it didn't look like we were going to make it

Support Group

back in time. Okay, stop and read that again. Me... Decorating Control Freak Extraordinaire...Relinquished all control of the little sliver of the wedding that is bestowed on the mother of the groom.... The only part that I could put my stamp on... THE ONLY PART!!!! Still, you really have no idea what a ginormous thing this was to someone like me, but due to my relaxed, go with the flow, vacation attitude, I gave it up just like that and it didn't even bother me one little bit. Except why in the H-E-double hockey sticks did Margaret take us back a different way??? I still don't know, but what I do know is just as we were flying upon Silvercliffe, which is close to Westcliffe, but it still isn't in Westcliffe, I look in my rear view mirror and see a white vehicle with all

Mother of The Bride

these pretty colored flashing lights that were just going nuts. It wasn't a pretty sight, I'll tell you that. As I slowed down to pull over my friend in patting my hand saying.... "It's okay Jac, it's going to be okay" except I was going REALLY fast... Really fast and I have never gotten a ticket before and I knew with Murphy's Law being my shadow and all that there was no way I'd be able to talk myself out of a HONKIN ticket, so I had my driver's license in my hand and my arm extended out the window before he ever got out of his car. I was so busted and I knew it and was just hoping I didn't get thrown in jail. That might take some explaining. We waded through every insurance verification I have ever had since I owned the car as I quietly let the tears flow and fought

It's all good

every desire I had to beg on hands and knees for him not to give me a ticket. I was so guilty, there was just no denying it, so I didn't. He was very nice, extremely understanding and yet very diligent in issuing me my very expensive speeding ticket. While I'm receiving my lecture with a humble heart, my friend is one the phone with my son... "No, she can't talk right now... Hmm, she is speaking with the officer." Apparently the decorating committee got the memo, because they had planned on "Punking" me with their version of wedding rehearsal decorating... They thought better of it, which is probably a good thing. To say I felt horrible about the ticket, is an understatement, especially when my husband received the news without an ounce of condemnation.

How much more fun is this Mom?

That made me feel even worse.... "Shouldn't someone yell at me already?" All in all we made it to the rehearsal in one piece and when I reached up to give my son a hug, all he could say is... "Mom don't lose it during this because if you lose it, I'm definately going to lose it." He had that little boy, I'm fixing to cry look that I haven't seen in so long... It was sweet. You know when you are losing it, but you are trying not to show you are losing it? That's what I did all through rehearsal. How I was ever going to make it through the actual wedding was beyond me. The rehearsal dinner was great. The service was great, and the bowling was tons o' fun which was way better than being all stuffy and formal. The only thing that could have made it better (besides not getting

If only The Thunder hadn't lost...

a ticket and having my nerves wadded up in a bow), would have been getting to watch the Oklahoma City Thunder Beat The Miami Heat... Again. Other than that, everything was just as it should be... Perfect!