I want to check you for ticks - Part Three (Season Finale)

Ok, where did I leave off?

Mustang Oil. Ca-John's. Master of culinary delights.

We finished lunch at Ca-John's and continued on our tour of Faunsdale. We stopped at at a plantation on the outskirts of town. The main house on the grounds was a beautiful, two-story wood house that was built in 1843 by Dr. Thomas Harrison of Virginia. He named the plantation Faunus after the Roman god of the forest, plains, and fields.  After Dr. Harrison died, the town was named after his plantation.

(Just in case you were wondering where Faunsdale got it's name.)

Also on the property was a slave cabin that was built in 1860.

 This picture just makes me laugh because they look like the Verizon bars...Can you hear me now?

After our tour of Faunsdale, we headed back to the hunting camp to rest up for the 5:00 ceremony. (Yes...eating two lunches before noon while someone drives you around West Alabama can tire a girl out.) Cheryle and James returned to their spots on the front porch to read and Carrie and I took naps. I woke up two hours later to a very quiet house. Everybody was asleep and I quickly realized that we only had an hour and a half before we had to be at the church.

Now, an hour and a half would have been plenty of time for just one of us to get ready, but when you add two additional girls and only one bathroom to the mix; something's got to give. And that something was James.

He waited and waited and waited for his turn in the shower and finally got it...oh about five minutes before we had to leave. I'll give him credit; he got himself ready, the car packed up and all four of us to the church on time. Bless him.

The wedding was just gorgeous. The church, the decorations and the flowers were beautiful, but the bride stole the show. She was breathtaking. Amanda and Dennis looked so joyful and at ease.

(Much more at ease than me, since I had to do the first reading. Plus I already had to go to the bathroom and the ceremony just started. I, myself, can go to the restroom 10 times before breakfast. It's a talent.)

(I did fine by the way. Fingers crossed that I will continue my career as wedding reader number one.)

(Yes, it looks like these pictures were taken by a drunk circus money, but in my defense, we were suppose to be praying.) 

(I only got two pictures of the ceremony because somebody took my camera away.)

After the wedding, we made our way to Magnolia Grove for the reception. The old, antebellum home looked amazing on this clear Alabama day. 

Magnolia's were everywhere and in full bloom! It smelled so sweet.

Yes it was a tad hot, but that was forgotten when the food was served. Fried green tomatoes, cheese, fruit, breads, and pork. After I discovered the cheese grits, I knew I was in heaven. Really, is any southern wedding complete without grits?

My meal was cut short (fine...my second helping) when the caterer asked me and Carrie to help cut the cake. Honestly I was not at all upset. I mean, why would I continue eating anything of substance when there was wedding cake to be cut and served?

(Plus that duty meant that I had first dibs on both the bride and groom's cake. A corner piece? Don't mind if I do.)

After Leslie took over cutting the cake and I inhaled my loot, I headed to the bar to get a glass of wine. On my way, I walked past Amanda, gave her a smile and noticed that she was doing some kind of weird wiggly move and pressing her thumb to her back.

I went over and whispered, "What's wrong sister?"

Amanda said, "I've got a bee down my dress and it's stinging my back!" I pulled the back of her gown out as far as I could to take a look for myself.

I said, "Um...you've got a tick crawling on your back. We need to go into the house so I can get it off."

She said (in her heavy Greensboro accent), "I can't, I've got pictures to take."

(Obviously Amanda grew up in the country and ticks are just annoying to her, nothing to really panic over. If somebody told me that I had a tick on my back, I would have been out of that wedding gown in 10 seconds flat.)

Since she wasn't going to worry about the tick that was irritating her, I did what any friend would do...I shoved my arm (up to my elbow) down her dress, grabbed the tick, tossed it on the ground, stepped on it and sent Amanda on her merry way.

Problem solved!

I went back to the table and told the girls about the tick episode. We all had a good laugh, because that's so Amanda...she's our laid back friend. Awhile later, Cheryle, Carrie and I went to check on Amanda to see if she needed anything since an unplanned receiving line started and she had not moved in over forty-five minutes. On our way over, Cheryle noticed another tick on one of the chair covers. Warrior mode kicked in and I killed that tick and quite possibly some nerves in Cheryle's finger in the process. It was at this point that my sister informed us that ticks are attracted to white. Good to know!

Amanda told us that she needed water and her dressed bustled. Since Cheryle and I are the queen's of bustling, we immediately bent down and started bustling her dress. The funny thing was that people never stopped talking to Amanda or even thought it was strange that we were under her dress...we just became part of the receiving line. As we were figuring out what was tulle and what was dress, we saw another tick in the mound of white fabric.

Cheryle had enough and was concerned for Amanda's well being. She pulled Dennis aside and said, "Dennis, you are going to have to seriously check Amanda for ticks tonight." He just grinned and started laughing out loud. Not the LOL that you type and don't really mean, but a full blown belly laugh. And who can blame him? He was just told to check his new bride for ticks.

Cheryle said in her best mom voice, "NO Dennis, I'm serious!"

(I think that argument was a lost cause.)

After we took about 158 pictures with Amanda, James informed us that all good things must come to an end and we had to go. In all fairness, he was in a suit and y'all, it was hot.

Amanda...we wish you and Dennis all the blessings in the world. May you laugh daily, love always and keep checking each other for ticks!

Yeah...I was obviously looking at the wrong camera.

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.  Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

Deut 28:3-8