Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Party...The Speech
It was important to Megan that I speak at her 21st but I was very nervous about delivering it. I knew I could write what I wanted to say but I wasn't sure if I'd get through to the end of it and maintain my composure. I just have to think about my children and a lump forms in my throat and I tear up very easily. So I thought that getting up in front of a large group of people (with them all looking at me) and talking about my first born would be a real trial; except in the end, it wasn't. The lead up was difficult and while I worried about getting through it, when the time came I somehow knew that my inner strength would get me through.
I wrote the speech at 5am on the Friday and practiced on Drew later that day. It didn't go so well. Then just before the party was about to start I practiced on Gibbo (and Drew again) in the bathroom. Gibbo thought it was a bit over-emotional in places so I cut a little bit out; but basically, it stayed the same. K stood close by in case I had to hand over to her.
This is how I feel about my daughter.
I wrote the speech at 5am on the Friday and practiced on Drew later that day. It didn't go so well. Then just before the party was about to start I practiced on Gibbo (and Drew again) in the bathroom. Gibbo thought it was a bit over-emotional in places so I cut a little bit out; but basically, it stayed the same. K stood close by in case I had to hand over to her.
This is how I feel about my daughter.
Those of you, who know me, know that this is quite difficult for me. I usually leave this sort of thing to the three extroverts in my family. But an occasion such as Megan’s 21st is reason enough for me to stand up here in front of you and say a few words.
Firstly, thank you all for coming to share with us a very special occasion. Between the four of us, we’ve had numerous family meetings both in person and over the phone and email about plans for tonight. Megan’s ideas usually won out, the rest of us just had to go along with her. Even at First Choice on Wednesday when they were picking up the alcohol, she was still bossing her father around. Gibbo just rolled with the flow as he usually does and followed his list of jobs. Drew was up a tree yesterday, cutting branches. Thankyou to my mother for her input and help especially over the last few weekends on everything from gardening to sewing to shopping for supplies. She’s been as excited as Megan has and has had her costume ready for around six months. Thanks to the Tarcoola St boys, Chris, Jack, Mitch and Forbesy, for their help last weekend with the garden mulching, cleaning the gutters and splitting wood. They are all impressive young men. Thanks to Chris and Ally, who came up last night, for all their help today. Thanks to Neroli and Helen for the cob loaves you saw at entrée and to Katrina for the pumpkin soup that you’ll see at midnight. Thankyou to Gibbo’s family, the Wyatt’s, the Hodges and the Gibbs, for their always-generous assistance with all things family. Thankyou Desley for cleaning all the windows. Thanks to the boys who cooked the steaks and to their wives for their help in serving and to Rocky for keeping the troughs full. Finally, thankyou to Dave for NOT wearing his leopard skin g-string. We’re all very thankful for that.
I’ve written a number of speeches in my head as I’ve driven to and from town on one of the many trips I make. I’d think of some great things to say and then I’d start to think about different events in Megan’s life and by the time I got half way to town I’d be crying and sometimes even sobbing so I’d abandon any attempt to finish it. When I sat down to write this speech there was hardly a tear in my eye so obviously the timing was right. The delivery might not go so well though.
Megan was a very easy baby to have. She slept and ate, slept and ate. She talked very well at an early age and hasn’t ever really stopped. She was the first baby in our friendship group and went everywhere with us so as she grew she was very comfortable around people of all ages. Her Grade 5 teacher once told me that Megan would always do well in life because she was prepared to talk to people. She loved school and did well at everything, both on the sports field and academically. She was involved in every aspect of school life and was always prepared to have a go. Her Grade 2 teacher told me that the school day couldn’t really start until Megan had arrived. She danced for 12 years. She went on the Young Endeavour sailing ship. She was a house captain at both schools and a prefect. She got her Open Water Divers licence. She won an Innovations Award and an Ipod from the Qld Govt – and promptly sold the Ipod. There were no major dramas, mostly problems with attitude. She emerged from the tunnel into the light and hasn’t looked back.
She left home and went to live at Women’s College. I cried all the way back to Gatton on the night we left her there. It was bittersweet – I wanted her to be there but I missed her so much. I couldn’t believe I was leaving my daughter somewhere where I wouldn’t be around to look after her. How would she ever cope without me around? But as children are wont to do, she coped very well! Then before I knew it, three years later we were back at Women’s for the Valedictory Dinner and she was about to graduate with a degree and a very nice boyfriend. Those years at Women’s flew by and she has made some very special friends and collected some wonderful memories along the way (most of which I suspect I don’t want to know too much about). I’m so glad she has lived the Uni and College life.
And now, here she is, a working girl in the big city, still studying, building her life with plans for the future. She got her job because she was prepared to just have a go – something instilled in her all those years ago as a young girl. She has strength, determination and confidence and a strong sense of what she wants. She is a good person. We are very proud of our beautiful daughter - she is a delightful young woman and we love and cherish her very, very much.
Finally Megan, I have some words of advice for you from the pen of Mark Twain:
Twenty years from now you will be
more disappointed by the things you didn’t do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER.
Firstly, thank you all for coming to share with us a very special occasion. Between the four of us, we’ve had numerous family meetings both in person and over the phone and email about plans for tonight. Megan’s ideas usually won out, the rest of us just had to go along with her. Even at First Choice on Wednesday when they were picking up the alcohol, she was still bossing her father around. Gibbo just rolled with the flow as he usually does and followed his list of jobs. Drew was up a tree yesterday, cutting branches. Thankyou to my mother for her input and help especially over the last few weekends on everything from gardening to sewing to shopping for supplies. She’s been as excited as Megan has and has had her costume ready for around six months. Thanks to the Tarcoola St boys, Chris, Jack, Mitch and Forbesy, for their help last weekend with the garden mulching, cleaning the gutters and splitting wood. They are all impressive young men. Thanks to Chris and Ally, who came up last night, for all their help today. Thanks to Neroli and Helen for the cob loaves you saw at entrée and to Katrina for the pumpkin soup that you’ll see at midnight. Thankyou to Gibbo’s family, the Wyatt’s, the Hodges and the Gibbs, for their always-generous assistance with all things family. Thankyou Desley for cleaning all the windows. Thanks to the boys who cooked the steaks and to their wives for their help in serving and to Rocky for keeping the troughs full. Finally, thankyou to Dave for NOT wearing his leopard skin g-string. We’re all very thankful for that.
I’ve written a number of speeches in my head as I’ve driven to and from town on one of the many trips I make. I’d think of some great things to say and then I’d start to think about different events in Megan’s life and by the time I got half way to town I’d be crying and sometimes even sobbing so I’d abandon any attempt to finish it. When I sat down to write this speech there was hardly a tear in my eye so obviously the timing was right. The delivery might not go so well though.
Megan was a very easy baby to have. She slept and ate, slept and ate. She talked very well at an early age and hasn’t ever really stopped. She was the first baby in our friendship group and went everywhere with us so as she grew she was very comfortable around people of all ages. Her Grade 5 teacher once told me that Megan would always do well in life because she was prepared to talk to people. She loved school and did well at everything, both on the sports field and academically. She was involved in every aspect of school life and was always prepared to have a go. Her Grade 2 teacher told me that the school day couldn’t really start until Megan had arrived. She danced for 12 years. She went on the Young Endeavour sailing ship. She was a house captain at both schools and a prefect. She got her Open Water Divers licence. She won an Innovations Award and an Ipod from the Qld Govt – and promptly sold the Ipod. There were no major dramas, mostly problems with attitude. She emerged from the tunnel into the light and hasn’t looked back.
She left home and went to live at Women’s College. I cried all the way back to Gatton on the night we left her there. It was bittersweet – I wanted her to be there but I missed her so much. I couldn’t believe I was leaving my daughter somewhere where I wouldn’t be around to look after her. How would she ever cope without me around? But as children are wont to do, she coped very well! Then before I knew it, three years later we were back at Women’s for the Valedictory Dinner and she was about to graduate with a degree and a very nice boyfriend. Those years at Women’s flew by and she has made some very special friends and collected some wonderful memories along the way (most of which I suspect I don’t want to know too much about). I’m so glad she has lived the Uni and College life.
And now, here she is, a working girl in the big city, still studying, building her life with plans for the future. She got her job because she was prepared to just have a go – something instilled in her all those years ago as a young girl. She has strength, determination and confidence and a strong sense of what she wants. She is a good person. We are very proud of our beautiful daughter - she is a delightful young woman and we love and cherish her very, very much.
Finally Megan, I have some words of advice for you from the pen of Mark Twain:
Twenty years from now you will be
more disappointed by the things you didn’t do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER.
********************************************************
I found the Mark Twain quote when I was searching the internet for 21st quotes. I thought it very fitting. I put an advert in the two local papers the week of her birthday for all to see. It looked like this: 
***********************************************************
AND THEN, the weekend after her party, in the QWeekend magazine, in the 'fortunecookie' section for birthday horoscopes for the coming year I found this:
Travel broadens both of your Gemini minds.
With the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars all progressively moving through your sign until late August, you're in super Twin mode. This is the year when travel and education inspire you to greater goals and more adventurous dreams. Geminis are the eternal students of the zodiac - your active mind longs for regular information updates. Thus you are drawn to travel, where you can soak up new experiences, languages, lifestyles and cultures.
Your birthday quote comes courtesy of storyteller Mark Twain:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do ... Explore. Dream. Discover."
*******************************************************
When I read that I felt goosebumps; is that some sort of sign or what? Out of the thousands of quotes I could have used for Megan I chose that one - and then a few days later, look what shows up in the paper. It was an eye-widening moment that made me gasp out loud.
The Party...The Cake
Megan wanted a giant patty cake as her 21st cake; she had seen exactly what she wanted in a book one day. We tried to create it ourselves (read about it here) but we soon came to the realisation that anything we produced was going to fall far short of her expectations.
So I contacted Robyn B, a lady who lives not far from here and told her about Megan's cake. This is what she came up with -
a 99.9% accurate replica and EXACTLY what Megan wanted. She did a magnificent job and even delivered it. The cake itself was the nicest cake I've ever tasted. We were so impressed that we didn't even cut the cake on the night of the party. It was to be marvelled at only. 
The next day we did end up cutting it - it was such a shame to cut it up but also such a shame to not taste and eat it. So Megan took half back home with her and we kept half. Unfortunately, Drew was at his rehearsal when we cut it so didn't make the photo.
The Party...The Day After
The Clean Up
Breakfast
Presents
The DJ's
Charlotte with a collection of plastic cowboy hats for her dollies
Dave and Neroli
Charlotte with a collection of plastic cowboy hats for her dolliesDave and Neroli
The Party...The Night Of
Megan in the dress that was finished the day before...
Pam and Viv
The Gibbs Family
The Cousins...
Desley and Mum
After all the planning, organising and setting up - it was all over in a matter of hours. It went so quickly. Desley was a huge help in getting the entree up and running; Andrew D ran the feeding of the hordes. I just seemed to stand around a lot. People ate, we had the speeches, Megan played the slideshow and the rest is a bit of a blur (not due to alcohol consumption - it just seemed to go). At midnight Mum and I served a cob loaf and about 35 cups of pumpkin soup and I crawled into bed at 1-30am. I dragged Drew inside at 1-00am to get him out of the cold night air in an attempt to preserve his throat for rehearsal at 9am.And.......in the end, there's not that many photos of the actual night. We didn't cut the cake (it was just too beautiful) but nearly all the patty cakes disappeared. The only photo of the four of us together is one taken on Ben's camera, when we brought the cake out to show everyone. I haven't seen it yet. I don't even really have a great photo of Megan on her own, one that could be her 21st photo. I can't believe that - especially as I love to take photos and document events.
The Party...The Day Of
I went to town to take Drew to rehearsal and pick up the bread rolls, coleslaw and onion. I also picked up these magnificent little morsels from a lady who does a bit of catering. I'd sampled a biscuit when I had my hair done on Wednesday and tracked her down - actually, when I left the hairdresser I ran into her in the first shop I went into - so obviously it was meant to happen! They tasted as delicious as they look.
Megan and Ally put up balloons and relevant decorations on the road to the house.
The portaloos arrived.
So did the hay bales.
This is the SALOON sign from my 21st (in 1983!).
The set-up for music and photo slideshow.
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