Family Weddings
As far back as I can remember there was always a gathering or party going on at my grandparents house. They lived in Oakland on Bancroft St. in a large two story house that was painted white. I can remember the white steps and the front lawn was always nice and green. My grandparents had seven sons and four daughters, obviously this is a time when large families were common.
It seems from the "movie pictures" my Uncle Benny took and he was at all the weddings and parties, you could tell by the bright light or lamp that followed him around the room.
My mother and step-dad were the first to get married and had their reception in that white house. I was about a year old when this beautiful event took place. My mother and father dated for a short while and this is how came to be. This was the first of many family weddings that took place and thank goodness for my Uncle Benny and his traveling light I have a record of hers and the rest of my uncles and aunts weddings and baptisms.
Celebrating was a way of life for my grandparents, not sure how they got a four piece band in their dining room and then add those who wanted to dance but then it looks like they danced close together, I don't think rock n roll arrived yet.
I am so blessed that my Uncle Benny was still around to take "movie pictures" of my wedding which is now on the same CD as my mom and step-dads and all my uncles and aunts
I guess I followed in the foot steps of my family, when Paul and I started having children and opened the door to our home for family and friends to share in birthdays, anniversary's, graduations and just because BBQ's, yes and parties were held in our home ( thank God for a large family room), dancing and surprise parties took place which I won't go into.....hummmm.
We rented a few apartments before we bought our first house in Newark, California and ended up in Castro Valley California where Paul grew up. His parents also loved entertaining which was wonderful in the summer because they had a large pool and my mother in-law loved to BBQ. Paul's Uncle Tony played the Ukulele with his three piece band in the early days.
We raised our four son in Castro Valley, gee so many memories there. Our first son asked his now wife to marry him while we lived there, I gave him a small diamond ring of mine to give her till he could buy one for her. We held their engagement party at our home while they decided to marry in Lake Tahoe the reception was held at our home. We had more engagement parties along with baby showers too. Our youngest son joined the Navy and of course the going away party and homecoming was celebrated in the Castro Valley house.
Paul has retired and we moved to the Sonora area (Soulsbyville), We held a nice Open House and invited long time friends and family to join us, it was so nice to see them all and know they were apart of our years of memories.
So now we just celebrated our last son's wedding and of course we held that engagement party at the Castro Valley house, this was made possible because our second son bought that house from us. When we went to sell the house, our daughter in-law Erin said the sweetest thing ever, she said that so many family celebrations have taken place here we knew it would be hard for me (mom) to see a stranger buy the house, so they wanted to keep it in the family and raise their children in the Castro Valley house.
So for the last time an engagement party was held. The beautiful wedding took place at a winery that was just perfect. I am sure there will be more celebrations in our family and we will treasure each and every one of them.
A friend of mine gave me a picture frame a while back and there is a beautiful saying on it
"It all started because two people fell in love"
