The party's over …

and what a fun one it was!

I didn't take my camera – I thought it would look a little funny for the bridal unit to be snapping pictures all afternoon – so you'll have to wait for the evidence until my daughter sends the ones she took. Since she's a pro, and knows all about lighting and lenses and such, I'm sure hers will be better than any I could have taken anyway.

The Alderson FPC chaplain, who we asked to perform our blessing ceremony, was late. Many of our guests were also attending a wedding which started as our party was supposed to end, so there were some anxious moments. Two other members of the clergy were among our guests, both of whom offered to stand in should the chaplain not make it. But she finally came, and the ceremony was lovely and meaningful. Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I both agree we finally feel really married, even though legally we've been so since August 5. Somehow Pastor Chip and his Las Vegas Chapel of Love didn't seem real to either one of us.

We both feel really tired, too, after all the excitement and preparations.

Having our married children meet each other was the highlight of my day. In our more than a dozen years as a couple, there's never been an occasion where we've all been together. I hope it doesn't take a funeral for it to happen again. Turns out that Mr. Shrinking Knitter's daughter-in-law and my son-in-law went to the same high school, although at different times. Another 'small world' tidbit is that my daughter-in-law grew up less than 30 miles from another of our guests, in two tiny northern Ohio towns of which few have ever heard. Who knew?

All week long I've been aware that sticking to a food plan just wasn't going to happen, and it certainly didn't. We went out for dinner three nights in a row, and I just didn't feel like trying to make the party food diet-friendly. To compensate for less-than-perfect meals, I made sure to walk or run every single day – including party day – and to lift weights or row a couple times during the preceding week. It paid off: I once again stayed the same [this makes the fifth consecutive week of no loss-no gain], but I consider that a great victory, considering how very undisciplined I've been at meals lately.

I wonder if I'd been as matter-of-fact about healthy meals as I've been about working out if it might have made a difference. Mind over matter, or maybe matter over mind? It doesn't matter at all at this point – I'm very happy to report another stay-the-same.

And the cake? The cake was as delicious as it was gorgeous, and I can't wait to show you pictures of it. It was truly beautiful – pale pink with roses, ribbons and silver dragées. We were very careful to save the top layer, transporting it in a box, carrying it instead of letting it ride in the back of the car. When we finally opened the box at home to put it in the freezer, it had completely collapsed! We think the weight of the roses might have been too much for it. So we saved a couple slices from one of the larger layers and ate the remnants of the top for a Saturday night bedtime snack.

The favor we gave was a CD of our background music, and I don't think some of our guests realized the basket of CDs at the entrance were for them to take home. I have about 15 remaining. If you'd like an eclectic collection of Mr. and Mrs. Shrinking Knitter's favorite music – we have decidedly different musical tastes – just send an e-mail with "blessing music" as the subject line and your name and address to shrinkingknitter AT citynet DOT net. [You do know how to turn that into a real e-mail address, don't you?] I'll be happy to send one to you.

Now it's back to normal. The houseguests all left yesterday, and Mr. Shrinking Knitter has left for work. No events coming up in the near future. Today will be laundry and more laundry, along with thank-you notes and more thank-you notes. I especially want to thank those of you who stop by here regularly for sharing my happiness with me. I wish you could have been there in person.