Sunday 16 August 2015

The morning after the night before....

This post is brought to you this morning by a very tired but happy Ruby
After getting to bed at almost 4am
The dogs woke me up at 7 30am
I decided to bring them for a walk straight away
To tire them out so they would be quiet and not wake up the sleeping visitors
So 
Where do I start?
Well
Yesterday was all go
We spent the day sitting around 
Chatting and laughing
And started to get ready at about 4pm
All the curls fell out of my hair after a nights sleep
So my sisters girlfriend re did it for me
In the end 
I decided to go with the Orange and cream dress 
Although I have to admit
It was just a teeny weeny bit tight
But that's the price we pay 
And I was ok with it
All day 
My speech was on my mind 
I had an idea of what I wanted to say
I wanted to keep it light, funny and heartfelt 
So through out the day 
I cobbled together a few sentences 

At 6 pm
My sister, her girlfriend and my brother and his girlfriend all headed in to the hotel to decorate the table
And to sort out any last minute jobs
We put balloons on the table
A banner behind 
And party poppers and little glittery words saying congratulations
We then went to bar to wait for everyone
Bit by bit
They all dribbled in
I was still feeling anxious
And just prayed for the speech to be over 
But I held it together 
And managed to be sociable

At 8pm
We all headed in to the restaurant 
We all took our seats 
I took one on the middle
So that when I spoke 
Everyone could hear me
There were 15 of us altogether
The plan was for me to make the speech after the orders had been taken
And when the champagne was being poured
I swear I was so tempted to take a glass
Just for some Dutch courage alone
Oh my God you guys 
I was so freakin nervous
I shit you not
I kept going to the bathroom
And sitting on the toilet seat
Running through it in my head
At the table 
I had so many butterflies 
That I didn't think I'd be able to eat
But I thought I would feel better when it was done and dusted
All too soon 
It was time 
I got the nod after the champagne was poured
And I stood up to speak
Here is the gist of what I said 

Hi everyone and welcome
I was kindly nominated by my brother and sister to say a few words 
So I will keep it short and sweet
First I want to thank everyone for coming
I know you've come from all over
London
Dublin
Cork
Donegal
Leitrim 
And Sligo
We are so delighted you are here to help us celebrate Mums retirement 
I want to congratulate Mum
I know she has many things planned for her retirement
Book clubs 
Film clubs
And learning to swim which has been on her to do list since 1985
So please join me in a toast
We are super proud of you Mum
We love you very much
And I'm looking forward to travelling the country with you on our respective bus passes

Oh the relief when it was over
I was just so glad to get the words out
And everyone w laughed
And Mum shed a tear
I sat down 
And could finally relax 

Then food started to arrive 
First we had an amuse Bouche 
Which was a little tea cup of carrot and coriander soup
Delicious 
Then the starters 
I had the trio of melon 
As I wanted something light because I really wasn't that hungry
Other starters were pork belly
Which I tasted and it was Devine
Soup
And chowder 
For the main 
I had slow braised blade of beef
Again
I couldn't really enjoy it 
As I just had no appetite 
I ate about a third of it
And gave the rest to my brother 
I tried my best to stay put after eating
I really tried to hang on
But about five minutes later 
I made a little trip to the bathroom
Purging in restaurants is always tricky
There is the issue of others hearing you
And then trying to clean up the mess 
Thankfully there was no one in there though
And I purged in peace
I cleaned up 
And headed back to the table
Then it was time for tea, coffee and dessert
They were all quite heavy
So I just ordered ice cream 
Which was nice
I then had three cups of tea
Which was very welcome as I was gasping for one

We had great craic at the table 
So much laughter which was lovely
And the time just flew by
At just after midnight
We retired to the bar for drinks
Here is where I have to make a little confession
I was really starting to flag and feel really tired
So I was really sneaky and had two drinks of vodka and orange juice
I tried to keep it quiet
But my brother noticed
And asked me what I was drinking 
I told him
And asked him to keep it quiet 
My brrother and I then had a really interesting conversation about escaping reality 
And why I find it so hard to live without the use of substances 
To be honest
I didn't really feel the effect of the alcohol
And I'm not even sure why I did it
I know I shouldn't drink
But I just really craved one last night
Alcohol was not my primary addiction
So part of me still thinks I can get away with having a drink or two
But I know where it leads

At about 1 30am we started to move out and head home
The dogs greeted us
And I immediately changed into pyjamas 
Put my hair up
And washed my make up off
It felt so good getting in to comfy clothes
And I was so glad that the night went well
And that Mum enjoyed it
I am lucky and blessed to have an amazing Mum
She is selfless to a fault
And has been my cheerleader, supporter, friend, confidant and carer from day one
I can never repay her for all she has done for me
That's the reason I made the speech
I wouldn't have done it for anyone else 

After chatting got a while
Everyone began to move to their rooms
I was on the couch
Which I didn't mind at all
When I first moved here 
Even though I had a bedroom
I slept on the couch for the first few months
I could sleep in my own bedroom
As an ex boyfriend had over dosed in there
It was nearing 4 40am when I finly fell asleep
Content
Relieved
And so happy that the night went week

Many many photos were taken last night
Here is a selection of them....

















10 comments:

  1. the words you said sound perfect and you look radiant! well done ruby so glad it went well, hope you can have a quiet day today and relax a bit. much love jo xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thanks Jo Jo
      It was such a great night
      And so glad that Mum enjoyed it

      Hope you are well
      Much love to you too x

      Delete
  2. Really glad that it went off okay Ruby! So nice to hear you sounding relieved! You looked lovely and I like the speech! That was so brave of you!

    sending love

    firefly x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Firefly
      It was nerve wracking to say the least
      But so glad that I did it x

      Delete
  3. It sounds like you had a fantastic time! I'm so pleased for you! The pictures look great. You look radiant! Take care lovely xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THanks sweetie
      So tired today that I've slept all day
      But it was so worth it for Mum x

      Delete
  4. I'm so proud of you for going through with the speech. I know how nerve wracking that must've been. I think you did well keeping it short and sweet.

    Everything looks amazing, and you my dear are stunning as always. Slow braised beef sounds delicious. And that melon trio! Wow wow wow.

    I know moderation isn't really in our vocabulary as addicts, so I have to say I'm proud of you in a way for only having two drinks. Like you, it isn't my primary addiction but it's a slippery slope. I think it was probably a good idea to talk to your brother about it, just to have someone in the know should you need support.

    Enjoy some rest and quiet time!
    xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thank you dear Bella
      I was just glad to get the words out and not make a fool of myself

      The food was delicious
      I was just so wound up
      I couldn't really enjoy it

      Yes indeed it is a slippery slope
      I know I need to watch that
      But alcohol is not my thing
      So I won't worry too much

      Love you x

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  5. Looks like a wonderful event!!
    I love your dress and I think you look great. I love orange.

    Personally I don't do well when I get tired. Bad habits start up. But obviously it was so important that you be there and it's just one night after all.

    I never knew you had a brother. Are you close?

    wow. A BF o'd in you bedroom. Scary.


    Thinking of you ruby. I'm actually away on hols right now.

    Xoxo Shelby

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Shelby,
      Good to here from you

      Yes I have an older brother
      He is about 13 years older than me
      We get on well though

      I hope you are enjoying your holidays

      Much love x

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Thank you for leaving some love x