The Big Party!

Two weks and counting until the big party we have been planning for the past several months. The garden is about as ready as it is going to be. The menu is planned. The kids have their tickets and will soon be flying over for the celebration of their engagement.

They have already moved on to the next step long ago--the wedding. In fact part of their time spent here will be shopping for the perfect wedding dress. Shops all the way from Seattle to Bellingham have been located on the map and the plan of attack set in place. Hopefully, by the time Kate actually arrives home, after a couple of days of shopping, the dress will have been purchased. Check!



Then we can all throw ourselves into the preparation of the party on Saturday. The band, the Julian McDonough trio, who played at our 30th anniversary blow out last summer, will return at Kate and Nick's request, to play into the evening. They play the hottest jazz in the area and everyone loved their playing last year.

We have settled on the menu and at Kate's request we will have:

• Barbequed Chinook Salmon (I caught on my recent fishing trip to Canada)
• Roasted Red Northwest Potatoes
• Northwest Micro-Green Salad with Oregonzola Bleu Chees and Granny Smith Apples
• Northwest Bumbleberry Cobblers

Lots of Northwest wines and micro-brews will be on hand so the party should go splendidly.

80 of our family's closest friends have RSVP'ed and plan to help celebrate into the night.

So how do we top that? What's next?

Well, the wedding venue is settled--The Ashton Court Estate on the outskirts of Bristol. Check!

The invitations are sent, the band hired, the menu set, the wedding party all set, the checks are in the mail and plans for flying to the U.K. all done. Check!

So we wait for Kate and Nick's arrival in another week so we can have a few moments of precious time with them and we await the celebration of the biggest occasion in the life of two people who have committed their lives to one another. We are excited, anxious, nervous (mostly the father of the bride speech is causing that) and so proud. Here's to the happy couple--Cheers!