So, all, how much do you think I accomplished in one week at home in Minnesota? If you answered, "a substantial amount," then you guessed correctly. It was one relay race after another each day, putting in 100% to reach the next baton, be it cake tasting or flower shopping or dress fitting or DJ interviewing or whatever. By the end of the week I had completely tired out my mom and Nate (and myself) from all the endless appointments and errands. I'm definitely not that busy in a typical week and can hardly believe we managed to get so much done. How did we manage to fit it all in?? I'm bewildered in a way, to tell the truth; I thought there was no way that much would get done and was surprised by my exhausted stresslessness by friday night. I think having gotten so much done took a big load off! Funny how that works....
Well, for all those who keep asking, we have a photographer who did our formal engagement photo sessions now (yes, a little belated). Her name is Katrina Nesse, in case you're interested and want to google her. She did my friends' Mike and Liz's wedding and so far so good. We found a cake maker, Cake's by Karen, which is all the talents of Karen Fritze who did cakes for Cedarhurst for 20 years before the new owners. We are waiting on quotes from 2 florists, one literally across the street from Cedarhurst and another in Shoreview. We found a DJ who we are going to book and after experiencing different weddings realize just how important they are. My mom and I met with the Cedarhurst guy, True (yes, that's his name), to schedule out the ceremony and reception stuff, and fine tune some more details re: food, drink, cake, etc. So FYI: our wedding ceremony is at 4pm. :) Nate and I interviewed 3 officiants, of which we liked 2 and need to decide. I picked up my dress and had my first fitting, which was fun but since I don't have my shoes the hem can't be done yet and I don't have my undergarments, so the dress can't be taken in yet. But- I got some good advice and suggestions on what to look for and learned a little more about 'bussles'. I also went veil material shopping because my neighbor who is tailoring my dress is going to make that.
I think "that's all" the wedding stuff that comes to mind at the moment, but I'm sure there's more. In addition to all this I somehow managed to spend an evening eating Indian food w/Nate and his mom, my mom, and 2 of Nate's brothers (and their significant others) and his sister. Also, I got to see some of my own family at my cousin Kate's high school graduation open house before she goes off to Badger Land in the fall.
One thing that was really nice that I wished I'd had more time for was visiting my grampa's house. Right now, it is in limbo. It is full of an entire generation's full of trinkets, surprises, mementos, and all too often...accumulated junk. My mom has wanted me to go through some things since my grampa passed away in March, but I haven't been able to, being down in Columbia. The house isn't on the market yet, so I think my mom and her brother are biding their time and trying to clean house as much as possible. I think I finally understand why it takes so long to empty a house of a loved one now gone. It is not like cleaning your own house to rid of junk for a garage sale or for spring cleaning; it is more like an active mourning process in which you force yourself to physically pick up the pieces and move forward, brushing away the dust and revealing the memories you want to savor. Even in the 3 hours I spent digging through my grandparents' earthly possessions I felt like a bit of a voyeur, at first, and wasn't altogether comfortable. After a while, though, I felt more comfortable but the feeling of being overwhelmed took over instead. I think I went through maybe 6 small boxes of hundreds. Despite the small box I stowed away to be approved by my mom and uncle as my personal treasure bin of keepsakes, I couldn't help but wonder how my mom and uncle could possibly throw things away. By the same token, however, much of it has to go: to be stored and cherished, losing emotional and significant details the further away from the orginial owner it travels, or to be reused by another awaiting person, or tossed--only to be recycled or buried in its own funeral mound owned by Waste Management Blaine.
In the end, I tried to keep in mind the significance of objects, particularly the emotional value placed upon them by my grandparents. For instance, I chose one object, a painting, which is a reproduction of a famous early 20th century sculpture (the original sculpture pictured above) which my grampa told me a few times was his favorite artwork he ever saw. It is in a cracked, old, wooden frame and it is probably worth less than nothing in real, monetary value, but to my grampa it meant something and in turn that is important to me. Fraser (b. 1876, Winona, Minnesota), the original sculptor of 'The End of the Trail,' was also the numismatic designer behind the American Buffalo Nickel. My grampa also loved Buffalo nickels, having made at least one great masterpiece of his own out of them: a giant beltbuckle with several Buffalo and Indian heads soldered together. I wonder if my grampa ever knew the connection between the two objects.
Well, for all those who keep asking, we have a photographer who did our formal engagement photo sessions now (yes, a little belated). Her name is Katrina Nesse, in case you're interested and want to google her. She did my friends' Mike and Liz's wedding and so far so good. We found a cake maker, Cake's by Karen, which is all the talents of Karen Fritze who did cakes for Cedarhurst for 20 years before the new owners. We are waiting on quotes from 2 florists, one literally across the street from Cedarhurst and another in Shoreview. We found a DJ who we are going to book and after experiencing different weddings realize just how important they are. My mom and I met with the Cedarhurst guy, True (yes, that's his name), to schedule out the ceremony and reception stuff, and fine tune some more details re: food, drink, cake, etc. So FYI: our wedding ceremony is at 4pm. :) Nate and I interviewed 3 officiants, of which we liked 2 and need to decide. I picked up my dress and had my first fitting, which was fun but since I don't have my shoes the hem can't be done yet and I don't have my undergarments, so the dress can't be taken in yet. But- I got some good advice and suggestions on what to look for and learned a little more about 'bussles'. I also went veil material shopping because my neighbor who is tailoring my dress is going to make that.
I think "that's all" the wedding stuff that comes to mind at the moment, but I'm sure there's more. In addition to all this I somehow managed to spend an evening eating Indian food w/Nate and his mom, my mom, and 2 of Nate's brothers (and their significant others) and his sister. Also, I got to see some of my own family at my cousin Kate's high school graduation open house before she goes off to Badger Land in the fall.
One thing that was really nice that I wished I'd had more time for was visiting my grampa's house. Right now, it is in limbo. It is full of an entire generation's full of trinkets, surprises, mementos, and all too often...accumulated junk. My mom has wanted me to go through some things since my grampa passed away in March, but I haven't been able to, being down in Columbia. The house isn't on the market yet, so I think my mom and her brother are biding their time and trying to clean house as much as possible. I think I finally understand why it takes so long to empty a house of a loved one now gone. It is not like cleaning your own house to rid of junk for a garage sale or for spring cleaning; it is more like an active mourning process in which you force yourself to physically pick up the pieces and move forward, brushing away the dust and revealing the memories you want to savor. Even in the 3 hours I spent digging through my grandparents' earthly possessions I felt like a bit of a voyeur, at first, and wasn't altogether comfortable. After a while, though, I felt more comfortable but the feeling of being overwhelmed took over instead. I think I went through maybe 6 small boxes of hundreds. Despite the small box I stowed away to be approved by my mom and uncle as my personal treasure bin of keepsakes, I couldn't help but wonder how my mom and uncle could possibly throw things away. By the same token, however, much of it has to go: to be stored and cherished, losing emotional and significant details the further away from the orginial owner it travels, or to be reused by another awaiting person, or tossed--only to be recycled or buried in its own funeral mound owned by Waste Management Blaine.
In the end, I tried to keep in mind the significance of objects, particularly the emotional value placed upon them by my grandparents. For instance, I chose one object, a painting, which is a reproduction of a famous early 20th century sculpture (the original sculpture pictured above) which my grampa told me a few times was his favorite artwork he ever saw. It is in a cracked, old, wooden frame and it is probably worth less than nothing in real, monetary value, but to my grampa it meant something and in turn that is important to me. Fraser (b. 1876, Winona, Minnesota), the original sculptor of 'The End of the Trail,' was also the numismatic designer behind the American Buffalo Nickel. My grampa also loved Buffalo nickels, having made at least one great masterpiece of his own out of them: a giant beltbuckle with several Buffalo and Indian heads soldered together. I wonder if my grampa ever knew the connection between the two objects.
Another example is that this is the first time I've been able to really look through my grama's affects despite her having passed in the spring of 2002. This thought didn't really occur to me until I was looking through some of her own lapel pins and costume jewelry. She loved jacket and dress pins and gaudy, rhinestone jewelry, much of which is old Avon gold-painted aluminum, plastic, or stainless, but it is something she loved. Maybe one day those pins will grow on me and perhaps I can wear some of the more fancy stuff for my wedding. In the end, I felt like I was finally mourning my grama, in a way. It was hard to have such a wave of unexpected emotions, but good to confirm my emotional humanity. My grandparents, only 2 generations before me, left worldly objects with secrets that may or may not ever be revealed. For someone who studies archaeology and art history and would like to work at a museum, that is a humbling reminder that we may never really know the story behind 'things,' and the picture they can attempt to paint of the people who left them behind is the true mystery.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for reading.
