Jo helped wrap and pack all 32 of the bottle vases in my largest suitcase. We nestled 16 glass jar photo frames in a large shopping bag. These went in the trunk, along with Daniel's stoller. Then there were the flowers . . .
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| We left the roses at home. (I'd be making C's bouquet later that night.) But the bucket was full of fern, goldenrod, tiny aster daisies, and baby's breath. |
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| Gerber daisies traveled to Itaipu as well. |
. . . and the people . . .
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| Helio watched the Flower Crew: Cecilia, Daniel, Elisa, Jo, and the Gringa |
It was just about at this point where Helio made some comment about a "clown car." It certainly felt like a circus act. Troy handed the bright bunch of gerber daisies to Jo, seated in the back seat with Cecilia and Little Man in his car seat. The only other place for flowers would be on my lap. So, riding shotgun with our gracious driver, I balanced a bucket overflowing with blooms.
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| John chuckles as I part the foliage. Elisa needed a clear view of her rear-view mirror. |
Elisa had a 1 1/2 hour window of time before her hair appointment back in Icarai, so we got busy upon our arrival. Daniel cooperated by napping. Olga and Alice were there, preparing food for the party; Carlos and his handy helper were getting the outdoor venue in top shape. Jo filled the vases with water while C and I edited the original 3-bottle plan. Alice and Olga helped us decide to go with a wine bottle vase and recycled jar photo frame on each table. The mid-sized vessel was benched.
Jo, Cecilia, Elisa, and I filled the large bottle vases with loose individual arrangements. Each unique bottle held a gerber daisy and some combination of sword fern frond, snowy baby's breath, tiny white aster daisies, and/or goldenrod. C was happy with the final result. FTD's got nothin' on us!
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| Wine Bottle Vases with Unique Arrangements |
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| Flowers and Photo on Each Table |
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| Gerber, Fern, and Baby's Breath |
Since there was a big chance of rain for Friday evening and Saturday, we left the completed table decor in a storeroom. Olga had prepared coffee for us, so we paused briefly to catch our breath and visit. Elisa gave up hope of leaving Itaipu in time for her hair appointment.
What is usually a 45-minute drive turned into a 90-minute rush hour commute. Poor Elisa! In spite of my constant consumption of super-strong Hall's cough drops, I coughed and blew my nose in one of Daniel's cloth diaper burp rags. "Excuse me," the Gringa would say. Elisa would reply with a smile, "What if I don't?!" C, Jo, and I sang nursery rhymes to pass the time in traffic as the sun went down. Elisa delivered us to the apartment with hugs and kisses, and drove off to her waiting hairdresser.
I should have realized that this was a premonition of a hair appointment yet to come, but there was so much to do before my head hit the pillow. The bride and I consulted over her make-up, which I volunteered to do while Cecilia had her hair fixed at 8 in the morning. After Cecilia went to bed, I blissfully worked on Flora's flowers and C's bouquet, resolving to wrap the stems with lace-covered royal blue ribbon when we arrived at the church at 9 in the morning. Till then, the bouquets needed to stay fresh and safe in a bucket of water. I laid out my MOG attire, washed my hair in the shower, and set my alarm for 6 AM. The Gringa had a mission in the morning.
The bride had given me permission to be the "Schedule Police" on Saturday morning, and get her to the church on time.
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