Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain

So there we were, walking from my nieces' wedding to the reception a short distance away on a balmy Florida evening.


*Hold up.  Back Story:

You have to understand, before I get further into this blog that this was my KT getting married.  My first of about 47 nieces and nephews that have come along since.  I was in 8th grade when Kate was born, making us about 12 years apart.  Approximately, the same distance apart as her mother, Val, and I.  As Val came home for vacations and holidays, I was always around.  I watched her grow up and love her with a fierceness.

I made a teddy bear cake for Kate's 2nd or 3rd birthday.  Little did I know then, that "cool cakes" would be my claim to fame as a mom.  Kate went on to become the oldest of six kids, in a very awesome family.  Things were not always easy.  Money was tight with such a large family and Kate's parents separated when most of the kids were young.  Kate, however, was old enough to witness (and remember) the not so good times.  In college, she got pregnant and made what I think was the not typical, yet bravest choice.  She not only had the baby, but kept her and has raised her into one of the two most rockin' 9 year olds I know!  (The other being B. Charlie of course)

Without lots of details, I just want you to understand that here is a kid who didn't have it easy, but has a family who loves her in addition to the most fabulous Aunt anyone could ask for!  So when she called to tell me she was getting married, I cried.  I just want the happiness for her that she deserves!

As plans were made, it turned out she was going to get married while my husband was gone.  The thought of bringing 5 kids to Florida by myself for a wedding in which they had to look somewhat respectable was a bit daunting, I must admit.  Money is not abundant in our household either and so after looking into driving (19 hours) or a train (you can't get there from here) it was not looking like I was going to make it.

When Kate saw this in an email, she fell apart.  "I need my Auntie Em!," she told me.  As any good Catholic will understand, in a case of guilt vs money, guilt will always prevail!  I pleaded my case to my hubby and he said "Just get the tickets.  It's only money, really."  And so I did. (Thank you Charlie)

There will be a whole other post dedicated to the trip itself, but let's just say it was a whirlwind.  As I talked to my niece leading up to the wedding, I realized how much she had done and paid for herself.  Her mother has been living in Italy for the last year and no other "maternal figures" are near her in Jacksonville.  She really put the whole thing together as a one woman show.  I felt horrible.  I should have been calling, checking in on her, helping her make decisions, listening when she needed to vent, etc.  I should have done more.  Even Saturday, when she was completely freaking out trying to set up I should have figured out a way to get over there and help, but without a husband accompanying me, my brain was fried and I didn't.

*End of Back Story*


So there we were, walking from my neices' wedding to the reception a short distance away on a balmy Florida evening.  There had been talk of rain, and grey clouds were looming, but they were moving quickly so I prayed they would pass.  The wedding and reception were at a high school that looked more like a college campus.  The path from the church around the lake to what I donned "The Tree of Life" was lovely.  The tree was ginormous (my blog- I can invent words) and under it was a circular deck holding tables with centerpieces of candles and flowers.  There was guest photo album table, guys cooking up incredible wood stove gourmet pizzas, two "Mommy juice" bars, a "candy" bar for the kids (great touch), and a very handsome (read:HOT) acoustic guitar player that was beyond amazing.  It was hard to take all this in as Sawyer tugged on me and whined and fussed to go to the soccer field next to the tree.  I told him as soon as I saw the cake, we would go.

The story of the cake topper was one Kate had told me the night before.  She had ordered it from England and it was supposed to arrive on Wednesday.  By Thursday, she was losing it and John (her very calm fiance) told her that she was allowed to freak out if it had not arrived by Friday at 10am.  Apparently, the doorbell rang at 9:57am Friday and needless to say, Kate is now BFFs with the Fed- Ex lady (who may or may not be aware of this relationship, but still has bruises from Kate's hug).

Because John's last name is FOX, it was a running theme throughout the wedding.  I brought Sawyer over to see the cake despite his protests.  It was a stunning cream colored three layer cake.  At the bottom of each layer was a clover green ribbon of icing.  Very simple and classy.  The topper itself was a porcelain bride and groom, a porcelain Fox bride and groom.  Adorable!

While I watched Sawyer play an imaginary game of soccer on the field using an acorn that he kept stepping on and having to yank back out of the grass, I kept an eye on the clouds.  They were getting darker and closer.  There was no contingency plan for the reception.  As I was not involved in the details, I found out later, they had researched the weather and this weekend was the weekend where it was least likely to rain in accordance with Florida history.  Yes, well, consulting the Farmer's Almanac is all well and good...until the drops start to come down.

My first thought was that Sawyer might freak.  He's not a fan of thunderstorms and I could hear some rumbling.  By the time we got off the field and under the tree it had started to rain a steady rain.  The tree provided a bit of shelter initially, then the skies opened up. It was at this point that all concern about Sawyer went out the window.   I have no idea where he went or what he did while the rest of this story takes place.  I was standing by the cake when it dawned on me and a few others that it would be ruined if we didn't do something.  It's all a blur but the next 15-20 minutes went something like this:


Someone was holding a coat or something over the cake.  I went over to a tall table and grabbed the table cloth.  Putting it over me, I then leaned against the table and shielded the cakes (there was a grooms cake too) with the table cloth. 

It started to pour.  Huge, hard pelting drops where you can't even see.  It became clear that the table cloth was not going to be enough.  The rain was already dripping through and the wind was causing the rain to hit the back of the cake.  Except for Trevor, my other niece's boyfriend, I didn't know any of the four or five guys trying to brainstorm a solution.  Let me just say here, the cake could not and would not have been saved if these tall, able-bodied young men were not willing to get drenched along with me.  Also, let me note that Trevor and I have officially bonded if we hadn't before!

There was discussion of picking up the cake and putting it under a table.  A chorus of "I'm not touching it!" went up like a cheer for a Jaguars 1st down.  Okay, fair enough.  The next idea was to take a tall round table and place it on top of the cake table so the cakes were underneath.  Great idea, but I didn't have the strength or height to pull that off.  Keep in mind, I am having this discussion while under a drenched tablecloth with rain running down my back like a waterfall. 

I don't know why or when I went over to the table, I remember trying to grab all the little centerpiece vases (there were 5 or 6) in one swoop and missing one that was holding a tea light.  Whether that happened the first time I went over to grab the table cloth or if I went back to do that as the were going to carry the whole table to the cake table I don't know.

So the tall round table was brought behind me and I ducked as they lifted it over me and my tablecloth.   It was a great idea and it worked but the rain was still coming in sideways.  We took the table cloth I was using and draped it over one side and then someone else brought a second table cloth and we put it over the other side so the cakes were completely surrounded.

The wind continued to blow so the table clothes had to be held down.  I think Trevor came up with the ingenious idea of putting a case of water on top and luckily there was a guy tall enough to do just that.  (Read: Trevor is not a tall guy- Sorry Trev) It worked.

It was about this time that the second "band" came through.  This was no rain for the faint of heart, no rain for a romantic walk by the park, this was a hard core, in your face,  Ozzy Osborne biting the head off a small animal, kind of rain.  As I was under the tall table holding the sides of the table cloths closed, I found myself sharing an intimate moment alone with the cake. 

"Listen here, cake!" I possibly said out loud while glaring at the two tiny foxes innocently smiling back at me.  "There is nothing I can do about the fact that I wasn't around when Kate planned and that I couldn't be here this afternoon to set up and I certainly couldn't help it from raining.  I need Kate to know how much I love her, so I will be damned if I am going to let anything, ANYTHING, happen to you.  You just suck up those droplets of green and hold yourself together.  This is the only thing I can do and do well, so don't screw this up for me!"

And as quickly as it started, it stopped.  We waited a few extra minutes to be sure.  Again this legion of tall male angels appeared and slowly lifted the table off of the cake and me.  Someone brought an umbrella and I tasked Josie and Lyra to take turns holding it over the cake.  I called for napkins and someone amazingly found a package that had not yet been opened so they were dry.  I mopped up the green water around the bands and gently patted the cake to get most of the green drippage off the sides.

It was about then I felt my heel throbbing and realized that when they lifted the tall table, the remaining vase that I missed had slipped off the top and shattered behind me.  I had a sliver of glass in my foot that remained there until last night when I finally had the time and tools to dig it out.

As a battalion of women armed with paper towels, rags and napkins swooped in to start drying tables and chairs, a few people said to me, "It's stopped completely and the tree is not dripping much, you can probably put the umbrella down."

Evil darts were shot from my eyeballs strait to their hearts as I said sweetly, "The cake will be under the umbrella until Kate gets here and sees it."

It was.

And they lived happily ever after. 

The End Beginning!