Laundry Day

I did laundry the other day, several loads and some by hand; it was a windy day, excellent for drying clothes, though later I had to fetch them all inside from the rain. To me there is something comforting about clean laundry, something which speaks of a home, a well-kept house. 

Laundry from above

Huzzah for clean clothes!

Touristing

Today was an odd day. My flight yesterday was canceled because of bad weather conditions in the north of America, and Mr. Moore and I spent forty-five minutes at the airport kiosk securing new tickets...on the 7th at 5.50 in the morning. Therefore, I was unexpectedly given another two days of holiday, the latter of which I spent with JT and Leo touristing around the little town of Waxhaw, North Carolina. They took the bikes into town and Mrs. Moore dropped me off at the Crossroads Coffee Shop, where the Brits joined me for tea. (JT had a chocolate milk shake which he later regretted, but only slightly.) We enjoyed the Americana of the place, walking down one street only to find it ended in a cul-de-sac and we later stopped at a gas station and JT and Leo bought beef jerky and chips. It was a cold, beautifully crisp day with the sun slanting through the trees and a chill wind bearing down on us.

The cups of regular customers hung from the ceiling at the cafe.

The Reception

The day of the wedding was a clear, crisp day with frost on the ground, and it was freezing cold. The morning was spent getting ready,  putting on the dresses, and doing makeup, after which we went outside to take pictures. I was a bridesmaid, and unfortunately I did not have the time to take any pictures of Natalie apart from the one below, and besides, my hands took several hours to thaw after standing outside. I am sure I will be able to post more pictures of her later to satisfy your curiosity.

The centerpieces at the reception after the wedding. Every guest received a library card at the entrance with the title of a book on it, and then the guest had to find the right book on their respective table. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was the first book Natalie and Fran read aloud to each other during their trip around Europe four years ago.

Everyone at the table had a different plate because they had been brought to the reception by several different families.

The arrival of the bride

It really was freezing cold outside.

Rehearsal and Dinner

The church in the evening of the rehearsal dinner

Nat knots her father's bow tie

I am very pleased with this outfit.

The rehearsal dinner was held in this wonderfully decorated, very old building called Scott's.

This is the aforementioned cake. As you can see, you have the Millenium falcon in the background with Luke and Darth Vader, and the indians overlooking the valley.

The main table

A refurbished bathroom

Simon toasts his son

And finally, Abby and Anna played Adele's version of "Make You Feel My Love." It was beautiful. I'm going to see if I can find a video of it and post it at a later date. All in all, a successful night.

Bachelorette Party

I had never been to an American  bachelorette party before this. In Sweden, bachelor and bacherlorette parties are mostly dedicated to embarassing the bride/groom-to-be as much as possible, though this was not the case here. First we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant, where I ordered nothing but guacamole dip because, as I have learned from trips to Chili's, I always fill up on the free chips and salsa. Then we drove home.

Nat amidst her friends

I decorated the living room with bunting made of pictures of Natalie's nearest and dearest.

Nat and Fran

No party is complete without blackberries.

Wedding-themed Pictionary

A good evening

Natalie and Francis

Waxhaw, North Carolina

I arrived in Waxhaw, North Carolina six days ago to help my friend Natalie Moore with whatever bridal business I could, which consisted mostly of staying out of the way of the more productive members of society and wrapping presents. My most prestigious tasks included the bridal makeup on the big day itself and documenting the goings-on with my camera, which was more of a pleasure than a chore. Here are some pictures.

TJ and Leo, Fran's groomsmen. They spent a large part of the morning exclaiming over the American pancakes with bacon and eggs and trying to teach us a proper Scottish brogue. "Aye" instead of 'yes' and "kenna" instead of "cannot." This picture was taken right before Natalie explained to them that Fran had requested his groomsmen cake to have a scene depicting a wild west battle between cowboys and indians, with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker duelling it out in the middle. 

Coffee in the kitchen

Abby, Nat's sister, going over wedding details on her computer

Nat spent many an hour in this position

Annabelle

Fran's wonderful grandmother reading through the itinerary

Simon, Fran's dad, taking a picture

Lussekatt

Mamma, pappa, Sofia, and I were clustered around the dining room table, having tea and gingerbread biscuits and lussekatter for tea. Pappa eyed the two remaining fragrant, yellow saffron buns on the plate and reached for the smaller of the two, announcing loudly, "All right, everyone. I'm taking this lussekatt now. Just so you know." He held it up in the air. "In case anyone wants to eat it."
"Oh, just take it," said mamma. "We have more."
"In that case," he put the lussekatt down and reached for the other. "I'm having this one."