Here Comes The Bride - Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Vukasinovic, May 7, 2010

I can't say much more about the wedding than that it was one of the most beautiful days of my life.  Everything seemed perfect to me.  Of course, Laura was the prettiest bride I've ever seen and my, son, Alex, was at his most handsome.  Jeremy, my baby, at 6'4", was pretty darn good looking, as well.  The setting, Scribner Vineyards, was just outstanding for an outdoor wedding.  The staff were so nice and the vineyards, with the vines, the lovely arbors filled with white roses, were very special.  The Lord couldn't have given us a nicer day - though, as the sun set, it got a little bit chllier outside.

Along with a beautiful daughter, I acquired an incredible family!  Some of these photographs were contributed by them - Robert Winterhalter and BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi.

The ceremony was scheduled for 5:30PM but Laura invited me to join her, her mother, and the ladies of the bridal party while they got ready.  I arrived with a couple of bottles of Moet and Chandon for pre-wedding toasts and to lessen a bit of the anxiety I knew Laura was feeling that everything would not go perfectly ( it did ).  It was so wonderful for me, the mother of three boys, to have that experience.

Mom, Christine, is watching the final touches for bridesmaid, Lindsay, and maid of honor,

Mandy

Laura, checking things out

The bridal bouquet - prepared by the flower department at the Safeway in Davis - they did all the flowers.  Okay, I was surprised as well.  My son, Alex, has worked there since he started college ( not in the floral department ), almost eight years, now, I think, so he decided to give them the business.  They did a fabulous job!

Kaleyah

Mandy, maid of honor, and Christine, mother of the bride

Isn't she beautiful?

Mandy helps!

Christine, watching her daughter dress

Pretty Nani, the flower girl

Having some Martinelli

Laura and Kaleyah ( Nani )

The rings

Laura, Mandy, and Lindsay by Robert Winterhalter

With my sons, Alex and Jeremy, and ring bearer, Collin

With Susan Henesy, my sister-in-law

The boys with me and Elmira, who cared for them much of their life

Charles and Susan Henesy, my brother and sister-in-law, from Georgia

Escorted to my seat by Alex, by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi

A kiss from my son

My son, Jeremy, with Mandy and Lindsay

The Vukasinovic Brothers

Waiting for the bride by Robert Winterhalter

Mom walking the bride down the "aisle" by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi

Happy groom as he sees his bride in her gown for the first time! by R. Winterhalter

The bride's family

The girls and Alex

The ceremony

What is she thinking?

The look of love

Proud mama

The kiss by Robert Winterhalter

The kiss by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Vukasinovic

The wedding party by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi

Our families

Happy couple by BenJen Kaufman Kavoosi

A toast from brother, Jeremy

Listerning to my poem

Dinner in the vineyards

Carmen and her brother, Charley

The first dance as husband and wife

Mother - son dance

Alex and Jeremy by Robert Winterhalter

As the festivities drew to a close, we all gathered around to wish the couple a lifetime of joy and happiness, filled with blessings - may they always cherish and love each other as they did on their wedding day.

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. 

My Wedding Poem for Laura and Alex - read at the reception by me

For

Laura Winterhalter

and

Alexander Vukasinovic

on the Occasion of their Wedding

May 7, 2010

 

I’m thrilled there is a wedding,

At least, Shawn’s off the hook!

He’s always dragged his heels,

And never done things by the book.

When Alex made his debut,

Long hair all askew,

I worried then, he’d never find,

A nice girl such as you.

Once you got that hair tamed,

You really were quite sweet,

And you could be forgiven all,

When you’d massage my feet!

You, with your dirty leppy,

Were really kind of smart,

Will you ever finish college?

You’ve got down the student part!

Testosterone flowed like water,

Our house would groan and shake,

Three sons who loved each other,

Were like a 6 point quake.

At last, girls were discovered,

And things began to change,

My bulky, muscular athletes,

Began to act quite strange.

At times, they minded manners,

And even gave up jeans

It made life almost liveable,

At the last half of their teens.

One day, I had a phone call,

Alex had met a girl,

He didn’t tell me all that much,

But his heart seemed in a whirl.

Laura was a classmate,

In his fire technology class,

She seemed someone special,

She probably helped him pass.

Next, he said she was moving in,

But she would have to pay her rent,

That’s my Alex for you,

He always had a practical bent!

I was overjoyed, of course,

What mother wouldn’t be,

I kept hoping the dummy would marry her,

I wanted this girl in my family!

I would broach the subject with him,

You can’t let her get away,

He kept giving me reassurances,

“Don’t worry, I’ll marry her someday.”

Next, they bought a house,

And went searching for a pet,

And, much to my frustration,

No wedding plan forthcoming yet!

At last, I got the call,

It was a happy day,

But, when I asked the wedding date,

It was a year away!

Now it’s finally done,

And I’m blessed to be a part,

As our two beloved children,

Make this very special start.

We wish you lasting happiness,

And a life of love and joy,

And it would please me greatly,

To have a grandchild, girl and boy!

Carmen Henesy

May 7, 2010

Mother of the Groom

Wedding pictures, of course, will be posted when I get home from Sacramento and I can explain the poem since some of it may seem a bit bizarre!

It was a magnificent day from start to finish.  Weather was pefect.  Scribner Vineyards was a beautiful setting for this outdoor evening wedding, in the midst of miles of growing grapes and lush arbors of white roses.  Laura looked radiant and so beautiful and Alex and his brother, Jeremy, were too handsome for words.  The food was excellent and a good time was had by all.  I managed to read my poem without crying ( Jeremy lost a bet and owes his girlfriend $200! )

What really touched me the most was that Alex chose a different song than the one I had requested  for our mother-son dance.  He had asked the DJ for a song I'd never heard, "Thank You, Mom" by Good Charlotte.  Now, back at the hotel, I'm reading the lyrics and I am really crying!  What a wonderful son I have ( actually, all three are great ).  Jeremy did a superb job of standing by his brother during the the wedding preparations but big brother, Shawn, with the Air Force in Germany, was missed.  Later, in the evening, the DJ did play my dear friend, Sony Holland singing "At Last" and I had a dance with Jeremy while Alex and Laura danced.  It was a perfect end to a joyous day.

Here are the lyrics to "Thank You, Mom" in case you haven't heard it.

GOOD CHARLOTTE LYRICS

"Thank You Mom"

Always, Always and Forever [x2]

I'm sitting here

I'm thinking back to a time when I was young

My memory is clear as day

I'm listening to the dishes clink

You were downstairs

you would sing

songs of praise

And all the times we laughed with you

And all the times that you stayed true to us

Now we'll say, I said I thank you

I'll always thank you

More than you would know

Than I could ever show

And I love you

I'll always love you

There's nothing I won't do

to say these words to you

That you're beautiful forever

Always, Always and forever

you were my mom, you were my dad

The only thing I ever had was you, it's true

And even when the times got hard you were there

To let us know that we'd get through

you showed me how to be a man

You taught me how to understand

the things people do

You showed me how to love my God

You taught me that not everyone

knows the truth

And I thank you

I'll always thank you

More than you would know

Than I could ever show

And I love you

I'll always love you

There's nothing I won't do

to say these words to you

That you will live forever

Forever and ever [x2]

[x2:]

I said I thank you

I'll always thank you

More than you would know

Than I could ever show

And I love you

I'll always love you

There's nothing I won't do

to say these words to you

That you will live forever

"P" Is For Pooped - Alphabe Thursday, 5-6-10

"P" Is For Pooped - Alphabe Thursday, 5-6-10

I am nowhere near finished with all I have to do before heading to Sacramento tomorrow morning.  I'd better make a list or I'm sure I'll forget something, like my shoes for the wedding.  I did get out today to Costco and buy all the wine for the rehearsel dinner.  Though the restaurant charges $15/bottle corkage fee, I was able to get a good Italian blend, which got a 90 and Best Buy in the Wine Spectator for less than the least expensive bottle at the restaurant, even with a corkage fee!  I just finished the poster board with the photos of the bride and groom at various stages in their lives - got a little teary, at times, looking through all Alex's photos. 

I am so pooped right now, I'm thinking maybe I should just go on to bed and get up at 5AM and pack.  I do hope everyone understands that I may be a little slow in getting around to reading blogs and responding to comments.  I'll catch up on Sunday and Monday when all the wedding stuff is over.  I kind of think maybe I shouldn't have tried one of theose bottles of wine this evening but I did need to sample it to make sure it was good enough for the rehearsel dinner, right???

Pooped I may be but I am so excited that, at this time, Friday night, I will be a mother-in-law!

A Forensic Jaunt to Contra Costa County

Yesterday, I took the whole day off to play forensic nurse escort to a lovely journalist from Norway who is in San Francisco, with colleagues.  She writes for two nursing magazines in her country where they do not yet have forensic nursing and she wanted to know more about this speciality.  Her goal was  to see programs in our area and to possibly "shadow" a forensic nurse at work.  When she had no response to posted pleas for assistance, she contacted our International Association of Forensic Nurses and one of our Canadian board members contacted me.  I was able to enlist the help of a wonderful physician, pediatrician, Dr. James Carpenter, in Contra Costa County, where I was the SART Coordinator a number of years ago.  I picked Kari Anne up at 10AM and we made the fifty mile drive to Martinez.  It was an absolutely spectacular day and Highway 4 was green and glistening.  Kari Anne said she had spoken to her husband in Norway earlier and snow was knee deep at home so I'm sure she appreciated our marvelous weather.

We met Pat Tinker, the coordinator of the Children's Advocacy Center for Contra Costa County ( Pat formerly held the same position in San Francisco ) for lunch so she was able to acquaint Kari Anne with the role that agency plays in the forensic world.  From lunch, we went to Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and spent two hours with Dr. Carpenter who, as always, did a wonderful job of talking about issues relating to both child sex abuse and physical abuse.  He is a staunch supporter of forensic nurses and is the medical director of the adult SART program as well.  During my fifteen months as the SART coordinator, he was invaluable to me, both as a professional colleague and friend.

Kari Anne had many questions which we were happy to answer, then Dr. Carpenter took us on a tour of the SART room.  On the drive back to San Francisco, which was amazingly quick and minus any traffic, we continued to talk about forensic nursing.  The day made me all the more aware of how much I miss working in my speciality.  Even though I have much yet to do with the wedding on Friday evening, I wouldn't have missed this wonderful day for anything.  I always enjoy foreign visitors and sharing information about forensic nursing.  It was also wonderful to see two special friends, Pat Tinker and Dr. Carpenter.  They always come through for me whenever I ask and I cannot thank them enough.

Hopefully, it won't be long until there are forensic nurses in Norway and, if I ever have a chance to head that way, I can visit those programs!

Neptune's Wrath - Magpie Tale - Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Neptune's Wrath - Magpie Tale - Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Woe is me, forever doomed,

To swim within this sphere,

You wonder how a mighty shark,

Ended up swimming here!

I guess I got too impudent,

When Neptune crossed my path,

I flirted with his mermaids,

And incurred his mighty wrath!

He conjured up a typhoon,

And flung me from the sea,

And a little angel fish,

Is what I came to be.

I float among these hands,

That have a phallic touch,

And I have to be most careful,

For they reach out and clutch.

It's a miserable existence,

Where I'm always on display,

A once ferocious shark,

Who, on other fish, would prey!

Copyright (c) 2010 by Carmen Henesy

All rights reserved

 

I am participating in Willow's Magpie Tales, a wonderful creative writing meme. Come join us!

Pictures of my soon-to-be-married son, Alexander ( May 7th ) & some of lovely Laura

Besides writing a poem to read at the reception on Friday, my other task was to do a poster board of photos of both Alex and Laura, at various stages of their lives for display on the big day.  Some people actually show videos or slides but I am not that talented.  It has made me feel a bit nostalgic, looking back at my towering son, now 6'4" - he's grown quite a bit from his original 8lbs 9oz and 21 inches in length!  Sadly, some of our family pictures were ruined when stored downstairs in my Pacifica house which developed mold and caused everything to turn black and stick together.

Some of these you may have seen in my blog posts before but here are some new ones as well.  They all brought back so many memories.  Sometimes, I wish I could roll back the years and hold that sweet baby in my arms again. 

Alex, 4 days old

I used to work in the operating room at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco where Alex was born.  I got there fairly early on the Friday of August 27th, the day of his birth and, since my contractions were still eight minutes apart, my obstetrician let me go across the street to visit my friends in the O.R., admonishing me to be back when they were five minutes apart.  Well, people kept coming up on their breaks and, next thing I knew, my contractions were four  minutes apart.  By the time we got an elevator, got back across the street and up the elevator to labor and delivery, I was pretty uncomfortable.  When the nurse checked me, Alex's head was already showing.  "Wait a minute", I said, "where's my epidural"?  Too late - I didn't get it till after he was out!  All 8lbs, 9 ozs of him!  And he had this headful of hair, sticking out in every direction!  For this photo, I had to try to tame it with water.

Alex, in his baptismal outfit

Alex at 3 months

Laura was a really cute, baby, too!

Alex in the 2nd grade, 7 years old

Carmen and the testosterone trio, salvaged from the mold

Alex at 10

Alex and Jeremy after our trip to Hawaii

Laura is getting more beautiful

Jeremy and Alex at judo

Terra Nova football, offense and defense, #78, Fall 1999

Class of 2000, Terra Nova High School, Pacifica, CA

How about this firefighter!!

Freshman year at U. C. Davis

Happy to be playing football again!  American River College defense - undefeated season!

They look pretty happy!

At American River College

Left to right, Jeremy ( curly ), Shawn and Alex

aka The Testosterone Trio

Pacific Coast Scenes, near and in Pacifica, CA - 5/2/10

Pacific Coast Scenes - near and in Pacifica, CA - 5/2/10