Slow Down & Write

October 16, 2016| admin| 0 Comment| 11:00 AM

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Sometimes wonderful events happen in life that create much activity and require changing one’s activities and priorities. We had such an event when our oldest daughter became engaged in July. I dropped out of the blogosphere to work the wedding plans. I have been too busy to write–or I have lacked the discipline to write–probably a little bit of both. As life will also have it, there are times when we are forced to slow down. That time for me came on Thursday. I had hip replacement surgery and now am forced to slow down–more on that in a later post.

So here is the story of Katy & Matt’s engagement.

Matt, Katy’s fiance, talked with Steve and I back in May and asked our permission to marry Katy. We, obviously, said yes. The proposal was to be a surprise on June 30. It is tough to keep a secret for 6 weeks. Turns out–Steve and I were better at it than Matt. He was very excited.

Before the proposal came about we had several activities: Lainey’s Graduation from college, moving Meandering Joy from St. Petersburg, Florida to St. Simons, Georgia and home to take care of multiple business and family commitments at home.

The final plan for the engagement was set. We (Steve, Joy & Lainey) were to get Katy to our house so that Matt could surprise her with a ring at the dock on the pond in our back yard. After we were sure she was on her way, we headed to Katy’s house loaded with food for a surprise engagement party to which Matt had invited several of her closest friends.

We lured Katy to the house with the promise of a free meal at our local Mexican restaurant–El Real. She loves this place. She was a little perturbed with Matt for not being able to come down for a visit before all of us going to the lake house for the July 4 weekend, so Mexican food was a good way to get her through the disappointment.

We blocked all the entrances to the house to force her to walk around the house toward the back where we had told her to meet us at the screen porch. Matt was to surprise her there. Unfortunately, Katy took the path of least resistance and shimmied around the truck which was blocking the walkway to the screen porch. Matt couldn’t believe she did this–she tottered on about a 1/2 inch of the walkway.

When she sees him, she is not amused. She first asks “Where is my family”, then she called him names for lying to her about not being able to come down early. He calmed her down and walked her to the dock. I am not sure if it had dawned on her or not about what was happening. Anyway–he asked, she said yes, and it was official, they were engaged.

We did not anticipate she would FaceTime us while we were setting up the food at her place. We ignored that call. We returned it outside. I am sure Katy figured out that we would be at her house when they arrived under the ruse to get cleaned up for the supposed private dinner with just the two of them. She was happy to see us though and didn’t let on that she knew.

Through out the evening several friends arrived and we celebrated until about 1:00 that night. A very late night for Joy & Steve indeed. Many of the friends who came to the party, joined us for the long July 4 weekend.

Katy’s initial plans were for an October 2016 (12 week away) wedding at our house, outside. Following the wedding, her plan was that all Matt & Katy’s friends would camp out and celebrate all night. I had visions of Woodstock or Lolla-POOLE-looza dancing around in my head.

We and her friends tossed around those ideas and more over the July 4 weekend. Important lesson–never take wedding advice from your kids friends. Woodstock and Lolla-POOLE-looza were mild to their ideas for a Poole/Jeffery wedding.

The final decision is a January 14 at our home for immediate family and a big party for friends and family on March 18. Now that we have a date, Steve and I have gone into high gear getting the house and yard into shape after ignoring both since we took up the cruising life. Hence–the lull in my writing.