Molli helps Ray get the gift cards ready

We all ate pancakes with maple syrup and then played Hearts for a little while. Ray had to go to the Fellowship and my Dad went home to take his pills and get dressed, etc. Molli and Amelia and I walked to the community center and discussed where we would have tables for the reception and how many we would need, etc.

All of a sudden, it was 11:30. We had to hurry home, shower and dress. Molli finished packing. Ray came back and got us and we met my dad at Five and Ten for Brunch. It was really good and fun and not as expensive as most Five & Ten meals. I had Eggs Benedict--on potato latkes! I also had a great whiskey sour, Captain had a Bloody Mary and Molli had a Mimosa that she loved. We left there about 10 minutes later than intended, my dad to drive to my house, the rest of us to the Atlanta airport.

We had to stop at Kroger so Molli could buy big chunks of Velveeta for her co-worker, Deanna. Apparently, you can't get it in Mexico and she really likes it. Weird. Then we were another 10 minutes later than planned. Ray got really sleepy at one point and pulled off to lelt me drive, unusual, but I was glad to do it. I hate driving while fighting sleep and it's good to know that he was comfortable letting me drive. He did actually sleep for 15 minutes or so. There was horrible traffic where they are doing road work almost to the airport and we lost some more time, but fortunately, we had built in an extra 30-60 minutes, so we were fine. Molli got checked in and we spent a few minutes together drinking coffee (Ray and Molli) and talking.

Ray's fruit side dish

Amelia and Ray and I stopped at Ikea and looked at a few things for the wedding. There were some forks we would have bought that were about the same cost as renting them, but we would have to get spoons and knives too. And none of us really needs silverware for 100+ people! (It's the DRAGON pattern.) The little pots we were planning to buy were off-white instead of white and they are bigger than we wanted. As Amelia pointed out, that's a good thing because transporting 100 of them home might be challenging. We got a couple white trays that Amelia liked. Walking through IKEA is pretty exhausting and I didn't have my running shoes on. But we did find a few useful things and talked about buying a storage wall for the study. I hope I get a job this week or next! Ray was hungry, but the line was long to buy a hot dog, so we left. There were cookies and nuts in the car to tide him over. It was after 8 when we got home, but we had leftover rice and beans, macaroni and cheese and pork to eat.

But the day was not over. Amelia and I went to talk to Gloria about 9 when she got home from work--she said it was her hardest day ever! They have a 1500 piece puzzle of beer bottles that they have been working on since Christmas. It is a bear, but I put in a few pieces while we were tallking. She got herself a drink and we talked wedding. It's amazing. She has access to chairs and tables and lots more things. She knows a liquor store owner who will order whatever she wants. Lots of trays, chafing dishes and hotel pans, party lights and extension cords...She has bartenders that work for her we can hire for $10/hr, and she will make an incredible fruit centerpiece, using risers Tom built her, greens, and the carnations Janna is buying for the rehearsal dinner. She had strong feelings about everything and it was fascinating to see Amelia negotiating with her. She loves Molli and Adrian and would do anything for them and is really glad we are letting her do this...etc. She turns 62 soon and is glad she can start collecting social security. We checked the calendar and she doesn't have to work Friday or Saturday. Amelia and I finally got home and went to bed about 11:30, but it was awhile before I could fall asleep. I woke up at 3:30 and 5:30, but felt a little better when I woke up at 7 and it was starting to be light.

We are making tons of progress on our plans! And it's exciting!