Of Nightmares and Weddings

Saturday was the long awaited wedding day of our two friends, Emily and Jason. I volunteered to make the baked beans for the reception. Beans for 300? No problem. Let me tell you, a couple of days before the wedding, I actually had a nightmare about those beans. I woke up in a cold sweat because I hadn't been able to get the beans ready in time for the big event.
That nightmare almost became a reality on Saturday. Our family was actually clean, dressed in wedding clothes and in the van by our goal departure time, so we started out well. We had a forty five minute drive to the farm where the wedding was to be held. On the way, we stopped to use the bathroom at a little restaurant. I knew we'd be shaving it really close if we stopped, but I really didn't want to have to use the port-a-potties at the wedding location. I called into the back of the van before I got out, "Anyone have to go potty? Now's the time." One of my littles, who shall remain nameless, but who wears a mustache, took me up on my offer. He went into one of the stalls of the ladies bathroom. I waited. And waited. And waited. Oh yes, it's only when you NEED to be at a wedding location NOW so that you can cook the beans for 300 people that your son decides that he should take the time to get his business done.
We finally got back on the road again. When we arrived at the farm, my family unloaded all the stuff while I got started on the beans. I had four 18 quart electric roasters, but was told I could only use one. "Well, that's going to be a problem," I thought. Thankfully the son of the farm owner got some more extension cords hooked up for me. With Matt's help, I successfully loaded the four roasters and got them cooking. Yay for unflappable husbands!Despite the chilly, windy weather, the wedding was beautiful. Emily and Jason love the Lord Jesus very much and their wedding was completely centered around Him. What an incredible testimony. After the ceremony, the reception got underway. Grace and Elizabeth helped serve the wedding feast. The little boys swung on the tire swings (who cares about wedding food when there's tire swings?) and Matt and I finally got settled down with Isaac and our plates to relax a bit. The thing that really struck me about the wedding was how happy all the guests were. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling and laughing. I think people were just tickled to be a part of a celebration marking the beginning of a very special young couple's life together. I know our family was. And for my part, I was glad the Great Bean Project of 2012 was complete.