Gotta love the coast!

Just returned from five days at the glorious Oregon Coast. Great weather, great friends, great food (always lots of food!). We got a chance to get to know Brittney better and like her more than ever. She was a trooper the whole time and is still coming 'round so we must not have scared her off. It will be sad when the house is sold and we have to find somewhere else for our getaways. We have MANY happy memories at the Schmid beach house.

I've been trying to figure out how relationships get so off track sometimes. If I could figure out why people think the wierd way they think it might help. There are just certain things that people do or say or don't do that I would not even FATHOM thinking or saying or doing or NOT doing! But most of all, I think things go unsaid way too often. I really don't have room in my life for friends or family who don't think it's worth the time or effort to talk about things that matter. I can't fix what I don't know about, so therefore, I will NOT waste my time worrying what others MIGHT be thinking but are unwilling to say.

And now on another subject, I have learned a few things this year while involved in the wedding planning process. There are more than I can list here, but here are a few big ones:

1. You can easily burn bridges with weddings. You can burn them by not going, by making lame excuses, by inviting or not inviting. And the burning is NOT quickly forgotten. The wedding hosts DO remember if you are there or not and so do the bride and groom. It's one of the biggest events in the life of a family and if you miss it, your lack of presence is noted. If you can't attend, it's good to at least send a card or a note or SOME acknowledgment of the event. If it's a family member, there needs to be a darn good reason why you're not there or at least sending a card or gift or warm wishes of SOME KIND! I may not have felt this way before putting on a wedding, so thought others should know before they get there. I will make every effort to attend all weddings I am invited to or at least let the inviters know how much I appreciate being invited and that I am aware how much the day means to them. Life lesson learned....

2. You can put on a great party that everyone loves without spending a fortune. It has everything to do with personal touches, personal greetings, and a bride and groom that have fun and stay for the party. And it doesn't have to be perfect for everyone to enjoy it. But bottom line, it's a reflection of the people getting married. Don't be critical if it's not the way you would do it. If it's what they like, that's the way it should be, even if you are the one writing the checks. Then when the day comes and it's everything they dreamed of, you know it's right.

3. It's really fun to put it all together and it's kind of sad when it's all over. Things are different - good different, fine different, but different all the same and there is a weird sense of loss for awhile. I think the cure for this might be grandchildren.

4. Spend lots on pictures - they last a lifetime and beyond.

Well, these are some pretty random thoughts, but I guess that's what having a blog is all about. One of these days I will get some pics on here so it's more interesting just in case anyone cares to read....