10/24/16: Faster Than the Speed of Sound

Hi Everyone,

Whew!!! Moving fast. I hope that all is well in your world. Mine is a little busy at the moment!! This was one of those weeks when I was in 3 cities in 2 countries in 5 days, with some fun and major events happening on the way.

One of my daughters got married. We had two months to plan the wedding, in a location I had never seen, using suppliers I had never used before, trying to organize it from 3,000 miles away. I will confess that I have been seriously stressed over it, worrying that it wouldn’t turn out well. But there is a magic all its own to weddings. My daughter and her fiancé are very much in love, and somehow it cast a happy spell on the whole event, and although we were juggling details til the last second, it came out beautifully, and was just a lovely, totally perfect event, better than I had even hoped. She looked gorgeous, she and the groom were thrilled. It was a small intimate wedding, but big or small, weddings are challenging, emotions run high, and you only have one shot to get it right. You can’t rewind the film and do it better the next day. So it puts a lot of pressure on everyone. But everything got delivered on time, everyone showed up on time (including the bride and groom), the families all flew in on both sides, and arrived in good order, and from the moment the wedding began, it was magical.

There was a brief religious ceremony in the beginning, and right before that, all my children lined up to walk in, and I was very proud of them. My son walked his sister down the aisle, since her father is no longer with us, and passed away 5 years ago, but we felt him there in spirit. It was a very touching ceremony, and the groom’s family are lovely and have already become friends. It was a gathering of really nice young people, to celebrate a happy event. Champagne first, then dinner at two long tables, candle light, beautiful flowers which scented the air, happy people, a happy couple very much in love, everything went smoothly, and it was exactly what we had all hoped. (And a lovely rehearsal dinner given by the groom’s family the night before for both families, which was really fun and beautifully done). Almost all the guests were young. There was music in the background, but the couple didn’t want dancing at the wedding. And there was no big wedding cake, instead, my daughter chose to have individual small wedding cakes, one for each person. The reception was held at a lovely club the groom belongs to. And my amazing assistant of 26 years is a magician and made it all work. And best of all, it was actually fun. (Weddings aren’t always that much fun, but this one was). There were only three speeches, the groom’s father, mine, and my youngest son, so there weren’t hours of speeches. And at the end of the evening, one of my daughter’s friends had hired a disco bus, and all the young people piled in and headed for a disco, and danced the rest of the night away—until 4 am. They invited me to join them, so I did, and danced until 2 am and had a ball. We were all exhausted the next day, but the good feelings of it and the aura of their happiness lives on, and touched us all. It was a really happy event. Our family had brunch the next day, and the newlyweds left on their honeymoon—-and then the rest of us flew back to where we came from. It was really a beautiful weekend. May they share a long, happy life together!!! They’re off to a great start, and the groom and his family are a wonderful addition to our family. Happy times!!!!

Meanwhile, from the sublime to the ridiculous—not one to be distracted by major life events like my daughter getting married….the morning of the wedding, I snuck off to see a puppy I have been wanting to see…..and so now there is a new puppy in my life, another white teacup Chihuahua!!! She is 8 weeks old and really tiny—-I haven’t told Minnie and Blue yet. They will meet her in 3 weeks….she is adorable, although they might not think so!!! I didn’t even have the guts to tell my kids at first, and when I finally did, I got the usual grousing and questioning if I was sane to add another puppy to my life. Probably not, but who can resist? I sure can’t. Never trust a woman with 9 children to be restrained!!

And now, like Cinderella at the ball, I’m about to turn into a pumpkin, the party is over. The wedding I’ve been busy organizing has happened….and I have to go back to work. A re-write this week, a new book after that. Next week, my latest book is coming out, one that I am VERY excited about: “The Award”. I hope you read it, I really love it. It begins in World War II, about a woman who is a true war hero, and her granddaughter who gets her the recognition for it many years later. It’s a very touching story. I think it’s one of my best books, and I hope you love it!!

So that’s what I’ve been up to. It was a very happy week. I hope yours was too. And now it’s back to work for me….with a smile, remembering the joy of the wedding. No matter what happens in the world, I still believe in love, and I hope you do too. That kind of faith and happiness of a young couple getting married lights the path and the world for the rest of us…..Have a GREAT week!!!

love, Danielle