Neu Family Reunion: 2013: Tea Party Details

Ben and I took a trip to Utah to attend a week-long reunion extravaganza with my family, and to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. We started doing these bi- annual reunions -- oh, it must have been 10 years ago, as this is the fifth such reunion I can remember. Each one seems all the more precious to me.

There were a lot of activities. One of my favorites: all the girls got together for a Tea Party at Kerrie's House. Treats abounded!

 

 

Kerrie did an amazing job with the decor and setting everything up just enough so my nieces were pretty much delirious from tea party dreams come true.

And the birthday girl even got to wear a special crown.

Girly activities included nail painting, tea time etiquette education a' la Jane Austen by Emilie Ann, singing performances by the new Neu generation, a fashion show, a baby shower for Erika, birthday hullabaloo for Bitsy, and a lovely Q&A with my dear mother, the matriarch of the family, where we listened to and recorded her answers to some of life's big questions and got to hear and rehear some of her amazing stories. 

 

Tragically, I couldn't find a photo of my mom at this event. But I promise she was a big deal! And it was a wonderful afternoon. We should get together, just ladies, more often. This was such a a good time!

PS -- Thank you Kerrie & Erika for taking such fabulous photos all week long! AKA -- pictures courtesy of my two amazing sisters-in-law

Fashion Challenge: Operation 50th Wedding Anniversary Party Dress

So, I've been shopping for a dress for my parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party this August.

I know, I know. "It's not till August, right? I've got plenty of time." I hear that.

And to that, I say, "Ah, so naive. Have you shopped for a nice dress with sleeves and a knee-length skirt that's not in black anytime this decade?"

The even bigger challenge is we've been instructed to pick a color for each family and the color should be in a pastel hue. I haven't picked our family color yet because I'm hoping to find the dress first (so I have more options when shopping) and let my shopping find determine the color -- which will, in a perfect world, happen before all of my other siblings pick their family colors first (blue and purple are already called for, but I can work with the rest of the rainbow for sure.).

Usually, when I start shopping I already have a pretty accurate and unyielding idea of what I'm looking for. Notions of what I'd like to find out there:

I'm in love with the idea of tulle skirts. Light, feathery, full, kind of whimsical. I could dig that. Or something different that just holds that full shape.

Along with that tulle, I DO enjoy the lace trend. But maybe just a little lace.

A cute print would also not be so bad. And I'm definitely leaning towards a fit and flare style. My short curves appreciate structure and definition.

Also, I like some texture elements. But not too much. These ruffles are nice because they accomplish that without adding actual volume or width (for the most part). I never want to appear wider, so if it's too exaggerated, I tend to avoid texture (especially around my chest and waist where I already think I have sufficient "volume". :))

What I'm finding instead of what I want is:

LOTS O' BLACK. Why do designers always retreat to black? I HAVE black. I need pastel. Color. Any color. Please.

SHEATH DRESSES -- Can I please find a dress that does not remind me of "Real Housewives of Atlanta". Please?

CHEAP LACE -- Come on now. Cheap lace everywhere does not a nice dress make. You have to add nice stuff somewhere. Haven't you learned anything from Cheap n' Chic DIY blogs? 

LONG SLEEVES -- Did I mention this is going to be in summer? Give a modest girl a little bit of a break. 

And MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE OF ALL:

BABY DOLL DRESSES -- I am a GROWN WOMAN. I want a WHOLE DRESS. Please stop telling me that I need to look like an adolescent boy wearing an 8 yr old girl's dress. I do not wish to appeal to pedophiles.  I want a WOMAN'S DRESS. Seriously. These are everywhere. What is up, people!?!?! 

I was thinking not to go back to designing dresses, but you're really not giving me much to work with. Unless, of course, I can afford Oscar de la Renta or Valentino. In that case, I might have a few suitable options. Until then.....

I'm hoping my bottom feeder shopping at Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth proves to be more encouraging than my online searches. Wish me luck. 

News About My Twin

They actually gave me a hospital bracelet when I went in for the bibopsy. Evidence that I was an admitted patient, if only for 45 minutes. Bibopsy was Thursday. They called me Friday afternoon with the results of the test.

It's benign! It's a fibro-adenoma, as they suspected. And this fibro-adenoma is apparently harmless and needs no treatment. I really can't express how much of a load off my mind that is. Thanks for thoughts and prayers that were sent my way. I really appreciate it.

The Bibopsy

I went in to the get my bibopsy today. First, I'd just like to say --people who work at breast care centers (which is where I went for my bibopsy) are INCREDIBLY nice. They treat you like they are just delighted to see you and then they cradle you in sweetness. Seriously. I wonder how they keep it up with every patient who walks in. But I like it.

So, I changed into the very awkward gown that they give you at this place (I wore it for the mammogram too). It's like any hospital gown except the tie is in the front, thus risk of exposure is from a VERY different angle. Sitting in their waiting room, I am in danger of exposing myself to random other people who may be in the waiting room pretty much the entire time. This subsequently makes it very hard for me to focus on whatever article I am reading in whatever random magazine I picked up.  

So, for this bibopsy they wanted four tissue samples. I got to watch everything on an ultrasound screen, which I was riveted by. They took this needle and kinda punched at the mass. It mechanically sounded like a powered stapler and I imagine it functioned like a harpoon-equipped whole punch. It punched out a piece of tissue in the mass and then it punched back out of the mass with said tissue. It didn't hurt. But it kind of reverberated in my chest. I wasn't expecting it to be quite that violent of a process (violent in the most gentle sense of the word). 

After the doctor got all the tissue she wanted, she put a piece of metal in there, to mark that they've "been there". They have promised me repeatedly that this little piece of titanium will not set off metal detectors. Heaven forbid if this causes me to get felt up every time I go to the airport. 

They patched me up afterwards  (it was only a 1/8 inch incision so they essentially put a band-aid on it that I have to wear for a week). Then they said I needed to keep ice on it for 15 minutes of every hour for the next day --- at which point, I said, "I'm sorry. You want me to put an ice pack where?"

It made it better when they prescribed that I eat chocolate and watch movies for the rest of the night.

The real comedy was AFTER. I had to stick the ice pack in my bra and then return to work because I had  training session with a guy from the finance dept. on our financial software. And while the ice pack is somewhat small, it's large enough that it makes the girls a little, uh,.. well, you can imagine. I wasn't quite sure what to do about the situation, so I hoped that my clothes (loose shirt and cardigan) made that general area relatively inconspicuous so that said guy from finance would take no notice. Yes. You read that right. I knowingly walked into a meeting with a man who didn't know me from Adam, with sigificantly disproportionate girls, and said nothing, Now that I think back on this, I picture this thing having happened on an episode of the Carol Burnett show or I Love Lucy. Sometimes, life is just funny.

"Yes. Inside the lump was my twin."

Today, my life reminded me of this scene. And it appears they have found my twin.

Truth be told, I went in for a mammogram. It was not as awful as I've heard it would be, but I will concede that I was technically uncomfortable. Who really ENJOYS having their boobs compressed into pancakes? ... I didn't think so.

I notices something amiss back in December. I kind of figured it was nothing. A mass. But nothing. Web MD said so, so that's pretty reliable right? Just kidding.  Considering my family history, and despite my high confidence in diagnosing myself over the internet, I thought it would be prudent to have a professional make a final determination before I cease thinking about it completely.

My first appointment resulted in the doctor also being pretty sure it's nothing, but "considering my family history" they'll ask for a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound.

So I was in there today with all their imaging equipment... and the technician... and the doctor. I was lying on a table, looking around at drapery meant to give me privacy. There were pretty, serene pictures on the wall juxtaposed against a very clinical setting. And suddenly, it felt a little different. I wasn't really worried about it before. But now, I'm thinking, "I have a mass". They keep referring to my "mass". They keep investigating this "mass". Compounded by my surroundings it hits me: "I do not think it means what you think it means." (name that movie)

As I sat there I was wondering, "Exactly how often should I anticipate having this view?" I wanted to tell them that their pretty panels on the ceiling with the garden scenery are a nice gesture, but I'm not fooled. "You have failed to mentally transport me to anything that could be confused with a vacation destination."

So far, everyone else agrees that they're pretty sure it's nothing. "Awesome. I was 99% it was nothing too." Sadly, the doctor lacks my level of confidence and only gave me a 98% but, all things considered, I'll happily take it. And I have decided to rename the mass "my twin".

I am writing this post not so much to warn you all that I might be dying (I seriously doubt it), and more so because I'm totally bemused at how something that seemed relatively benign (Admit it. I'm hilarious) suddenly became disturbing and alarming just because professionals acknowledging what I already knew and subsequently made me sit in a medical examination room.

I go for the bibopsy in a couple weeks, so we can all be a little more certain about our suspicions. I'll let you know how it goes -- whether it be my evil twin or just a sweet little companion I get to carry around forever. Maybe they will discover it to has teeth. And a spinal cord. ;)

What a FLAVULOUS Trip to London!!!

Is it gone already?! Ahh, it was so great. Great indeed. Here are the details about all the wonderfulness that was our November trip to London:

I love London. It loves me. That's all you need to know. But I'll share all the intimate details anyway. We arrived Thursday, Nov. 11th in the afternoon, found our way to our lovely hotel near Wembley Stadium, took a nap, showered (I probably would have held out for one more day, but Ben made me do it)and then went down to Covent Gardens to see all the Christmas decorations and grab a bite to eat at a local pub
Ben at the pub


One new thing I learned about London which makes me love it even more than before -- since they don't have Thanksgiving (not that I DON'T love that holiday), they start decorating and prepping and celebrating the Christmas Season right after Veteran's Day. AWESOME. Can't we Americans just skip the turkey decor and go for the glitter and lights? We could still celebrate Turkey Day, just forgo all the gourds. Right?!?!? Anyone else in on this?

Anywho, after the pub, we went to visit my brother Gerry and his family at their flat in London. Sadly, all the kiddies were in bed, but it was great to hang out with them. Laurent and Kerrie were already there as well. Good times. Traveling is great. Traveling with family is even better.

On Friday, we slept in. Ahhh. I LOVE vacation. And then we met up with Gerry & Rachel and Laurent & Kerrie at a fancy shmancy french restaurant named Pied a Terre. Yum. The amuse bouches at this restaurant were divine. They trumped some of the menu items I'd ordered (which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it). Carrot mousse, Foie Gras between sesame wafers.... what's not to like? I still dream about that soup.

Then we took a walk over to my favorite museum in London -- the Tate Britain. Tragically the Lady of Shalott (my favorite there) was not on display, nor was April in Love and all of my other damsels in distress from the pre-raphaelite artists.

Lady of Shalott












April in Love

But I made friends with several other lovely paintings, so it's ok.













This picture, which is incredibly detailed, is actually this small:




















This is one of two large, decommissioned planes on display. This one, though you can't tell, had the painted pattern of feathers all over (very cool). But my biggest question was, "How on earth did they get it inside the museum?"

That night we went back to the flat and played Wii until more of the clan arrived. In came Jon & Anne and Emilie & Dustin (along with baby Camille) at last. Yeah!! We ordered Indian food and fried chicken and hung out till we were in danger of missing the last tube ride back to the hotel (around 12).

Saturday -- Th WEDDING DAY!!! I woke up incredibly early. I got up with inexplicable amounts of energy and went running around Wembley Stadium. Then we got ready. Subsequently, numerous hilarious events occurred that could have prevented many of us from making it to anywhere we needed to be. Miraculously, everyone made it to the hotel near Victoria Station for lunch (except the wedding couple, who were out taking pictures). New additions to the party who arrived that morning: Bob, my parents and Erika's parents. Lunch was lovely -- even though the hot chocolate was luke warm. I had a ravioli dish and other people had some kind of a filet mignon kind of dish. Yum.:)
Pictures of Lunch:

A few of my very good-looking brothers


More of the party


Camille, the little food thief under the table

Off to the train we went after lunch and traveled out to Surrey, where the London Temple is. At the temple we waited. And waited. We took an informal (and incomplete) family photo while we waited:


At last the lovely couple arrived and we took some pictures. Erika and Jeff looked cute and lovey. Camille took a special liking to me, for some reason, so I got to carry her around for a while as everyone posed for the photographers. Adorable and endearing. Except less adorable in the 4+ inch most painful and sparkly pair of shoes I've ever owned.See below (mine are the silver one's and Rachel's are the very sassy animal print -- almost as uncomfortable as far as I could tell, but just as fabulous).



Finally, the wedding ceremony! The temple ceremony was the shortest ceremony we have ever witnessed. It took all of 15 minutes. Talk about a quickie wedding! :) And suddenly, they were married. Tada!




Then back to the train to go to the fancy hotel for the wedding dinner/reception. A couple of Jeff's friends from law school arrived, which was delightful. And the food, as you can probably guess, was amazing. As Ben likes to remind me, when my family gets together it's all about the food. Jeff & Erika had a very pretty cake made with a Tiffany's box on top and cute little mini cakes all around.









By the end of the night I was completely crippled by my shoes and my family tortured me unduly by encouraging me to travel with them on the tube to get back to the hotel instead of taking a very civil taxi ride. I was convinced by them, for some unknown reason, and hobbled all the way home. And yes, despite this, I still really like those shoes. Boots are made for walking. Sparkly 4" heels are made for taxi rides.

Sunday, we walked to the church, stayed for sacrament meeting at Gerry's ward and then those of us that were staying at the hotel high-tailed it back so we could grab our bags from our rooms and check out before noon. Off to Gerry's flat we went to eat, nap and play for the rest of the day. Everyone else arrived and joined in too, of course-- just a little later. Then off to Gerry's rental flat, where we stayed for the rest of our trip.

On Monday, Ben & I went to the Tower of London to see all kinds of things. Among them -- the fancy crown jewels, the lawn where Ann Boleyn was beheaded (along with a host of other unlucky people) and the inside of a proper old church. You can't go to Europe and not step inside an old church.

Panorama of the Tower of London from the outside


A memorial at the tower green for everyone who'd lost their head there.




carvings made by the prisoners locked inside the towers.


Ben looking handsome at the Tower of London (he dressed up so we would be allowed in to the restaurant for lunch afterwards)

Then we met some family for lunch at Claridge's Gordon Ramsay restaurant. All about the food, all about the food. I ate pork belly and cheek for the first time.. and LIKED IT. Weird, I know. The rest of the meal wasn't so bad either. And the toilets were very pretty. If you ever go, don't miss visiting the loo. Later, we went shopping around Covent Gardens again with Jon & Anne and I bought a delightful knock-off Armani handbag. Yeah for useful & good-looking souvenirs!

I forgot to mention before, but we also went to go see Wicked that night. What a show!! Loved it. I want to see it again. Not just because it was good, but also because everyone we went with was comparing the cast we saw to previous casts they had seen. They made me incredibly curious about all these other casts they were talking about. Loved, loved, loved it though -- I'm more than happy to "need" to see it again. :)




Tuesday Ben and I went to Bath. William Wilberforce and Jane Austen used to live there (not together). We saw the roman baths (quite incredible).





This was over the temple inside the grounds of the Roman Baths; a tribute to Minerva.


Steam rising up from the baths below


Ben & I having a lovely time


These bricks were constructed like so underneath the floors to allow steam to pass through and heat the floor that would have been placed right overtop of the piles of brick.


One last look at the naturally steamy baths


A video of me giving an educational tutorial about the drain at the roman baths. I should be an educator. I'm so good at video tutorials.

We also ate soup & sandwiches in the Pump Room. And I had Egyptian peppermint tea. Mmmm.

Ben in the Pump Room

We also napped at the library (we were tired). We shopped. It was all very lovely. But then we realized we should have booked our departure train much earlier. We were done by 5 and couldn't leave until 8:30. And the shops were all closed by 6pm. What to do, what to do. We milled around and then got dinner. And then we at last went back. Not the best way to spend your last night in England, but oh well.

Wednesday -- you guessed it -- we traveled home. I got to see the movie, "Temple Grandin" on the flight home -- SO GOOD!! I also sat next to an older missionary lady who was traveling back from Africa. She was very nice. Unfortunately, she also smelled like old lady, so it took me the first couple hours of our 8 hour flight to stop noticing. Not so nice. You win some, you lose some.

And then we were back at work on Thursday. How quickly it comes and goes. It was so fun to see everyone. So nice to have a break. So nice to be back in London. I can't wait till we do it again!

Of course, I would have expected my co-blogger to post something on HIS trip to London, being that it WAS his wedding and all. However, he seems to be otherwise occupied. Go figure.