P is for PARTY

As Rod Stewart sang, "Yeah, clap your hands - We're having a party, dancing to the music" this week.  Yes, our big day is Thursday, May 1st, 2014, and the ceremony begins at noon.  So about a half hour later, I will be able to call myself "Leslie Evans."  If you've been following my recent blogs, you will recall that it's been a long time coming.  I never wanted to go back to my maiden name and I was never really accepted by my first husband's family once he was gone.  Both my daughters have married names now, so I'm thrilled to take my new husband's name. 

So we will party after the ceremony in a "respectable" manner at the high tea we have planned, complete with official cake cutting, speeches, toasts, and the first dance.  Then around 6pm, we will gather at our friends' place to continue partying into the night.  That will be a "get-down, boogie woogie, have a drink and dance on the patio under the tiny white garden lights" type of party.  The weather forecast is for a sunny and warm day, so the evening will be clear and the stars will shine down upon us.

I wrote the following poem back in December of 2011 with our marriage in mind. 

UNITY

Unity is a milky, pearly white.

It looks like starlight on a clear, bright night.

It sounds like a cob calling to his pen.

It smells like popcorn shared in the den.

It tastes like sweat as we share one life.

It feels like serenity throughout the strife.

Unity is two, a husband and wife.

And Lorne took this photo down by the river in our village. I love it so much that it is on our wedding website, which you are welcome to view if you like. It's here.

Stay tuned for photos!  I will post them as I get them.  And if you're so inclined, it would be nice if you would pray for health, happiness, and a long life together for us.  Thanks!  In the meantime, don't forget to silently (or in print) thank the playful Mrs. Nesbitt for her creative ABC Wednesday and Roger, our perspicacious administrator.

O is for ODYSSEY

Like Homer's Odysseus and his odyssey to find his wife Penelope again, it seems like Lorne's and my odyssey is almost over.  It began in 1969 when we met at Kerrisdale Arena in Vancouver, BC, when we spotted each other on the ice.  That began a 3 1/2 year adventure that ended when Lorne got cold feet about getting married (even though he's asked me).  Thirty-nine years later, we reconnected and have been planning to get married since the following year - 2009.  Major back surgery and a broken ankle for me plus two surgeries and two onerous rounds of chemo for Lorne made the wedding take a back seat.  Now, in about one week, the "wedding that should have been" will finally happen and we will become one in marriage.  Even at our age, we have butterflies and can hardly wait.

Everything is in place now with all the arrangements and organization done so all we have to do is pray that Lorne's hernias don't burst before the big day.  He'll be having one more surgery to fix that before we open up the travel page and decide on our honeymoon trip.  It might be this summer; it might have to wait a bit longer.  But at least we'll finally be married!  It has been quite the odyssey!

Stay tuned but in the meantime, be sure to think of our dear Mrs. Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday and the obliging Roger, our administrator, who keeps things rolling along.

N is for NERVOUS

I hope you're not getting tired of my writing about our upcoming nuptials.  After all, it's not every day that a, shall we say, "mature" couple ties the knot. 

The other night when I went to bed, I lay there with a nervous stomach!  I was thinking about our big day and all the preparations we've done in the last few months and I thought, "Wow! It's finally happening!  Please Lord don't let anything happen to jinx this!"  I had the weirdest butterflies and actually started to shake a bit. 

It has been a long journey for us with ups and downs and twists and turns.  We could have been married back in the early 70's and now be celebrating over 40 years of marriage.  But apparently there was another plan for us.  No point in looking back.  We need to keep our eyes on the path ahead of us and make every day count. 

I heard something amusing, but sweet, the other day about my mother's best friend who is now 95 years young!  She has a 90-year-old beau.  Well, if that news didn't make me feel young, I don't know what possibly could have.  I guess the saying is true - "Just because there's snow on the roof doesn't mean there's no fire in the furnace."

So yes I'm nervous about the big day being a great day!  But I am not nervous about having made the right decision about getting married to Lorne.  This is going to be the wedding that should have been and we will make it wonderful.

Can you guess my colour scheme?  Also, don't forget to give thanks to the noteworthy Mrs. Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday, and to our noble administrator Roger.

M is for Magical Music

One of the many things I've been working on lately has been music for the wedding.  The song "Do You Believe in Magic" by the Lovin' Spoonfuls came to mind as I mused about all the choices we have for our wedding music.  I do believe that the right music will bring a magical quality to any event, especially to a wedding.  Have a listen.

Lorne is extremely knowledgeable about music, having a collection of probably close to 500 CDs and another 400-500 LPs.  Each piece is in absolutely mint condition, so we have lots to choose from.  We are not having a church wedding, so we're keeping the music more contemporary (rather than traditional or religious).  So I will be walking down the (mini) aisle to a Roy Todd original piano piece called "Radiant as a Bride," (listen here) we will sign the registry to Louis Armstrong's rendition of "It's a Wonderful World," and we will leave the ceremony to James Taylor's "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You." 

One of the CDs we're playing during the reception is called "Unforgettable Sax" with Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" the first piece of music up - a very appropriate piece of music for us. Also, Lorne has promised to choose the first dance music and I have a feeling he'll choose Van Morrison's haunting "Someone Like You" from his Still on Top - The Greatest Hits CD.   I love the rhythm and the melody and the words are also very appropriate for us. And here are the lyrics and you can hear it here.

I'VE BEEN SEARCHING A LONG TIME

FOR SOMEONE EXACTLY LIKE YOU

I'VE BEEN TRAVELING ALL AROUND THE WORLD

WAITING FOR YOU TO COME THROUGH

SOMEONE LIKE YOU MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE

SOMEONE LIKE YOU KEEP ME SATISFIED

SOMEONE EXACTLY LIKE YOU

I'VE BEEN TRAVELING A HARD ROAD

BABY LOOKING FOR SOMEONE EXACTLY LIKE YOU

I'VE BEEN CARRYING MY HEAVY LOAD

WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO COME SHINING THROUGH

SOMEONE LIKE YOU MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE

SOMEONE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SATISFIED

SOMEONE EXACTLY LIKE YOU

I'VE BEEN DOING SOME SOUL SEARCHING

TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU'RE AT

I'VE BEEN UP AND DOWN THE HIGHWAY

IN ALL KINDS OF FOREIGN LANDS

SOMEONE LIKE YOU MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE

SOMEONE LIKE YOU KEEP ME SATISFIED

SOMEONE EXACTLY LIKE YOU

I'VE BEEN ALL AROUND THE WORLD

MARCHING TO THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUM

BUT JUST LATELY I HAVE REALIZED

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

SOMEONE LIKE YOU MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE

SOMEONE LIKE YOU KEEP ME SATISFIED

SOMEONE EXACTLY LIKE YOU

written by Van Morrison © Exile Publishing Ltd / EMI Music Publishing

  

At the after party, we'll take along some of Lorne's best CDs so we can cut a rug on our friends' patio while we whoop it up.  Whatever we end up choosing, I know the music will make the entire day a magical experience for us both.