Shannon here: Inspirational author, Caryl McAdoo shares insight into her real life romance plus a chance to win a copy of her latest contemporary romance, Sing a New Song. Comment or answer the question at the end of any post dated April 13 – 15. Deadline: April 25th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Caryl:
WEDDING WOES & HONEYMOON HORRORS
Or What Else Could Go Wrong?
It rained the morning of our wedding day, June 33, 1968, a precursor of things to come, though not the first. My grandmother had come to Texas from California to attend the wedding of her favorite granddaughter. Four days before the big day, she was in an accident. Another vehicle ran a red light, and she suffered several broken bones and too many bruises. Impending weeks of hospitalization wouldn’t keep her from our joyous occasion though. Daddy arranged an ambulance to roll her into the church on a stretcher. The local paper’s headline read: Gritty Grandmother Attends Wedding.
The early showers dried up, and at the ripe age of eighteen, we said our ‘I do’s. Afterwards, we hurried to a nearby hotel for the party celebration. Since the photographer had never arrived, no picture-taking opportunities compelled us to hang around the church. At least he had called, whined about car trouble, and promised to meet us at the reception.
In the ballroom, we arranged our welcome line – my seven bridesmaids, each sandwiched between Ron’s groomsmen, then my new in-laws, but wait a minute. Where were my parents? We waited and waited. Ample time had passed, even if they’d gone to the hospital to see grandmother comfortably settled. It wasn’t that far. Guests piled up in the lobby.
Our picture taker showed up gushing apologies. Light bulbs flashed away, but still no Mama and Daddy. We finally opened the doors without them and welcomed our guests. Like the photographer, Mama and Daddy, too, did eventually make the reception.
She explained they’d been at the hospital. Was Grandmother okay? Had something gone wrong? Yes. No. Grandmom was fine, but my maternal granddaddy had started hemorrhaging at the wedding, and was rushed to the hospital and admitted for tests and transfusions. Mercy! So after the lovely reception, we drug our cans tied behind the car to the hospital—no biggie—on the way to our new apartment, where we’d planned to spend our first night together.
Finally at home, giggles took over. We were hungry, so we put a couple of frozen pot pies in the oven and watched Death Valley Days on television, drinking our champagne from lovely engraved goblets my cousin had given us. Communication never posed an issue since we’d been high school sweethearts for two years already. We talked the night away trying to decide what to do.
Plans were to leave the next morning for San Antonio, but I didn’t see how we could. After much deliberation, we agreed to postpone honeymoon travels until my grandparents were at least out of the woods. Besides, with Daddy staying with his mother at the hospital and Mama being there with her father, my young siblings would need someone to watch them.
On the morning of the first day of our honeymoon, I called Mother and told her we’d be over to watch eight-year-old Cathy and five-year-old Norman. She tried to refuse, but reluctantly accepted our offer to delay our trip and help out. We showed up, and I packed a couple of boxes with the last remnants of my life there. Ron loaded them.
Then we hauled out the Monopoly board for a game with Cathy to keep us all occupied. Norman, too young to play, acted plenty upset about it. I don’t remember how long we purchased new properties and bought houses and hotels and, but a humongous crash and subsequent scream interrupted all deals.
Everyone jumped up and ran. When we opened the bathroom door, water rushed into the hall. Norm had climbed onto the lavoratory to look in the mirror. It had separated from the wall and crashed to the floor where it lay in pieces. Water gushed from the broken pipe protruding from the wall. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I felt sick to my stomach which was cramping anyway.
My brand new husband tried to calm me as ripples flowed down the hall several inches deep into the living room. He called the fire department then phoned his dad for instructions for turning the water off at the street. Stopping the raging flow seemed to take forever as water seeped under doors and made a waterfall into the sunken den. Finally, the firemen arrived, got out their big sucker-upper machines, and started vacuuming.
Ron swept while I sat on the couch in tears overwhelmed. I figure the after-wedding let-down with the grandparent woes then the flooded house caused me to cry that day. We did eventually get out of town and made it to San Antonio for some wonderful, bliss-filled days.
Looking back, we can laugh. What a comedy of errors! But love, sweet love, will get you through anything.
About Caryl: Christian author Caryl McAdoo is currently writing three series: her historical Christian ‘Texas Romance’; the contemporary ‘Red River Romance’; and ‘The Generations’, her Biblical fiction. The novelist loves singing new songs the Lord gives her, and she paints. In 2008, she and her high school sweetheart-husband Ron moved from the DFW area—home for fifty-five years—to the woods of Red River County. Caryl counts four children and fifteen grandsugars life’s biggest blessings believing all good things come from God. Praying her story gives God glory, she hopes each one will minister His love, mercy, and grace to its readers. Caryl and Ron live in Clarksville, the county seat, in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State with two grandsons, five dogs, and a wavering number of barn cats.
Learn more or connect: http://carylmcadoo.com/, http://carylmcadoo.blogspot.com/, https://www.facebook.com/CarylMcAdoo.author, https://twitter.com/carylmcadoo, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/181587.Caryl_McAdoo
About the book – Sing a New Song: The untimely death of her father shatters Mary Esther Robbins’ heart and separates her from her grade school best friend, Samuel Levi Baylor. During the twenty years apart, she fulfills her life’s dream of penning new songs and singing God’s praise with a Christian band, while he tends his growing cattle herd and shares the Good News at every opportunity. The Lord brings her home then throws them back together when Samuel agrees to help Mary Esther move and remodel her childhood home. The two lost decades vanish, and their time together convinces both the other is the true soul mate. But misunderstanding and fear keeps them from expressing their true love. Though jealousy rears its ugly head, can love and commitment hold the two together? And while they’re both committed to ministering the Gospel together, can they do it as husband and wife?
Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/Sing-New-Song-Caryl-McAdoo/dp/1508742324/ref=la_B00E963CFG_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428680386&sr=1-9
Question: Did anything go wrong at your wedding or at a wedding you attended?
Come back April 15th for part two from Caryl!
Wow! What a way to start a marriage! Just proves that love and determination will see you through anything. I noticed that you were married in 1968, when you were 18. That was a very good year because my 20 year old husband married his 18 year old bride in December 1968. Forty-six years and still going strong!
Thank you for this enjoyable interview.
Connie
it rained at mine and was a outdoor wedding at a friend’s house who had cattle and a horsefly bit me on the ankle during the ceremony
would love to win.
Loved reading this. The only catastrophe on my wedding day was that my mother was filling the bathtub and got sidetracked and forgot about it and the bathroom and hallway were flooded.
I attended a wedding where when the bride and groom were about to say “I do ” the bride screamed. We did not know what was happening at the time, but a couple of bees flew out of her bouquet. She was startled and afraid of them. After a few minutes, the minister said…”we will continue now that the bees have gone” We can laugh at that now
Caryl, I loved reading about your most eventful wedding day as well as days after. That time in your life was certainly not dull, to say the least! I am sure over the years with Ron, there are many, many stories to tell. Thank you for putting a smile on my face!
melback at cebridge dot net
Enjoyed the interview – what a wedding to remember! Congratulations on a good marriage for all these years. Sing a New Song sounds like a book I would enjoy.
Thanks!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
At least you have memories that you can laugh at now!!!!Your series soulnd intriguing. I must find your books.
Our centerpiece on the reception table had candles in the middle of silk flowers. The flowers caught on fire, but we didn’t know it until we got back from our honeymoon.
Only slightly behind on picking winners 🙂 Congrats Joye! You won the drawing. I appreciate Caryl for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.