Finding Oysters' Pearls

It has been quite some time since I used this blog. Originally I wanted to write about family, art, life and whatever struck me as noteworthy (to me, anyway). Blogs always start off to be personal journals, of sorts, but by placing them in the blogosphere they are bound to be shared, as I'm sure this one will be to some degree. This is not my first, or even second, blog. I started with one to record our relocation to Missouri from Arizona and it evolved into a place to share photography. Then my cardmaking led to another blog dedicated just to that, and has pretty much taken over as the lead blog, so to speak. A couple of other blogs have popped up, which catalog other parts of my life, but haven't gotten much attention of late, either. 

The recent marriage of my son Scott to his beautiful bride Paula is the catalyst for relaunching The Oyster's Pearl.  Following are segments of their storybook romance that I am thrilled to share and, yes, brag about!  Thanks for visiting! 

Paula and Scott's Wedding July 29 2011 --- Cake and Toasts

This segment of Paula and Scott's wedding story in pictures gives a peek into the cake cutting followed by the toasts.  I missed the actual cake cutting, but the wedding photographer did capture that.  But some of the photos I have are quite fun anyway.  The toasts by the Maid of Honor, Best Man and Bride's Father were touching, tearful at times, and often hilarious.

The cake was beautiful, and yummy, too!  For anyone paying attention to the initials, and knows that the initial of the last name is in the middle with the bride's initial to the left and the groom's to the right, will notice that these are reversed.  See what happens when in the "etiquette" order and you will see why Paula reversed it! 

The groom's cake was Scott's pride and joy! He loves old world maps and had an edible one placed on his chocolate cake.  This cake was yummy, too!  Of course I had a piece of each!

I was away from my camera when the cake cutting began, but Rebecca, the prof. photog. got some good ones.  But here I catch Paula wielding Scott's sword, which by tradition, had just cut the cake.  I think he just found out who the boss is!  Hee hee! But then again, these pictures are reminiscent of one I took when Paula was  looking at a lovely all-purpose knife she received as a gift at her bridal shower.....

....In fact, her expression here is much like that one!

Smart man, help her get that sword back in its sheath!

Time for the toasts! Here it looks like they are conspiring to flee before the roasting, I mean, toasting begins!

First Olivia, the Maid of Honor, with stories of college and years of best friendship.

Paula and Scott were touched by Olivia's words.

Then comes Cameron, the Best Man.  He and Scott have been friends for 26 years, since they were eleven! He told of their first meeting and other tales of their escapades I had not known about.  Trust me, I could tell stories about them that Cameron didn't!

Cameron is quite animated and here is preparing to tell a tale sure to make Scott wince......

... which he does while Paula has a good laugh!

Uh oh! Here comes Paula's dad! Jim started off by declaring "Paula, one more time... I did not push you on your bike into that tree!"

Oh, yeah! There is more to this story that I just have to hear!

Definitely! There is a good story here!

It looks like Paula is preparing for more..... which there was!  Oh, and Jim picked on Scott, too!

A side note to this series of pictures.... at the time not Jim nor anyone else had any idea that 10 days from that night Jim would be undergoing multiple heart bypass surgery.  Upon their return from their honeymoon, Paula went straight to the hospital in Salina, Kansas, to be with her dad and Scott had to go back to work at Offutt AFB in Omaha.  Happily, Jim is doing well and Scott and Paula are settling in at their new home.

Now, there are more photos, of course.  But for another day.  Thanks for stopping by and indulging me this joy of sharing a very special day in my family's life.

Paula and Scott Wedding July 29 2011 --- Reception Venue

Just in case I haven't mentioned it yet, Paula and Scott's wedding was amazing!!  These posts seem to be a bit out of order.  Usually the wedding comes first, then the reception, etc.  But I didn't take any pictures before or during the wedding itself.  This was one wedding I was going to see with BOTH eyes, not with one looking through the camera lens.  Besides, their photographer, Rebecca Peters, is tops in her field and I will have more of her photos as they come in.  So for now I am posting some of the photos I took, mostly at the reception. 

Now the reception --- holy cow! What a party! The venue was Abe and Jake's Landing in Lawrence, Kansas, and is it ever unique!  It was originally a barbed wire factory built in the 1880's!  Even in it's renovated state it reminded me of the string factory in the movie "Mouse Hunt".  It's history is very interesting and the renovation nothing short of a miracle!  Here are a couple of photos and there are more here.

Dance floor

Stairway to the main floor

Sitting on the corner of the dance floor is a very large frog. I was told by the event manager that some people really love him and have decorated him any number of ways.  She also said that some people really hate him and have thrown covers over him, which actually brought more attention to him anyway!  Well, Paula decided that my mom and I could probably do something fun with this pathetic frog so put us in charge. In keeping with the very romantic story of Paula and Scott we went with a fairy tale crown and two posters.  One poster is a reminder that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.  The other poster (ala ABBA) invites "Take a Chance on Me!"  With my stepdaughter's help we pulled it all together and he became quite popular...........

............ especially with the little princesses in pretty party dresses.

Avery, Paula's flower girl, was quite taken with this fellow......

.... but seemed to be waiting for the magic to happen!

So the party began!  Introducing .................

Lt. Commander and Dr. Moseman!

Even though my flash didn't quite reach across the dance floor for these zoom shots, they both were just beaming and provided plenty of light!

With a few words of welcome and thanks to their guests, Scott and Paula got the buffet line going............

I don't know who the caterer was but the food was delicious!

Paula chose the colors royal blue and antique gold which made for a rich and stunning setting.

Well, there is the introduction to the reception and the party to beat all parties!  Thanks for stopping by! Check back again for more photos and stories. 

The Wedding of Paula and Scott, July 29, 2011 --- Arch of Swords

Here it is one week since my son's wedding and I've posted only one photo! Shame on me! Actually, after getting back home on Saturday I was so tired I slept most of Sunday. Then on Monday I popped something in my lower back and couldn't move without assistance for two days. Sitting at the computer was out of the question. Since then my back is getting better, but still uncomfortable.  At least I finally loaded and edited the photos I did take last week.

Most of the photos I took were at the reception, leaving the wedding pictures to Rebeca Peters of Kansas City. She is a fantastic photographer and I can't wait to see all the wedding party and family photos. Since Scott and Paula are still on their honeymoon we have gotten only a sneak peek at Rebecca's work. But I did get some very nice shots of the Wedding Arch of Swords. This military ceremony, steeped in tradition is sure to bring tears, cheers, and a giggle or two. Scott's swordsmen are officers he has worked with during his career.  They also served as ushers for the families and friends attending the wedding.

Here are some of the stills of the ceremony:

This is at the third pair of swords, but at each of the first two the swords were lowered and the command called out "The price of passage is one kiss!" to which Scott and Paula shared a quick kiss.

At the third pair the same command was called out, but one quick kiss wasn't enough. The command "A REAL kiss!" was called out, to which Scott and Paula complied with a kiss more, um, interactive than the one pictured above!

If the swordsmen were supposed to remain stone-faced during this, they certainly didn't at this point!

The tradition of the Arch of Swords is to symbolize safe passage for the couple into their new life together.

But the best part of the ceremony was when the swordsman, in this case Captain Studeman on the left, gently whacked the bride on the behind with his sword and said "Welcome to the Navy, Mrs. Moseman!"  I didn't catch the actual sword-whacking, but love her expression as they passed through.  My brother took a video with his phone and is trying to figure out how to get it into the computer. I'm looking forward to the replays!

I'll have more photos of the reception over the next few days, but will probably put those on one of my other blogs.  I want to get back to making some cards and posting them here.  But, don't worry, I will let you know where to find more photos and stories as I get them posted.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

The Wedding of Paula and Scott, July 29, 2011 --- First Peek

I've been home less than an hour and still riding high from the wedding of my son and his beautiful bride.  This is the first release from the photographer.  I took precious few photos, but will have some to post, as well as stories.  Right now I am just soooo tired!!

Uncle George Taught Us Why Fire Engines Are Red..........

No one in our family graduated from childhood without hearing Uncle George tell us why fire engines are red.  We gave him sole credit until in my adulthood I was going through an old book and found the original version.  I have since lost that book, but here is a version I found online:

Why are fire engines red? 

• Because they've got 8 wheels and 4 people on them
• 8 + 4 = 12
• There are 12 inches in a foot
• One foot is a ruler
• There was a ruler named Queen Elizabeth
• A ship named Queen Elizabeth sails the seas
• In the seas are fish
• On the fish are fins
• The Fins fought the Russians
• And Russians are red.  

And that's why fire engines are red. Because they're always rushin'

 

A Tribute to Uncle George

George Preston Browning

1925-2010

He lived a long, happy life.  It sounds like a cliche, but he did.  My Uncle George passed away this morning after a long battle with cancer. 

I was blessed to be able to spend a few days with him earlier this month.  He was thin and gaunt, but alert and "holding court". He always loved to talk and tell stories, especially funny ones.  George was a World War II Navy veteran, seeing both Europe and the Pacific.  Very few things rattled him and he was the source of strength and the voice of reason during hard times.  When my mom, his sister, was widowed at the age of 22 with three tiny kids, George encouraged her to reach into her source of strength to go on.  They have been very close and Mom was with him went he passed.

As kids we loved being around George for his sense of humor and contagious laugh.  Not to mention getting to ride in his Buick convertible!  He was so cool! 

After serving in the Navy he settled down, married and raised a daughter and a son.  George was a career Maytag product engineer.  He modestly grinned when I told him I was finally able to buy the Maytag Neptune washer and dryer a few years ago.  That was one of the last projects he worked on before retiring.  For him retirement meant more time for wordworking, going dancing with his wife, and driving to Branson, MO for the shows and good restaurants.

When visiting with George a few weeks ago I was recounting how many of us in the family, other than his children, carry some of his traits.  I call them "traces of George".  My brother Rick has so many of the same facial features he could be George's son.  I have long fingers and stone hard nails, just like his.  My brother Bob has his love of wood and exquisite woodworking skills.  Even my son has the tall lanky build of George's.  And we see more traits as the generations expand.  George was outgoing but humble and I could see he was touched by those comparisons. 

We all live on, even after God takes us home to Heaven.  George lives on and even though we will miss him, he had a great ride.