Well, ladies, the wedding was private and beautiful. Mom and her new dh are settling into her condo, preparing to sell his house and whatever they don't keep from both.

I've set up a marriage announcement with a picture of the happy couple on theKnot.com so go have a look and read about the wedding at

http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_newlywed.aspx?coupleid=3280979653940625

I will add a picture album next week.

We all had so much fun! Because we have known each other for so many years, there was none of the clumsiness one would expect when two families of adult children are joined.

My sisters and I had a great time convincing our little second cousins (7 & 8 yr.old girls) that we are now their aunts. They are smart little girls who didn't take long to figure out the advantages to five grown women competing for their affections!

It was with much ceremony that we made their mother, our former cousin, our new little sister. She is 1 yr. younger than my youngest sister, so she in particular was thrilled not to be the "baby" any more. And now I have 2 little sisters to pick on!

We decided that our cousin the groom's brother is now our "cuncle Kenyon" but had to stop ourselves from calling his wife our "caunt" for obvious reasons! One sis and I were bemoaning the fact that we would no longer have Mom all to ourselves all the time but decided that at ages 52 and 60 we would have to get over it.

Mom and dh are happy as clams, already have reservations for 2 winter months in Texas and are planning trips to Alaska and Branson. They are so comfortable with each other and their decision to be together, it simply feels right. All of us, including the happy couple, remember Dad and the groom's wife, who both died in the last 2 years, freely and lovingly in our conversations.

They may have shaken up the family tree, but the apples have not fallen far, for we are all crazy in love!

[ April 20, 2006, 02:04 AM: Message edited by: flipperjo ]