random thoughts – Day 1,313 – (Saturday) – countdown

It’s crunch time on the countdown clock. The wedding of the eldest niece is Sunday, and Saturday was dedicated to errands and some details. 

Mom, middle niece, and I made an excursion to Burlington and TJ Maxx for a small, dressy purse, fancy bobby pins, body lotion, and a curling iron, all casualties of now regretted packing decisions. Mom made the reckless packing choice to skip a small, black purse, and I made the same decision against having an extra small purse, otherwise I would have had the spare she could borrow.

My skin is turning to dust in the dry air with the help of the forgotten lotion, and the unpacked curling iron was another major blunder. These were items remembered during the brief nap before leaving for the airport, and not remembered upon awakening at 2:00 AM.

Other blunders on my part include forgetting my earbuds, of which there are easily a half dozen in the kitchen drawer, and a sweatshirt. A new set of earbuds was bought on the flight from Boston and the sweatshirt faux pas was corrected at Goodwill several days ago.

Day five – distant clouds.

A short while after the first shopping excursion there was a lunch of leftover pizza and chicken wings from Friday’s “meet the parents” night. It was followed by my daring solo escape to Dollar Tree for a couple table cloths, napkins, plastic cups, some centerpiece elements, hair elastics, and a lip balm. A stop at The Salvation Army store was even snuck in, but once inside it turned out I wasn’t really in the mood.

During the bold solo trip, I saw something I hadn't seen here yet. On day five of the Vegas adventure,  there was a band of clouds in the distance and the occasional puffy cloud hovering over a hill. I'm told this is rare, unlike at home where I understand it is raining. Again. The Sunday forecast in Henderson includes wind. Ugh. 

Assembly operation calmly underway.

There was an afternoon project involving a wedding arch. The bridal couple assembled the structure, added greenery, added flowers. Then it was time for 15 yards of tulle and that’s where I came in. There was draping and fluffing and securing and even a step ladder that sent me back to the days of Kohl’s and climbing ladders. There may have been a tiny twinge of nostalgia for having a job that kept me in shape. 

During the assembly operation, there was not one cross word or loss of patience or stressed outburst, even when it was taking much longer than anticipated and I am impressed. The elders in my family are not always this calm and collected and we could learn a thing or two.