Whew! I haven’t been able to blog lately because of the interminable checklists for Christmas and the December wedding of my daughter, on top of daily life as a Mormon homeschool mom with a gaggle of kids wanting to stay healthy and somewhat organized. We had a fun outing to the big city last weekend with three parties to attend, one for my husband’s work, one for my kids’ homeschool friends, and one for my dear friend. During the trip we gathered around the electronic hearth (a laptop) in the the hotel room to watch Father of the Bride. My kids had never seen it before! I’ve been saving it for such an opportune time as this. I’m so glad my daughter and her fiance got to watch it with us. I’ve always loved this movie! It came out the year I got married. It sure helped me understand what my dad was going through. Now that my daughter is getting married I relate to it as a mom instead of as a bride. I feel similar things that Steve Martin’s character feels, even though I’m a mom. I even forgot my future son-in-law’s name at a recent party, just like George does in the movie. I love his facial expressions as he eyes his daughter’s honey! So pricelessly funny! During my multitasking of watching the movie and Christmas shopping on Amazon I did take time to catch some of those and laugh at them. The video below shows one of them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about family and branches and intermingling of clans and family roles and traditions surrounding holidays and weddings, ever since my friend’s daughter got married in October, which I got to witness. I love it all! It gets so messy and chaotic and imperfect and frustrating but it’s an awesome, thrilling, worthwhile adventure for sure. My whole daughter’s life I have told her never to get married in December. It’s cold. it’s inconvenient. It’s stressful. People don’t have as much money to buy you presents! But here we are, it’s happening! I had to surrender to her future step-father-in law’s plans, which made it impossible to do the wedding in Oct or Nov. Yes, believe it or not, part of family life, especially expanding family life, is adjusting to the needs of other people. I had to finally agree to let go to the schedule of a complete stranger so he could be at the blessed event. It’s hard to believe that in a blink of an eye 22 years have passed and my baby girl is getting married! We had our last “mentor meeting” yesterday before she enters married life.

I’d love to pass on any advice you wise, thoughtful ones have out there. What do you wish you had known before you got married, or left on the honeymoon? Please comment below and keep it PG :-).

OK, I just had to vent all that before I went ballistic like Steve/George in the scene below. I feel better now and can resume the checklists.