Rehearsal Dinner

    Tonight was the rehearsal dinner for our friend, Danielle Toone. Danielle used to work in the Bonneville County Jail at the same time Scott worked on patrol. I met Danielle a few times in passing but it was not until after she was no longer employed by the jail that she and I became good friends. Her daughter, Bailie, and Ashlynn are only a few months a part. Bailie and Ashlynn used to go to Diane's Earlycare together, but unfortunately Bailie did not make the cut off to be in the same grade as Ashlynn. They do go to the same school and get to play together before school and see each other in passing throughout the day. Danielle understands well the crazy schedule we keep and has been a life saver many times with tending Daniel so I could sleep or attend class. Danielle and I have hung out many times during the kids' play dates. All three kiddos get along very well. All of this to say, Danielle has become a great friend of our family over the past few years and asked me to be a bride's maid in her wedding. Of course I readily agreed.
    Tonight was the rehearsal dinner. The wedding is to take place in Danielle's mother's beautiful backyard. The backyard is just perfect for a wedding having a huge arboretum in the back third of the yard, gorgeous rock beds with flowers and trees, and a paved rock pathway winding from the house up to the arboretum. 
    They bride and groom decided to have a potluck and requested everyone bring a side dish - they provided hot dogs and bratwursts. I made my yummy, delicious, gooey macaroni and cheese. I filled a 2 1/2 quart container and only brought 1/3 of that home - I think it was a hit! Before we could eat, the bride put all of the men to work  taking the last load of large river rock to the flower beds. During that task, it began to rain. And then poured. And then the lightning came. And more rain. The party was quickly moved inside. Chief Rachel came out in me and I had the kids in the living room playing "Bull Frog," freeze dance (a new one for me), and 4 corners (also a new one). The kids were thrilled to have someone pay attention to them.
    Once the meat was cooked, we quickly took care of our starving kids, then set to work helping to set up the chairs for the wedding. Once that was done, it was had gotten dark, but there was still a rehearsal to take place! After everyone was paired up and we began discussing the order in which it should go (Does the matron of honor go first or last? Does the first person down the aisle stand on the outside or inside? When does the flower girl go down the aisle?). Thankfully the bride's mother came to the rescue and made some much needed executive decisions and we were able to begin the rehearsal. The tricky part was doing the split. Headed down the walkway to the arboretum, the pathway divides to go around a tree. Who knew that could be so difficult.

    Luckily I was voted the first down the aisle and was able to start the rehearsal off to a good start. After I had gone down the aisle, Daniel took off running towards me and from that point on, I had to carry him. I'm hoping that tomorrow Daniel will be content to sit and watch. We are all hoping that the rain will hold off for the ceremony because there is no plan B. As it stands the yard is rather drenched and the chairs are all sunken into the mud. Daniel and some other boys found a low point in the yard that had turned into a small lake. I'm hoping their play tonight will not leave a mud hole once the water evaporates.
    I am rather thankful that when Scott and I got married we chose an indoor venue. Were I getting married outside tomorrow, I would not get a wink of sleep because I would be begging and pleading God to stave off the rain. As it is, I am going to head to bed enjoying the rumbling thunder, the gentle pitter patter of the rain on my metal roof, and my yard turning greener and greener.