America the Great

Hi SA bloggers
Hope you are all well. We are settling in now at Delray Beach after a very hectic 10 days since leaving home. Meeting Andre, Shelley Vaughan and little Emma at Fort Lauderdale was a real highlight for us all. Poor Margie was quite overcome and cried like a baby while hugging Shells and Emma shouting Nana. Great stuff. The flight was not at all bad in fact I was quite relaxed by the time we landed. Delta was great, lovely attendants. Well, I'm sure you can get a lot of news from our family but to cut a very long story short..... as if I can. The first night at the apartment we met the crowd from the Boca - great every single one - all very excited to at last meet us and Margie and family we had a braai and a lot to drink. I fell into bed quite exhausted I mean I had been active one way or another for 28 hours!!!!! The area where our family stays is lovely - a gated complex with plenty of greenery and walkways. Everyone takes their dogs out on leads for walks and there a poop stops with special poop packets and a bin. Very good idea. In fact Maureen is going to take the idea back to Oasis to see if they can use it. Then on Thursday we travelled up to Savannah to Jenelles parents. Andre, Jenelle, Gerrit and Mo travelled in one car and I went with Jenelles youngest brother Jamie. What a nice young chap very informative and knowledgeable about the areas we travelled through. Jenni, Jenelles mom, is a very lively person who loves to have everyone and everything organised. She is apparently very well known in the USA for her knowledge of midwifery and runs the womens section of a large hospital in Savannah. Then on to the rehearsal day, a torrential downpour which lasted all and therefor washed out the organised dinner which was going to be held in the lovely back garden of the Lash home well that was just one thing that she could not guarantee. So..... off we went dressed in our rehearsal finery but with me running bare footed becausde I kept slipping out of my posh gold sandals. Very nice church, complicated rehearsal but the wedding party seemed to remember everything on the day. Back to the house, met a fair amount of relatives from both sides Jennis mom and two sisters, one brother in law nephew and niece (flowergirl) Keiths mom 2 brothers brother in law sister etc etc a very loud and lively lot. We were all issued with safari hats but because of rain we could not do the scavenger hut. Oh by the way Maureen and I were told in the morning that we would be cooking for this lot. PANIC but the Taylor's came into their own, we managed to make bobotie and what should have been yellow rice that turned out like putu pap and everyone thought was great - wanted the recipe. - then we made for the first time, thank goodness I had the recipe with me Desmond Tutu's Tutu chicken. Anoither success. Next day the wedding great was rushed to the beauty salon - enormous place - to have our hair done. Cost $27 - Elspeth, my looked just like it does when you do it. Great cut Pal. Wedding was at 2pm Jenni running around like a flea in a frenzy getting us all up to schedule. My son looked so handsome standing at the altar waiting for Jenelle and I was already crying just looking at Andre. Jenni and I went up during the service to light the two family candles - very emotional stuff. After the ceremony we were taken in trolley buses for a 1 1/2 hour trip around the historical area of Savannah which is truly lovely. Saw the garden from Midnight in the garden of good and evil and also the bench that Forest Gump sat on. The reception was at the de Soto Hilton Hotel on the top floor where we had a great view of the whole of the city. Food was good, bad a bit hectic - but whadahell! I had a great time dancing with all and sundry and into the evening was INVITED to make a speech. Apparently I made a few bloopers but the SA crowd loved it. Next day we chilled the bridegroom came to fetch us about midday to return to Lash house where we all at left overs. THAT'S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS God bless