At the end of September, I headed back to Madison to host a bridal shower for my little sister Mary Jo (who actually got married last weekend). I love showers of all kinds and think it's a great time for women to gather and love on another.....but boy are they a lot of work when you are hosting! Thankfully my mom's closest friend Pat opened up her home for us (as she has for all 3 Bohlman girls' wedding showers).
The night before....my mom, myself and Pat getting everything ready at my parents' house
The setup the next morning at Pat's home
And then the guests began arriving.....SO fun to see friends of my parents from years ago to relatives to new friends all gather together to bless my sister.
I absolutely adore these pics....my mom has an amazing group of women who have been friends ever since my family moved to Madison over 25 years ago. The group has definitely grown over the years and some women have moved, but they have all stayed close and continue meeting on Monday mornings for coffee and prayer...not everyone makes it every week, but they are always there for one another and have helped each other in every area of life---from babysitting each other kids' to helping with graduations and wedding and grandkids and caring for their aging parents and walking through cancer together....you name it, they've been there for each other. And this picture is just four of the 30+ women who make up this group of ladies! It's so fun for me to go home and see these women whose kids I babysit for when I was a kid and to know that they are all still close despite all of life's challenges and changes that have come over the years!
Mom, Terri, Linda and Pat
And of course my sweet Sades, who loves a shower or women's gathering of any kind!
More of 'the ladies'...Alka, Ingrid, Mary Jo and Sadie
(Ingrid's husband was our youth pastor and also married Matt and I)
The Bohlman/Sorensen/soon-to-be-Kronberger ladies
The Bohlman side---Sadie and I, my grandpa's wife Mary (my grandma passed away 13 years ago and my grandpa remarried this wonderful woman!!), Mary Jo, my Mom and my aunt LuAnne (my Dad's youngest sister)
Mary Jo and her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law
Let the 'showering' begin!!
Sadie parked herself right in front of my sister the entire time and 'helped' out
The bridesmaids that made it to the shower (the other two live out of state--or out of country!)
Mom, myself, Mary Jo and Pat
And of course, once the party was over we had clean up to do. But while we cleaned up, Sadie wanted to do a photo shoot with all the props Pat had in her house for the shower.
Sadie's pic of my mom and I cleaning up/eating/goofing off
That night as we were talking about the upcoming wedding and plans and dresses, the kids asked my mom if she still had her wedding dress. As we got talking, my mom offered to get her dress out. I was a bit surprised since it was cleaned and then stored in an air-tight container all these years, but my mom realized that there really was no purpose in having it air-tight so why not get it out and try it on and have fun with it?! I was a bit shocked that my mom was willing to do it after all the years we asked her to get it out and she had said no, but I guess that's the wisdom that comes with age and realizing that it's just a dress and if it's just stored on a shelf forever, it can't be admired or used or tried on. So she got it out....after 38 years in the box...and not only did it still fit, but it was almost a bit big on her!!
Does this girl look happy or what?!? She was in heaven!
It was such a fun weekend in Madison and I was honored to be able to love on my sister and help prepare her for her future marriage....she is so blessed to have so many wonderful women in her life who were able to carve out time to come shower her with love (and some fun gifts as well)!
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