Snacks, Wedding, Day at the Beach

"I think you just wrote the title for tomorrow's entry, Jeri," laughed Tom.

We were sitting around the big pool having a "planning meeting" at the amazing house Phil's mother had rented in the Hope Ranch Luxury Estates area of Santa Barbara. (I told her I felt like I should go home and change into fancier clothes before going into the house, or at the very least enter by the servants' door!).

We were trying to figure out the structure of how Saturday is going to go. Jeri said something like, "So have we decided? It's Snacks. Wedding. Day at the Beach." Pretty much we decided that things will fall into place without a lot of pre-planning. Once we figured out how much food we were going to buy, there wasn't much more to really plan. It would be just what Jeri and Phil want: snacks, wedding, and a party on the beach.

Things began to kick into, if not "high" gear, at least medium high gear today. I went to Michael's craft store to get some cake supplies. I had misplaced my sheet cake pan at home and brought my next biggest one, but was worried we would not have enough cake, but they had a sheet cake pan there, so I now have a new one. I also finally have new green food coloring, which I keep forgetting to buy.

I had spoken to Tom earlier in the day about picking up his big mixer, since Alice Nan doesn't have the heavy duty one I need. He had let me know that if I came by in the morning, I could just pick it up off the porch because they were having severe "sleep issues" with Bri and he didn't want to disturb that. But if I came at 2:30 she should be awake and in good spirits.

After I finished at Michael's, I had a couple of hours to kill, so I met Jeri and we got supplies for the guest gift she wants to give at the wedding. Then I still had an hour and a half to kill, so I went down to the beach and had lunch.

Remember Sambo's restaurants? It was a well known pancake chain, but they all (we thought) disappeared many years ago when people decided that a restaurant based on the children's story of "Little Black Sambo" was not politically correct. However, the "Orginal" Sambo's is here in Santa Barbara, right across from the beach and there was a parking spot right in front of it. I decided I was meant to go there!

The first thing I noticed was that Sambo apparently isn't black any more, which is, I guess, how they get away with keeping the name and logo.

I ordered eggs benedict and was pleasantly surprised in that they were the best I've had in a long time. You could actually taste the lemon in the hollandaise, the English muffin wasn't soggy, and the Canadian bacon was a nice thick-ish piece.

When I finished lunch, I still had time to kill, so drove around by Mission Santa Barbara and up into the hills. Finally at 2:30 on the dot, I arrived at Tom's house, just as he was arriving. But Bri wasn't there. Apparently the nanny had taken her out for a walk, so I didn't get to see her. Again. "Too bad, Ma," Tom said. "Guess you'll have to wait for tonight."

I knew what that would mean -- Bri would be fussy, because it was her fussy time. And she was. But I did get to hold her for a couple of minutes anyway, before she went back home for her bottle and sleep.

I was sad to realize that my favorite baby age--about 3 months, when they stare at you and give you big smiles--is now gone. She's too old. When I was here and she was that age, I never got to see her. I'm feeling like the unknown grandparent. I think I need to go watch Father's Little Dividend again. I can identify with Spencer Tracy.

I am such a stranger to this little girl I've waited for for so long that the second she sees me she starts to cry. Walt has had the opportunity to spend more time with her because he's spent so much time here with his mother. I have never yet had the experience of looking Bri in the face and having her smile at me. Not once. She's nearly five months old, and at the age when strangers scare her. I looked at her tonight, she looked away and immediately the lip came out and she started to cry. The only reason I was able to hold her was because it took her a couple of minutes to realize it was not her Dad who was holding her.

Maybe things will be different when/if they have their second baby.

But anyway, Laurel took Bri home to get her ready for bed and Tom stayed to help with the wedding plans. Jeri drew a chart to help explain what they thought would happen on Saturday.

It's all going to be fine, and funny (someone suggested all 100+ guests play "Here Comes the Bride" on the kazoo) and loving and we'll all have a great time.

We had a lovely dinner at the mansion with Phil's mom and her god-sister Kathy (who made a fabulous dinner!) and then stopped at the store for cake supplies I'd forgotten when I was there earlier.

Now I just need to make the cake. I bought 8 cake mixes, 16 lbs of powdered sugar, 4 lbs of Crisco and about $45 worth of cake supplies and I'm all set for the bake-a-thon tomorrow.