Before the Wedding - the Rehearsel Dinner

After a long year of anticipation, it hardly seems possible that the wait is over and I'm a mother-in-law.  I loved this year's Mother's Day card from Alex and Laura:

What can I say, the wedding was the most beautiful I've ever attended.  I admit to a certain amount of predjudice, of course.  I'll be posting some pictures.

Elmira ( the wonderful lady, without whom I could not have raised my boys since being a sexual assault nurse examiner for the city and county of San Francisco meant having to leave home at every hour of the day and night and never knowing when one would return! ) and I left for Sacramento about 11AM on Thursday, May 6, 2010, an incredibly beautiful sunny day and made the trip in two hours.  We went first to Laura and Alex's home so I could see my granddogs. 

Taffy and Bucky seemed to sense that something was in the air.  While everyone paid attention to them, they were clearly not the top priority as they usually are!

Bucky looks a little sad in this photo!  Even though his Uncle Jeremy and beautiful Katie would be staying with them when Alex and Laura spent their wedding night at a nice Sacramento hotel.

Taffy decided to give Mommy's face a lick for good measure....ummm, this makeup tastes good!

Since the boys were off to pick up their tuxedos, we girls thought we should find a place for lunch.  Laura just couldn't sit still, anyway.  We headed to downtown Sacramento and Ma Jong's.  The rest of the city seemed to have the same idea since it was pretty crowded. 

Here I am with beautiful Laura - you can see how lucky Alex is!

Here are Elmira, Katie ( Jeremy's lovely girlfriend ) and Laura

Carmen and Elmira

Laura and Katie

Laura's Thai basil chicken chow fun ( she didn't eat very much! )

Ma's eggplant with shrimp ( I had no problem finishing mine! )

Elmira chose Shanghai noodle soup ( there was plenty of this left over )

We dropped Laura off at home, then headed to the Hampton Inn in Elk Grove to take a little nap and get ready for the rehearsel dinner which was held at Bucca de Beppo in Sacramento.  Laura's great aunt and grandmother were at the hotel so we all had a cup of tea together before nap time.  My brother, Charley, and his wife, Susan, had arrived from Atlanta, much to my delight so Alex would have some family on his side at the wedding.  I really appreciated their making the trip. 

We had a great evening at Bucca de Beppo.  The menu was incredible and there was so much food and myriad dishes - gnocchi, eggplant parmagiana, some sort of linguini, ribs - I can't remember it all.  The wines we chose were excellent - Chateau St. Jean chardonnay and an Italian blend I still can't remember - sangiovese, merlot and cabernet that got a Best Buy and a 90 in the Wine Spectator.  

The wedding party opened their gifts from the bride and groom-to-be and we left filled with happiness and good wishes for this lovely couple.

 Laura and Alex

Trudi, Laura's grandmother

Mandy, Laura's maid of honor

Christine, Laura's mother

I can't remember if this lovely young lady's name is Lani or Nani!

Jeremy ( the groom's brother ) and his lovely girlfriend, Katie

Alex with Susan Henesy, his aunt from Georgia

Collin, reading his card

Laura, Alex and Elmira

Tomorrow I'll post the shots of the wedding.  I'm hoping to get permission from some of the other relatives, who took incredible pictures, to use them in my blog.  Not only did I get a beautiful daughter from this marriage, I now have an extended family which is so wonderful for me.  Aside from my brother, Charley and my sister-in-law ( she's really more like a sister ), a half brother, John, and an aunt Jane, both of whom we rarely see, the Henesy clan is very short on family.  It is wonderful to have met so many great folks to whom Laura is related.