I Don't Get Out Much

A week ago my mother and I attended a bridal shower, about an hour or so away. One of my cousins is marrying a wonderful woman, and his aunts hosted a shower for her. The aunts happen to also be my cousins.

JoMarie and Patty, my "classy" cousins

Confused yet?

If you're not, then you must be italian. That's all I can say. We use the term "cousin" to refer to first cousin, second cousin, third cousin, once removed, twice removed, hundred times removed. We're pretty much ALL just family.

The "aunts," aka my cousins Patty and JoMarie, are classy ladies. They don't do anything half-way. When I received the invitation for the shower, I knew it wasn't going to just be a gathering at someone's house where we have sandwiches, chips, and cake. They like to do things with grace and style, and believe me, they did.

The shower was held in a little place that does special events and catering. The setting was intimate, yet not too crowded. There were around 32 people there and we all fit just fine, with room to walk around the tables.

There were two bottles of wine on each table...a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Not being a wine connoisseur myself, I stuck with ice water. Besides, I was driving. My mom, however, enjoys a good glass of wine or two...or three. I didn't want to cut into her supply. (she's gonna yell at me for saying that)

The italian genes skipped me when it came to wine and spicy food. I've had a rough time dealing with the feeling of being overlooked, but with continued therapy, I may come to terms with it eventually, sigh.

So, back to the shower. This was no buffet, let me tell you. We were actually served each course. Before the salad was placed before us, we had huge cloth napkins in pewter napkin rings. Oh MY...very classy indeed. The salad had several varieties of lettuce, tomato, a cube of cheese, slivered almonds and cranberries, with italian dressing. I was amazed at the flavor the cranberries gave the salad! The rolls were fabulous too.

Then came the entrees...OH.MY.

We had a side of tortellini with a parmesan sauce, along with baked chicken breast with capers, and green beans. I'm not a huge capers fan, but each and every bite of everything else was absolutely delicious. I could go on and on about each thing, but it would only make you cry because you weren't there to share in the feast, so I'll be thoughtful and considerate and just leave the entree at that.

My mom, and her sister, my Aunt D, and if you look closely enough, you can see the crumbs of the wonderful food.

After eating, we watched Carrie open her gifts. She received so many nice things, and they were useful too. She didn't get things that will be shoved in the back of the closet, only to be seen when the closet gets cleaned out.

Carrie received really nice gifts!

As she was finishing up with the gifts, the dessert came out.

If you're hungry right now, you probably should just stop reading and check back another day, because it's about to get intense.

The cheesecake was honestly the BEST cheesecake I've ever had. It was light and fluffy and had such a wonderful flavor. In the middle of it was just a dot of raspberry something or other. (I also missed out on the "classy" gene and therefore, have no idea what it was, but it tasted like raspberry) AND on the side of the plate was the most delicate, juicy, robust chocolate covered strawberry! Honestly, the dessert was almost indescribable.

Assolutamente delizioso!

The nice thing about events like this (other than the obvious) is that generations of women get together and talk, getting caught up with each other, sharing laughs, and there were some real laughs going on that day.

Dinah is on the left. She's 91 years old! She used to have a restaurant and told me that every time we went there when I was little, all I wanted was chicken. And I distinctly remember that too. Chicken, and Salem potato chips. Patty, one of the "classy" hosts is in the center, along with another cousin Anna. Doesn't Anna have the prettiest smile?

My cousin Davene had just finished telling me about her upcoming trip to South America. She's been to Africa twice. I keep telling her that when I go on vacation, I want HOT and COLD running water, flush toilets, a shower, air conditioning, maid service, and restaurants. She insisted that they had all those things in Africa.

Yeah, right.

Here is Anna again, with Carrie, the bride-to-be, and Carrie's mom.

We really had a nice time at the shower and I'm so glad that I went.

I'll let you in on a little secret now...I usually avoid baby and bridal showers at all costs. They are definitely not my thing. However, when Patty and JoMarie are involved, count me in!

Those ladies know how to throw a great party! I think they should get into this line of work when they retire from their real jobs. Apparentlt, they especially do a great job at picking out wine. Of course it took quite a while to find just the right wines. They worked really hard at taste testing each and every flavor...multiple times. But being the perfectionists they are, they stuck with the task until they found something that met their expectations.

This was my "big" excursion for the summer, believe it or not. Keep in mind, that is by choice. I don't like to go places while I'm off work. I prefer to stay home, in my own little world, with everything else going on around me.

BUT, I'm so glad I went...I had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone.

The wedding is in September, and it will be yet another opportunity to get together with all the cousins and have a wonderful time!