Oil can

Before heading off to see the wizard, the tin man was stuck.  He could only creak out the words oil can to Dorothy and Toto, who then lubricated his joints so he could move.  Once properly oiled, the tin man was practically gymnastic.

I woke up this morning very early and felt a lot like I needed an oil can.  I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't find a comfortable pose.  I was stuck like the tin man.  Still, it was worth it.  Cas and I are wrapping up the best wedding reception I have ever attended, and I think a lot of our guests agree.

On Friday night, we kicked off the string of events with a trip to a somewhat swanky bowling alley.  Pinstack has a menu of good food, a selection of nice drinks and a lot of activities to do,  We rented out four bowling lanes and a fair amount of shoes, and nearly everyone seemed to have fun.  It was a nice night, and at the end of it, Cas and I hosted our first house guests.  We came back with my aunt Jane and my cousin Annie.  They were so pleasant and easy to have around.  They even made up the bed before taking off this morning.  

Saturday, we started out with a trip to an indoor ropes course and activity center.  We played something called archery tag and a game of glow in the dark dodge ball, and I watched my dad zipline.  Of course, I did it too, but that's no surprise.  It was a hell of a day, and I imagine a fair number of our guests walked away with some new bruises.  I haven't checked yet, but I generally end up with a few.  Kris caught me in the act on a tightrope.  

We spent from noon to three getting all sweaty and having a great time.  The whole weekend was supposed to give our guests a glimpse into a day in the life of Heather and Cas.  Cas figured we weren't giving any of them a wedding to attend, and he didn't want to ask people to fly in from out of state just to eat fajitas.  It was brilliant.  I know most of the people there were having a great time.  It sure did win points for uniqueness.  I've never been to a reception with a rope bridge or a rock wall before.  I'm calling it a win. 

Last night, we were at Ozona.  I wanted casual, and we got casual.  Cas and I both wore shorts.  We had a room with its adjoining patio for the evening, so the flowers went inside and the games went on the tables outside.  Inside, everything was gorgeous.  The flowers were bright and pretty and very tropical.  There were a pair of orchid leis for me and Cas, and the florist even thought to put a few large leaves on some of the tables as a decoration.  Outside, we had some connect four boards, a few Jenga sets and a lot of other stuff.  There were some real dollar store specials, too, and at the end of the night, we gave most of it to kids, people who have kids or people who work with kids.  I wanted to keep a Jenga.  Hey, it's my party, right?  

The night was perfect, the people were all eating, drinking and being merry- I was very pleased with how everything turned out.  The cake was spectacular, which is a bit of a surprise, given how it came to the location.  I got a call at about 4:30 from an extremely apologetic and slightly panicked man.  He owns the bakery that made the wedding cake and the groom's cake.  The delivery driver was in an accident.  He said that in the whole 16 years he's been in business, this has never happened.  They were working on making a new cake, but it wouldn't arrive until seven or so.  He felt terrible for interrupting me.  He figured (because this is usually the case) that I was getting married, and didn't need the additional worry.  I told him I had been married for a week and a half- he wasn't interrupting a ceremony or anything.  I was just getting ready for the reception.  Apparently, I was just the kind of person he needed to talk to.  I told him we didn't even eat dinner until 7:30, so it was totally okay.  I just wanted a cake.  Perhaps he was expecting outrage.  I didn't have any to give.  Instead, I wanted to know if the driver was okay.  It was all good.  He showed up with the wedding cake and the groom's cake right about at seven- maybe a little before, and they both looked great.  Even better, they tasted great.  He seemed to appreciate my ability to keep it together.  I am guessing a man in the business of making wedding cakes isn't used to such an attitude.  I was happy, though.  I had my cake.  No biggie.  

We have one last thing to do- today is the open house for anyone who wants to stop by and see the place.  We're doing mimosas and pastries.  I also cut up a little fruit.  You almost have to...  It's been a pretty great weekend.  I can't believe I have to go back to work this Friday.  It's cruel to make us go in for one day, then have a weekend, then go in for a week to follow.  Cruel and unusual.  That's okay- I could actually use the down time.  At least in a training session, I can sit still, but for now, I have to get back to it.  This house isn't going to get itself ready for guests, no matter how long I wait.  Now, where's that oil can?